Chapter 5: Merlin Is a Hardcore Werewolf!
Noah's bad premonition had come true.
[After waking up this time, you found your headache had worsened, but you could still endure it and didn't pay it much mind]
[After repelling the main forces of the Picts and successfully reclaiming the territory of one of the fallen Twelve Lords, your domain expanded and your reputation grew]
[The remaining eleven lords, upon learning of your achievements, abandoned direct opposition and instead sought to test you through other means, to determine if you were truly the chosen king]
[Merlin reported this news to you, but you weren't particularly concerned]
[Because at this time, you discovered several salt mountains in the territory of the fallen lord, and you began planning to use them to revolutionize Britain's salt production]
[Using Merlin's magic, you perfected the production of refined salt and quickly gained control over Britain's salt supply. With this control, the other eleven lords—who had no real intention of rebellion—naturally chose to cooperate with you after deliberation]
[Thus, the issue of the Twelve Lords within Britain was resolved]
[With Britain's internal problems temporarily settled, you decided to begin forming the Knights of the Round Table and started preparing for a counterattack against the Picts and a campaign against Vortigern]
[One night, you fell asleep]
[(Migraine, third occurrence)]
[You didn't wake up. You died]
Seeing this outcome, Noah was visibly stunned.
Mainly because the timing of the third migraine trigger was just too strange... To be honest, while Noah had sensed something off about these migraines, he never imagined the third occurrence would directly cause his death.
Had the migraine not triggered right before his death, Noah might have suspected foul play—perhaps even from Merlin!
But...
Given the timing, it was entirely possible he'd simply died from the pain...
So the verdict was still out.
"Receive rewards!"
Noah temporarily set the matter aside and claimed the rewards from his first simulation.
Three options.
The first was [(Common) Migraine]—only someone with a death wish would choose that.
The second was to gain the memories and experiences from this simulation, and the third was to acquire the attributes.
After some thought, Noah chose the second option.
After all, the time between this death and his current situation wasn't long, so any attribute gains would likely be minimal. In contrast, the memories and experiences—whether it was combat experience against the Picts, the location of those salt mountains, or the cooperation with the other eleven lords through refined salt—were all things Noah wanted.
And then there was the migraine.
He wanted to understand exactly how painful it had been.
As Noah made his choice, the memories and experiences flooded into his mind.
First came the experience of that nearly forty-hour battle, giving Noah a profound understanding of the Picts while deepening his comprehension of martial arts and certain magical principles.
Then came the timing of the Picts' attack, their tactics, the location of the salt mountain, the method of salt production...
In the simulation, some of these matters still required Merlin's assistance at the time, but now they were no longer necessary.
Finally, there was the matter of the migraines.
The first time... it was very mild. The second time... slightly noticeable...
But that was all.
These two memories of migraines made Noah even more doubtful about whether he had actually died from a migraine.
Most likely... not!
Noah had a hypothesis, but some things couldn't be confirmed yet. Still, it didn't matter.
With three simulation opportunities per day, he immediately began the second simulation.
This time, he adjusted his approach. For instance, he already knew in advance the timing of the Picts' attack, as well as the method of salt production and the location of the salt mountain.
Additionally, there were the tags for the second simulation.
[Please select a tag (choose one of three)]
[(Common) Hunter: You have some hunting experience]
[(Rare) King's Stomach: Your appetite increases significantly]
[(Rare) Skilled Chef: Your cooking skills can be considered excellent]
Seeing these three options, Noah hesitated for a moment, then immediately discarded the third tag.
After all, "cooking skills can be considered excellent"... what was the standard for that?
If it were compared to the chefs from his previous life, this option would be quite good. But if it were compared to the standards of Britain in his current era... well, he had already tasted the royal cuisine earlier...
So, it was better to forget about that one.
As for the remaining two... the Hunter tag was unnecessary, as he already had some hunting experience. But the King's Stomach... that was a tag Noah was quite interested in.
King's Stomach—wasn't that the one Artoria and Mordred both had?
It meant being able to eat a lot!
Of course, having a big appetite was inherently a good thing. Noah recalled from his previous life that some bodybuilders and athletes in highly physical combat sports had mentioned that compared to the hardships of training, eating was even more challenging.
Some people even had to grind their food and force it down with water because they couldn't eat that much.
Being able to eat would undoubtedly contribute more to physical growth than not being able to eat.
After a brief consideration, Noah directly selected the second option: [(Rare) King's Stomach]!
Simulation, begin!
[After dinner, you began preparing for the Picts' invasion]
[Over the next week, you deployed troops in advance and assembled your forces. When the Picts attacked one of the Twelve Lords, you immediately launched a counterattack against them]
[You and your troops achieved an easy victory]
[At the victory banquet, you ate a great deal]
[(King's Stomach, activated)]
[Artoria, who also has a large appetite, felt a sense of closeness toward you]
[After repelling the Picts, you sent people to locate the salt mountain and successfully produced refined salt using the salt-making method. With the refined salt, you quickly united the other eleven lords]
[The other eleven lords believed the lord annihilated by the Picts was your example to warn the rest, and coupled with the substantial benefits you provided after eliminating one lord, their loyalty to you deepened.]
[With Britain's internal situation fully stabilized, you began establishing the Knights of the Round Table, preparing to counterattack the Picts and launch a campaign against Vortigern.]
[During the preparations, you frequently engaged in one-on-one training sessions with Artoria, increasing her affection toward you.]
[After discovering your similar appetites, you and Artoria often shared meals, further raising her affection for you.]
[Due to your prodigious appetite, you modestly improved the culinary standards, which not only increased Artoria's affection but also earned her profound admiration.]
[(King's Stomach, continuously active)]
[Your physical prowess improved remarkably due to your hearty eating habits. Over several years, your constitution rivaled even that of Artoria, who is half-human, half-dragon.]
By this point in the second simulation, the progress had already surpassed the first run.
So... last time I really died from a migraine?
How absurd!
At this thought, Noah shook his head slightly and continued reading.
[At the knight selection tournament you hosted, a knight named Lancelot emerged victorious and declared his intention to challenge you.]
[Artoria, considering this disrespectful to you, stepped forward to confront him in your stead but was defeated.]
Artoria lost?
Oh, it's Lancelot. That explains it.
Artoria at this stage might not truly be a match for Lancelot, but if you equipped her fully with the Holy Sword Excalibur, the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad, and the Scabbard Avalon, it would be an entirely different story.
A fully geared Artoria, even if not fully matured at this point, would never lose to Lancelot.
[You comforted Artoria and gestured for Lancelot to recover his strength first.]
[In your duel with Lancelot, you didn't even wield the Sword in the Stone. Relying solely on your superior combat skills and exceptional physique, you defeated Lancelot, earning everyone's respect. Lancelot immediately pledged his loyalty on the spot.]
[After subduing Lancelot, Artoria's admiration for you grew, and she became even more convinced of your destiny as the Chosen King. Despite Merlin's repeated attempts to dissuade her, Artoria rebuked him each time, insisting that even Merlin must not show disrespect to the King.]
[Eight days after subduing Lancelot, you died.]
Huh?
If the death in the first simulation left Noah somewhat skeptical, this second demise seemed to leave little room for doubt... This had to be Merlin's doing, right?
Frowning at the thought, Noah first claimed the rewards from this run—after a moment's hesitation, he opted not to select the King's Stomach immediately, instead prioritizing the quickly realizable attribute bonuses. As for the King's Stomach, a rare trait, he would consider it later.
Once the rewards were secured, Noah felt his drastically enhanced strength and the corresponding surge in magical power—a tangible and substantial boost to his capabilities.
But compared to these matters, he was still pondering the outcome of his second simulation...
No good.
Whether it's the Picts invasion or Britain's internal stability, these are all superficial issues!
If he doesn't find a way to deal with the Merlin situation, nothing he does will matter.
But dealing with Merlin...
That won't be easy.
As King Uther's advisor, this guy's prestige throughout Britain goes without saying. Moreover, if he tries to kill Merlin, Artoria would come to his defense, and even knights like Kay would likely side with him too.
On top of that, he's acquainted with the Lady of the Lake.
Besides these connections, Merlin himself isn't someone to be taken lightly.
So to deal with Merlin, he probably needs to find someone who can restrain him... or at least give him some bargaining power...
At this thought, Noah suddenly realized something.
He actually knows such a person!
It's Morgan!
During the previous two simulations, he had forgotten about her due to the Picts invasion and the salt refining matters. He still hadn't explained to Morgan about him becoming the new king!
And there's that one-in-a-billion possibility that he might have wrongly accused Merlin—perhaps it was Morgan who killed him.
The probability is slim, but not impossible.
Wait—even if Morgan was the one who killed him, Merlin must have given his silent approval!
Then it's settled.
No wrongful accusation here—that old rogue Merlin is either the murderer or an accomplice!
He's definitely the werewolf!
After some contemplation, Noah directly initiated the third simulation.
This time... he'll properly explain things to Morgan!