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"I am the great wise man who has protected Britain. Even if you don't remember my deeds, I hope you will remember the past. I was your father's swordsmanship teacher, and I also taught your adopted sister strategy and tactics."

"Even though I am a magus without the honor of a knight and not even considered human, at least I have the face of a man! Why do you insist on making me wear women's clothing, Kay?"

Merlin stood in the inn, his gaze fixed angrily on the gray skirt that Kay had thrown at him. Kay stood silently, his face clouding over as he pressed his sword against Merlin's neck.

Merlin disdainfully looked at the sword and proudly said, "Do you think a sword can make me, Merlin, submit? I'm telling you, it's im-pos-si-ble!"

"I spat on this sword," Kay said.

His face changed, trembling all over. "I'll wear it...I'll wear it...just keep your distance, please don't touch my skin."

Kay sneered and put down his sword.

A single tear trickled down Merlin's handsome face. "This is ridiculous... I am clearly a man... What has become of the knight's honor?" He secretly cast a glance in Kay's direction.

Kay's expression remained blank, but an aura of intense pressure radiated from his entire body. His eyes were bloodshot and intimidating, and he seemed almost poised to strike at Merlin with his sword. Indeed, if Artoria had not intervened, Kay may have actually attacked.

'This is getting out of hand!' Merlin lamented in his heart.

At this point, Shirou said, "Kay, Artie, could you both step out for a moment? I need to speak with Merlin in private."

Kay and Artoria both nodded, and as Kay turned to leave, he held his sword firmly and spoke fiercely, "If you dare to go around flirting with my face again, I'll cut off that thing of yours!"

He gestured with his sword, frightening Merlin to the point where his face turned pale.

"I understand, I understand!!!" Merlin said with a pale face.

Kay let out a cold snort before turning to leave. Merlin watched his departing figure with a sense of relief, and he patted his chest while letting out a deep sigh.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Shirou clicked his tongue. "Evil begets evil. Merlin, don't you think so?"

Merlin replied indignantly, "Why do you make me sound like a villain? I have not done anything wrong!"

Shirou couldn't help but laugh. "You might want to keep your voice down, or else Kay might come back charging in again."

Merlin's face changed and he secretly glanced at the door, relieved to not see the berserker who had abandoned his knightly honor.

Then he raised his right hand, revealing a silver beast that had been biting into his arm. He spoke with an exasperated expression, "Can you please make this creature let go? I'm not something delicious to be eaten."

Before Shirou could say anything, Fou released his grip and jumped to the ground, sticking out his tongue a few times. A voice resonated in Shirou and Merlin's minds, 'It tastes terrible!'

Merlin let out a helpless sigh, "I am not something to be eaten, so how could it possibly taste good?"

Shirou instigated with a grin, "Well, you did just bite his clothes. Of course, it doesn't taste good. You have to bite meat to get a better taste!"

"Fouu~!" Fou set his sights on Merlin's exposed shoulder.

Merlin spoke in a panic, "Why won't you believe me? Wait! Don't look at me like that! Don't do anything rash! I am truly not something delicious to eat!"

"Fuu~!" Fou made a face of disdain before leaping up to the window, basking in the warm sunlight.

Merlin let out a deep sigh of relief and muttered quietly, "Why must I suffer like this when I have done nothing wrong?"

Shirou chuckled, "It may seem like you have done nothing, but in reality, everything is within your control, isn't it? Whether it's me absorbing Cath Palug's evil or Artoria coming to you for sword training, or even Kay giving up his knightly honor... everything is still under your control."

Merlin was taken aback for a moment, then coughed a few times and replied, "Surely, it can't be that simple."

"Stop pretending to be clueless, it's not amusing anymore."

This jerk had a weak appearance that could deceive Kay and Artoria, but he couldn't deceive Shirou, who knew him inside out.

Shirou sat down on a chair and beckoned Merlin over, saying, "Come take a look. Ever since I absorbed Cath Palug's evil, I feel like there's something off about me."

Merlin's expression shifted, and he walked over to Shirou, placing his hand on Shirou's back and reciting incantations that Shirou couldn't understand.

"Let's take a closer look at the evil inside you."

Shirou nodded and took a deep breath. In the next moment, a surge of black mud and thick blood gushed out from his back.

"There are actually two types of evil?" Merlin was surprised.

Shirou turned to look at him with a perplexed expression and asked, "Didn't you notice this a long time ago?"

"I told you before, I can't observe you. I can only observe your behavior." Merlin said helplessly.

Shirou suddenly came to a realization, "Ah, so you weren't just pulling my leg back then."

Merlin: "..."

What kind of impression do I have in your heart!

"So, what's my current condition?"

Merlin's expression shifted as he spoke, "Within your body, there are actually two types of evil present." He paused, appearing somewhat distressed, and continued, "I initially assumed you were an empty vessel, but it seems that something was already inside of you. Did those evil thoughts block my observation?"

"What do you mean by 'vessel'? Are you saying that I am an object that carries human evil?"

"I don't know."

Shirou was momentarily taken aback before asking, "Are you trying to deceive me?"

"I'm not trying to deceive you! Why do you always think I'm up to no good? I never deceive people, at most I simply keep certain information to myself," Merlin appeared helpless as he gestured towards his eyes and explained, "Have you heard of my ability, Clairvoyance?

Shirou nodded.

"If someone who possesses these eyes catches sight of the flames in your eyes, they can deduce that you are a 'vessel.' However, the exact nature of what you carry within you cannot be discerned. Firstly, the evil thoughts within your body hinder the observation of Clairvoyance, and secondly, there is no frame of reference for comparison among humans like you who are 'vessels.'"

Merlin went on to explain, "The same goes for me, as well as for those two individuals who used Clairvoyance to peer into the distant future during the Age of Gods."

"Gilgamesh and Solomon, right..." Shirou nodded, then looked at Merlin and asked, "So what does that mean for me? Honestly, ever since I absorbed the evil of Cath Palug, I've been experiencing an overwhelming urge to bite Artie's neck."

"Cath Palug imitates vampires and feeding on human envies and regret, which is also the reason why it has three eyes and is considered a vampire cat. You have borne this evil, so you will naturally be affected by this impulse," Merlin explained.

"So, what will happen to me? Will I become a Dead Apostle?"

"No, you are a 'vessel.' Have you ever seen a cup filled with water and then become the water? The curse will affect you, but it will not change your human nature. However, you should be psychologically prepared for it."

"What kind of psychological preparation do I need?"

"While your human nature will remain the same, you need to be cautious as the curse can influence and change your inner self. If you're not careful, you may end up with a human appearance, but your existence will be completely non-human. To give you an idea, it would be similar to my situation. However, I'm an Incubus, whereas you will lean more towards being a vampire."

"So, you set me up?"

"Why would I do that? I may keep some secrets, but I'd never intentionally hurt anyone. I didn't bring up Cath Palug because there was no need. Even if I had, you would have stumbled upon it sooner or later."

Shirou wasn't convinced and replied, "Why are you so sure? You know I never engage in things beyond my capabilities."

"As a 'vessel,' you will inevitably attract 'evil' and therefore, Cath Palug will eventually come to you."

"That's not exactly what I was hoping to hear."

However, Merlin was right about this. Even if Merlin didn't say anything, Shirou would probably still have to face Cath Palug in the end, not because of Merlin's 'vessel' theory, but because he needed to unify all of Britain to return home.

The unknown entity that left Cath Palug there was definitely an obstacle to his unification of Britain, so in the end, he still had to face Cath Palug.

Shirou furrowed his brows as he stared at his palm. 'Will I turn into a monster?'

However, he quickly dismissed the thought, and with a sense of conviction, he clenched his fist tightly. 'No, I won't!'

Merlin commented, "That's quite an expression worth collecting. Well then, let me offer you a piece of advice, something that I don't typically do for individuals."

Intrigued, Shirou turned to him and asked, "What advice do you have for me?"

Merlin produced a bowl and explained, "This bowl represents the capacity of your 'vessel.' The human evil you carry currently fills 70% of this 'vessel,' while Cath Palug's evil occupies 20%. As long as you don't surpass this capacity, you should be safe. Furthermore, I, Merlin, can help protect you from Cath Palug's evil influence. However, if you go beyond this capacity, I cannot say for certain what will happen to you."

He continued, "Moreover, your existence as a 'vessel' born among humans is already an anomaly. There is no precedent for such a thing. Therefore, I strongly advise that you refrain from absorbing any more evil in the future. Otherwise, I cannot predict what you will become or what will happen to you. Do you understand the seriousness of this matter?"

Merlin emphasized, "I cannot stress this enough, Shirou. Do not absorb any more evil. This is the only advice that Merlin, the wise man can offer you."

Shirou regarded Merlin with some skepticism and hesitated before asking, "Is this advice genuine, or are you trying to deceive me? Are there any hidden motives or deceptions?"

Merlin looked at Shirou and smiled, "Guess~!"

Shirou: "..."

"I understand," Shirou nodded, but sighed inwardly. Merlin was notorious for his deceitful nature, and it was difficult to discern the veracity of his statements. Nevertheless, he recognized the importance of his own safety, and so he resolved to treat Merlin's advice as if it were true.

Shirou gazed at his "Evil Flower" and let out a deep sigh. Avoiding the absorption of evil seemed like an insurmountable task, especially given the nature of his ability. However, as long as he could prevent another encounter with the Breed of Calamities and avoid absorbing the evil they possessed, he should be able to manage the situation.

At that moment, Merlin sat down, picking up some snacks from the table and beginning to munch on them.

Shirou asked, "Aren't you supposed to be assisting me in blocking the influence of Cath Palug's evil?"

"I have already cast the spell while we were talking."

"Is that so?" He raised his eyebrows, impressed by Merlin's expertise as a magus. Despite his seemingly carefree and flippant demeanor, Merlin was an incredibly reliable ally when he was focused and determined.

"Thank you, Merlin," He expressed his gratitude as he stood up. "I have some advice for you as well. You should try to find a way to placate Kay's anger. If he loses his temper one day, he might truly carry out his threat of castrating you."

Merlin's hand trembled, and his complexion paled at the thought of Kay's wrath.

Shirou turned to leave the room, and as he did so, Fou sprang from the balcony onto his shoulder.

"Fuu~!" Fou chirped excitedly.

'Take me to eat something good. You promised me, remember?'

"Okay, let's find something delicious to eat."

...

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