Luck

As Melusine and Arkhan stood close together, their distance was almost negligible.

She closed her eyes and gently rubbed her small nose against his body, sniffing his scent like a puppy.

After a while, a smile of contentment spread across her face.

This was what she had been seeking all along—the scent of her kin.

Arkhan paid no mind to Melusine's little gestures of affection and calmly extended his palm, hovering it over her head. After a moment, a few wisps of crimson flames rose from her head, only to dissipate into the air like smoke.

As the residual heat from Shamash was forced out, Melusine immediately felt a significant reduction in the burning sensation within her body. She felt much lighter all over, and her eyes squinted with satisfaction, resembling a contented cat.

Even Arkhan had to admit, this little girl was just too adorable.

"There's something I need to tell you..." Arkhan paused for a moment, then continued. "While it's true that Nidhogg and I are indeed married, the Nidhogg you know might not be the same as the one I know. In fact, neither she nor I belong to this world."

He hesitated for a moment whether to reveal the truth because doing so could jeopardize not only a potential ally but also escalate tensions between them, possibly leading to a situation similar to the recent conflict.

He knew that staying silent posed no risks.

Judging from the emotional signals Arkhan gathered from Fenghuang Down, this little girl seemed visibly happy at the moment, displaying considerable trust and affection toward him.

It wasn't hard to understand her feelings.

Imagine experiencing thousands of years of solitude, believing you were the last human in the world, only to one day discover that there were others like you, even sharing the same ancestor. The feeling of surprise and excitement couldn't be adequately expressed in words.

Thus, according to normal logic, Arkhan didn't actually need to reveal the truth at all. It was like a prisoner's dilemma, where the risks and rewards of speaking or not speaking were entirely disproportionate.

But he did it anyway because he disliked building trust on deception. Regardless of intent, a lie was still a lie, and eventually, the truth would come out.

Rather than uncertain futures, he preferred to speak frankly now, fostering honesty between them, and also to prevent unforeseen complications in the future.

"I know." Melusine nodded, her youthful face still calm, with a hint of childish innocence.

"You know?" Arkhan looked slightly surprised.

"Um, 'I' saw Nidhogg entering the Reverse Side." Melusine smiled, clearly referring to this 'I' as Albion.

Hearing her answer, Arkhan raised an eyebrow.

Did that mean that this world's Nidhogg hadn't met her end but successfully escaped to the Reverse Side of the World?

In all honesty, given the close relationship between Albion and Nidhogg, it wasn't impossible for Albion to lend a hand.

If that were the case, whether Nidhogg was alive or not wouldn't greatly affect future developments, and as a result, the world rules didn't eliminate her since she was on the Reverse Side.

Unlike his wife, who hadn't gone to the Reverse Side and was stuck in the Norse Realm. If not for Yggdrasil's help, she would have been erased long ago.

While Arkhan pondered, he suddenly heard Melusine's timid voice beside him.

"Um, can I ask what happened to Albion in your world?"

Arkhan snapped back to attention, glanced at the little girl, and pondered for a moment before answering.

"I only know Albion didn't make it to the Reverse Side in time. As for its final fate... I'm not entirely sure..."

Regarding how he knew Albion, the information came from Scathach through her Wisdom of Dun Scaith, but because this oldest dragon bore too many mysteries, her information was incomplete.

The only thing that could be confirmed was that, at least before Arkhan left his world, Albion didn't go into the Reverse Side of the World. He also attempted to find Albion's tomb in Britain but ultimately came up empty-handed.

"Is that so...?" Melusine's face showed a hint of sadness before sighing. "Perhaps this is the fate of Albion... 'I' can't escape the fate of death no matter which world..."

Hearing her words, Arkhan didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent. However, Melusine's gloom didn't last long, as she quickly recovered and looked up at him.

"What about Nidhogg? Is she still present in your world?"

"Yeah, she is." Arkhan nodded.

"And what about the Age of God's disappearance? Did it not affect her?" Melusine asked curiously.

"About that..." Arkhan paused for a moment before continuing. "When I left my world, the Age of God hadn't completely ended yet. In fact, that's why I came to this world."

"I see..." Melusine nodded, though it wasn't clear if she truly understood his meaning.

"So, does that mean I might have a chance to see Nidhogg again?" Melusine's eyes sparkled with excitement, like a little girl who had just spotted a beautiful doll, filled with anticipation.

"Well... there might be a chance..." Arkhan answered with a hesitant tone. "But this world is shrouded in some kind of barrier, so I haven't been able to contact her yet."

"A barrier..." Melusine seemed to ponder something, falling silent all of a sudden.

Seeing her reaction, Arkhan narrowed his eyes slightly.

It was evident she knew something.

Arkhan considered pressing further, but seeing the anxious people below, he decided against it for now.

'Plenty of time ahead, no rush...' Arkhan sighed inwardly before suddenly remembering something and spoke again. "Oh, by the way, my name is Arkhan. What about you?"

"I'm Melusine... Although it's not my original name, it holds significant meaning to me..." Melusine replied obediently.

"Alright, I'll call you that from now on." Arkhan nodded. "Let's head down for now; my companions must be waiting anxiously."

Melusine obediently nodded and reached out her small hand.

Seeing her small hand, Arkhan hesitated for a moment, then sighed helplessly.

"You..."

"We can't...?" Melusine looked at him with puppy eyes, a hint of sadness in her big eyes.

Arkhan rubbed his forehead tiredly, sighed again, and then took Melusine's small hand, leading her to the ground.

Watching Arkhan slowly descending with Melusine, Nero quickly placed Aestus Estus in front of her, her emerald eyes filled with vigilance.

Although Mash's reaction wasn't as intense as Nero's, she instinctively tightened her grip on her shield.

"Mr. Arkhan, she..." Mash glanced nervously at Melusine, who was standing obediently beside Arkhan.

"It's a bit complicated to explain in detail..." Arkhan sighed as he answered. "But just think of it as me having convinced her to join our side. In short, she's with us now."

Convinced her?

Mash and Nero exchanged a puzzled glance, their eyes filled with a strange mixture of confusion.

Before, Camelot forcibly turned other Servants into their Knights of the Round Table, but now, in a twist of fate, they were the ones convincing the Knights of the Round Table to join their side.

What was going on? Was this some kind of cosmic karma?

Although it all felt surreal, Mash still trusted Arkhan.

"Mr. Arkhan, you're amazing!" Mash praised excitedly.

"Nah, it's just luck." Arkhan shook his head helplessly.

Except for this so-called luck, he didn't feel like he had done much.

No choice.

If not because he happened to have a wife with a powerful background, all of this bizarre coincidence would never have happened.