Mysterious Merlin

Midnight, with the moon hanging high in the sky, resembled a pristine jade plate, mercilessly stealing the radiance of the surrounding stars.

On the open-air balcony of a white castle, a beautiful and slender woman dressed in a white mage robe stood quietly, gazing up at the night sky.

Her violet eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow, resembling a delicate doll beyond reach.

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

The crisp sound of footsteps suddenly emerged from the darkness.

A newcomer entered, standing silently in the center of the dim room, silently watching the woman on the balcony.

"You're finally back..."

The woman on the balcony turned around, speaking with a smile.

"What happened that made you call me back so urgently?"

The newcomer asked plainly, unexpectedly a young girl's voice.

"An outsider barged in, and Tristan crossed paths with him. They nearly met their end together..." 

The woman explained calmly as she descended from the balcony.

After descending, she softly snapped her fingers.

*Snap*

The dim room instantly lit up, almost dazzlingly bright.

As darkness receded, everything in the room became clear, including the appearance of the newcomer.

She was a petite girl, standing at about five feet tall, with silky silver hair flowing down her back. She wore a set of glowing azure armor, and half of her face was covered by a mask, concealing her features.

"Really? That's a pity."

The girl in azure armor responded lightly, leaving everyone wondering what exactly she found pity. Despite being young in appearance, her tone carried a sense of maturity, keeping the atmosphere tense and subtly pressurizing.

"Fufu, His Majesty has ordered the elimination of this outsider... In fact, I share his opinion."

With a chuckle, the woman continued speaking as she approached the brightly lit room, and soon, her entire figure was finally visible.

The beautiful woman clad in a white mage robe was none other than Merlin, Camelot's court mage, who served as mentor and advisor to King Arthur.

"This outsider is powerful... Even Tristan was almost powerless against him. If left unchecked, he might disrupt our plans." Merlin added.

"Is that why you called me back?"

After listening quietly, the girl in azure armor asked with an indifferent tone.

Merlin nodded with a smile.

"Well, Tristan is undergoing treatment now, while Gawain is suspended by His Majesty, and the other Knights of the Round Table are busy searching for the chosen ones. So, you're the only suitable choice I could think of to handle this outsider. After all, you're the strongest knight and the renowned Chief of the Round Table, Lancelot."

"Don't call me with that name."

A strong chill and oppressive aura suddenly emanated from the girl in azure armor, her voice turning colder.

"My name is Melusine, not Lancelot. I've never acknowledged myself as any Knight of the Round Table."

Though her expression was hidden behind the mask, Merlin could still feel the sharp gaze beneath it.

"Let me clarify, Succubus. Between us, there's only a contract. You help me solidify my form, I assist you in building Camelot, and thereafter, we are done and have no further ties."

"Fufu, you are indeed the proud Albion..." Merlin chuckled softly, elegantly bowing. "I apologize for my offense earlier."

Melusine gazed at Merlin for a moment before suppressing her oppressive aura and turning to leave.

As Merlin watched Melusine's departing figure, the smile on her face faded. Slowly, she walked back to the balcony, silently overlooking the serene city below.

A large swath of dark clouds drifted across the sky, obscuring the moonlight completely, and leaving Camelot engulfed in pure darkness for a moment.

===

"You're saying Merlin is the culprit?"

Arkhan couldn't hide his surprise upon hearing Ritsuka mention Merlin's involvement and almost stood up straight away.

"We didn't believe it at first either, but it turns out to be true..." Ritsuka said with a wry smile.

Furrowing his brow tightly, Arkhan hadn't expected Merlin's shadow to lurk behind this matter.

He was clear that this Merlin couldn't be the one he knew, but rather the Merlin truly belonged to this world.

But whichever Merlin it was, Merlin couldn't avoid crossing paths with Arthur, for that was the crucial point that truly influenced the world's course.

Merlin would guide Arthur, assist him in becoming a great king, establish the Round Table, build Camelot, and unify Britain.

Merlin, a powerful mage and a candidate for Grand Servant, stood as Arthur's closest person and mentor. With his keen insight, he couldn't possibly fail to discern the true condition of the Lion King.

In such a situation, instead of preventing it, he chose to assist the Lion King in his tyranny.

Even though Merlin lacked human moral values from birth, prolonged exposure to certain behaviors would inevitably influence him unconsciously.

However, despite being remembered by Arkhan as a dick wizard and scumbag of humanity, Merlin wasn't someone who could remain indifferent to the massacre of innocent people.

Where did things go wrong?

Watching Arkhan furrowed his brows, Ritsuka and Mash wisely kept their mouths shut, not wanting to disturb his thoughts.

For a moment, the surrounding area was filled only with the sound of the wind howling and sparks crackling from the fire.

'Could it be... Merlin has been brainwashed by the Lion King?'

However, as soon as that thought popped into Arkhan's head, he promptly denied it.

Ritsuka had mentioned that the one responsible for brainwashing was Merlin, not the Lion King. Moreover, Merlin was practically at the level of a Grand Servant, making it nearly impossible to alter his mind.

Rubbing his throbbing temples with a headache, Arkhan found this matter too suspicious and ridiculous, leaving him somewhat stumped.

Nonetheless, one thing he was certain of was that there were definitely many hidden secrets behind this. Only by knowing these secrets could he understand what was truly going on.

However, he suspected that even the Knights of the Round Table might not be fully aware of these secrets.

To truly uncover the truth, he might have to approach the Lion King or Merlin themselves.

However, the Lion King always remained within Camelot, rarely appearing unless one went there directly to confront him. Without a direct approach, there would be no opportunity to meet the Lion King.

Moreover, Merlin was an expert in deception and illusions, so extracting useful information from him wouldn't be easy.

Taking a slow and deep breath, Arkhan shook his head, burying this matter deep within his heart. Though there were no clear clues for now, he believed he would uncover the truth sooner or later.

After pondering for a while, Arkhan asked another question.

"I have one more puzzling question... How did Nero withstand the pressure from Camelot alone before you two arrived?"

It was his biggest question after listening to Ritsuka's account.

Even other Servants were defeated and brainwashed to become Knights of the Round Table, so how did Nero manage to remain safe and sound?

Just by herself, it seemed impossible for her to withstand the pressure from so many powerful people of Camelot.

"Well, she said it's probably because her empire is too far from Camelot, and their targets have always been the noble and pure-hearted chosen ones, so they're not really interested in her empire." Ritsuka answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"I see..." Arkhan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hahhh...." Ritsuka yawned, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Well, it's getting late. I'm going back to rest, is that okay?"

"Um, you should go rest, Senpai. With me and Mr. Arkhan here, nothing's gonna happen." Mash nodded gently.

Although Mash was only a Demi-Servant, a few days without sleep wasn't a big deal for her.

"Alright, thanks, guys!" Ritsuka grinned playfully, then turned and headed toward her tent. "Goodnight, Mash! Goodnight, Arkhan!"

"Goodnight, Senpai."

After Ritsuka left, the scene quieted down.

Mash stared at the campfire without blinking, while Arkhan leaned against a rock, gazing up at the night sky, lost in thought.

After some time passed, Mash spoke up with a hesitant tone.

"Mr. Arkhan... there's something I'd like to ask you about, is that okay?"