Solving the Mind Control

After scouting the Holy City of Camelot, Arkhan hurried back to the Holy Roman Empire without stopping.

It was early morning on the second day, just before dawn, with the sun barely showing half its outline on the distant horizon. The wind that brushed through the branches still carried a hint of the night's chill, making it the coldest time of the day.

Arkhan had no time to rest.

He quickly found Da Vinci and instructed her to mobilize the army, prepare equipment and supplies, and inform Ritsuka and Mash to cooperate with Nero's attendants in maintaining order in the empire.

They couldn't afford to incite internal turmoil at such a critical time.

At this moment, he was no longer the mighty Servant, but an unquestionable iron-fisted ruler.

And the results proved that his actions were indeed quite effective.

After seeing his determined face, the initially uneasy people slightly relaxed. They each received their orders and began their tasks in an orderly manner.

Once everyone had left, Arkhan went to the second floor of the imperial palace.

This place used to be Nero's room and bath, but now it served as a temporary prison.

The prisoners held in this place were naturally the three Servants whose minds had been brainwashed and controlled—Asterios, Medusa, and Atalanta.

While Arkhan was on his way to check and scout on Camelot, these three woke up in the middle of the night.

Upon awakening, they found themselves unable to move their bodies, as if their magical energy had completely solidified with no response.

Fortunately, to prevent these Servants from making any drastic moves, Arkhan implanted a mental suggestion before leaving. Unless he personally lifted this suggestion, they wouldn't be able to regain their combat abilities.

Of course, nothing was one hundred percent reliable.

These Servants might find ways to break his suggestion and stir up chaos throughout the empire.

Arkhan certainly wouldn't allow such a situation to occur. Hence, he arranged for Melusine to guard these Servants personally, ensuring nothing would go wrong.

In front of Melusine, a pure-blooded dragon, even if these three Servants teamed up, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Moreover, with their combat abilities gone, plus the familiar silver-haired girl guarding them, Medusa and Atalanta quickly accepted their fate and gave up struggling.

Only Asterios, a single-minded Berserker, refused to give up.

He kept shouting and yelling, shaking the entire building until Melusine, impatient, knocked him out with a single punch.

"Lancelot, I don't know what tricks that outsider used to control you, but you should know, we're on the same side. We're all Knights of the Round Table of Camelot." Atalanta spoke with a serious tone.

Although she had given up struggling, she wasn't about to sit idly by and started trying to sway Melusine to her side. She was well aware that if they wanted to escape from this place, their only hope rested on this Chief of the Round Table.

Unfortunately, Melusine didn't say a word, just stared at Atalanta expressionlessly.

Melusine's eerie gaze made Atalanta's skin crawl, even making her briefly wonder if there was something strange painted on her own face.

Soon, a deep male voice that had left a lasting impression on Atalanta suddenly resounded.

"It's not her who's being controlled, it's you folks."

Hearing that voice, Melusine, who had been cold and aloof, instantly changed her expression, turning with delight and practically leaping into Arkhan's arms like a puppy.

Arkhan patted Melusine's head, a smile playing on his lips.

"Well done, you've worked hard."

"Mm, not hard at all, I'm just glad to help you." Melusine replied sweetly.

"Not being controlled my ass..." Atalanta muttered speechlessly as she saw the scene before her.

Who would believe that this was the same Lancelot who was always so cold, aloof, indifferent, and never showed any warmth?

What's the difference between this and those doting children who look at their parents?

After comforting Melusine, Arkhan immediately approached the three Servants, but when he saw Asterios still unconscious, he frowned slightly.

"He still unconscious?"

Though he had indeed been a bit rough with Asterios yesterday, surely he should have woken up by now. Asterios was, after all, an infamous monster from Greek mythology.

"He woke up briefly, then your little pet knocked him out again." Atalanta quipped with a sarcastic tone, taking a subtle jab at Melusine.

In her eyes, the current Melusine was nothing but a traitor to the Round Table and Camelot.

Melusine, of course, caught the sarcasm in Atalanta's tone, so as a result, her gaze turned cold in an instant.

Though she always appeared cute and obedient in front of Arkhan, she never showed any warmth or tolerance to others. Being able to sit down and talk civilly was already a friendly gesture from her perspective.

Arkhan sighed and once again reached out to pat Melusine's head.

Recently, he had realized that she didn't actually mind him petting her head. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it.

Sure enough, feeling the comforting warmth from his large hand once again, Melusine's inner discontent vanished in an instant, and her eyes narrowed in contentment, much like a satisfied cat.

'My goodness, she really looks like a little animal...' Arkhan thought speechlessly before turning to Atalanta. "Melusine isn't my pet, she's my companion—just like all of you."

"Heh..." Atalanta scoffed, her beautiful yet wild face tinged with endless sarcasm. "If you're thinking of manipulating me the way you did with Lancelot, I suggest you give up that idea. I once chased a demon boar across half of Greece and even received blessings from a goddess. When it comes to willpower, not many heroes in ancient Greece can compare to me."

"Then why did you lose to Hippomenes over those golden apples?" Arkhan retorted casually with a flat expression.

Atalanta hesitated for a moment, a hint of embarrassment crossing her face.

"But those were golden apples! Objects even the gods couldn't resist! Isn't it normal to be drawn to them?!" Atalanta protested.

"Oh, come on, woman. I've seen through your facade already." Arkhan shook his head and walked toward Atalanta. "I hope you'll remember what you just said later."

"Wait, why are you coming closer?"

Atalanta's body suddenly tensed, her hair standing on end as memories of strange rumors flooded her mind.

"Don't come any closer, I'm warning you! I'll bite you to death—Kyaaa!"

Next to her, Medusa trembled involuntarily upon hearing Atalanta's scream. Being blind, she had no idea what was happening, so relying solely on her somewhat 'vulgar' imagination, she couldn't help but be terrified.

Strangely, after the scream, Atalanta fell silent, and the surroundings became as quiet as a deserted island.

After what seemed like an eternity, a heavy sigh reached her ears.

It was a man's sigh, tinged with obvious exhaustion.

"What a troublesome woman... I almost couldn't hold myself..." Arkhan wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the now-closed eyes of Atalanta, sighing softly.

"Do you need a break?" Melusine approached, concerned.

Arkhan shook his head.

"Nah, I've found a better solution. The next steps should be easier and faster."

After a pause, he continued.

"And we're running out of time; we can't afford to delay any longer."

Upon hearing that, Melusine obediently nodded and retreated to her previous position.

The mere mention of those few words triggered a lot of imagination in Medusa's mind. Suddenly, she heard footsteps drawing closer and closer, causing her exposed delicate skin to flush slightly.

"Wait! I haven't finished preparing—"

Medusa shouted hurriedly, but before she could finish her sentence, an unquestionable power barged into her mind, breaking through her mental defenses. The intense pain only allowed her to let out a scream before she plunged into unconsciousness.

Drawing from his experience with Atalanta, Arkhan significantly sped up the process this time. In almost two-thirds of the usual time, he shattered the magecraft Merlin had left in Medusa's mind, allowing her to regain her true self. 

Afterward, he used the power of Abyss Flower to help Medusa restore her Mystic Eyes. 

Using the power of three Divine Keys in succession was quite burdensome for Arkhan's mind and magical energy. Because of this, he temporarily abandoned the idea of solving Merlin's mind control on Asterios and returned to his house to rest for a while.

Three hours later, Asterios groggily woke up.

Recollecting the events prior, he erupted in fury once again, roaring so loudly that the marble pillars around trembled, showering dust.

However, he suddenly felt something amiss in the surroundings and turned to find three women standing before him.

"This guy's too noisy..."

"Shall we just knock him out... or let Medusa turn him into stone?"

"My Mystic Eyes is too dangerous, so let's just knock him out. Besides, he looks tough enough to take a beating."

Asterios: ???