The Knight

Merlin threatened me for carrying the soul of his acquaintance, but after about 5 minutes of disbelief, I managed to explain to Merlin the sequence of events that had occurred since my birth, even though I didn't reveal all the secrets. At least it calmed him down to understand what was happening, which wasn't true for Lancelot, on the other hand.

The sword began to speak, its voice metallic and almost robotic:

"You must be joking. I can't even use my skills in this cursed sword form. Honestly, I don't even know how I'm able to communicate."

And Merlin retorted:

"Listen, it's not like you have much to complain about. Both of you are responsible for altering the course of history, but it was you who failed in your mission, Lancelot!"

The sword's voice seemed enraged, although it was difficult to discern emotions in its words:

"They're dead, Merlin! All of them! They didn't have the same luck as me. If the mission failed, it's because your plan was flawed! Now get me out of this damn Excalibur!"

The elderly wizard put his hands to his head as if impatient, but he seemed to accept Lancelot's complaints:

"Well, thanks to the resources spent on the failed mission, I have very few artifacts left. It will take time for me to rebuild my fortune. So I won't be able to create a golem for you to inhabit. However, I can reincarnate you as a homunculus with the help of the demon in question."

It was the first time after a long discussion that Merlin turned his attention back to me, gesturing for me to approach him.

He went to a workbench and picked up a glass jar filled with cinnamon-scented smoke. Opening the lid, the smoke spread throughout the room. From inside the jar, he retrieved a miniature human figure, without a defined sex or appearance—it looked almost like an incredibly realistic anatomical doll.

"Place his soul inside the homunculus. I don't know how to do it; it's not a common skill. I believe it was a fortunate coincidence that you released him directly into Excalibur while I was analyzing you. But I want you to know that there's no prejudice between us because you're a creature of chaos. I myself am the son of a demon. And since you've disrupted my prophecy, you need to assume the throne and fulfill your part of the contract. It's our only hope."

Despite asking for a favor, Merlin maintained his superior posture. My Danger Sensor stopped bothering me when Merlin ceased being aggressive. Still, given the size of the earlier alert, I knew I couldn't refuse a direct request from him. That old man was powerful.

Even for me, it was surprising, but Lancelot's soul was mine to manipulate as I pleased. I extracted the strong energy from the sword and directed it into the lifeless miniature human on the table.

The result was almost instantaneous. Long black hair sprouted, and the facial expressions changed, resembling me quite a bit. The diminutive figure began to speak:

"I must say this isn't the most dignified form. The fact that my soul now belongs to you for whatever you wish doesn't make me happy either. But at least I can use some of my strength again."

Speaking of strength, I could now see his skills. There were only two, but they were beyond my reach, even if I were using his former body. It must be part of the previous contract. The mechanics were straightforward, but they were daunting.

The first skill was a legendary one, known as Swordsman, and had a primary effect called Swordmaster. This would be self-explanatory if not for the second effect: Mind Reading. I believe it should primarily be used for combat, predicting enemy movements. However, he could also use it outside of battle when he read my mind. Nevertheless, his lack of reaction to my current thoughts indicated that he needed to activate the skill. Honestly, Artemis would explain this better, but she disappeared when Merlin arrived.

The second skill was called "Well Built," which seemed contradictory now that he was just a homunculus. It was epic and had only one effect: "Physical Characteristics Augmented." I believe it treated everything he did with his body as if it were epic. Size wouldn't be an issue to him, and I already knew which of the two I would choose when I finished my part of the contract, even if it was of a lower level.

While lost in my internal monologue, Lancelot caught my attention:

"Hey! Have you bound your sword? It's pointless to have an artifact if you don't know how to use it."

"Sorry, but what did you say? Bind the sword?"

"When you acquire magical artifacts, you usually bind them to yourself, idiot! You weren't kidding when you said you just appeared in this world. We do this to access their skills."

This was crucial information—I was clearly unaware of what I had just acquired. It wasn't just an ordinary sword. Without Artemis, I had no choice but to ask:

"And how exactly do I do that?"

"Well, you simply ask the artifact to serve you. If you can use its skills, it serves you. Since it's just a sword, you'll definitely succeed. But if it were like Merlin's crystal ball, we'd have no chance. You need to manipulate neutral energy to use one of these."

<<"He's right, sir. That's how the binding is typically done. However, he's mistaken about crystal ball. Skillful use of other energies might still make it work, albeit in a limited way.">>

Artemis! Long time no see! You startled me by appearing out of nowhere, but well, I have nothing to lose, right?

I raised the sword and mentally requested to use it. I felt like an idiot for a few seconds until the sword emitted a faint glow, and the system alerted me:

<<Epic artifact acquired: Excalibur>>

Artemis, could you tell me what this one does? It's much more practical when you explain.

<<"Certainly, sir. Excalibur provides three effects and behaves like a regular skill. The first is called 'Light,' emitting strong light source in combat without hindering the user's vision. second 'Swordmaster,' which you've likely seen Lancelot use. It allows you to wield sword as if it were an epic third 'Heir Throne,' ensuring that every citizen of Kingdom Britannia treats worthy candidate for throne, although it's somewhat unstable my opinion.">>

After binding Excalibur, Merlin wasted no time approaching me:

"Quick, Lancelot! Teach him the basics of combat for Ascle. I'll head to the city and announce the arrival of the heir to the throne. This will upset the prince, incite rebellion, and start a civil war. Since the kingdom is closed off, the war will stay within the walls of Brittain. We still have a chance to save our mission, Lancelot. Perhaps things will turn out even better than planned."

Without waiting for any protest, Merlin vanished in the same sudden, rapid manner he appeared to me when the sword was pulled from the stone—depending on your perspective, it was almost comical. As for fighting, I already knew what I needed to do; there was no need for Lancelot's interference. After all, I was a trained man.

"Listen here, I don't care if you were trained by the king, the wizards, or whoever in your world. Things here are different. Skills influence nearly 100% of combat, and when it comes to certain skills, you won't even have time to react."

I interrupted Lancelot abruptly:

"Are you reading my mind again? That's not very polite, you know."

"I couldn't care less. You said you were reincarnated, right? Fine, then follow me. I want to see what you're made of—use everything you've got."