Since arriving at the temple, Arthur’s previously exhausted demeanor had completely vanished.
An aura of intimidation radiated from him as he held his sword—one that made him seem untouchable.
Perhaps it was because he had faced more monsters than men.
Unlike the holy knights, his movements were raw, unrestrained.
The festival-goers, who had been reveling moments ago, now trembled at the palpable bloodlust in the air, flinching at even the slightest movement.
Merlin, who had been observing everything, spoke in a sharp voice.
“If you comply quietly, your lives will be spared. Now, admit your crimes.”
“But I’ve done nothing wrong?”
Morgana’s cheerful reply, so out of place in the tense situation, made Merlin’s brow twitch slightly.
“I gave you a chance, yet you show no remorse. What are you all waiting for? Seize the criminals!”
Despite her urging, no one dared to step forward.
The holy knights, who had been so bold earlier, now kept their distance, warily eyeing the two knights standing in their way.
The killing intent emanating from Arthur was enough to give even them pause.
Bedivere, too, seemed surprised, glancing back at him repeatedly from the corner of his eye.
“I know this isn’t the best time for such a question, Sir Arthur, but… may I ask who trained you in swordsmanship?”
“If Lady Morgana leaves the Holy Kingdom safely, I’ll tell you then.”
Morgana, caught between them, feigned ignorance but swallowed her surprise.
‘Did he figure out that Arthur is Pendragon’s bastard?’
Sir Ector, one of the Knights of the Round Table, had been Arthur’s mentor.
If Bedivere had served alongside Sir Ector as a knight, he might have recognized Arthur’s swordsmanship.
Even before this, she had found it strange how openly he had opposed the holy knights back in the room.
‘Why would he side with me, even against the temple?’
His relationship with Merlin had already been strained since the banquet. But the reason wasn’t something so easily explained.
‘I’ll have to talk to Arthur privately later.’
First, it was time to reclaim Excalibur. Leaving the rest for later, Morgana suddenly raised her right hand.
Seeing this, Merlin smiled faintly and asked, “Have you finally decided to tell the truth?”
“No?”
She wiggled her raised fingers as if playing the piano and grinned brightly.
“I think I’ve found my Excalibur.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Merlin, who had been standing stiffly until now, gripped the podium with both hands.
His trembling pupils and his upper body, tilted as if he might collapse at any moment—It was a rare sight to see him so flustered.
Instead of answering, Morgana called out to him in an ordinary tone.
“Excalibur. Everyone’s been waiting for you.”
💫
A servant who had followed a British noble to the temple was sweating nervously.
All around him were either priests, clerics, or holy knights.
Peeking from behind the temple building at the distant bonfire, he swallowed dryly.
In his arms was a long object wrapped in cloth.
“Damn it, I have to pass through to get to the carriage…”
Judging by the way the holy knights were openly gathered, trying to pass now would surely get him caught.
The nobles were already being searched in their rooms.
Most were either in a foul mood or unable to leave because the search wasn’t over yet.
“Everyone’s so stupid. Why would they think the sword is in the rooms? I hid it in a tree.”
Thanks to the festival, it worked perfectly.
With colorful decorations hanging from every tree, even a dazzling sword could be hidden without notice.
The servant bit his parched lips and muttered, “With this damn sword, even a commoner can be treated like a king, huh? How the hell did they steal it…?”
He clutched the cloth-wrapped object like a treasure.
The baggage carts had already been searched, so all he had to do was carry the sword out of the temple.
After all, the temple believed the sacred sword had disappeared because some troublemaker had drawn it.
If he showed up later with Excalibur in hand, everyone would bow at his feet.
“To think he even gets a wife as beautiful and noble as Guinevere!”
Unable to control his twitching lips, the servant let out a creepy chuckle.
“Jackpot. Now all those nobles who kept bossing me around will have to obey me, right? Should I make those bastards who tormented me crawl at my feet?”
Just the thought of it made him so giddy that he carefully rewrapped the sword.
Suddenly, swish—the cloth slid away, revealing the sword’s hilt.
“Huh? Why is this happening? I wrapped it tightly.”
In a panic, he hurriedly rewound the cloth, but for some reason, it kept slipping off.
By now, so much of the sword was exposed that the edge of the cloth even dropped to the floor with a plop.
“Uh… no, why is this—”
Before his trembling hands could even pick up the cloth, the sword slipped free from his grasp.
Hovering in midair, the sword swayed tauntingly before his eyes. When he reached out to grab it, it dodged him effortlessly, as if it had a will of its own.
“Wh-what the? What’s going on?”
Watching the sword evade even his slightest movements made his blood boil.
As he lunged after it, Excalibur suddenly emitted a brilliant burst of light.
Following that light, countless eyes turned toward him from the distant bonfire.
Only then did he realize—Because he had followed Excalibur, he was now standing outside the building, completely exposed.
The floating sword shone even brighter.
The area, once dimly lit by the bonfire, now looked as clear as daylight.
Whoosh!
After spinning through the air a few times, the sword aimed straight for the center of the circle of knights.
Then, in a flash too fast for the eye to follow—zip!—it shot forward.
To the onlookers, only a streak of light and its lingering afterimage remained.
—Look at those dumbfounded faces! They can’t take their eyes off my sleek, magnificent blade!
Excalibur’s voice echoed in his mind just as Morgana snatched the sword from her grip. She deliberately kept her arm raised, so everyone could see.
Not that it mattered—Excalibur had no intention of lowering itself regardless of her will.
As if sensing the countless eyes upon it, the blade trembled faintly.
—Behold! Revere! Praise! Bow your heads before the greatness of Excalibur!
‘You’re really serious about this, huh…’
She enjoyed being the center of attention, but she never expected it to be to this extent.
Bathed in the light of the campfire, she shimmered faintly, as if someone had sprinkled her with powdered light.
‘A natural halo, huh.’
The effect was quite impressive—no one dared to even breathe, their wide eyes fixed solely on Excalibur.
Arthur, of course, but even Bedivere and Merlin were no exception.
In the garden, only the crackling of the campfire filled the silence.
Morgana deliberately cleared her throat, breaking the stillness.
“High Priest Merlin?”
Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but in the quiet, it rang out conspicuously.
—Ahem, the sword’s master should have a voice that carries even louder!
She corrected herself. It was a fitting ability for someone who thrived on attention.
Merlin flinched, stumbling over his words.
“W-well, how is it that Excalibur—”
“Ah, Excal just said he wanted to take a walk?”
At her words, Excalibur hastily objected.
—When did I say that? You told me to stay put! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me? That ugly brute kept touching me like this!
He swung through the air to express his discomfort. Though unintended, the others seemed to take it as a threat.
Morgana shot him a warning glance and whispered, “That’s why I set the stage for you like this. Now everyone’s looking only at you.”
—Oh? You’re right! The reward after patience is indeed sweet!
Pleased, Excalibur sparkled in midair, glowing with self-generated light.
Merlin, unable to believe it, shook his head with a pale face.
“This is absurd…”
Covering her mouth, she faltered and stepped back.
Morgana shrugged and replied, “Well, anyway, that’s not the important part.”
Gripping Excalibur, Morgana slammed it into the ground with a thud. Though she used no force, the knights surrounding them scrambled backward in unison.
The path to Merlin was now unobstructed.
Morgana looked straight at her and grinned.
“So, how does the temple plan to atone for daring to treat the master of the sacred sword as a criminal?”
Comments (0)