It seemed they were contemplating the terms of the reward, as no immediate answer came.
Standing still with the sword planted in the ground required more patience than one might think.
Not only was the attention intense, but everyone—from the holy knights to Arthur—reacted sharply to even the slightest sound, making it all the more difficult.
Though she forced a smile, Morgana was inwardly consoling herself.
‘I’m not embarrassed. I am holding the great Excalibur…’
Sadly, Excalibur’s murmuring voice was far from dignified.
—The bonfire is enormous! There’s even a band. Was this prepared for my grand entrance? … such foresight truly befits my master.
The festival atmosphere was clearly ruined, but she chose to remain silent.
Sometimes, it was better to let things be.
Morgana stared fixedly at Merlin, who stood directly ahead. The red glow from the bonfire dyed his white archmage robes.
Perhaps because of that, Merlin looked as though he was furious.
‘I’m the one who should be angry. Why does he look mad?’
Amusingly, his anger didn’t seem directed at Morgana but at someone absent—likely the only one not present, the saint Nimue.
As the silence dragged on, even the holy knights began whispering among themselves.
“I don’t understand why you’ve caused such trouble.”
“How strange. You’ve never made a wrong choice before. Surely you weren’t unaware of Excalibur’s power?”
“Impossible.”
Indeed, Merlin’s prophecies had always been precise.
He had even predicted natural disasters like landslides and floods—events beyond human influence.
‘It’s too much to claim they were all caused by curses.’
Listening to the hushed murmurs of the knights, Morgana suddenly wondered, ‘Has Merlin ever actually used divine power…?’
When he came to Britannia to heal King Vortigern, he spoke as though he could wield it. But Morgana had never seen it with her own eyes.
Still watching Arthur, who remained alert and focused ahead, she spoke to his back:
“Arthur, how is Duke Fay’s condition, as I asked before?”
“He still complains of headaches.”
“Didn’t you heal him during the banquet? Moreover, you don’t even know that Excalibur, a sword so ancient it’s mentioned in the scriptures, has the ability to return?”
Just as Morgana was about to open her mouth to question him, Merlin’s calm voice swiftly issued an order, cutting her off.
“First, the holy knights must apprehend the thief who stole the sacred sword.”
“Yes, High Priest!”
Already uncomfortable with the situation, the knights subtly let out sighs of relief and quickly rushed toward the servants.
Glancing at the now slightly quieter bonfire, she continued softly.
“I regret that you’ve been misunderstood, Lady Morgana. As compensation, I’d like to offer you the privilege of utilizing the temple’s priests whenever you wish. How does that sound?”
“I know how to heal too, you know?”
Was this supposed to be compensation, even after seeing her divine power?
At her immediate refusal, Merlin promptly presented another option.
“Then, how about a sum of gold equivalent to 10% of the temple’s funds? It should be enough to buy a vast stretch of land on the continent and still have plenty to spare.”
“I already have plenty of money.”
“…Or perhaps the position of a priestess without the need for training—”
“A divine envoy.”
With a click of her tongue, she raised a hand, making her refusal clear. Merlin’s lips pressed tightly together as if at a loss for words.
After a brief silence, Merlin, who had been maintaining a faint smile, took a deep breath and asked again.
“Then, is there something you desire?”
“Give me an ancient text.”
The moment Morgana finished speaking, the nearby priests and clerics stirred. The spectators, unaware of what the issue was, only glanced around in confusion.
Seemingly caught off guard by the unexpected demand, Merlin’s eyes widened slightly.
“An ancient text? Do you understand what that means? No—how do you even know about it?”
“Excalibur mentioned that you have one.”
Morgana blinked nonchalantly as she replied.
A source’s anonymity must be protected, after all. There was also the pretext of the Holy Sword—after all, only she could hear his voice, making it the perfect excuse.
The high priests immediately bowed their heads and cried out as if in lamentation.
“O wielder of the Holy Sword, please forgive us for failing to recognize the great Excalibur.”
“Grant us your forgiveness.”
Soon, like a wave, the priests bowed their heads one after another. From atop the platform, Merlin could only see the backs of the priests.
No one was looking at him.
Except for one—Morgana.
‘Ancient documents? It’s clear she’s demanding them to interfere with the temple.’
She wiped her sweaty palms on her long sleeves.
Once given, it would be hard to take back. It was tantamount to granting her the same authority as a saint within the temple.
She would receive equivalent treatment in any temple and gain the same access to sacred texts as Nimue.
Merlin gritted his teeth invisibly.
‘Nimue… Where is Nimue…?’
In his frustration, he wanted to overturn everything—the platform, all of it.
At all times, Nimue was nowhere to be seen.
Clicking his nails restlessly, Merlin suddenly stopped fidgeting.
Pop—when he raised his head, his expression was now filled with vigor.
‘I can give her a fake document!’
As it happened, there was exactly one fake ancient document.
One that even Nimue—or anyone else talented in ancient languages—had failed to decipher.
Nimue had partially translated it, but the contents differed from the authenticated originals.
Thus, Merlin had long since declared it a forgery.
‘If I give her the fake, I can later accuse her of forging it after she loses it. Then I can reclaim the authority.’
Having settled on this plan, Merlin readily agreed.
“If that will ease your heart, then so be it. High Priest, instruct the saint to bring the third ancient document.”
“Yes, understood!”
None of the priests even pretended to dissuade her with empty words.
When the ancient document was handed over more easily than expected, Morgana swallowed her surprise.
‘Unexpected. I thought they’d try to coax me a few times first.’
Since they had agreed to give it to her, she decided to wait and see.
After some time had passed, Nimue came running from afar, her saintly robes fluttering. Her steps were so full of energy that it was the most enthusiastic Morgana had ever seen her.
Behind her, an elderly high priest struggled to keep up, panting heavily before leaning against a tree for support.
Even her hollow eyes shimmered with an eerie light, blending unsettlingly with the dim temple scenery at night.
Unconsciously, Morgana flinched as Nimue strode toward her.
Yet Nimue herself showed no sign of exhaustion, instead gazing at Morgana with overwhelming emotion.
“You’ve come to receive the ancient document, is that correct?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right!”
‘Don’t falter, Morgana. Even a saint can be an ally.’
When Morgana answered loudly, Nimue rummaged through her overly long sleeves—so long her hands were barely visible.
Somehow hidden within, she produced a tightly rolled piece of aged parchment.
With both hands, she presented it respectfully.
“May the goddess Coventina be with you. It is an honor to meet you at the temple.”
Her voice still lacked vigor, but a faint hint of joy could be heard.
‘I’m the one receiving the reward, so why is the saint happy?’
Morgana eyed her suspiciously as she untied the string binding the parchment.
The moment she did, the musty, aged scent of leather filled her nose.
The frayed edges of the parchment and the smudged letters showed clear signs of frequent handling over a long time.
As Morgana examined it, Merlin’s voice rang out leisurely.
“This is, embarrassingly, an ancient document that has yet to be deciphered. We’ve given you the most precious one we have. I hope this will finally ease your displeasure.”
“Well, since you’ve granted my request for now…”
Morgana trailed off as she struggled to unroll the limp parchment.
The words written on it were frustratingly clear…
[To the one who obtains Excalibur. Do not be bound by the sword. Excalibur is the sword and the scabbard as one.]
It was script she had seen countless times before.
‘Mostly… in journals…’ Translated, it was very simple.
“To the one who obtains Excalibur. Do not be bound by the sword. Excalibur is the sword and the scabbard as one.”
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