“Do I look fine to you? Too bad.”
Ironically, Kellive, who had uttered those words, didn’t seem the least bit sorry. His thick, gloved hand moved slowly along Morgana’s jawline.
Trailing down her neck, he fiddled with her necklace.
“I saw Morgana.”
Every time his fingers brushed her skin, Morgana felt an itch around her waist, making her want to squirm.
Even though they were face to face, he spoke as if pointing to someone else.
“I’m still seeing her now.”
“The Morgana the mist showed me was a little different.”
“You saw me? Strange. All I saw was a world of gold…”
“Seems like it shows one’s hidden desires.”
The moment his words ended, a small laugh burst from Excalibur.
—Pfft!
When Morgana glared at the sword with lowered eyes, Excalibur pretended not to notice and firmly sealed its lips.
Even she had nothing to say when it came to desires.
‘Sure, I like money a little… But come on, who in the world dislikes money?’
Morgana inwardly shed tears at her own pitiful imagination.
‘Morgana, you should dream bigger. A money tree? Please. At the very least, aim to be a wealthy landlord in the capital!’
Just a money tree? Just a money tree?!
Of course, even if she didn’t work, gold would sprout on its own—pure, unearned income! Though these were things she had stubbornly wished for, Kellive’s reaction was somewhat unexpected.
Sneaking a sidelong glance at him, she cautiously asked, “Don’t tell me I was doing something like going to Avalon?”
“No. Curious?”
Tap—
Kellive lightly let go of the necklace he had been toying with and smirked, his eyes crinkling.
“If you’re curious, I can tell you.”
“Well… A little?”
How could she not be curious when she was the one involved?
Above all, Kellive was someone who always boasted about Avalon. Of course, if that’s the case, it must be related to Avalon’s survival, right?
But Kellive gently pressed his thumb against Morgana’s palm.
“You came close and held my hand. Lightly intertwining your fingers, so tenderly…”
At his strange description, Morgana’s face flushed crimson.
She stiffened and stammered, “I—I—I did what?! No, all I had was the Golden Forest at best—what exactly did you see?!”
“Want to hear more? The words you whispered secretly in my ear were quite thrilling.”
In a panic, she clamped a hand over his mouth.
Even under her grip, Kellive didn’t budge.
Instead, the flustered Morgana staggered back, but he effortlessly steadied her waist with his large hand and laughed.
“Want to hear more?”
“Kellive, I never took you for this kind of—”
“Then take me that way now.”
Even with his mouth covered, he remained perfectly at ease.
What did he mean by that way? He was acting as if they were lovers. As if he had feelings for her.
What? Since when…?
Morgana had never done anything for him. Her heart raced—was it from shock?
Come to think of it, Kellive had always given to her without reason.
Magical artifacts, for instance—handing over those priceless items as casually as picking up pebbles from the street.
Straightening her up as she stood awkwardly, he lightly kissed her palm before rising.
After dropping such a bombshell, he tilted his head and asked brightly,
“Shall we go?”
It wasn’t like she could refuse.
Morgana lightly patted her flushed cheeks, then narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t tease me.”
“I’ve never teased you. How could I ever dare to tease Morgana?”
His words said one thing, but his beaming smile was utterly unconvincing.
Morgana shot him a glare before walking swiftly, as if cutting through the mist-cleared forest.
No matter how fast she walked, his long legs easily caught up to her in just a few strides.
First, she had to find Mangeum. Afraid he might hear the pounding of her heart, Morgana deliberately stiffened her posture and kept her gaze fixed straight ahead.
Once the mist cleared, the view ahead became even sharper.
An open space, so vast it could hardly be called a forest, stretched into the distance.
Leading toward it was a path marked by tiny footprints spaced at regular intervals. The jelly-like prints were unmistakably those of a beast.
Kellive pointed at the footprints with his toe.
“It must be nearby.”
At the same time, a familiar cry echoed from somewhere.
“Woof, woof!”
“That’s Mangeum’s voice!”
Morgana’s face lit up with joy as she raised her head.
Excalibur had guided them correctly after all!
Following the footprints, she ran until a massive lake unfolded before her eyes. What she saw was something she could hardly believe.
“Woof, woof!”
Mangeum was indeed there.
Even Excalibur seemed stunned, muttering in disbelief.
—Is he really running on water right now?
It was exactly as he said.
Mangeum was darting across the lake’s surface.
Morgana knew he was a divine beast, but she never expected him to part the water like this. She was just as baffled.
The vast lake was larger than most royal palaces.
Far in the center floated a single boat, while along the shore stood a castle that seemed to house the man operating the vessel.
Noticing where Morgana’s gaze lingered, Kellive added an explanation.
“That’s a very old architectural style. You don’t see designs like that these days.”
“Do people actually live in a place like this? Still, since it’s Avalon’s territory, don’t you know anything about it, Kellive?”
“This is my first time hearing of it. This mountain’s terrain is too treacherous for people to settle in the first place.”
As he said, when thinking about the uphill path, it was nothing short of miraculous that such a flat area even existed.
Mangeum was running around the boat, gnawing at the fishing rod and causing a nuisance.
It seemed less like an attack and more like part of a game.
The crisp voice of the man who had been fishing scolded Mangeum.
“You rascal, if you’re here, you should behave! How am I supposed to fish like this?”
“Woof!”
“I’ll play with you later, so leave the fishing rod alone!”
“Woof woof!”
“Good grief, you’ve gotten even more stubborn since I last saw you. And you’ve put on some weight too.”
His gravelly voice carried both experience and affection.
Morgana strained her narrowed eyes to get a better look at the man on the boat.
“An older gentleman, perhaps…?”
As Morgana murmured, Kellive nodded.
“He seems to know Mangeum.”
“Right. How does he know her?”
Given how well Mangeum obeyed him, it didn’t seem like she had been kidnapped or forcibly taken.
Taking a deep breath, Morgana shouted loudly across the lake.
“Hello! I’m sorry to bother you, but could we talk for a moment?”
Her voice echoed across the open lake like a ripple.
The fishing man glanced briefly in their direction, then casually turned his head away and cast his line again.
‘Is he ignoring me?!’
But she wasn’t the type to give up so easily.
Morgana inhaled deeply and shouted even louder, her voice ringing clearly.
“We’re here to look for the puppy!”
Her voice was so loud that even Mangeum panted and stared at her. But as soon as the fishing rod moved again, the puppy got distracted, biting and shaking its head excitedly.
The old man on the boat also pretended not to hear, focusing solely on his fishing.
It was impossible to tell whether he was deliberately ignoring them or if his hearing had simply weakened with age.
By now, Morgana’s competitive spirit kicked in. She flashed a bright smile.
“If I back down now, I am not Morgana Le Fay.”
She thunked Excalibur into the ground, anchoring it firmly. The sword, now standing upright in the dirt, let out a screech like a scream.
—Wahh! No Master has ever treated me this roughly before!
Morgana ignored it, rolling up her sleeves and cupping her hands around her mouth.
Then, she shouted as loudly as she could, “Old man! Can you hear me? I came looking for my puppy! My pup-py! Mangeum!”
The force of her voice startled birds into flapping wildly into the sky.
Even Mangeum seemed shocked, freezing in place with the fishing line still in his mouth, eyes wide.
Finally, the old man stirred in his boat.
After securing his fishing rod, he began rowing toward them.
Despite his leisurely strokes, the boat glided swiftly across the lake.
Once he docked nearby, the old man stretched his back with a few light taps before approaching.
“What’s this? What brings youngsters like you all the way out here?”
“Ah, I’m Morgana Le Fay! And this is Kellive Avalon!”
“What was that?”
Clearly, he hadn’t heard well.
Morgana repeated, louder, “I’m Morgana! Le Fay! And this is Kellive! Avalon!”
She assumed that being from Avalon, he’d recognize the family name.
But the old man remained firm.
“So? What business do you have at my estate?”
“The puppy I raised ran away!”
She pointed at Mangeum, who was happily trotting around her as if delighted to see her. But the stern, wiry old man only scowled and replied gruffly.
“That’s my dog.”
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