At the mention of Avalon, she glanced sideways and gave Kellive a look.
Since it was his first time hearing about it, too, he shook his head slightly.
Morgana cautiously asked again, “Where in Avalon…?”
The old man’s eyes, which had been quiet for a moment, sharpened.
After a brief pause, Pelles took a deep breath and answered firmly, “I don’t know.”
“…What?”
Stunned, Morgana froze and reflexively repeated the question. He shrugged.
“Didn’t I tell you? The scabbard knows the entrance.”
“Wait, so you don’t know without the scabbard?”
“If I knew, would that damned sorcerer have kept me alive?”
Now that she thought about it, he had a point.
From the looks of it, Excalibur must have had a scabbard in the past.
‘It was stuck in the stone—where would the scabbard be there…?’
When she retrieved ancient texts from the temple, it was the same. Percival’s mother had said the same thing, too.
At this point, it was clear she was the only one who didn’t know.
Narrowing her eyes, Morgana held up Excalibur and asked Pelles, “The scabbard and the sword were originally together, right?”
“That’s how my family has passed it down for generations. A holy sword without a scabbard is nonsense.”
It wasn’t just one or two people—many said the same thing, so it must be true.
Morgana gripped Excalibur’s hilt tightly and glared at it.
The sword let out a hollow laugh and shamelessly shouted,
—What, why, what? Why’s the Master looking at me like that?
“Tell me the truth. I won’t scold you.”
—Funny. The great Excalibur would be scared of getting scolded by its Master?
Despite its bravado, the blade trembled faintly.
Morgana steadied herself and asked again, “Where’s the scabbard?”
—I really don’t know! I can’t peel my own blade open to show you! This is insane!
If it was being this stubborn, maybe it truly didn’t know.
‘Then where on earth is the scabbard?’
Previously, according to Percival’s mother, the scabbard had healing abilities.
Groaning in discomfort, Pelles continued nonchalantly, “It’s something only my grandson knows. He’s the only one I’ve entrusted with the family secret.”
“You have a grandson?”
“Yes. He’s down in the city now but comes up regularly. Everything from the cooking to the magic placed along the path up here was done by him.”
Pelles’ face was filled with pride as he explained.
Patting Mangeum head, who was whining anxiously, he softened his voice and continued, “I used to wield the family’s divine power, but in this state… I’ve passed it on to my grandson.”
“Ah…”
So that’s how Mangeum was fed.
Divine power was broadly divided into two types, healing abilities and the ancestral authority granted by the gods.
That’s why Morgana’s healing power was also considered divine.
Since Pelles’ family had guarded the Holy Grail for generations, it seemed he had raised Mangeum using that authority.
Pelles lifted Mangeum to eye level and said, “Now that I’ve passed it on to my grandson, I can no longer feed this child. Take him with you.”
He gazed warmly at Morgana and added, “If you happen to meet my grandson down there, tell him I sent you. He’s quite clever—he’ll help you.”
💫
The next day, Morgana left Pelles’ castle early in the morning as promised. He saw her off to the path down, walking with noticeably lighter steps.
“Just keep going straight. When you reach a bridge, cross it.”
“You mean the half-missing bridge, right?”
“Yes. Only those who are worthy can cross it. My grandson made that too.”
“Thank you! Rest well!”
Morgana bowed her head in farewell.
Holding up one of Mangeum paws in her arms, she waved it playfully.
“Mangeum, say goodbye to grandpa. Say, ‘Take care!’”
“Woof!”
Pelles, who had been watching with a fond expression, replied in his rough tone, “Be careful on your way down. Don’t rush and end up tumbling—no crying if you do.”
His words weren’t exactly affectionate, but there was a peculiar warmth in them.
Following behind, Kellive gave a slight nod before the two descended the mountain. Where fog had once obscured their path on the way up, the way down was now clear.
Had the mist not blocked their sight earlier, they would have realized the distance was so short it wouldn’t even take ten minutes to cross the bridge.
Arriving at the still half-broken bridge, Morgana peeked over the edge of the cliff.
The hazy depths below were impossible to gauge.
“Just use a teleportation stone, Morgana. There’s no need to cross this.”
Before the words even finished, Mangeum—who had been nestled in her arms—suddenly leaped down and excitedly dashed toward the bridge.
“Mangeum!”
“Woof woof!”
As if she had no intention of turning back, the little creature stood at the edge of the bridge, wagging her tail as if beckoning Morgana to follow.
Hesitantly, Morgana gripped the bridge and took a cautious step forward.
Clank—
The moment the bridge creaked and tilted ominously, she swiftly pulled her foot back.
“Mangeum, come here. Even I can’t bring myself to cross this.”
Fear was fear, no matter how much she tried to rationalize it. She called out pleadingly, but Mangeum only stood there proudly, tilting her head in confusion.
The little thing had no fear at all.
Guess this is why they say a newborn pup doesn’t fear a tiger…
Swallowing hard, Morgana glanced down again. Staring too long was making her dizzy.
What if a sudden gust of wind blew and she fell?
Could she even activate a teleportation stone mid-fall?
Her imagination only fueled her terror.
As she hesitated, Kellive, who had been silently observing, smirked and asked, “Scared?”
“No? Why would I be scared?”
She pretended to be shamelessly strong, but Kellive didn’t even blink, his eyes narrowing prettily.
It was clear he didn’t believe her at all.
In the end, Morgana awkwardly twisted the ends of her wavy hair with her fingers and muttered into the air.
“…A little?”
“Then I’ll make it easy for you to cross.”
“How?”
“Pardon me.”
Without warning, he lightly apologized before scooping her up into his arms in one swift motion.
Startled, the only thing she could grab onto for support was his shoulder.
“Ke—Ke—Kellive!”
“Close your eyes. We’ll be across in no time.”
With light steps, he strode confidently across the bridge.
Each time it swayed, she clung tightly to his neck and screamed.
“Do–down, below!”
“Should I stop?”
As if teasing her, he abruptly halted mid-step.
Morgana’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
“No! Don’t stop! Go back—no, forward! Wait, no, backward!”
At her flustered commands, Kellive’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
Was he stifling a laugh?
His voice, lower and more relaxed than usual, resonated by her ear.
“Don’t look. It’s scary, so keep your head down.”
She couldn’t have been that heavy—Kellive held her firmly in his arms. Unlike her, whose voice had grown louder, Morgana gradually calmed down at his composed tone, her racing heart slowly settling.
Still, her pulse remained unsteady.
Too afraid to look down, she buried her face in Kellive’s shoulder. His large hand gently cradled the back of her head, his soothing voice patting her comfortingly.
“You’re doing well. We’re almost there.”
Ridiculously, his voice steadied her.
Would she have been able to cross alone?
Thump, thump—she couldn’t tell why her heart pounded so loudly in her ears.
Was it from fear, or…
“We’re here. Should I put you down now?”
Or perhaps for some other reason.
When she cautiously raised her head, he was watching her with an amused expression.
As Morgana trembled and flailed, his eyebrows lightly furrowed.
“The path ahead is a bit steep, you know.”
Following his gaze, she saw the rugged mountain trail they had first climbed.
The cliff and the slope were worlds apart.
Morgana glared at him sharply, “You’re teasing me.”
“Not at all. I’m simply concerned for Morgana’s safe and swift descent.”
“You’re smiling, though. Your eyes, see?”
As Morgana struggled, he reluctantly set her down with a resigned look.
Kellive, looking unfairly accused, gently smoothed the hem of her dress and whispered, “I’ve always smiled when looking at you. Maybe because I was afraid you’d run away.”
“No matter how I act, you shouldn’t judge me just by my expression.”
Morgana confidently and skillfully descended the cliff, as if to prove a point.
A soft chuckle came from behind, but she pretended not to hear it.
Occasionally, the voice of Mangeum followed.
Even after passing the cliff, her heart raced faintly.
Comments (0)