Have I ever faced Kellive this directly before?
The kind smile that didn’t suit his sharp eyes, which I always saw, felt unfamiliar.
Whoosh—the wind blew in the direction of the falling meteor shower.
His fine black hair fluttered wildly, disrupting the smooth contrast against his pale skin. The eyes that always smiled so kindly were now clearly focused on Morgana.
“So I wanted to show you.”
The air was certainly cold, but heat rose to her cheeks.
Thump, thump—the sound of her heart beat low and echoed in her ears.
Morgana quickly covered her lips with her hand. Her mind was a mess, unsure of how to respond.
Kellive’s slow voice gently mixed with the wind.
“You don’t have to rush. The night comes back every day, doesn’t it?”
He stepped closer and blocked the wind. With his large hand, he swept her disheveled hair behind her ear, as if tidying it.
“Just shine on me like this once in a while. That alone is enough to keep me going.”
Back at the palace, Morgana collapsed onto her bed in her muslin gown.
Sensing the mood, Mangeum promptly hopped up and settled on her back.
Lifting Mangeum with both hands, she pulled him tightly into her arms and muttered,
“I think I might be a shallow person.”
At her rather serious murmuring, Excalibur, lying beside the bed, responded,
—You’re just realizing that now?
“Hearing that from you hits twice as hard. And can you please not climb onto the bed?”
—Oh, come on, Master. Don’t be so cold. There’s plenty of room—let’s lie down together.
She never thought she’d live to hear a sword talk about sleeping on the bed.
Morgana let out a dry laugh, completely dumbfounded, “You’re getting funnier every time I look at you. Are you using the blanket as a scabbard now?”
—Ah-ha. No wonder I’ve been feeling empty. Like I lost something precious… haah…
💫
At the overly smooth voice that didn’t sound like someone who had lost anything at all, Morgana shivered.
Goosebumps crept up her arms, and she rubbed them instinctively. She gave up.
‘Whatever. Let him sleep next to her if he wants.’
As Morgana lay stubbornly in her spot, Excalibur, lying beside her, asked,
—So, what’s with the sudden self-reflection?
“I saw Kellive’s eyes, and it just…”
Morgana bit her lip at the memory of his face.
That oddly cool expression felt lonely. She had felt it before, but now it was clearer—he was someone who unknowingly made you want to embrace him.
His physique was much larger than hers, yet something about him always tugged at her attention.
Morgana mumbled seriously while meeting Mangeum’s tiny, black bean-like eyes.
“Was it the gold color that made my heart race…”
—Wow, the personality in you. Truly, my master.
Was that a compliment or an insult?
As Morgana gave him a sullen glare, Excalibur continued calmly,
—So, when are you going to get me a new scabbard? Binding me in ropes and hanging me up like this—do you know how humiliating that is for a sacred sword?
“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic?”
Morgana, aghast, quickly covered Mangeum’s ears with both hands.
It seemed the only way to shut Excalibur’s mouth was to get him a scabbard.
Morgana opened the drawer in the nightstand beside her bed. She walked over to the table and firmly placed a sheet of stationery on it.
Without even sitting down, she began writing a letter at a brisk pace.
Watching her, Excalibur asked,
—Ah, are you trying to sell me off? It’s no use, I’m telling you.
Ignoring him completely, Morgana picked up a jewelry box from her vanity.
The necklace Kellive had given her. She detached a single stone—an embedded transport gem—from the necklace and slipped it into the envelope.
After neatly folding the letter, Morgana pulled the bell rope hanging by the bed.
Soon, Olivia entered, holding a lantern, looking puzzled.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m sending a letter. Can you deliver it to Raon in Britannia?”
“Ah, you mean that mercenary? Understood.”
“It’s urgent, so make it as quick as possible.”
“Yes!”
Without a word of complaint, Olivia took the letter and left the room late into the night.
Morgana immediately got under the covers next to Excalibur.
As Mangeum nestled at her side, Excalibur called out in disbelief.
—Hey, Master.
She tightly shut her eyes and pretended not to hear, but he was persistent.
A hundred years of patience stuck in a rock was starting to show.
—Hey, Master? What about my scabbard?
—Are you seriously ignoring me while lying right next to me? Darling, how could you?
The word ‘darling’ was crossing a line.
Clenching her teeth, Morgana whispered through ventriloquism in an ominous tone.
“I’ll go to the temple tomorrow. Just bear with it a little longer.”
💫
“I’m going to the temple for a bit.”
Early the next morning, Kellive froze with a smile still fixed on his face at Morgana’s sudden declaration.
Inside the neatly arranged office,
He finally spoke after a long silence.
“Shall I come with you? Wait, let me check the schedule…”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Before Kellive could even finish his sentence, Raves cut him off.
But Kellive didn’t back down, smiling brightly as he responded, “Excuses are easy to make. With the matter of Tristan, and considering someone dared to kill a knight of Avalon, it would only be right for me to step in personally.”
“Then, before you go, would you kindly choose your coffin?”
Without warning, Raves smoothly handed over a sheet of paper.
When Morgana peeked at it from the side, she saw it was a coffin selection list.
〈Please check one of the following〉
Oak coffin Paulownia coffin Pine coffin
While Morgana’s jaw dropped at the deadly list, Raves lowered his head with such delicate grace, it looked like he might wither like a single flower at any moment.
“If it’s such an important matter, then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Morgana shook her head rapidly.
“I-I always planned to go alone from the start!”
Kellive looked up as he checked the box for the oak coffin.
“So you came all the way to the office just to say that?”
Well…
Unable to get the words out, Morgana fiddled with the ends of her hair and stared into space.
After sneaking a glance at Raves as well, she finally responded in a tiny voice.
“No, it’s just… if I suddenly disappeared after hearing what you said yesterday, it’d seem like I was running away.”
She had only come to let him know in advance because she didn’t want any misunderstandings to build up.
When there was no reply, her eyes darted around—and locked with Kellive’s, who was still smiling.
Flustered, Morgana quickly turned her head away and declared firmly, “Anyway, I’m not running away. I’ll be back!”
Clutching Mangeum in her arms, she strode out of the room.
From behind came Kellive’s voice,
“Set out and come back. I’ll be waiting.”
At the gentle tone, Morgana gave a small nod before walking out of the office.
Only Raves heard the words Kellive muttered while staring at the door that had slammed shut.
“If she doesn’t come back, I’ll just go myself.”
Of course, the bonus was Raves’ face—completely pale, as if he might shed tears at any moment.
Using the transport gem, Morgana arrived instantly in front of the temple. She held Mangeum tightly in her arms. She had wanted to leave him behind,
But Merlin’s specialty was curses.
Who knew who he might manipulate to steal Mangeum away, so it was safer for her to watch over him herself from the beginning.
After all, they say the darkest place is right under the lamp.
Just in case, Mangeum had shoes on that squeaked with every step.
“Good thing I bought these from the Wizard Street.”
No matter where he wandered off to, tracking him would be easy—nothing could beat that.
Morgana looked up at the grand temple entrance, then walked straight in with her back straight.
One of the paladins checking the visitors recognized her and widened his eyes.
“L-Lady Morgana!”
“Ahem. Yes, it’s me.”
“W-What brings you to the temple…”
Perhaps it was because of the memory of her fleeing the temple before.
The paladin looked unsure whether to report her arrival or stay silent.
With her head held high, Morgana gently patted Mangeum’s head, just like the noble ladies she had seen countless times in Britannia, and replied,
“Have I come somewhere I shouldn’t be?”
“N-No! Not at all! P-Please wait just a moment!”
The paladin hurriedly rushed inside the temple.
Soon, with a rising commotion, the priests came running out in a flurry.
“L-Lady Morgana, you’re here!”
“If you’ve come because of the Avalon matter, we are already preparing for the inquisition. If you could just wait a moment—”
Even though she hadn’t said anything yet, the priests bowed deeply and anxiously tried to read her mood.
And behind them stood Merlin, seeing Avalon again for the last time—Wearing that same shameless smile.
“What brings you to the temple?”
“I received an ancient scroll. Am I not allowed here? Quite the ungracious welcome.”
Tilting her head, she replied calmly. Merlin forced a smile and nodded.
“Come with me. I figured you might show up.”
He seemed to assume she had come about the Avalon incident.
Despite the tense atmosphere, the temple remained as beautiful as ever.
On the terrace, the sacred garden stretched out with flowing water. The priests, fearing they might be swept up in Avalon’s troubles, acted excessively cautiously.
Unlike them, Merlin appeared completely unbothered.
“As you heard, the inquisition takes priority. Since this is a neutral territory, we’ll abide by neutral proceedings.”
“Sure, do as you like. That’s not why I’m here anyway.”
At her cheerful voice, Merlin flinched slightly.
In that instant, every eye—be it priest, cleric, or paladin—on the terrace focused solely on Morgana’s lips.
Beaming, she continued firmly, “The scabbard. Hand it over.”
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