A wind blew across the floor, swirling around Nimue.

 

As the scattered papers and small props in the room were caught in the whirlwind, Morgana frowned with one eye.

 

Mordred looked displeased. He removed his hand from Nimue’s shoulder and stepped back hesitantly.

 

“What the hell are you doing?”

 

Morgana, who had stood up from her seat, had no choice but to move away from him as well.

 

White letters engraved beneath Nimue’s feet emitted light while suppressing the black smoke trying to rise from the floor.

 

For a moment, with a sharp ping, a flash exploded before her eyes.

 

The moment her vision turned white, the miscellaneous noises disappeared. It was so quiet it felt like everything had been muted.

 

In that silence, Morgana reached out toward the light where Nimue was.

 

“Excalibur, come back now.”

 

In the silent room, only her voice rang out clearly.

 

The moment she finished speaking, a cold object was firmly grasped in Morgana’s hand, as if it had been made to fit her palm from the beginning.

 

At the same time, the sounds that had vanished rushed back all at once, and wind blew through the room.

 

“No!”

 

Along with Mordred’s shout, a thread-like light rose upward from the tip of Excalibur, which now glowed with a warm light unlike before.

 

The light shot up like fireworks, piercing the ceiling and disappearing, leaving only the softly glowing sword in her hand.

 

A familiar voice echoed confidently in her mind.

 

— Master, it’s me after all, right?

 

“Yeah, it is.”

 

Morgana let out a small chuckle and shook her head to tidy her fluttering silver hair. Her vision was now clear.

 

Excalibur’s wave, similar to her Authority, filled her with a sense of fullness.

 

Even in a rather dangerous situation, her mind felt at ease. Whether because the light was repulsive, dark energies gathered around the heavily frowning Mordred as if to protect him.

 

Morgana raised her sword and precisely aimed the tip at his throat.

 

“You won’t be getting the Holy Grail, Mordred.”

 

The moment the tip of Excalibur touched him, his pale lips twisted crookedly.

 

“That pathetic sword. Acting all smug just because you know the Holy Grail’s location.”

 

“Then, while you’re at it, let me ask. Why did Lune’s sense of smell disappear?”

 

Lune was an unnecessary existence for the purpose of finding the Holy Grail.

 

Why bother touching someone who could live well on their own?

 

In response, Mordred coughed up blood and answered while breathing roughly.

 

“Because she can distinguish demonic scent. That human woman.”

 

“Is that the only reason?”

 

“Humans are quite treacherous. I barely touched someone she called a friend, and she betrayed them all on her own without me even needing to lift a finger?”

 

His eyes glistened with amusement.

 

Pure joy without a shred of guilt could be felt from him. 

 

For the first time, Morgana found him creepy. If he had been vile instead, he might have seemed more human.

 

He cackled and continued.

 

“Jealousy and money are truly terrifying. Any relationship is bound to fall apart eventually. Family, friends, lovers. Anything.”

 

She no longer felt he was worth dealing with.

 

— Master, just trust me!

 

The hand holding Excalibur swung wide on its own, slashing Mordred in a long arc.

 

Light left an afterimage as it scattered above him, but the black smoke surrounding Mordred wrapped around his entire body like a shield.

 

After swinging several more times, the smoke dispersed. In that gap, a long wound was left on Mordred’s shoulder.

 

As Morgana raised her sword again, the scattered smoke surged back and engulfed Mordred as if swallowing him.

 

“What is this?”

 

His movements were quite different from before, when he had only been defending.

 

Mordred’s figure was no longer visible, but the writhing black smoke gradually shrank, leaving only his grotesque voice behind.

 

“It doesn’t matter anymore. As long as I have the Holy Grail, that’s enough.”

 

With a rustling sound, the black smoke soon vanished into thin air.

 

In the disheveled room that once belonged to Mordred, only Morgana remained.

 

The strange energy she had felt just moments ago was nowhere to be found. It was just an ordinary royal palace room. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

It meant Mordred had fled.

 

Excalibur, realizing this, raged furiously.

 

— How dare he run away after threatening me!

 

Morgana looked out the window at the outside, where darkness had fallen and night had arrived, and replied.

 

“Right. We need to head to Mount Badon.”

 

🦋

 

Brittania’s royal capital, nearby bustling district.

 

Even if the inside of the royal palace was holding its breath amid the power struggle, for commoners and mercenaries, today was what mattered.

 

As the sun set, the staff of Tir na Nog hung a “Closed” sign at the entrance.

 

The mercenaries laughed noisily with Raon.

 

“Mr. Raon, I’m gonna grab a beer before I go. Wanna come with?”

 

“What about Percival? You’re not seriously thinking of bringing a kid to a tavern at this hour, are you?”

 

“Why not? It’s not like we’re running an illegal place. Kids grow up seeing this stuff.”

 

At Jayden’s nonchalant response, Raon smacked the back of his head with a loud smack.

 

“As if that’s something good for a kid to grow up seeing.”

 

“Ah, why! We can get some snacks too! Right, Percival?”

 

“Umm, someone is coming to pick me up from Lady Morgana’s mansion, so I’ll head back to the mansion!”

 

“Ah, really? That’s too bad.”

 

Percival smiled brightly at Jayden, who was smacking his lips in disappointment.

 

Thanks to the sudden increase in employees at Morgana’s mansion one day, Percival’s meals and commuting were now being handled by rotating maids and servants.

 

As always, the bustling district was noisy, and the taverns were crowded with mercenary patrons.

 

The streets were sparsely lit by the lights spilling out from the shops.

 

Just as Percival spotted the servant who had come to pick him up and was about to greet them. He looked up at the sky and widened his eyes.

 

“What is that?”

 

Following Percival’s gaze, the mercenaries also turned their heads.

 

In the distance, above the royal palace of Brittania, a single small light shot upward, trailing behind it and drawing a line across the dark night sky.

 

Raon frowned and asked.

 

“Where is that light coming from? I heard the High Priestess entered the palace today. Is she showing off her divine power or something?”

 

The light continued drawing its line for a while before suddenly bursting and spreading into multiple branches across the sky.

 

With a brilliant flash, yellow, white, and purple lights shimmered above the royal palace alongside the stars.

 

The curtain-like shimmering light was brilliant yet mystical.

 

Combined with the densely packed stars above it, the entire sequence was awe-inspiring.

 

Everyone on the street, including the mercenaries watching, stood with their mouths open, unable to utter a word at the sight.

 

The priests, who had been more visible in the capital lately after arriving with the High Priestess, suddenly knelt on the streets.

 

“C-Coventina has given us a divine revelation!”

 

“O God! You have not abandoned us!”

 

Raon muttered as he looked at the dazzling lights filling the sky.

 

“…Don’t tell me the young lady did something again…?”

 

🦋

 

As soon as dawn broke, rumors spread throughout the capital that the goddess Coventina had given a revelation at the royal palace of Brittania.

 

Not a single noble had missed the spectacle from their mansions.

 

The nobles who had entered the palace due to the summoning of the Elder Council had no idea what was happening in the royal family.

 

They only knew that Guinevere had summoned the Elder Council, and the heads of each family had entered the palace on command.

 

The nobles seated around the long conference table glanced at each other, unsure why they had been called here.

 

Some bravely asked.

 

“Ahem, so… I heard something auspicious happened in the royal family last night…”

 

“Indeed…”

 

The nobles gave awkward replies while carefully watching the Marquis of Wright. He had recently been quite active in supporting Mordred.

 

They secretly hoped he might know something, but he simply kept his mouth tightly shut and pretended not to know.

 

The Marquis of Wright clenched his clothes tightly under the table.

 

‘His Highness Mordred has disappeared.’

 

Even without that, he had heard that Agravain had been interrogated by Guinevere.

 

So when he heard the news that the Elder Council was being summoned, the first thing the Marquis of Wright worried about was his son.