Merlin, who had been unable to even stretch properly in the solitary cell due to the holy relic, shot up from her spot the moment she stepped out.

 

Placing her hands on her waist and rolling her neck, she finally let out a deep breath.

 

“Haa, finally… Finally, I’m out!”

 

Mordred, watching her, casually scanned her face with a look of disdain.

 

“Even a half-demon like you found the holy relic bothersome? You spent all that time with Nimue, how amusing.”

 

“The important thing is the core.”

 

“Enough. Hand over the souls quickly.”

 

Mordred cut her off and urged her.

 

Hearing the commanding, condescending tone, Merlin quietly stared at him for a moment.

 

Mordred frowned.

 

“How dare a lowly thing look straight at me?”

 

“No, I’m sorry.”

 

Only then did Merlin casually rummage through her shabby sleeve and ask.

 

“I hid them with a magic tool in case the house in the Caledonian Forest got searched. It worked out well. How many do you need?”

 

“All of them except the souls to be offered to the Holy Grail.”

 

The moment Mordred finished speaking, a palm-sized vial emerged from Merlin’s sleeve. It was filled with black smoke, making the exact contents invisible.

 

In fact, it seemed like there was nothing inside except the smoke.

 

Snatching the vial roughly from Merlin, Mordred threw it straight onto the floor.

 

A sharp, ear-piercing, shattering sound echoed through the underground prison.

 

From the broken vial, black smoke burst out with a strange whoooosh sound, as if a group was spreading out.

 

It sounded like someone’s cries, or like the wind rushing rapidly through the cramped underground space.

 

It was as if the black smoke was escaping from the narrow vial. 

 

But soon, the dark red smoke flowing from Mordred captured and absorbed them.

 

The clearly audible wind sound stopped without a trace. When Mordred removed his hand from his wounded neck…

 

“Now I feel a bit better.”

 

He had returned to a neat appearance as if he had never bled at all. With his aristocratic aura and clear, cute features that promised a bright future.

 

If not for the blood on his clothes, he would have looked like an ordinary, well-raised royal. His voice also carried strength, unlike before.

 

“We’re going to Avalon. Do you have any useful pieces in Avalon?”

 

Mordred asked Merlin as if ordering a servant while dusting off his clothes. She tilted her head and paused as if thinking.

 

“Hmm… Most of the people I cursed in preparation for finding the Holy Grail have already had their souls extracted…”

 

“Morgana and Excalibur will chase after us to Mount Badon. I need chess pieces that can buy us time.”

 

She had clearly heard that the Holy Grail was on Mount Badon.

 

Even Excalibur alone was threatening, and she even had holy water. Mordred bit the soft flesh inside his mouth lightly.

 

‘Tsk, I should have dealt with Excalibur back there.’

 

He could have devoured the soul, but he hadn’t expected it to still have enough consciousness to respond to Morgana’s call.

 

The depth of the bond between the holy sword and Morgana was an unexpected outcome.

 

To go to Mount Badon, he needed the holy water to guide the way.

 

Stealing it from Morgana right now would come with too much risk.

 

Mordred clicked his tongue loudly.

 

“It’ll be a bit tiring, but I’ll have to catch some random person on the way and cast a curse or something.”

 

“Hmm… There is one ambiguous piece.”

 

At her hesitant answer, Mordred raised one eyebrow.

 

“Then just use it. What’s the problem?”

 

Pressed by him, Merlin continued hesitantly, as if unsure.

 

“But there’s a slight issue…”

 

💫

 

While the inside of the Kingdom of Brittania was quiet, the outside was in full festival mode.

 

After King Vortigern’s death, the long-vacant throne had finally been filled. To the common people, this was nothing short of a celebration.

 

The capital was already bustling with crowds pouring in from the provinces and neighboring kingdoms to offer their congratulations.

 

“I saw the revelation of the goddess Coventina descending from the sky with my own two eyes!”

 

“The master of the holy sword becomes the master of Brittania. What could be more reassuring than this!”

 

“And I heard she’s even from the House of the Lake Fairy in Avalon?”

 

Perhaps because of her origins, rumors even spread in the capital that people from Avalon, who normally wouldn’t interact during a succession ceremony, would be visiting Brittania.

 

Raon and the mercenaries each held an invitation in their hands as they blankly watched the people passing by.

 

Jayden was the first to ask, staring at the street in a daze.

 

“Mr. Raon, my eyes have been a bit blurry lately. Could you read my invitation for me?”

 

“Why are you asking me? Mine says the same thing.”

 

While Jayden could at least read, the completely illiterate mercenaries scratched the backs of their heads and asked.

 

“No, what does it say? Why is everyone squatting in front of the shop like that? What is it? Tell me too!”

 

“Even that kid Percival and the perfumer were sitting in the shop with the same expression. Is there going to be a war or something?”

 

Raon stared blankly at the people passing by on the street with unfocused eyes and muttered.

 

“It says she has become king and invites us to the succession ceremony.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Lady Morgana.”

 

“Oh, so she… wait, what?”

 

After a very brief silence, the mercenaries shouted again in shock.

 

“What?! Wa, wao, wa…?!”

 

Unable to form proper words, they covered their mouths with their thick hands, which didn’t match their large builds.

 

Some even hugged each other tightly as if they had heard something terrifying.

 

Jayden ignored them and asked Raon in a daze.

 

“Mr. Raon, what should we wear to the royal palace?”

 

“I don’t know. You’ve met a lot of noble young ladies, so you should know.”

 

“I don’t know. I’ve never been invited to a succession ceremony before.”

 

“You think I have?”

 

They stared at the street for a long time, struggling to regain their sense of reality.

 

Meanwhile, Morgana, who had sent the invitations, had no particular thoughts on the matter.

 

In Morgana’s room at the Britannia royal palace.

 

Olivia glanced out the window at the crowds pouring in for the succession ceremony and asked.

 

“I wonder if His Highness Kellive received the invitation. We sent it in a hurry. Will he be able to come? Avalon is quite far away.”

 

“Distance won’t be a problem…?”

 

Unlike Olivia, Morgana wasn’t worried.

 

‘He’ll obviously come using a movement magic stone.’

 

She wondered if Olivia knew that Kellive used to come and go from Brittania like it was his own house.

 

Olivia looked at Morgana through the mirror as she sat in front of the dressing table, sensing her baseless confidence.

 

Morgana simply smiled as if she knew nothing.

 

The succession ceremony was set for just one day. With Mordred already having left for Avalon, they couldn’t afford to waste too much time.

 

Therefore, they decided to hold only the basic succession ceremony.

 

Thanks to that, the palace maids were busier than usual.

 

No matter where you looked in the corridors, people were hurrying along, almost running while looking straight ahead.

 

Olivia handed a sweet potato to Mangeum, who was growling beside the dressing table chair, and sighed.

 

“If we had more time, we could have prepared something more splendid…”

 

Still regretful, Olivia’s eyes endlessly scanned Morgana’s dress.

 

The white, luxurious fabric embroidered with gold thread made her look like the undisputed protagonist of the succession ceremony.

 

Olivia picked up a navy blue cloak and draped it over Morgana’s shoulders.

 

The long cloak was embroidered with Britannia’s crest in gold thread. It was a cloak that only the one who would become King of Brittania could wear.

 

Seeing this, Olivia trembled slightly with emotion.

 

“It feels like just yesterday you were eating bread…”

 

“Hey, why are you remembering something like that?”

 

Morgana recalled the terribly tasteless, dry bread and stared at Olivia through the mirror in disbelief.

 

“Olivia, you are my exclusive maid now. You’ll have to get used to it.”

 

With Morgana becoming king, Olivia’s position had also been elevated to exclusive maid.

 

It was originally a privilege given to a nanny, but since there was no one else who could be said to have raised Morgana, the honor went to her.

 

Olivia still seemed awkward as she lightly stroked her cheek and smiled.

 

“It doesn’t feel real. I’m from Avalon too…”

 

“Then just get used to it.”

 

Knock knock!

 

A royal knight outside the door gave a light signal.

 

“Lady Morgana. It’s time to head out now.”

 

Morgana stood up, clutching her robe with one hand.