Was Aide saying that while knowing what kind of person Mordred, who had gone to find the Holy Grail, was?

 

When Morgana couldn’t answer right away, he openly pushed Nimue’s shoulder, who was sitting on the sofa.

 

“Hey, scrap metal. Can you move over a bit?”

 

At the word “scrap metal,” Nimue, who had been lazily chewing a cookie, had his eyes flash.

 

Even though he had merged with Excalibur, a rare killing intent could be felt from his pale skin and hollow eyes.

 

Nimue shamelessly pushed him aside and sat down next to him, tilting his head to stare intently at Aide’s profile.

 

“Hey, human. What did that insignificant mouth of yours just babble?”

 

“For an old sword to be pretending to be human. Truly, you live and learn.”

 

It wasn’t just a passing remark.

 

Aide had accurately seen through what Nimue was.

 

Morgana hurriedly intervened in their conversation to dispel the atmosphere that seemed ready to erupt into a fight.

 

“Um, how did you know?”

 

Aide blinked innocently and answered.

 

“It’s obvious at a glance that he’s a sword.”

 

No matter how she looked, there was no way to tell, but Morgana didn’t bother asking further.

 

From what she had observed so far, Aide was extremely sharp when it came to topics that interested him.

 

The only problem was that his standards were vague.

 

‘Still, if it’s Aide, he’s not the type to use the Holy Grail for something else.’

 

He had consistently wanted to destroy it. She didn’t know his criteria, but his goal was pure destruction.

 

However, given the nature of the matter, she needed to be certain.

 

“Why do you like destroying things so much, Aide?”

 

“Because it’s fun.”

 

He stared at Morgana with round eyes as if wondering how she didn’t understand.

 

A kind of subtle mania could be felt.

 

Aide continued in a completely natural tone.

 

“I know all the magic on this continent. It’s all obvious and stale. I’m sick of the common magic I see every single day.”

 

As his voice grew louder, Nimue looked at him as if staring at a madman.

 

Aide’s eyes flashed. His cheeks flushed slightly as if he had discovered something interesting.

 

“But rare things are different. Do you know what it feels like to discover a new way to destroy something?”

 

“Ah, no.”

 

At his passionate question, Morgana answered without thinking.

 

As if feeling ecstasy just from thinking about it, Aide leaned further forward.

 

“How can I break it? What formula should I use? When I destroy something no one else has been able to…”

 

Aide clenched one fist tightly and smiled widely.

 

“Doesn’t that mean I’m stronger than the one who made it?”

 

She didn’t know about other things, but she could be certain about this one.

 

‘No matter what, he will definitely destroy the Holy Grail.’

 

Morgana finally gave him the answer he wanted.

 

“I’ll make sure you can destroy the Holy Grail.”

 

“Really? Then I’ll go with…”

 

“Instead, please stay at the Avalon royal palace and stand by, Lord Aide.”

 

Morgana cut off Aide’s hopeful words and smiled firmly.

 

“The Holy Grail is in Avalon. If something goes wrong, it could lead to even greater damage, so please protect the palace, Lord Aide.”

 

“Then what about my Holy Grail?”

 

When Aide asked as if feeling wronged, Morgana placed one hand on her chest with a solemn expression.

 

“I’ll bring the Holy Grail. Then you can destroy it.”

 

He nodded without thinking deeply.

 

It seemed as long as he could destroy it, nothing else mattered.

 

“Good. You must keep your promise.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Morgana answered with satisfaction as she stood up from her seat. With this, the preparations to depart for Mount Badon were complete.

 

💫

 

The atmosphere in Avalon’s royal palace was noticeably tense compared to before.

 

Armed knights and soldiers were stationed throughout the palace with hardened expressions.

 

It was a grim atmosphere, almost like the eve of war.

 

The only slight difference was that all this preparation was for just one person, Mordred.

 

Morgana and Kellive, having finished preparing to depart for Mount Badon, stood in front of a horse and discussed seriously.

 

“Kellive. Do we really have to go on horseback?”

 

Morgana stared down at the horse with its glossy black coat.

 

Its imposing, unyielding expression and long, slender legs suggested it had the build to handle mountain terrain.

 

Kellive smiled brightly and explained kindly.

 

“The area called Mount Badon has quite a vast terrain. Moreover, the ground is uneven, so it’s difficult to travel by carriage. Riding a horse will be better for you, too, Morgana.”

 

Gawain, standing in front of the knights who had come to see them off, answered with a proud expression.

 

“It’s a horse of excellent bloodline. It has stamina that doesn’t tire even in war, and it’s smart and clever. It will never throw you off or act badly toward you, Lady Morgana.”

 

As if responding to his words, the horse snorted proudly and lifted its head.

 

It would be strange to say its expression was visible, but it really seemed to understand human speech as it puffed out its chest proudly.

 

Of course, Morgana didn’t dislike the horse. It was just…

 

“I… don’t know how to ride.”

 

Sadly, she had spent her early childhood as a commoner, and after entering the Fay family, she had never learned it separately.

 

Unlike typical noble young ladies who all learned horseback riding, Morgana didn’t know how.

 

‘Commoners can’t even afford a horse even if they sell all their possessions.’

 

Most of the time, they took carriages when needed, and after meeting Kellive, they traveled by magic, so she had never felt the need to learn riding.

 

Who would have thought the day would come when she had to ride?

 

At Morgana’s answer, Gawain looked at her as if seeing a rare creature.

 

“You don’t know how to ride a horse?”

 

Morgana nodded and subtly asked Kellive.

 

“Can’t we go by magic like before?”

 

“The area near Mount Badon is filled with magic power, making it difficult to set coordinates. There’s too much interference in the flow.”

 

She wondered if the genius Excalibur might know how to ride. With faint hope, she looked at Nimue, but the spot where he had been was empty.

 

At some point, Excalibur, now hanging on her back, shouted shamelessly.

 

— Alright, let’s go. Master, depart!

 

“You don’t know how to ride either, Excal?!”

 

She turned to look at Excalibur and shouted in shock. He answered in a tone as if he didn’t understand her.

 

— Master. I fly. I don’t bother riding horses like humans. You want the great Excalibur to ride a mere horse?

 

Ah, that’s right.

 

The reason was so valid that she couldn’t even blame him and lost her words. Then how were they supposed to get to Mount Badon?

 

While she was worrying silently, Kellive quietly leaned forward and met her eyes.

 

“Excuse me, Morgana.”

 

Before she could even register his beautifully folded eyes, his firm hands grasped her waist. He easily lifted her up and placed her on the horse.

 

“Kellive!”

 

Startled, she cried out and grabbed his shoulders. He looked up at her and whispered tenderly.

 

“Let’s ride together.”

 

Kellive patted the back of her hand, then skillfully mounted the horse behind her. He took the reins while positioned behind her.

 

Seeing Morgana trapped in his embrace, he let out a small chuckle, his lips curving into a long smile.

 

At a distance where they would touch if she simply turned her head, Kellive’s low voice whispered ticklingly into her ear.

 

“Hold my waist tightly. You can’t fall off.”

 

It was too close.

 

The distance where she could fully feel his body heat and breath felt awkward.

 

Thump, thump… 

 

Her heartbeat echoed lowly in her head. When she hesitated to hold his waist, Kellive took her arm himself and wrapped it around his waist.

 

She could feel his firm waist through her arm.

 

He smiled as if praising her and wrapped one arm around her shoulder.

 

“Relax your body, Morgana.”

 

His slightly hoarse, raspy voice had a strangely deep resonance.

 

She answered softly, pretending not to be affected.

 

“I’m not nervous.”

 

“Morgana’s posture becomes very straight when riding a horse. I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Only then did Morgana realize she had been sitting rather stiffly.

 

Gawain and the knights watched the scene frozen like they had seen a ghost, not blinking once.