Mordred opened the stone door and entered without Excalibur or Mangeum.
Even though he had left early because the things that should have been there were missing, he arrived at about the same time, yet he was still one step ahead.
It showed just how obsessively he had been searching for the Holy Grail.
Morgana murmured as she followed Kellive into the cave.
“It looks like he’s been searching for the Holy Grail for quite a long time. It seems he knew how to get in even without Tyrving.”
Morgana looked up at the firmly closed stone door.
Nowhere on it were any instructions or drawings mentioning the need for Tyrving.
There were only strange, unfamiliar patterns engraved on it.
Just in case, Morgana pushed the stone door hard with both hands.
As expected, it didn’t budge.
“I don’t understand what Tyrving is supposed to be used for. It’s not like it’s telling us to cut the door down.”
While looking around, Morgana noticed a particularly noticeable gap where a lot of blood had dripped.
It was the same kind of groove she had seen at the temple before.
“No way…”
Excalibur, who had been indifferently scanning the surroundings, immediately spotted the groove and pointed at it.
“Isn’t this the same groove where Master stuck me in at the temple before?”
“It does look like it, doesn’t it?”
Morgana blinked and tilted her head.
“But why did Mordred go in after bleeding?”
Normally, if there was a groove and you knew Tyrving was needed, wouldn’t you try inserting another sword?
The question was quickly answered by Kellive’s following explanation. He took Tyrving out of his subspace and held it lightly, lifting the sword.
“Because Tyrving requires blood.”
Morgana looked at his hand holding the sword as if she were familiar with it.
Judging by the amount of blood Merlin and Mordred had spilled, it was enough to make an ordinary person faint.
Nimue’s displeased gaze briefly swept over him.
He stood with his arms crossed, seriously staring at the blood-stained floor.
“Why does the Holy Grail need a demonic sword? I don’t like the idea that the door opens with the blood of a demon in the first place.”
As always, Nimue was harsh in her evaluations when she wasn’t the main character. But this time, it wasn’t just a complaint because she wasn’t the protagonist.
She resembled the old, quiet, and cautious Nimue more than ever.
Kellive held Tyrving vertically.
“Then I’ll insert it.”
Morgana’s palms were sweaty with unnecessary tension. She wiped them on her robe, but the memory of the danger of a sword that required blood, seen through Kellive, was still vivid.
Yet Kellive casually thudded Tyrving into the groove on the floor.
It slid in smoothly with a spring, as if it had been made for this from the beginning, with no resistance at all.
Purple-black sparks burst powerfully from the sword.
The once quiet cave flashed with chaotic light.
Excalibur, quietly watching from behind, muttered words no one could hear.
‘Why did the gods make two swords? One of me should have been enough.’
Morgana flinched at the sparks and stepped back. Kellive smiled gently with a calm expression.
“Stand back a little.”
“K-Kellive. Are you okay?”
Crackle!
The deeper he pressed the sword in, the more the sparks increased. It was worrying enough to wonder if something had gone wrong.
“I’m fine.”
Kellive spoke after a short pause, but blood was already seeping from his glove and flowing down the sword’s hilt.
The moment she saw the red blood trickling down…
Morgana realized that his “I’m fine” was only meant to reassure her.
“Kellive.”
“Don’t come closer, Morgana.”
When she tried to approach through the sparks, Kellive’s firm voice stopped her.
“I’ve given blood to Tyrving many times before. I’m used to it.”
A kind and gentle smile.
On the surface, he really did look fine. Maybe she could just close her eyes.
But…
“I don’t like it.”
There was no such thing as pain one could get used to in this world.
Morgana stepped forward through the sparks.
A small cut appeared where the sparks brushed her face, but it quickly vanished without a trace thanks to her power.
Morgana placed her hand over his gloved hand that gripped the sword.
A bright light slowly flowed out, enveloping both of them.
Morgana smiled brightly and continued.
“You know, right, Kellive? I hate blood. I really hate even seeing it.”
“Morgana.”
“So this isn’t a deal. I’m doing it because I don’t want to see it.”
She now understood why he had refused her offers before. When Morgana smiled brightly, he helplessly curved his lips.
However, the amount of power consumed was far greater than expected. She had healed many people so far, but this was the first time she had experienced such a massive amount of power draining away in an instant.
‘I roughly expected it from the amount of blood Mordred spilled earlier…’
It felt as if someone was directly absorbing her power.
Rather than just healing Kellive’s wounds, it felt exactly like the sword was sucking it in.
The sword endlessly took Kellive’s blood.
‘What is this…?’
It was a demonic sword. She had never heard in her life that a demonic sword required divine power.
Mangeum was hiding fearfully under Nimue’s long, flowing priestess robes as she stood close to the stone door.
Just by their expressions, it was clear that both found this sight unfamiliar.
It had started simply to help Kellive, but before she knew it, even she was beginning to struggle.
‘When is this stone door going to open already!’
She tried not to show it, but the composure had long disappeared from Kellive’s stiff lips. He was surely feeling the same.
“This is crazy. How much more blood does it want? So this is what a demonic sword is like?”
Nimue, unable to watch any longer, added a nervous remark.
Creak…
The stone door began to move very slightly, but it was far from enough for a person to pass through.
Morgana took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
A faint dizziness came over her.
At that moment, Kellive carefully removed her hand with one of his.
“Opening the stone door is more important. I’ll finish it soon.”
“Kellive…”
“Haven’t I always gotten you what you wanted until now? You know that, right?”
When Morgana stubbornly continued sending her power, he slowly shook his head.
What if something went wrong?
The sudden surge of anxiety made Morgana’s face twist slightly. This was the first time she had trusted and relied on someone.
Morgana had never given her heart easily.
That was why she had never experienced separation. She had always drawn the line first.
Just the thought that the first person to break through her walls might disappear filled her with fear.
He lightly pressed his forehead against hers and whispered.
“Don’t forget. We promised to watch a play when this is over.”
He gently pushed Morgana’s shoulder.
As the powerless Morgana was pushed back and her power was cut off, the sparks burst even more violently.
They moved as if alive, ready to swallow Kellive’s entire body. His eyebrows furrowed, and his usually smiling eyes sharpened.
The more it happened, the more the stone door creaked open, as if it had been waiting.
The moment Kellive gritted his teeth and let out a small groan for the first time…
Rumble…
The ground shook, and the door opened wide enough for a person to pass through.
Mangeum jumped in first, followed by Excalibur, who gestured.
“Master, it’s open!”
In the midst of the chaos, Morgana shouted at him.
“Kellive, you can let go now! It’s open!”
As if he couldn’t hear her voice, he continued bleeding while still gripping the sword. He had never once ignored her words before.
Something was wrong.
“Kellive!”
Morgana ran to him in a few strides and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist from behind, pulling him back.
Only then did Tyrving come out as it was pulled from the floor.
Kellive’s back rose and fell heavily, as if from deep breaths. His startled eyes turned to look at her as he murmured.
“M-Morgana…”
The end of his voice trembled unsteadily.
The moment he confirmed her face, he wiped the cold sweat from his face with his hand. His slightly trembling hands cupped her cheeks as if searching for water in a desert.
Pressing his forehead against hers and barely holding back his ragged breaths, he kept repeating only her name.
As if she would be the one to save him.
“Morgana, Morgana…”
His breath brushed across her face.
The more he used Tyrving, the more it seemed his mind was being eroded.
Morgana calmly answered and grabbed his arm, sending her power into him.
“I’m right here.”
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