Unlike the quiet Nimue, Merlin smiled warmly.
“I heard there was a major incident during the jousting tournament.”
King Vortigern, who had been absentmindedly rubbing his chin, cleared his throat awkwardly.
It seemed uncomfortable to mention herbs in front of the High Priestess, especially one from the Grand Temple.
“Ah, no. The herbs have already healed everything. It seems you’ve made an unnecessary trip.”
“Herbs?”
His eyes widened as if she were hearing this for the first time.
King Vortigern, who had been flexing his injured hand, suddenly pointed at Morgana.
“That maid brought the herbs. She insisted, so I tried them, and they worked surprisingly well.”
So he’s pushing this onto me?
From King Vortigern’s perspective, it must have been burdensome.
On the continent, High Priest Merlin was an absolute authority.
Before he became High Priest, the Coventina Temple had never allowed the scriptures to be written.
It was believed that divine revelations could not be expressed in human language.
But after Merlin ascended to the position of High Priest, despite fierce opposition from the clergy, he succeeded in transcribing the sacred words.
No one else could have achieved such a feat.
‘Not a single one of Merlin’s prophecies has ever been wrong.’
No priest could ever dispute her words.
Even the prophecy that ‘the one who draws the sword shall rule the continent’ came true in the original story.
Yet, even he seemed completely unaware of the curse.
No matter how divine her powers were, perhaps curses were beyond her reach.
‘Who on earth is casting these curses?’
Until now, Morgana had assumed King Vortigern was the caster.
It seemed as though others were acting under his orders.
‘Earlier, it seemed like Confucius knew a thing or two about curses…’
Morgana could only postpone her thoughts for later.
Unlike others who dismissed the herbs, Merlin smiled gently and spoke to Morgana in a soft, melodic voice.
It was as soothing and serene as listening to a song.
“You seem quite knowledgeable about herbs.”
“Not exactly knowledgeable, but herbs are quite common in the capital these days. It was just a temporary measure before Your Eminence arrived!”
“That’s good to hear. What matters most is His Majesty’s safety. The method is secondary.”
As expected of someone of her stature, her grace was palpable.
Every word and gesture exuded refinement. He stepped aside, as if to introduce the quietly bowing Nimue.
“Still, just to be safe, perhaps you could have the Saint examine you?”
Nimue hesitated, then raised her head.
Morgana finally got a clear look at his face. Her slender frame and pale skin, combined with her disheveled hair, gave her an air of subtle decadence.
‘In the original story, she was practically an extra.’
If anything, she was more like “Person 1” who followed Merlin around.
Now that she saw her in person, she understood why she had so little presence. She was so quiet that it was hard to even hear her voice.
As the Saint took a step forward at Merlin’s prompting, King Vortigern hastily declined.
His discomfort was evident, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“That’s quite alright. There’s no need to trouble yourself. Please, just relax and enjoy your stay.”
Merlin’s expression showed clear disappointment at his repeated refusals.
“I should have come sooner.”
But wasn’t his safety the top priority? Was there some rule that the High Priest absolutely had to treat him?
Merlin’s visible regret left Morgana with a strange feeling.
💫
The outskirts of Britain, overrun by magical beasts, were rarely visited by anyone except extermination squads.
Everywhere you looked, there were swarms of monsters and warriors fighting them off.
Among the exterminators, some whispered as they watched a blond man drenched in translucent green liquid.
“I don’t think he’s human. If you peeled back his skin, wouldn’t he just be a monster or something?”
“I can’t believe it. How many is he cutting down by himself?”
It was an unusually smooth extermination mission.
If there was one monster, it was over before anyone could react. Even if they came in droves, it felt like one person was handling it all.
The rest of the squad was practically just there for show.
Even seasoned knights were left in awe of his skill.
“I heard he’s that famous monster mercenary from the capital.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of him. No wonder… There are so many skilled swordsmen these days.”
“Well, it’s nice to just ride on his coattails, isn’t it?”
The results were all thanks to that one man.
In front of the campfire, a dirty cloth was thrust into Arthur’s face as he warmed himself.
“Kid, why are you sitting there covered in monster blood? You want it to dry and stick to your face?”
Instead of answering, Arthur nodded in thanks and wiped his face with the cloth.
The knight who plopped down beside him frowned in dissatisfaction.
“Does saying ‘thank you’ make your mouth bleed?”
“Thank you, Sir Kay.”
“Ugh, this kid is so hard to figure out.”
His tone was rough, but it was just his way of communicating.
While other squad members often clashed with him over this, Arthur’s lack of reaction meant there was never any conflict.
Thanks to this, Kay naturally ended up spending more time with Arthur.
If you overlooked his rough tone and hot-headed personality, he was actually a decent swordsman.
Kay shook his head lightly and let out an annoyed sigh.
“You’re probably going to get a knighthood when you go back, huh? You’re causing such a stir by trying to stand out all by yourself in these exterminations.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What’s a relief, you lunatic? What’s so great about being a knight, huh?”
“Aren’t you a knight too, Sir Kay? Why did you volunteer for the extermination squad?”
“I was bored. They set up the perfect stage for me to die on, so how could I not come?”
He lazily placed his palm on the back of his head and then flopped down onto the ground.
The small scar under his left eye and his unorthodox swordsmanship—
It seemed he sought out danger on his own. Arthur didn’t bother asking more about Kay’s circumstances.
For him, earning a title was the top priority.
Arthur rummaged through his pouch and pulled out a small bottle of herbs.
The other exterminators had already used up their herbs and even discarded the empty bottles.
The small bottle in his hand was the same one he had bought at the beginning.
‘I wonder how she’s doing.’
Morgana had plenty of people around her even without him. Her life wouldn’t be greatly affected by his absence.
Still, he hoped she thought of him from time to time.
Kay, lying on the ground and glaring at Arthur, nudged his shin with his foot.
“A lover? A wife? A crush? A family member you sent away first? What kind of person are we talking about here?”
Arthur silently put the bottle back into his pocket.
When no answer came, Kay nudged him harder.
“Ah, what is it?”
“Go to sleep.”
“Ugh, this kid only says what he wants to say. Such a nasty personality, I swear.”
Arthur casually threw a blanket over himself and let Kay’s words go in one ear and out the other.
He had joined the extermination squad to stand proudly before Morgana.
Now that his goal was achieved, all that was left was to return to her.
The long-awaited homecoming was just around the corner.
Arthur, uncharacteristically giddy, forced himself to sleep to calm his excitement.
💫
“Morgana, would you consider meeting someone? He’s my cousin. You can say no—he’s been pestering me to ask, so I’m just doing this reluctantly.”
“Morgana, if you ever get bored in the capital, come to Rousant Bakery and just eat. I told my dad to put your name on the tab!”
King Vortigern had granted her a baronetcy.
The execution of Count Aestiva’s family was still pending, but their assets and lands had long been confiscated.
Their wealth was transferred entirely to Morgana.
Thanks to this, the newly minted noblewoman was bombarded with all sorts of bizarre proposals.
Morgana smiled brightly and cut them off decisively.
“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline the introductions. As for the bread, I’ll pay for it myself. Thanks for the thought!”
As the disappointed maids turned away from her door, the head maids awkwardly waved and smiled behind them.
“Morgana, you know…”
“Nope!”
Before they could finish, she quickly closed the door to her quarters.
Even so, the room was filled with gifts, some left secretly, others openly. Looking at the names, it wasn’t just maids—nobles had sent plenty as well.
Morgana wrinkled her nose as she looked at the letters stamped with the grandiose seals of various families.
“They really do sniff out power and wealth like bloodhounds, don’t they?”
Lately, she had become Guinevere’s closest confidante.
At first, Morgana hadn’t thought much of it, but as days passed, her perspective shifted entirely.
‘Even if I tried to pass the baton, the princess isn’t the type to just accept it quietly, is she?’
Not that she had any intention of getting involved in such troublesome matters.
Morgana shoved everything haphazardly into her magic tool bag.
Even the items she had been using were tossed in.
“Alright, cleaning is done!”
As long as the visible areas were tidy, that was enough.
Now promoted to a lady-in-waiting, Morgana could no longer stay in the maids’ quarters.
Accommodations were provided for the attendants who were on call 24/7, so it was only natural. She dramatically unfolded a sheet of stationery on the now-empty desk.
Then, realizing she had swept her fountain pen into the bag during the cleaning, she frantically rummaged through it.
“Ugh, I just threw everything in, and now it’s hard to find.”
It wasn’t her usual fountain pen, but she found a usable one and sat down.
At the top of the page, she wrote in bold letters:
<Resignation Letter>
➺ Updated Mellowart’s name as Melwas
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