💫
Clang—
The man holding the door of Tir na Nog was momentarily stunned by its firm closure.
“Huh? What’s going on? It’s not closing time yet.”
“They already closed?”
The man who seemed to be his friend also let out a deep sigh at the unexpected turn of events.
“Ah, what’s this? I heard they stayed open until this time before.”
“Seriously. I even had a hangover remedy here and walked all the way home last time.”
“Are you sure you didn’t crawl home by mistake?”
“I’m telling you, I didn’t!”
They lingered in front of the early-closed shop.
Then, their eyes caught the notice posted at the entrance.
<Gone to celebrate a friend’s newfound freedom>
Meanwhile, the mercenaries who were supposed to be working at Tir na Nog had gathered at Raon’s tavern.
“To the lady’s freedom, cheers!”
“Woohoo!”
The mercenaries drank as if they were pouring alcohol straight down their throats, treating it like their own celebration.
Percival, fascinated by the endless flow of drinks, pointed at the scene.
“Lady Morgana, look at that.”
“Yeah, Percival, you shouldn’t be learning from that already.”
Morgana quietly covered his eyes.
Truth be told, the mercenaries drank every day.
Most of the time, they had excuses like, “To celebrate waking up early today,” or “To celebrate not having a hangover after drinking so much yesterday.”
None of it made much sense.
By the way, today they were celebrating Morgana’s resignation from her position as a palace attendant.
Thud—-
A beer mug was placed in front of Morgana. When she looked up, Raon was grinning and speaking cheerfully.
“Good thinking. After seeing what happened, I’d say you’d need a life allowance just to break even!”
He pulled up a chair next to Percival and asked, “So, are you coming back to the shop?”
“Ah, I’ll play around for a few days first. There’s something I want to see!”
Morgana wiped Percival’s mouth with a handkerchief as he diligently ate cake with a tiny fork.
It seemed Raon wasn’t expecting that answer, as he let out a light sigh.
“Ah, I was hoping to break through the Mage Tower. Lady, if we pull this off, we could become unrivaled in Britannia.”
His words reminded Morgana of Aide. The person who casually blew up walls and returned to the Mage Tower as if nothing had happened.
‘It’s a good thing the palace was too chaotic to demand compensation…’
Holding her beer mug, Morgana looked at Raon seriously.
“Let’s just give up on the Mage Tower, okay?”
“What? Why! Do you know how rare mages are in Britannia?”
Raon jumped up in frustration.
It was true that having a skilled mage as a friend would be incredibly helpful in the long run.
‘But if things go wrong, the mansion walls might just fly away.’
No matter how she thought about it, it wasn’t an easy path.
It was surprising enough that the mage had agreed to her request so easily.
Waving her hand dismissively at Raon, who was grimacing in shock, she subtly changed the subject.
“Raon, have you been to the lake?”
“The lake with the sword? Yeah, a long time ago.”
Blinking his eyes, he looked at her as if it were a strange question, then widened them in surprise.
“Wait, Lady, you haven’t been to the lake?”
“No! Why?”
“Wow, I’ve never met someone who hasn’t been. Percival, you’ve been, right?”
Percival, who had been eating with his mouth wide open, nodded at the sudden question.
‘Percival, you too…?’
‘He said he lived secluded in the mountains!’
She felt a slight sense of betrayal. It seemed that pulling the sword was a common experience for everyone on the continent.
Raon pointed at Percival as if to prove his point.
“See? Usually, as soon as you’re strong enough to grip something, you go try to pull Excalibur.”
Even the mercenaries, who had been drinking and shouting from a distance, joined in loudly.
“Of course, you have to go! If you’re lucky enough to pull it, wealth and fame will come rolling in!”
“Exactly! What’s so hard about trying once? I’ve done it three times!”
It was like playing the lottery as soon as you were born.
At this point, Morgana felt it was unfair that she was the only one who hadn’t seen Excalibur. She tightened her grip on the beer mug and raised it toward the ceiling.
“So, to celebrate my newfound freedom, I’ve decided to go to the lake!”
“Woah, there we go!”
“Go pull it, Lady!”
Amid the mercenaries’ enthusiastic cheers, she boarded a carriage heading straight for the lake the next day.
And so, at the lake, Morgana witnessed,
“Woohoo, the King of Britannia has been born!”
The same scene of frenzied cheers from the mercenaries, now holding Excalibur in her hands.
💫
The temple by the lake.
Morgana, who had been practically confined to a luxurious room while waiting for the royal family, glanced at Excalibur, neatly placed beside her, and asked,
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be a legendary sword?!”
— Why are you praising me so much?
The sword’s bashful tone made her flinch.
The Excalibur Morgana had imagined was grand, majestic, and exuded authority.
— Well, even if you just glance at me while jumping high, I still look impressive. That’s just how naturally gifted I am.
At the very least, it definitely wasn’t this talkative or overflowing with self-love.
Still in shock, Morgana couldn’t believe it and asked again,
“They said you hadn’t been pulled out for over a hundred years! Why did you suddenly let yourself be taken out now?!”
— I mean, if you press down, I come out. Didn’t anyone know that?
For some reason, the more she talked to it, the more she felt a headache coming on.
Alright, since it’s already been pulled out, there’s no helping it. Leaning back on the sofa and pressing her forehead, Morgana tried to calm herself and asked gently,
“If it was this easy to pull you out, why were you stuck there all this time?”
— Dunno. I just woke up and found myself stuck there.
“Then, is it possible to transfer ownership? I know someone whose grand and beautiful, perfect for you!”
‘Yes, if it didn’t work out, I could just pull it out and give it to Arthur.’
Morgana had no intention of ruling Britannia. From what she’d seen while working as a maid, dealing with the chaos in the palace was far too bothersome.
It wasn’t just about ruling one kingdom; there was also the grandiose prophecy of unifying the continent.
Because of that, people from other kingdoms were risking their lives to protect their homelands by coming to Britain.
If they expected her to lead the charge in war, she’d rather just build a coffin and lie down in it.
‘I don’t want to live under constant threat of assassination!’
She didn’t want to live a life where even sleep was a luxury.
Morgana stared at Excalibur with a glimmer of hope.
But its response was simple.
— Do you really think that’s possible?
“Right….”
Morgana frowned and glared at Excalibur, racking her brain.
It’s still a sword, after all.
Couldn’t I just ditch it somewhere and run away?
Without her saying a word, it seemed to read her mind and replied cheerfully,
— Even if you disappear, I can find my way back. That’s what makes me a legendary sword, don’t you think?
To Morgana, that was an utterly useless feature.
Excalibur, despite having been stuck in the stone for so long, had a sharp blade. Its straight, clean edge and the hilt decorated like spread wings made it stand out.
‘Arthur and the other mercenaries’ swords weren’t this flashy….’
Excalibur was the kind of sword that would attract attention no matter where it was dragged. Though the sword itself seemed quite satisfied with its appearance.
Morgana forced a smile as she struggled to grip the hilt.
“But I’ve never held a sword before! I don’t have the arm strength to wield Excalibur.”
— Why worry about that? Watch this! Behold the grand and delicate movements of the great Excalibur!
Morgana’s body moved on its own as she held the sword. To be precise, it was more like she was being dragged along by the sword.
It slashed and thrust through the air with glee.
— Swish, swish, swish! If you see me, it’s just an afterimage!
It even made its own sound effects.
Just as it was swinging around wildly, there was a knock at the door.
Click—
The door opened, and the priest who had guided her earlier entered, saying,
“I’ve prepared some light refreshments for you while you wait…”
The priest, who had been cautiously entering, paused when he saw Morgana swinging the sword around.
Morgana hurriedly tried to explain.
“It’s a misunderstanding! Really!”
“I must have interrupted at a bad time. Since you’ve pulled the sword, I suppose this small space must feel quite cramped.”
“No, really! It’s not that! The sword, it’s moving on its own!”
Despite Morgana’s desperate explanation, the priest’s expression remained calm. His gaze was like that of someone watching a toddler taking their first steps.
The priest bowed deeply and backed out of the room, murmuring,
“This is the largest room in the temple by the lake. Please endure until representatives from Avalon and the Kingdom of Britannia arrive.”
Thud—
As the door closed, Morgana collapsed onto the sofa.
Even then, the sword didn’t leave her hand.
— How about that, my movements! Ah, incredible. Praise me, worship me!
At this point, Excalibur’s boasting didn’t matter.
What shocked her more was what the priest had said.
‘Representatives from Britannia and Avalon are coming…’
Forget Guinevere for a moment—if Avalon was involved, that meant Duke Fay had already heard about it.
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