However, Morgan made no movement. She simply lowered her eyes, those always proud pupils dimming.
Only the witch's soft mutter remained in the empty alley.
"Alvin," After an unknown stretch of silence, Morgan withdrew a white dragon scale from her bosom.
One of Alvin's magic artifacts.
Even in the dim light, the scale seemed dazzling, emitting a gentle white glow.
Earlier, when she was sparring with Agravain, Morgan had already taken his Dragon Scale.
If she had not, she would not have let them go so easily.
'But when a person is already dead, what meaning is there in collecting more relics of their life?'
The white dragon's power was too great. A single scale left from his life could not revive him.
At best, it could only be a relic.
Looking at the scale in her hand, the witch's mouth curled into a self-mocking arc.
Then she slowly infused a strand of mana into the Dragon Scale.
———
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
After Merlin dispelled the spell, everyone landed safely on a soft patch of grass.
Not far off, a towering, ornate white palace came into view.
After steadying herself, Reines looked around and murmured, "Where is this?"
"Camelot Palace."
Gawain rose slowly, leaning on his sword. After answering, he gave Merlin a proper knight's salute.
"Thank you for this time, Merlin."
The white-haired mage in a white robe smiled in a whimsical manner and said, "No need to thank me, and you've probably never liked me much anyway."
"Not that I hate you that much," Gawain said awkwardly.
To the people of the Camelot Empire, Merlin was King Arthur's teacher, the guide of the empire.
But to the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin was a dangerous nightmare who toyed with people's hearts. The main reason was that Alvin's death was also connected to him.
Being saved by this man now left Gawain with complicated emotions.
"Merlin, didn't you say you were going back to the palace? How did you end up there?", Reines suddenly asked.
"On the way back I happened to see Miss Morgan. I felt uneasy, so I followed her."
Merlin said this with a relieved smile, "Thanks to my curiosity, otherwise you and your brother might be with Morgan right now."
"Also, I prefer being called Brother Merlin to Mister Merlin. It feels friendlier."
Reines noted, "You don't seem exactly like the Merlin described in the stories. Anyway, thank you very much."
"How boring."
Merlin shrugged helplessly, "What will you do next? Do you want to meet King Arthur?"
Reines hesitated slightly, then nodded firmly, "If possible, I want to meet her."
Even if she could not change Arthur's stance toward transmigrators, Reines thought it would be good to soften the queen's impression a little.
"Then let Gawain and the others take you back to the palace later," Merlin said.
Gawain frowned and said quietly, "Merlin, you should know, even I cannot influence the king's mind."
Arthur's attitude toward transmigrators had never been friendly. Even if Reines were presented, the king likely would not receive her.
Merlin smiled, "You cannot influence the king, but someone can make her listen."
There was meaning behind his words.
Agravain's thoughts stirred, and he vaguely thought of that person.
In the Camelot Empire today, the one who could really make the king listen was probably Alvin.
Lost in thought about this, Agravain suddenly made a sound of surprise.
He sprang up and frantically searched his person.
"What's going on, how is it missing?"
Panic was audible in his voice.
"Agravain, calm down. What's missing?", Gawain asked in surprise.
He had never seen the Iron Knight Agravain show such an expression.
Agravain's face went ashen. He murmured, "The Dragon Scale is gone…"
Gawain's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Alvin's magic artifact lost?'
'Dragon…', Reines chewed the word over, her eyes flickering.
Since arriving in Camelot, she had heard countless stories about the Dragon.
It seemed everything that had happened since the empire's founding was intertwined with that white dragon.
The empire feared the dragon, yet the Round Table knights, and even Merlin, held complex feelings about it.
Merlin looked up in alarm at Agravain, "Could Morgan have stolen it just now?"
After Merlin spoke, Agravain replayed the fight in his mind.
His face drained white.
He muttered, "It's over."
———
It was early summer. Silver moonlight washed over the white walls of Camelot.
Deep within the palace.
"Achoo!"
Alvin sneezed thunderously under a towering tree.
"Is someone cursing me?", He muttered.
Nearly seven hours had passed since Alvin returned to the palace.
During those seven hours, other than handing his artifact to Agravain earlier, he had stayed in the garden outside his bedchamber, resting and organizing the information he had.
At first Artoria had been uneasy, worried Alvin might vanish again.
So she had come back to the bedchamber while handling affairs. When she saw Alvin again, she finally relaxed.
If Alvin had not persuaded her strongly that he did not want his presence to affect her governance, perhaps the special daytime scene CG would have unlocked.
Putting thoughts aside, Alvin began reading the documents at hand.
They were sent by Artoria not long ago, covering the palace's reforms and changes in recent years.
As the future aide to King Arthur, he needed to know what had happened inside and outside the palace.
For Alvin, this was exactly what he needed now.
He did not know what had changed in the years since his death. These documents filled that gap.
"Have you found the people on the list?", While flipping the pages, Alvin asked suddenly.
A shadow had quietly approached from behind.
"Your perception hasn't changed a bit."
Agravain stood behind the youth and said slowly, "We've brought back two of the four on the list. Also, one blonde girl insisted on seeing King Arthur."
"Reines?", Alvin asked.
Seeing Agravain nod, Alvin was unsurprised. He murmured, "She probably wants to help more transmigrators."
After a pause, Alvin continued, "Let them rest in the palace for now. I'll find a chance to meet her."
Agravain hummed in agreement and said, "I still have no news on the Aozaki sisters. I'll arrange a city-wide search."
"No need. If they're not found, maybe they didn't transmigrate here," Alvin shook his head.
The list he had given Artoria was merely precautionary, to help if familiar faces appeared. No need to force it.
Agravain nodded.
They spoke a while, then Agravain hesitated and said, "Also… I met Mother today."
For a moment Alvin tensed.
The word mother triggered images of Morgan in his mind. Pure and bewitching, mature and elegant, a beautiful wife, Alvin always found his preferred type among Morgan's forms.
He did not know whether it was Morgan's power or her playfulness, but she always adjusted to match his mood.
But—
'Does Morgan hate me now?"
Alvin had chosen the betrayal bad end to unlock the Watchman of Camelot special tag. Those many betrayals had made Morgan loathe traitors.
Alvin quickly asked, "Are you all right?"
'To meet Morgan and come back unharmed?'
"We and Gawain fought her. If not for Merlin, you might not be seeing me today."
Even now Agravain shuddered at the mention of Morgan.
If Merlin had not been present, the best they could have done would be to hold Morgan off while Reines led Kenneth away.
Alvin leaned against the tree and relaxed hearing that. Seeing Agravain's guilty look, he smiled and comforted him, "It's fine. At least you completed the mission and returned."
"But your Dragon Scale is lost," Agravain said quietly, heavy with regret.
Alvin paused, then waved and smiled, "I thought it was something worse. If it's lost, it's lost. Don't worry."
The Dragon Scale, though rare, was something he could reproduce if he wished. He could craft another.
Seeing Agravain's apologetic face, Alvin smiled again, "I said not to worry. It's just a magic artifact—"
"But that artifact might be in Morgan's hands now," Agravain said softly.
Alvin's smile faltered.
———
Light. When Morgan infused mana into the Dragon Scale, a gentle radiance rose silently from it and soon enveloped her.
Morgan's cold pupils trembled. The long-missed warmth that light brought made her momentarily dazed.
This feeling… she had not experienced it for years.
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