Sages, this profession has always existed in ancient myths. They were usually astrologers and knowledgeable wise men who accompanied kings, serving as strategists or advisors. Merlin is one such example; with her top-tier intelligence and unparalleled magic, she unhesitatingly took the position of Sage of the Kingdom of Camelot. Of course, it is said that this was also related to King Uther's slight covetousness towards Merlin.
But what kind of little Sage is this? How can this be?
It's preposterous!
The ministers clamored, waiting for Kayal to refuse so they could scold His Majesty the King for his wild ideas.
Who knew Kayal just smiled faintly, bowed, and said, "Understood."
He agreed!
These knights, lords, and ministers were almost driven mad. Was this kid joking? This kind of thing absolutely cannot be joked about!
Could it be... They turned to look at Grand Duke Andrei, who was smiling with his nose and mouth crooked, and everyone seemed to understand.
Only Grand Duke Andrei and Merlin knew the reason for his joyous smile: seeing the little kid, whose face had never shown a smile in ten years, look flustered was such a lovely and refreshing thing!
Schadenfreude!
As a father, Grand Duke Andrei's schadenfreude was truly shameless. But for Andre, who had raised Kayal but had never seen him show any other expression, seeing Kayal display other emotions was truly too interesting, too worthy of writing about in detail with Marcy.
"However!" King Uther's face broke into a smile. "To gain the title of Sage, you must have some achievements! So I will now give you three questions to test you."
Merlin smiled. Now she didn't want to see Kayal make a fool of himself; she wanted to see how Kayal would handle a king's challenge.
"Your Majesty, please speak." Kayal was not surprised or flustered at all. Instead, he carried an air of composure, as if nothing in the world could stump him—just like Socrates, the great sage of ancient Greece.
"What is it that sustains a nation?" King Uther asked with a smile. He had already seen the child's extraordinary qualities, but challenging such a child and putting him in a difficult position was truly an interesting thing to do.
The correct answer should be the King; in this world, a kingdom without a king is almost equivalent to a fallen nation.
But... "Justice." Kayal said with a smile.
"Ha," King Uther chuckled, but he didn't directly say Kayal's answer was wrong. Instead, he asked, "If there is war, and Your Majesty is unjust, the knights will lose their virtue. If it's about governance, and Your Majesty is unjust, the ministers will lose heart. If it's about judgment, and Your Majesty is unjust, the common people will revolt. Without justice, there is no kingdom." Actually, Kayal wanted to say 'government,' but knowing they wouldn't understand what 'government' was, he directly said 'kingdom.'
"Haha, well said." King Uther clapped his hands and laughed. If Kayal had said this in front of a Roman dictator, he would have been beheaded long ago.
"Consider that question barely passed. Now, for the second question." In King Uther's dictionary, 'barely passed' meant Kayal was qualified, but Kayal sighed inwardly, labeling King Uther as: 'steady but lacking in assertiveness.' No wonder it took until the Gauls had penetrated thousands of miles into Camelot before there was a decisive battle. What a soft king. If it were Fuehrer Hitler, he would have probably dragged me out and killed me already. In matters that offend a dictator's dignity, no matter who is right or wrong, the subordinate is always wrong.
"What are the Knightly Virtues?" King Uther continued to ask. This question was very simple; all children who aspired to be knights from a young age knew them:
1. Never be enraged or murder
2. Never betray
3. Never be cruel; grant forgiveness to those who beg for it
4. Always aid ladies
5. Never coerce ladies
6. Never fight in quarrels due to love or sharp words
The Six Knightly Virtues.
But Kayal smiled faintly and said, "Loyalty, Integrity, Honor, Courage, Fearlessness, Sacrifice."
Kayal's answer made everyone pause, and it intrigued King Uther even more: "Why! I understand Loyalty and Integrity, Honor and Sacrifice, but why the others?"
"Ladies are not that weak; explicitly stating such rules actually belittles ladies from another perspective. And if a warrior doesn't even have the courage to fight for love, how can you expect him to fight invaders for unrelated commoners?" King Uther nodded slightly, also finding Kayal's words reasonable.
"Alright, that one passes too. Third question." King Uther didn't want to argue. The previous six rules had been established through long-standing tradition. It was fine for young Kayal to say a few things, but as a king, he couldn't joke about such matters.
"What is magic?" Everyone present seemed to know that Merlin could use magic. Kayal couldn't help but frown a little. Merlin was truly not discreet enough; the matter of her magic was widely known. Fortunately, information dissemination in this world relied entirely on shouting, and travel was basically on foot. It would take who knows how long for it to spread across the sea, and it might not even be believed. Otherwise, something like magic would surely cause an uproar.
"Magic is the heart." Kayal said with a gentle smile, "Believe in it, and you can use it. Don't believe in it, and you won't."
"Heh heh, that's not right. I now firmly believe in the existence of magic, but how come I can't use it?" King Uther was very excited, as if catching Kayal's weakness was a very happy thing. Unconsciously, the content of this conversation had already been controlled by Kayal.
"You only believe that magic exists, but have you truly believed that you yourself can use it?" Kayal bowed slightly and returned with a smile.
"This..." King Uther hesitated. Perhaps in his heart, he had never truly believed he could use magic.
"Alright, that question doesn't count, because I also can't make a fair judgment. So let's switch to a simpler question." King Uther frowned and smiled, "Just tell us what your magic is."
"If you want to know my magic..." Kayal smiled, and suddenly a glow appeared in his hand, enveloping all three of them. A dark shadow suddenly darted out, heading straight for King Uther. The white light shield rippled like a shimmering lake, but it remained completely still.
Only at this moment did the group of knights react, shouting, "Assassin! Protect His Majesty!"
Grand Duke Andrei was even more impressive, roaring and drawing the slender ceremonial knight's sword from his waist, charging forward and cutting the assassin in two. Amidst the clamor of the banquet, the title of Little Sage Kayal was unhesitatingly accepted.