Kay had considered killing Lancelot! That's not an exaggeration; Kay seriously thought about it. The reason was that he remembered Lancelot was destined to be Prince Arthur's downfall. Lancelot was the one who famously betrayed Arthur by having an affair with his queen, causing the Knights of the Round Table to fracture and ultimately leading to King Arthur's death in legend.
That's how the legend was in Kay's mind, although he still didn't understand why Lancelot simply cuckolding Arthur led to the collapse of the Round Table and Arthur's death. Sometimes, Kay blamed himself for not learning more about the Arthurian legends in his previous life, leaving him with only bits and pieces. Many details were unclear, like who the other main player in the affair was. Arthur had grown up, and Kay still hadn't seen him show serious interest in any girl.
This feeling of not knowing enough to be a good "prophet" was really frustrating.
(It's not surprising. Go ask people over thirty-seven on the street, and how many of them know the details of the Arthurian legends? Honestly, if I hadn't seen the show Merlin, all I'd know are the names like the Sword in the Stone, Merlin, King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and nothing more.)
So, for a moment, Kay decided to just end it all and kill Lancelot. If he killed him, everything would be over. Kay was ready to do it, just before he went to the Dragon's Den. He was on his way to find Lancelot.
But halfway there, Kay hesitated.
Kay wasn't squeamish about killing. In this era, killing wasn't uncommon; in fact, it was very normal. What Kay was genuinely reluctant to do was kill a good person. Kay had spent over a decade being educated by the military and police forces in his former life. For bad people, Kay had no problem finishing the job; he wouldn't hold back. But for an innocent person... Kay just couldn't do it. In neither life had he learned to silence his conscience.
Lancelot might be the culprit behind Arthur's eventual ruin in the future, but he hadn't done anything yet. And this was reality, not a legend! Everything was still unknown, and with Kay's arrival, everything had the potential to change.
So, after a lot of thought, Kay gave up the idea. Lancelot had already committed fraud and impersonated a nobleman, ruining his prospects in Camelot and forcing him to leave the country. That would effectively prevent him from harming Arthur in the future.
But Kay hadn't even gotten home before a whole group of people, including that idiot Arthur, came to plead for Lancelot! In that moment, Kay was truly furious.
Fortunately, Kay quickly calmed down. Arthur couldn't possibly see the future, so he naturally couldn't know what Lancelot would bring him down the road. But Arthur was still not bright. As Kay said, how incredibly foolish was it for the heir to the kingdom to take a stance completely opposed to his own position!
As for Merlin... Kay was too annoyed to even talk about him. He could only conclude that his inherent magical talent had made the boy too arrogant—so arrogant that he thought he knew everything! The law became a symbol of unfairness to him; he placed himself above the law and above all existing social rules. He didn't care about the consequences of his actions.
This made Kay confirm once again that the Arthurian legends and reality were two different things! The differences were so vast it was practically a different story.
After lashing out at Merlin, Kay didn't make things difficult for Gwen. She was just a maid who didn't understand the gravity of the situation and wouldn't have the nerve to knowingly break the law; Merlin probably put her up to it. So, after a quick reprimand, he sent her and Arthur back to rest.
"I'm sorry... Kay, I didn't know it would turn out this way..." After Gwen left, Morgan also looked very embarrassed. She wasn't the type of girl who enjoyed causing trouble, and she understood that Kay wasn't unwilling to give Lancelot a chance; they had just messed up from the start.
It was their initial mistake that cost Lancelot a real opportunity. Just as Kay said, if everything had been out in the open, it would have been fine. As long as Lancelot had the ability, he would naturally have a chance.
But now, they had ruined everything themselves.
"It's okay, it's not your fault. It's that idiot Arthur's! He was completely played by others and even forgot what his own position was. He's a long way from becoming a true king!" Kay certainly wouldn't blame a kind-hearted girl, especially when that girl was his fiancée.
Although Morgan knew Kay was just changing the subject, she was still happy. That's just how women are; sometimes they know a person is pulling their leg, but they still enjoy being lied to in a sweet way.
While Kay and Morgan were having a tender moment, things were not looking good for Gaius because Merlin had been thrown into the dungeon.
When Arthur ran over and told Gaius everything, Gaius froze. He couldn't believe Merlin had been so bold. After Kay discovered the truth, he didn't give up. Instead, he dragged Arthur and Morgan into pleading for Lancelot again.
Now, he had finally enraged Kay. Gaius knew Kay well. Although Kay appeared gentle and polite—the opposite of King Uther—they were fundamentally similar. They were extremely principled, and once their core principles were violated, they absolutely would not show mercy.
Gaius was now extremely remorseful. He blamed himself for not stopping Merlin in time. Gaius had warned Merlin that the laws of Camelot were never to be broken. But Merlin had completely dismissed him, stubbornly stating that if Gaius wanted to report him, he should go ahead.
He felt that he owed Lancelot his life and had to repay him.
At the time, Gaius didn't know what he was thinking, but he had implicitly gone along with it. Now, looking back, Gaius regretted it immensely.
The situation was much more serious now. Kay might not have been too angry about Merlin's initial mistake; after all, he had let Lancelot and Merlin off the hook then. But Merlin's subsequent actions had completely infuriated Kay.
Kay now believed Merlin was using Arthur!
And, factually, Merlin was. Merlin wanted to repay a favor, so he casually trampled on the laws of Camelot. When he was caught, he was still unwilling to give up and actually involved Arthur.
That crossed Kay's line.
Gaius didn't know how he could plead for Merlin now.
"Gaius, do you have a plan?" Arthur couldn't completely abandon his friend Merlin. Even though Kay said those things, Arthur still didn't entirely believe Merlin was using him.
"I... I don't know..." Gaius was somewhat helpless. It was true that he and Kay were very close, but it was precisely because of that closeness that he understood how stubborn Kay was. Once he made up his mind, he rarely changed it. After all, when Kay wanted to travel the world, King Uther intensely opposed it, but Kay still insisted and left. That showed exactly what his personality was like.
Regardless, Gaius was prepared to try. To outsiders, Gaius seemed like a strange man who rarely got close to anyone. But Merlin was different to him. Because of his relationship with Merlin's mother and the father-son bond they shared, he didn't want to see Merlin get seriously hurt.
"I will go talk to Kay tomorrow. I think... he might give Merlin another chance, considering my relationship with him." Gaius didn't sound very confident saying that.
But for now, that was the only option. At the same time, Gaius remembered something even more important.
"By the way, Arthur, did Kay report Merlin's arrest to the King?" If King Uther found out about this, the situation would become utterly hopeless, and they might as well start planning Merlin's funeral.
"No! I already told the guards not to report it to Uther. Kay hasn't had anyone report it to Uther, either." Arthur had handled that aspect flawlessly, unlike his usual rough style.
"That's good, that's good. Then there's still room to maneuver," Gaius said with relief. Looking at it that way, Kay didn't necessarily intend to execute Merlin, or else Merlin would surely be dead before Gaius could even plead for him tomorrow.