Chapter 625
Merlin’s Idol
“—Sir Helchin?!”
“It’s actually…”
“No wonder he’s wearing the Church’s Royal Guard armor…”
As Arthur spoke, the knights’ hushed discussions erupted around him.
Hearing these whispers, Eivass felt his heart gradually calm down.
Undoubtedly.
Whether it was these Knights of the Round Table or Merlin… if they were indeed historical figures playing their roles, they would certainly recognize Eivass.
But their current immature reactions told Eivass that these individuals were all simulations from the Lord of Scales and Feathers, and no “genuine article” like Arthur had suddenly appeared.
…How strange.
The Path of Authority did not emphasize one-on-one combat; just as Arthur’s victory relied on the strength of unity. Since Arthur hadn’t brought the Knights of the Round Table, it suggested that this matter wasn’t considered that important by him.
Then why would Arthur suddenly get involved in the Lord of Scales and Feathers’ fishing activity?
Eivass couldn’t figure it out for a moment.
But he was clear about one thing—interacting with these still young individuals was far better than encountering those Apostles.
Arthur alone was troublesome enough, and Eivass was entirely unsure whether he should continue to play Helchin or maintain a respectful distance out of deference to the Silver Crown Dragon.
This situation was like playing a role-playing tabletop game and suddenly discovering your direct superior was at the same table… this left Eivass at a loss.
But the Silver Crown Dragon alone was manageable, as He was sufficiently taciturn. If Eivass said or did anything inappropriate, it wouldn’t spread so easily. However, if other Apostles were present…
Based on the “law of conservation of awkwardness,” when Eivass was no longer awkward, Merlin, who had previously appeared unfathomable, became awkward at this moment.
Merlin scratched the back of his head, then subconsciously glanced at the expressionless Arthur. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
He respectfully and politely took off his mage’s hat, bowed deeply to Eivass, and spoke in extremely standard Elven Language:
“…My apologies, Sir Helchin. I did not realize it was you.”
Evidently, for these young knights from the Hrasal Empire who intended to fight against giants, Sir Helchin was absolutely worthy of respect.
“It’s alright.”
Eivass nodded slightly and replied gently, “I actually don’t know… why I’ve come here.”
“By the way, Mage. How should I address you?”
“I am Merlin,” the young blue-robed mage first stated his name, but quickly followed with a solemn expression, “Although I am indeed a mage… I would prefer if you would call me Knight.”
“—You can be considered a knight?”
Just then, another mocking voice rang out.
He did not speak Elven Language, but rather a language similar to Star Antimony Language.
…It seemed that Star Antimony Language was the official language of the former Hrasal Empire.
Eivass recalled the content from his history lessons and looked back. He saw a rather unfamiliar knight.
He had a very handsome face, with gray long hair tied into a braid. He also possessed silver-gray pupils, identical to Arthur’s.
He meticulously examined Eivass for a moment, then turned his head away to continue teasing, “I’ve never heard of someone who dislikes wearing armor on the battlefield becoming a knight—don’t you all agree!”
“—Hmph, you scoundrel!”
Merlin instantly became indignant and switched to his Hrasal dialect with an Elven accent.
He drew a slender and exquisite short sword from his waist, “Mordred, if you’re not happy, let’s spar!”
…Mordred?
Eivass’s attention was immediately drawn by the name, and he looked up.
Theoretically, Mordred was the progenitor of the Moriarty lineage.
Although there was no blood relation between them, and Mordred’s own bloodline had completely died out… undoubtedly, the first Moriarty, as Mordred’s adopted son, inherited Mordred’s sacred will.
But in a sense, he could also be considered Eivass’s ancestor…
“Fine.”
Mordred, unafraid of Merlin’s provocation, quickly glanced at Eivass, then puffed out his chest and said in a louder voice, “But don’t use magic—you call yourself a knight, right? Knights don’t cast spells.”
He drew his peculiar long sword from his waist.
It was a very thick sword.
It had a round, thick, blunt, and heavy tip, with a body that was thinner in comparison to the tip. Although the overall shape was broad, it appeared thin in thickness. This eccentric shape looked nothing like a sword at all… more like a skateboard, or an extremely elongated teardrop.
But compared to Mordred’s sword, Merlin’s sword seemed too miniature. If a normal two-handed sword was a cigar, then Merlin’s sword was like a very thin ladies’ cigarette.
“I bet it’s still three rounds.”
“Four rounds! I’ll definitely last four rounds this time!”
“Merlin, go for it! Fight hard, and fight again even after defeat!”
The other knights clearly didn’t have high hopes for Merlin’s victory, so they let out boisterous shouts.
Eivass looked at Arthur with some surprise.
Seeing that Arthur ignored it all, and was even admiring with his arms crossed, Eivass realized this was normal and something that didn’t need his intervention.
Merlin, with a flushed face, pushed up his monocle, put on a stern expression, and initiated the duel with Mordred.
However, it was no more than four rounds before Merlin’s face was lightly slapped by Mordred’s skateboard-like sword, and his slender sword was easily flicked away by Mordred. Mordred even used only one hand throughout the entire process, without resonating with his Path.
As the sword spun through the air, a hand reached out from above and caught it.
Given its exquisite and slender nature, if it had flown out and landed on the ground, the blade would likely have been damaged. Fortunately, it was caught in mid-air, which also made Merlin breathe a sigh of relief.
“Don’t bully Mage Merlin, Lord Mordred,” a steady voice came, “You defeated a mage using the swordsmanship I taught you, and you’re proud? Have you finished the books I gave you?”
The brilliant, bright golden hair, and the steady, solemn face immediately made Eivass think of the Grand Guardian.
“I am a knight…” Merlin quietly defended himself, taking his sword from Gawain.
“…I know, Brother Gawain,” Mordred also said softly, nudging Merlin with his elbow. Merlin then nudged him back.
“Mordred!” Gawain suddenly shouted sternly.
Although Gawain only scolded Mordred, Merlin also became compliant along with him, like two children being called to the principal’s office after fighting.
Eivass then realized… these knights might be even younger than he had imagined.
“Don’t call me brother. Under the King, you should call me Lord Gawain,” Gawain admonished them sternly and formally, “Don’t bring shame to the King and Mother.”
“…King?” Eivass was somewhat confused.
Earlier, when Merlin had said “My King,” he thought he had misheard or misunderstood.
Now looking at it… it turned out to be King Arthur?
Did Arthur eventually pass the throne to Lancelot? No wonder, at the beginning, the status of the founder and the royal family were equal…
As Eivass spoke in slightly imprecise Imperial Language, the knights who had been jeering suddenly became flustered. They clearly hadn’t expected this elven hero summoned by King Arthur to also speak the human language.
“What are you surprised about?” Merlin, half proud and half admiring, pushed up his glasses and looked up, “Before Sir Helchin embarked on his final journey, he was the legendary ‘White Knight’! He traveled through the human kingdoms, eliminating many injustices and mediating numerous wars! The most famous of these was the purge war in the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi after the Second Water War!
“After the Second Water War, the rebelling slaves were suppressed once more. The good lords planned to stage a premeditated massacre, eliminating all the rebels and slaves. To avoid humanitarian intervention from the Church, the good lords intended to feign a war among themselves. They planned to conscript the rebel forces and slaves who had helped them after the Second Water War, under this pretext, send them to the front lines, thus making these former comrades kill each other until all had perished in the war.
“Sir Helchin, however, noticed the truth from the details. He believed this to be a hypocritical and unjust war. Therefore, he led his followers directly into several oases, broke through the resistance of the slave legions on the opposing side, and slew several of the good lords who were planning this massacre. This, in turn, deterred the other good lords and eliminated this meaningless and surely bloody war!
“To this day, the attitude of the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi towards slaves has softened. This is not due to their defeat in the Second Water War, but because of the deterrence of Sir Helchin and the Church!
“Many people today still have names containing ‘Ibn Helchin,’ which means ‘Son of Helchin.’ This is to express gratitude and remembrance for Sir Helchin, who stopped this war!”
Merlin praised Helchin without reservation.
Eivass looked at his excited face, flushed to a degree, and felt that this was vastly different from the Merlin he knew…
…Was Sir Helchin Merlin’s idol when he was young?
Eivass suddenly understood.
(End of this chapter)
