บท 436: C436
Seeing what had transpired in the scene made his eye twitch.
—How's that?
"The loophole is just too obvious!" Young Shirou scoffed, "Sure, Agravain's personality could certainly lead him to do something like that. But how can you be so sure? Back then, there weren't any True Ancestors left on the island, and I don't remember seeing any of this happen! You're just making things up, trying to mess with my head."
—You're underestimating me. This is child's play.
And then the scene changed again.
After his chat with Zelretch, Merlin, wearing a magical girl outfit, went to Lily's place earlier than expected. He understood what was going on right away, and his reaction couldn't have been more different from Agravain's.
"I must inform the King," Merlin said firmly.
"Please, Merlin, I'm begging you. Don't," Artoria pleaded, a note of desperation in her voice.
"Lily, why do you want this? I get it, you have feelings for the King. If that's the case, you could simply use this successor to convince the King to stay in Camelot. Believe me, even if the King gets angry, he won't reject this successor or leave. Doesn't that sound like a favorable outcome?"
"If I were to use our bloodline to trap the man I love in a place he never wished to be, that would be a true failure. I've already stumbled once because of my emotions, and I'm not willing to stumble again. I don't want the King to suffer due to my mistake. Please, Merlin, this is my heartfelt request," she expressed.
Merlin, visibly distressed and silent, eventually spoke up, "…This won't fool the King."
"Huh, what do you mean?"
Merlin's tone grew heavy, "It's essential… absolutely vital for the King to immediately dismiss the correct option and redirect his thoughts toward Morgan, toward his ultimate battle. If this step isn't taken, you won't be able to deceive the King."
After a brief pause, Merlin's lips curled into a bitter smile, his words carrying a tinge of resignation, "You know what... never mind. I'll take care of this. There's no one better suited for the task than me. It's just ironic that I, who've always aspired to understand human emotions and pledged to be honest, find myself in a situation where I have to deceive the King I respect the most, the last person I'd ever want to deceive..."
Lily hung her head in shame.
Meanwhile, Young Shirou's eyes twitched, a sense of foreboding settling in.
He guessed some things but he couldn't bring himself to believe them.
Within the mansion, amidst the howling snowstorm, a baby dragon was born.
She was small, yet she didn't cry.
Merlin lifted the small, baby dragon and delivered a gentle slap on her rear.
"Waah!" The baby dragon's cry echoed through the air.
Artoria appeared unamused as she directed an annoyed gaze towards him. "Merlin, what are you doing?"
Merlin, looking somewhat helpless, explained, "Newborns need to cry—it helps stabilize their respiratory system and prevents complications. Even when you were born, a little bundle like this one, you didn't cry either. That's why the slap."
"Ah, I see..." Her expression gradually softened.
"Really, you're about to become a mother, and you don't even know such common knowledge," Merlin sighed. Then, he picked up the baby dragon with a gaze that was both complex and gentle. He remarked, "This little one is destined to rule this land someday, but look at how tiny she is..."
At that moment, the baby dragon's toothless mouth opened, and it clamped down on his finger.
"Hey hey hey! Is it normal for her to start biting people at this age? Is this some sort of instinct? This is too much!" Merlin exclaimed.
"Yaya yaya yi!" protested the young dragon, her piercing cry echoing as she sank her teeth into the finger of the magus who had smacked her butt.
Merlin grumbled, "I'm telling you, this child is going to grow up to be the sort who bites people even if it leads to trouble."
"Merlin, don't talk like that," she cradled the baby dragon and spoke gently, "I'll keep her safe and make sure she doesn't come to harm."
Snuggled in her mother's arms, the baby dragon's fierceness and cries subsided. Instead, she reached out with her tiny hand, grabbing at her mother's smile. A small grin spread across her tiny face, "Yiya..."
"Modred..." she whispered in a soft voice.
"Have you already settled on that as her name?"
She nodded and then turned to him, saying, "Merlin, you're the great seer with a perfect track record in prophecies. You've even foreseen parts of my life. Please, foresee the life of this child for me."
"My prophecies have been shattered by the King, and your life, too, has been altered by the King. I won't be doing prophecy anymore," Merlin shook his head, took a moment to pause, and then said, "You don't have to worry about this child, Lily. The great bloodline she has inherited guarantees that she won't be ordinary. Moreover, her lineage proclaims her as our king."
"I just hope she can lead a peaceful, happy life. I don't want her to follow in my footsteps, shutting herself off only to realize her true feelings too late and end up hurting the one she cares about because of her overwhelming emotions," she said with a gentle expression.
Merlin went quiet for a moment before asking, "Lily, do you hold a grudge against me and Uther? For using you as a vessel for the 'Ideal King' and bringing you into this world..."
She shook her head, "Without your and the former king's plan for the 'Ideal King,' I wouldn't be here. You could say that you're my father, Merlin. And... if it weren't for your plan, I wouldn't have come into contact with the King. I wouldn't have developed such strong feelings for him either."
"Ah... um... you should just forget that last sentence. And even if you can't forget, promise not to go spreading it around or telling anyone else. It's just too embarrassing," she stammered, her cheeks flushing.
"Got it!" Merlin replied with a nod.
In the days that followed, she focused on recovering after giving birth, while Merlin found himself busy taking care of the baby dragon.
"My little king, my chest is off-limits for biting. I don't have any milk... Do you want me to magically become a woman? That's not happening!"
"Ah~~~ Stop biting me! No biting allowed!"
"Come on, it was just a little pat when you were born. Do you have to hold a grudge like this? Geez, this whole grudge-holding attitude, where did you got it from?"
...
While Artoria was busy with her duties, she watched Merlin's antics and his playful interactions with the baby dragon. Meanwhile, the baby instinctively refused to be outdone and kept biting him.
Laughter echoed around the estate.
That was until the King's inspection party arrived.
During the harvest season, in this particular scene, he arrived with his inspection team in Cornwall. He posed questions to Morgan before eventually making his way to Artoria's designated workplace.
Clad in a simple white gown, Artoria was engrossed in gathering fruits. When she saw him, she smiled and motioned for the women beside her to carry on with their tasks so that the harvest wouldn't be disrupted. She then strolled over to his side, holding a basket of apples in her hands.
"Long time no see, my King," Artoria greeted, a smile lighting up her face.
"Yes... it's been a year," he replied, matching her smile.
"My king, I miss you." she expressed with a completely natural expression.
He appeared slightly puzzled, asking, "Are you... Merlin in disguise?"
"Why do you think that?" she asked, her expression perplexed.
"It just seems out of character for you."
"That's too much, my King! It's been well over a year since our last meeting; even I want to express my feelings!" she replied, her expression turning serious.
And that's when he knew for sure that Merlin wasn't messing with him. While Merlin knew Artoria quite well, that guy couldn't pull off that level of seriousness even if he tried.
On this point, he was pretty sure about this.
After witnessing everything that had happened on the screen so far, Young Shirou scrunched up his face, as it all aligned perfectly with his memories.
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