"Roar—!!!"
The shadow of a red dragon appeared behind Arthur as he drew the sword.
Its delicate scales, sharp fangs, massive wings, and a roar that seemed to vibrate in everyone's ears—everything looked incredibly real.
To the people, this was far more convincing than Merlin's prophecies. It was the very symbol of Britain's guardian red dragon.
Within minutes, rumors spread that the new King Arthur had been recognized and blessed by the guardian red dragon itself.
Only Arthur himself remained calm.
He knew very well that the red lizard-like figure behind him was neither a symbol nor a guardian. It was simply a strange effect Morgan had grafted onto his DNA. In his words, it was a special effect—useless beyond looking cool. Besides the glowing light and shadows, it could only roar and shout to add some flair.
Is this thing powerful?
Ha! Be envious—it costs your life.
But to be honest, regardless of its actual function, Morgan's special effect worked perfectly in this situation. If the loyalty of those around him were a number, it would have been 5 before he pulled the sword. Afterward, it would jump to between 30 and 40—but thanks to the special effects, it soared straight to 50.
The impact was so remarkable that even Arthur was a little surprised.
In truth, he had underestimated his own potential. At this moment, 90% of the people present had loyalty above 80. Some were even fanatics with complete devotion. How much strange emotion mixed with that loyalty—no one could say.
For example, the group nearest Arthur: young women with bleeding noses, noble knights with abnormally flushed faces—the atmosphere became strangely charged.
He drew the sword, and it was undeniably a success.
The process had been so smooth it almost felt unreal, but the system gave no prompts or congratulations.
It was just barely within expectations—still somewhat disappointing.
"As expected, to be crowned king, one must not only draw the Sword of Choice but also go to Camelot to be officially crowned."
One task, two conditions, and one reward. A bit tricky.
Unfortunately, no matter how much Arthur grumbled, it was useless. The system was cold. Most of the time, it only showed a character panel—very blurry, revealing only talents and weapons. No matter what Arthur tried, the system would not respond.
So, in Arthur's view, system task rewards were like freebies. Great if you got them, but if not, you just had to rely on yourself.
At that moment, the duel between the two great magicians also came to an end.
A brilliant burst of light scattered countless beautiful petals that quickly withered away.
Merlin and Morgan each retreated behind Artoria and Arthur, respectively—both marking their positions and signaling a declaration of war.
"Hmph! You annoying piece of trash. You're just as disgusting as your magic—full of lies."
"Oh my, I'd rather you say 'as beautiful and dreamy as flowers,'" Merlin replied with a teasing smile.
At this point, still laughing?
Was this the cunning scheme enough to manipulate Morgan?
Of course not.
That was Merlin's nature. As a half-incubus, he was just that kind of creature. Though half-human, he was still inhuman. This son of an incubus would never be dragged down by emotions, because such things were unnecessary to him.
Everything in his eyes was cold.
No matter if someone wanted to kill him or someone died before him, he wouldn't feel the slightest discomfort.
Everything was simply a phenomenon that had happened, was happening, or would happen. Just like his actions—helping people and the kingdom, but only providing assistance here and there. It was never truly him who made decisions or judgments.
For example, with Artoria.
Born as a red dragon, destined to be the ideal king.
Was Merlin involved?
Yes and no. Perhaps he was the one who made it all happen, but he only provided information. The choices were King Uther's. Later, teaching Artoria was also in accordance with Uther's will.
Therefore, even if the kingdom fell and everyone suffered, Merlin would not feel shame or guilt.
He was merely a witness and an outsider from start to finish, offering only slight help that led others to mistakenly believe he was great.
No!
Strictly speaking, if we examine Merlin's actions rationally and separately, the only conclusion is that he is a genuine sage. That is the only answer.
Thinking of this, Arthur suddenly realized something.
If no changes were made, Merlin would never truly belong to Camelot, even if he stayed in Britain and occasionally helped. Arthur had decided his kingdom did not need such a presence.
"Great Magician Merlin, I have witnessed your power. Now, you should stop."
But of course, it couldn't end there.
"Ah, that's true. A prince suddenly appears, and I've never heard of him before. Don't look at me like that—I had a very close relationship with the late King Uther."
"My identity will be confirmed by others, so you needn't worry. Merlin, you should watch yourself. It's because you always act like this that my father never entrusted you with everything."
"Haha, I don't care. The more important thing now is you, Arthur Pendragon."
As expected, here came Merlin's counterattack.
Arthur glanced at Artoria.
Regardless of their intentions, the conflict's center would be between him and the other party, no matter what.
Though he had rationalized his identity and the situation to the fullest, he could not erase the fact he had been trained to become the ideal king.
You see, the current Artoria was not the Quilt King Arthur remembered—the one who had completed her story at Camlann, whose heart was broken and who placed her hopes on external things, yearning for a fresh start.
At this moment, Artoria was the red dragon, the ideal king, the most confident of all—firmly believing what she did was absolutely right.
"I..."
Artoria looked around, confused, before her eyes finally landed on Morgan.
She had never heard of Arthur, but Morgan was different. The enchantress' notorious reputation had spread throughout Britain. Even the Saxons, her enemies, feared her somewhat.
Morgan embodied malice, conspiracy, impurity, and ominousness. If Arthur was supported by Morgan, then he must be a conspiracy as well.
To hand Britain over to that man?
Absolutely not!
"I am Artorius Pendragon, son of Uther. No one has ever heard of a brother named Arthur."