...Speaking of which, Su Shu suddenly remembered that in this simulation, he was supposed to be a homunculus... So, these two were his adoptive father and mother? The age gap seemed a bit large. And they were uncle and niece...
Su Shu got it. The relationships of feudal nobility were always this messy. Messy was normal! Especially in Great Britain, which was historically a hotbed for family drama. Hemophilia was spread by these nobles, who even glamorized it as the "royal disease." Honestly, give me a break.
After listening for a while, Su Shu had basically figured it out. After touching that dragon scale, he seemed to have become the "Son of the White Dragon, Harbinger of Calamity" himself.
As expected of the Villain Simulator... So, the villain was me all along?
The method to assist him in becoming the ultimate villain was to have him personally experience being a despised, hated arch-villain... He had to admit, the System understood the principle of learning by doing.
Once he inhabited such a role, it was hard to say his disposition wouldn't be affected. After all, a person's character is largely shaped by their environment. And according to the usual tropes of simulators, his actions within the simulation would likely affect reality. He'd seen that particular trope plenty of times.
This raised a very interesting question...
Since a Holy Relic of the "Son of the White Dragon" existed in a later era, it meant that this part of history was already a set fact. If he discovered that his actions in the simulation were indeed a part of that history, how would cause and effect be defined?
Did he leave behind the Holy Relic of the "Son of the White Dragon"... or did the Holy Relic cause him to simulate being the "Son of the White Dragon"?
If history was already set, didn't that mean all his actions were predestined?
In other words... free will.
Did he truly possess so-called "free will"?
The thought was terrifying if you dwelled on it.
...But what the hell does it have to do with me?
Faced with this classic time paradox, Su Shu chose to just screw it and wing it. He was here to experience his cheat system, not to become a philosopher. So what if it was all fated? Su Shu didn't actually care if he was some kind of manipulated puppet, because knowing wouldn't change anything. He didn't have the power to contend with that level of existence right now.
Only those who have walked along the edge of a cliff truly cherish the present. Having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, he saw things very clearly.
Su Shu was Su Shu, a common man struggling to survive. That was enough.
Even if his life was a piece of music, a script, a novel... he had his own way of moving the story forward. He'd leave the philosophical debates to the comment section and the forum posters.
With that, Su Shu stopped纠结 over paradoxes and causality and instinctively turned his gaze back to Morgan.
His cheap old dad was right. The witch's beauty was indeed eye-catching.
Perhaps due to the power of his Age of Gods bloodline, Morgan's magical veil had no concealing effect on him. And so, he discovered that this witch, his cousin, had a complete and total Saberface.
Although she lacked the trademark ahoge, compared to the King of Knights' steadfastness, this witch's features were more delicate and alluring. The blue lipstick and eyeshadow were like the finishing touch on a masterpiece, adding a bewitching charm to her. And even though this was the medieval period, she was wearing a revealing crop top and sexy thigh-high stockings. The Absolute Territory revealed by the slit of her skirt was practically a crime!
Simply put, she was hot. Extremely hot. A seven-star entertainment experience.
Her name is... Morgan? Such a beautiful design, yet he had no memory of the character. But having already seen Jeanne, Mordred, Umu, and Gray, Su Shu knew that this face was a famous landmark in the Type-Moon universe. Mo-san's dad could form a whole basketball team. Expecting a casual fan like him to recognize every Saberface was asking too much.
As someone who had only watched a few of the anime series, Su Shu's knowledge of Arthurian legend was superficial at best, limited to being able to name a few Knights of the Round Table. After all, what Chinese person had the free time to read Celtic mythology? Thus, when he heard the names Morgan and Vortigern, and the talk of the Red and White Dragons, he had no context. At this moment, he was simply admiring a beautiful woman.
"W-Why is he staring at me..." Morgan was starting to feel uncomfortable. "I shouldn't have anything on me that a child would like..."
"Perhaps because you are his creator, he feels a natural affinity for you," Vortigern smiled. "Since you share this bond of creation, would you like to give your masterpiece a name?"
"A-A name? I'm not good at that sort of thing..." Morgan shook her head in refusal.
"Britain's Calamity," "Monster of Monsters," "The Devious Witch," "Bringer of Misfortune"... Having been plagued by such malicious nicknames all her life, she had zero confidence in her naming abilities.
"Then let me do it. He is my son, after all." Vortigern looked down at the silver-haired infant. Two pairs of iron-gray eyes met, the flickering candlelight dancing in both their pupils.
"Your name is 'Alvin'," Su Shu heard the old man say softly. "'Alvin Pendragon.'"
"—Meaning 'one who is beloved.'"
As the words fell, Morgan beside him fell silent for a moment.
"...As the Son of the White Dragon," the witch said faintly, "being beloved by the people is little more than a fantasy..."
"It is merely a hope," Vortigern smiled, "that he will not be scorned as I have been. That would not be a pleasant life for the little one."
Despite his words, they both knew that for the Son of the White Dragon, the word "beloved" was almost ironic. The room fell silent. It was as if they could see the thorny path that lay ahead for this child.
Morgan couldn't help but think of her own bleak past. Yes, just like the reviled Vile King Vortigern, she, who was decried as a witch, had never been a "beloved person."
As the daughter of the noble King Uther, the Mystics that should have ended with her father's generation had, with cruel irony, reappeared in her through atavism. Her extraordinary aptitude was like a gift from the gods, granting her immense power. But in Morgan's eyes, it was less a gift and more an outright curse.
She had awakened an extraordinary talent for magecraft, but it was of a dark attribute, the complete opposite of Uther's radiance. Thus began her miserable life of being feared by others. In her youth, her uncontrollable dark magic would passively cause crops to fail and plants to wither. The excess mana that leaked from her constantly shrouded her in a deep, flowing shadow, making her presence like a plague, quickly earning her the people's disgust.
So Morgan began to wear a black veil to cover her face, shutting herself away in her room, trying desperately to master her power, hoping that one day she could be welcomed by everyone.
Unfortunately, the girl named Morgan le Fay only understood much later:
It wasn't that she was disliked for doing something wrong.
Rather, because she was already disliked, everything she did was wrong.
As his stepdaughter, she had never been trusted by her royal father from the very beginning. Thus, when she awakened such a dark magical talent, Uther's disdain only became more obvious. The girl named Morgan le Fay had never been loved.
...Because I was not loved, everything was wrong.
She longed for Uther's approval but was heartlessly cast aside as a backup plan. She wanted to be loved by the people but was reviled as a witch and avoided like the plague. People who knew nothing about her, who had only heard rumors, could tell you exactly what a treacherous and evil woman Morgan le Fay was.
"The reason King Uther lost to that Vile King was probably because that devious witch Morgan was pulling the strings, right?"
Ha. Hah...
...In that case, I will live up to their expectations. I will become the ominous being they think I am and go assist Vortigern!
But...
...was anyone born to be an ominous witch?
Will my innocent creation have to suffer the same fate as me?
...Why?
Looking at the silver-haired infant's curious gaze, his clear, iron-gray eyes seemed to hold the unique joy of a child.
He... he really is fond of me.
In a daze, Morgan seemed to understand Vortigern's feelings, just a little. A surge of anger rose in her heart, followed by doubt, and finally... indignation.
She could not accept it. She could not bear to see the same tragedy repeat itself.
Then...
"Let me be the one to teach him."
Her cold voice was like a flickering candle in the twilight. In the dim basement, the Witch of Britain spoke softly. "As a child of the Age of Gods, his aptitude is that of a true monster. When it comes to the art of magecraft, perhaps I can offer some guidance."
"Good," Vortigern nodded. "I will be in your debt."
"...You trust me that easily?" Vortigern's unthinking agreement actually made Morgan feel uneasy. "Aren't you worried I'll corrupt your precious son?"
"Corrupt him? Heh heh..." The powerfully built old man pointed to his own face, unable to stifle a laugh. "Within all of Britannia, is there anyone more wicked than Vortigern the Vile King?"
"...You have a point." The blue-eyed witch laughed at herself, shaking her head. She slowly walked forward and took her masterpiece from Vortigern's hands.
The silver-haired infant in the swaddling cloth was still watching her. In his iron-gray pupils, Morgan saw her own slightly nervous face.
To be fond of an ominous witch like me? That's really... not a good thing for you, little one.
"'Alvin'..."
"If no one awaits your birth with anticipation... then let me, the ominous witch, be the one to give you love."
In the dim light of the flames, the witch held her monster close.
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