radicalducati Page 19
Page 19
Merlin was stunned for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat. He realized that he could no longer see Quinn's way of coming. Could it be that the restraint was giving the other party a back door?
Seeing that Merlin was frightened by him, Quinn was completely satisfied and felt that he had finally gotten his revenge. He then pretended to back down and said, "Since you can't prove that my actions will pose a crisis to Camelot, let's talk about a treaty that we can both agree on. I'll start by saying that I won't stop you from holding the king selection ceremony in Camelot, but you can't stop me from supporting Morgan either. How about that?"
“Okay.” Realizing that Quinn didn’t intend to go all out and end up with neither side benefiting, Merlin felt much more at ease. “We can make a pact to ensure each other’s bottom line. As long as we don’t cross that line, we won’t interfere with each other’s actions. How about that?”
"Alright then, let's discuss the specifics of the oath."
You have achieved your goal; Merlin has accepted your negotiation proposal.
[You've begun to determine that this is a vow agreement meant to bind the two of you.]
Merlin has made three oaths to you: you must not prevent the King Selection Ceremony from taking place; you must not personally or with Morgan's assistance search for Uther's heir and threaten his life before the ceremony begins; and if you know the identity of Uther's heir, you must keep it a secret until the ceremony is completed.
[You made three vows to Merlin: Merlin must not contact or influence the development of your and Morgan's offspring by any means; Merlin must inform you of all information related to the Holy Lance Rungomminiad and assist you in finding the Holy Lance; and Merlin must leave Camelot after the election ceremony.]
You exchanged vows and acknowledged each other's requirements, and you chose the most powerful witness of this age as the object of your oath.
The Catholic God has cast his gaze upon you, and your vow to Merlin has been recognized by Him.
Merlin felt he had successfully completed his mission and had finally gained some benefits. However, what he didn't know was that you never intended to stop him from supporting Artoria to become King Arthur. Only with Artoria as King Arthur could your interests be maximized. The oath he made to you was something you had already planned to do, and you genuinely benefited from Merlin.
You have obtained clues about the "Holy Lance Rungominiad" and you are now ready to initiate the decision—to find the Holy Lance Rungominiad.
Legendary magician Merlin has left Camelot.
As Merlin departed, the illusion within the tent vanished, and the three knights who had been under the illusion were suddenly awakened. After looking around and discovering that Merlin had disappeared without a trace, their faces turned extremely pale, feeling that they had failed in their duty and had been greatly insulted.
"I'll go and bring that bastard back right now."
Lancelot's pride was the most wounded. He couldn't bear the fact that he had fallen for a magician's illusion and let him escape. After leaving a message for Quinn, he stormed out of the tent with his sword, intending to make amends for his mistake.
Quinn did not stop him, but waited until Lancelot left before turning his gaze to Kay and Artoria.
The siblings looked extremely pale, especially Kai, whose face was filled with a ferocious desire to devour him alive. Artoria, on the other hand, was filled with regret. She felt that she should have shot Merlin dead yesterday to avoid this embarrassing situation.
“Sir Quinn, I’m going with Lancelot too…” Artoria noticed Quinn’s gaze and dared not meet it, afraid of seeing the disappointment in Quinn’s eyes. Almost instinctively, she panicked and tried to get away from there.
"No need, I'm not angry with you."
"But if it weren't for my actions yesterday, none of this would have happened."
“I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t done that yesterday, because that would have shown you to be a petty person who doesn’t remember kindness and only cares about personal gain.”
Artoria looked up in surprise and saw the look of relief on Quinn's face. Her body trembled slightly. "Don't you think I've betrayed your trust?"
“Then you should be honest with me from now on. I won’t hold a grudge against you because of Merlin’s personal actions, including you, Kai.” Quinn said, looking at Kai as well. “I know what kind of people you are. You may have your own selfish motives and shortcomings, which is normal. People have all kinds of flaws, including me. Go back and rest. Merlin’s matter is over. Lancelot won’t be able to catch Merlin. When he comes back, just repeat what I said to him.”
[You decided to contain the riot caused by Merlin within your own group, and then returned to court to report your handling of the situation to Morgan.]
Morgan had some reservations about your handling of the situation, believing that you shouldn't have made a pact with Merlin that was detrimental to both of you. To this, you simply said, "He who has the strongest army will be the king of Camelot."
[Your ideas convinced Morgan. She was never the heir approved by the late king and intended to seize the throne for herself. You gave her the best reason: no matter who the late king and Merlin chose as the heir, in the end, the one with the biggest and strongest fist will always become the King of Camelot.]
[And you, with your ambition ignited, chose to initiate the decision—to find the Holy Lance Rungomminiad.]
[You have received news that the Holy Lance is said to be hidden in the fairy kingdom of Avalon, guarded by the Lady of the Lake, Vivian. Only a knight approved by Vivian can obtain the Holy Lance. You begin preparations for your journey to Avalon, which will take three months.]
While planning your trip, you didn't forget your daily routine; you increased your efforts.
Chapter 39
Original training plan
You have received a special "Self-Discipline" buff for one year, which will slightly improve your learning progress and make it easier for you to accumulate stress points.
[You are starting to accumulate stress. Your current stress level is 5. Please be aware of your stress level. The higher the stress level, the more likely you are to have a mental breakdown. This simulation will end when the stress level reaches 100.]
You have begun arduous training and work, and everyone can sense your hardship. The people of Camelot's favorability towards you has increased by 20, and some of them have begun to hope that you will become the king of Camelot. Bards are spreading the praises of your sage-like name.
Your diligence has made the legendary knight Kay feel guilty. He believes that Merlin said something to you that led you to start this kind of work that disregards your physical and mental health. He has asked you for permission to temporarily leave Camelot and travel throughout Britain to participate in tournaments to hone his skills, while also trying to capture Merlin.
You don't have high hopes that he can capture Merlin, but you think it's good for him to participate in more tournaments, so you approve his application.
Shortly after Kay left Camelot, the tutor Morgan had arranged for Gawain arrived in Camelot. You and Morgan met the fairy together, and you felt a little disappointed because it wasn't the tall, voluptuous fairy knight you had imagined. Instead, it was a black dog with burning tentacles and eyes, and wearing chains. You weren't very interested in this kind of primitive fairy, but it seemed to have developed an interest in you.
The fairy "Bagust" took up residence in the Camelot court and began teaching young Gawain swordsmanship and martial arts. However, the fairy's teaching method was rather simple and brutal, focusing entirely on "fighting and having fun" without any systematic teaching. But young Gawain adapted to this mode and enjoyed this visceral teaching method. His martial arts skills were growing rapidly, but what followed was his most painful period of literary education.
Even while working, you didn't stop cultivating Xiao Gaowen's literary skills. However, as Xiao Gaowen grew up, he gradually began to feel pain. After all, for someone with a blessing like him, fighting was just a matter of physical pain for a while, but learning math and doing reading comprehension was mental torture. On the contrary, the fairy "Bagust" was extremely enthusiastic about your cultural education.
[Your relationship with the fairy "Bagust" gradually grows closer during the process of educating little Gawain. You begin to think that raising a big black dog might be a good pastime, so you start taking the fairy "Bagust" with you when handling government affairs.]
Soon, everyone knew you owned a large black dog, and it would roam around you whether you were handling official business or in your spare time.
Unsurprisingly, Morgan also found out about this, and so you would often see Morgan suddenly strolling into your workplace and observing your interactions with Bagst with a scrutinizing gaze.
You didn't know what to say. You were used to Morgan's jealous and suspicious nature. You gave up explaining because you couldn't explain that you simply wanted a dog. Saying that might stop Morgan from being suspicious, but Bagst would definitely get angry. Considering that fairies are mostly unpleasant, you weren't sure if Bagst would do something strange or mischievous when he was angry. You decided to suffer for yourself.
Fortunately, your suffering didn't last long, as your preparations for traveling to Avalon were already complete.
You decide to embark on your journey to Avalon.
However, just one day before you announced your travel plans and were about to officially set off, Artoria came to your door, hoping to accompany you on your journey to the legendary fairy land.
[You want to reject her because, according to Arthurian legend, the Holy Lance Rungomminiad belongs to her. You're unsure if Artoria's sudden appearance was guided by Merlin. What if, after obtaining the Holy Lance, Rungomminiad chooses Artoria instead of you? You wouldn't be able to explain that to Morgan. Knowing Morgan's personality, she'd rather castrate you than accept you having an ambiguous relationship with another man.]
But before you could refuse, Artoria gave you an irresistible reason.
"Sir Quinn, please take me with you. I have thought about this for a long time and I feel that I must be honest with you. I have some secrets that I have been hiding, but now I don't want to hide them anymore."
Looking at Artoria, who was incredibly serious and seemed to have made up her mind, Quinn felt as if a boomerang had hit him.
Little tuft of hair, you've broken the rules! How am I supposed to refuse?
So Quinn agreed.
"Then you can come with me tomorrow."
Artoria Pendragon has set a trap for you—Soulmate.
You begin to feel that this journey to Avalon will be exceptionally interesting, and perhaps there will be other unexpected gains besides the Holy Lance.
Chapter Thirty-Four: You Have to Live Up to Your Hair Color!
In order to include this journey in his own legendary story, Quinn made a big show of promoting it before setting off. As it turned out, people of this era were particularly interested in this kind of adventure with a strong sense of heroic tales. Apart from Artoria, many knights loyal to Quinn, led by Lancelot, volunteered to go along.
Quinn naturally refused, because Little Ahoge's behavior had been unusually strange lately.
Ever since the Merlin incident, every time Quinn met Artoria, the little ahoge would consciously avoid him, leaving Quinn wondering if he had offended her somehow. Only now, with Artoria taking the initiative to have a proper talk with him, did Quinn finally feel relieved.
He was genuinely afraid that Artoria, whom he had painstakingly recruited, might suddenly resign one day, which would mean all the gold coins he had spent would be wasted.
Therefore, Quinn would not allow any other third wheel to interfere with the trip.
only……
After Quinn decided to take only Artoria to find Avalon, there was indeed no third wheel, but instead, there was the gaze of the surveillance cameras.
Ever since he left Camelot with Artoria, Quinn could feel a gaze constantly watching him. The scrutinizing look was still obvious even after they had walked two miles, which made him feel extremely tormented, but he dared not say anything.
Because even without actively investigating the source of the gaze, Quinn knew who was watching him.
You're scaring me.
Quinn inwardly grumbled at Morgan's complaining behavior, thinking that her life after returning from Avalon would likely be difficult. She feared that Morgan would keep her in the palace and exploit her until she was bedridden, and she might not get a moment's respite until her second child was born.
Alas, marriage truly is a man's grave.
Quinn began to lament his future life, but what could he do? He had made his own choice. If he wanted to curry favor with a rich woman to get a promotion and a raise, he would naturally have to endure the pressure from her. However, on the other hand, this blatant desire for control was also one of Morgan's charms.
He hadn't forgotten that Morgan was still investigating him. Quinn just couldn't understand why the search for the secret had gone on for so long without any results.
Sister, what exactly are you trying to investigate? It can't be because you acted too well, so Morgan couldn't find any secrets or leverage against you, right? Or, could you find some incriminating evidence and give it to Morgan to satisfy her need for control?
Just as Quinn was pondering how to satisfy Morgan's controlling nature to make his future life easier, Artoria, who had been following behind Quinn, suddenly rode alongside him. At the same time, Quinn felt the gaze from behind becoming increasingly piercing.
Chapter 40
People get up.
“Sir Quinn, I have a feeling…” Artoria, who was walking with Quinn, also felt a little awkward. “It seems like Her Highness has been watching us the whole time. We’ve already left Camelot City so far. There’s no need to watch us leave for so long.”
Listening to Artoria's confused and unnatural words, Quinn couldn't help but sigh.
This is hardly a farewell. Cui Beisai was absolutely right; Little Dumb Hair, you truly don't understand people's hearts.
"Your Highness... loves me deeply."
Although he was inwardly cursing Morgan, Quinn's first words were standard platitudes, which drew a strange look from Artoria. Even with Artoria's knowledge, she could sense the eeriness hidden in Quinn's words.
"Are you sure it's okay? It's not just me; many people have noticed lately that Her Highness seems to be staring at you a lot. There are already rumors that Her Highness seems to have a conflict with you."
Who? Who is trying to harm me?!
Quinn stared blankly at Artoria, who had suddenly spoken, "Where did you hear that from?"
“The palace guards say that Her Highness the Princess has been loitering around the government offices lately. At first, they all thought she was looking for you, but she always just walks around and leaves.” Artoria honestly told them the source of the rumors she had heard. “Ever since that fairy came, it seems to have been like this. Some people are already speculating whether that fairy is causing discord between you and Her Highness the Princess.”
"Rumor has it that my relationship with Her Highness the Princess is very harmonious."
Quinn immediately retorted, but upon hearing this, Quinn finally realized what Morgan was thinking. She was simply worried that she might be conforming to the English gay tradition and was wary of getting too close to men, which could lead to feelings that shouldn't exist.
No wonder Morgan has been investigating the secret for so long without any results... wait, lady, just how worried are you about my sexual orientation?
Quinn's feelings were extremely complicated. Feeling the gaze from behind and with Artoria's words echoing in his mind, he couldn't help but turn his head and look at the tower of Camelot Palace. His physical abilities were now much better than before, and he could already see the figure standing at the top of the tower, gazing at him through the window.
Morgan was still watching him, and by extension, Artoria.
First, he could be certain that Morgan hadn't realized Artoria was a woman; otherwise, he would have been in trouble long ago. So, it was obvious what Morgan was suspecting.
This is really great news!
Quinn's complicated mood improved again, and he couldn't help but call out to Artoria, "The princess is just worried about my safety. If you don't believe me, Artoria, come closer, and she definitely won't be looking this way anymore."
"Really?" Artoria was skeptical, but then she spurred her horse a little closer to Quinn.
As the distance between the two closed, the gazes cast from afar suddenly became more piercing. Sensing Morgan's increasingly fierce gaze, Quinn waved in Morgan's direction as if to say goodbye. This act of adding fuel to the fire became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Morgan's gaze vanished.
Morgan le Fey's favorability rating towards Artoria Pendragon: -50
Huh? It's not maxed out yet?
Hearing the hint, Quinn raised an eyebrow and then said, "See, Artorius, I told you so."