"Well… alright."
Artoria Pendragon nodded in agreement.
She pondered Morgan's words and realized that what she said wasn't wrong.
Her teacher did have a habit of spouting all sorts of nonsense.
Still, her teacher didn't have any ill intentions.
As long as his words weren't too outrageous later, she'd believe him.
But if they were completely absurd, she'd just treat it as a joke and not take it seriously.
Swallowing the last bite of the meat bun in her mouth, Artoria picked up the Sword in the Stone again and held it out with both hands, presenting it to Morgan.
"Your Highness, here is the Sword in the Stone. You didn't take it earlier, so I'm offering it to you now."
"Forget it. I'll give that sword to you." Morgan still refused to take it.
Cough…
I'm afraid if I try to lift it, the lie will be exposed.
She looked at Artoria and continued,
"As a knight, you naturally need a proper weapon. Every legendary knight's story begins with wielding a divine blade."
"But…"
Artoria did like this sword very much
After all, it was far better than the weapon she currently used.
However, since it didn't belong to her, she couldn't shake off the unease of taking it.
"If I'm giving it to you, then accept it. I'm a mage, so this sword isn't suited for me anyway. Artoria, if you wield it in battle on my behalf, then it will have fulfilled its true purpose."
Morgan pressed further.
"Mm…"
After an internal struggle, Artoria finally relented and kept the Sword in the Stone.
And in her heart, her loyalty to Morgan grew even stronger.
Morgan gave Artoria one last doting look before standing up.
"Alright, you finish your meal. I'm going to find Horndog now."
"Mm."
Artoria nodded.
Then, she picked up a red bean bun with both hands and began nibbling at it delicately.
Before long, Artoria suddenly remembered that she still had sword training to attend to and hurriedly prepared to leave.
But after taking two steps, she turned back.
"Um… Mister Chef, could I get a few more baskets to go?"
"By now, Artoria should have become king. Next, I'll announce her identity as Uther Pendragon's true heir."
Merlin calculated the timing silently in his mind.
In this city, with Lot present, his clairvoyance was severely weakened.
Now, regarding Artoria's situation, he could only rely on speculation.
But in his mind, the Sword in the Stone could only be drawn by Artoria. As long as that remained unchanged, everything else was still under his control.
Hmm, I should go check.
Merlin had just stepped outside when he saw Artoria walking in, carrying a large bundle of steamed buns.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Teacher, you're still here?"
Artoria tilted her head at Merlin.
Then, after a moment of thought, she made a difficult decision.
She reached into the bundle and pulled out a vegetable bun, offering it to Merlin.
"Teacher, would you like a bun? Her Highness Morgan specially had the chef make them. They're delicious."
"I'm not fond of vegetarian food." Merlin chuckled and plucked a meat bun from the bundle instead. "This one suits me better."
With that, under Artoria's pained expression, he ate the meat bun in a few bites.
As he ate, he discreetly observed Artoria.
She was carrying the Sword in the Stone.
That meant she had drawn it.
But if she had pulled the sword from the stone… why would Morgan give her food?
Was she rewarding Artoria for stealing her throne?
If it were Lot, he might think that way.
But if it were Morgan… shouldn't she hate Artoria by now?
Wait.
If that were the case…
Did she poison the food?
Merlin carefully assessed the bun he'd just eaten.
Hmm.
No poison.
And it tasted quite good.
Then what the hell is going on?
As Merlin was lost in thought, Artoria spoke up in a slightly complaining tone:
"Teacher, please don't play tricks on me like that again. If not for Her Highness Morgan, I might've been humiliated."
Merlin waved it off casually.
"Ah, I just thought that holy sword stuck in the stone looked interesting, so I had you try pulling it. Who knows? If you'd succeeded, you might've become Camelot's new king."
At the same time, he pointed at the Sword in the Stone hanging at Artoria's waist.
"Speaking of which, isn't that the very same holy sword? Since you drew it, doesn't that mean you're supposed to be Camelot's new ruler?"
"Ah, about this…" Artoria lifted the Sword in the Stone and explained, "This sword was a treasure of the Pendragon family. The whole incident was a plot against House Pendragon. If not for Her Highness Morgan, Camelot's situation could've turned disastrous…"
Artoria repeated everything Morgan had told her.
Finally, she added:
"Teacher, in the end, Her Highness Morgan even bestowed this sword upon me. Now, I must focus on my training I can't fail to live up to her expectations."
"Hoh? So Uther hid this quite well. I've never even seen this sword before."
Merlin feigned surprise before nodding.
"Very well, Artoria. Go practice your swordsmanship. I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. The brothels in Camelot are having a discount right now I can't pass up such a bargain."
With that, he snatched another meat bun from Artoria's bundle and strode off.
Leaving behind a deeply aggrieved Artoria.
She knew one thing for certain:
Her teacher wasn't the slightest bit hungry.
The only reason he took the meat bun was
He wanted to see her pained expression.
Ah…
What a scummy teacher.
Once outside, Merlin angrily took a huge bite of the meat bun.
If he were capable of feeling emotions, he'd be furious right now.
What the hell is this situation?!
"The Sword in the Stone was a Pendragon family treasure"?
What kind of joke is that?!
I was the one who stuck that sword in the stone myself!
I know its origins better than anyone!
But
How the hell did Morgan find out?
How did she know only Artoria could draw it?!
And then there was her explanation.
Remembering Artoria's retelling of Morgan's words, Merlin couldn't help but twitch.
How did she pull this off?
She'd taken all the credit for drawing the sword, making Artoria grateful to her. At the same time, she'd convinced everyone else that she was the one responsible for the Sword in the Stone.
Reducing Artoria to nothing more than a tool who pulled the sword.
Such shamelessness…
It's almost on par with my own.