Silence. A wordless stillness.
Cang Ye's head was bowed, making it impossible to see his expression or what he was thinking.
Vortigern, on the other hand, unhurriedly turned the roasting rabbit in his hands, his expression so leisurely and content, as if he was certain that Cang Ye would not refuse this conversation.
And indeed, that was the case.
In the end, Cang Ye did not refuse to talk with Vortigern.
He didn't know why Vortigern was so knowledgeable and concerned about a nameless nobody like him who had suddenly appeared, but in this situation, it was clear that even if he didn't want to talk, it was impossible.
However, Cang Ye was indeed curious about Vortigern's words.
And so, after asking Britomart to wait for him in the nearby woods, the knight and the Tyrant King began their conversation.
"So, where do you want to start?"
Vortigern took the roasted rabbit, tore off a leg, and handed it to Cang Ye.
Cang Ye didn't hesitate. He took it, said thanks, and started eating.
"Let's start with how you found out about my relationship with Lady Morgan. I'm still very concerned about that."
Regarding his current relationship with Morgan, Cang Ye felt that the fewer people who knew, the better.
Merlin and Gawain could find out, one because of his Clairvoyance and the other because of the blood connection, but Cang Ye couldn't think of why Vortigern would know.
Logically speaking, Cang Ye thought that at most, Vortigern would have discovered the fae aura on him and, by association, thought of Britomart who was traveling with him, not directly mention Morgan.
This made Cang Ye feel surprised and a little nervous at the same time.
He could use this question to probe Vortigern's attitude towards Morgan and the new Camelot.
Hearing Cang Ye's words, Vortigern looked up, a faint, unreadable smile on his face.
"It seems you really care about my niece."
Cang Ye rubbed his nose in some embarrassment.
But Vortigern just waved his hand nonchalantly.
"I won't ask about the affairs of you young people. As for how I found out about your relationship with Morgan, it's simple. I 'saw' it."
"'Saw' it?"
Cang Ye frowned slightly, not quite understanding Vortigern's words.
His story with Morgan was a secret that belonged only to the two of them. How could Vortigern, an old man thousands of miles away from Camelot, have seen it?
But soon, Cang Ye realized that Vortigern's 'seeing' was not really seeing with his eyes.
Involuntarily, a bold idea came to his mind.
After hesitating for a moment, Cang Ye asked tentatively.
"You mean, you have 『Clairvoyance』?"
"To be precise, it's the 『Eye of Destiny』."
Vortigern corrected Cang Ye with a smile.
"But since you know about 『Clairvoyance』, it will be easier for me to explain."
"Unlike Merlin, that nightmare who uses dreams to see and integrate everything in the present and make prophecies, my 『Eye of Destiny』, although it can see a certain future, has great limitations."
"What I can see are basically some fragmented images and revelations, as well as the threads of fate between people and events."
"So, you know about my relationship with Morgan because you saw the threads of fate between us?"
Cang Ye was lost in thought.
"Yes. And not just with Morgan."
Vortigern scrutinized Cang Ye, his pale golden pupils shimmering with an amber light.
"In my eyes, the threads on you are particularly numerous, connecting you to many people. To Merlin, to that fae girl, to the Child of the Red Dragon, and even."
"To me."
Cang Ye's pupils contracted slightly, but he said nothing.
And Vortigern just smiled and changed the subject.
"Alright, since I've answered your question, you can answer one of mine."
"Go ahead and ask, although I don't think I have any important information that you want."
Cang Ye appeared very open. Now that his most important secret had been revealed by Vortigern, he had nothing left to hide.
After a few light chuckles, Vortigern pointed at himself, then at the ground, and said.
"What kind of person do you think I am? And what about my actions towards this land?"
Hearing this, Cang Ye was stunned for a moment. His mind immediately began to spin, thinking about how to answer to satisfy Vortigern.
But the latter seemed to have guessed what Cang Ye was thinking. The old man knocked on the log and said to him.
"Don't worry about anything. Just say what you really think."
"Hmm..."
Since Vortigern had said so, Cang Ye put away his flattering words.
After thinking seriously for a while, he finally spoke.
"From what I understand, I can't give an answer as to what kind of person you are."
"I know too little about you. The cruelty, despicableness, and viciousness that are rumored in the world don't seem to match the you in front of me, so I can't answer this question."
"But at least you're not as bloodthirsty as the rumors say."
"As for the next question..."
Cang Ye paused. Although he felt it was a bit offensive, he still slowly spoke.
"I don't know what impact your actions will have on this land, but for the people living on this land, whether it's the White Dragon or the Red Dragon, as long as there is war, they are the ones who will suffer the most."
In other words, Vortigern, as the instigator of the war, was the biggest perpetrator.
"Hehe."
Hearing Cang Ye's words, Vortigern chuckled lightly. Surprisingly, he did not refute or get angry. He was just calm and composed.
"You're right, Lamorak. War can only bring casualties, and the biggest casualties will always be the people at the bottom."
"But what if I told you that if we don't start a war, this island, all the people and life on this island, will die, will be destroyed? Would you then, for the sake of those who died in the war, give up all the others who could have survived?"
"Tell me your answer, Knight Lamorak."
Cang Ye's brow furrowed tightly. His mind rapidly absorbed and analyzed the meaning contained in the words.
Involuntarily, he thought of the secret about the demise of the Divine Age that Vortigern had mentioned earlier.
As if inspired, after connecting it to the theme of the demise of the Divine Age in Britain, the meaning represented by the White Dragon, and Vortigern's statement, Cang Ye came to a bold and even terrifying answer.
If the Divine Age is not continued, all of them, all the people of Britain, will die.
"How is that possible?!"
If not continuing the Divine Age would lead to everyone's death, then why didn't Uther cooperate with his own brother, Vortigern, but instead created the Red Dragon to fight against him and compete for Britain?
Could it be that even with the combined efforts of the Red and White Dragons, along with the assistance of Merlin and Morgan, this problem still couldn't be solved?
Or did Merlin's Clairvoyance get some sand in it and not see these things?
Subconsciously, Cang Ye felt that Vortigern was lying, but a throb deep in his heart told him that Vortigern had no reason to lie to him with such words.
And Vortigern's answer made Cang Ye completely silent.
"How is it not possible? And on what grounds do you think that we, who were born at the end of the Divine Age, are not a part of the Divine Age?"
Vortigern's tone was cold, stating this almost tragic fact.
"What about Merlin and Uther? Didn't they know about this?"
Cang Ye couldn't help but ask this question.
"Hmph, my foolish brother naturally knew about this. Merlin even knew about it long before I did and informed him."
Mentioning them, Vortigern's originally calm expression also became cold, his tone full of disdain and disappointment.
"But they actually chose to accept it. Facing the hundreds of thousands of people in Britain, they actually chose to follow the general trend and leave it to the future!"
"This is nearly hundreds of thousands of lives. They just gave up like that?"
Cang Ye's tone was full of disbelief. He really couldn't imagine that King Uther and Merlin would choose to give up so many lives, and they were all their subjects, just because of a prophecy.
Such a person was actually the king who ruled all of Britain?
"Of course. After all, both he and that nightmare Merlin deeply believe in some prophecy, some fate."
Vortigern's lips curled up, his tone full of sarcasm.
"But I'm different. I don't believe in any damn fate. Even if the ending seen by the 『Eye of Destiny』 is no different from what Merlin saw, as long as I'm still here, and the ending hasn't arrived, I will definitely resist."
"And so, when I learned about this back then, I resolutely chose to become the White Dragon of Britain. Since my brother and Merlin are unwilling to protect Britain, to protect the hundreds of thousands who are about to be abandoned by the new era, then I will do it myself."
"But what did they do?"
Vortigern sneered, his tone full of mockery.
"For this, they not only banished me from the royal court to the remote north, but also created a so-called 'Perfect King' who claimed to defeat me and lead Britain to a glorious future."
"Little do they know that the so-called glorious future is built on abandoning everything in the present, built on the bones of the old era."
"To abandon the present for the sake of a so-called future, such a cowardly act, I will never tolerate!"
"Lamorak, tell me, between Uther and me, who is right and who is wrong?"
Cang Ye was silent, not answering.
Seizing the present or looking to the future—there was no right or wrong in itself.
But for the Britain of today, the future and the present seemed to be a single-choice question.
Choose the future, and everyone will die the moment before the new era arrives. The time they should have had, the lives they should have had, will end here.
And choose the present, people will not lose what they should have, but will usher in a peaceful life. But will such a Britain, which violates the rules of the world, really not be liquidated by the world, be judged?
Cang Ye couldn't make a choice, but he was the chosen one.
[Afterglow of the Divine Age (A): As the last Fae remaining in the Britain of the Age of Gods, your body is inscribed with the mark of that era. The lingering light of the Divine Age will manifest in you, raising the quality and quantity of your magical energy and physical attributes to the level of a Divine Age hero. However, your life is now tied to the survival of the Divine Age.]
And at this moment, Vortigern's voice sounded again, interrupting Cang Ye's thoughts.
"Lamorak, by now you should understand the situation in Britain."
"You and I are both remnants of the old era, abandoned by the new era, forced to resist fate as bearers of the torch."
"Join me. Let's seize the present together and protect the correct future."
[Ding! The Host has triggered a fated track. A fork in the road has been triggered. Please make a choice as soon as possible!]
[You have learned the truth of the war and the secret of the demise of the Divine Age from Vortigern. He has extended an invitation to you. You decide:]
[Choice 1: Agree to join. For the sake of the present Britain, for your own life, become the claws of the White Dragon and fight for the present and for yourself.]
[Choice 2: Refuse to join. For the sake of the future Britain, believe in the prophecy and Merlin. First, leave Vortigern and then join the Red Dragon's camp, becoming a Knight of the Round Table.]
[Choice 3: Refuse to join. Uphold your oath and declare your allegiance to Morgan to the world. Fight for Morgan, both now and in the future.]
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