The magic in this artifact was very clearly the white dragon's power that Arvin possessed.
In that moment, the long-lost warmth, together with the radiance coming from the artifact, felt as if the boy were right beside her, warming the cold heart of the witch. The coldly alluring witch couldn't help slowly closing her eyes.
The coldness on her face faded a little, replaced by a softness tinged with a few hints of nostalgia for the past.
Then at some moment, as if sensing something, Morgan subconsciously opened her eyes.
She stared blankly at the white dragon scale in her hand.
The "Demonic Dragon Scale" Arvin possessed had originally been something Morgan helped improve, so she couldn't be more familiar with its structure.
The scale in her hand was not the one Arvin originally had.
Morgan narrowed her eyes slightly.
'This seems… to be a artifact forged only recently.'
Morgan looked at the Demonic Dragon Scale in her hand in suspicion, her beautiful eyes flickering faintly.
The Demonic Dragon Scale was actually considered a mass-producible artifact.
However, the major prerequisite for manufacturing Demonic Dragon Scales was that he was still alive.
So why would Agravain have one that had only "just come out of the kiln" recently?
"Could it be," As if she had thought of something, Morgan's heart trembled. She forcefully suppressed the emotions rising within her, raised her hand, and covered the scale with her palm.
The mana used in this artifact came from the person who created it.
In other words, as long as she reversed the deduction, she could know the location of the person who crafted this artifact.
———
In the long night, everything was silent.
Wind passed through the forest, making the leaves rustle.
The black-haired boy sitting beneath the tree had a dazed expression, while the Iron Knight standing beside him wore a face full of apology.
"Sorry, I didn't expect that in just the brief moment of an encounter, she would swallow my artifact."
Only after a long daze did Arvin slowly calm down. He forced a gentle smile and said, "It's fine. This honestly isn't your fault. Even if it were another Knight of the Round Table, I think the outcome would've been the same."
"At the end of the day, it's not like you could have expected her return."
Morgan le Fay, daughter of King Uther and the evil side of the Lady of the Lake, her mastery of magecraft needed no explanation.
Honestly, the fact that Agravain managed to return to the palace safely this time was already not easy.
"Sorry," Agravain clearly knew what a fatal mistake he had committed this time. His low voice was filled with resolve, "Rest assured, even if I have to give everything I have, I will find a way to bring the Demonic Dragon Scale back to you."
"I already said, don't worry about the artifact itself."
Arvin gently shook his head, "What I'm really worried about isn't that…"
In truth, the person who understood Arvin best was not Artoria, who had married him in the past, but her elder sister.
Morgan le Fay understood human nature too well, and she understood Arvin too well.
Many of the artifacts Arvin had created, even the special authorities he controlled, the potions he had taken, almost every one of them had Morgan's influence behind the scenes.
If there was something she truly didn't understand, it was probably just sleeping together.
Although she always acted like a mature big sister, Morgan actually had zero knowledge in that area.
Of course, what Arvin truly worried about was not that, but whether the Demonic Dragon Scale had fallen into Morgan's hands.
Agravain hesitated slightly and said in a low voice, "Maybe mother didn't notice that the Demonic Dragon Scale was recently forged?"
Arvin silently looked at Agravain, who was already drenched in cold sweat. He thought, 'You're using that worried expression to say this, how am I supposed to believe it?'
'You can fool your brother, but don't fool yourself.'
And right now, what Arvin feared was no longer whether Morgan knew he was alive.
What he truly feared was whether Morgan could use the mana in the scale to reverse-deduce the coordinates of the person who forged it.
But this wasn't Agravain's fault. If not for the Demonic Dragon Scale's enhancement, it was still uncertain if Agravain could have returned safely at all.
Thinking this, Arvin lightly patted the man's shoulder, "Stop thinking about it. As long as you're fine, that's what matters."
Among the Round Table Knights, the only person the Iron Knight could truly call a friend, was Arvin.
Agravain lowered his gaze, his tone faintly anxious as he whispered, "If mother really comes for you, the king probably won't hold back."
"That's my problem to handle. You don't have to think that much."
Arvin continued, "Where is Reines right now?"
"You're going to her at this hour?", Agravain hesitated slightly.
Arvin shook his head, "I'm not going to her. I want her to meet with Lily. Some things are better handled sooner."
The deep-blue countdown frame before Arvin already had little time left.
Arvin didn't know what would happen when the countdown ended.
The end of the world?
Or would he return to his original world, discovering that all of this had simply been a dream?
Or perhaps something even stranger and more incomprehensible?
In any case, before anything happened, he wanted to handle what he could.
Right now, the traversers and the Camelot Empire were like fire and water. The reason the traversers were being suppressed so badly now likely came down to two factors.
One was that the magi of the Age of Gods were simply too powerful. The other was that the traverser faction was too scattered.
These modern magi, in terms of combat power, were indeed inferior to those of the Age of Gods.
But no one knew exactly which eras of magi had descended into Camelot.
And there was another important factor: soul-transmigration.
Among the traversers, there were likely some who had "soul-transmigrated" into the bodies of certain magi from the Age of Gods, directly seizing their original consciousness.
If someone was secretly organizing these traversers to fight back, even Camelot would be in for a terrible headache.
For that reason, Reines' idea was actually correct. The rising tension between both sides needed to be brought down as quickly as possible.
———
Deep inside the palace.
Reines slowly opened her eyes, finding that she had fallen asleep on the sofa without realizing it. The gentle moonlight outside cast a soft glow into the room.
She gently rubbed her brow, got up, and walked to the windowsill, turning on a small lamp.
The warm light added a sense of coziness to the room and allowed Reines' body to gradually relax.
As a noble lady of the El-Melloi family, the toughest hardship she had ever endured in the past was probably American-style coffee.
But ever since she was thrown into the Camelot Empire, so many things had happened one after another. During periods of tension she could still endure it, but once she moved into the guest room of the palace under Gawain's arrangements, the sudden comfort made her body relax.
And exhaustion followed immediately after.
But she still couldn't rest.
Not long ago, Agravain had sent word that someone had convinced King Arthur. After finishing her government work, the king would give Reines a chance to meet privately.
As for who helped her get this audience. Although Agravain didn't name anyone, Reines immediately thought of one person.
The White Dragon,nor rather, Watchman of Camelot.
Since arriving here, Reines had heard stories of the "Watchman" more than once.
He was the sword and shield of Camelot, the husband of King Arthur, and judging from the situation, he also seemed to have an ambiguous relationship with that witch.
Although in the stories Reines knew, the Watchman had been killed by King Arthur.
But, from Agravain's behavior today and from the undertones in Merlin's words, it seemed they were all hinting that… the Watchman was actually not dead.
'He is from Camelot. Why would he help me?'
Knock! Knock!
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a soft knocking sounded from outside the door.
Reines' heart tightened for no reason. She quickly stood up, patted her cheeks, and forced herself awake.
'Come on, Reines! The hope of the traversers is resting on you!'
After cheering herself on, the blonde girl stood and slowly pushed open the door, seeing the dignified and elegant King Arthur.
A crown rested on her head. Her aura was cold yet graceful and noble. And the moment those holy turquoise eyes met hers, a majestic pressure surged forth.
Even though this was the second time Reines saw this woman today, she still felt nervous for no reason.
If Morgan's aura was a pressure born of magic, then Artoria's pressure came from her presence alone. Even with her magic held back, her natural aura was overwhelming.
Reines struggled to describe the feeling. If she had to say it, it was like a goddess descending from the heavens. Something like that.
So close, yet unattainable.
"Seems we're quite fated to meet, Miss Reines."
Artoria looked at the blonde girl calmly, "We've seen each other twice in one day."
Reines drew a deep breath and bowed, "It is my honor to see you again."
Artoria's expression remained calm, "Very polite. But are you planning on speaking with me in the doorway?"
Only then did Reines realize and quickly stepped aside to let her in.
Then she hesitated slightly and asked, "How is Arvin?"
Artoria stood with her back to Reines, looking up at the moon outside the window, "He's doing well."
'So Arvin really was in the palace,' Reines thought quietly.
"I heard you were classmates?"
"More or less," Reines looked at the woman's back with some confusion.
'By all logic, this king holds quite an unfriendly attitude toward traversers. So why did she bring Arvin along when she went to meet Merlin earlier?'
"You two are close?", Artoria asked casually.
"Um! I guess we're okay. He's my brother's student, so we often had classes together," Reines said.
"I see," Artoria seemed thoughtful.
'Why does the king seem a bit gossipy?', Watching this scene, Reines felt completely bewildered.
"You came to see me because you have something to say, right?"
The woman's voice sounded again, effortlessly shifting the topic.
Reines hesitated, then spoke carefully, "King Arthur, what I'm about to say might displease you…"
"What you want to talk about concerns the traversers?"
Reines fell silent.
Artoria glanced at her lightly and continued, "You'd like me to withdraw my order and temporarily stop the arrests?"
Reines' hand hidden in her sleeve trembled slightly, but she still mustered the courage to raise her head, "King Arthur… we have no desire to oppose you. To be honest, we didn't choose to become traversers either."
Artoria gazed at Reines in silence, not speaking.
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