Of course, before Merlin arrived, he still had to find a way to steady the situation.
Thinking that, Alvin slowly raised his head and happened to notice the two sisters' gazes were both on him.
Artoria's expression was calm. Morgan's eyes carried a faint hint of expectation, and also some unease and nervousness.
Although she was usually used to being dominant, it should be remembered that for many years after Alvin's death, her only spiritual focus had been reviving the White Dragon.
Even though she wielded the Island Master's power enough to overturn all of Britain, at her core she was actually a very fragile woman.
Although neither of the sisters spoke at the moment, their meaning was already clear: pick one.
Alvin's eyelid twitched slightly, because he noticed the "Reversal: White Moonlight" that had been flashing madly on his personal interface had stopped flashing.
At the same time, a prompt box with a red exclamation mark quietly appeared on his personal interface.
[The choice you make next will have far-reaching effects. Please decide carefully.]
———
[Corner of the Palace]
Two figures were under the moonlight continuously releasing mana. The surging magic rose like tidal waves and rushed toward each other.
Thick black clouds seemed to break apart under such massive mana. Two colors of magic collided like meteors, exploding in the air like fireworks.
Mana from the Root flowed from between Sajyou Manaka's fingers, filled with an unbearably scorching aura.
Her body was small, but Merlin felt increasingly alarmed the more he looked. Even though this was only his clone, this was Britain. With local bonus here, his illusion could not trap Sajyou Manaka for long.
The two sides rebounded from another collision, but the moment Sajyou Manaka landed, a powerful spell had already been cast in her hand. The domain spread rapidly and enveloped both her and Merlin.
It was a special spell that only someone linked to and who had penetrated the Root could use. Sajyou Manaka actually guided a large-scale flow of mana from the Root, forming a unique domain completely under her control.
BOOM!
Within the domain, columns of golden light poured down. The burning mana seemed to consume the air, creating a near-vacuum, making it hard to breathe.
"I told you from the start, the Root Princess is really a troublesome one. Can Alvin not just pick a normal person to mess with?", Merlin clicked his tongue, raised his staff, and loudly recited an incantation, "Artoria, dinner is served—"
In an instant, a soft light dome quietly spread from Merlin, forcibly carving out a gap in the domain Sajyou Manaka had expanded.
The next moment, Merlin's figure dissolved into pink petals and slipped out of Sajyou Manaka's domain.
Merlin had just breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly a mana cannon from afar precisely slammed down toward the spot where he had landed.
Merlin's heart leapt. Quick as a flash, he pulled a sword from his staff.
Whoosh!
A flash of sword light streaked across.
BOOM!
With a huge noise, the mana cannon was cleaved open by Merlin.
Merlin looked up at Sajyou Manaka seriously, "It seems every time I use an illusion, your analysis of illusions improves a bit?"
During their earlier exchanges, this white-haired British mage had used similar escape methods several times and escaped each time.
But this time, Sajyou Manaka had preemptively predicted where he would land.
Clearly, she had been trying to analyze the illusions Merlin used during the fight.
"You can still escape to Avalon now if you want."
Sajyou Manaka watched him with a smile, "Your clone's mana alone won't last long."
As she spoke, the girl's heart quietly filled with a bit more anticipation.
If Merlin opened Avalon now, she could give him a "surprise."
Analyze Merlin's spellcraft and alter its framework to rewrite the Avalon that would have been cast.
If Merlin used that spell now, the world opened would no longer be Avalon, but a world called the Imaginary.
'I wonder what the Nightmare would think if he ends up in the Imaginary world?'
"Merlin—", At that moment, an anxious girl's voice came from afar.
Merlin instinctively turned and saw Mordred hurrying over, grabbing his wrist.
"Come with me, Father, Alvin's over there and he's in trouble!"
She had wanted to call him father, but felt a bit embarrassed in front of others, so she corrected herself the next moment.
'Why call me if Father's in trouble?', Merlin was puzzled.
'And Sajyou Manaka is right here. Doesn't she notice?'
Merlin glanced at Sajyou Manaka.
Only then did the rebellious knight seem to realize something. She looked toward Sajyou Manaka and frowned, "Who is this girl?"
Sajyou Manaka smiled faintly and introduced herself, "Sajyou Manaka. You can call me Manaka."
"If I'm not mistaken, you should be his child, right?", This girl had the aura of the White Dragon, so clearly she had some relation to Alvin.
"This one is tricky. I can't break away at the moment," Merlin said quietly.
It wasn't that he truly could not break away, but compared to going to the banquet, he would rather stay here and block Sajyou Manaka.
Mordred only then realized the extraordinary aura on the girl before her. After all, being able to face Merlin even if this was his clone showed her strength was not to be underestimated.
She had planned to stay and deal with the girl first, but Sajyou Manaka smiled and said, "Take Merlin and go. I won't stop you."
Merlin looked up in surprise, confusion evident in his purple eyes.
He had talked to Sajyou Manaka for a long time earlier, hoping for reconciliation, but she hadn't paid him any attention.
Yet now, upon hearing Alvin was in trouble, she simply let them go?
No matter how much he wanted to loaf, Merlin was dragged by Mordred and had no choice but to hurry to the banquet.
Sajyou Manaka watched them leave and a charming smile soon spread across her face.
'Looks like… a good show is about to start.'
———
Alvin felt numb.
Although the personal interface reminding him was useful, why did he feel so much more pressure after that red-exclamation prompt box popped up?
It was like being in a game where the connection was already collapsing, the enemy keeps swarming in, and teammates keep spamming pings with no response.
Although he had expected this day sometime after he first arrived in this world, he hadn't thought it would come so soon.
He had warned Artoria earlier not to trust Merlin, yet he himself hadn't guarded against it.
In his previous life, if he had been in this awkward situation, he would have simply given up, grabbed both sisters' hands, and declared, 'I want you both!'
At worst he'd get scolded or slapped. Then it would be over.
But this is Britain. And the women he faced were not ordinary. Both Artoria and Morgan le Fay had pride and dignity of their own.
Choosing either now would make the other definitely hold it against him later.
'I must be careful,' Alvin said tactfully, "Sorry, but I don't know anything about the dances nobles favor. It's not really appropriate to dance on such an important occasion."
If choosing either was unsuitable, then choose neither. It wouldn't raise affection, but at least it would avoid stepping on a mine. Alvin thought that would settle things, but he clearly underestimated the sisters' determination, or perhaps both of them were already stirred up.
Upon hearing Alvin, Morgan smiled brightly, "If you don't know, I can teach you. With your talent, you'll learn quickly."
"Besides, even if you can't, I can guide you."
Artoria sneered on the spot, "Does Queen Sis even know the steps? I thought you were only good at guiding in certain intimate matters."
Even a fool could hear the implication in Artoria's words, and Morgan certainly noticed.
A smile curved Morgan's lips, the words turning cold, "It seems you don't understand me. Rather than saying I'm good at guiding, it's more that we're mutually compatible. So in intimate moments, everything that should or shouldn't be done just naturally happens."
That line basically meant, 'Your man is supple, he's addicted to my body, so naturally we did everything possible.'
Even Artoria's mouth twitched slightly on hearing this, and her beautiful face gradually took on a dangerous expression.
Then at some point, it seemed some magic in the air began to stir.
'Not good. It's really going to break out,' Alvin sensed the bad omen.
The sisters' conflict was so intense partly because of what Uther and Merlin stirred up back then, and partly because Morgan le Fay tended to cause trouble after falling into darkness.
And after Alvin's death, Artoria had been reborn as a ruler who dominated Britain with absolute superiority.
Because of her domineering personality, she wouldn't give in to her sister.
Artoria's current power and temperament were, in a sense, something Alvin had "raised" himself.
On the personal interface, the red exclamation in the prompt box began to flash wildly.
Many guests in the hall noticed the commotion and a number of gazes turned that way.
Alvin moved his fingers. After struggling inside for a long time, he finally sighed lightly.
Given how things stood, there was no choice but to gamble.
Just as Alvin had made up his mind and was about to take one sister's hand, amid the murderous, danger-filled undertow, a flippant voice slowly rang out in the golden hall.
"Tonight is really lively."
At that voice, everyone subconsciously looked toward its source.
A man in a white mage robe sat in a corner of the hall holding a staff, smiling as he looked at Alvin.
His aura was completely restrained. His purple eyes were deep and serene, like clear light gathered in his gaze, full of mystery.
Although many had never seen him before, the sight of that white-haired mage brought a single name to everyone's mind.
Britain's court mage, King Arthur's teacher, Merlin.
'Merlin even came to this banquet?'
The guests who were travelers from another world were stunned and soon became excited.
Three of the most famous figures from the Arthurian legends were all at the same banquet. If this got out after they returned, it would be a huge stir in the mage community.
But what did he come to do?
Guests quickly wondered.
On the other side, upon seeing the white-haired mage, Morgan narrowed her beautiful eyes, "Merlin, I thought you'd hide in Avalon forever."
Merlin sighed, "I would, but if I let you two do as you please, Britain might deviate from the historical path I've seen."
"Come to think of it, history started to drift slightly when he appeared, and I should have stepped in earlier."
Merlin's gaze swept the two sisters, then Alvin. He said softly, "If I had acted then, it wouldn't have turned out like this."
Merlin the Nightmare was a big liar. Most of what he said could not be trusted, that was undeniable.
But these words were sincere.
Alvin's existence had not been within Merlin's far-seeing vision from the start.
That meant Alvin would be a massive wildcard.
If Merlin had stopped Alvin from meeting the British sisters at the start, perhaps everything would have stayed on the proper historical track.
"But it's not too late now, if Alvin disappears, perhaps everything can return to normal," Merlin said with a smile.
The sisters' feud and problems, besides the throne issue back then, had Alvin as another factor.
In other words, if he disappeared, they would have no reason to fight.
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