Merlin

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Merlin (梅林)
Alias(es)	Beast's Concubine 297
Species/Race	Immortal half-blood Nightmare 212 289
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Chaldea; formerly connected to the Fae and Avalon
Occupation/Role	Magus, mentor to Artoria, strategist, and creator of heroes 59 203
First Appearance	Chapter 57

History

Following King Uther's death, Merlin opposed Morgan inheriting Britain’s power. After she dissolved Camelot, she expelled him from the royal palace, leaving him with the kingdom’s noble documents. He subsequently departed to locate and guide the young Artoria. 57 59

Merlin trained Artoria in knowledge and martial arts while helping Kay establish and govern the Glamorgan settlement. When Vortigern’s advance endangered the region, he and Kay prevented Artoria from joining the doomed Noble Alliance Army. 59 60 63

After encountering Servant Artoria, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Mashu, Merlin received memories of a twisted future and began investigating the altered timeline. His Clairvoyance revealed that Morgan had created a passage between the human world and the Sea of Stars without opposition from the Counter Force. 61 68

Seeking to stop Morgan, Merlin controlled Vivian through his Nightmare bloodline and stole Excalibur and Avalon from Avalon Lake. He used the weapons to ambush Morgan, but she forced him to rely on Avalon to survive her Island’s Power magic cannon. The theft ruptured his relationship with the Fae and created further problems for Chaldea. 72 74 77

Merlin infiltrated Morgan’s sealed tower through illusion and manipulation of the Fae. There, he discovered Sakura, Divine Artoria, the dying Lugh, and Titania. Captured by Sakura’s group, he attempted unsuccessfully to restore Artoria’s memories and later agreed to help make her a Beast in exchange for returning the era to its proper origin. 79 80 81

During the Seventh Singularity, Merlin operated through a clone while his Servant main body remained in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers to keep Tiamat asleep. When the main body arrived, he used Hero Creation to restore and reinforce exhausted allies fighting Lahmu. 171 203

Merlin later formed a Contract to guide Sakura to Avalon, also called the Sea of Stars. There, he was repeatedly outmaneuvered by his female parallel counterpart, Merli, before cooperating with Sakura to summon Servants and counter her plans. 212 216 221 224

Personality

Merlin is clever, theatrical, and highly self-preserving. He habitually uses deception, evasive speech, and illusions to escape unfavorable situations, and openly admits fear of dying when facing stronger opponents. 171 175

Despite his unreliable conduct, Merlin has attempted to learn human emotion and act within a moral framework because of his guilt and responsibility toward Artoria. His stated alignment is Lawful Good, distinguishing him from Merli’s more unconstrained behavior. 234

He can become serious when a crisis threatens Artoria, Chaldea, or the world. This includes assisting the exhausted forces against Tiamat’s spawn, asking Chaldea for unconditional trust in his plans, and capturing Merli rather than allowing her chaos to continue unchecked. 82 203 234

Abilities & Skills

Clairvoyance

Merlin possesses high-level Clairvoyance, using it for reconnaissance, tracking, and assessing distant events.

• Tracked the source of the Great Source’s suddenly increased mana from hundreds of kilometers away. 61
• Compared his Clairvoyant sight against normal vision to identify an illusion concealing Artoria’s disappearance. 71
• Monitors battlefields and enemy locations, including Sakura’s group and Chaldea. 175 282
• His future knowledge is incomplete in Sakura’s altered timeline; he retains knowledge of outcomes connected to the original sixteen-year history rather than a fully functioning Counter Force. 61
• His Clairvoyant perceptions can be deceived or manipulated. 71

Illusion and Dream Magecraft

Merlin’s signature Magecraft creates petals, false bodies, altered scenery, and dream-like defenses.

• Creates convincing decoys, including false versions of Gilgamesh and himself. 171 175
• Turned incoming attacks from Sakura, Luó Háo, and Kurumi into a dream through an Inherent Skill manifested as a white tower. 171
• Used illusions and rhetoric to manipulate Fae into breaking Morgan’s tower seal and exploring it on his behalf. 78 79
• Concealed himself and others to escape from battles and infiltrate guarded locations. 171 297
• His illusions can be exposed by sufficiently sharp perception or overwhelming force, as demonstrated by Luó Háo and Sakura. 80 88

Transformation Magecraft

Merlin can transform into a raven for rapid travel and escape.

• Flew hundreds of kilometers after sensing the Great Source’s abnormal mana density. 61
• Escaped Avalon Lake after stealing Excalibur and Avalon from Vivian. 72
• Used raven form to ambush Morgan from above. 73

Hero Creation

Merlin’s flower-like Magecraft can restore and enhance allies.

• Replenished the Magic Power of exhausted fighters battling Lahmu. 203
• Granted a substantial temporary reinforcement, allowing even the Feathered Serpent God to display greater power. 203

Close-Quarters Combat

Unlike Merli, Merlin is a capable close-range fighter and can combine swordsmanship with Magecraft.

• Fought Morgan with a staff and Excalibur, repeatedly damaging her staff during their close-quarters exchange. 73
• Constructed a flower-based magecraft domain while pressuring Morgan with Excalibur. 73
• Merli’s superior Magical Energy is offset by her lack of Merlin’s swordsmanship. 214

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Staff — Merlin’s primary magecraft focus and close-combat weapon. 73
• Excalibur — Stolen from Avalon Lake by controlling Vivian; used against Morgan and in later conflicts. 72 73 85
• Avalon — Excalibur’s scabbard, used to block Morgan’s lethal magic cannon. 72 74
• Tenth Ring of Solomon — A ring lent by Roman that rapidly restored Merlin’s depleted Magic Power and enabled him to overpower Merli and Arthur temporarily. Its backlash left him unable to move. 288
• Merlin’s Tower — A structure in the Sea of Stars that functions as both his residence and the manifestation associated with his dream-based Magecraft. 171 221

Relationships

• Artoria Pendragon — Merlin’s student and the central subject of his long-term plan to preserve Britain’s Divine Era mysteries. His attempts to direct her life caused her lasting resentment. 59 80 81
• Morgan — Adversary and former associate in King Uther’s plans. Merlin opposed her succession, stole Fae treasures to fight her, and later became the target of her revenge. 57 72 74 212
• Sakura Matou / Pandora — Initially hostile opponents who repeatedly tried to outwit one another; later Contract partners during Sakura’s journey to the Sea of Stars. 80 198 212 216
• Merli — Female parallel-world counterpart and persistent rival. Merli repeatedly manipulated Merlin, while Merlin ultimately captured her to hand over to Sakura. 224 234 288
• Vivian — Lady of the Lake whom Merlin controlled through his Nightmare bloodline to steal Excalibur and Avalon. 72
• Titania — Her imprisonment deeply concerned Merlin, allowing Sakura to identify her importance to him. 79
• Ritsuka Fujimaru — Chaldea collaborator who trusted Merlin’s plans; Merlin entrusted Ritsuka with Avalon during the battle against Vortigern. 82 84
• Gilgamesh — Temporary ally whom Merlin extracted from Sakura’s attack through illusion and escape Magecraft. 171
• Fou / Cath Palug — Merlin’s familiar. Merlin knows Fou’s weakness and sought to prevent hostile forces from exploiting it. 85 297
• Gareth — Servant summoned by Merlin in the Sea of Stars. Merlin is protective of her and warns her not to engage with Merli. 224 234

Trivia

• Merlin’s Servant main body remains in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers to lull Tiamat to sleep; many of his appearances are through clones or projections. 171 203
• A clone of Merlin was amalgamated with the concept of a Moon Rabbit, giving it rabbit ears and unstable new power. 307
• Merlin voluntarily confined himself in his tower for over a thousand years due to guilt, despite being able to enter and leave it freely. 221