Chapter 461

"That makes sense, very true."

Merlin slumped his shoulders. "That's why I dislike REM sleep, where the mind is only half-awake."

Although he was initially frustrated, he quickly recovered and rallied.

"However, although I am a Merlin with absolutely no credibility, I still hope you will welcome me this time."

The reason... yes, the reason!

Is it because you're troubled by Artoria's situation?

Then it's my turn! Leave this little thing to me!

Judging from his remarks, this man should indeed be Artoria's teacher.

Shirou seemed to understand why Artoria was the way she was.

The Flower Magus (♂) wore a knowing look.

"Oh dear... Artoria has always been a very stubborn girl."

Once they pick up the Holy Lance, they become completely obedient, and now they've practically become deified—

Seriously, who gave her this stuff...?

Although it has nothing to do with me, I still feel deeply sorry for you.

"Fu--!"

Just then, a white shooting star streaked across the sky.

A furry creature fell down and hit Merlin in the face, sending him flying several meters.

"Fu, Fu! (It's you, you stupid dream demon!)"

Shirou looked surprised: What is this cute creature? And... can it speak human language?

"It's not that it can talk, but because this is a dream, you can understand what it's saying."

Merlin, leaning on his wand, got up from the ground.

"But I really didn't expect that you didn't know about Cathy Palug's existence? That's quite unexpected."

But it seems very close to you; as long as Fou is around, I can't keep lecturing you.

It seems we'll have to wait a while longer to see this expectation fulfilled...

The suspicious man, who called himself Merlin, said this while brushing the dust off his clothes.

"There's no other way, let's get straight to the point."

As you know, Artoria has now formed an alliance with another version of me... cough cough, with Lady Avalon (my sister).

Once those two join forces, everything will be over, so I'll assist you instead.

The strongest King Arthur (you) & the strongest Merlin (me) --

Our combination of the two of us can definitely stand up to them.

"How about it, doesn't that sound like a good suggestion?"

Shirou frowned. "Wait a minute, Master (my Merlin) is the strongest Merlin."

"... Is that the point!?" Merlin couldn't help but complain.

Although it was suspicious, the man's offer was indeed very attractive.

If she wanted to fight against the goddess-like Artoria and her teacher, it would be too difficult for her to do it all by herself.

Let alone stop them, Shirou doesn't even know where those two are or what they're plotting.

"Fou, Fu! (Wait, we can't completely trust this guy yet.)"

The little white beast, held in Shirou's arms, reminded him.

"Understood, I accept your proposal."

After a moment's thought, Shirou finally took Merlin's outstretched hand.

Let's just assume Merlin tricked me; after all, it's not the first or second time I've been fooled by my teacher.

"Fu~ (Sigh...)"

"So what should we do next?" the boy asked.

"Actually, I've run into a little trouble and I hope you can come and help me." The Nightmare suddenly changed the subject.

Shirou looked suspicious. "Isn't Artoria's matter the most important thing?"

"No, no, no, what I'm dealing with concerns the very survival of Human History."

To be honest, the reason I'm in this mess is because of you, which caused a phase shift... Please, I beg your help, Arthur from another world."

Merlin smiled broadly, holding Shirou's hand tightly and refusing to let go.

The little white beast sighed helplessly.

"Fu, Fu~ (That's why I said you can't trust this guy.)"

In the towering royal palace at the very center of Uruk, the king rested his chin on his hand on his throne, looking impatient.

"Merlin hasn't been heard from for two days, what on earth is he doing...!"

Two days ago, the Magecraft Merlin announced that in order to compensate for the loss of several Heroic Spirit, he would go to another era to find new forces, and thus left Uruk.

The fortifications currently in place in Uruk, while capable of withstanding attacks from Magical Beast, are still insufficient in terms of combat strength when considering the real threat— the Three Goddess Alliance.

"Although I think that's probably unlikely, could it be that he escaped? That guy..."

The King of Uruk muttered to himself as he read the report on the stone tablet.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from below the palace.

"My lord, Lord Merlin has returned!"

Wang lazily raised his head, and then he saw it.

Merlin appeared inside the hall, along with the red-haired boy he was pulling along.

"Wow..."

Gilgamesh, the Golden King, gazed at Shirou, his eyes narrowing with interest.

"Bastard, where have we met before--"

"Huh? Isn't that Gilgamesh?"

Shirou stared in astonishment at the incredibly weak King of Heroes on the throne.

"Long time no see! Why do you look like you're about to suddenly die?"

--

Volume 7: Chapter 301 Declaring War on Ishtar!

"Insolent fool! How dare you utter curses before the King!"

The soldiers in the main hall of the palace swarmed forward, surrounding Shirou and Merlin together.

The Flower Magus (♂) quickly raised his hands. "No, wait a minute! There's some misunderstanding here..."

Ladies and gentlemen, I understand your reverence for the King, but this person didn't mean any harm; he just has an unconscious tendency to be sarcastic...

Merlin spoke while casting a pleading glance at King Gilgamesh.

However, the golden-haired, red-eyed king wore an expression of keen interest, looking down at the scene with a sly smile.

Damn it... this guy's got a real knack for entertaining people!

If things continue like this, the reinforcements I painstakingly brought in will be sent to jail within five seconds of the game starting—the reputation of the Grand Magic Merlin will be ruined! Although he didn't have a good reputation to begin with!

Okay, so what are you planning to do?

Gilgamesh put down the stone tablet in his hand and looked at Shirou Amamiya with anticipation.

Even though the king's "Clairvoyance" was far from its peak, he could still understand the astonishing power within this red-haired boy with just one glance.

However, does he truly possess the heroic qualities that once defeated this king?

Having been caught up in this undeserved disaster, surely we can't just let it go like this?

Come, let me see your clown performance!

"..."

Shirou's gaze swept over the soldiers in the palace; each one exuded a menacing aura, swords drawn.

Even though the king on the throne hadn't said anything yet, they spontaneously rushed forward.

It would be impossible to do this without genuine love and respect for the king one serves.

"Snort."

Shirou showed a not-too-surprised expression and turned to look at Gilgamesh was watching from the sidelines.

"King Gilgamesh, is this how Uruk welcomes its guests?"

Even in these extraordinary times, the education of subordinates should not be completely neglected.

"With your subordinate behaving like this, even the king will look down on you. For example, I'm already starting to despise you."

"Damn it, they're even slandering our king..."

The soldiers were even more enraged after hearing Shirou's words, but--

"Call."

"?"

Hahahaha!

Gilgamesh slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

"I see... It seems he's definitely not an ordinary bastard... Hahahaha!"

The soldiers were stunned by the king's appearance, completely bewildered by his attitude.

Just then, the young woman who had been standing under the jade throne spoke.

"Everyone, put your weapons away now!"

The woman, dressed in a green priestly robe and with half her face covered by a black veil, was none other than Siduri, the high priestess of Uruk and an advisor to King Gilgamesh.

When she walked up to Shirou, the soldiers quickly made way for her.

"Please forgive everyone's rudeness. You must be the distinguished guest invited by the Magecraft Merlin."

"Yes, yes, that's what I said from the beginning!"

The Flower Magus (♂) finally found a chance to interject and moved closer to Shirou.

Siduri said, "Isn't it because Lord Merlin is always like that that his reputation has also been damaged?"

So, I've also been mistaken for a suspicious person who disrespected Wang, just like you...? Please be more careful with your words and actions in the future.

"Gurgle." Merlin made a face of abdominal pain.

"That's right, it's all your own fault... You've finally met your match, Merlin, hahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"

"Your Majesty, how long do you intend to stop laughing?"

"Ahem." Gilgamesh looked embarrassed.

Please allow me to apologize on your behalf.

Siduri turned to face the red-haired boy and bowed her head deeply in apology.

Shirou shook his head and said, "No, it's nothing. In the end, it's all Merlin's fault."

"It's wonderful that you understand it that way," Siduri said with a smile.

"The two of you reached a consensus and became united against a common enemy the moment you met!"

Merlin's face turned pale, sensing that his future in Uruk was probably bleak.