Merlin

Seeing the cowlick on Arthur's head, Leon was rocked by a storm of emotions.

A short King Arthur with a cowlick, and a delicate, girlish appearance...

Leon felt as if he had crossed into another world all over again.

Was this really Warhammer?

"Arthur, you're a girl, aren't you?"

Arthur looked surprised. She could feel that the other person's obvious hostility had vanished as he asked.

Before she could answer, Kay, her older brother, cut in. "Arthur is a nobody. There's no need to discuss her. What matters now is the issue between the Camelot Court and you."

Their reactions only confirmed Leon's suspicions.

She really was a girl!

Leon remembered watching a comedy anime from Type-Moon in his previous life. The heroine pulled out her cowlick and turned evil, becoming Black Saber... That scene had made such an impression on him that he recognized her immediately.

If Arthur was a girl, then this was the Nasuverse.

Arthur was Artoria.

Then what am I doing here?

He was Lion El'Jonson, a Primarch. How had he suddenly ended up in the Nasuverse?

Where was the Emperor?

Was He just going to watch His eldest son get stranded in another world?

There aren't many humans over three meters tall. Could this be the world of One Piece?

But that didn't add up either!

Leon had learned about the world beyond the island. There was no World Government or Four Emperors of the Sea out there... though the Europa Continent across the water was home to many barbarians and the long-collapsed Roman Empire.

Or was this Tzeentch's scheme?

Had his arrival drawn Tzeentch's attention to his unusual soul, prompting the Chaos God to reshape this planet and set a trap for him?

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Leon's mind, but none of them made sense.

It was his own fault for not studying Warhammer lore properly back on Earth. He wasn't even a casual fan. He hadn't looked deeply into the Nasuverse either, and had only watched a few of its anime. Now that he needed the knowledge, he regretted not having more.

"Phew..."

Leon exhaled. There was no point dwelling on it now. He couldn't figure it out all at once.

For now, he would simply remain wary of everything around him.

His top priority was to take control of this country. He could deal with everything else later.

Looking at Kay, who was shielding his "younger brother," Leon asked, "What does the Camelot Court intend to do? The Court itself confirmed that whoever draws the Sword in the Stone becomes king. Surely you aren't going to deny that now?"

"This isn't something a lowly knight like me can decide. Important people from the Court will speak with you in person."

Kay took out his backpack. The gesture put the surrounding knights on alert, fearing he might be an assassin.

Surrounded by their blades, Kay remained calm. He opened his backpack and showed its contents to the knights and Leon: it was stuffed with all sorts of red and pink flower petals.

As soon as he opened it, the room filled with a rich floral scent.

Kay said, "There's an influential Magecraft user in the royal palace, named Merlin. He wants to appear and speak with you in person."

Recalling Merlin's appearance in the Nasuverse anime he'd watched in his previous life, Leon understood what Kay was planning. He raised a hand, signaling him to continue.

With Leon's permission, Kay scattered the flower petals into the air.

A gentle breeze swept the petals through the air. Amid the shower of flowers, a white figure slowly appeared. With a soft thump, his feet touched down in the church.

"Here I am, here I am! It's your handsome big brother Merlin!"

A rather flippant voice rang out. Leon studied the great Magecraft user, Merlin. He wore white robes, had white hair, and held a wooden staff. A dashing smile played across his handsome face, but he overdid it so much that it seemed fake.

Leon looked at Merlin's face, which seemed to breathe through its cheeks. He was exactly like the character in the game's animated scenes.

Merlin stepped in front of Arthur and Kay, lightly tapping his staff against the ground. When he saw Leon sitting on it, surprise crossed his face. He bowed slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lion King. You're even taller and more valiant than the rumors said."

Hearing Merlin call him that, Kay frowned and glanced at the unperturbed Artoria beside him.

Leon took in all three of their expressions and could roughly guess what they were thinking. "Merlin, you called me king. Does that mean the Camelot Court recognizes my claim to the throne?"

"Whoever draws the Sword in the Stone becomes king. Those words were mine to begin with. Since you drew the sword, I have no objections." Under Kay's increasingly dark expression, Merlin remained entirely unperturbed, smiling as calmly as ever.

"What happened to the king you were grooming?" Leon's gaze swept casually over them. Kay immediately pulled Artoria behind him.

"Lion King, you certainly know a lot."

As he spoke, Merlin gestured for the two behind him to relax. But faced with such a critical question, Kay and Artoria clearly couldn't keep calm.

They were still young, after all, and lacked experience.

Merlin sighed softly. Though he didn't understand human emotions as they did, he could read people's innermost thoughts well enough. He could tell the young lion had no murderous intent toward the three of them. In particular, he had probably already figured out the true identity of Artoria, his student.

But why?

Though they had only just met, Merlin could tell this lion was no gentle soul. He was ambitious, sinister, and ruthless. Since he had guessed Artoria's identity, why hadn't he killed her on the spot to eliminate a potential threat?

Was he plotting something sinister, or did he intend to use Artoria for some purpose...

"Since you could draw the sword, fate has chosen you. No one else has the right to decide otherwise. Of course, that's only my personal opinion. I can't guarantee how the others will feel."

Since the other man had no intention of attacking, Merlin felt relieved. He agreed with Leon's words.

If they did fight, even a handsome great Magecraft user like him wouldn't dare claim certain victory, especially when he also had to protect Kay and Artoria.

"That's fine. In all of Camelot, you're the only one I'm wary of, Merlin."

Leon stood and took up the Sword in the Stone. His massive frame approached the three of them, casting a shadow that swallowed Merlin whole.

Merlin looked up, trying to make out Leon's face, but all he saw was darkness.

"Merlin, is this really the first time we've met? I thought your eyesight was always excellent."

Leon had played the Type-Moon gacha game too. Though he'd never managed to pull the red support Merlin because of his terrible luck, he had watched the anime and knew a little about Merlin's lore.

As far as he knew, Merlin was a human and Incubus hybrid, with exceptional Clairvoyance. He could see everything happening in the present, and everything that took place on this planet was visible to him. He could even use it to predict what would happen in the future.

Leon felt he stood out from the rest of humanity like a crane among chickens. Merlin had probably been watching him ever since he first came into the world.

"My eyes aren't merely good. They're among the few highest-grade Clairvoyance abilities in the world. They let me see everything happening in the present, and very little escapes them."

Merlin looked entirely self-assured, clearly proud of his Clairvoyance. But when he looked at the giant before him, his expression soon turned calm.

"Even with eyes this powerful, I still can't see your existence."

"Hm?"

Leon was taken aback. Merlin's words were unexpected. Could it be that his soul had crossed over from another world and his body was that of a Primarch, making his status too exalted for even the highest-grade Clairvoyance to penetrate?

He had no idea whether Merlin was telling the truth.

"You're not lying to me?"

If even Merlin's Clairvoyance was useless against him, then Future Sight of the same level probably couldn't observe him either. All kinds of prophecies would be unable to chart the course of his life.

"Of course not." Merlin was blunt. "I can only see you with my own eyes when I'm face-to-face with you like this. Ordinarily, I can't observe you. Just now, for instance, I could only watch how everyone else reacted to figure out that you'd drawn the Sword in the Stone."

"I see." Leon lifted the Sword in the Stone and held it horizontally in front of Merlin. "Speaking of this sword, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Can you undo the Magecraft on this sword?"

Looking at the sword before him and the spell carved into it, Merlin couldn't help exclaiming inwardly, despite his smile.

The Magecraft on it is still there?