When West discovers that Merlin's so-called "simple" job is not simple at all, it is too late for him to regret it.

"So, I have to wear this, right?"

Dumbfounded, he looked at the ...... that was said to be the formal attire of Camelot's traditional servants suit, the boy glanced suspiciously at Arthur, who was obviously smiling, and suddenly felt that the great image he had established for more than half a century was likely to collapse tonight.

"Of course, every servant who attends the banquet is dressed like this." Laughing until the corners of his eyes twitched, the King of Carmellot patted his chest and promised, "Don't be shy, West." Merlin: He also wore this...... Unless you can get him back now, you're going to have to follow me like this. ”

“……”

The heart said that the kid probably didn't know that he was crouching in that druid tribe right now to exchange ideas with his followers. West rolled his eyes at the ceiling, refusing to no avail, and had no choice but to put on the so-called 'manservant work clothes'.

"...... **, can I pluck this damn feather off?!!"

"No, you can't. Also, watch your words, boy. ”

- There is no doubt that Arthur simply wanted to see his jokes.

After walking into the hall in his ridiculously rooster-tail-like top hat and receiving a chorus of laughter from the Knights, West was finally sure.

After all, after looking around the Great Hall, he hadn't seen a second servant dressed as fancy as he was—not even the noble ladies with heavy makeup seemed to be as dazzling as he was.

…… For Merlin's sake, how could Camelot have such a naïve king who couldn't be saved!!

I almost want to spray Arthur's blood. West didn't hesitate to pull off the feathers of the demons on his head, and looked helplessly at the group of Knights of the Round Table who were already laughing so much that they didn't know what was going on.

"Actually, this hat is good, it suits you well."

calmly comforted his fried 'little son'. Remembering that Merlin was also fooled by Arthur into wearing this dress to participate in the covenant signing ceremony, Gaius was slightly emotional, and reaffirmed the fact that his 'eldest son' temper was actually much better than West's.

"Please, you have to look like it, Gaius." He threw off the cumbersome red cloak on his body, and only a pullover waistcoat embroidered with the Pendragon family crest remained. West tugged at the sleeve of his shirt that covered the back of his hand, and just wanted to continue to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he sneezed several times:

"Oh shit, I seem to be allergic to these feathers!!"

"Take it easy, you'll have to pour Arthur a drink later." Helping him put his hat far away in the corner, the old doctor patted the young man on the shoulder and motioned for him to look next to the door of the auditorium behind him, "For the celebration of the May Fourth Festival, the king specially invited these wandering entertainers to perform, and they will definitely bring the atmosphere very eagerly...... And that's when Arthur doesn't like his glass to be empty. ”

“…… I know. ”

Nodding his head, he thanked Gaius for the reminder. West looked dejectedly at the strange array of entertainers at the door, and as the doctor said, although the show had not yet begun, just looking at their energetic appearance made people feel relieved from the heart.

- Still, I hope Merlin will come back sooner to take over as his king. After all, as the adopted son of Professor X, he doesn't have much experience serving others.

Thinking so, the young man withdrew his gaze of grievance. In the sound of music that gradually sounded, he picked up the silver flask brought by the attendant, and walked quickly to Arthur, who was on the main seat, to fulfill his duties as a temporary valet.

And the moment West turned his head, a sharp and cold gaze fell on his back at the same time between the noisy wandering artists.

Touching the short knife hidden in the cuff, the man's pupils reflected the king and his servants on the other side of the hall, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

- Tonight, the night will be long.

……

…………

On the fifth moon, the wizard stood quietly among this group of people who served nature.

The wind blew through the deep forest, raising his slightly messy sideburns

There must be a cause and effect of reincarnation in the world, just like the blooming of a flower and the drowning of a drop of water; Under the eyes of the gods, a dark curtain obscures all the long poems that have long been written. The book of life burns out page by page, casting all the fate that has not yet happened into eternity.

"You and King Arthur are two sides of the same coin, Amorris. He is destined to reign in Albion because of you, and you will bring magic back to the land because of his end to the decline of the ancient religions. ”

Bow down respectfully and convey the call from fate to the greatest mage in their eyes. The old priest of the druid put down the cedar staff in his hand, and slowly, looked up into the eyes of the son of all things: "However, this qiē is not eternal. ”

"You mean, our fate is in flux?"

With a slight hint of doubt and temptation in his tone, the black-haired mage frowned. He'd given too much for his fate, and while there was always the risk of it being overturned, it was the first time a druid had said so clearly that it would be changed by something.

"Why?"

Looking at the old man in front of him, Merlin's eyes were calm and quiet, as if he was just so curious.

This is the majesty that belongs to Emorys. As magic itself, the children of the sky and the sea, born of the magic of the gods and ancient religions, could never be the clumsy and ignorant boy he was to the races closest to nature, as he was beside Arthur.

The demeanor is still reverent, and since the druids have Amoris as their guests, they will only do their best to help the mage fulfill his destiny.

"Because the boy who came to you will be the hermit who will take you away from the established path." Under Merlin's silent gaze, the old priest replied.

"You mean, West?"

There was a rare hint of confusion in his eyes. The mage tilted his head, as if he didn't dare to believe the druid's prophecy too much.

"Yes, Emorys."

sighed, though they didn't want to beak Amoreris' friend casually. But that young man of unknown origin, there is no record of him in the Book of Destiny, which really makes people suspicious.

Bowing his head again, the old man's voice sounded a little blurred:

"He is not like a living person, but he is by no means an undead spirit, and there has never been such a strange creature in the three thousand worlds. King Arthur is your destiny, and you will be the 'guide' of that young man...... So, what the future holds, and whether your fate will be better or worse because of him, will all be in your thoughts. ”

- It sounded like he was given a choice.

Thinking so, a hint of complexity flashed in Merlin's eyes. But in fact, he has always been swept up in woven prophecies, and the so-called choice is only a confirmation of the unchangeable fate in the dark. As for the so-called Desterny, he has long learned how to be plain and obedient.

So, so be it.

He and West had known each other for only a few months. What should happen between the two of them may not be something he will be able to see clearly for a while.

Sure that the old man had nothing else to tell, the black-haired mage nodded, turned around and prepared to leave. As soon as he stepped out of the Druid's land, he heard the priest's old, hoarse voice sound behind him again, with the wind and the moonlight, like an echo of the silence of the sky below the water.

"I think I should remind you at the end." The priest recounted on a flat plate, his voice very soft, but it seemed to inexplicably hide a trace of indescribable bewitchment:

"That boy is not a good person. Cursed by endless time, he walked all the way to the dark cliffs, and he was also burdened with the blood of countless undead. ”

"He once pushed his loved ones into hell with his own hands."

The boy's back paused, and the saliva that had been undulating with his footsteps stopped for a moment in the wind, and his light gray eyes were suddenly filled with a kind of seductive confusion and worry.

And the old priest's vague murmuring still did not stop:

"Remember, you only get one chance, don't mistake your trust, Emorys."

"Especially, when the blood-colored red light is closing in on the king you are loyal to tonight."

- His heart will be so strange that it will disappoint you.

……

…………

In the middle of the moon, when the night sky is gradually covered by bright stars, this May Day dinner is also performed by wandering artists on stage to push the atmosphere to the highest. Tide.

‘… I almost fell in love with the quiet of death,

I use all the words of the world in my poems,

Ask it to scatter my breath into the void.

And you go to a dream, and you wake up from a dream,

Suddenly left the world at midnight, with the same time. ’

In the dim light of the candles, the bard sang from table to table, telling the story of the love between a maiden and a knight a long, long time ago. The singing voice that has not been modified by the electronic music and players of the 21st century may really have a magical power, at least, in the poet's melting eyes, he has inadvertently touched the deepest loneliness buried in the bottom of his heart.

The hand that poured the wine for Arthur paused, and in the hoarse whisper, West looked up almost hastily.

‘… You may not be able to trace these shadows in your lifetime;

Whenever I feel the fleeting face,

Maybe it will never be seen again.

- So, on the shore cliffs of the vast world,

I stand alone, pondering,

Until love and fame sink into the sky. ’

‘… Resting here,

Her name was a flash in the pan in the world......

The gentle six-stringed piano swept through the corners of his memory that had never been open. Remorse and grief are like the poison that eats bones, clinging to every corner of the body. It was only behind the dusty walls that the thin shadow of the blue-eyed girl never dissipated, smiling at him with a simple and bright smile forever, as it had done many, many years ago.

Legend has it that the girl and the knight finally parted after a brief meeting. The aspiring sword-wielder stepped into the sunset, and even the flower of love could not retain the sincerity of sacrificing his life for the king.

And in his story, it is the girl who sleeps underwater with a beautiful vision. From then on, the boy buried his most precious part in the wilderness, under the perennial ice of the Alps. He couldn't save her, he couldn't save himself, and in the end even dying by her side became a luxury.

The silver light flashed, the water surface of the memory rippled in circles, and Adelaide's smile finally blurred.

"Don't be in a daze, West."

Apparently not interested in the story of the bard. Arthur touched the back of the makeshift man's hand with his cold glass, and his tone was much more polite than Merlin's: "Pour the wine." ”

"Oh...... Oh. ”

Suddenly came back to his senses from the illusory song realm. West bowed his head and added wine to the king, and at the same time hid the redness from the corners of his eyes in the sweet aroma of the grapes.

"To be honest, I think it's more interesting than the juggling just now."

I drank all the contents of the cup in one go, but I still didn't feel very enjoyable. Arthur smashed his lips and watched with a little interest as the central bard had reached the end of his song, lazily leaning back in his chair and propping up his chin.

"Poetry, hmph, it's just something to trick a little girl."

"If you come across something that resonates with you, you probably won't think like that, Your Majesty."

Leaning over again, he refills the glass. West, who was unconsciously classified as a "little girl" by Arthur, shook his head helplessly, but the depression in his heart dissipated a little.

"Yes." He replied casually and said no more. In the bard's melody at the end of his chant, King Camelot's attention was drawn only to the freshly served herb-roast chicken.

"No amount of wind and snow, amazing love, can compare to a fragrant, well-roasted roast chicken...... You say yes, Serena Williams? ”

"Yes, yes, you'd better take it easy." Made to laugh and cry by Arthur, West reached out to lift the lid of the tray for the impatient king, and his blue eyes were full of smiles:

"Merlin told me that there is no place to punch your belt."

"What?! Merlin's boy——!! ”

Standing in the middle of the staggered hall, the poet once again gathered his voice and closed the curtain to the audience, which was no longer listening. As it was just in time for the second course to be served, the attention of the knights and ministers was as focused on the plate in front of them as the king. Therefore, when the poet smiled and bowed, and slowly pulled out the delicately crafted □□ from his sleeve, no one except Gaius, who had always been interested in poetry, noticed it.

He stood up at once, and almost bumped into the servant who had poured him wine. When the physician saw the landing point in front of the Hidden Arrow, he suddenly shouted in panic at the little tenant who seemed to be ignorant and ignorant in the main seat:

"Be careful!! West——!!! ”

In the end, it is the nerves that have been soaked in danger for many years, even if the incident is sudden, West and Arthur react extremely quickly. Gaeus felt something wrong with the flow of air long before he could speak, and the brown-haired boy almost instinctively raised the tray in his hand and slammed the poisoned murder weapon away just in time for the arrow to pierce his eyebrows. And when he finally realized what had just happened, and wanted to turn back and block Arthur's blow, the young king had already put down the roast chicken that had been raised in front of him, and laughingly stuck a short arrow, and was facing West's eyes full of surprise.

"What the hell is that expression?"

Drawing his sword, he and the knights flipped over the long table and charged towards the Assassins who were hiding among the wandering entertainers. Before passing by the boy, Arthur complained dissatisfiedly:

"Do you really think I'm a straw bale that only eats?!"

“…… I just thought you wouldn't want to discuss what I think of you at a time like this. ”

Sighing and frowning at the chaotic scene in front of him, West shook his head helplessly. How could he not see that the two arrows were not only coming at Arthur, but also apparently intended to kill him as well...... It's just that no one would have thought that it would not be Merlin's valet who knows nothing about hand-to-hand combat to serve the king tonight. Otherwise, even with the most powerful magic in the world, the chances of dodging this fatal blow in time were slim to none.

- Trouble.

Look around. Of course, a good banquet could not be held here, and the leader of the group of assassins fled through the window immediately after the mistake, leaving only a group of minions delaying the knight's pursuit. Naturally, he wouldn't just stand here and let the culprit escape, West sighed, and when another assassin crossed the Arthurian dynasty and pounced on him, he picked up the table knife in his hand, and without hesitation, he staggered, leaving a bright and piercing blood mark on the opponent's throat in an instant.

Acting at the same time as him, but only knocking the enemy unconscious with his elbow. Arthur looked back and saw the blood stains on the young man's shirt and cheeks, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Do you want to chase, Your Majesty?"

He threw a knife through the broken window, only to be narrowly dodged around the corner by the fleeing Assassin leader. Although he thought that their plot to assassinate the king could never be ended with just a hasty blow, West asked.

"Chase."

Glancing at him, Arthur pulled out a sword flower and immediately shouted to all the knights who could break out of the grappling to go after him with him.

Raising an eyebrow, he naturally wouldn't let himself face the danger outside the castle - otherwise it would be strange if Merlin didn't strangle him when he came back. West greeted Gaius, and hurried out after the old doctor's disapproving look.

And now, he may not have imagined what would be destined to await him in the cold and damp forest outside the city walls, which was waiting for him with bated breath in the dark.