At the end of the day, when he returned to Gaius's hut, the black-haired mage had already left.

West wasn't surprised by this, but felt a little lucky. After all, no matter how broad-minded he was, no matter how much he persuaded himself not to be bitter about that quarrel, he didn't have the nerve to the point where he could immediately face the person he had just fallen out with without embarrassment...... Especially, the man was Merlin.

Merlin.

The tip of the tongue glides into a light and gentle arc. When his name is silently recited, it seems that even the dust in the air will emit light. Perhaps since he was ten years old, he had never lived with anyone else as an ordinary person, and before West knew it, he had put such a young boy who was less than half his age in such an important position. Even if he stabbed him so hard in the heart, he never had the slightest resentment, or the idea of throwing his hand away.

- On the other hand, he probably has been lonely for too long.

Glancing over the room that had been neatly cleaned up by the boys, the teacups on the table with hot water poured into them, and even the new-looking water tank in the corner that made Gaius complain, West lowered his eyes and thought. Perhaps, as Merlin said, he has really fallen into the dark hatred for too long, and he will instinctively want to get closer, and he will not be able to let go of such a plain but real tenderness in front of him.

"You know, in Merlin's character, although he can give a lot for Arthur, it is for himself...... He will never hesitate to sacrifice you for this. ”

When he heard this, West had just returned from collecting medicine from the forest, and was sitting on the high wall of Camelot Castle in a daze. Beside him, Lancelot, the 'Knight of the Lake', also lazily leaned on the edge of the city, looking at the magnificent sunset in the distance. Not far away, the other Knights of the Round Table were on their training ground for a day's routine, and the sound of metal handovers came and went, while the high-cheeked boy with a brightly colored saliva pocket stood quietly and watched quietly, the afterglow of the setting sun falling in front of his eyes, pulling a long, long shadow on the grass behind him.

"None of us have the right to put your past in the background, Serena Williams, and those who don't know you shouldn't blame you from the perspective of what they take for granted...... But, as your friend, we will also worry about you because of this. ”

Lancelot knew the secret of Merlin's magic, and based on this, he was surprisingly high at accepting the equally unusual West. Turning his head, the knight, who had not been modified from that night's memory, shrugged his shoulders unconsciously, and said this, with a gentle and wise deep smile in his eyes:

"You have to believe that Merlin does care about you very much. Otherwise, why should he be angry, why should he risk letting you lose control and anger you, just not wanting to see you fall so in hatred? ”

"So, you mean I should actually thank him for being so upright?"

The listless chin was propped up, and his eyes narrowed in the afterglow. Under the warm orange glow, the young man's crystal clear eyes like jewels became more and more thrilling.

Noncommittal, he chuckled softly:

"It's not a good habit to keep it short, Lance."

"I just hope you're all okay."

The overlapping hands parted, drawing a shallow arc in mid-air. The knight raised the corners of his mouth helplessly, and turned his gaze to the young man's side face, which was plated with a layer of soft gold in the setting sun, and his eyebrows were picturesque, looking more and more cold and gentle.

"Arthur was about to gather his army and go to Barton Hill to defend against the Saxons who were invading on the border. If you don't reconcile before the knights set out, this march will not be worth looking forward to. ”

As before, West was still smiling.

……

Because the previous assassination of the Saxons caused panic among the entire Camelots, and Mojana colluded with these Germanic tribes from the north to invade the northwest frontier again. Seeing that the battle could not be left unfought, Arthur and the Ministers of the Legislature gathered the Knights of the Round Table and hurried to Barton Hill, intending to repel all the outsiders there and drive them out of Britain once and for all.

As apprentices to the king's valet and court physician, Merlin and West were logically bound to go on expeditions with the army.

- It reminded him a little bit of the time when he went on missions all over the world.

Staring at the blazing bonfire in front of him, its fiery tails curling through the air, occasionally pouring out a scattered ember or two. The brown-haired boy sat casually in a remote clearing by the fire, lazily raising his head, thinking.

Unlike Cyclops and the others, he really didn't have much talent for teaching, and Charles probably didn't want him to share any murderous experience with his students, so he spent a lot of time in the middle of the year. Of course, he was homesick at first, especially when he noticed that many children in the school would forget about this nominal teacher who was often missing. But then, as the near-endless time passes in futility, he gradually learns to talk to himself in solitude, to let his mind stand still in the endless years, instead of banishing his soul almost to himself.

He is like a hermit with a lamp in his hand, and silence and loneliness are the only sources of wisdom. He had dreams, passions, and indulgences, but time had frozen his body and his yearning in a cage forged by time, and he had to keep his heart silent for the sake of the present and the long life ahead.

There seemed to be a hoarse sound behind him of shoe soles stepping on fallen leaves. Immediately, with a subtle chant, countless tiny embers instantly rose from the chaotic and flickering firelight in front of him, intertwining and changing various shapes in mid-air. Probably didn't expect such a show, West was stunned, turned his head to look at the visitor, and couldn't help the smile on his face:

"Merlin, what are you doing here?"

"Uh...... I see you sitting here......" fingers scratched their cheeks unconsciously. The black-haired mage looked at the tent not far away, and then at the young man in front of him, and seemed to be embarrassed:

"What do you think, what do you say...... It seemed like someone needed to speak, so I came. ”

At the end, he also cautiously glanced at West's expression, his gaze was clean and clear: "I didn't ...... Well, bother you, right? ”

"Of course not."

This time it was a real laugh, and the boy moved to the side, leaving enough room for the boy. He knew that Merlin had been watching this side from the beginning, and he knew that those light gray eyes were full of all kinds of emotions, but there was no fear or alienation. If his heart is cold and hard enough, enough to face the lingering blood of his life, he still does not refuse to leave a piece of willing softness for himself, just like Merlin, just like Alai.

The forests of early spring are still bone-chilling. Moving towards the source of warmth, the boy stretched out his somewhat frozen hands. The bonfire was already showing signs of malaise because of neglect, and West tried to get up to get some dry wood, but was stopped by Merlin—in a corner where no one could see, the black-haired boy just pointed at each other, and the extinguished flame was revived, burning with joy and eagerness.

"What are you thinking?" There was silence for a while, expecting that they would just say nothing, but West heard Merlin speak first.

So, with a little surprise and doubt, he replied honestly, "I'm homesick." ”

"Would you like to?" Maybe I didn't expect the teenager to give such an answer so neatly. The mage's voice was open for a few seconds, and then he filled in hoarsely:

"They, I mean your family...... Definitely, it must be all good for you. ”

The people who love you will accept you even if you are crippled. The boy forgot who had told him, but there was no doubt that the traveler who had always been cold between his brows could reveal such a bright and gentle feeling, and that the man he loved must have a generous and selfless heart.

- So I'll never be able to compare, because I've hurt his sincerity.

Merlin stared at the fire in front of him, silently thinking, a suffocating clog in his chest.

"Yes, they're all good to me." But the young man said with a smile, and his eyes were reflected in the flickering firelight.

"Just like you and Gaius, Merlin."

……

Perhaps because I have lived on the vast North American continent all year round, I have long been accustomed to the long and distant borders. Therefore, when King Arthur announced that they had reached the border Barton Hill the next evening, West did not react for a moment.

But no matter how he feels, war never waits for anyone. As soon as the Knights of the Round Table had scattered themselves in an ambush in the vast valley according to their pre-arrangement, and before they could wait for the next instructions, the men sent from the front to reconnoiter came to report that the Saxons had gone up the hill from the trail and were about to reach the mountain stream where they had set up an ambush.

What followed was a close raid.

Because it really didn't help, Gaius was placed in the safest place from the very beginning, waiting to treat every wounded who was sent down from the battlefield. And Merlin was called by the doctor because he didn't look like he could fight. Coupled with a West, who was able to fight but was forced to be divided into the old, weak, sick and disabled, the three of them stood in the camp near the ridge, watching from a distance as the knights of Camelot were on par with their opponents, and the sound of the battle resounded through the valley, and their faces were all worried and anxious, especially Merlin.

And when the evil sorcerer sent by Mojana began to appear on the battlefield, using magic to wreak havoc on Camelot's side, causing Yan Zòng casualties, his expression was noticeably more ugly.

"Mojana intervened, Arthur couldn't resist the magic, I can't sit idly by anymore."

The druid's familiar Amorites-like majesty and solemnity began to emerge in his eyes. Merlin quickly rummaged through the medicine bag that West had brought, finding the Aging Curse Healing potion that Gaius had prepared for him in advance.

"Thankfully, we had anticipated this...... Now it's really your turn, Merlin. ”

nodded, although he was also worried about the boy's safety, but this was obviously not the time to grind and chirp. Gaius glanced at the scuffling crowd at his feet, and soon discovered the enemy's intentions: "The wizards are aiming at Arthur, and they want to kill the king of Carmellot first, so that our army will be defeated without a fight." ”

"So I'm going to deal with those people."

Looking around, he was sure where his fellow magicians were, but then he couldn't go to the knights' battlefield to protect Arthur. The black-haired mage hesitated, turned back uncertainly, and looked at his cohabitant with some hesitation: "Xiao Wei, you ......"

"I'll protect Arthur, and you can rest assured that you're on the battlefield, Merlin."

Of course, knowing what the pleading under the boy's eyes was for, West nodded without hesitation.

"Then please!"

He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that as long as this young man was there, his king would always be safe. Merlin didn't bother any longer, turned around and grabbed a cloak and ran towards the dense jungle on the mountainside.

And as soon as he had taken two steps, as if remembering something, the boy suddenly stopped again, and shouted at the top of his voice:

"Serena Williams! Remember, if it's not a last resort—"

"Don't use abilities, I know!!"

Already washed down a steep slope. The young man's answer came from afar in the wind, and together with the chill of the metal sword, it drifted away in the slowly descending night.

Nodding in satisfaction, Merlin turned again and headed for the battlefield that belonged only to Amorris.

However, the boy did not expect it. It was precisely because of this last reminder that he spent a long time in regret and repentance.

- He never realized what he was going to lose.