Chapter 47: The Magician Who Knows Everything
"Infiltrate the lair, gather intelligence."
It sounded easy, but it was by no means a simple task.
The enemy was not some mediocre commoner, but the Usurper King who had dominated this island with a terrifying reputation for a decade. Even if all the Britons despised his despicable method of bringing in foreign tribes to achieve victory, they had to admit that he was indeed an enemy so powerful he was considered invincible.
Otherwise, King Uther would not have created Artoria, a "red dragon in human skin," to confront the White Dragon King.
"Ordinary scouts would probably be annihilated by the Usurper King's power before they even get close to the city."
"If we use a frontal feint to attract his attention and then send a small elite cavalry unit to strike at the Usurper King's lair... it seems feasible, but both the choice of the person to lead the main force and the route for the surprise attack must be carefully considered."
Artoria seemed a bit troubled.
She wanted to come up with a foolproof plan. She needed to find out Vortigern's true situation while ensuring the maximum preservation of her own effective forces—preferably achieving zero casualties.
But Morgan told her it didn't have to be that complicated.
"You can go ask Merlin."
"That guy knows everything—but if you don't ask, he won't say a thing!"
—The red dragon princess, who had ostensibly reconciled with Merlin but still despised the magician from the bottom of her heart, spoke about this matter in a tone as if she were discussing trash.
...
Artoria found Merlin in Bailong's sanctuary.
This magician, who always liked to provoke women, had somehow angered another noble lady—and had no choice but to take "refuge" in this divine domain that outsiders couldn't find.
To be honest, Bailong did not welcome this magician's arrival.
But for the sake of the little white beast he had brought with him, he reluctantly opened the gates of his sanctuary for Merlin.
"Fou—"
It was a very interesting scene.
On one side was the small, white beast, only thirty or forty centimeters long without its tail.
On the other side was the massive dragon, as large as a towering mountain.
The contrast between these two "beasts" was so stark, yet they were playing together in an unbelievably harmonious way.
"They seem to get along very well!"
Artoria, who had come to this sanctuary, happened to see Bailong tossing the little beast high with his tail, then letting it slide down his back like a slide.
She was a little surprised by Bailong's childishness—but on second thought, this Bailong seemed to be just a three-year-old child. It was only because of his overly exaggerated size that people subconsciously forgot his real age.
"Yes, I really hope they can stay this close forever."
The magician smiled, expressing his true thoughts in words that the current Artoria couldn't understand at all.
Then, the conversation inevitably turned to the matter of the Usurper King, and Morgan's evaluation of the magician.
"I've been wronged!"
The magician howled, his face showing a very sorrowful expression, as if he had truly suffered some great injustice.
"The things I don't tell you are because I can't get involved in the disputes of ordinary humans, it's definitely not because I'm deliberately hiding them!"
"But then again, when it comes to the matter of that White Dragon King, I can make an exception and tell you about it!"
The magician winked, deliberately putting on a mysterious air, his expression returning to normal in an instant.
—And this was why Morgan disliked him so much.
Fake!
Everything about this magician, from top to bottom, had not a trace of truth; it was all fake.
As a half-incubus, half-human, all the emotions he showed were a pretense—or rather, they were just him acting out "what expression to show in what situation" based on his observations of humans.
...
The magician who knew everything decided to tell the story of the White Dragon King properly.
Where should he begin?
"There's still some time, so let's start from the very beginning."
At that time, Vortigern was not yet the White Dragon King he was now, just the leader of a small tribe, a warrior slightly stronger than the average person.
Just like the Artoria who had been struggling in that mountain valley before, this Usurper King, now despised by all Britons, also had a "legendary" experience.
"He was a man who invaded like fire."
"Under his leadership, his tribe gradually grew and became one of the largest forces."
"But due to his aggressive—well, actually, plundering policies, the other feudal lords were very disgusted and fearful of him."
"So, under their recommendation, your father king united with other feudal lords to launch a 'righteous' punitive war against him."
That was also the battle that made King Uther famous.
After successfully defeating Vortigern, Uther was elected as the leader of Britain, nominally ruling over all the kings.
"But Vortigern did not die in that punitive war."
"Although he was defeated, and even lost all of his tribe... he still survived, surviving on a heart full of anger and the desire for revenge."
"With his kingdom destroyed and barely escaping with his life, he realized that he couldn't be a match for so many people—so he began to seek the help of [Mystery]."
"It was a very arduous journey, but he succeeded. He really found the greatest miracle left on this island."
At this point, Merlin paused and looked around.
When he saw that everyone's attention was focused on him, all seriously listening to the "story" he was painting, he nodded with satisfaction and said the name that was very important not only to Vortigern, but also to this island, and even to this world:
"Albion."
"That is the name of a dragon, the last true dragon of the Age of Gods, who died on the surface of the earth because it didn't return to the Reverse Side of the World in time—my apologies, Your Majesty the White Dragon, you didn't exist at that time."
"That Vortigern... no one knows how he did it. But he really found the remains of the dragon Albion and stole the power hidden in that corpse."
"—And when he returned, he was the White Dragon King known to the world."
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