Arthur remained silent for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond.
For some reason, he had the feeling that Scáthach already knew something.
She simply didn't know all the details yet.
Should I just tell the truth or not?
Arthur sat down on the edge of the bed, quietly pondering these thoughts.
Seeing the worried expression on Arthur's face, Scáthach quickly shook her head. "It's fine. As long as you don't go to dangerous places alone, you can do whatever you want."
Master let me off so easily…?
Arthur quickly realized what was happening and looked up in surprise.
Noticing the astonishment in her apprentice's eyes, Scáthach simply sighed, raised her hand, and ruffled Arthur's hair, saying seriously, "You're already fifteen years old. Naturally, you need to have your own privacy. As long as it doesn't involve anything that puts you in danger, I won't interfere."
"Thank you, Master," was the only response Arthur could manage.
Scáthach nodded slightly. "There's something else you need to know. The blood of the Black Dragon contains a certain violent element. You'll need at least a week to assimilate it, and even then, there will be some drawbacks."
"What are the drawbacks?" Arthur asked.
"Do you remember Cú Chulainn's Berserker state when he crossed the Bridge of Trials?"
When Cú Chulainn crossed the Bridge of Trials, his power surged due to overload, and his body also underwent a strange transformation. If he hadn't been a demigod, he would likely have completely lost his sanity.
However, Cú Chulainn's immense power also stemmed from this. Once transformed into a Berserker, his combat strength increased exponentially. Furthermore, thanks to the blessing of his father, Lugh, he still retained enough sanity to return to normal after the battle.
"In other words, once I consume the essential blood of the Black Dragon, I'll need to restrain myself in battle. Otherwise, I might completely lose my mind due to the excess power?" Arthur asked.
Scáthach nodded lightly and placed the small vial—now containing only a small amount of dragon essence—into Arthur's hand. "Think carefully before deciding whether to take it."
Arthur stared at the liquid in the bottle and sank into deep thought.
Scáthach said nothing. She simply sat on the edge of the bed, silently waiting for Arthur's final answer.
"What do you think I should do, Master?" After thinking for a long time, he turned to Scáthach and asked.
"That decision is yours," Scáthach said, her gaze fixed on Arthur, her eyes shining with an unusual light.
She wouldn't be disappointed if her apprentice refused.
If he rejected the Black Dragon's essence, another path would open before him.
He marries Nessa and spends the rest of his life in the Land of Shadows.
However, if he wanted to become stronger—or even reach her level—the Black Dragon's essence wasn't strictly indispensable. Still, due to his physical weakness, Arthur would face the same problem sooner or later.
After long contemplation, Arthur nodded. "I wish to obtain the Black Dragon's essence, Master."
He had no choice. Without the Black Dragon's essence, even with the power of the magical cauldron, he still wouldn't have the strength to survive freely in this era.
Moreover, as long as he didn't use his Berserker form, there shouldn't be any problems.
Cú Chulainn could maintain his mental clarity even in that form because he was a demigod.
But Arthur was different. He didn't have that gift. If he entered that state, he would cease to be himself.
The blessing of the Goddess of Death had made him immune to most verbal enchantments, such as the concept of "death" that Morgan had used that day, which had been ineffective against Arthur.
However, only with Lugh's blessing—or with immense mental strength—could he maintain lucidity even in Berserker form.
"So… this really is your final decision?" Hearing Arthur's answer, Scáthach unconsciously showed a faint smile. "Don't worry. If you ever enter a Berserker state, I'll stop you."
Scáthach had no intention of revealing her plan to seek out Lugh and obtain his blessing for her apprentice at that moment. She didn't know whether she could find Lugh, and even if she did, he might not help Arthur.
"If anything happens, you can ask the gate guard to come and call me." Watching Arthur's determined expression, Scáthach gave his head a satisfied pat before turning and leaving the room.
After Scáthach's departure, Arthur could hardly wait to open the vial of Black Dragon essence. The blood flowing inside the small bottle rippled with a dazzling, frenzied glow.
This was the essence of a Black Dragon refined by Scáthach. Only in this way could Arthur's body avoid death from being unable to withstand the frenzied power of the essence.
Since Scáthach had already filtered the blood essence through the magical cauldron, Arthur didn't need to perform any complicated steps. He simply swallowed the blood essence and sat down beside the bed.
Then, after a brief moment, he paused.
"How strange… why don't I feel anything? Is this fake?"
Boom!
The moment that thought crossed his mind, his heart began pounding violently.
Arthur clutched his chest as he felt the heavy thumping of his heart, his blood seeming to boil like magma.
With every breath, it felt as though his heart would burst out of his chest, causing searing pain.
Then he felt as if needles were piercing his entire body at once. The intense pain nearly made him faint. Arthur clenched his teeth and immediately began using healing runes on himself, which slightly alleviated the pain.
But the newly healed areas felt as if they were being stabbed by even deeper needles. Arthur bit his lip hard, and the instant he felt the sting, the healing runes activated again, mending his painful wounds.
While Arthur was still enduring this agonizing process, Scáthach sat upon her throne, her hand supporting her cheek, legs crossed, gazing at the sky outside the hall.
Keep going, my apprentice… Once you pass this stage, your training will be much smoother from here on.
Though painful, this was the price to be paid to attain power. Moreover, if he wished to reach the pinnacle, the Black Dragon's Essence was only the beginning of the journey.
Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
During that week, Arthur stayed at home, experiencing searing pain and the joy of growing stronger hand in hand every day.
He felt his physical strength increasing day by day, something that became evident during training a week later.
Before, when Scáthach was at sea, he could exchange about ten blows with her before being knocked down. Now, he could easily exchange forty blows.
Because of this incident, Arthur hadn't seen Morgan or Artoria for a week. He wanted to go out and tell them, but Scáthach said his condition was too unstable and that he couldn't leave the Land of Shadows without permission, so Arthur had no choice but to give up.
Two weeks later.
"You're in much better shape than before," Scáthach said, looking at Arthur, who was standing in front of her.
Since merging with the Black Dragon's essence, his physical strength and magical capacity had been steadily increasing. Moreover, he had grown nearly fifteen centimeters—his previous height was 170 cm, and now he stood at 182 cm.
"All of this is thanks to your guidance, Master. I would never have been able to reach this level on my own." Arthur shook his head, without the slightest trace of pride.
Without Scáthach's help—and if Nessa hadn't taken him to steal the dragon's essence—his endurance would still be as weak as ever.
It could be said that both Scáthach and Nessa had helped him immensely.
"No arrogance or impatience. Very good," Scáthach nodded lightly. "I believe you can defeat that Nessa now. Reducing her arrogance will make her train harder."
Hearing this, Arthur simply shook his head and smiled wryly. "If I attack Nessa, won't she just refuse to fight back?"
"Then keep fighting until she surrenders," Scáthach said, pausing briefly. "With Nessa's current strength, you should be able to defeat her…"
Arthur sensed that something was wrong in her tone and looked at Scáthach, asking, "Where are you going, Master?"
Scáthach nodded slightly. "Even though I am your Master, I've never really been able to do much for you. I bear a great responsibility. Nessa is right. I may be a good queen, but I am not a good master."
"That's not right! You've already taught me so much. If it weren't for you, I might have died years ago," Arthur said.
Years ago, he had planned to leave the Land of Shadows, but Scáthach had forced him to stay. Thinking back now, he realized that she had done everything to protect him.
In that era of war and chaos, all kinds of monsters roamed freely. If he had left at the age of ten, he would probably have died that very day.
In the Land of Shadows, Scáthach taught him many things and gave him a sense of "home"—something Arthur would never have dared to dream of before.
Seeing Arthur's determined gaze, Scáthach paused briefly, then smiled faintly. "Whatever."
"I think I failed in my duty. This time, I'll leave and obtain something to further enhance your strength." Scáthach patted Arthur on the head. "During my absence, you and Nessa must protect the Land of Shadows. If necessary, you may abandon this land. Although my sister is bellicose, she won't indiscriminately kill innocents. You can hand this kingdom over to her temporarily. When I return, I'll take everything back."
This time, she would help Arthur, no matter the cost.
This wasn't only to help Arthur, but also to allow him to live longer.
She had witnessed the deaths of many of her disciples. Most of those who came to the Land of Shadows did so to challenge her, only to become her disciples after being defeated, seeking to grow stronger. Scáthach passed on all of her martial skills to them without reservation, hoping that someone might one day defeat her.
Unfortunately, despite having lived in this world for so long, she had never found anyone who could rival her.
No—such a being might exist, but it could not be called a person. Rather, it would be a god.
However, the gods were not warlike. Although they might intervene in wars between humans, they would not fight without purpose, much less come to battle her to the death.
At that lonely and unbearable height, Scáthach believed she would live forever in such a dull existence.
Until one day, a child appeared before her, and Scáthach gradually discovered new joys.
Every night, she listened to Arthur tell stories of powerful people from other eras.
Yes, that was all—but she found each story unexpectedly fascinating.
Therefore, if possible, she hoped that Arthur could live with her forever.
And so, she had to leave now, no matter what happened.
(End of Chapter)