Boom!
That calm voice from beyond the door rang out like an explosion in Merlin's ears, causing his entire body to jolt involuntarily.
The first thing that crossed the Flower Magus's mind was that he must've misheard.
The second was a strange sense of pride at how much Artoria had grown.
And the third thought was
"Shit. Time to start planning my escape route?"
Merlin knew exactly what kind of person Artoria was.
After all, he was her teacher and one of the few who truly understood her.
And yet, even he didn't expect that the King would stealthily trail him all the way here without giving off the slightest presence.
Sure, this was just one of his projections, but to mask her aura to this extent…
To be honest, if she were summoned as a Servant, she could probably qualify for the Assassin class no problem.
As Merlin was marveling at this, he suddenly noticed Alvin casting him a very pointed look.
The man hadn't said a word since that voice rang out, but his expression practically screamed. "Dude. Are you kidding me right now?"
In Alvin's mind, Merlin, despite being flaky and eccentric at times, was someone he could rely on.
And yet… this time he actually failed to notice someone tailing him?
As if he could read Alvin's inner complaints, Merlin gave a helpless shrug.
"Didn't I tell you? The current King isn't the same as she used to be.
And besides, my projection's sensing abilities aren't exactly top-tier."
"But don't worry, as long as I don't want her to, she'll never sense your presence."
Saying that, Merlin slowly took out his staff and smiled. "Now, it's time for a question, do you know what Big Brother Merlin's signature magic is?"
As if answering himself, his gentle voice echoed through the room:
"Illusions, Alvin."
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Artoria stood silently at the doorway, gazing at the tightly shut door before her.
She had only spoken once since arriving, but even a complete amateur could sense the growing frost in her aura.
From the moment Merlin used clairvoyance, and even more so when he volunteered to help, she had felt something was off.
In the past, she would've trusted her teacher without question.
But ever since that catastrophic "White Dragon Incident" that shook all of Camelot, her trust in Merlin had plummeted off a cliff.
And then there were Alvin's dying words, which had planted a final seed of doubt…
Now, while Artoria might still heed Merlin's advice on grand strategy, she no longer placed her trust in him.
And judging by what she had just walked in on, it seemed her instincts were right all along.
Merlin wasn't just untrustworthy.
He'd actively colluded with the transmigrators.
And now… she had caught him red-handed.
Even though she was unwilling to believe this fact, the blonde girl downstairs was obviously a transmigrator.
And the person currently discussing a plan with Merlin inside the room was undoubtedly a transmigrator as well.
All of this already proved Merlin's betrayal.
Well… maybe not betrayal exactly.
But even so, secretly colluding with transmigrators was still a serious crime in the Camelot Empire.
Seeing that there was no sound from inside the room, Artoria's expression remained calm as she pushed open the door."I'm coming in."
Creaaak.
A soft sound of the door opening rang out, and the scene inside the room came fully into view.
Merlin sat on a somewhat old wooden chair, leaning against the backrest, still wearing that gentle, sunlit smile as he raised a hand in greeting and said,
"My king, you've come here yourself? Are you still not at ease with me?"
Artoria glanced indifferently around the empty room, then walked over and sat on the edge of the windowsill.
"I just went out to clear my mind, and happened to stop by for a look."
Soon, the woman's calm and pleasant voice sounded in his ears.
"I just didn't expect to see such an interesting scene the moment I arrived… That girl downstairs, she's a transmigrator, right?"
As she said this, Artoria lifted her gaze and quietly stared into the white-haired mage's eyes.
"Yes."Without any attempt to deny it, Merlin said with a smile, "Her name is Reines, also a student of the Clock Tower. It's just that she's a bit special—she came into this world wearing her original body."
Artoria lightly pressed her red lips together and softly said, "There was probably another transmigrator in this room just now, right?"
"With your level of magecraft, catching a few transmigrators isn't exactly difficult. Should I say you were just in the mood today… or is it that you have other intentions, Merlin?"
The moment these words were spoken, the smile on Merlin's face seemed to slightly diminish.
'I must admit, Lily's perception now is really amazing…'
Even though he had already set up a barrier in advance, she still noticed.
"My king, perhaps you don't believe me, but everything I've done is for the sake of the Camelot Empire."
Very soon, Merlin revealed a helpless expression, his fingertips lightly tapping the desk. "The appearance of transmigrators is not necessarily an absolute disadvantage to the Camelot Empire. I want to understand more about the reason behind their arrival…"
Although Merlin had not appeared in the public eye for some time, even while he was in the 'Tower,' he had been paying attention to these transmigrators.
Transmigrators from different eras… In the eyes of the people of the Camelot Empire, these transmigrators might be considered heretics.
But in Merlin's eyes, this might turn into a very interesting shift in the situation.
"Then you should have told me first, instead of making decisions on your own."
Artoria fixed her gaze on Merlin's eyes, her expression gradually turning dangerous. "Do you have anything you want to explain?"
With the evidence solid and the culprit caught red-handed, with Merlin's eloquence, he could have still tried to defend himself.
However, the white-haired mage only let out a light sigh and said,
"There's nothing to say. Just as you said, I did indeed meet with the transmigrators without permission."
"…Why?"
Artoria's cold voice carried a hint of disappointment.
Even though she had already been disappointed by Merlin once before, deep in the heart of this King Arthur, she still held onto a sliver of hope.
Before coming here, she had thought maybe Merlin had his reasons.
Yet… he had simply admitted it, just like that.
"The appearance of transmigrators might be the great upheaval that changes the future of the Camelot Empire."
Merlin spoke slowly: "My king, with all due respect, you should not simply be capturing these transmigrators blindly."
"I'm not trying to kill them. Just like you, I want to know why they're appearing," Artoria said.
Merlin sighed lightly. "But your methods are too extreme."
"I know that in your eyes, transmigrators who wear the bodies of the dead are despicable beings who defile the souls of the deceased.*
Hearing his words, Artoria frowned slightly, but before she could say more, Merlin slowly lifted his head to look at her.
"Then what if among these transmigrators…there is someone you miss?"
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