To become a king and a magician

After Weber finished speaking, he took out his key and opened the door. As he walked in, he said, "I'm back, Ms. Lillian. The newcomer I mentioned before is here too."

"Ah, here it comes!"

A light, cheerful voice rang out from inside the house, sounding like a girl around twenty years old. Accompanied by footsteps, a figure emerged from the room next to the entrance.

She was a very beautiful young woman, her appearance like that of a fairy and a flower. She wore a simple pink and white dress, and her long white hair cascaded down to her hips, the pink and white hem of the dress obscuring any potentially sinister gaze. Her perfectly shaped legs were encased in black stockings with gold trim, making one want to step on them just by looking at them—of course, not including Xia Chuanhu, who actually preferred to be the one stepping on rather than being stepped on.

Looking at the beautiful woman before him, Natsukawa Torato couldn't help but ask, "Weber, is this... Ms. Lillian?"

"Well, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Lillian May, the manager of this apartment building. And this is the newcomer I mentioned before, Tiger Natsukawa, from Japan."

"Hello. I am Natsukawa Tora, nice to meet you, Ms. Lilyn." Natsukawa Tora nodded slightly, while frowning slightly.

For some reason, he felt that Ms. Lillian looked familiar, as if he had met her before. But if he had actually met a beauty like her, he should have a very deep impression of her.

Lillian smiled at Natsukawa Tora and said, "Yes, nice to meet you. Velvet, excuse me, could you go to the kitchen and keep an eye on things for me? I was just making a cake."

"A cake? Is it the lady's birthday today?"

"Of course it's to welcome the new couple, so we definitely need to prepare some gifts. But I need to take Xia Chuan to see his room now, so could you go and keep an eye on it for me before it gets overcooked?"

"Okay. Xia Chuan, I'll leave your luggage here for now."

After saying that, Weber put his luggage down and ran into the kitchen. After watching him go in, Lillian said, "Okay, come with me, I'll show you your room first."

"Thank you for your trouble."

----------------------

Lillian May arranged for Natsukawa Tiger to have a room on the second floor, which was very close to the stairs; he could basically get there after turning a corner after going upstairs.

The room wasn't very spacious, but compared to Natsukawa's houses in Japan, it was quite large. Natsukawa felt that it would be fine for one person to live there, or even for two.

There was an open window directly opposite the door, presumably opened in advance for ventilation so that Natsukawa Tiger could move in.

The bed was positioned by the window, more than large enough for one person. Directly opposite the foot of the bed was a desk—no, for a magician, it should be an experimental table, though it was currently empty. Next to it was a glass cabinet. And on the side of the bed closest to the door, there was a wardrobe built into the wall.

"The restroom is a public one, located at the far left of the hallway. It's connected to the shower room. If you want to eat, the dining room and kitchen are on the first floor."

After briefly explaining the apartment's layout, Lillian May smiled and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

“No, not for now… Oh, there is.” Natsukawa Torato looked at her. “It seems… there’s no one else here? The only people living here are Webber and me, and you, madam?”

"After all, there are very few students like you. The young masters and ladies of the Clock Tower would look down on our dilapidated old houses."

"really....."

After placing his luggage on the bedside table, Xia Chuanhu breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, I can handle the rest of the luggage and things myself. Please lead the way, Ms. Lilin."

"What are you talking about? Don't we have other things to take care of?"

Unexpectedly, Lillian May, who was leaning against the window, suddenly revealed a rather mysterious smile, and then sighed deeply: "Sigh, although I turned off the clairvoyance for fun, sometimes I feel that the clairvoyance is also necessary, otherwise I wouldn't have waited for you here for a year."

"You waited for me for a year?"

Xia Chuanhu frowned in confusion, then took two steps closer to the door.

"You...know me?"

"Yes, I know you, and strictly speaking, I should be considered your savior, [Arthur]."

"—!"

Natsukawa Tora's eyes flickered for a moment—did this guy know about his relationship with Arthur?

Who exactly are you...?

"Hmm~~~~"

Lillian May smiled and slightly lifted her skirt, "Nice to meet you—or rather, this is the third time we've met—Natsukawa Torato. I am Merlin from another world, here to serve as your guardian in accordance with the will of my late King Arthur Pendragon."

Please give me your guidance~~~

4. Life is about to become more interesting

Merlin—or perhaps Meryl would be a better word.

Like Arthur, she is a flower magician from another world.

To be honest, Natsukawa Tora never expected that he would meet her.

"Huh? Aren't you going to say anything?"

Seeing Natsukawa Torama standing there stunned in surprise, Meryl couldn't help but move closer to him and give him a sly smile like a little devil: "Could it be that you're speechless because you're captivated by my outstanding beauty?"

"No, I just don't know what to say for a moment. To be honest, I'm a little... confused and at a loss right now."

"Hey? You're clearly from a real other world. I thought that after experiencing world travel and even reaching the Root, you wouldn't be at a loss anymore. It seems your mental strength still needs some tempering."

"Merry laughed."

"Well, I roughly know why you're confused. Don't worry, I'll explain everything to you. Or rather, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you as much as I can. After all, that's what that guy asked me to do."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mary thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, if we're going to start talking about it, we should start from a year ago."

“A year ago, after the Holy Grail War ended, Arthur came to Avalon to find me and asked me to save you, who was on the verge of death while trying to defeat that little fangirl—ah, saying you were on the verge of death isn’t quite right, because at that time you no longer existed in the present world, but existed outside the world, in a place incredibly close to the Vortex of Origin.”

"So, in order to rescue you, Arthur came to me. Through my illusion magic and his holy sword, we barely made it to where you were, and with the help of a certain benefactor, we brought you back."

"But what he brought back was only your soul; your body remained dead. In order to truly resurrect you, and to thank you for your efforts in fighting that little fangirl, Arthur fused his spirit core into your body, allowing you to be reborn."

At this point, Meryl pointed to Natsukawa Torato's heart: "The reason you're still alive is entirely because of Arthur's power within you."

(Arthur's power... Is it Arthur's power that allowed me to continue living?)

With his hand on his chest, feeling the heartbeat transmitted to his palm, Natsukawa Tora closed his eyes slightly.

"What I want you to do is not victory, but protection"—this is what Natsukawa Tora said to Arthur back then, and he continued to live up to it even after the Holy Grail War ended.

"He really is a very responsible servant."

“After all, he was that kind of king, although in the end, you could say that his dedication led to that outcome,” Mary laughed. “Getting back to the point, after resurrecting you, Arthur gave me another task before he left—to take good care of you.”

"Take good care of...me?"

Natsukawa Tora frowned: "Is there anything else I need to be taken care of?"

"Who knows? But it was the king's order after all. Although I had long since resigned from my position as court magician, it was his final order, and I really couldn't refuse. Besides, I didn't want to refuse either."

Meili smiled and crossed her legs.

“A true otherworldly being, I’m quite interested in beings like you. Although you can see them in Avalon, watching a live stream is never as interesting as observing them up close.”

"So, on the one hand, it was the king's order, and on the other hand, it was to observe you, so they simply ran out of Avalon to find you."

At this point, Meryl's expression suddenly changed, and she glared at him fiercely like a wronged woman: "Originally, I was thinking that since you have already entered the world of magicians and become master and apprentice with that lemon-headed guy, you will definitely come to the Clock Tower after the Holy Grail War ends, so I simply came to the Clock Tower and became a dormitory manager here, so that I can observe you up close."

"And you only came a year later?!"

"Is it my fault?"

Looking at the angry glare from Meryl, Natsukawa Torama spread his hands innocently: "I also have things to do in Japan. I only came to the Clock Tower after graduating from high school there. Besides, there's the visa process, moving out of my rented apartment, and quitting my part-time job..."

Going abroad is no easy feat, especially for the average person. Of course, what truly kept Natsukawa Tora in Japan for a year was his period of uncertainty.

After listening to Natsukawa Tora's explanation, Meryl sighed helplessly: "This era is really troublesome. Although it is interesting, it has also become more troublesome. In the past, we could go wherever we wanted."

"But never mind, now that you're here, I can rest assured."

As she spoke, Meryl reached out her hand to Natsukawa Tora.

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Merlin. I will probably be by your side to take care of you and observe you until you die. Nice to meet you, Tiger."

"Natsukawa Tora. Nice to meet you, Merlin."

Natsukawa Tora grasped Meryl's hand, and at the same time, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Will she take care of and observe herself until she dies? Natsukawa Tora remembers that Merlin's personality seems to be more about having fun than Merlin's; she values ​​the interesting aspects more than the big picture.

From this perspective, life ahead might be even more... exciting than the Holy Grail War.

(No, perhaps that's the life a magician should live.)

Far from his former daily life, he steps into the underworld overrun by demons and monsters. Even without Meryl, Natsukawa Torato doesn't believe his life would continue to be peaceful; Meryl's existence might just have made an already intense life even more intense.

Thinking of this, Xia Chuanhu couldn't help but let out a breath.

After shaking hands, Mary stood up and transformed back into [Lilyn May]: "That concludes the room introduction. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the manager's office on the first floor. By the way, the rent, including all utilities such as water, electricity, and gas, is 1500 yuan per month. Please pay me before the end of each month—if you're even one day late, you'll have nightmares."

That probably wouldn't work on me—that's what Natsukawa Torato wanted to say. Having experienced Sajou Ayaka's curse, Natsukawa Torato believed that his mental patience had been honed to a very high level, and ordinary mental interference probably wouldn't have any effect on him.

However, considering Mary's illusionary skills and her succubus bloodline...

"I understand. I will pay the rent on time at the end of the month."

"Great. Now come down quickly after you've settled your luggage. Besides the cake, I've also prepared quite a few dishes."

5. Life is getting better and better.

Night fell quickly. Although Mary had prepared a sumptuous meal to welcome Natsukawa Tora, unfortunately, Kenneth had already invited him to dinner before they arrived.

Therefore, Natsukawa Torato could only stare at Meryl's obviously malicious gaze as he got into the car with Weber.

"I have a feeling something might happen when I get back tonight."

"From the passenger seat, Xia Chuanhu said with a look of lingering fear."

"The way Ms. Lillian looked at me just now was like she wanted to kill me."

“I feel the same way, but I really can’t refuse Mr. Kenneth, sigh.” Webber sighed helplessly as well, then stepped off the gas. “Fasten your seatbelts, let’s go.”

"Okay. So, where's the dinner location?"

"The Archibald family, of course, won't have many people, just the two of us and the teacher and his wife, and maybe one or two people from the Mining Department or the Spirit Conjuring Department. You don't need to worry too much."

(There aren't too many strangers...that's good.)

The apartment was quite a distance from Archibald's house; it took about ten minutes to get there by car.

After stopping his car in front of a mansion and following the servants waiting at the door into the house, Natsukawa Tiger was immediately struck by the interior decoration.

The reason for the awe is not its extravagance. For magicians, ostentatious decorations are something only half-baked nouveau riche would pursue. True magicians pursue things that are old, have a sense of history, and are genuine antiques.

Every piece of decoration now displayed in the Archibald family home is very likely a treasure from an auction or something that has been passed down for hundreds of years.