I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

"Fina is the kind of person who likes girls... After all, she still retains the memories of being a man in her previous life, which is quite normal."

Artoria calmly accepted this fact, even experiencing a strange sense that this was more like Guinevere. However, she was no longer Lily, and having rejected Merlin and ascended the throne as a true woman, she probably couldn't reclaim that identity. Furthermore, she worried about Guinevere's reaction to being revealed to be the same person as Lily, to knowing she wasn't actually a man. Would she be enraged by the deception?

"What should I do……"

That's why she gets a headache whenever she thinks about this problem lately. Fortunately, there's no need to rush to solve this personal issue. She wanted to consult someone who seemed to have a lot of experience in this area, but Kai had exposed her disguise skills before, so it's a bit awkward when they're together now—it's just her feeling awkward. As for Merlin, since he would most likely make things even more out of control, she didn't include him in her plans from the beginning.

After much deliberation, she finally decided to leave it for now... and that was all she could do. With another soft sigh, Artoria pulled herself back to reality. She was currently in a rather secluded room in Carleon Castle. It had originally seemed to be used for storing miscellaneous items, but it had been cleared out in the past few days. Because the place was quiet and undisturbed, Artoria was using it to handle some chores.

Only she and Merlin were in the room. The female magician rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked over without saying a word. Artoria rolled her eyes at her: "Merlin... that smile of yours is disgusting."

"Ugh, to say something like that... that's really hurtful. Besides, your expression just now wasn't much better than mine."

"Was I smiling?" Startled by the question, Artoria couldn't help but touch the corner of her mouth. "It seems... not?" she muttered uncertainly, tilting her head to the side.

Merlin shrugged. "I'm not quite sure either, whether what you just did counts as a laugh or not... Anyway, let's get back to business. Three royal envoys have arrived today, and Kay has already arranged for them to stay. Another one should be coming this evening. You wouldn't mind having dinner with them, would you?"

Altria nodded.

"Oh, right, although I've been reminding you, try to control your food intake in front of others. The first impression you make is the most important thing. If all they remember after they go back is the title of 'big eater'..."

"Merlin, I don't remember ever getting such a ridiculous nickname!" she retorted angrily. "I'll remember to eat something before dinner."

"That's good." Merlin smiled happily. "Then there's the coronation ceremony four days from now. The Archbishop of Canterbury will arrive around noon tomorrow. Be prepared, and it would be best to go and greet him in person, as a way of giving the old man some face."

"Okay." Artoria nodded, but then suddenly paused, "Wait, Merlin, do you mean I'll be the only one going to greet the Archbishop tomorrow?"

"Hmm, is it possible that our King Arthur is incapable of receiving guests independently? If that's the case..."

"Merlin!"

"Hehe, just kidding." As she said this, she tapped the table with her finger, and the expression on her face slowly became serious. "I do have other things to do tomorrow. To be specific, I will be away for a few days starting tomorrow, and I should be able to come back before the coronation ceremony."

"Why?"

"King Marco of Cornwall has yet to respond."

When this matter was mentioned, Artoria's expression became much more serious, and she frowned. Cornwall's stance would undoubtedly greatly influence the balance of power in the inevitable battle between North Wales and the West Wales to come.

Since she sent her envoy, Marco has remained silent without any response. According to reports from spies, the situation seems to be the same in North Wales, or even worse; the envoy has not even seen Marco and has been staying at Truro's castle. This strange silence is all the more worrying.

She had actually planned to bring this up and ask Merlin for his opinion, but she hadn't expected him to say it first. Hearing this, she was taken aback: "So, Merlin, you're planning to go there yourself?"

"There's something troubling me over there that I'd like to check on..." Merlin shook his head, his tone as vague as ever: "By the way, I'm planning to bring along a certain idle guy who's always wandering around. You shouldn't mind, right?"

“Fenna? If she agrees, that’s fine…wait a minute.” The tuft of “proud” hair on her head suddenly trembled, and her eyes narrowed slightly: “If you need Fenna to come along, does Merlin, is what you care about related to the Nine Witches’ Mark…and Nimue?”

P.S.: I've been stuck on writer's block for two days, but I've finally decided to speed things up and try to finish the first volume around 650,000 words—if I exceed the word limit, the consequences will be like this table! (Slaps down hard)

"……what!"

So, because of a broken hand, Qingbai decided to take a 90-day leave of absence. That's it, everyone, see you again sometime~ (chuckles)

Chapter 166 Revisiting an Old haunt (Part 2)

Still no news... Sigh.

Guinevere tilted her head, broke open the now-cold baked potato in her hand, and casually tossed a piece into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out. As she ate, she listened to the various sounds carried by the wind around her, trying to find the information she was looking for. But after a while, most of the potato was gone, and she still hadn't found anything. She could only shake her head in disappointment and sigh.

"What are Father and the others thinking...?"

Although to outsiders, Guinevere was probably the most idle person in Carrion during this period, with nothing requiring her help—some were beyond her capabilities, others were hesitant to ask for her assistance. Initially, she would use the power amplification from the dragon's curse to activate her dragon armor and do some chores like moving heavy objects. Unfortunately, after only a few days, the person in charge politely advised her to leave, saying, "Your attire is so imposing that it inspires both respect and fear, making it difficult to concentrate." She then made various other attempts, all ending in failure, leaving her only to wander aimlessly around the city, appearing idle and aimless.

However, the effect of the Wind Seal was enough for her to easily learn about other people's private conversations without having to exert herself. On the surface, she was just wandering around, but in fact, she was secretly gathering intelligence. After more than half a month, Guinevere managed to uncover several spies. After reporting to Merlin, she did not deal with them directly, perhaps intending to keep them around for counter-espionage. But that was not a problem for the girl to worry about.

Guinevere was particularly concerned about the situation in the north. The island was currently rife with complex and turbulent power struggles. Even the King, who sent envoys to Carleon or even came in person to extend goodwill, could obtain intelligence from other parties through various channels, including North Wales. Although King Lanes had not yet responded to the coronation ceremony, everyone knew that, given his character, he would not remain silent indefinitely. The calmer things seemed, the more unsettling it became. What action he would take was the focus of everyone's attention.

Artoria is currently short-handed and lacks sufficient scouts, which puts her at a disadvantage in intelligence gathering. Therefore, Guinevere's "eavesdropping" behavior can be considered to temporarily make up for this shortcoming to some extent.

Unfortunately, so far they haven't obtained much of real value. They only roughly know that Lines is gathering his troops and seems to be preparing to wait for King Arthur to ascend the throne before sending an envoy to declare war. This King of North Wales, nicknamed "The Giant," had already defeated the last few resistance forces in his territory half a month ago. It is likely that he will focus on consolidating his internal power in the near future. Moreover, given his arrogant and confident personality, it is no surprise that he is holding back for the time being.

What is noteworthy is that Lord Lothar, the father of the three Gawain siblings and a close friend of Lyons who has always been there to help them in almost everything, did not respond to Lyons' call this time.

It is said that not even a letter was sent, which infuriated Lines, leading outsiders to speculate whether there had been a long-standing disagreement between the two, which finally erupted at this moment. On the other hand, no news came from Scotland either. Logically speaking, even if Guinevere was in Carlyne, there would be no need to send another envoy. The King of Scotland would have needed to write a letter appointing her as a diplomatic envoy, or to send Guinevere back to Scotland. Regardless of the stance, a formal and official statement would have been required.

Given the current stalemate between the pro-King and anti-King factions in Scotland, Guinevere wouldn't be surprised if Leod Gren sent someone to call her back or gave her the status of an envoy. However, the fact that there was no news for a whole month made her think more and worry more.

Could something have happened?

However, the Saxons' reach is now limited to the southeast. As for the threats that Scotland may face, the only remaining threat is the Picts in the far north of the island.

Unlike the Picts of many years ago, who required almost the entire nation of Britain to unite against them, after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of King Uther's coalition, they withdrew their defenses and retreated to their northernmost territories. In recent years, they have only occasionally engaged in small-scale border conflicts with several northern kingdoms such as Scotland and Orkney. The most intense conflict was merely a matter of both sides leaving behind a few corpses, far from reaching the level of war.

Could it be that they've made another move?

But that doesn't seem to make much sense... In Guinevere's memory, Scotland at this time had strategists like Clarke and Pat in charge, and a group of skilled knights led by Balan, each capable of taking on ten men. King Leod Ogland was also a man of both literary and martial talents, hailed as a rare restorer of the kingdom. Even if the Picts launched a large-scale invasion, they wouldn't pose any immediate threat to the kingdom.

Even if something were to happen—that they might be no match for the Picts, or that another kingdom might face a crisis it couldn't handle—it would be both morally and logically sound to immediately recall her to the kingdom. Although Leodogran is unaware that she has obtained the Sword of Light and the Dragon Armor, even with only her swordsmanship and the Wind Mark, her strength far surpasses that of an ordinary knight. In the event of a national crisis, how could such a powerful figure be left unattended abroad?

Because she couldn't figure it out and couldn't find anything of value, Guinevere planned to return to Scotland after attending Artoria's coronation ceremony. If something had happened, she could help; if nothing happened—which would be best—she could also try to persuade everyone to support King Arthur.

It's better to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade. The future rewards of clearly stating your support now versus waiting until Artoria defeats Lyons and conquers North Wales before making a choice will be vastly different.

It would be best to persuade King Lot as well, otherwise, if a fight breaks out later, I won't know who to help... Thinking about these things, Guinevere finished eating the potatoes that had gone cold and tasted like cardboard, patted the crumbs off her fingers, turned a corner, and walked towards her residence.

The bright sunshine was shining down, and it was around noon. Most people were having lunch. She was impatient with the complicated table manners—it was fine to have a big meal, but even something as bland as soup required so much trouble—so she just grabbed two cooked potatoes and ate them on the way. Now that she had filled her stomach, she began to think about what to do in the afternoon.

She had originally intended to visit Artoria, but then she realized she was probably busy and didn't want to bother her… No one is ever truly free; being a king is indeed a grueling job. Glorious in public, but exhausted behind the scenes. She definitely didn't want to be one. She decided to seek Merlin's advice on how to integrate magic into her swordsmanship… With that thought, she turned and headed towards the places Merlin usually frequented. After searching two spots, she finally encountered him.

The days that followed suddenly became very busy...

……

"Is it okay for you to leave at a time like this?"

"There are connections, but most of the ceremony details have been handled by others. The parts that couldn't be done without me have been explained. I shouldn't cause any major problems if I'm gone for a few days..."

"This tone is really disturbing."

"Hey, can you trust me just a little bit more? Speaking of which, I haven't heard about that promise we made before."

“…Big Sister Merlin”.

"louder please."

"big sister!"

Louder—

"Merlin—Big—Sister—"

He cupped his hands into a megaphone shape and shouted each word into her ear. The next second, Merlin suddenly took a few steps back, shaking his head: "I'm going deaf! I'm going deaf! I'm going deaf!"

"Deserved it."

Guinevere rolled her eyes, and a moment later, Merlin swaggered over with a smile: "Alright, hey, it's nice to be addressed with such respect. Let's get back to the point. Because of the time constraints, I didn't tell you exactly what to do in Carrion—it's related to Nemia." As he said the last sentence, his cheerful smile and light tone vanished without a trace.

The air went still for a moment.

"What's going on?" Guinevere looked up and met Merlin's gaze, which was gleaming in the shadows of his hood.

"To be more precise, it's related to Niman. When the Tower of Radiance opened, you should have interacted with the goddess Macha. Niman was an existence on par with Macha. Both of them should have long since vanished from history, but they have survived to this era through different means..."

“Unlike Macha, who retained a part of his soul by relying on some powerful force—in fact, I have always suspected that it was the Cauldron of Wishes, one of the four great treasures of the Danu God Clan—Niman’s method was to forcibly tear his power into several parts before he died, each containing a fragment of his own soul. Anyone who obtains this power is inevitably affected and eroded by Niman’s soul fragments, and is eventually replaced by Niman himself… That’s how Niman struggled to live through this long period of time.”

"This dedication is admirable, but during this time, countless people have also fallen into depravity because of this power, lost themselves, and eventually ceased to exist. Originally, the fragments of the soul were not complete, and depending on their size, the speed of erosion varied. Generally speaking, the worst that would happen is that their mindset would change drastically, and they would actively embark on the path of destruction, rather than being truly replaced by Neman."

Merlin paused, "But the previous victim, due to her astonishing strength, thirst for power, and incredible luck, actually managed to retrieve all the scattered goddess power, and was subsequently completely devoured and replaced by Niman. Although I foresaw this, I was too weak at the time to stop it in time, so I had to take a step back and kill Niman, who had just revived and hadn't recovered much of his strength, in Avalon, and then divide his power back into nine parts, entrusting them to the Nine Witches for safekeeping. Actually, it was just to buy time so that we could investigate a way to completely destroy the fragments of Niman's soul..."

“And now, I’ve finally found the method.” Her gaze fell on the sword at the girl’s waist: “To destroy Niman’s soul fragments, two conditions are required—”

"The existence that can actively become aware of and bring forth. And the mystery that can truly slay gods."

P.S.: These chapters might seem a bit rushed, but it's unavoidable. I calculated that if we followed the original route, this section would need at least 100,000 words… So I've decided to speed things up as much as possible, omitting some minor details, and try to finish the first volume around 650,000 words… Feel free to offer any suggestions, and remember to vote!

Chapter 167 Revisiting an Old haunt (Part 2)

Evening approached, threatening rain; dark clouds hung low, and a wind blew from the other side of the mountain, carrying a somewhat oppressive atmosphere. Months had passed since the battle that had taken place somewhere in Cornwall, and like a long-dormant pond, ripples stirred anew. But for the lowest strata of society, the newly stirred ripples remained imperceptible—regardless of tomorrow's fate, amidst their anxieties, today they were still busy filling their stomachs.

The only saving grace is that those knights who used to come every few days to collect taxes or ask for money under all sorts of strange pretexts seem to have changed their ways and haven't come for quite some time now.

It's always a good thing.

Most people simply think this way—there's really nothing they can do about it—those with a little influence try to find out the details, try to grasp the situation as soon as possible, and make appropriate responses. As for others, they have neither the corresponding connections to find out the situation, but they vaguely notice this change and the possible reasons behind it, so they inevitably feel a little uneasy.

Uru is one of them.

Perhaps in the eyes of the surrounding villagers, this "Druid" who can display some extraordinary abilities and often helps with village affairs without asking for a penny is already a remarkable figure, and no amount of respect is too much.

But he knew that he was nothing in reality.

In his memory, there was a witch adorned in gold and silver who murdered his wife and took away his daughter, who died before she was even born. He watched helplessly as these events unfolded, unable even to land a punch on her face. Time passed, and the resentment grew stronger each day, constantly gnawing at his heart, eventually transforming into an immense sorrow that settled deep within him. He couldn't understand whether this sorrow was directed at his own powerlessness, at the cruel murderer, or at the woman he had once saved—the woman who wasn't particularly beautiful and was rather taciturn… He could barely remember her face anymore.

He remained in this nameless village, living in the small wooden house where he had once shared with others but now lived alone, watching the village children grow up, the adults grow old, and the elderly die, just as the druid master who had once taught him had said: life goes on like a wheel, with a beginning but no end.

Sometimes he would think back to his encounter some time ago, the young boy and girl—judging by appearances alone, they might have looked like two girls of similar age. He wondered how they were doing now. Perhaps he would have a chance to meet them again someday, and by then, they would probably be even stronger. That was a distance he could never reach, the difference between genius and mediocrity. From the moment he gave up his druid apprenticeship, he had understood this truth and accepted it calmly.

He raised his head, his wooden staff landing on the soft soil. Using the few druidic spells he had learned, he gathered useful information from the breeze and the earth. The once-feared demon boar was dead, and the lingering aura of death in the mountains had almost completely dissipated. Uru still patrolled every day, simply to tend to hungry or injured animals, drive away ferocious beasts, and search for travelers who might have gotten lost in the mountains.

"Everything is normal today... Huh?" In the feedback, there seems to be a small blank area.

In an instant, several guesses flashed through Uru's mind. Perhaps he was not in good condition today, or perhaps it was just his imagination. After all, he was just a half-baked druid apprentice. Perhaps... there were other spellcasters in the mountains.

He frowned slightly, then suddenly remembered something and froze. There seemed to be a magic circle in that direction that the little girl named Fina had destroyed… Alarm bells rang in his mind, and after a moment's hesitation, even knowing the potential danger, Uru hurried towards the direction where the image returned blank.

Walking through the mountains and forests, the afterglow of the sunset occasionally shone through the gaps in the leaves overhead. With a storm approaching, the light was not as golden and brilliant as usual, but instead appeared as a dim red. Uru walked quickly, and thanks to his little magic trick, he was not affected by the protruding tree roots and the accumulated fallen leaves. He walked as if on flat ground, and in no time, he had arrived at the place he remembered.

Since Fina and Altos had fought the demonic boar in this area, traces of the battle still remained. Uru had been paying close attention during his patrols, fearing he might miss anything unusual. But upon arriving, he saw a small figure standing before the tree carved with runes.

He had heard Fina mention the rune's effects, but now that the magic circle was broken, the remaining rune, all alone, had long lost its power and was just an ordinary pattern or text. The figure with its back to them was reaching out, seemingly lost in thought, touching the text on the tree. Uru stopped, perhaps making a slight noise, and the figure in front paused, then slowly turned around a few seconds later.

Beneath the wide brim of the hat, amidst the dark red sunset, a pair of eyes stared straight at him, their pupils crimson, like flowing blood.

Their eyes met, and Uru paused for a moment. The little girl in the pointed hat blinked, her initial dazed expression vanishing, replaced by a sweet smile: "Hello. Are you from the village down the mountain? It's about to rain, you'd better hurry home."

She pointed to the sky.

At the same time, a slight chill landed on the bridge of his nose. Uru looked up following the girl's finger; through the dense, dark clouds, raindrops fell like threads…

This happened in mid-July. After that evening, for some reason, the little witch named Nemia—who herself seemed to prefer everyone to call her "the great and wise witch"—stayed in the village for a while. At first, like Fina and the other two, she stayed at Uru's house. After two or three days, the other villagers cleared out an empty house for her to stay in, and Nemia settled in. Sometimes she would suddenly go out, and always return at night or the next morning. Occasionally, she would have a smile on her face, but most of the time, she looked worried and extremely troubled.

"Do you need help?"

Uru had asked the same question before. To be honest, apart from a name that he didn't know if it was real or not, Uru knew nothing else about this little girl. Where she came from, why she appeared in the mountains that day, and why she was staring intently at the malfunctioning rune. Logically speaking, such a suspicious person should have been treated with great caution, but when he looked at those scarlet eyes, he always felt a softening in his heart. He felt a strange sense of intimacy and familiarity with this girl deep in his heart.

If his daughter hadn't encountered that kind of thing and had grown up safely, she would probably be as lovely as Nimiao. Thinking about these things, although he was still somewhat wary and would subtly inquire about Nimiao's background and purpose, deep down he didn't really have much of a guard up.

Nimiao seemed to be completely open with her answers, at least on the surface. She didn't appear to be trying to hide anything, and no matter how Uru questioned her, she obediently replied, "I want to stay here for a while... That writing? Partly because of it, but more importantly... I lost something. Something very important... Yes, a precious treasure, but also something very, very, very dangerous—dangerous. Father said it's so important that he has to say it three times—"

“I’ve already arranged with someone that once I find those things, she’ll help me take care of them, and then everyone can relax. Hmm, you’re a good person, but I don’t need your help, really, I don’t need it. It’s more meaningful for me to do this myself. Um… it’s like atonement, nothing, don’t worry about it. Anyway, if possible, could I stay in this village a little longer? I don’t know why, even though I’ve never been here before… it feels… familiar, and you… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before, it’s really strange.”

During dinner, she rested her chin on her hand and stared at Uru with a puzzled look. The latter remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "It's probably just my imagination."

"Hmm, it must be an illusion!"

Nimiao nodded, flashing a big smile.

It was probably late July, or perhaps already late in the month. The morning sky was a clear, cloudless blue—a truly refreshing day. After finishing her breakfast, Nimiao hurried out again, returning in the evening with a bright smile. She called Uru over and handed him something.

"Keep this safe. No matter who comes to ask you about it later, don't give it to them—"

The girl smiled brightly: "...Please."

P.S.: I thought my cold was better, but it seems to have gotten worse these past couple of days. Luckily, I don't have a fever, just a headache and dizziness... I was planning to resume daily updates, but judging from the situation, updates will have to be intermittent for at least the next few days. I can only say I'll try to avoid interruptions for too long, please forgive me~

Chapter 168 Self

A brilliant sunset painted the sky, its fiery hue reflected in a pair of bewildered eyes. The eyes blinked twice, then closed, long eyelashes swaying as if unseen tears were welling up within them. The girl then opened her eyes, and deep within her scarlet pupils, one could see confusion and a strange struggle, which vanished in an instant.

"who I am……"

“I am Neman.”

"You are Nimiao."

"One of Nuada's wives, the goddess of terror and death..."

No, that's not you.

"Then who am I—"

To an outsider, the girl who suddenly stopped in the middle of the road might have seemed to be simply talking to herself in a rapid, almost tongue-tied manner. But with each word, her eyes shifted, sometimes sharp, sometimes hesitant, sometimes fierce, sometimes sorrowful. As the saying goes, the eyes are the windows to the soul; the girl's face was expressionless, but only in those flickering, ever-changing eyes could one vaguely sense the intense turmoil within her heart.