"Aslan, I want to confirm again—you haven't changed your mind, have you?"
Merlin narrowed his eyes, serious. This time, Altria had approached Aslan, so it wasn't entirely his fault. Still, Merlin wished he could make Aslan swear never to take Altria's throne. Absolutely not!
Aslan met Merlin's gaze steadily. "I still say being a king is hard. It doesn't suit my hedonistic lifestyle. I'm returning the Golden Sword of Victory. Doesn't that show where I stand?"
Merlin's expression eased. "Good. If you're still the Aslan I know, then I trust you."
At least in Merlin's mind, Aslan was a man of his word. But Merlin still didn't want Altria tangled with this wild card. He was ready to take her away to begin her "journey" as king.
"Then, me and…!!!"
Before Merlin could finish, black flames shot toward him like spears, nailing his feet. Had he not dodged swiftly, Merlin wouldn't have stood to talk.
Both recognized the attacker immediately: Morgan, the most powerful witch in the British Isles.
Morgan's appearance put both Merlin and Aslan in awkward positions. Neither wanted her here, especially before Altria.
Aslan turned to see the flames' source. The witch in black covered one cheek, clearly unwell.
"Lady Morgan…"
Aslan moved to help but was pushed aside. Morgan slammed her staff into the ground, flames forming a cage around Aslan.
Aslan noticed something strange in Morgan's eyes. One contained warning and repression—her virtual personality he'd known. The other burned with hatred and madness.
Morgan's mind was confused. Seeing Merlin and Altria forced her true self, usually sleeping and fading the curse, to awaken. How could her real self fully trust the virtual personality?
Now, the main personality, virtual personality, and curse of jealousy merged into chaos.
Morgan barely understood her own actions.
She wanted to kill Merlin. Her feelings toward Altria were conflicted—hate, yes, but also reluctant acceptance. The girl was the Red Dragon of Britain and would be King Arthur.
The little rationality left made her more confused and angry.
She lashed flames again at Merlin, trying to crush his heart with magic. Killing Merlin felt justified.
But Morgan couldn't break Merlin's illusions. Her flames began destroying houses of innocent villagers.
"Morgan! Calm down! You don't want to destroy the homes of these people, do you?!"
Aslan struck the flaming barrier with his forging hammer, but the flames passed through. Fortunately, the hammer was sturdy—he might've been hurt otherwise.
Melusine was decisive. She grabbed a bucket from a nearby house and dashed to Morgan, dousing her head with cold water.
The shock cleared Morgan's mind somewhat. She realized she couldn't keep fighting, nor stay here. Having seen the real King Arthur, she guessed the truth.
"Heh… Merlin, I remember what you did. We have a long way to go."
Morgan shot a complicated glance at Aslan, then vanished in magic, releasing Aslan.
Merlin finally sighed. He looked at Altria with a heavy expression.
"Seems your sister doesn't support you much. You'll face many challenges ahead."
Altria wasn't sure how to feel about her sister, but no matter what, she would stay true to her path.
"Let's meet Kay, then head back."
Merlin waved his staff, casting petals as he and Altria disappeared.
At that moment, Balin, drawn by the commotion, rushed over. Looking at the mess, he scratched his cheek and asked, "Brother Aslan, what happened?"