North America / Kingdom of Yorkania (Crownlands of Manhattan): December 22nd, 1517.
(Morgan's POV)
"Merlin…what can I do for you." I asked calmly while interlocking both of his my hands atop my desk.
The study was silent.
Merlin calmly turned around and looked at the bookshelve while rubbing his smooth chin as he said calmly "Don't mind me you're majesty, I'm just checking the contaminated air around the castle."
"I actually do mind, your presence itself is in my study contaminating my air, what can I do for you merlin." I said calmly while moving the stack of paper aside.
Merlin was silent for a moment and turned away from the bookshelf and said calmly while looking back at me "Your majesty. Do you know what Inner Force is."
The study was silent.
I stared at him for a moment and said calmly "No, now tell me why is it so Important that I should know."
Merlin blinked once.
"That is all, you can leave." I said calmly while waving my left hand and picking up my quill again.
Merlin sighed and said calmly "I believe you should know."
"Merlin. I am currently handling stolen grain reports, title removals, commoner complaints, the education decree, a possible marriage alliance and a kingdom filled with men whose brains are decorative and not at all functioning properly. I do not have time for mysterious old man nonsense." I said calmly while dipping the quill into ink.
Merlin walked closer to the desk and said calmly with a serious look in his eyes "It is not nonsense. Europe has used the ranking system for centuries."
I stopped writing.
"Europe." I said calmly with squinted eyes.
Merlin nodded and said with a serious look on his face "Yes your majesty."
I slowly looked up at him and asked calmly "Why does every bad smell in my life come from europe."
Merlin was silent.
"Continue." I said calmly with eyes full of interest.
Merlin adjusted his sleeve and said calmly "Seventy years ago, I traveled through Europe."
I was silent.
Merlin waited.
I stared at him for a moment and asked calmly "Is this the part where I am supposed to act impressed that you were old before my grandmother's grandmother finished disappointing her husband, please do continue."
Merlin's mouth twitched slightly.
"No your majesty. This is the part where I explain why men like charles of habsburg do not frighten easily." Said Merlin calmly.
The study went silent. My eyes narrowed slightly.
"Continue faster." I said calmly.
Merlin nodded and said calmly with a sigh "Inner force is not magic. It is science of body control. Breath, tendon, muscle, blood, bone, nerve, posture and will all trained to obey at once."
I leaned back slightly.
"So people learned how to breathe properly in europe started naming it like a religion." I said calmly.
"That is disrespectful your majesty but you are not wrong." Said merlin calmly.
The study was silent.
"Good. Continue." I said calmly.
Merlin sighed and said "Beginner is basic control. Better stamina, better balance, pain tolerance. Most trained guards are there."
I listened silently.
"Intermediate is when the body starts obeying under stress. Breathing, muscle tension, posture and explosive movement improve." Said merlin calmly.
Merlin rubbed his smooth chin and said "Mid is where good fighters sit. Knights, duelists, arena fighters. They are still human but clearly better than common soldiers."
"High is when normal people start calling them monsters. They recover balance fast, fight through pain, stay calm in blood and strike harder than they should." Said merlin calmly.
The study was silent.
Merlin looked at me and said calmly "You are likely High."
"Likely." I said calmly while staring at him.
"Yes your majesty, your r body is strong and your discipline is frightening, but you trained for only two years and your nerves were damaged by poison, so by my two good eyes you are ranked high." Said merlin with a very contemplating look as he rubbed his smooth chin.
I was silent.
"I see." I asked calmly.
Merlin closed his eyes briefly and said calmly "Advanced is where galahad likely stands. Perhaps higher. Master and grandmaster are old monster levels. Bagdemagus is likely Master. Gandalore was likely around grandmaster but."
"That explains why those two old corpses keep refusing to die." I said calmly.
Merlin nodded once and said with a serious look on his face "Above that are lord, duke, king, emperor and legendary or unique."
The study was absolutely silent.
"Europe created this." I asked calmly.
"Yes." Said merlin with his eyes closed.
I sighed silently and said calmly while looking down at my "That explains the names."
Merlin ignored that and said calmly "A King ranked Inner force user has near perfect body command. Their pulse does not easily betray them. Their breathing does not break easily. Their muscles do not flinch without permission. They feel fear, but the body does not obey it quickly."
The study went silent.
I slowly placed the quill down while saying calmly "Charles."
"Most likely." Said merlin calmly with a serious look on his face.
The study became even quieter.
"How annoying" I thought while wishing I can do a resting bitch face.
I leaned forward slightly and asked calmly "So when I insult him, his body does not panic."
"Correct, like a Inconvenience to put it simply." Said merlin calmly.
"When I threaten him, his breath does not betray him." I said calmly while rubbing my smooth chin.
Merlin nodded and said simply "Correct."
The study was silent.
I picked the quill back up and asked calmly "Can Inner Force make nails grow like claws."
Merlin froze.
The silence lasted longer than it should have.
He slowly looked at me.
"No your majesty." Said Merlin calmly.
"Good. The look on your face was already insulting." I said calmly .
"Nails are dead keratin once grown. Inner Force controls the living body. Breath, muscle, tendon, nerve, blood. Not dead nail." Said merlin calmly.
I waved my left hand and said calmly "Good. I refuse to have my people running around scratching each other and calling it martial science."
Merlin's mouth twitched again.
"You may harden, sharpen, preserve, poison or reinforce the nails with alchemical oils. But they will not grow on command." Said Merlin calmly with a sigh.
"So no biokinesis" I thought while pulling out a piece of paper from the stack.
Merlin stared at me for a moment and said calmly "Your majesty."
"Speak." I said calmly.
"Please do not poison your nails." Said merlin calmly.
"I make no promises." I said calmly.
Merlin sighed.
The study was silent.
I leaned back in my chair and tapped my finger once against the desk.
*Tak*
"How do I become advanced." I asked calmly.
Merlin's face turned serious.
"Slowly." Said merlin calmly with his hands behind his back .
I stared at him for a moment and noticed a look in his eyes and said calmly "I see."
"There is no safer answer, you're breathing is undisciplined when you get angry. Your swordsmanship is dangerous because you are vastly intelligent, not because your body fully obeys you, but because you force your body too much. That is why pain follows you and why galahad is stronger than you despite the flattery he gives you during training your majesty." Said merlin calmly while pointing his painted black nail at me.
I stared at him for a moment and asked calmly "Are you finished insulting your queen mother." I asked calmly.
Merlin sighed and shook his head and said calmly "No, "You also overw…"
"Silence." I said calmly.
The study was silent.
I stared at him for a long moment and said calmly "Merlin."
"Yes your majesty." Said merlin with a smile.
"One day your usefulness will dry up and lose a race against your mouth with time that is already limited." I said calmly with my eyes squinting.
Merlin waved his right hand uncaringly and said calmly "I pray my usefulness remains quick, but you love me your majesty so I will be celebrated in death."
I picked up a clean sheet of parchment and said calmly while ignoring his endless arrogance "Write the ranks down."
Merlin's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"For what purpose." Asked merlin calmly.
"For the schools." I said calmly with my eyes turning cold.
The study went silent. Merlin did not move.
I looked up at him and said calmly "If Europe created a system to measure trained bodies, yorkania can create one to produce them. Boys and girls. Breath, posture, pain tolerance, arms, law, numbers, language and governance."
Merlin stared at me and said calmly "That is dangerous your majesty but very interesting."
"Good. I was tired of producing educated fools and uneducated soldiers. We shall try producing useful people instead from now on." I said calmly while dipping the quill into ink.
"Especially since I'm tired of getting brain fucked by it. I can already feel me intelligence decreasing by the day" I thought with a slight sigh.
The study was silent.
Merlin slowly smiled and said as he started slowly taking his leave with both his hand behind his back "That may change the kingdom."
I began writing and said calmly "That is the point."
"I shall be watching, your majesty." Said merlin calmly with a smile as he left the study.
*Boom*
"And I shall be changing what it means to be watched, merlin." I said calmly while focusing a sudden surge of strength into my right hand and pressed my palm down onto my desk hardly.
*CRACK*
*BOOOOOM*
…
THE END…