Arthur arrived at the hall but did not find Scáthach there, so he turned to the guards by the door.
"Where did my master go?"
"Lady Scáthach ordered us to inform you that she took the Princess to the nearby mountains and asked that you wait here for a while—or return to your room to rest first."
The Land of Shadows is surrounded by natural defenses—this is no exaggeration. Likewise, it is quite rich in various resources.
After all, the forest is not far from the city gates, and the nearby water sources are abundant, so there is no concern about food or drink.
The only real concern would be monster invasions, but everyone is safe thanks to the presence of the Queen of the Land of Shadows.
Arthur gave a slight nod to the guard. "Thank you."
After saying that, he turned and left the hall.
The guards at the gate watched the boy depart and could not help but feel a twinge of emotion.
In less than four months, the apprentice taken in by Scáthach had completely changed his demeanor.
Scáthach's teachings played a role in that, but more importantly, it was his own hard work and talent.
So was that why she kept this boy? Because she had recognized his abilities early on?
Arthur had no idea what the guard was thinking. Unconsciously, he walked through the city gates and turned to gaze at the majestic mountain peak beside Dun Scaith.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's where Master and Nessa went…"
A dense mist could be seen drifting between the mountain peaks, and strange creatures could be heard roaring from time to time.
Arthur observed the mountains before him.
He had lived there for more than five years, yet he had never set foot on that treacherous terrain nearby.
Reaching the summit from this point was not particularly difficult, but the real danger lay in the monsters that dwelled there.
"I wonder what Master intended by taking Nessa to the top of the mountain."
"Should I go up and look for them…?" Arthur pondered.
"No, the area at the summit is so vast that even if I climb up, I won't be able to find them—and I might even put myself in unnecessary danger."
Let's start from the beginning…
With that thought, Arthur turned and prepared to return to the castle to rest in his chambers.
At that moment, a voice called out from nearby.
"Arthur, were you going to look for us?!"
Arthur turned his head and saw Nessa raising her hand and waving. Scáthach walked beside her, wearing a purple dress with a slit, her legs wrapped in semi-transparent purple stockings, her high heels clicking softly as she approached.
Arthur's gaze was involuntarily drawn to Scáthach—until he noticed her red eyes staring directly at him. He immediately feigned indifference and looked away.
Then, recalling what had happened the previous night, Arthur could not help but feel a little guilty.
Last night, he had said something in private that sounded like a "hint." He wasn't sure whether she had noticed.
It shouldn't be that bad… Someone like her should be more focused on combat and probably wouldn't pay much attention to things like that, right? Otherwise, she wouldn't have such a strained relationship with Aife.
Thinking that, Arthur felt somewhat relieved. He raised his hand and said, "Master, I was just about to go look for you."
"If you had come looking for us just now, Mother and I would probably have had to rescue you," Nessa said, patting Arthur on the shoulder. "Head back now—I'll prepare something delicious for you later."
"Huh?" Arthur looked at Scáthach in confusion.
"Nessa said you've been training too hard lately, so she wanted to prepare a good meal for you and asked me to help her hunt monsters," Scáthach explained, pointing at the striped tiger being dragged behind her by her subordinates.
"Why would you specifically capture such a large monster?" Arthur asked, somewhat surprised.
"It will take several attempts before I succeed!" Nessa said matter-of-factly.
"It doesn't look like you're cooking—it looks more like you're conducting some kind of horrific experiment…" Arthur muttered. Then he reached out and plucked a small blade of grass from Nessa's head.
It was obvious she must have been lying in wait in the grass for quite some time to catch that monster.
"Master, are you really comfortable letting Nessa cook alone?" Arthur asked Scáthach.
"Mother must trust me since she took me hunting, right, Mother?" Nessa asked, looking up at her.
Scáthach looked at Nessa but remained silent.
"The silence at this moment already proves quite a lot…" Arthur added inwardly, rubbing salt in the wound.
Nessa had tried cooking many times before, but every attempt had failed. There was no doubt that this girl was truly terrible in the kitchen.
"Then come and do it with me." Nessa grabbed Arthur's arm and shook it. "I'm giving you a chance to help your older sister!"
"I don't want to. I'm not interested," Arthur replied flatly.
"If it turns out well, you'll take the credit; if it turns out badly, you'll say I got in your way… It's a thankless task."
"This meal is for you—it won't hurt to help a little," Nessa complained.
"Sorry. I don't mind if I don't eat that kind of thing," Arthur said, shaking his head.
"Please help me… Mother said she wants to try it too…"
Arthur intended to refuse again, but when he saw Nessa's watery eyes looking at him—and felt the softness of her arms as she gently tugged at him—he finally relented with a sigh.
"I can't let a monster you worked so hard to catch go to waste… so, reluctantly, I'll lend a hand."
"Really?!" Nessa looked up, her eyes seemingly shining.
"Mm." Arthur nodded.
Then, after several guards dragged the enormous monster through the city gates, the two began preparing dinner.
—xXx—
Not long after, Nessa was mercilessly kicked out of the kitchen by Arthur.
The reason was simple: she was doing more harm than good, and he was far more efficient working alone.
Upon arriving at the hall, Nessa sat beside Scáthach, who was resting on the throne, and sighed helplessly.
"As expected, my cooking skills still aren't good enough."
"You planned for him to prepare dinner from the beginning, didn't you?" Scáthach looked at her daughter, having fully seen through her intentions.
"Heh heh… I've been found out?" Nessa's smile carried a hint of cunning.
"He probably realized it too, yet he still helped," Scáthach continued.
"No, Mother," Nessa shook her head. "He helped because of you, not because of me…"
If not for her last words, perhaps Arthur would not have agreed to help.
"Arthur cares about you very much," Nessa added softly.
Scáthach remained composed. "I am his master, so it's no surprise that he cares about me. Doesn't he care about you as well?"
Nessa looked at her mother for a moment, then smiled faintly. "That's true."
"How long do you plan to keep hiding there?"
Before Nessa could continue, she suddenly heard Scáthach's voice change direction.
Startled, Nessa looked toward where her mother was staring.
A crow was hiding behind a stone pillar, with only a few black feathers visible.
"Oh my, have I been discovered?" A soft voice echoed through the hall, and then the crow transformed into a woman with a graceful figure.
Morgan Le Fay casually brushed her hair back, stretched lazily, and looked toward Arthur—who was entering the corridor—giving him a playful wink.
"May I join you for dinner?"
(End of Chapter)