A thin streak of light appeared in the darkness as Arthur descended the stairs.
A powerful aura of death enveloped the entire area—without a doubt, a barrier erected by Morgan. Anyone who entered would suffer the torment of a "Word of Power" imbued with the very concept of death.
However, that power was completely ineffective against Arthur.
This was the blessing of the Goddess of Death. Only one person in the world had ever received the Goddess of Death's blessing, and naturally, that person could move freely within this sealed basement.
A small flame, like the spark of a lighter, flickered at the tip of Arthur's finger. It was the power of runes, which he had precisely concentrated into a single finger, barely illuminating the cold and dark basement.
How strange… why would a place like this exist in Morgan's castle?
Arthur grew increasingly uneasy as he walked forward, because the roars echoing around him were completely different from the sounds of the palace above. When he first stepped into this basement, he had even wondered if he had entered another dimension.
The sound was incredibly loud. The soundproofing of Morgan's castle must be exceptionally good. If his body had not been enhanced, he would not have been able to hear the sound at all.
The noise grew closer and closer, and Arthur became more and more alarmed.
What kind of powerful creature could produce such a sound?
"Looks like my destination is just ahead."
Arthur looked toward the completely dark space in front of him and raised the flame slightly to illuminate its general outline.
"There doesn't seem to be anything there…" Arthur murmured.
At that moment—
In the darkness, a massive golden eye suddenly lit up. When it opened, it felt as though the entire ground trembled.
Arthur was startled and took half a step back. Raising his finger, he summoned a sudden burst of fire that illuminated the creature before him.
"A White Dragon?!"
Upon seeing the white dragon, Arthur seemed to realize something. He stared at the enormous creature in shock and asked hesitantly,
"Vortigern?!"
"It is I."
Vortigern narrowed his shining golden eyes, carefully observing the boy standing before him.
Unexpectedly… that witch had used his blood to create this brat.
A moment later, the once-overwhelming aura surrounding Vortigern suddenly faded.
"Child, I have always hoped that a knight would appear here. And now, that knight has finally arrived."
Vortigern's voice sounded gentle and amiable.
This white dragon, who had once plunged Britain into a hell of misery, now appeared as calm and elegant as a cat.
"Child, do you wish to become a hero of this kingdom?"
"I'm not from this kingdom," Arthur replied, shaking his head.
Vortigern: "…"
"Then do you desire wealth and glory?" he asked.
"I don't," Arthur replied. "I'm not lacking in money or food."
Vortigern paused.
"Then do you want… a beautiful woman?"
Arthur shook his head again.
"I'm not interested."
No matter how beautiful she might be, could she truly be more beautiful than his master?
No matter how noble and elegant she might be, could she truly be more graceful than a British princess?
And when it came to cuteness… weren't Lily or Nessa far cuter?!
Vortigern fell silent for a moment. The dragon who had nearly become the new king of Britain now seemed somewhat perplexed.
After a while, he heard the boy standing before him speak again.
"Who locked you in here?"
"Who else could it be but that witch, Morgan le Fay?" Vortigern sneered. "That woman tried to control all of Britain, so she spread rumors that I was going to conquer it. In truth, it was simply a scheme to sow discord between my brother and me."
Arthur shook his head.
"No matter how you see it, I just want to ask you one more thing."
He looked directly at Vortigern.
"Why did she lock you here?"
Vortigern narrowed his bright golden slit pupils and stared intently at Arthur.
After a moment, he suddenly smiled.
"Oh? She didn't tell you? Then allow me to explain."
…
"That's right. Now my power flows through your veins," Vortigern said persuasively.
"Help me break these chains. When I reclaim Britain, you will become my adopted son. When I grow old and die, you will become the new king, and the Saxons will obey your commands. You will have everything you desire."
"I see… so the dragon essence she gave me was actually the blood of a white dragon?" Arthur looked at the massive dragon before him, deep in thought.
No wonder she didn't tell me…
Damn it, Morgan…
"What are you thinking?" Vortigern maintained his friendly tone. "I can sense that you inherited some kind of legacy from her, so you must also have a way to free me from these chains."
"Indeed… after all, I still carry the Geis she left with me," Arthur said, raising his head to meet Vortigern's gaze.
"Lord Vortigern."
"Yes? Is there anything else you wish to ask me?" Vortigern replied gently.
"I refuse your request."
Vortigern: "…"
"What did you say?"
After a brief moment of shock, his eyes narrowed.
"One of the things I enjoy the most," Arthur said calmly as he turned toward the exit, "is saying 'no' when people are absolutely certain I'm going to say 'yes.'"
He walked out of the basement without hesitation.
"YOU'LL REGRET THIS, BRAT!"
Vortigern roared as if he had lost his mind, his previously friendly demeanor completely shattered.
"Sooner or later, that woman will kill you too! She's a heartless witch! Don't expect her to raise you with care! One day you'll regret the decision you made today! YOU DEFINITELY WILL!"
Seeing Arthur walking resolutely toward the exit, Vortigern roared furiously.
Arthur suddenly stopped.
As if seeing a new glimmer of hope, Vortigern was about to speak again—
But Arthur's voice came first.
"A normal witch might harm people… but Morgan won't."
---
Leaving the dark basement behind, Arthur walked down the corridor toward the room Morgan had taken him to earlier.
As he turned the corner, a blonde woman suddenly appeared in front of him.
"That was close…"
Morgan seemed to let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart as she tightly hugged Arthur.
So soft.
"You scared me to death! Didn't I tell you to stay in the room?" Morgan said with a relieved tone. "If I hadn't come back earlier, it would have been a disaster."
Arthur remained expressionless and spoke slowly.
"Morgan… you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Morgan paused slightly, about to say something.
But when she saw Arthur's gaze, she swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she smiled and said:
"So you figured it out?"
"So you were using me?" Arthur asked.
Her claim that she needed to leave the palace temporarily had simply been a test—to observe his reaction when he discovered that the blood of the white dragon flowed through his veins.
From the moment he entered the palace…
Everything had already been unfolding according to Morgan le Fay's plan.
---
(End of Chapter)