Chapter 112: White Is Back
Noah was visibly taken aback when he saw Vivian.
Although he had already formed some expectations about Vivian's appearance after seeing the youthful forms of the other Ladies of the Lake earlier, when he actually laid eyes on her, even Noah had to admit that her looks surpassed his initial imagination.
Her golden, slightly wavy, and fluffy short hair fell naturally, forming a unique skirt-like silhouette around her neck.
As a Lady of the Lake, Vivian's eyelashes were longer and denser than those of ordinary humans. The same color as her hair, they resembled delicate lace over her closed eyes, carrying a mysterious charm.
Her one open eye, though unfocused, did not appear lifeless. Instead, it resembled a starry night sky—deep and imbued with a sense of profound wisdom.
Additionally, perhaps because the Prophet was rejected by the future, Vivian seemed even more frail than the other Ladies of the Lake, who were already all of a youthful build.
This made her look like an exquisite yet fragile work of art, or perhaps the most detailed and beautiful flower in the sea of blossoms that was the Ladies of the Lake.
However, Noah only paused for a moment before quickly returning to his usual demeanor. Looking at Vivian, who had been brought before him, he smiled and spoke.
"I've heard about you from Merlin and Morgan before—the Prophet among the Ladies of the Lake, Vivian, right? It's a pleasure to meet you. I am the current King of Britain, Noah Blake. You can call me Noah or Arthur."
Noah was simply greeting her normally, and he had noticed Vivian's difficulty in moving, so he didn't bother with any unnecessary formalities.
It was clean and straightforward.
But to Vivian, Noah's words carried an entirely different meaning.
When Vivian heard Noah introduce himself as the King of Britain, as King Arthur, and as Noah—without mentioning Romulus or Rome at all—she felt there was a deeper layer of meaning hidden in his words!
Was he warning her, saying he was only the King of Britain and telling her not to spread rumors?
Or was he testing her this way, to see if she knew his true identity?
Ah... No wonder even Merlin couldn't find him after the prophecy was given... Who would have thought that the emperor, granted the name Romulus by the Roman Pantheon and favored by the gods, would come to Britain to become the so-called Chosen King!
Moreover, Vivian had investigated—Noah's title as the Knight of the Dawn had existed for a long time, meaning he had been in Britain for quite some time!
No wonder the one currently ruling Rome was that Sword Emperor Lucius.
What exactly is this guy planning?
What were those Romans thinking!?
Utterly bewildering!
Her original plans were completely disrupted, leaving Vivian in a state of disarray.
If she were still the Prophet and could see the future, she might have been able to use her prophecies to confirm the situation.
But now, she couldn't prophesy anymore...
Thinking this, Vivian smiled and introduced herself to Noah, then decided to cut to the chase and get straight to the point.
"Noah, I previously had my final prophecy sent back, so your arrival this time must be to inquire about that Romulus."
"Anyway... let's pretend for now that we don't know he is Romulus!"
"Vivian never anticipated the current situation, so none of the plans she prepared were designed for circumstances like these.
As for adapting on the fly, not only does she have no ideas herself, but the clanspeople around her are even less capable of such a thing.
So, it's better to pretend we haven't recognized him and just continue with the original plan!
After all, Noah doesn't know that I can recognize Romulus upon seeing him!
Let's just feign ignorance here and use the fact that he's unaware to maneuver a bit!
That's what Vivian thought.
But just as she spoke the predetermined words according to plan, waiting for Noah's response, another voice rang out.
'Indeed, we came with that intention this time. However, given your current state, if you were to see Romulus in person, you'd probably recognize him at a glance.'
'But if you don't see him in person, then without being able to continue your prophecies, you won't be able to learn more even with your Spiritual Sense.'
The one who said this naturally couldn't be the Lady of the Lake.
Nor could it be Noah.
Then—it could only be Merlin!
By now, he had already found the Lady of the Lake's magical realm key outside and, taking advantage of her not deliberately shielding him due to Noah's visit, entered the magical realm himself, even finding his way here.
These Ladies of the Lake made way for Merlin, clearing a path even wider than the one they had opened for Vivian earlier.
But while they made way for Vivian out of respect, for Merlin—it was simply out of disdain.
These Ladies of the Lake weren't looking at him, but Noah could still feel how piercing their gazes were. Yet Merlin seemed able to ignore these looks entirely, even cheerfully greeting the Ladies of the Lake as he walked directly behind Noah.
As he passed by Noah, he noticed Noah watching him and raised an eyebrow, as if to say—See, I told you I'm especially good at finding the Ladies of the Lake's magical realm keys!
Seeing Merlin like this, Noah simply didn't know what to say.
And in Noah's mind, Mary, who had received Noah's permission to witness all this, had already begun berating Merlin!
But even as she fired off five criticisms per second, Mary also explained a few things to Noah.
For example, Spiritual Sense is a special intuition of Prophets. Even without making prophecies, Prophets can use this unique sense to discern certain things.
And this time, Mary also confirmed what Merlin had said.
When Merlin mentioned at Camelot Castle that Vivian, after once prophesying about Romulus, could rely on her Spiritual Sense to recognize who Romulus was, Mary had doubted it would work. But after actually seeing this world's Vivian, even in her current state, Mary could sense Vivian's incredibly powerful Spiritual Sense.
So if it were her, then upon meeting Romulus, she would definitely be able to recognize him.
Moreover, Mary also suggested that Noah add a condition to the treatment: once the other party was healed, if they couldn't prophesy specific information about Romulus, they would have to take her to Rome to search for Romulus.
Noah had no objections to this.
After Merlin took his position, Noah first apologized for Merlin's rudeness and then proceeded to explain everything.
"Although Merlin was somewhat rude, what he said is indeed true—Vivian, if you need life force for treatment, I do have a way. But I must also say that information about Romulus is very important to me. So, if you cannot prophesy specific details about Romulus, I will need you to help me search for him in Rome."
"Of course, you don't need to worry about safety. I will ensure your protection throughout the process."
Hearing Noah's words and seeing how certain he was about his Spiritual Sense, Vivian knew her final opportunity had been ruined by Merlin. Though hesitant, since things had already progressed this far, she could only grit her teeth inwardly, suppress her murderous intent toward Merlin, and force a smile as she nodded to Noah.
"..."
After Merlin brought back news from the Lady of the Lake's magical realm, he and Noah set out the next day. Factoring in the journey, several days had already passed since White sent the message back.
For an ordinary person, returning from the heart of Rome to Britain in just a few days would be utterly impossible.
But White could fly.
So she flew back.
As soon as she returned to Britain, White began searching for Noah's location.
If possible, she would have preferred to contact Noah directly, but remote spells couldn't convey information about Noah's true name. As for connecting with the Will of Britain... only Noah could initiate that. She couldn't send a call request; at most, she could leave a message and wait for Noah to see it.
Wanting to relay the news to Noah as quickly as possible, she immediately began searching for his whereabouts.
She scanned the skies above the clouds and finally fixed her gaze on the Lady of the Lake's magical realm, and then...
As someone who knew that "Noah is Romulus"—White had returned!