Chapter 114: Packaging And Selling Oneself
Noah felt that there must be a certain understanding between Merlin and the Lady of the Lake.
Otherwise...
He thought he probably wouldn't have seen Merlin thrown out of the magical realm just over an hour ago, only for Merlin to reappear before him now, just over an hour later.
Moreover, he had been curious before—the accommodations arranged by these Ladies of the Lake had multiple rooms from the very beginning. It wasn't just one room for him; the entire building had been vacated.
Thinking about it now, these Ladies of the Lake probably knew that Merlin would return before nightfall even when they threw him out of the magical realm.
These beings really know Merlin well.
Noah merely sighed at this matter. After all, even before Merlin was thrown out, he had known that Merlin would definitely return. So, although the speed at which he saw Merlin again felt a bit fast, it was still acceptable.
What truly surprised Noah was that this time, Merlin did not return alone.
He brought someone with him.
And it was someone Noah knew.
"White, you've returned from Rome."
Hearing Noah say this, White nodded.
"The task the King assigned me has been completed, so I rushed back as quickly as possible."
She only said this and then fell silent again.
That's just how White is.
Most of the time, she is quite silent. She only speaks when Noah talks to her or when something interests her. Otherwise, you could often see her leaning against the door of the treasure vault all day—not speaking, not moving, and not eating—as if she were truly a suit of armor placed there, serving as a scarecrow.
However, this time, Merlin could clearly feel that after White fell silent, her gaze fell upon him.
Merlin is not foolish.
He understood that this was White's way of expressing that there were things she couldn't say in his presence. So, Merlin simply smiled, made up an excuse, and turned to leave.
After White saw Merlin leave, she set up a barrier on the spot to prevent others from eavesdropping.
Once the barrier was in place, she finally told Noah the information she had gathered during her investigation in Rome.
"King, I have clarified your true name. According to the records of the Roman Senate, when you were in Rome, your parents brought you to the Pantheon. There, you received a name bestowed by the gods—Noah Mulius."
As White spoke the name, Mary, who was hidden within Noah, used her magic to write the name in mid-air on her side.
Then, even after the magic dissipated, the name remained, and Noah could clearly feel his connection with Mary.
—It seems this is it.
"Noah Mulius..."
Upon hearing his true name, Noah merely sighed.
After all, he wasn't particularly fixated on knowing his true name. Instead, after learning his true name, Mary spoke to him in her mind.
"Noah, I will try to use your true name to determine which god you are."
Leaving these words, Mary set about doing just that.
Noah silently allowed it.
As for himself, he looked at White before him and spoke again.
"I've learned the name, so let's leave it at that—White, what did you mean earlier in our communication when you told me to reconsider my stance toward Rome? That has absolutely nothing to do with my true name, right?"
Noah was somewhat puzzled by this matter.
Earlier, White had given such a reminder in their communication. If it had been related to his true name and couldn't be discussed in detail within the communication spell... that would have been understandable.
But now, his true name seemed to have no connection to this matter at all.
So why hadn't White explained it clearly during their communication?
"Your Majesty, the reason I advised you to reconsider your stance toward Rome earlier is precisely because it is indeed related to your true name."
White's explanation caught Noah off guard, but he didn't interrupt her, simply listening as she continued.
"Your Majesty, when your true name is read in our British language, it naturally sounds like a perfectly ordinary name. But you are Roman, so your true name should be read in the Roman language, and even with the accent of your hometown—in that case, the pronunciation of Noah Mulus would be Romulus."
"The matter of the Pantheon bestowing a name has never happened before, and the name bestowed was this one. This signifies that you are the one recognized and chosen by the gods of Rome as the emperor of Rome for this generation."
"However, the Sword Emperor Lucius becoming emperor at the time aligned with everyone's interests, which directly led to you and your family being exiled and even targeted for assassination."
Hearing White's words, Noah felt no sorrow for the family he had never met. As for losing the Roman throne due to his exile, the King of Britain now felt nothing—having long formed bonds in Britain, he felt as though he were listening to a story, with almost no particular emotional fluctuation toward the story itself.
But when White said his name, when pronounced in Rome, was Romulus, his eyes nearly popped out of his head!
He had previously thought the matter of the Pantheon bestowing a name sounded so familiar... Now it seemed, wasn't this the so-called destined rival Vivian had prophesied?!
The destined rival was actually himself?!
Noah felt as though he had been battling wits with thin air all along!
For a moment, he didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry.
Noah was lost in thought about the fact that he was Romulus.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Vivian—who had originally planned to first restore her body with vitality, then have other clan members deliver plenty of wine to Merlin, waiting until he was drunk at night to secretly gather the clan for a small meeting and organize the new situation through prophecy—suddenly sat up while recovering with her eyes closed and opened them wide.
It wasn't that her body had fully recovered.
Rather...
"The Soul Contract... it's already completed?!"
She was utterly astonished!
Originally, she thought it was impossible for Noah to learn she was Romulus in such a short time, so she planned to keep it from him first, drag things out, and handle it slowly after she regained her Prophetic Ability.
Those seventy-two penalty clauses were also her way of showing sincerity while intentionally violating a few, giving Noah some benefits, and making amends so everyone could save face.
But...
No.
Now it seemed she had dug her own grave.
No.
When she had done nothing, the Soul Contract had already been formed—now she couldn't possibly fulfill those seventy-two penalties!
She hadn't just dug her own grave; she had sold herself out!
And along with it, she had bundled up all the treasures of the Lady of the Lake's magical realm and sold them, along with herself, to Noah!