Kay didn't call the young man out—at least not in broad daylight. This was Camelot, where magic was forbidden, and anyone associated with it faced death. Even Kay was extremely careful about hiding his own magical abilities. So, there was no need to cause trouble for this kid.
The kid had no ill will; he was Arthur's friend. Kay could tell that his interactions with Arthur were closer to the kind of friendship Kay remembered, unlike everyone else who was timid and overly deferential to the Prince. Arthur needed a friend like this. Plus, his name was Merlin.
So Kay quickly changed the subject.
"Merlin, son of Hunith? That name is a woman's. Where's your father?" In this era, when introducing yourself, especially in formal settings, you would include your father's name. For example, Arthur would introduce himself as, "Arthur, son of Uther." This wasn't bragging, but a sign of honesty and solemnity. It implied that the person introducing themselves wouldn't do anything dishonorable, as it would stain their father's dignity.
Of course, if a family had a long history or produced great figures, the introduction would be extended—perhaps including a great-great-great-grandfather. But that did lean toward showing off.
Yet, few people mentioned their mother's name; there was no talk of gender equality in this age.
Kay asked casually, making conversation. But unexpectedly, Merlin's mood instantly plummeted.
"I... I don't have a father. I have no idea who he is. My mother never spoke of him. I was raised by my mother..."
Kay hadn't expected his simple question to strike a nerve. He quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I hope you can forgive me."
Coming from the modern world, Kay wasn't overly concerned with class differences. Merlin, however, was different. Though his talent gave him a certain pride, he lived in this society and was bound by its rules. The large disparity between his status and Kay's was an undeniable fact. Merlin was a commoner, and Kay was a noble, the adopted son of King Uther. Merlin had never imagined that a prominent figure like Kay would apologize to him for a mere statement.
Faced with this kind of treatment, Merlin was momentarily flustered.
"Sir, I—no, no, no, you don't need to apologize. It's nothing, truly, truly..." Merlin's face was flushed. He felt terribly embarrassed to be acting so clumsily in front of such a noble gentleman.
Kay smiled at the agitated Merlin. He didn't press the issue, as continuing would no longer be an apology but an embarrassment to the young man.
"Your mother must be a great woman. She raised you well, Merlin. When you introduce yourself in the future, you can proudly include your mother's name. There's no shame in that. On the contrary, you should be proud to have a mother like her."
Kay wasn't just being polite. Even in modern society, it wasn't easy for a single mother to raise a child independently, let alone in the period before A.D. (or C.E.). This was an era where the public mind was undeveloped, extremely backward, and ignorant. You could imagine what life was like for a widow, especially one who had a child with a man whose identity was unknown. The phrase 'a widow's door attracts trouble' wasn't just an old Chinese saying; this kind of thing happened in every era and every region.
Yet, despite all this, Ms. Hunith still raised Merlin, and by all appearances, she raised him very well. That made it even more admirable. Kay genuinely respected a lady like that.
Merlin, who had just been flustered, immediately beamed like a child upon hearing Kay's sincere praise for his mother—a little shy, but also proud. He truly was proud of his mother. She had worked so hard to raise him and taught him how to be a good person; what reason did Merlin have not to be proud of her?
"Thank you, Sir Kay. If Hunith knew that a noble lord like you spoke so highly of her, she would be delighted."
Kay smiled noncommittally. Though he hadn't met the lady, Kay was certain that the happiest thing for her wouldn't be his praise, but her son receiving recognition and compliments from others. That was what every mother hoped for and took the most pride in.
This was evident in the fact that Hunith sent Merlin, a commoner, to be an apprentice under Gaius. This was not a woman with limited vision.
After chatting a bit more with Merlin about his mother, Kay asked how he and Arthur had met and become friends.
"Oh! You mean that..." Merlin then vividly recounted their meeting.
A few months ago, Merlin arrived to apprentice with Gaius, the Royal Physician, with a letter from his mother. It started well; Gaius, due to Hunith, was very fond of Merlin. Merlin himself was clever and kind, easily gaining approval from others, until he encountered Arthur, who was up to his usual mischief in the city, while delivering medicine.
Arthur wasn't exactly a well-behaved kid; like all energetic boys, he liked to cause trouble to burn off his excess energy. So, Arthur often played pranks. Of course, Arthur wasn't some wicked spoiled brat; he just enjoyed the excitement and mostly treated it as fun, so the townspeople didn't harbor much ill will toward him.
It was just a boy's prank—who would take it seriously?
But Merlin didn't know that. So, during one of Arthur's pranks, Merlin stepped in. He wasn't afraid of Arthur and even sharply put Arthur in his place with his biting remarks, although he himself was promptly subdued by Arthur and locked in the stocks in the square to be pelted with rotten vegetables.
That basically started their feud.
They ran into each other two more times afterward. Each time, Merlin won the verbal battle but was physically overpowered by Arthur. The last time, Arthur directly told Merlin to pick up a weapon, intending to settle their score.
Essentially, Merlin's sharp words had irritated Arthur to no end, and the Prince wanted to beat him up fair and square.
The duel was complicated, and in Merlin's telling, he used his wit to make a fool of Arthur. But Arthur, standing nearby, interjected, claiming it was just bad luck—every time he tried to attack Merlin, his weapon would get stuck in a weird spot, or his foot would trip on something.
However, the result was the same as before: Merlin was defeated again. But this time, Arthur didn't punish him; instead, he was impressed by Merlin's extraordinary courage, and the two began to like each other for the first time.
Later, a sorceress, seeking revenge for her son whom King Uther had executed, tried to sneak into the palace to kill Arthur, making Uther taste the grief of losing a child. Merlin, by accidental interference, thwarted the sorceress's plot and saved Arthur's life.
To reward Merlin, King Uther made him Arthur's manservant. This cemented the beginning of their friendship.
"Oh?" Kay drawled, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Arthur, who was now sweating profusely nearby. It wasn't from exertion; it was from fear!
Sometimes, Kay couldn't help but marvel. He truly was the legendary King Arthur; his talent was enviable. To be subjected to Kay's rigorous training and still hold up! Kay's method came from a Jackie Chan movie he had watched in his past life, where Jackie Chan's character only mastered his martial arts and defeated the villain using this kind of unrealistic training.
Yet, this ridiculous training method wasn't too much for Arthur. Although Arthur struggled initially, the longer he trained, the more he adapted. Now, he seemed to have gotten the hang of it.
But being stared at by Kay right now, Arthur suddenly felt like life was just exhausting.