Chapter 83: Look, The Corpse Is Speaking
Morgan grew up listening to horror stories about the Land of Shadows. So, who told her these tales?
King Uther certainly wouldn't have had nothing better to do than scare his own daughter for fun, so naturally—it was Merlin's doing!
Most of the horror stories about the Land of Shadows circulating in Britain were told by Merlin.
How did he know them?
Some were based on his own experiences exploring the Land of Shadows, while others were stories he heard from other heroes when he observed their tales as a spectator in the past.
Among them, Cú Chulainn was the most prominent source!
Moreover, as Merlin traveled through various lands over the years, he found that terrifying legends about the Land of Shadows were widespread everywhere.
Even the Lady of the Lake was deeply afraid of Scáthach, the Queen of the Land of Shadows.
Merlin emerged from such an environment, which is why he knew so many horror stories about the Land of Shadows. As a half-incubus without a human heart, the only fear he could comprehend was that which originated from the Land of Shadows.
Thus, just as part of Morgan's Magecraft was taught to her by Merlin, her fear of Scáthach also stemmed from him.
This led to the situation where, after Noah summoned Merlin, who quickly arrived at Camelot Castle's study, Merlin immediately began relentlessly warning Noah about Scáthach's dangers and horrors!
"Your Majesty, although I don't know what agreement you've reached with that Queen of the Land of Shadows, that individual is truly extremely dangerous!"
"Your Majesty, don't be deceived by that woman. At her core, she's an old hag who has lived even longer than the Lady of the Lake—a monster who has even slain gods!"
"And I've also heard that the Queen of the Land of Shadows... eats children!"
"Think about it—if she eats children, it's entirely possible she occasionally eats a few adults as well. You absolutely must be careful!"
As soon as Merlin entered the room, he wore an expression as if saying, "Your Majesty, I see darkness upon your brow." He then proceeded to emphasize Scáthach's dangers with every sentence, giving off the impression that "Your Majesty, if you keep that woman around, you're going to die."
Whether Merlin's claim about Noah's impending death was true or not, Noah couldn't say, but he knew that if Merlin continued, the situation would become dire...
"Lord Merlin, I think we should end this topic here. Scáthach... she isn't as bad as you say. She has many good qualities, doesn't she? You just don't understand her."
Noah was trying to salvage the situation.
Although he didn't particularly like Merlin either, and in his mind, Mary was offering Noah advice, urging him to trick Merlin a few more times and preferably have him die right there, Noah still felt Merlin didn't deserve death.
But...
"Your Majesty, this is where your youth shows. I've lived for so long—to put it bluntly, I knew of this Queen of the Land of Shadows even before the previous king was born, before Britain was even established. Who understands her better, you or me?"
"You might think I'm exaggerating, but if you ask around, it won't be hard to find out—who isn't afraid of that old woman?"
"Her infamy stretches from Britain all the way to Byzantium, known to everyone far and wide!"
"Even the Romans fear her!"
"Even the Lady of the Lake fears her!"
"Even if one day you encounter those monsters notorious in the legends of Britain, just ask around and you'll find out—they all fear her!"
"The fact that three-headed creatures fear her proves that the appearance you see now might be an illusion, a deception! That old woman has lived so long, she must have mastered countless Magecraft techniques. It wouldn't be strange for her to create a disguise for herself."
"So that old woman's true form might actually be a giant skeleton with three heads, eight arms, no legs, crawling on the ground using her hands!"
"Even Roman mythology mentions the three-headed dog guarding the Gates of Hell, so that old woman's true form might very well be a three-headed hound!"
Noah... had done his best.
He watched as Merlin kept speaking with such conviction, his mouth firing off like a machine gun, rattling on and on.
Meanwhile, Scáthach standing behind him had long concealed her presence, her face half-darkened. Though she wore a beautiful smile, her eyes held no warmth, gazing at Merlin as if he were already a corpse!
Even if Scáthach were to suddenly say—"Look, the corpse is talking"—Noah wouldn't find it strange at all!
Noticing that Noah had fallen silent and even leaned back to indicate he wouldn't interfere, Scáthach placed her hand on Merlin's shoulder.
She thought this would make him stop, but Merlin seemed too engrossed in his rant. He didn't turn around or pause when patted, instead swatting Scáthach's hand away impatiently without breaking his stream of words.
"Your Majesty, don't think I'm trying to scare you. You've only known her for a few days—what you see is merely the surface!"
"All this information I have is well-founded. I know many who've seen her with their own eyes and interacted with her personally. You know Cú Chulainn, right? We're very close!"
"He's the one who said the Queen of the Land of Shadows is a monster—he told me so himself!"
"That great hero has been to the Land of Shadows and was even a disciple of its Queen. How could his words be unreliable!?"
"Much of what I know came directly from him!!"
"Even the term 'old woman' originated from him!"
Merlin was about to continue when Scáthach directly summoned her spear and impaled him on the spot.
Merlin finally fell silent.
As a half-incubus, he wouldn't die from such an injury. When he turned to look, he saw Scáthach...
Suddenly, it was as if he'd been doused with cold water. His previous eloquence vanished, and he could only tremble as he reached a shaky hand toward Noah.
"Uh, uh, uh..."
Noah sighed softly at Merlin's pitiful state.
"Don't actually kill him."
Leaving these words, the kind-hearted Noah who couldn't bear to see others suffer simply turned away, refusing to watch any longer.
And thus, Merlin was dragged into the shadows by Scáthach.
From that direction, Noah clearly sensed an aura of death.
Obviously.
Merlin had been dragged off to the Land of Shadows by Scáthach.
But Noah also believed that after what he'd said, Scáthach wouldn't actually kill Merlin.
So if it was just about teaching him a lesson, he'd let her do it.
Still, when he thought about the words Merlin had spoken after pushing Scáthach away... well, it was fortunate Cú Chulainn was already dead, and had been for many years.
Otherwise, Merlin bringing trouble upon himself would be one thing, but dragging another along with him? That just wouldn't do.
If that blue spearman ever found out, he'd probably thank you.
Ah.
What a mess.
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