Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Those were fakes I made, but they weren't very good, so I just buried them somewhere. Who knew someone would dig them up, and the person who dug them up was so nosy that they had to touch them, causing the hair of one of the fake Guinevere figures to be ruined and disappear." Merlin shrugged and said helplessly, "Later, I simply found an opportunity and stole those two fakes."

"So you're the one who made that thing disappear? I thought it was just a made-up legend without any evidence," Hayato retorted. "Then what about this Mold Gold Shawl? I remember it was an artifact unearthed in Wales, and it was identified as something over 4500 years old. How did it become yours?"

Merlin casually replied, "This is also a forgery, but it wasn't me who made it; it was made by those people in the human world. Also, the reason it's in Wales is because I was imprisoned there. You've probably heard the Arthurian legend about the Lady of the Lake imprisoning Merlin, who is me, right? All my things were thrown away back then, and who knows which guy picked up my shawl and used it as a burial item. As for the me before you, Nightmare can freely enter and exit other people's dreams, that makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

After a pause, Merlin smiled and looked at Hayato, saying, "But I also used this to my advantage, turning what I left behind in the human world into a key that can enter Avalon, waiting for someone qualified and capable to enter Avalon and transfer to the dream world of Atolis that covers Avalon. After all, I'm called 'Merlin the Legendary Prophet,' so it's reasonable for me to know a little about prophecy, isn't it?"

"In this Ganges, and your prophecy is indeed quite something. At least one person I know who also knows divination couldn't accurately predict my future." Hayato thought of Isis's [Millennium Jewelry] and couldn't help but glance at Merlin. "You really can't judge a book by its cover. I thought you were the kind of orthodox mage who would bite your tongue when chanting spells and preferred to draw a sword from your staff and slash people directly rather than use magic."

"What kind of orthodox mage is that?" Merlin complained, looking at Hayato's nonchalant expression, he finally couldn't hold back and spoke up, "I already told you before that after I told you everything you wanted to know, I had a favor to ask you for. Are you going to keep pretending to be confused?"

“Because you’re the one asking me, not the other way around. If I were to ask first, it would be like we’ve made a deal, exchanging your answer for my help, right?” Hayato saw that Merlin had put things out of the box, so he stopped asking questions and beating around the bush. He looked at Merlin and said, “However, even the legendary archmage Merlin couldn’t do this. Let’s make it clear beforehand, I’ll refuse anything that’s too troublesome.”

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious, just a small favor." Merlin shrugged. "I've always had some trouble getting over what happened on the day Artorius drew his sword. What would have happened if Artorius hadn't drawn it back then?"

“I know someone named Li Abao who once said that the people always need a hero. It’s just that the stage has been set up in front of people, and the script doesn’t need to be rewritten. King Arthur’s drawing of the sword was a predetermined past, a choice of fate, but it was also Artorius’s own choice.” Hayato spread his hands. “Even if he hadn’t drawn the sword and become the King of Britain, he would have worked hard for this land in other ways.”

“That’s true, because Artorias was such a fool.” Merlin smiled, looked at Hayato, and earnestly pleaded, “King Arthur has already passed away in Avalon, but Artorias has never existed as a human being, as himself. That is my request: please take him away from Avalon.”

"Merlin, are you sober?" Hayato refused. Although he might already be a wanted criminal for taking the gold shawl from the British Museum, he wouldn't be so arrogant as to swagger around a tourist attraction like Glastonbury carrying a corpse. "You say you'll take him away, but that's not something you can just do. Do you expect me to carry a thousand-year-old corpse out? Hahahaha, I'm not going."

“I didn’t say you had to take King Arthur with you. I already said it’s Artoria, Artoria,” Merlin said. “You just need to take Artoria, the part of King Arthur’s memories that are still active, with you.”

"You make it sound so easy, you bastard! Talking about bringing back memories? I never did that—"

Hayato paused halfway through his sentence, then habitually pulled out a card from the system's inventory from the card box at his waist, saying, "—I think I actually do have one?"

The card in Hayato's hand was none other than the card of [Paladin - Artorias]. This wasn't something Hayato had stolen from Artorias; Artorias's card had disappeared before Hayato could even remove it from his deck.

This card was one of the initial cards Hayato obtained from the system's deck when he first arrived in this world of card players. Although it was quite strong, before the tribute rule was in place, Hayato mostly used the higher-attack-power "Dark Knight Gaia". Later, when he arrived in Duel Kingdom, he switched to a mixed deck using "Disruption", "VWXYZ", and "Armed Dragon", and he no longer used the ordinary card "Paladin - Artorias".

He only used the card "Paladin - Artoria" twice, during the final match of Duel Kingdom and in Duel City when the rules changed. After that, the card remained at the bottom of Hayato's inventory for a long time. Now, this card is the perfect place for Artoria to reside.

Merlin wanted Hayato to take Artoria away from Avalon, and Hayato just happened to have a card that could take Artoria away. What a coincidence!

Suddenly, Hayato felt like a puppet being manipulated by the threads of fate. He looked at Merlin with a rather unfriendly gaze and said, "How did you know I had a card that could hold Artoria?"

"Don't be so wary, Mr. Dan Kuroto. I should have mentioned before that I'm known as 'Merlin the Legendary Prophet,' so it's only natural that I know a little about prophecy, right?" Merlin replied with a smile, offering no direct answer to Hayato's question.

"...Fine, whatever you're plotting, I won't refuse any benefits that come to me for free. It would be too much of a loss to just turn down a free spirit." Hayato thought for a moment, then handed the card in his hand to Merlin. "Anyway, even if you really have some schemes up your sleeve, I'll thwart them all."

"How confident you are." Merlin didn't take the card, but simply tapped it lightly with his staff. Hayato saw the card in his hand seem to turn into a black hole, sucking everything around it into it. Light also twisted and gathered, wrapping around the card in Hayato's hand and turning into a ball of light.

After a brief moment of dazzling light, everything returned to normal. Hayato saw that everything on the [Paladin - Atolis] card in his hand, which should have been static, had come alive and moved. The leaves in the forest swayed in the wind, the sunlight shifted, and the lightning at the point where the pulled [Holy Sword - Sword in the Stone] connected to the ground pulsed. But the only thing that Hayato didn't sense was the card itself, [Paladin - Atolis].

"That's good. I've transferred Atolis's memories to this card, but now that he's out of the dream, he's fallen back into a deep sleep." Merlin's voice rang in Hayato's ears. "That's all that matters. With this card, let Atolis experience the outside world. That's my request."

It seemed that because the [Paladin-Atolis] card had taken away Atolis's consciousness and dreams, Merlin could only speak to Hayato in this way, unable to reveal his true form. However, he still seemed to be able to see Hayato. Noticing the expression on Hayato's face, he asked in confusion, "What's wrong? You look so serious. If there are other conditions, we can continue to discuss them."

"No, it's just carrying a card, nothing troublesome. I don't use Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace app), so it's not like I'd need to resort to any kind of 'hand-knife' tactics." Hayato stroked his chin. "I just feel like I've forgotten something I should be aware of. What is it?"

“Oh right, I remember now. Merlin, didn’t you just say that the spirits of those Paladins in Atolis’ cards don’t exist? What about Morgan? What about Morgan the Witch of Avalon?” Hayato remembered something he almost forgot. “I remember that when I was dueling Atolis earlier, Morgan’s cards seemed to have spirits.”

"Because Morgan, besides being Arthur's sister, is also the Lady of the Lake, possessing authority over Avalon, and I was imprisoned by her... Wait, you said Artoria just used [Morgan's] card? Oh my god, I didn't even notice! If that's the case, then we're—"

Merlin had barely finished speaking when a furious female voice suddenly rang out: "I have guarded Avalon for a thousand years and was once deprived of my right to inherit Britain. Now you dare to bring humans into my territory? You are courting death!"

Merlin!

Chapter 1025 When did you arrive? The sun is shining brightly today.

"Get out of here!"

Clang, clang, plop, snap!

In the end, Hayato heard a roar, and the scene before him changed abruptly, turning into a pile of building ruins standing on the grass.

"Tsk, you got kicked out by that Lady of the Lake. I thought you could escape," Hayato complained. "You're so useless, Merlin."

"I already said it was just a test, why did you tell me so late that Morgan knew about our intrusion?" Merlin's voice rang in Hayato's ears. Although Hayato couldn't see what he looked like at that moment, he could guess what kind of helpless expression he would show to shirk responsibility. "Although I am called a great mage, my abilities are limited. There are some things that I really can't do just because I say I can't."

"I don't think so. You're probably just neglecting your duties, you born evil nightmare brat!"

"Huh? What right do you have to call me a brat? You're such a vulgar thing!"

Look, just now, in Avalon, far removed from the human world, something wonderful happened. The vicious duelist known as the King of Duels, Dan Kuroto, appeared. Just as he was about to invade Avalon, targeting the slumbering King Arthur, Morgan, who was patrolling the territory, discovered him and immediately thwarted his plot.

The invincible Dan Kuroto has fallen; no one knew of the disaster that struck Avalon. This was all thanks to Morgan. Thank you, Morgan—

"What speedrunner? What happened just now?" Hayato complained. "Morgan was clearly targeting you, okay? He used that broom-like wand to kick me out too. How come you're making up a story and completely absolving yourself of any blame?"

The actual situation just now was that after Hayato finally remembered Morgan and told Merlin about it, Morgan happened to find Merlin, who had entered Avalon through Artoria's dream, and Hayato, who had been let into Avalon by Merlin. Because of his disgust for Merlin, Morgan simply flew into a rage and unleashed various powerful magics to hunt down Merlin and Hayato.

However, because Merlin's physical form disappeared along with the interruption of Artoria's dream, the only one being hunted down was Hayato, who was carrying [Artoria]. The scene was like a battle between Kosei and Penelope Gundam, and Hayato had to run all the way to avoid being hit by Morgan.

Even so, Morgan was, after all, the administrator of Avalon, and not some figurehead like the "elders of the tombs" in another world's tomb-guarding tribe—she was a true lake nymph who could freely control Avalon. Since magic couldn't hit Hayato and Merlin, Morgan simply kicked both of them out, which is what happened at the beginning.

"This is my level. If you're so good, make up your own story. Anyway, Atolis is just an idiot, so it's easy to get away with it." Merlin said unhappily when Hayato questioned his writing skills. "Anyway, as long as it's a story that explains how you brought him out of Avalon, you can modify it however you like."

Hearing Merlin's words, Hayato said, "Hmm...you should be locked up again, right?"

"Tsk, some things are better left unsaid. I only escaped by using Atolis's dream, and of course, I can no longer exist as long as Atolis's dream disappears." Merlin said nonchalantly, "But I am the half-human, half-nightmare archmage Merlin, so I can't possibly die. I'm just going back to the seal."

"After all, Morgan has already discovered me, so I'm afraid the path of dreams will be blocked from now on."

"So, I'm counting on you, you idiot Atolis, to take him to see the sights of the human world..."

Merlin's voice gradually faded, like a dream itself being blown away by the morning breeze. Although it seemed that Merlin could no longer hear what he was saying, Hayato still spoke, but mostly to himself: "Nothing is impossible for me on this land. All things are in my hands. Of course, I will keep my promise."

"Moreover, I'm quite curious to see what King Arthur would think if he saw Britain today."

"Huh? Mr. Dan Kuroto, so you were here all along."

Just as Hayato was talking to himself, Chronos suddenly appeared, looking at Hayato with a puzzled expression, and said, "But why is 'King Arthur' suddenly bringing this up when he sees modern-day Britain?"

"Mr. Chronos, when did you arrive? It's a beautiful sunny day." Hayato looked at Chronos with some surprise, not expecting him to still be there.

Although there were no clocks or other time references in Avalon, and Hayato hadn't even looked at his phone because of his dream in Atolis, he still felt that at least half an hour had passed, which wouldn't be much if counted as an hour. He had originally thought that Chronos should have left by now, given how long he had been gone.

“The sun is really nice today, but, ‘when did we arrive?’... Weren’t we at the scenic spot together?” Chronos scratched his golden hair in confusion and said apologetically, “It’s my fault, really. I promised you, Dan Kuroto, that I would be your guide, but I couldn’t help but walk faster when we were almost at the attraction.”

"Fortunately, I remembered to turn back before I got there, and then I saw Mr. Dan Kuroto standing here talking to himself."

Upon hearing Chronos's words, Hayato subconsciously took out his phone, glanced at the time, and realized it was only a little past eight in the morning. He had woken up at just past seven this morning, and it was only around eight when he bought his ticket at the entrance to Glastonbury Abbey. Although Hayato hadn't had time to check the exact time when he "disappeared" into Avalon, it was around this time that his phone showed.

Did I travel through time again? Wait, why did I say "again"?

But then Hayato realized that the place where he spent the most time after entering Avalon was, to be precise, the dream of Atoris. He guessed that Merlin had probably tampered with the flow of time in Atoris's dream, such as one hour in the dream being equal to one minute of normal time outside. This would explain why time hardly changed after Hayato returned outside.

"Well, I was just speaking on a whim, it's nothing to worry about. But I'm sorry to have troubled you to come back again, Mr. Chronos." Hayato casually brushed off the topic and followed Chronos along the path cleared in the grass. This time, Chronos walked beside Hayato the whole time, continuing to introduce him to the various parts of the monastery.

Because it was still early, even tourists like Chronos who were having a bad time traveling to Glastonbury were only a handful of people who got up early to visit the site. The sparse crowds, coupled with the gentle birdsong in the morning, gave Hayato a sense of isolation and seclusion even though he had left Avalon and was walking among the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey.

The main building of the monastery, which had previously attracted Chronos's attention, was soon reached. Hayato realized that Chronos hadn't been polite and had genuinely only walked a few steps. Although only ruins remained, the remaining pillars and walls still hinted at the immense size of Glastonbury Abbey. The entrance arch alone was large enough for more than ten people to walk side by side, and it would have been easy for three or four carriages to pass through at once.

However, all that remains are walls and arches. Upon entering the main interior of the monastery, Hayato's gaze is not met by the domes adorned with exquisite paintings common in classical churches, but by a blue sky dotted with white clouds.

While magnificent architecture can inspire awe, the remnants of those once-magnificent buildings evoke even more sighs of regret.

However, what attracts tourists most to Glastonbury Abbey, and what Kronos is most looking forward to, is not the ruins of the destroyed buildings. After all, the abbey itself is not a building with much significance like the Yuanmingyuan in the East. Even the tragedy of destroying beautiful things must be based on the premise that they are beautiful things. Glastonbury Abbey itself is not anything special.

What's truly captivating is a rectangular area specially marked out in the very center of the monastery ruins, on a lush, level lawn, marked with a sign that reads: "In 1191, monks excavated the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere here." Although the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere is said to have vanished without a trace in legend, this lawn is now considered the "tomb of King Arthur."

Glastonbury Abbey is now just ruins. The tall, broken stone walls and arched frescoes still faintly reveal their former splendor, while the burial place of heroes is now only covered with clean green grass and a simple sign. How poignant! If Hayato hadn't learned from Merlin that the tombs of Arthur and Guinevere that he had unearthed were just fakes, he really would have thought so.

But now? Please, King Arthur himself is in my cards, okay? What's so interesting about this crappy tomb of King Arthur?

However, Hayato is Hayato, while Chronos has the expression of a devout believer who has come to the holy land he has been longing for. Just standing in front of that grassy area with nothing below him makes him very happy. His face, which is like the Pot of Greed, is almost smiling into the Pot of Gold or even the Pot of Great Greed.

"I've always been proud of my surname, Mr. Dan Kuroto." Looking at King Arthur's tomb, Chronos suddenly said to Hayato again what he had said before, "Although the Medici family has long been lost to history, I have always aspired to become someone who can be called a noble."

"Although my favorite deck is 'Dark Middle Ages,' the 'nobles' I admire are not those medieval people who abused their birth and tarnished the image of nobility, but rather the spirit of nobility. Cultural refinement, social responsibility, and a free spirit are what I believe are essential to the spirit of nobility."

"Although I can't see the knight king from centuries ago in person, just standing here, I can feel the resonance of that chivalrous spirit. I vaguely feel that I may have gained a deeper understanding of the spirit of nobility."

"Are people of noble birth nobles? No, the spirit of nobility is not something narrow-minded. People with a generous heart are nobles, people with a compassionate spirit are nobles, and people with great courage are also nobles."

Chronos turned around, letting Hayato see the peaceful and gentle expression on his face. Even though he was less handsome than others, Hayato could feel a special quality emanating from Chronos, who seemed to have attained enlightenment in Ryuba at that moment: "I remember now, Mr. Dan Kuroto, you told me yesterday that there was a job you thought would be perfect for me, right?"

"In terms of cultural upbringing, I am confident that I can resist the temptations of materialism and not take pleasure as the purpose of life; in terms of a free spirit, I am confident that I have an independent will and dare to say no to power and money." After a pause, Kronos continued, "I think I still need to work harder in terms of social responsibility."

"After coming here, I may no longer be able to enjoy traveling around with my family's assets. I want to pass on my knowledge and skills and help those with enough talent to go further. I think this is the meaning of the work I have been looking for all along."

"You said before that job might fulfill the meaning I was looking for, and if I'm not mistaken, you wanted to introduce me to become a teacher, right?"

Hearing Chronos speak so seriously, Hayato nodded and said, "Impressive, Mr. Chronos. You were able to guess without any clues? I did want to introduce you to a teaching job, and not just any ordinary teacher, but one that would allow you to fully utilize your talents in Duel Monsters."

"Duel Monsters? Teachers?" Chronos was also taken aback for a moment, unable to connect the two at first, but then he immediately realized, "Could it be that academy for the world's number one duelist that I saw on TV before?"

A look of ecstatic joy spread across his face. He loved the Duel Monsters game, and today, here and now, he had an epiphany: the meaning of the work he sought was to educate others to become better, upholding his noble spirit. He had initially only thought of being an ordinary teacher, never imagining that Duel Monsters and education could be combined—this double joy…

“If you say it’s number one in the world, that’s not wrong, because it really is the number one in the world, and it will probably remain number one for a long time to come.” Hayato, unaware of the kind of "white-collar" scene that Chronos was currently thinking, nodded and said, “And I want to invite you to join the academy.”

"The academy? Is that the organization you belong to! Damn thieves!"

The one who answered Hayato was not Chronos, but a purple-haired man who suddenly emerged from the ruins of the monastery behind the two of them. "I've been looking for you two despicable outsiders!"

Hayato remembered this guy; he was the one who had chased him all the way to the British Museum and had a "riding duel" with him!

Chapter 1026 The Academy's Lackeys

"I've finally found you, you thief!"

Hearing the purple-haired man address him that way, Hayato tilted his head in confusion: "You're... that Eren Yeager guy?"

“It’s Klein Jaeger!” Klein corrected himself, then sneered, “You think you can escape capture after stealing from the British Museum? Impossible! I’ll keep chasing you until I catch you!”

"The British Museum? Stealing things?" Hearing Klein's words, Chronos looked at Hayato with some surprise. "Mr. Dan Kuroto, who is this guy?"

"Probably a cop. I fought him once before. But I don't recall ever stealing anything," Hayato said matter-of-factly. The reason was simple—although he took the golden shawl from the British Museum, Merlin had taken it back to its rightful owner in Avalon, and it wasn't in his possession now.

Since he wasn't on the surveillance footage, no matter how thoroughly others searched his belongings, they couldn't find the stolen gold shawl that was probably in Merlin's hands. Even if this Klein was a witness and could be considered a witness, it was impossible to convict him based on that alone!

Could he possibly reverse things by shouting "(?Д?)_σ異议あり!!"?

Although Merlin is clearly an elderly man with a white beard, he gives off the vibe of a conman who would lie on the ground and extort 50,000 yuan from someone who pats him on the shoulder, or a VTuber who wears a two-dimensional girl costume and scams money from three-year-olds like Malik online. However, Hayato still believes him.

The Golden Cape of Mold did indeed serve as the key to Avalon, leading him inside. Merlin's magic also restored the broken Golden Cape to its original appearance and returned it to its rightful place. Hayato felt that Merlin was right about this: the Golden Cape truly did belong to him.

In that case, there's nothing wrong with him taking the gold shawl from the British Museum. He's just returning something that's been lost from someone else for many years to where it belongs. In fact, the British Museum should probably kowtow to Hayato.

Chronos glanced at Hayato suspiciously. He could hear the confidence in Hayato's words, as if he genuinely believed he hadn't stolen anything. But would a respectable person refer to a police officer as a "cop"?

He was just about to accept the teaching position at the Duel Academy that Hayato had mentioned earlier. That kind of job was quite suitable for him, and Dan Kuroto, who had connections to introduce him to such a job, surely wouldn't become a thief, right? Especially the things in the British Museum, those are just... evidence... I mean, artifacts.