Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 118 The Sorcerer Supreme and the Knights of the Round Table (Second Update!)

"Teacher?" Salomon gently knocked on the centuries-old carved wooden door, and only after receiving the Venerable's permission did he push the door open and enter. Before coming to see the Venerable, Salomon had first sent the Merlin School master and disciple back to New York; he wouldn't allow magicians from other schools to wander around Kamar-Taj.

Balthazar's unusual wording piqued Salomon's curiosity, as no one addressed the Sorcerer Supreme as "King" anymore. However, he didn't press the matter, as the temple's records indicated that Balthazar was Merlin's disciple and a Celt from the same era as the Sorcerer Supreme; his archaic language was understandable.

According to Balthazar himself, Kamar-Taj seems to have some unclear relationship with the Merlin school, and some of its magic appears to be modified from Merlin spells, such as the Mirror Dimension, which is most commonly used by arcane mages. Currently, the only known magic capable of entering this illusory dimension, besides Kamar-Taj's Mirror Dimension spells, is a Merlin spell called Mirror Trap. Balthazar's claim that he participated in the modification of Kamar-Taj's arcane arts is not an exaggeration.

Salomon also asked a cryptic master to tell the monks Hamil and Wu Guiyue that they did not need to wait for him—because the Venerable Master wanted to see him immediately after meeting his old friend, which meant that the Venerable Master had something important to tell him, and that trivial matters such as eating could wait.

"You must be very curious about the connection between the Merlin School and Kamar-Taj, right? Your curiosity is practically showing on your face." The Sage Supreme remained seated behind the low table, with nothing in front of him except a cup of tea. Seemingly in a good mood after seeing an old friend he hadn't seen in years, the Venerable unusually cracked a joke first, "You're faster than a cat hearing a can of beef being opened."

“There’s still a difference, after all, I don’t have orange shorthair.” Salomon shrugged, sat down opposite the Sorcerer Supreme, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and took a sip. He said, “I think you have something interesting to say.”

"You guessed right, Salomon." The Venerable added a spoonful of honey to Salomon's tea. "It's a big secret. I'm afraid there are very few people in the world who know about it besides me, and Balthazar is one of them."

"About what?" Salomon took a sip of the cloyingly sweet tea. Hmm, it tastes pretty good; the expensive Elvish honey was definitely worth the price.

"Regarding the lineage of the Sorcerer Supreme, this is something you must know," the Venerable said. "In the understanding of others, the lineage of the Sorcerer Supreme was passed down from Agamotto to me, and I am the second Sorcerer Supreme. However, this statement is only true to a certain extent, because I am indeed the only Sorcerer Supreme recognized by Vishanti and the Eternal God. Have you realized that there was a very long gap between the time Agamotto, along with Oshutu and Horgos, became the Triune Vishanti, and the time I became the Sorcerer Supreme?"

"You mean... Merlin?" Salomon suddenly realized. The Venerable One had already mentioned the Merlin School, so this matter must be related to Merlin.

"That's right." The Venerable nodded. "Merlin was the second Sorcerer Supreme, and I am the third. Merlin only temporarily assumed the position. He passed it on to me when I was ready to shoulder the responsibility. The reason this wasn't recorded is because Merlin wasn't recognized by the Eternal God. You may have heard the legend that Merlin was a half-human, half-nightmare wizard with many faces. This is true; Merlin can transform into anyone. Perhaps because of his lineage, Merlin has an extremely close relationship with Gaia, the Earth Mother, and the fairies."

This is precisely why the Eye of Agamotto was not given to Merlin by the Eternal God, and Merlin's position as the Sorcerer Supreme was never confirmed. For Kamar-Taj, he cannot be considered a Sorcerer Supreme. For millennia, Merlin's origins have been shrouded in mystery and misinformation, much of which was spread by Merlin himself; he intentionally created this confusion. Undeniably, he was a wizard with a wicked sense of humor, as evidenced by the ultimate challenge he left for the Merlin school—the search for a Supreme Merlin.

"But according to Merlin's school of thought, Merlin seems to have been killed by Morgan le Fay..."

The Venerable Master seemed quite dismissive of such a statement.

"That was just Merlin's little trick," the Venerable said. "Perhaps he was annoyed by his disciples, and with Camelot falling at the time, Merlin simply used it as an excuse to escape. Nobody knows what he was really thinking. To keep his disciples occupied, he granted Balthazar near-eternal life; he will not die of old age until he finds a successor. Merlin's perverse sense of humor has never changed. Anyone who spends time with him will want to punch him a couple of times. If Balthazar knew Merlin's purpose, he would do the same."

"Hopefully Balthazar will never know about this. So, what legends are true?" Salomon asked, his curiosity piqued. "If even the Merlin School's documents are unreliable, then there are no more credible ones. The Merlin School also says Morgan le Fay is sealed away; if that's also false..."

"Some later legends are true; Merlin was indeed sealed in Avalon. However, it was more like self-imprisonment than a seal. If he wanted to leave, Avalon couldn't hold him, not even the Fairy King Oberon." The Sorcerer Supreme's expression became somewhat uneasy when Salomon mentioned Morgan le Fay. He sighed and continued, "As for Morgan le Fay… she wasn't someone those incompetent sorcerers like Balthazar could seal. They probably only sealed a part of Morgan's being."

Salomon nodded. Creating an independent entity from a portion of one's soul is entirely feasible in magic; he knew of two or three similar spells, each with different durations and effects. If Morgan le Fay was truly as powerful as the legends suggested, it was reasonable for him to cast such a spell.

"So, our connection with the Merlin School is merely because Merlin once served as the Sorcerer Supreme?" Salomon said. "If Balthazar is correct, some of our spells have indeed been influenced by the Merlin School, but I don't think that's a big deal."

"Our connection with the Merlin School goes beyond that, Salomon." The Sorcerer Supreme sighed again. "Merlin was once the wielder of the Dark Book."

"Oh dear, this is serious." Salomon sighed. Nothing is simple when it comes to the Dark Book.

"The account recorded by the Merlin School—that Morgan le Fay conspired with one of Merlin's disciples to steal magic—is true. At the time, they were both members of the wizarding order. What Morgan le Fay wanted to steal was a spell from the Dark Book, a spell that Merlin had copied into his own spellbook," the Venerable said. "But I believe this was merely a side move by Morgan le Fay. As far as I know, the outcome of that spell wasn't particularly relevant to Morgan le Fay's ultimate goal, but even so, we at Kamar-Taj need to keep an eye on how things develop."

"Morgan le Fay's ultimate goal?" Salomon was completely bewildered. If the news of the magic from the Dark Book being leaked was bad enough, the mysteries surrounding Morgan le Fay were even more astonishing. "Why are you telling me all this?"

The Sorcerer Supreme was somewhat embarrassed. "Morgan le Fay isn't dead yet; she'll live a long time," he said. "And you will inherit my title. That means... you might face Morgan le Fay in the future."

"Huh?" Salomon's eyes widened. "If Morgan le Fay were to do something that would harm the world, then Strange, the other sorcerers, and I would..."

"No, my dear disciple," the Sorcerer Supreme said, even more embarrassed. "What I mean is, you have to face this alone. Because you are to inherit my title, Morgan le Fay will target you specifically once he finds out..."

The Venerable One's words only confused Salomon more. The Sorcerer Supreme took a deep breath before explaining the reason.

"Besides Morgan le Fay, I was also Merlin's student," said the Sorcerer Supreme. "That's why I was once closely associated with Gaia, the Earth Mother, and the fairies. I even received help from Gaia and the fairies. At least, that was the case before I became the Sorcerer Supreme. Before becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, I did not fight for humanity."

"What!" Salomon exclaimed, his mouth agape in surprise. "I thought you'd made a pact with the Vishanti the moment you embarked on the path of arcane magic!"

"It's a pity, but that's the truth." The Venerable nodded. "Before accepting the contract with Vishanti, the Eye of Agamotto, and the Book of Vishanti, I never imagined I would become the Sorcerer Supreme. Because in that era, no one was more skilled in magic than Merlin."

"But what does this have to do with Morgan Lefève?"

"Although Morgan le Fay and I studied under Merlin together, our relationship was quite complicated at the time, and the subjects we studied were vastly different." The Venerable One sighed again; Salomon had heard him sigh more often today than in the past fifteen years. He didn't interrupt, but waited for the Venerable One to gather his thoughts. If the Venerable One was about to tell him something, he would listen attentively; if the Venerable One concealed something, it was something the Venerable One believed he shouldn't know, and Salomon wouldn't delve too deeply, for he trusted the Supreme Master wholeheartedly.

"My feud with Morgan le Fay dates back to the founding of Camlann and continues through the Battle of Camlann. We've been entangled for a long time. Morgan le Fay wanted to kill me, but she also loved me deeply—a twisted emotion of jealousy, because she felt I had taken what was rightfully hers. We had a period of reconciliation after the Battle of Camlann, because that thing had lost its power," the Venerable said. "In the future, I will pass that thing on to you. Strange cannot inherit all my titles; he can only be the Sorcerer Supreme, not the Lord of Kamar-Taj, and... this part of the title can only be inherited by you."

"What title?"

The Sorcerer Supreme did not answer; she remained silent for a moment, seemingly making a momentous decision. Then, she stood up and instructed Salomon to kneel before her. Salomon, filled with doubt, complied, and the Sorcerer Supreme repeatedly urged him to adjust his posture to achieve perfection.

"Salomon Messiah Damonette." The Venerable One stroked Salomon's long hair with affection, then made a palm shape with her hands and gently placed them on Salomon's shoulders. "In the name of Arthur Pendragon, Lord of the Kingdom of Britain, I appoint you as the last of the Knights of the Round Table and the heir to the Kingdom of Britain, effective immediately."

"From this day forward, you are Salomon Messiah Pendragon Damonet, heir to the Holy Sword."

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(End of this chapter)