Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 119 Adding to the Burden (First Update, Please Vote!)

Salomon could assure anyone that in the fifteen years since his birth, he had never been so astonished, not even when he learned he could wield magic. He would even swear to Vishanti, the very person from whom he had stolen his magic, that he had never imagined the Sorcerer Supreme's true identity was King Arthur. Salomon was completely stunned by this news; he felt as if the wool rug beneath his knees had transformed into a soft, orange fire-fighting cushion, making even simple tasks like maintaining his balance suddenly difficult.

"I, um, you..." He looked up, unsure of what to say, but the Supreme Master did not stop her.

"Perhaps you could change your surname to Pendragon, then your name wouldn't be so long." The Sorcerer Supreme helped the swaying Salomon to his feet. "Salomon Messiah Damonet is a name composed of different languages, meaning 'ruler of peace, anointed one.' If you change your surname to Pendragon, you'll also have one less middle name. I think 'Pendragon the anointed one, Pendragon the peaceful one' is not bad, although the word order is a bit strange. Of course, if you don't want to change your surname, then 'peaceful rule of Pendragon the anointed one' is a bit too long, but the subject is still 'Pendragon,' so I think I can accept it."

"Teacher, you know that's not what I meant." Salomon sighed, but the Venerable seemed to have already cast aside the embarrassment, as if he had just shed not just a title or a secret, but a heavy burden.

"Then," the Sorcerer Supreme fully enjoyed the pleasure of abandoning responsibility, "Morgan Lefève, my queen, will be your responsibility from now on."

"What about the Merlin School...?"

"Let them continue playing the game Merlin set for them." The Venerable pursed his lips. "It's better not to wake up from this beautiful dream, especially after they've already paid so much. Although Merlin has given Balthazar a spell that will grant him immortality, knowing that he's been deceived for over a thousand years is not a good thing. He might die heartbroken."

"I mean, that spell copied from the Dark Book!" Salomon was getting anxious.

"Now, I can tell you something you don't know," the Venerable said. "The so-called 'Dark Book' was actually bound by Morgan le Fay. She compiled a large number of 'Dark Scrolls' and bound them into the 'Dark Book.' What Merlin possessed was merely a page of the 'Dark Scroll' that Morgan le Fay didn't have when she bound it. Calling it the 'Dark Book' isn't really a problem."

"But this is no small matter, is it?" Salomon asked quite seriously. "We have to follow up. Balthazar is still taking care of the children. What kind of magic did Merlin cast on the ring he gave him that it chose Dave, who seems a bit dim-witted?"

"According to Balthazar, Morgan le Fay or her allies already possessed that magic. Let the Merlin School resolve their own affairs; if they can't, then we can intervene." The Venerable shook his finger. "Also, don't speak of Dave like that. You are my successor, and if necessary, Dave can even help you safeguard the Holy Sword. Didn't you hear me? You are the heir to the Holy Sword."

"The Holy Sword? What Holy Sword?" Salomon suddenly realized something. "Do you mean... wasn't the Holy Sword returned to the Lady of the Lake?"

"Legends are only part of the truth," the Sorcerer Supreme said with amusement. "From now on, that sword is yours. Taking it means you have inherited Great Britain. But before that, you must learn how to use it. It is the best sword in the world, and I don't want to see you wielding it carelessly. I will only allow you to pick up the holy sword when I deem you worthy. In addition, you need to learn to ride—real riding, not just lying on a horse's back and letting it carry you. I've already asked Pegasus, and you have no idea how much he despises your riding skills."

"Hey! That stupid horse, it eats a whole box of apples a day! And a basket of out-of-season strawberries from New Orleans!" Salomon got angry when he heard Pegasus talking badly about him. "And it wants roast beef! It actually demands to be summoned to eat every day, but it's an astral creature!"

Pegasus, who was strolling around the Kamar-Taj headquarters, snorted, shook its head in confusion, and looked around. But it quickly forgot about it and continued on its way; it could already smell the aroma of fruit.

"Horse, weapon, shield, you have them all. As for armor, I think the Shroud of the Dead is sufficient." The Venerable pinched Salomon's cheek. "Now, you've been demoted. Study hard, apprentice knight."

"Teacher, what does this mean?"

"So, you'll have two more courses to take," the Venerable One shrugged. "Anyway, you're not planning to show off your skills at the Eaton technology expo, are you? You'll have plenty of time to practice. I'll personally teach you swordsmanship."

"But I do learn fencing!"

"I'm not talking about the fencing games that Saxons play in cities, which they consider civilized, but the swordsmanship used to kill enemies on the battlefield." The Sorcerer Supreme thought for a moment, then continued, "Actually, you can also watch videos online to learn the basics of swordsmanship. The internet is so advanced these days; we have internet in Kamar-Taj too..."

"I can imagine the consequences if I logged on and turned down my teammates' invitations. They'd be furious if they knew I wasn't playing Call of Duty but learning swordsmanship instead." Salomon shook his head. "You can see there's a reason why every time someone stands you up."

"Remember, riding skills," the Venerable said. "Feed Pegasus more often; he actually likes you quite a bit."

"Let's put that stupid horse aside for now. I'm hungry, teacher, would you like to join us for a meal?"

"I'm too old to be around young people like you."

"Teacher, stop pretending." Salomon rolled his eyes. The Sorcerer Supreme was still alive and kicking, showing no signs of aging. Salomon had no doubt that the Sorcerer Supreme could easily twist his head off.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Buy some rice noodle rolls, and remember to add plenty of soy sauce."

"Would you like some shrimp dumplings?"

"That's right, two servings!"

After delivering a takeout order from a tea restaurant to the Sorcerer Supreme, Salomon went to the apartment to pick up Bayonetta and Joan of Arc for a meal at the Temple. He even prepared a black dress for Bayonetta. Although Joan of Arc was unhappy that she was just an afterthought, she obediently came along because Salomon wasn't cooking that night, and if Joan of Arc refused, she would only have Hawaiian pizza.

Wu Guiyue's daughter, Alice Gulliver—this somewhat shy little girl—was also brought along by her mother; in fact, the whole family was there. Wu Guiyue's husband, Gulliver, was an extremely gentle man. He was an ordinary person, yet he understood the lives of the wizards. He even offered to help the elderly (Wizard Hamil) and the weak (Wizard Salomon and Wizard Little King) at the table. As for the gluttonous Cheshire Cat, Bayonetta placed it on another chair, where it even got to enjoy the shrimp meat that Gulliver peeled—a privilege Alice didn't even receive.

Bayonetta enjoyed the dinner immensely, behaving with remarkable elegance and grace. She also got along exceptionally well with the Kamar-Taj sorcerers (specifically, Wu Guiyue). Since most of those present had watched Salomon grow up, they showed no mercy when recounting embarrassing childhood anecdotes.

Salomon knew that Bayonetta had found something else to make fun of him. To make matters worse, Joan of Arc, a woman he didn't get along with, was also there. Throughout the meal, she looked Salomon up and down with a mocking gaze, imagining him doing those stupid things. Her sarcastic look alone made Salomon quite uncomfortable.

"I never imagined Boya would be so cute as a child, though you still are now." Back at the apartment, while Jeanne was taking a shower, Bayonetta stood in front of Salomon. She held up her index finger and lifted Salomon's chin as he sat on the sofa. "I saw your childhood photos; you were so chubby back then! Tell your big sister, where did all that fat go?"

"That's a sad story, Bayonetta," Salomon blinked. "I burned my fat, literally. We have plenty of time tonight, if you don't mind."

"Dream on."

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"Stop chewing cookies into the microphone!" Salomon angrily threw down his controller and took off his headset. The noise from his teammates in Call of Duty was irritating him. But his frustration didn't stem from the game; in fact, with his quick reflexes, Salomon had never been at a disadvantage in FPS games. He was angry entirely because of those Merlin School mages.

He didn't know how Balthazar had instructed Dave, nor how Balthazar himself had enforced the law. In recent days, Balthazar and Dave had caused quite a commotion in New York City, showing no intention of hiding any magic.

Leaving aside the absurdity of turning an entire street of cars into taxis, Balthazar even brought an eagle to life, letting it carry him around the city. However, Balthazar at least had some self-awareness; he only did this at night. Dave, on the other hand, lacked this self-awareness. He even went so far as to not clean up afterward after casting a spell on a robber, instead letting the police take the robber away—who knows what that robber would say when he woke up!

Does this fool want to get noticed by S.H.I.E.L.D.? Salomon is certain that after he showed off his magic to Nick Fury, Nick Fury is definitely looking for a way to counter him, and one of those "ways to counter Salomon" is definitely "finding other magicians."

All the trouble caused by the Merlin School had to be dealt with by Kamar-Taj. Salomon, who had been staying in New York because he didn't have enough vacation time and wanted to spend more time with Bayonetta, was also caught red-handed. He was asked to help the temple deacons with some minor matters—these matters had nothing to do with magical skills and were ordered according to rank.

Furthermore, nobody knew Balthazar and Dave's hideout in New York, making it impossible to capture them and bring them back to Kamar-Taj. When Salomon finally returned to his lodgings and started the game, his teammates only added to his frustration.

"Shut up, Koenig, shut up! Sam, you shut up too!"

"It wasn't me eating cookies, it was Eric!"

"Eric, shut up too!"

Please vote for me! I've hidden a S.H.I.E.L.D. Easter egg; I wonder if anyone noticed it.

(End of this chapter)