In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

"Huh? You know Prince Nero too?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked in surprise.

Yanan shook his head: "I don't know her, but I've heard of her. However, I really admire her. She was able to create a country all by herself. She truly deserves to be the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire."

"Um, about this..." Mashu looked slightly embarrassed and whispered, "Actually, Her Highness said that she initially just wanted to grab some people to listen to her sing..."

Yanan: ......

"Ahem, the process isn't important, as long as the result is good," he coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject, "So, besides Nero, which other Heroic Spirits have you contacted so far?"

Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka exchanged a glance and suddenly fell silent.

"What's wrong?" Yanan asked, puzzled.

“Actually… the only Heroic Spirits we can contact right now are you and Prince Nero,” Mash said helplessly.

Anan was somewhat surprised: "Didn't you try to summon other Heroic Spirits?"

"I tried, but failed," Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a wry smile.

Anan frowned: "So, according to you, before you arrived, was there only one Nero fighting against the entire Camelot?"

“It wasn’t like that at first. Before we arrived, several Heroic Spirits had already descended upon this Singularity,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a wry smile. “But later, they were all defeated by the Knights of the Round Table and then transformed.”

"Wait? Transformation? What does that mean?" Yanan was slightly taken aback.

Fujimaru Ritsuka was silent for a moment, then said, "It means erasing their minds, altering their perceptions, and turning them into members of the Knights of the Round Table."

Yanan's eyes widened instantly. Such a thing?!

Even for someone like him who possesses the Mind Key Feather Crossing the Dust, altering a Heroic Spirit's perception is not an easy task!

He frowned slightly: "Was it done by the Lion King?"

“No.” Fujimaru Ritsuka shook her head. “The Lion King wasn’t involved. The one truly in charge was Camelot’s royal advisor, the legendary guide to King Arthur—”

"Grand Sorcerer Merlin".

Chapter Fifteen: Mash & Galahad

At midnight, the bright moon hangs high in the sky, like a bright and clear jade plate, mercilessly stealing the brilliance of the surrounding stars.

On the open-air balcony of the white palace, a slender figure dressed in a white mage's robe stood quietly, gazing up at the night sky. Her purple eyes held neither joy nor sorrow, like an exquisite doll, unattainable to anyone.

A series of crisp footsteps came from the darkness. The newcomer stood in the center of the room, without speaking, just quietly watching the figure on the balcony.

"You're finally back." The figure on the balcony turned around and smiled.

"Why did you call me back so urgently? What happened?" the figure in the darkness asked calmly, the voice unexpectedly clear and childlike.

"An outsider broke in, and Tristan happened to run into him, almost resulting in a mutual destruction." The figure on the balcony stepped down and lightly snapped his fingers, instantly illuminating the previously dim room with a dazzling light.

As the darkness faded, everything in the room became clear, and the appearance of the visitor was revealed.

She was a little girl who was about 1.6 meters tall. Her long, light pink hair flowed smoothly down her back. She wore a set of magical lake-blue armor, and the upper half of her face was covered by a mask, making it impossible to see her features.

"Really? That's such a pity," the little girl said softly, but no one knew what she was actually regretting.

Although she was just a teenage girl, her tone was full of maturity, and the atmosphere around her was always tense, making people unconsciously feel a little pressured.

"The king has already given the order to eliminate this outsider. In fact, that's my opinion as well."

The woman who had been standing on the sky earlier, dressed in a white mage's robe, was also the royal advisor of Camelot, King Arthur's guide, and the renowned great magician Merlin, who chuckled lightly.

“That outsider is very strong. Tristan is almost powerless against him. If we let him go unchecked, it could have a negative impact on our plans.”

The little girl listened quietly, her voice as flat as ever: "So, that's why you called me back?"

Merlin smiled and nodded: "Tristan is currently undergoing treatment, Gawain is under house arrest by the King, and the other Knights of the Round Table are searching everywhere for the Chosen One and are unable to spare the time. The only suitable candidate I can think of is you."

"After all, you are the renowned Lancelot, the chief of the Round Table."

"Don't call me by that name." A sudden chill emanated from the little girl, and her voice became much colder.

“My name is Melusine, not Lancelot, and I have never claimed to be a Knight of the Round Table.”

Although he couldn't see the expression clearly, Merlin could still sense a pair of sharp eyes staring at him from beneath the mask.

"Get this straight, Nightmare, there is only a contract between us. You help me take form, I assist you in rebuilding Camelot, and then there is nothing more between us."

"Ah, as expected of the proud dragon Albion." Merlin smiled gently and gave an elegant bow. "I apologize for my earlier offense."

Melusine stared at Merlin for a while, then withdrew her imposing aura and turned to walk away.

Merlin watched the other person's departing figure, the smile on his lips gradually fading. He turned back to the balcony and quietly looked down at the peaceful city before him.

A large patch of dark clouds drifted lazily across the horizon, completely obscuring the moonlight, plunging the entire world into utter darkness.

......

......

"You're saying Merlin was also involved in this?"

Upon hearing Fujimaru Ritsuka say that Merlin was the one who carried out this task, Anan was completely unable to hide his surprise and almost stood up.

"Actually, we didn't quite believe it at first either, but it's true," Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a wry smile.

Yanan frowned deeply; he had never imagined that Merlin was involved in this matter.

He knew perfectly well that this Merlin could not be the Merlin he knew, but rather the Merlin who truly belonged to this world.

But no matter which Merlin it is, they cannot avoid meeting Arthur, because this is a crucial juncture that can truly influence the course of the world.

Merlin will become Arthur's guide, assisting him in becoming a powerful king, establishing the Round Table, founding Camelot, and unifying Britain.

She was a true sage and the person closest to Arthur. With her keen insight, it was impossible for her not to see the current state of the Lion King.

In this situation, instead of stopping it, she chose to aid and abet the evildoer...

Even if she herself has no values ​​as a human being, she will be unconsciously influenced by the long-term process of imitation. Even the scum of humanity in Anan’s mind could not be indifferent to the massacre of civilians.

What exactly went wrong...?

Seeing Yanan's furrowed brows, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu obediently shut their mouths to avoid interfering with his thoughts.

For a moment, the only sounds in the world were the howling wind and the crackling of flying sparks.

Could it be that even Merlin's mind was corrupted by the Lion King?

The moment the thought popped into her head, Anan decisively dismissed it. Ritsuka had said that Merlin himself was responsible for carrying out the mind-altering, and the Lion King had no involvement whatsoever.

Moreover, Merlin is a magician close to the Grand rank, so it's practically impossible for her to change her perception.

Yanan rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling a headache coming on. This matter was so strange that he was completely baffled.

However, he was certain that there were many unknown inside stories involved, and only by knowing these could he figure out what was really going on.

However, he suspected that there were some things that even the Knights of the Round Table might not know. To truly know the truth, he would probably have to go to the Lion King or Merlin.

However, the Lion King always stayed at his headquarters and rarely appeared on ordinary days. Unless they attacked directly, they would never find an opportunity.

Merlin is an expert in deception and illusion, so getting useful information from her is not an easy task.

He slowly exhaled a long breath, shook his head, and suppressed the matter in his heart.

Although there is no progress yet, he believes he will find the truth.

"I'm also curious about something else: before you arrived, how did Nero manage to withstand Camelot's pressure all by himself?"

This was the biggest question that Anaen had after hearing Ritsuka's account. Even the other Heroic Spirits were defeated and transformed by those Knights of the Round Table, so why was Nero safe and sound?

There's no way she could possibly withstand Camelot's many Heroic Spirits all by herself.

"Princess Nero said that this might be because her empire is too far from Camelot, and those guys have always targeted the 'good-hearted and pure-hearted' Chosen Ones, so they are not very interested in her empire."

"So that's how it is..." Yanan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Ha~" Fujimaru Ritsuka yawned, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and said, "Um, it's getting late, I'll go back and rest first?"

"Yes, senior, you should go and rest first. With Mr. Yanan and me here, nothing will happen." Mashu nodded obediently.

Although she is only a half-Servant, it's not a big problem for Mash to go a few days without sleep.

"Hehe, then I'll have to trouble you." Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled playfully, then turned and walked towards the tent. "Good night, Mashu, good night, Mr. Yanan."

Good night, senior.

After Fujimaru Ritsuka left, the scene fell silent for a moment.

Mashu stared intently at the campfire, while Anan leaned against a rock, gazing up at the night sky as if deep in thought.

After an unknown amount of time, Mashu suddenly said weakly, "Mr. Anan, there's something I'd like to ask you, is that alright?"

“It’s about Galahad, isn’t it?” Yanan turned to look at her and smiled.

Mashu nodded, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "I remember you said that my power... comes from Galahad?"

“That’s right.” Yanan glanced at the shield placed next to Mash and said calmly, “Moreover, the shield in your hand was made from the original Round Table.”

Mashu covered her mouth in surprise: "This... I had no idea about this."

"But you are somewhat aware of it, aren't you?"

Mashu was silent for a moment, then nodded.

In the previous five singularities, some Heroic Spirits would show a surprised expression when they saw her, then look thoughtful and say something inexplicable like "So that's how it is."

Without exception, all of these heroic spirits are figures associated with the Round Table.

For example, King Arthur, whom we met in Fuyuki City, or a rebellious teenager we met in the Fourth Singularity.

"I'm sure you're also curious why some Heroic Spirits recognize you but don't tell you, right?" Anaen smiled.

Mashu nodded her little head and asked curiously, "Does Mr. Anan know why?"

“In Buddhism, there is a concept called ‘karma and reincarnation,’ which means that as long as a person does something, the consequences of that thing will eventually fall on his head,” Yanan said calmly. “This concept can actually be applied to you as well.”

“Even within the Round Table, Galahad is a rather unique figure, as you probably already know.”

Mashu nodded silently.

The first saint in history to obtain the Holy Grail, then relinquish it without hesitation, and finally return to Heaven...

Yanan continued, "You inherited Galahad's power and Noble Phantasm, thus forming a karmic bond with him, and therefore also inheriting this special quality to some extent."

"This will bring you some benefits, but it may also have some unknown effects, such as..."