In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

Vivian nodded, then looked at Guinevere, a hint of complexity in her pale gold eyes.

"The Holy Sword has found its rightful home, and Avalon's mission has come to an end. From this day forward, the Land of Ideals will never appear before the world again—"

Goodbye, everyone.

Chapter Fourteen: The Wisdom of Power

On the narrow path sandwiched between desolate fields, the void distorted slightly like a lake rippling with waves, and one figure after another appeared out of thin air.

"Hmm, is this the outside world?" The young man with short purple hair looked around, as if grabbing at the air as if trying to take something in. "It is indeed very different from Avalon. The etheric factor here is very thin."

"It's still the same spot we left from, but I wonder if the flow of time here is the same as in Avalon." Anan looked around and then at Lancelot. "How are you? Any discomfort?"

"No problem, you'll get used to it after a little while." Lancelot smiled.

"That's good." Yanan nodded slightly. Although Lancelot should be able to adapt perfectly to the outside environment, he grew up in Avalon, and no one could say for sure if he would have any adverse reactions.

“Let’s go, Anan, let’s go and slay that evil white dragon!” Lancelot said.

The thought of that evil dragon harming so many innocent people every day made him unable to suppress the boiling rage in his heart.

If he could, he would fly to the dragon's palace right now and slay it with his sword.

“Don’t rush, Lancelot.” Yanan shook his head. “We know nothing about Vortigern right now. Rushing in recklessly would be like sending lambs to the slaughter. Besides, Vortigern has tens of thousands of soldiers under his command. Even if we can take care of all of them, we won’t have the strength to fight Vortigern.”

Lancelot clenched his fists tightly, then reluctantly loosened them after a long while: "You're right, Anahn, I was too reckless."

“I understand how you feel, Lancelot.” Yanan patted the Lake Knight, who was bursting with a sense of justice, on the shoulder. “But it’s not the right time yet. If we want to defeat Vortigern, we need to prepare at least two things.”

"Which two things?"

Not only Lancelot, but also Artoria, Guinevere, and Kay looked over curiously.

“One is intelligence, and the other is troop strength.” Yanan smiled, his dark eyes gazing towards the distant north. “I’ve already had my subordinate handle the intelligence matter, and I believe she can give me a satisfactory answer. So, the next thing we need to prepare is the troop strength.”

“I remember you said you were the king of a country,” Lancelot said.

“That’s right, but my throne hasn’t been officially recognized yet. If I issue an order to mobilize the army, I’m afraid the final result will be very embarrassing for me.” Yanan smiled helplessly. “So what I need to do now is to consolidate my position and make sure the crown is firmly on my head, unshakable.”

"So, teacher, are you planning to return to Camelot to receive your coronation ceremony?" Artoria asked curiously.

Yanan narrowed his eyes slightly; "Lily, remember what I just said. What I want is a completely secure throne, unshakeable power, and the ability to command the obedience of all officials with a single decree. The investiture ceremony is, in the end, nothing more than a formality, and it is far from sufficient to meet my requirements."

"Besides..." He glanced meaningfully at Merlin beside him, "If I really go to Camelot, it's still uncertain whether this coronation ceremony can actually be carried out."

Merlin smiled helplessly. "Are you really from the Land of Shadows? Why do I feel like you know these things even better than Uther?"

Then I have to thank all those historical novels, classics, and TV dramas I read before... Yanan smiled slightly and did not answer.

The other four exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of confusion in the other's eyes.

What kind of riddle are these two playing?

Anan hadn't originally intended to explain these things, but considering that the throne would eventually be returned to Artoria, and to prevent his sister from being used as a puppet emperor, he decided to impart some experience in advance.

He led the group along the path, saying as they walked:

“Lily, do you remember the question I asked you before? If you were to ascend the throne, what would the nobles and officials do?”

“I remember.” Artoria recalled, “My answer at the time was that they would stop me, but you said, teacher, that they would respectfully acknowledge me as king and face the lowly Vortigern.”

“Yes, but that’s the situation you’re facing. My situation is the exact opposite of yours.” Yanan shrugged. “If I were an ordinary person, I probably wouldn’t even have the chance to reach Camelot.”

Artoria said thoughtfully, "Because you, teacher, are not King Uther's son?"

Anan turned his head, a hint of surprise in his eyes. If it were the previous Artoria, she would never have thought of this.

Is that so-called Holy Sword Trial really that magical?

“You’re right. Because I am not King Uther’s son, those who know the truth would never acknowledge me. They are loyal to King Uther and will only accept his son to succeed to the throne.”

"But to pull the sword from the stone and become king, that was something they all acknowledged back then."

“That’s just an excuse.” Yanan shook his head. “Never overestimate the integrity of nobles, Lily. If you don’t understand, that’s okay. Just imagine what Merlin would do in this situation.”

Artoria thought about it carefully for a moment and nodded: "I understand what you mean, teacher."

Merlin:.......

“So, Camelot is a den of dragons and tigers for me now.” Yanan shrugged. “Those guys will definitely make trouble for me during the coronation ceremony. Even if I do eventually ascend the throne, my prestige will have suffered a huge blow. That’s why I can’t go to Camelot.”

“I can have my sister help you,” Guinevere said earnestly.

“Guinevere, if you’re not fully awake, we can let you rest a little longer.” Kay, who had finally caught up with Anaen’s train of thought, sneered. “That witch Morgan wants this to happen so she can rightfully sit on the throne. Rather than hoping she can help, we’d rather hope those nobles will obediently listen to us.”

Guinevere's aura suddenly turned cold, but she quickly returned to normal, and a hint of pity appeared in her eyes as she looked at Kai.

“No matter what Morgan does, the outcome won’t change. British tradition is that succession is from brother to brother, from father to son. This is the way things are, and anyone who tries to go against the tide will have to pay a price. And Camelot can’t afford that price right now,” Yanan said, shaking his head.

"Then... what should we do now?" Artoria asked, troubled.

"Since going against the trend is not feasible, then..."

Yanan gazed at the faint black line ahead; if he remembered correctly, it was a town called Coramon.

"We must create a momentum that benefits us!"

Chapter Fifteen: Enemies in the Shadows

At dusk, just before the last rays of the setting sun were about to disappear, Anan and his companions finally entered Coramon.

After asking some passersby, they learned that about a month had passed since they entered Avalon, and the flow of time on both sides remained within a relatively small range.

This is likely because Avalon has not completely separated from the main world.

Colamon is a river port town from which most of the cities north of Camelot can be reached by boat. Especially now, during the autumn harvest season, merchants come and go every day, and the hotel rooms are usually fully booked.

Fortunately, Hector had given Anaen a large sum of money before they set off, and with these adorable golden little things, they managed to rent the last three top-class rooms.

“Then Lancelot and I will share a room, Guinevere and Lily will share a room, and the teacher will have a room by herself,” Kay suggested.

Everyone agreed with this.

"Hey, have you forgotten there's someone else here?" Merlin tapped his staff in annoyance. "I'm a great sage, after all. I should at least have my own private room."

"What's the point of sleeping when you have a nightmare? Just do your job properly and let us have a sweet dream tonight. That's what you should be doing." Kai pouted and went back to his room down the stairs.

The others also dispersed.

"A beautiful dream?" Merlin stroked his chin thoughtfully, a slight smile curving his lips. "Don't worry, Kai, of course I'll leave you with a beautiful dream you'll never forget."

......

.....

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

A dark figure silently crept into the alleyway outside the hotel, looked around, and then leaped up, its body as agile as a monkey, stepping onto the outer wall of the hotel and silently climbing upwards.

Reaching the top floor, he stepped onto the raised railing and carefully made his way to the rightmost room, bending low.

By the bright moonlight, he glanced into the room through the window. It was quiet inside, except for the slight bulge of the blankets on the bed.

A sharp glint flashed in his light brown eyes. He took out a gleaming silver dagger from his pocket, gently pushed open the window, and silently landed on the floor of the room.

A flash of fiery red light suddenly appeared before his eyes, and his gaze froze instantly.

Anan emerged from the darkness, took the dagger from the man in black's hand, examined it, and said calmly, "Who sent you?"

"Ahh..."

The man in black opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Because there was nothing in his mouth, his tongue had already been cut off.

"Hmph, quite cautious indeed," Yanan sneered. "But do you think I can't find you just like that?"

He used the power of Feathered Dust to invade the other person's mental world and examine their memories.

Half a minute later, he opened his eyes again, his dark pupils deep and unfathomable, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“Count Hugen... the brother of the finance minister, actually dared to assassinate the new king.”

Before leaving, Anan obtained a list of all the nobles in Camelot from Ector, including their titles, territories, and relationships, all of which he knew very well.

"I really don't know how badly Camelot has deteriorated over the past ten years or so."

Shaking his head, Yanan walked past the man in black toward the bed, casually tossing the dagger behind him like trash.

laugh--

A cluster of black flames enveloped the dagger still in mid-air, disappearing before it even hit the ground. Then, the black flames ignited on various parts of the man in black's body, vanishing completely in a short while without leaving any trace of their existence.

The clear moonlight streamed through the window and fell on the oak floor. The elegantly decorated guest room remained as tranquil as ever, as if nothing had happened.

"Good night."

......

......

The next morning, Anaen arrived at the hotel restaurant and enjoyed breakfast with Artoria and the others around the table.

"Brother, did you not sleep well last night? Why do you look so pale?"

Artoria asked, puzzled.

With a pale face, Kai forced a smile: "It's nothing, just a nightmare."

"Oh? What kind of nightmare could scare you like this?" Anaen asked with interest, while Artoria, Guinevere, and Lancelot also cast curious glances at him.

Kai's expression stiffened slightly, his eyes flickering: "This... I'm sorry, I don't remember either..."

"Is that so?" Yanan asked with some regret, but it's normal to forget dreams once you wake up.

Kai breathed a sigh of relief, though he certainly didn't dare tell anyone else. His dreams last night were entirely about his two months in Avalon.

It was almost exactly the same, with virtually no difference from his experience at the time.

The memory of that feeling of being completely exhausted but unable to stop makes him tremble.

Moreover, in his dream, he kept reliving this experience, and it was no use trying to wake himself up.

This is simply the cruelest thing in the world.