I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

The tone remained flat and unbearably cold: "What is it?"

"Well, it seems like it's not my place to say this..."

Perinoa suddenly turned to look at the blonde girl with flowing hair beside her. The latter understood and stepped forward, continuing, "We hope you can assist us in opening the Tower of Radiance." Although she didn't know the other party's origins, just looking at the strange ability that seemed to grant her every word, and the old man's attitude towards her, reminded Guinevere that this being, whether human or god, was definitely not simple.

She bowed respectfully, and when she looked up, she saw that the man was motionless, quietly looking in her direction. The moment she met his completely inhuman gaze, Guinevere couldn't help but shiver.

"If this is your wish—"

The other person spoke calmly, word by word:

"Give us the reason, pay the price, and then—"

"My wish has been fulfilled."

P.S.: Updates are back!

Enough with the chit-chat. I should be able to update twice a week or even more these next few days. I saw there's an update ranking list, and although I'm a couple of days behind, I'll try my best to climb back up and see if I can break into the top ten!

Chapter 107 Bait and Hook (Part 1)

"Give us the reason, pay the price, and then—"

"My wish has been fulfilled."

His cold, inhuman tone, carried on the night breeze, sent chills down the spines of the young men present. Only Perinoa remained unaffected; instead, he chuckled and patted the man's shoulder heavily, then twice more: "Alright, let's talk about this another time. If we keep going, you'll be fine, but Fisher will probably turn into a fool."

“Heh…” Mananan didn’t seem to care about Perinoa’s overly familiar attitude. “Indeed. This body is only being used for the first time, so it’s not advisable to stay long. But before I leave, let me ask you a question.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Guinevere, the question he wanted to ask was self-evident.

The girl nodded: "Please speak."

"Do you know the significance of activating the Tower of Radiance?"

"do not know."

After hesitating for a moment, Guinevere still answered honestly.

Mananan didn't react, but just looked at him quietly: "It's your turn to ask a question."

She paused for a moment, but quickly recovered and asked, "I want to know if, with the power of the Tower of Radiance, it is truly possible to remove the curse on me and restore the Fisherman King to normal?"

This was a question that had been weighing on the girl's mind for a long time. Now, she finally met a key figure who seemed to know the truth—Merlin had specifically instructed her and Lily to seek the Trident of Poseidon, so he must also know of this person's existence—and immediately asked him.

Mananan nodded slightly: "Okay."

Hearing this, Guinevere finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.

In that case, the promises I made to Fisher and Elaine wouldn't be empty words.

She had long considered that if Merlin was wrong, or if the female magician had other plans, or if the power of the Tower of Radiance could not lift the curse of the "Nightmare Monster," or if the strange power affecting the Fisherman King was not the Nightmare Seven as she suspected, then what she had done would not change.

This is because Merlin's schemes are mostly beneficial to Artoria, and as a loyal supporter, Guinevere naturally wants to help within her capabilities. However, while she might not have known the truth before, now that she knows the immense sacrifice Elaine made, given her personality, she cannot simply abandon her. She has already decided that everything has a way of being broken; if the Tower of Radiance cannot break the Fisherman King's curse, she will temporarily bid farewell to her father and Artoria and go searching for a solution.

Unlike most people at this moment, Guinevere's vision was never limited to the British Isles. The world is so vast that even the Roman Empire, which people talk about, is just a small part of the whole earth. As long as she put her heart into it, she didn't believe that she couldn't find a solution.

Although Guinevere was quite reluctant to part with Artoria, with whom she had finally made some progress in their relationship—although the process and direction of that progress seemed a bit off—she understood the importance of keeping one's word.

I've been pondering this question for a while now, but having received confirmation from Mananan, this key figure, is like a reassuring pill. I feel much more at ease, and even my slightly furrowed brows relax. Of the people present, only Lily noticed this. Although she didn't know what Guinevere was troubled by, seeing that she was no longer looking so worried, she was secretly pleased.

But after a moment of silence, the man suddenly shook his head: "But for you, this may not necessarily be a good thing."

"Ok?"

Before Guinevere could ask any questions, he suddenly stepped forward, raised his other hand (which wasn't holding the Trident of Poseidon), and gently touched her brow—it happened in the blink of an eye. Mananan stepped back, lowered his arm, and his eyes reflected the girl's suddenly changed expression, his gaze indifferent.

Even so?

Her expression shifted several times, and even though Guinevere concealed it well, others could still see the momentary wavering in her eyes. But a few seconds later, the girl had returned to her usual sweet smile, her fingers idly twirling a strand of hair behind her ear, about to speak.

But he was interrupted again, who said, "Words spoken insincerely are meaningless."

The girl's smile froze.

Mananan had already turned away.

"I want to hear your answer when we meet next time."

Guinevere's eyes flickered, and after a moment, she nodded again. Whether the other person noticed or not, the man walked a few steps forward on his own, and by the time she nodded, he had already reached the lakeside. He paused slightly, saying, "This body is severely injured and needs time to heal. I will come to find you once he has recovered."

Before anyone could answer, Mananan took another step forward and plunged into the lake with a splash, disappearing from sight. Guinevere's gaze flickered slightly, but a hand reached out from the side and gently grasped her left hand.

It wasn't until this moment that she suddenly came to her senses and realized that she had been covered in a cold sweat without even realizing it.

The slippery sweat made the touch of holding hands feel a bit strange. Guinevere secretly glanced to the side—she knew who it was even without looking—and her eyes met Lily's. She immediately felt a little embarrassed.

But he didn't know whether this sudden embarrassment was due to the sweat on his hands or the undisguised worry in the other person's bright eyes.

It's possible that both are true.

She struggled slightly at first, but Lily didn't let go. Her already weak grip loosened, and after a moment's hesitation, she tightened her grip. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the white-skirted girl's worried expression lessen, but whether it was her imagination or not, a hint of a smile seemed to appear in those emerald green eyes. The emotional fluctuation was fleeting; if it weren't for the lingering warmth of her touch, Guinevere would almost have thought she was seeing things.

Lily let go of her hand.

The two were already very close, and their hand-holding and releasing was a simple gesture. The others were all thinking about different things and didn't seem to notice this small action. Only Nimiao looked up and took in the scene. She bit her thumb, and as if thinking about something, a hint of understanding and calculation that was not appropriate for a girl's age suddenly flashed deep in her originally pure and innocent eyes.

Like ripples on a surface, it quickly returns to normal.

"Nimia?"

Seeing her somewhat lost in thought, Percival, showing considerable concern for his friend who was a few years younger, couldn't help but call out to her. Nemia turned around and gave the boy a sweet smile: "What's wrong?"

"No...nothing."

After stammering out his answer, the boy hurriedly turned his head away, his face flushed, and dared not look the little girl in the eye again.

Nimiao chuckled softly to herself and stopped teasing him. Although she had been completely unaware of these things beforehand, for some reason, the little girl suddenly felt as if something had appeared in her mind—something unseen and intangible, yet undeniably there. She felt a slight worry. Normally, she would have immediately told her most trusted "father" about the changes in her body, but at this moment, after glancing at Guinevere and hesitating for a moment, she silently swallowed the words that were about to escape her lips.

why?

Nemia herself didn't know.

It was as if, long, long ago, someone had secretly taken her hand like this. But who was that person, and what exactly happened? The girl racked her brains, but couldn't remember a thing.

Only deep within my heart did a certain indescribable emotion quietly arise.

she thinks……

A long-lost feeling of hunger surged up, and Nimiao slightly grinned, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth that faintly gleamed with a cold light.

……

Eat her.

……

"At least for now, one less thing to worry about. Now we just have to wait for Merlin to come back and see if that Tower of Glory is really useful."

The worries that had been weighing on his heart for months finally disappeared. Although Perinoa didn't show it too obviously, he was in high spirits and spoke with a strong voice. Every word he uttered was like a thunderous roar, making the ears of the younger generation ring. Nimiao even covered her ears with a mournful face and refused to let go of them no matter what.

Fortunately, although the old man was of high status, he always regarded the etiquette that others valued as worthless. When he was young, he dared to point his finger at his father and scold him to stand up for his mother. Now that he was old, he would not impose the same things he despised on others. He found the little girl's whimpering and covering her ears cute, and spent the rest of the time by her side. Seeing that Nimiao looked like she was about to cry, he grinned to himself.

Guinevere and Lily exchanged a glance, and could only smile wryly at the old man's childlike behavior.

As she made up her mind to comfort Nemia, she quietly moved further away from the old man and the boy. Percival, whether out of respect for his father or for Nemia's sake, stayed close to the two of them. Guinevere felt that after a few words, the boy's eyes were almost like mosquito coils, and he stood there swaying, as if his consciousness was blurred and he might fall to the ground at any moment.

How pitiful.

The girl chuckled to herself, shifting her gaze. The moonlight overhead was bright, though not as "bright as day" as described in novels, but still enough to see her surroundings clearly. The strange beam of light caused by the merging of the three sea treasures had disappeared, but the calm lake before her eyes seemed to harbor hidden currents, brewing a storm yet to take shape.

"Sir Kay's side... should be almost done by now."

Thinking of a certain "old friend," Guinevere said softly, "I hope everything is well for him."

Lily nodded silently.

Chapter 108 Bait and Hook (Part 2)

"...Did you see it clearly?"

In the dead of night, amidst a cold wind, in a secluded, naturally formed cave, a campfire burned quietly. The flickering light, even in the sheltered spot, seemed dim and precarious, as if it might go out at any moment. Royko picked up another piece of firewood and tossed it in. The flames instantly ignited, crackling a few times as sparks flew out.

He raised his hand to block the view and replied, "I saw it."

“That power doesn’t seem like the scepter of the sea god that Fisher possesses…” Besides him, there were two other people sitting around the campfire. One was about his age, in his forties, with a thin build and fierce eyes like a hawk. The other was about twenty years old, fair-skinned and plump, but looked like a rich young man from a noble or merchant family.

In fact, including the fourth man who was out scouting and had not yet returned, they were all confidants of King Vortigern. They had been ordered by the king to infiltrate this territory under the guise of a caravan, thus evading Fisher's spies and infiltrating more than half a year in advance. Among them, the tall, thin man with fierce eyes and Royco were both skilled in martial arts. The fourth man, who was not present, was proficient in various tricks of covert operations. This chubby man with a smiling face was of average skill, but he was clever and quick-witted. Although he was initially looked down upon by the other three, after half a year of working together, he had almost become the leader of this small team.

It was he who spoke at this moment: "If I'm not mistaken, that pillar of light must be the very Trident of Poseidon that Your Majesty mentioned."

“Everything is proceeding as His Majesty predicted,” Royko said. “We have been doing this for several days now—”

“Two days,” the man with a fierce look in his eyes interjected.

He readily changed his tune: "—We haven't received a message from that messenger for three days."

"There's also no news of him being imprisoned by Fisher." The young man frowned, but his smile widened. "He's most likely dead. But that would be tantamount to declaring war on His Majesty. While that acting king is capable, he's somewhat indecisive; he shouldn't be so ruthless..."

"It might have been Elaine who did it."

“If that’s the case, then everything makes sense. In any case, among the tasks His Majesty assigned, the most important is to seize the three treasures of the Sea God, followed by targeting the brother and sister, and... investigating the whereabouts and current situation of the Fisherman King. If he has indeed been stripped of his power and secretly imprisoned, we can try to rescue him and stage a spectacular father-son duel.”

At this point, the young man chuckled smugly, but immediately shook his head: "Unfortunately, the chances are slim. Let's prioritize seizing the Trident of Poseidon. Although our recent preparations almost exposed us, it seems things are going as we anticipated—secretly driving away the water-seeking beasts, writing to Perinoa, and using the King of the Islands and the people around Plymouth to pressure the Fisher siblings into combining the three treasures and restoring the Trident of Poseidon..."

A chilling smile flickered in the flames: "In this way, the most troublesome Elaine is out of the picture, leaving only Fisher... Heh, a mindless brute. Without Elaine's planning and guidance, what use is brute force? I want him to live, and he lives; I want him to die..."

Another piece of firewood fell into the fire.

The flames blazed brightly.

"...He is doomed."

After he finished speaking, the three fell into a brief silence. No one spoke, perhaps because they had nothing to say, or perhaps because they had some thoughts that could only be kept in their hearts. Occasionally, their gazes would exchange and then look away, while the campfire burned brightly.

for a long time.

“But speaking of which, why hasn’t Meyer returned yet…” Royko looked out of the cave again. The night was dark, and no one was in sight. He muttered to himself. His voice was soft, but it didn’t escape the notice of the other two. The man with the fierce gaze gave him a look: “Worried about your son?”

Royco gave a somewhat forced smile and did not answer, while the young man smiled and said, "Although Meyer is young, he is quite capable and should not encounter any trouble."

"probably."

He nodded and said nothing more, but inwardly he cursed, "Nonsense. Of course you don't care if he's not your son."

When Vortigern specifically named him for this mission and gave him the right to choose a companion, Royco thought it over and over and finally chose his own son, Meyer. On the one hand, Meyer was very capable, and the father and son had worked together for many years and had a great understanding of each other. On the other hand, he also had the intention of taking his son with him and taking care of him. In the court of the lowly king, there was no such thing as trust.

Like a jungle race, where the strong prey on the weak.

Many openly and secretly criticized this courtly style, so different from that of Uther's time, but Royco didn't dislike it; in fact, he quite liked it. Danger often meant greater opportunities for advancement; as long as one was more ruthless and vicious than others, one could climb higher and stand further. It was precisely because of Vortigern's suspicion and jealousy that he was able to rise from a minor nobleman, previously ignored by everyone, to a "key figure" secretly plotting to overthrow a kingdom in just a few years.

But he worried that his inexperienced son might be framed and killed while he was away, leaving him only to collect his body when he returned. In comparison, going out on a mission might be safer.

However, one thing is one thing, and seeing that Meyer hadn't returned for a long time, Royko couldn't help but worry. He also knew that he could only keep this worry to himself; otherwise, if the other two present knew, he wouldn't receive comfort, but rather it would become a handle and a weakness he might use against them at any time. Thinking this, he glanced outside the cave again.

The wind is blowing from outside.

A few withered leaves fell to the ground and then drifted up in the wind, the silvery moonlight shimmering on them.

In the distance, he seemed to see a slender figure slowly walking towards him. The night was deep, as if everything was shrouded in a veil, but upon seeing the figure, the tension in Royco's eyes eased—Meyer was back, he thought, and was about to reveal a joyful yet restrained smile as he got up to greet his son.

But the next moment.

Driven by an unseen blood connection, he suddenly felt something was amiss.

The person coming this way...

"wrong!"

The man with the fierce look in his eyes was a step faster. He suddenly stood up, his withered left hand reaching out to the side, and with a clang, he drew the sword that was resting beside him. The longsword was polished to a gleaming shine, flashing a cold light in the warm flame. Royko was a step behind, supporting himself on his knees as he stood up as well. The plump young man seemed not to have reacted yet, sitting there, staring blankly up at them.

"what happened?"

"It's not Meyer who's here!"

"We've been exposed—"

Amidst the flickering fire, they exchanged brief questions and answers. Finally, the young man's expression changed; he looked around, reaching for his weapon.

Although he was slightly weaker, he was not a cowardly person who was chosen to carry out such an infiltration mission. At this moment, he looked around and before he could remember where he had put his sword, the person who was walking slowly outside the cave suddenly accelerated and charged straight at him like a bull!

As the distance closed, Royco drew his sword, holding the scabbard in his left hand. He was about to throw it but hadn't yet. The fierce-looking man, who had been sitting at the innermost part of the cave, was about to come over when he was blocked by the young man sitting there.

The latter was still searching for his weapon. Outside the cave, as the distance between them gradually decreased, their figures, previously blurred by the darkness, became clearer.