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IBHJ Chapter 235
🕑 Added 2023-04-29 22:42:03 +0000 UTCArtoria groggily opened her eyes and saw two faces hovering above her. Her mind slowly came back into focus, and she remembered the last thing she had seen before passing out.
"My king--!" she exclaimed, sitting up abruptly.
"You're not on the battlefield anymore, Lily," Merlin said with a small smile.
Artoria's anxiety spiked as she looked around frantically. "Where is the King? Is he alright?"
"He's perfectly fine," he reassured her. "In fact, he's doing very well."
"Is that so..." Artoria hesitated for a moment before asking, "Where are we?"
"Welcome to Avalon, the island of utopia," replied Merlin.
Her eyes widened in recognition. "Avalon...the place where the King..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Guinevere interrupted her anxiously. "That's enough, Artoria. You've already cheated death. Let's get out of here. We need to leave Avalon!"
Merlin's tone turned disapproving. "Vivian, Lily took care of you when you were still unconscious. Now that Lily is severely injured, can't you let her rest here for a while?"
Guinevere appeared nervous as she responded, "She can rest outside, can't she?"
He shook his head in frustration. "You're being ungrateful. Lily selflessly helped you, and now you're driving us away with such an attitude. I never thought a fairy like you would behave this way. You're worse than an incubus! Alright, Lily, let's go."
Guinevere panicked and called out, "Wait a minute, that's not what I meant!"
Merlin turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Then what did you mean?"
"I...I..." Guinevere struggled to find the right words. She had already gone beyond her limits by bringing them to Avalon.
"Merlin, that's enough," Artoria interjected as she tried to get out of bed, "As a knight, I have to return to the battlefield. I need to protect the King and can't let him face the upcoming calamity alone."
Merlin swiftly stopped Artoria from getting out of bed. "Your body is weak, and going to the front line will only be a burden. Do you want to drag the King down with you?"
"Well..." she hesitated.
He continued, "This is the independent world of Avalon. Time has no meaning here. You can rest and recover here without worry. When you're healed, you'll return to the same point in reality as when you left."
"Is that so...but..." Artoria's gaze shifted to Guinevere, unsure of what to do.
Guinevere hesitated before finally speaking up. "You can stay here and recuperate, but promise me you won't leave this room."
Artoria nodded in agreement. "Okay, I promise."
Merlin beamed with satisfaction and also nodded in approval.
"I'll go get you some holy water," Guinevere left the room.
Watching Guinevere leave, Merlin squinted his eyes.
Artoria turned to Merlin and asked, "Merlin, is this the King's homeland?"
"It's considered to be," he replied thoughtfully. "Even I saw this world for the first time when I arrived here."
Artoria appeared surprised. "But I thought you had clairvoyance. Can't you see anything?"
Merlin shook his head. "There are some special places that even clairvoyance cannot penetrate. The Garden of Eden is one such place, and Avalon is another. Time, space, and even extraordinary methods cannot interfere with these places. It's precisely because of this that I was able to find that hidden thing here..."
"What thing?" she asked, curious.
"It's nothing," Merlin replied with a smile. "Just focus on healing for now."
He snapped his fingers and created a clone, pointing to it as he spoke. "This clone will accompany you during your stay here."
"What about you?"
"I'm going for a walk," he replied nonchalantly. "I can't miss the opportunity to explore this legendary place."
"But we promised Guinevere that we wouldn't leave this room," she reminded him.
Merlin chuckled. "Don't worry, Lily. If you're concerned about the King, then don't mention that this is a clone of mine. That silly fairy won't be able to see through my spell."
She looked puzzled. "Does this have something to do with the King?"
"Very much so," he confirmed with a smile.
She didn't press further and stayed quiet.
"Good child!" Merlin praised her before leaving the room.
As time passed, Artoria's injuries began to heal at an astonishingly rapid pace. This surprised her greatly, as even with the Dragon Factor, her recovery rate in reality was only a few times faster than that of a regular person. Yet, in this place, her wounds were healing almost miraculously fast.
She couldn't believe it and asked Guinevere about it. With a hint of satisfaction in her voice, she explained, "This is a place that's free from all negative influences such as injury and death. You could say that as long as you're here, you'll receive the strongest protection in the whole world!"
"Then why do you always seem so afraid?"
Guinevere remained silent for a moment, lost in thought. If she could, she would want to stay in Avalon forever. It was a place that could shield her from all external interference, except for that of the planet that nurtured the land.
She had hidden the Sword of Promised Victory in Avalon, but once Crimson discovered its location, they would come after it through the planet. That was why she had to flee.
Her plan was to leave the sword in Avalon under the protection of the fairies who resided there while she herself went into hiding.
By leaving the sword in Avalon, Guinevere had separated herself from it. Even if she was captured by Crimson Moon, she wouldn't have to worry about the sword falling into his hands.
As time passed, Artoria's injuries healed at a impressive rate. Merlin eventually returned, but his face appeared odd, as it was covered in lipstick marks from a woman's lips.
In addition to the strange marks, he also brought back a scabbard. It was a beautiful piece, made of gold and decorated with stunning blue enamel. The end of the scabbard glimmered like starlight.
"Lily, pull out the sword and take a look."
She examined the empty scabbard with confusion and said, "There's no sword inside."
"There is a sword. All you have to do is pull it out, and it will take on the form you desire."
She was skeptical but reached out and grasped the starlight at the end of the scabbard. Suddenly, something peculiar occurred...
