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IBHJ Chapter 206
🕑 Added 2023-04-13 21:48:22 +0000 UTCDespite his penchant for goofing around, Merlin remained diligent whenever Shirou gave him a task to complete. This was particularly evident when Shirou needed him to track down Morgan, who had fled. Merlin successfully caught her and imprisoned her in her quarters, adding several complex Bounded Fields to make her escape nearly impossible.
Morgan sat in her quarters, feeling a mix of sadness and anger. She was bored and listless, with nothing to do to distract her from her negative emotions.
Once he had finished tending to the daily affairs of the state, Shirou reviewed Guinevere's homework once again.
Feeling a bit sore from his work, he stood up and used black mud to repair himself. With an exhausted expression on his face, he grabbed a handful of water and splashed it onto his face before patting it dry.
He then made his way towards Morgan's residence.
He pushed open the door with a creak and walked into the room, where he found Morgan sitting with her long legs crossed. She looked at him with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, sneering with a frosty smile.
"Well, well, well. if it isn't our illustrious fake king, done with his work and back to deceive people again."
He replied calmly, "Yes, that's right. I was deceiving you. You're not mistaken."
Morgan's face twisted into an unnatural expression as she snorted and turned her head away from him.
He sat in front of her, not saying a word, and stared at her intently. The atmosphere between them was silent and tense. As the persecutor, he maintained a calm demeanor, while Morgan, as the victim, felt increasingly uncomfortable.
She turned her head to look at him and asked through gritted teeth, "Aren't you going to say anything, you fraud king?"
"What do you want me to say?"
She gritted her teeth in anger. "Comfort me, deceive me... Aren't you good at speaking? Why don't you say something like 'Although you're not my biological sister, I've always considered you as one'?"
He didn't hesitate in his response, "Because I've never considered you as my older sister."
She felt a surge of emotions, and her hand trembled as she raised it to point at him. She felt both sadness and pain, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
He took her hand gently and looked into her eyes. "To me, you're not my older sister; you're my little sister."
"What...what?" she was taken aback.
"From the very beginning, I've thought of you as a little sister. You're stubborn, strong-willed, and a little quirky, but that's what makes you a great sister. That said, you do have a knack for getting a bit jealous of others."
"You...are you joking?" she snapped, angrily pushing his hand away and glaring at him, her eyes filled with fury. She gestured to herself and shouted, "You...you have the audacity to claim that you see Morgan Le Fay as your little sister?"
He nodded without hesitation. "Yes,"
She was beside herself with rage. "You--you!!!" she sputtered, unable to find the words to express her anger.
She pointed at him, her anger boiling over, but she was at a loss for words. She couldn't even identify the emotions coursing through her, let alone what thoughts raced through her mind.
Was it anger, fury, or hatred... If that was truly the case, why engage him in conversation? Why not simply attack him?
What was this emotion she was experiencing, exactly?
She clenched her teeth, struggling to find words, but nothing came out. Her fingers pointed at him, shaking with anger.
"May I comfort you now, as a brother would his little sister?"
"Shut up!" she snapped, her teeth clenched.
He fell silent.
Following a brief moment of quiet, she clenched her teeth once more and demanded, "Why did you stop talking?"
"Because you told me to shut up," he replied, "and also because I'm worried I might say something wrong."
"You've already said something wrong!"
"No," He shook his head, "I mean, I'm afraid I might accidentally say something that misleads you."
"I'm not sure when I became especially adept at deceiving others. That's why I'm afraid of deceiving you, so I chose to stay quiet."
Morgan's glare intensified as she pointed to the door, demanding, "Leave, I don't want to see you right now!"
"That won't do," he responded, "if a king is told to leave and obeys, where would the king's dignity go?"
She shot him a fierce glance and declared, "Fine, then I'll be the one to leave!"
"That won't do either," he countered, "the king has ordered for you to be confined here, and until that order is revoked, you can't go anywhere."
"You... you want to imprison me?"
"I just want you to see the true face of the deceitful imposter who swindled the Pendragon family out of their royal power."
Morgan gritted her teeth, her voice almost squeezed out from between her teeth, "I'll kill you!"
"You have many opportunities to kill me, but if you do it now, Camelot will fall apart. Do you really want to take that action?" he questioned.
"Do you think you can deter me from killing by threatening me with Camelot? I'll have you know, when Morgan wants to kill..."
Before she could complete her sentence, he chuckled and interjected, "Well, go ahead then."
"You... you..." Her hand trembled as she pointed at him, her anger seething.
"I, Morgan le Fay, was blind to have helped a despicable person like you!" she clenched her teeth.
She sat down to the side, turning her head away. Her face was a portrait of anger, and she refused to speak to him anymore.
He didn't initiate conversation either, opting to sit quietly beside her.
Morgan's face remained clouded with anger, her eyes occasionally flashing with ferocity. Time ticked away, second by second, until it was late into the night.
He stood up and suggested, "It's already late, you should get some rest, sis."
"Who's your sister? Get lost--!" Morgan's face contorted with anger as she grabbed a stone from the table and hurled it at him.
He made no attempt to dodge or evade the projectile. With a "pop" sound, the stone struck his forehead, causing blood to trickle down his face.
"You... why did you...?"
He picked up the stone from the ground and calmly stated, "I'm confiscating this dangerous object. Rest well, my dear little sister."
He gently closed the door behind him.
Staring at the now shut door, she murmured under her breath, "Why do I still care for him? He's not Arthur, not my brother – just a detestable imposter! He usurped our Pendragon family's royal authority! He deserves to die! He deserves it! So, why do I still care?"
"Morgan, this isn't like you!"
Her voice was filled with anger and self-loathing.
...
Shirou stepped out the door, his hand resting on his forehead, a weary expression on his face.
Dark, viscous mud swirled, mending the gash across his brow.
Returning to the palace, he slumped onto the throne, exhaustion weighing heavily upon him.
Merlin, standing a short distance away, chimed in, "Why didn't you just lie to her? If you'd been willing to deceive her, maybe things wouldn't have gotten this bad. Look, she didn't even kill you after you told her the truth. That shows you could've smoothed things over if you'd just spun her a tale."
Shirou shot Merlin a sideways look before responding, "If I'd gone that route, the problem would've just turned into a ticking time bomb. I'm here to handle it now, sure, but if I weren't around later, who knows what kind of chaos she could cause."
"So you're saying you'd rather have the blow-up happen on your watch?"
"Artie's mindset is too rigid. There are certain things she won't budge on."
Merlin sighed, "In the end, are you still clearing the path for Lily?"
"You're mistaken," Shirou countered, "I'm clearing the path for the kingdom's heir, not for Artie."
"What do you mean?" Merlin was taken aback,
"I've changed my mind," Shirou explained, "Before I abdicate the throne, I will address all the hidden threats. I refuse to leave my heir in a vulnerable position."
"Both Morgan and Artie have equal opportunities. I'll appoint whomever is most suitable as the heir. Thus, resolving this issue isn't just clearing the path for Artie, but for Morgan as well," Shirou elaborated.
"You truly are giving it your all," Merlin remarked, a wry smile on his face.
"You can go now; I'm tired."
With a bow, Merlin turned and took his leave.
Shirou rose from the throne and made his way to the window.
Gazing out, he beheld the bustling city beyond the castle walls – a vibrant beacon of light in the surrounding darkness.
"I'm sorry... all I can do is my utmost to find a solution for you, but I can't be by your side forever."
"It's been too long since I've been home, and I can't betray that home. Please forgive my slight selfishness..."
In the dim palace, the king spoke softly to himself.
