Ch. 159 Scolding Merlin the Scammer!

Artoria displayed the sword in the stone in her hand.

Just like in the rumors, it was a longsword worthy of the noble status of the High King.

When the sword was presented before King Braidin, its dazzling radiance made him submit.

If such a knight were to stand before him, holding such a sword and bearing a prophecy, King Braden would choose to submit, just as he did to King Uther over a decade ago.

He was the first vassal to answer King Uther’s call and pledge his loyalty to him, and today, over a decade later, he was just as willing to be the first again.

Everything would be so natural.

But the only problem is.

“Did you pull this sword out?” The king looked at Artoria.

“Yes,” Artoria replied.

Braidin didn’t quite believe it and stared at Merlin again, wanting an answer.

Merlin’s answer was naturally no different from Artoria’s.

“I swear by the holy spirit of King Uther,” Merlin said, uncharacteristically serious: “Artoria Pendragon is indeed the descendant of King Uther, and she is the one who pulled out the sword in the stone.”

Braidin stared at Merlin for a moment.

Then he turned around and sat back on his throne without a word.

“Guards, leave this place.” He waved his hand, dismissing the Guards, leaving space for the few of them to be alone.

Silence reigned for a long while.

He felt that Merlin would not lie to him.

Then, Braidin spoke: “So, King Uther had no son?”

“Hmm… that is indeed the case,” Merlin replied.

“But I still vaguely remember that it was you who ran through the streets of Londinium, proclaiming the birth of King Uther’s firstborn son?”

Under Braidin’s serious gaze, Merlin averted his eyes.

Feeling very guilty, he scratched the floor with his toes: “Well… hahaha, actually, the queen was still in labor at that time… haha.”

“So you didn’t correct your own mistake, but instead went along with it?”

“…”

Braidin was worthy of being a king; even as one of the seven remaining vassal kings on the island of Britain, he was still a king.

As the absolute ruler of his own country, even though he was missing a left hand, his gaze remained sharp.

“Then why now? Can you not keep hiding it? Or are you saying you don’t want to hide it anymore?”

“Because the prophecy has deviated,” Merlin stammered in explanation: “We weren’t supposed to meet here.”

“Prophecy, it’s always prophecy.” Braidin shook his head: “You are not an angel, nor are you a druid; you neither love God enough nor respect nature enough. Merlin, what kind of sweet talk did you use to deceive Uther? Perhaps, without your prophecy, he might not have been killed by Vortigern.”

“It was just a mistake in gender, not a big problem, right?” Merlin stammered in defense.

“Merlin!” Kay whispered sharply.

He clearly saw that Braidin’s expression changed immediately after hearing Merlin’s words.

“Not a big problem?!”

“It’s fortunate that your prophecy deviated!” The older king pointed at Merlin and scolded: “If your prophecy had followed the correct path, no one would have discovered that King Uther had no son, right?”

“She,” Braidin pointed at Artoria with a trembling finger; the king’s anger had reached a breaking point.

“She is not a knight; she is the High King’s daughter! Is this how you forged the identity of the High King’s daughter? If your prophecy had followed the correct path, would you have revealed her true gender?”

“No…” Merlin said, feeling guilty but very honest.

“So you want a woman to become king? Do you want to proclaim this to all the people of Britain? And then what? Recruit a queen for your king? And will this queen be a man or a woman?”

“Ah, I suppose it would be a man? Since you’ve already made a woman king, why can’t you arrange for a man to be queen? Are you going to help a man become Queen of Britain next?”

“Ridiculous!” Braidin slammed his hand on the armrest of his throne.

The rounded marble armrest emitted a dull thud: “How could you do such a rebellious thing?”

“Listen to me, King Braden,” Merlin said: “There is still room to salvage this matter. As long as you do not reveal the truth to anyone, and as long as Artoria wears men’s clothing, I can continue to hide this matter.”

Merlin’s explanation

“Merlin!” King Braden shouted with wide eyes: “If the Archbishop were here, he would immediately excommunicate you!”

“I once made a lifelong vow before God to be loyal to King Uther’s lineage, but I do not want a woman in men’s clothing to be king, nor a man in women’s clothing to be queen. If she is a woman, she should be queen; if he is a man, he must be king!”

“Britain is a nation of knights, a nation of honor; it does not need lies!” King Braden shouted.

“Merlin, I have heard that your father is a nightmare and your mother is human, but in my view, you have only inherited the twisted worldview of your father, that monster!”

Under Braidin’s scolding, Merlin said nothing.

He lowered his head, staring at the floor in front of him.

Perhaps the king was right.

He indeed found it difficult to understand the ways of human society, yet he happened to love humans.

Perhaps this is because he is a hybrid of human and Phantasmal Species; the contradictions of both are unified in one person.

Merlin’s silence was seen by Artoria.

She stepped forward: “King Braden, please do not be too harsh on Merlin; he is actually an excellent teacher.”

“Apologies, Your Majesty.” Merlin bowed slightly.

The king closed his eyes, exhaled, and leaned back on the chair.

When he opened his eyes again, he stared intently at Artoria.

“You are a girl,” the king said.

“Yes,” Artoria nodded generously.

“But this still does not conform to tradition,” King Braden frowned: “If this is the case, then the heir to the throne should be Morgan, Morgan Pendragon.”

Morgan was Artoria’s older sister.

If a king has no male heir, then his country would be inherited by his eldest daughter, with the second heir being the second daughter.

If the king has one, then no matter how many older sisters that male heir has, the first right of inheritance would automatically shift to him, and the eldest daughter would become the second heir.

The order of succession,