Confusing Mystery

As Arkhan gave Melusine a headpat, he suddenly felt a bit awkward.

Although she looked very young, in reality, she was almost as old as his ancestors, so he had never headpatted her before. This headpat was just an unconscious move, and by the time he realized it, it was too late.

However, in all honesty, headpatting Melusine was quite a nice feeling.

Arkhan quickly cleared his throat and casually moved his hand away, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"Of course, I know you're strong. It's just that the woman earlier was just a double. Even if we killed her, it would be meaningless."

Feeling the big hand on her head disappear, Melusine's eyes flickered with a hint of disappointment. It wasn't clear if she had heard Arkhan's explanation or not, she just softly murmured 'Mm' repeatedly in a daze.

"..."

Seeing Melusine's situation, Arkhan quickly changed the subject to break the awkward silence.

"Oh yeah, Melusine, do you remember what that woman said about Nero earlier?"

Hearing his question, Melusine's attention shifted at once, her eyebrows slightly furrowing.

"You mean why Nero got spared?"

"Yeah..." Arkhan nodded. "If I remember correctly, you, Tristan, and Gawain were responsible for hunting down Servants who descended here, right? But why did you hunt down the others but not Nero?"

"Well... I'm not really sure..." Melusine shook her head in confusion. "The three of us were just following Merlin's orders. She told us to capture those Servants, so we did. As for why she didn't target Nero... she didn't explain."

"Is that so?" Arkhan frowned slightly, smelling something fishy.

As if recalling a memory, Melusine spoke once more.

"But there was this one time when I overheard Tristan complaining to Merlin in the hall. She complained that many refugees had fled to the Holy Roman Empire, making it harder for her to find the chosen ones. So she asked Merlin to let her lead an army and attack the empire, but—"

"But Merlin didn't agree, right?" Arkhan interrupted, coming to an easy conclusion.

After all, from what he knew so far, Camelot hadn't attacked the Holy Roman Empire even once, not even with any probing attacks.

This was clearly abnormal.

"Um, back then, Merlin said, 'It's not time yet. We can't meet that woman for now'..." Melusine nodded, recalling what she had heard.

Upon hearing that, Arkhan raised an eyebrow, confused.

From the sound of it, it didn't seem like Merlin couldn't deal with Nero, but rather because of unwillingness.

But why?

Was Merlin afraid of Nero?

Realizing this mystery became even more confusing, Arkhan shook his head.

Despite Nero having 'Imperial Privilege' and a skill to resurrect three times, she alone couldn't possibly contend with all of Camelot. Therefore, Merlin was obviously waiting for some opportunity, and when this opportunity came, it would probably be when she acted against Nero.

As he thought to this point, suddenly, a speculation arose in Arkhan's mind.

Was Merlin waiting for the so-called 'Holy Selection'?

But logically, completing the Holy Selection was the Lion King's objective, not Merlin's. What significance would it have for Merlin to act against Nero at that time?

Unless the Holy Selection itself was not her objective?

As if having a migraine, Arkhan rubbed his temples.

The arrival of Kiara this time made him feel that the mystery behind this world was probably even deeper than he had imagined.

Especially the warning she left behind to beware of Merlin cast a shadow over his heart. She didn't even mention the Lion King but singled out Merlin alone.

Was Merlin more dangerous in her eyes than the Lion King?

All along, Arkhan felt like there was a huge fog surrounding Merlin, unclear and unfathomable.

She seemed like an invisible giant hand, manipulating the trajectory of this world at will. No matter where, it seemed her figure could be seen.

Moreover, such an enemy was something Arkhan was least adept at dealing with because apart from herself, there was absolutely no one who knew what her motives were, and how many hidden moves she had.

Furthermore, from what Kiara had said, it seemed they had very little time left.

Arkhan took a deep breath and quickly flew toward the Holy Roman Empire like a meteor.

No matter what happened, they had to be prepared in advance!

===

Upon his return to the Holy Roman Empire, Arkhan immediately gathered everyone at the imperial palace to share the information Kiara had disclosed to him.

However, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he didn't mention her identity as a 'Beast'.

As everyone heard the information, they felt overwhelmed for a moment by the sheer volume of it. Especially Nero, who couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she had survived, partly attributing it to Merlin's temporary reluctance to have contact with her.

"Could it be that something unpredictable will happen when Merlin meets Her Majesty?" Da Vinci half joked, half speculated.

"That's highly unlikely..." Romani in Chaldea headquarters chimed in through a virtual screen. "There's no record of any connection between Merlin and Nero. They belong to different eras, one lived during the 37th century and the other during the 500th century."

Upon hearing his words, Nero nodded.

"Umu, during the era I lived in, Camelot didn't even exist, let alone someone like Merlin."

"I know!" Ritsuka suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.

"Did you know something, Senpai?" Mash asked curiously.

"I'm sure Merlin is afraid of Her Majesty!" Ritsuka said confidently. "Just like in some anime, when the protagonist is pushed to the edge, they transform and beat up the villain. Maybe Her Majesty can also become a 'Super Nero' or something?"

"Super Nero? It sounds like she'd turn into light or something..." Romani scoffed mercilessly.

However, as he noticed Nero's thoughtful expression, his face froze.

Could she really transform into a Super Nero?

"Super Nero... Umu! It's not a bad idea at all. Becoming something beyond, huh? If there's a chance, I might try it someday. After all, I am a supreme emperor!" Nero declared confidently.

Seeing it was not what he thought, Romani breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just an idea after all.

But he couldn't help but wonder how Nero would look if she transformed into this Super Nero. Especially considering she was wearing a dress with a somewhat transparent skirt.

"I guess Merlin might need Nero for something, like a ritual or something similar..." Arkhan speculated.

"Like a magical ingredient?" Mash asked curiously.

However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt something was off and quickly apologized to Nero.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to offend you!" Mash bowed her head.

"Umu! It's okay, I understand what you mean..." Nero waved it off, then smirked. "If that mage really wants to use me as an ingredient, her appetite must be quite big."

"If that's the case, it might not necessarily have to do with Your Majesty, right? Maybe Merlin just needs a Servant for sacrifice, and Your Majesty happened to be chosen?" Da Vinci guessed the most likely reason.

Upon hearing that, Arkhan didn't respond and stayed silent, pondering.

In his opinion, why Merlin chose to keep Nero was likely not a mere coincidence, and the purpose was more than just a simple sacrifice.

Surely, there must be some reasons behind it that he didn't realize.