Chapter 22: Edwin Delivered to the Door (Seeking Collections and Recommendations)

"You mean a man named Edwin Muirden claims to have a miracle cure and wants an audience with me? And he also knows about Morgana's condition?" King Uther sat on his throne with a grim expression. Upon hearing Arthur's report, he gripped the armrests of his throne so tightly that the veins in his hands bulged.

"Heh, what a coincidence!"

Just as Kay had predicted, the culprit had jumped out on his own!

Gaius frowned at the name Edwin Muirden; he felt he had heard it somewhere before, but he could not quite place it.

Arthur, however, was quite excited. He had not expected to actually encounter the murderer! Of course, he wasn't proud of that, but rather of his own acting skills.

"Yes, I deliberately told him that we have Gaius in the palace and have no need for a wandering charlatan of unknown origin to worry about us. He then swore to me that I would definitely come looking for him! It is definitely him! This Edwin Muirden—he is the killer!"

Arthur felt quite pleased with himself as he spoke. Both Kay and King Uther had been worried he was too young and might slip up, but instead, he had played a game of cat and mouse, putting on such a convincing show that the villain was still smugly confident.

Hearing Arthur's words, King Uther also smiled.

"Well done, Arthur."

As a king, it would be a disaster if he lacked such worldly wisdom. Thus, King Uther was very satisfied with Arthur's handling of the situation.

Immediately after praising Arthur, King Uther looked around and noticed that Kay was not present. He asked his most trusted knight, Leon, "Where is Kay?"

"Sir Kay is in the Princess's chambers. He said he understood," Leon replied with a bow.

Hearing this, King Uther was even more pleased. Although Kay had been a bit too calm earlier, which had made him uncomfortable, it now seemed from Kay's actions that he wasn't indifferent to Morgana—he simply knew how to prioritize. While it had looked cold-blooded at the time, it now appeared to be a sign of reliability. A fool who only panicked and shrieked when trouble struck could not be a husband for Morgana.

"Very well, leave him be for now. Arthur, go and bring this Edwin Muirden to me. I shall grant him an audience. I want to see how he intends to perform." King Uther was no longer in a rush. After all, with Arthur's tactical maneuvering and Kay's composure, he, as an elder and a king, could not be outdone by his juniors. It was just a play, and who didn't know how to act?

...

"Your Majesty, I am Edwin Muirden, a physician and your humble servant."

The golden-haired young man, with half of his face severely scarred by burns, knelt on one knee and respectfully presented a document sealed with red wax.

Sir Leon stepped forward to take the document and handed it to King Uther on the throne. Uther opened it; it was an identification issued by another kingdom to Edwin Muirden, certifying him as a physician and recording some of his deeds.

It was much like an identity card, but such things could easily be forged. It was just a document, after all—one could carve a seal out of a turnip and be done with it. It was not hard to imitate, so Uther did not pay it much mind.

"Welcome to Camelot," King Uther quickly tossed the document to the knight beside him and asked urgently, "Do you truly have a miracle cure?"

Edwin stood up with great poise and spoke in an elegant tone, "I know every medicine in the world, and I can cure every illness, Your Majesty."

He was a young man of great charisma; his grace and manner made it easy to overlook the hideous, terrifying burn scars on his face. Though his tone was humble, it was filled with confidence. Even King Uther had to admit that this was an exceptional young man.

"I heard that Princess Morgana is unwell. It would be my greatest honor if you would permit me to treat her."

At this point, Gaius suddenly spoke up.

"You say you have a cure for all illnesses—is it the Panacea?" The Panacea was a legend among physicians; such tales were common in any era, so it was not surprising.

"Yes, but it is not as simple as you might think," he replied, acting as if he had no desire to converse with the ignorant.

King Uther felt a streak of dark amusement and gestured toward Gaius. "This is the court physician, Gaius."

He wanted to see how the killer would handle questioning from Gaius. Since the man was already here, Uther felt no need to rush.

"Oh! I have heard much of you. It is a pleasure to meet you," Edwin said, nodding slightly and feigning admiration.

Gaius felt a growing sense of familiarity as he looked at the young man. "Have we met before?"

Edwin smiled slightly, showing off his ugly scars, and said with a wry laugh, "If we had, you would not have forgotten me."

Edwin seemed uninterested in dwelling on Gaius and turned to King Uther. "I am curious, what is the nature of the Princess's illness?"

Gaius beat the King to the answer: "A brain infection."

"And how are you prescribing for it?"

"Yarrow."

"Hmm, yes, yes."

"And rosemary to stimulate blood circulation to the brain."

"Interesting," Edwin said, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and sarcasm that everyone could hear.

Arthur could no longer restrain himself and challenged, "What? Do you have a suggestion?"

"No, no! That is quite good, it would work." But Edwin immediately added, "If... the diagnosis is correct."

The implication was clear: Edwin did not agree with Gaius's diagnosis.

"Then what is your diagnosis?" King Uther asked, his face expressionless.

"Well... until I have examined the patient... I cannot provide an accurate answer." Edwin looked up at the King and Arthur, making his request: "I require my medical instruments."

King Uther stood up. "Of course, you shall have what you require." He gestured for the soldiers to bring Edwin's belongings into the palace.

"I shall begin my work immediately," Edwin said with a bow.

...

"Where is Kay?"

After Edwin brought his tools to the palace, he took several boxes and headed to Morgana's chambers. However, he refused to let anyone watch his treatment, claiming he needed total focus and silence. He even barred Gaius from the room.

Though King Uther was anxious, he had no choice until Morgana recovered. Once they were out of the room, Uther immediately asked about Kay.

"Rest assured, Kay is in the servant's room inside Morgana's chambers. He will keep an eye on that fellow at all times," Arthur whispered in the King's ear.

Hearing that Kay was secretly guarding Morgana, Uther breathed a sigh of relief. With Kay inside, the chance of the man pulling any tricks was greatly reduced, ensuring Morgana's safety as much as possible.

"Have the others ready. Once Morgana is well, take that bastard and..." Uther made a throat-slitting gesture to Arthur.

Arthur did not speak, but he nodded decisively.