Chapter 54: Eldo

No one knew for sure what Kai had said to Morgana in that room. All they knew was that upon emerging, Morgana had once again become that gentle, doting young woman entirely devoted to Kai, completely obedient as if the prior spat had never happened at all.

Arthur cast a look of awe toward Kai. He had always believed his elder sister was the most terrifying woman in the world, one who could be harsher than any man when she dug her heels in. Yet in Kai's hands, she showed almost zero resistance, turning from overcast to sunny in an instant—a flip of the face faster than turning the page of a book.

"I agree to let you go out and take a look this time, but remember, your safety is paramount, you understand? If anything comes up, let Arthur and Perinore handle it; don't go rushing to the front lines."

Girls tend to develop a bit earlier than boys, and coupled with the fact that Morgana was older than Arthur, she used to be able to grab Arthur and beat him to a pulp when they were children. However, that did not mean Morgana was still stronger than Arthur now. In truth, Morgana's current combat prowess was at best sufficient for dealing with a couple of low-life thugs; against truly well-trained soldiers, she would be hopelessly outmatched. Combined with her naturally headstrong temperament, she was the one he worried about most among this traveling party.

What's that? You ask about Merlin and Gwen?

Merlin possessed magic, so what was there to worry about? As for Gwen... though it felt rather embarrassing to say, in Kai's mind, the maidservant was essentially just a minor attendant tagging along behind her mistress, a bit-part extra with barely a handful of lines—why on earth should he worry? Besides, in Kai's view, the maid lacked both figure and striking features; if she were simply to blend into a crowd of Ealdor villagers, who could possibly tell she wasn't just another peasant girl from Ealdor? What sort of danger could she possibly face?

Unfortunately, what Kai did not know was that this humble maidservant he looked down upon would eventually stage a miraculous counterattack to become the Queen of Camelot (at least, that was how *Merlin* ended).

...

Kai stood atop the ramparts of the royal palace, watching Arthur and his company ride off on horseback until they vanished into the distant horizon.

"Is doing this really wise?" Without a sound, King Uther appeared behind Kai.

Kai turned his head, glanced at the worried monarch, and smiled.

"Do you have a better alternative? Just as I said before, they have grown up. Many things are no longer for us to decide on their behalf. Even if we did nothing, they would just sneak out anyway. Rather than that, it is far better to arrange everything properly. At least this way, things remain within our control."

Of course, letting Arthur and the others leave required notifying Uther, as he was, after all, their father. King Uther had tacitly condoned the plan. Though stern, Uther was not as cold-blooded as one might imagine; frankly, he deeply sympathized with Ealdor's plight. Yet as king, his foremost responsibility was to his own subjects rather than meddling in the affairs of other lands.

Even so, once Arthur and his group had truly departed, King Uther began to fret.

"But the outside world is not safe. Far too many enemies are eyeing Camelot like tigers watching their prey, and I fear..." The Celtic realms were never peaceful; on the contrary, mutual hostilities and warfare among the kingdoms were the norm. It was only through years of war and grueling effort that Uther had managed to bring peace to Camelot's borders. Even so, there were plenty of rival kings and lords coveting Camelot, not to mention the sorcerers and mages who bore deep grudges against the crown.

To describe the journey as fraught with peril was no exaggeration at all.

Kai looked at Uther with amusement. How did he resemble a tyrant now? He looked entirely like a fretful, nagging old father with endless worries.

"Rest assured, I've already made arrangements. I dispatched Sir Leon and his men ahead of time to the Asdir Ridge, not far from Ealdor. The moment anything happens that Arthur and the others cannot handle, they will rush over immediately."

Naturally, Kai would never allow a few hot-headed youths to run blindly into someone else's territory to stir up trouble. To guarantee their safety, he had already prepared contingency plans.

"Yet I still feel somewhat uneasy." Unexpectedly, King Uther had suddenly turned so sentimental.

Catching Kai's surprised gaze, Uther's old face instantly flushed; he was still unaccustomed to displaying his emotions so openly. Eager to remedy the slip, he quickly added, "I am not worried about Arthur and their safety. I am merely concerned they might stir up some unimaginable trouble—especially Arthur, who is far too impulsive."

Kai pondered for a moment, utterly failing to imagine what kind of trouble Arthur and his companions could possibly cause in a poverty-stricken backwater like Ealdor—a place even its own sovereign couldn't be bothered to care about.

He instinctively chalked it up to Uther simply overthinking things.

Yet what neither Kai nor Uther himself expected was that the very instant Uther spoke those words, something in the unseen realm shifted. It was an alteration neither visible nor tangible, yet it had truly and resolutely taken place.

...

After traveling day and night continuously, Arthur, Merlin, and the others finally arrived at Ealdor, the small home village of Merlin.

Ealdor was by no means a renowned settlement; it could not even be found on the most detailed maps. Like every other village across the Celtic lands, it was backward, impoverished, and benighted.

When Arthur and his party reached the village, a bandit named Kanan was in the midst of pillaging it with a handful of his underlings. The brigands were clearly low-grade thugs devoid of any real style—which made sense when one thought about it; what genuine, high-profile master thief would ever set their sights on a destitute village like Ealdor?

Even more unacceptable was the fact that these bumpkins were even attempting to rob the villagers of their seed grain for the next season's planting... The logic of draining a pond to catch fish was something anyone with a sliver of brains understood, bandits included. If they truly starved all the villagers to death, who would they rob the following year?

Yet what about these blockheads? Not only did they do it, but they carried it out without a moment's hesitation.

Perhaps the option of a long-term plan simply didn't exist within their limited cranial capacity?

All in all, their extreme extortion had pushed the villagers past their breaking point, prompting someone to step forward... to negotiate with the bandits.

These honest, hardworking farmers wanted to avoid bloody conflict if at all possible.

Unfortunately, this brainless band of thugs paid no heed to reason whatsoever. Kanan, in particular, saw only defiance; he believed himself to be the absolute master of these dirt-scratchers, and that these people existed solely to satisfy his every whim rather than standing up to bargain with him.

Consequently, Kanan decided it was necessary to use bloodshed to make these foolish, lowly peasants feel the weight of his power once more.

He intended to execute the man who had stepped forward to parley.

It was precisely at this juncture that Arthur and his group arrived just in time, with Arthur loosing an arrow to save the man attempting negotiation.

There was little else to say after that. Arthur had brought three knights along, whereas Kanan's faction totaled only five men; the combat strength was vastly disproportionate. In less than two minutes, the entire bandit crew had been wiped out, leaving only Kanan to flee for his life alone.

The arrival of Arthur and his companions ignited hope within every villager. Especially when Hunith stepped forward to inform the townsfolk that these men had been invited by her from Camelot to aid them, cheers erupted through the settlement. They felt their village was finally saved.