Chapter 66: Treatment

King Uther now cast all other concerns aside, relentlessly urging Kay to administer the medicine to Arthur. Naturally, Kay would not begrudge a bottle of medicine for his younger brother. If supplies truly ran short, he could always procure more from Olympus. Although that place was somewhat distant and perilous, with Hera and Athena acting as his insiders, it was not overly difficult. At most, he just had to avoid discovery by Zeus, a grumpy old fellow who still harbored a bitter grudge because Kay had once gifted him a cuckoo's egg.

Although Arthur was unconscious from a high fever, his basic instincts remained intact, allowing him to swallow the medicine. The effect of the potion was immediate upon administration. Arthur's whole-body convulsions stopped instantly, and his body temperature dropped. While a slight low-grade fever lingered, he was temporarily out of danger.

Seeing Arthur improve, King Uther rapidly fired off questions: "Is he better? Is he better? Is he better?"

Kay shook his head. "It's not that fast. At the absolute minimum, it will take half a month. We must let the medicine work its magic properly before recovery is possible."

"As long as he can be cured, as long as he can be cured..." Before King Uther could finish his sentence, his body suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, Kay was quick-eyed and nimble-handed, catching him just in time to prevent a fall.

Gaius immediately rushed to King Uther's side and performed a rapid examination.

"It's fine, he's just exhausted. There have been far too many events lately. Coupled with the initial overwhelming grief over the past two days and the sudden release of tension just now, he simply couldn't hold on any longer. I will prescribe a sedative potion for His Majesty. After resting properly for a few days, he should be completely fine."

"That's good, that's good." Kay let out a sigh of relief. With Arthur's crisis unresolved, if King Uther were to collapse as well, total chaos would truly ensue.

"Morgana, go tend to Uther. I must also trouble you to take charge of the court for the next few days. I still have a mountain of matters to handle at the front lines and must return immediately." Kay summoned several knights to support King Uther, then called Morgana aside to give her instructions.

"I... I'm afraid I won't do a good job... Actually, you could stay." Morgana had genuinely never faced such a crisis. When all was said and done, she was merely King Uther's adopted ward. Although her reputation was sound, her capability was not yet sufficient to command absolute conviction. Kay, however, was different; his prestige in Camelot was exceptionally high, and everyone knew of his profound competence. Furthermore, having repelled Centred Kingdom so swiftly, he was currently at the peak of his influence. Stepping forward to take command at this moment was unequivocally the best choice.

"The front lines need me more. Centred Kingdom has just suffered a defeat; if they catch wind of bad news regarding Arthur and Uther, they will inevitably harbor other intentions. I must guard the border to prevent them from staging a counterattack. Besides, the matter isn't all that difficult—you've learned a great deal while watching Uther handle affairs. Furthermore, it's only for a few days. Once Uther recovers, everything will be fine. There is no need to be afraid."

In truth, the Centred Kingdom ought not to stir up any trouble. After all, they had been decisively defeated under everyone's watchful eyes. Unless they wished to cast aside all remaining shreds of dignity, they would not break their word. In this day and age, what mattered more to nations than saving face?

Kay had his own reasons for wanting to leave at this juncture, which left him with no choice but to rely on Morgana.

...

With much effort, Morgana managed to lead King Uther away, leaving only Merlin and Gaius in the chamber.

Once everyone else had departed, Gaius asked cautiously, "Kay, is your medicine truly effective?"

Gaius could tell that Kay had held something back earlier; otherwise, he would not have been in such an eager rush to have Morgana take Uther away, even clearing out everyone else present.

Kay vigorously rubbed his face with both hands to wake himself up slightly. Having traveled continuously for over thirty hours, coupled with the anxiety and fear along the way, he was utterly exhausted and could only resort to such methods to force himself to stay alert.

"If it were truly that simple, how wonderful that would be..." Kay said in a muffled tone.

Merlin immediately asked with astonishment, "Could it be that you deceived them? The medicine just now had no effect?"

Kay shook his head.

"It had an effect, just not as potent as hoped. I never imagined the Questing Beast would be so formidable. The healing properties of the Golden Apple couldn't do a thing against it..."

The Golden Apples could grant eternal youth to the gods of Olympus, making them absolute treasures. When Kay originally gifted a core of the Golden Apple to the Asgardians, they recognized its true value and nearly dropped to their knees before him.

(In Norse mythology, there is a similar legend concerning the goddess of youth, who is entrusted with golden apples capable of preserving the gods' eternal youth.)

Yet, an item of such immense power proved utterly useless against the wounds inflicted by the Questing Beast. One could easily imagine how difficult such a monster was to deal with.

Previously, Kay had always believed that compared to ancient Egyptian, Asgardian, Olympian, and Sumerian civilizations, the ancient Celtic civilization was merely a younger sibling. By any measure, it could not compare to the aforementioned civilizations and was essentially a backwater region. Yet he had still underestimated this small locale. For instance, this Questing Beast—even if placed within those other great civilizations, it would still rank as a top-tier monster. At the very least, its toxicity surpassed that of the dragon guarding the Golden Apples.

"But didn't Arthur look much better? How can you say it had no effect?"

Merlin asked in disbelief.

"Alas... that was merely an illusion. Arthur is currently surviving entirely on the sheer vitality provided by the Golden Apple. Once the life force brought by the Apple fades, Arthur will be right back where he started."

Arthur's current condition could hardly be called an improvement; at best, it was a forced extension of his life. Once his injuries flared up again, he would still kick the bucket.

"Very well, let us speak no more of this." Since even the Golden Apple was ineffective, the other remedies Kay had prepared would naturally be of little use, leaving him with no choice but to seek alternative solutions. Fortunately, he knew someone who was bound to know how to resolve the dilemma.

"Merlin!"

"Yes, My Lord." Merlin had been momentarily dazed, but snapped back to attention the instant Kay called his name.

"Arthur has been like this for two or three days. Have you consulted the dragon for a solution?" At this point, Kay could no longer be bothered with avoiding suspicion.

Sure enough, Gaius immediately fixed his gaze on Merlin. He had never liked Merlin maintaining contact with that dragon.

Merlin felt quite uncomfortable under Gaius's stare, but faced with Kay's question, he had no choice but to answer. "I... I have indeed consulted him."

Just as Gaius opened his mouth as if to say something, Merlin shrank back, bracing himself for a reprimand. However, before Gaius could utter a word, Kay intervened and stopped him.

"We have reached this critical juncture; there is no need to repeat useless words. Merlin, give me the answer directly. Time is of the essence, saving Arthur takes precedence!" Kay had no interest in listening to Gaius lecture his apprentice. In his view, nothing surpassed the safety of his younger brother. What did contacting magic matter? As long as it was not utilized in front of King Uther, he believed Uther would turn a blind eye.

Merlin cast a cautious glance at Gaius. Having no alternative, Gaius could only glare irritably at Merlin before turning his head away, a gesture that clearly constituted tacit approval.

"The dragon said that the Questing Beast was born of ancient magic and is therefore bound by the laws of ancient magic. To save Arthur, one must likewise employ ancient magic."

Hearing this, Gaius, who had just signaled his intention to stay out of the matter, could not help speaking up again.

"But ancient magic vanished completely centuries ago!"

"No! The dragon said there are still those who know how to use it!" Merlin immediately retorted. "He told me to go to a place called the Isle of the Blessed, where the power of ancient magic can still be felt. There, the cure to save Arthur can be found."