Credits: datguyFrost01
In this case, it was undoubtedly possible for Merlin to give Alaric some honest advice about his wild ideas.
When Alaric mentioned the name of the Low Budget Holy Judgement, Merlin burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he said, "Hahaha, Low Budget Holy Judgement? That's so your style!"
"Low Budget Holy Judgement? What an interesting naming sense!"
Under Alaric's expressionless gaze, Merlin quickly stopped laughing, cleared his throat, and solemnly said, "Ah, well, how should I put it? Big Brother Merlin doesn't know magic."
'What?'
It was as absurd as hearing that a sword saint couldn't wield a sword or that an archer couldn't use a bow.
"Merlin, are you serious?"
Full of confusion, Alaric tilted his head, his gaze filled with disbelief.
A top-tier magus from the age of legends claiming not to know magic? No matter how you looked at it, it seemed strange.
"Well, you see, chanting spells would make me bite my tongue~."
Merlin winked at Alaric as he said this, attempting to brush it off with a seemingly cute gesture.
"I get it now. Merlin, you're hiding your true skills—"
[Lazy] [Slacking Off]
At this moment, Alaric finally had a clearer understanding of this troublesome person named Merlin.
'How did this guy even reach the rank of Grand Caster?'
Alaric couldn't comprehend it. Not at all.
After this brief interlude, Alaric gave up on the idea of having Merlin teach him anything.
Who knew what this guy could even teach? Claiming he didn't know magic—was he going to teach swordsmanship instead?
Unaware of Alaric's thoughts, Merlin, having successfully deflected the situation, subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that Merlin didn't want to teach Alaric; it was simply that he had nothing to teach.
As the Flower Magus, Merlin's only magecraft was conjuring purely ornamental flowers. Beyond that, his other abilities were all meant for nurturing kings.
That privilege was reserved for a certain old friend.
But those skills weren't suitable for Alaric. Merlin could see that Alaric was far from having the qualities of a king. He was, in fact, the opposite—a lone wolf.
A solitary path, dividing others along the way.
Alaric was not destined to be the central figure that united people as a king. He was fated to walk alone.
Thinking this, Merlin glanced helplessly at Alaric, who was lost in thought not far away. The surging waves of magical energy emanating from him revealed his current actions.
This solitude was the result of multiple factors—not just Alaric's origins but, more significantly, his own choices.
In Merlin's eyes, Alaric was nothing more than a problem child, even harder to guide than a young Artoria.
"Hmm?"
Noticing Merlin's gaze, Alaric tilted his head slightly and looked at him in surprise. "What is it, Merlin?"
"Well, I could teach you Flower Magecraft!"
Under Alaric's puzzled gaze, Merlin conjured a vibrant flower with a wave of his hand, smiling brightly. "Interested?"
"Will it grant immortality?"
Alaric blurted out, "If not, then I won't bother learning."
'What?'
This time, it was Merlin's turn to be confused. Seeing how decisively Alaric rejected him, he almost instinctively replied, "Then how about I teach you the Art of Heroism?"
"The Art of Heroism—will it grant immortality?"
Having caught onto Merlin's tricks, Alaric chuckled and said, "Merlin, you rogue, are you playing games with me?"
"But seriously, what is the Art of Heroism?"
At this point, Alaric didn't expect Merlin to teach him anything of real value. However, he was still curious about this so-called Art of Heroism.
"Hm, to put it simply, it's the Artoria Training Plan," Merlin said matter-of-factly. "After all, I'm the one who nurtured the legendary King Arthur into a heroic figure!"
"The way of kings doesn't suit me. I won't learn it, I won't learn it."
Alaric waved his hand dismissively, decisively rejecting Merlin, leaving him helpless.
As they continued their idle chatter, a city gradually came into view before Alaric and Merlin. It was a large city, indistinguishable from other border cities like Kutha, situated in the northern wilderness.
"That's Nippur—"
Alaric merely glanced at Nippur on the horizon before losing interest. He intended to bypass the city entirely and head deeper into the wilderness, toward the cedar forest.
But just as Alaric and Merlin were about to turn away, they suddenly stopped.
"Hmm—"
Merlin, also looking back toward Nippur, had an intrigued expression.
Alaric, on the other hand, sensed the presence of a Servant approaching from the direction of Nippur. As his gaze focused, he could make out several figures moving across the wilderness.
'Fuuma Kotarou?'
Recognizing the figure, Alaric identified the approaching Servant as Fuuma Kotarou, one of the seven summoned by Gilgamesh. He was also among the three Servants absent from the Northern Wall, as mentioned by Leonidas I.
'Two Servants stationed in Nippur, with one returning for reinforcements?'
With this thought, Alaric pulled Merlin to wait in place for Fuuma Kotarou's arrival.
A few minutes later.
"Who might you be—"
The sprinting Fuuma Kotarou was stopped by Alaric, who inquired about the reason for his return.
Seeing that it was Alaric, whom he had met briefly at Gilgamesh's tower, along with the magus Merlin, Fuuma Kotarou wasted no time and quickly explained his purpose: "It's that Noble Phantasm piercing the skies! I didn't expect the enemy to have such a powerful Noble Phantasm. What are the losses?"
He explained that he had returned for reinforcements because of the destructive power of the Noble Phantasm, which left Alaric looking awkward.
If Alaric wasn't mistaken, Fuuma Kotarou had come back because of his Holy Judgement.
A towering black pillar descending from the sky—it was indeed easy to misjudge.
With this in mind, Alaric glanced at Merlin, who was struggling to hold back laughter. He then turned back to Fuuma Kotarou with a blank expression. "If I haven't misunderstood—what you saw was a Noble Phantasm I unleashed. There were no casualties on the Northern Wall."
Alaric then explained the situation to Fuuma Kotarou, who froze for a moment before chuckling. "I see. As long as there were no casualties, that's good."
Since the towering black pillar had prompted him to rush back, and it wasn't an enemy attack, Fuuma Kotarou was relieved.
After a brief conversation, Alaric and Fuuma Kotarou parted ways.
Fuuma Kotarou returned to Nippur, while Alaric and Merlin continued toward the cedar forest.
...
An hour later.
After a long journey, Alaric and Merlin finally crossed a raging river and reached the black cedar forest deep in the wilderness.
The moment Alaric stepped into the forest's boundary, he arched an eyebrow. His gaze pierced through the dense forest, reaching ever deeper.
Until his eyes met the monster's.
The creature lurking deep in the forest was undoubtedly a goddess who had fallen after devouring her kin—or rather, a divine beast born from a goddess's fall.
It was a meeting between monsters—a clash between Dragon and Snake.