Avalon – the holy artifact excavated by Einzbern from Cornwall, the catalyst used by Emiya Kiritsugu to summon Morgan.
Since she didn't see the Holy Grail War to its end, she was pulled by Arthur to search for Naoki, who had fallen into the Root. Additionally, she didn't have eyes that could see a thousand miles, so Merlin didn't know where Avalon went after the Holy Grail War.
Was it taken away by Morgan, who had gained a physical body?
"After all, it's my sister's legacy. I must keep it safe so that it doesn't fall into the hands of those with ill intentions."
"This is what's called a thief shouting 'thief!' So, why are you showing it to me?"
"Please deliver it to that kid." Morgan said, "That child can now be considered half King Arthur. After obtaining Logos React, his soul will inevitably be influenced. Let's say he's two-thirds King Arthur. In that case, there's no harm in giving this to him."
"You want Naoki to become the new King Arthur?"
Merlin guessed Morgan's thoughts, then shook her head: "Impossible. He's not the material for it at all. Although I don't know him well, from my observations so far, he's more like Lancelot and Kay. People like that can't become Kings."
Even so, it doesn't mean Naoki is suited to be a knight. If anything, what suits him best is being an adventurer exploring the world, occasionally helping those in need.
[Within the reach of this hand, help others as much as possible] – the life goal Naoki set for himself shows this.
So, this much is certain for Merlin: Naoki will not become a King, nor does he want to become one.
"Then, I'll give you another reason." Morgan raised both hands, "Consider it a welcome gift for entering the Clock Tower. Frankly, this scabbard is useless to me. I'll never use it, and it's very heavy. But I can't just throw it away, so I can only ask you to keep it."
"A conceptual weapon, just implant it into that child's body."
"That's why I'm asking, why do you feel that conceptual weapons are heavy? Can't you just implant them into your own body?"
Merlin sighed softly, accepting the scabbard and storing it: "Alright, I understand. I'll keep the scabbard, but when to give it to Naoki will be my decision. You don't mind, do you?"
"It's up to you. After all, whether the scabbard is given to him or not won't make much difference to me."
After saying that, Morgan finished the tea in her hand and stood up.
"Then, we'll stop here for now, Merlin from another world. I'll be staying in England for a while. I might visit again soon."
"It feels like you have some evil plan."
"Do you have the right to say that to me?" Morgan smiled, "Oh, right. Please deliver my final message to him – I look forward to seeing you ten years from now."
As soon as Morgan finished speaking, she disappeared before Merlin's eyes.
Merlin chewed over Morgan's message, then smiled wryly: "Oh dear, Naoki, you've really caught the attention of that witch. It seems the next ten years won't be easy for you. Although I never intended to let you live peacefully anyway."
Merlin opened her chest, took out a small notebook, and opened it. She wrote on the last page:
[Naoki continues to grow steadily today, slightly beyond expectations. Ready to increase the intensity, arranging more difficult events for him to solve, planned in France]
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, in the underground tunnels of Blackmore.
After passing by the skeleton soldiers who were immobilized by being swarmed by evil spirits, Naoki arrived in front of the Corpse King, who was kneeling on the ground: "Alright, compatibility abilities are indeed an outrageous situation. If it weren't for these Mystic Eyes, both the graveyard keeper and I would be dead."
Although the skeleton soldiers aren't souls and aren't affected by the Mystic Eyes, their existence makes them vulnerable to evil spirits, rendering them completely powerless. The Corpse King is the same, but because she analyzed Naoki's Mystic Eyes too much, she directly saw the unspeakable being and was instantly defeated.
As a result, Naoki has an absolute advantage.
[So that's how it is]
The Corpse King struggled to lift her head to look at Naoki.
[You're not just another vessel. Besides that King, there's another existence within you, one that can seal an incredibly terrifying evil within your body. Perhaps you should be considered a hero.]
"A hero? I'm not that noble. I'm just fighting to survive, struggling desperately to reach this point. If that makes me a hero, then heroes are too cheap."
"At the very least, to become like the person you're imitating, you could be called a hero."
Shrugging, Naoki glanced at his watch: "There's about two minutes left... So, let's settle this, Logos React. If possible, could you stop simulating me? Because of your actions, the leylines and Mana in this land have become unstable. It's already causing disturbances."
[If that's the case, the solution isn't to stop me, but to continue. Just complete the assimilation with you, and the effects on this land will naturally end.]
"That's indeed one way, but in terms of results, if you do that, you'll be mixed with trash, and you won't be able to achieve the purpose of your creation."
[Whether I can achieve my mission isn't something you can decide. Besides, I must also tell you one thing: the assimilation began the moment you appeared before me. Although the progress is slow, it's still ongoing—]
The Corpse King's voice suddenly stopped, and her entire body disintegrated into a red substance, like crumbling clay – it was actually a lot of red sand.
Or more accurately, the Philosopher's Stone.
Logos React is essentially a device created using the Philosopher's Stone under specific conditions, and the Philosopher's Stone is the ultimate memory medium capable of recording nearly infinite information. Based on this property, Logos React was born and formed.
In the next moment, the Philosopher's Stone, like a waterfall, completely engulfed Naoki from zero distance!
"—!"
There was no time to dodge, not even time to think. Long before that, the Philosopher's Stone had already enveloped Naoki's entire body, penetrating his nervous system and entering the spiritual realm, reading all the memories in his brain.
As if he had been thrown out, Naoki quickly freed himself from the Philosopher's Stone, coughing uncontrollably as if he had choked while drinking: "Damn it! Logos React, you–"
Naoki couldn't continue speaking, and even Bersac, who was standing not far away and wanted to approach to support him, froze.
Because in front of them, the red Philosopher's Stone had already reformed into a human shape, reaching out to support Naoki, who had fallen to the ground.
[I didn't expect to meet you like this, Master]
[Long time no see, how have you been?]
The King Arthur from another world, Arthur Pendragon, smiled at Naoki.