"Teacher Merlin, I'm back!"
I've been tricked.
This was the first thought of Menachel when he heard Artoria call out his name.
He thought Artoria was just an ordinary young knight out for training, so he didn't feel anything whether she stole bread or said such arrogant words as "I'll help you achieve it."
But he never expected that Artoria would actually act in a group.
What's more,
Merlin.
This is a big shot. I heard from the adults who picked up rubbish together that this is a big shot in the court. Although Menachel didn't know much about this era, Merlin was someone he had to know.
A magician, if he remembered correctly.
He took a deep breath and barely calmed himself down. He began to organize his words and thought about how to deal with this big trouble later.
But soon, Menachel found that all his preparations were in vain. Before he got close, he felt that he was being watched by the man in the white robe.
He was seen through.
This was the only thought that Menachel had at this moment. There was no basis for this feeling, but Menachel had realized that no matter what he said, he could not hide it from the man in front of him.
Merlin smiled at Menachel, as if noticing his somewhat dull look. Although the expression on his face was very gentle, he could not feel a trace of warmth from it.
"Merlin, this is the new companion I mentioned."
Artoria's words broke the stalemate.
Although Menachel was a little happy to be called a companion, it seemed that there was no big problem with the previous picking up.
"Really? Another orphan who suddenly drifted in. Although there have been precedents of picking up people before, most were never picked up." Merlin glanced at him casually, and suddenly he was stunned, with a strange color flashing in his eyes.
This time seemed a little different. He raised the corner of his mouth with interest, and Merlin also retracted his gaze on Menachel. He waved to the girl, motioning Artoria to come over.
"Menachel is different. He said he would help me realize my dream."
"Artoria, go outside first. I'll say hello to this [found companion]." Merlin narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth naturally rose as if he was smiling. Artoria did not move.
So Merlin looked at his feet.
"Kai, go pick up Artoria."
Then the boy who had been at Merlin's feet came forward and grabbed the girl's hand.
Menechel had seen the boy's dress on the corpses lying all over the place… It might be a bit strange to say this, but to be precise, he should have seen it on the knights who died on the battlefield. After peeling off the outer armor, what was revealed was this gorgeous dress similar to a tights. It is a bold guess that the other party is a knight, or at least an apprentice knight.
Before being dragged away, Artoria turned back and stuck out her tongue at Menachel. She seemed to have noticed the solemnity on Menachel's face. The girl stopped and whispered, "Don't worry, Mr. Merlin is easy to talk to."
Then Artoria seemed to be criticized by the other party – the ahoge on her head had drooped down very listlessly.
Menachel narrowed his eyes, but soon his sight was blocked by Merlin. Then, he didn't have the leisure to pay attention to the situation on Artoria's side.
Walking in front of Menachel, the white-haired man snapped his fingers, with a strong smile in his eyes: "You seem very nervous after seeing me, are you afraid of me?"
Menachel's body tensed subconsciously, but this did not give him courage. Instead, it made him realize how weak he was at the moment.
"Well, don't be nervous, don't be nervous. Let's not talk about this for now." Merlin smiled and waved his hand, as if he had just said it casually.
Then he changed his tone and became softer: "Can you tell me your name?" For some reason, Menachel felt something pressing on him just now, making him breathless, but now he can breathe again.
"Sartish Menachel, my name." Although it was very difficult, he still said his new name.
"Really? This naming style – was it given to you by Artoria?" Merlin was not surprised at all, and just smiled lightly, but then a blue light flashed in his eyes, and once again, Menachel had a strange feeling – those eyes were clearly looking at him, but Menachel felt that he was looking at something farther away.
"This name——" I don't know if it was Menachel's illusion, but the smile on Merlin's face disappeared at some point, but when Menachel looked at him again, Merlin still kept smiling.
"This name may be too heavy for you." After a short silence, Merlin's smile remained unchanged, and there seemed to be no other expression on his face except for the smile.
Menachel's face was very pale. I don't know why Merlin's words that seemed to be a joke sounded different to Menachel's ears.
"For example, it's too difficult to pronounce and forgotten by everyone!"
…
People who believe that he will have any shocking words are really stupid.
"Anyway, this is my name."
Looking up, Menachel looked directly into Merlin's eyes, and his red eyes emitted a stubborn light in the sunset. This was the name that Artoria gave him, and it was also the first intersection between her and him. Menachel was unwilling to give up this fate.
Merlin didn't care about anything. He squatted down to keep his eyes level with Menachel, but the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and what remained was a face that showed emptiness and nothingness.
"How interesting…"
Merlin muttered to himself. He stood up and smiled again: "If I'm not mistaken, you are not from this world!"
He was seen through at a glance!
Menachele's body tensed up and he subconsciously wanted to hold the sword, but the sword had been confiscated by Artoria.
"Well, I don't mean anything else. I like humans very much." Merlin's smile gradually became more gloating, but he was also a person who knew when to stop. Merlin said to Menachele: "But you are an interesting individual among humans."
Menachel was immersed in the fear of being exposed. If it was a few days ago, it would not be a big deal for him who had no feeling of living, but now Menachel just had a reason to live.
"Really, Mr. Merlin, don't scare him anymore."
At this time, Artoria came over, and the boy who was guessed by Menachel to be an apprentice knight was lying on the ground, not knowing what kind of blow he had just experienced.
"After all, I was also shocked when you suddenly brought a man back." Merlin said this and did not continue to put more pressure on Menachel.
Such interesting things cannot be played and watched all at once.
"Didn't you say that you would help Artoria fulfill her dream? It would be difficult with your current strength." So with all kinds of thoughts in mind, Merlin said to Menachel:
"So you should also train with me."
______________________
Exclusive access to 10+ advance chapters in my patreon, patreon.com/ryuuu_
Your support is greatly appreciated!