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As the Royal Knights could no longer hold their ground and began to retreat, the Duke encouraged his soldiers to be even more aggressive.

"Break the front!"

With Alfred’s harsh command, the Knights channeled their Mana. More than 200 Knights mounted their horses and charged forward, breaking through the wall of shields formed by the Royal Guards.

The Royal Guards were quickly split into two groups by the 200 Sun Knights. Then, with another command, the Sun Knights launched their spears at full force, targeting the 1500-strong Royal Guards.

Unlike the city garrison, the Royal Guards were experienced. They managed to stop most of the spears with a magical shield in a short time.

Still, a few spears pierced through some of the Royal Guards, killing them. As the surrounded Royal Guards attempted to retreat, the two divided sides started to pull back to different locations.

"The road to the King’s palace is open, my Lord," Miguel said calmly. Alfred nodded in agreement and looked at Miguel. "Take command. Try to eliminate the Royal Guards as soon as possible."

"It will be as you wish, my Lord. You can trust me." Miguel obeyed, his tone calm. Alfred turned his eyes toward the place where the King stayed in the Royal Palace. Then, he urged his horse forward.

As Alfred sped forward, he easily destroyed the Palace door and quickly headed toward the throne room. His eyes were constantly scanning his surroundings as he advanced.

The palace was opulent and painfully bright. The strangest thing was that it was filled with annoyingly pure gold accessories worth hundreds of thousands of gold.

The most striking aspect was that it was crammed with an excessive amount of unnecessary items. Why would a person fill every space with paintings, swords, and even fake Excalibur swords?

Henry was as childish as ever. A look of disdain appeared in Alfred’s eyes. If it weren’t for traditions, he wouldn’t allow his sister to marry the King.

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but feel disgusted by the taint of the Thornvile bloodline with some abominable bloodlines. Every time he remembered the Prince born from his sister and the King, a deep scorn and disgust flashed in his eyes.

Fortunately, he arrived at the throne room’s entrance without thinking too much. The long and wide silver-gold door opened with a light push from Alfred.

"Henry? Are you here?"

Alfred, who hadn’t seen the King on the throne, calmly looked around. His eyes quietly roamed every corner. Unable to sense anything related to the King, Alfred clenched his fists.

His eyes widened when they fixated on a figure sitting on the King’s throne. This man was not the King. No, he was someone even better than the King.

Alfred’s eyes narrowed as he instinctively recoiled, for there was only one person who could evoke this feeling in him. Then a name slipped from his lips.

"Merlin," Alfred whispered coldly. As the figure on the throne rose, a Mana pressure shook the entire palace. In response, Alfred channeled his own Mana as the Royal Palace seemed to tremble as if it would collapse.

"Or should I call you Aelthor?"

"Call me whatever you wish…"

As the figure on the throne rose, he revealed himself to be the Headmaster of the Academy. Alfred’s eyes trembled with anger. "Have you forgotten the agreement? No matter what happens, you are forbidden to intervene."

Aelthor, or rather Merlin, maintained a calm expression. It was as if he was not facing a Duke, but an ordinary person.

"The eighth clause of the agreement states: if Gawain’s descendants raise their weapons against the heirs of King Arthur, Merlin’s task is to eliminate all rebels."

Merlin said mercilessly. He then looked at Alfred with a strange emotion. His expression bore curiosity and interest.

"Well, what will you do? Will you kill me?" Despite facing a Legendary Mage, the Duke kept his sword at the ready threateningly.

Merlin’s gaze shifted to Galatine, and a look of intriguing amusement appeared in his eyes. "Are you going to kill me with the sword I created, Alfred?"

"If necessary, yes," Alfred slowly drew the sword and said. Galatine glowed angrily. In some way, it shimmered as Merlin appreciated the sword’s brilliance. Alfred said in a stern voice, "My sword will be stained with your blood, Mage."

"You’re an interesting man, Alfred."

Suddenly, Merlin, who had vanished from Alfred’s view, appeared right behind him. Then he calmly placed his hand on Alfred’s shoulder.

"You rebelled against the entire Kingdom for your daughter," Merlin said. "Gawain would have loved you…"

In Merlin’s voice, there was a hint of nostalgia, sadness, and a faint smile that showed his affection for the old days.

Alfred pulled Merlin’s hand from his shoulder, and the sharp tip of Galatine pressed against Merlin’s chin in a way that an ordinary person would not see.

Merlin remained calm, showing no reaction. His eyes shifted to the sharp tip of Galatine. Just then, Alfred suddenly felt something in his throat and legs.

"I wouldn’t recommend you do that," Merlin said openly in a threatening manner. Alfred’s neck and arms were constricted by dozens of blue-silver snakes.

Despite this, Alfred remained calm. He kept himself on high alert for any movement from Merlin. The figure of Merlin twitched for a moment and then vanished from Alfred’s sight.

Suddenly, everything went dark. After a brief moment, when Alfred regained consciousness, he found himself and Merlin in different places.

Alfred’s entire body was wrapped by a giant silver snake, while Merlin had returned to his throne. Alfred’s eyes trembled with anger, then with a hand engulfed in flames, he grasped the snake’s head.

"SSNNN!!" The snake let out a cry of pain as Alfred quickly thrust Galatine into its mouth, easily tearing it apart.

As Alfred moved toward Merlin, suddenly the entire world shifted, and he began to fall toward the ceiling under the force of gravity.

Clenching his teeth, Alfred still looked at Merlin, who sat calmly on the throne, flexibly twisting. Then, while spreading flames haphazardly everywhere, he steadied himself.

Sending fireballs toward Merlin, Alfred continuously leaped toward him. Merlin, however, calmly stopped the fireballs with his bare hands as if nothing had happened.

It was truly an extraordinary sight. Flames hot enough to roast a person quickly extinguished beneath Merlin’s hand.

"Tch," Alfred swung his sword fiercely to kill the motionless Merlin, aiming it at Merlin’s throat.

As the world spun again, the Duke was ready this time and landed on his two feet. Suddenly, tendrils growing from the ground rapidly engulfed the entire Palace, while the Duke, with a single movement of Galatine, destroyed most of the tendrils.

Still, the tendrils that invaded the Royal Palace seemed terrifyingly endless.

"I’ve wasted too much time; this is enough."

Merlin calmly stated, suddenly vanishing from his spot to appear behind the Duke. Before Alfred could react, Merlin’s hands gripped his shoulders.

The Duke’s body suddenly became heavy and dropped to his knees. As gravity overwhelmed the entire room, even the floor collapsed and cracked under its weight.

"How many abilities do you possess like this?!" If Alfred claimed he had seen someone using so many different types of Magic, he would be lying.

"Abilities are not important. What matters is how much mastery you possess," Merlin replied calmly. There was a hint of mockery in his voice. "The new generation of mages is hardly diligent and struggles to use even one ability."

At this point, as Alfred gradually resisted the pull of gravity, Merlin’s palms covered Alfred’s ears. Then, a high-pitched and terrifying barrage of words made Alfred squint his eyes in pain.

"As long as you are smart enough, you can shape Mana, play with it, and even create new and functional spells," Merlin said. As the sound he produced grew more intense in Alfred’s ear, he continued to explain calmly.

"What you are hearing is the sound of a woman chattering for an hour," Though Merlin’s expression did not change much, a faint smile settled on his lips. "It’s just a voice amplified enough to burst an eardrum and cause pain in the brain."

"Do you see? Even something this simple can transform into a terrifying ability…"

Before Merlin could continue his explanation, fiery stakes shot up from the Duke’s back, impaling his abdomen before Merlin could move, causing him to squint his eyes in pain.

As gravity returned to normal, Alfred quickly gasped for air and got up from the ground, his eyes glowing with a crimson energy as flames danced around him.

"You talk too much," the Duke said calmly after regaining his composure. As Merlin’s wounds suddenly healed, even his burning clothes were restored as if nothing had happened.

"That was an unexpected but good move."

Merlin said appreciatively. He slightly narrowed his eyes when he saw Alfred still glaring at him with deadly intent. He tied his hands behind his back and sighed calmly. "Still not enough."

"Where is Henry?"

"He fled," Merlin said calmly. "As soon as he heard you declared war, he ran away from the Capital and hurriedly escaped to the Duchy of Orkney."

"That coward," Alfred said with hatred, nearly squeezing his fist until it bled. He should have anticipated that this coward would run away.

"Prince Julius, on the other hand, is under the protection of the Church," Merlin’s gaze met Alfred’s cold eyes. Neither of them was ready to fight again.

Looking at Merlin’s relaxed demeanor, Alfred was using this time to rest. While both powerful figures stood calmly, everything seemed to quiet down for a moment.

"I’m not here to kill you today, Alfred," Merlin said calmly, shrugging his shoulders. "This is just a simple visit. A friendly one."

"What are you planning?"

"I have no thoughts or plans," Merlin stated. He then continued, "I’m just curious. Why did you rebel? Was it really for Morrigan, or is there another reason?"

"Whether it’s a King or a God," the Duke stated calmly. His eyes then fixed on Merlin with intensity. "No one dares to take a Thornvile’s life."

"So arrogant."

Merlin said calmly, giving Alfred a long look. Finally, as Merlin withdrew, Alfred sheathed his sword.

"What you’ve done for Morrigan is truly extraordinary," Merlin praised, then continued calmly, "But be careful. Sometimes even Gods can fall. Especially when they least expect it…"

As Merlin spoke like a sage, his eyes seemed to see the future.

"What are you trying to say?"

Unfortunately, before Alfred’s question could be answered, Merlin vanished in a flash of silver light. He left behind a nearly crumbling palace and a thoughtful Alfred.