Chapter 49: I am always on the verge of death from overwork, don't underestimate me!

The shock of Arthur's dream about "killing gods" left Merlin utterly stunned.

The flower magician wandered around in a daze all day long. Only when night fell again did he realize how much time he'd wasted, frustration creeping in.

"Another fruitless day. I didn't get anything out of my questions. You swore your loyalty to me so formally last night, but it clearly didn't do you any good. Are you some kind of loser worse than a roadside weed?!"

Merlin kept silent under his king's disgusted gaze, as if Arthur had just spotted something utterly repulsive.

Had he really accomplished nothing all day?

Not exactly.

He had spent the night hypnotizing several villagers and orchestrating a plan.

The idea was simple: arrange for the strongest man in the village to challenge Arthur at noon, then—with Merlin's magic—the sword of choice would be easily broken in Arthur's hand.

But Merlin had been too stunned at the time to notice what really happened.

When Arthur calmly said, "There is a huge gap between you and me. If you don't want to make a fool of yourself, just surrender," the man slumped shamefully into a corner.

Merlin's plan had been crude and simple. Yet Arthur shattered every script Merlin laid out, completely unfazed.

Huh? It seemed Arthur hadn't really cared at the start.

In short, many similar attempts that day all failed spectacularly. Arthur's sharp mind and effortless ease cracked every trap Merlin set.

Tsk~ Had Merlin only activated the magic within the Sword of Selection the moment his king opened his mouth—although the sword broke mysteriously before Merlin could even draw it—it might have at least provided some explanation.

But it was all fabricated anyway. Arthur had to accept it, whether he liked it or not.

"Even so, my king, there was little room for me to appear today, right?" Merlin said bitterly. "Your skills seem to make it more convenient for you if I want the villagers to speak."

Arthur silently agreed.

With his mastery over words and spirit, he could easily influence the villagers' minds—even Merlin's actions were restricted.

But that didn't mean Merlin was immune to scolding just because his arguments made sense.

The greatest privilege of a king was that when in a foul mood, he could issue unreasonable orders and make his subjects miserable—and still get away with it.

"Are you trying to rebel against me, King Arthur?!"

"King?"

"Shut up. You are just a mere Merlin, and you dare put your will above mine? How brave of you! When I get back, I'll have Manaka kill you within three days."

"······"

Merlin closed himself off.

Given Arthur's recent behavior, he realized he was merely a tool—helping the king vent his bad moods.

No, a tool is still a person.

And Merlin was just a punching bag.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

Arthur frowned and glanced at Merlin.

To be honest, this village was at the border of Camelot—not a noble fiefdom—so its military power was weak. Moreover, the strongest man in the village had been easily defeated by Arthur's words earlier that day.

Yeah, there was no threat at all.

Still, Arthur gripped the Magic Card: Wind tightly, just in case.

"My king, be careful—tonight is a full moon," Merlin said with a mysterious smile.

Full moon?

Is this village full of werewolves?

Arthur snorted and opened the door.

The moment the wooden door swung open, a small figure leapt into Arthur's arms. A sharp pain struck him, and his vision blacked out.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw 'himself' smiling evilly down at him.

Arthur's gaze locked on the knife plunged into his abdomen, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. It's a magic that transfers souls."

So it wasn't a werewolf after all, but a magic technique usable only on a full moon.

Even more surprising—despite Arthur's poor condition, the attacker was small but managed a successful sneak attack.

On the other side, 'Arthur' laughed maniacally.

"Hahahaha! Good, very good! I feel it, I feel it—this powerful force! From today on, this body belongs to me, this body possesses endless… power?"

But as his expression shifted from glee to shock, he collapsed with a thud and fainted.

"Oh no, he got tricked again, Your Majesty. This won't do. Didn't I warn you to be careful?" Merlin said with a smile. "But I'm curious—if the magic worked, why did he lose consciousness?"

Arthur shot Merlin a cold glare but wasn't worried.

If Merlin wanted to seize Camelot's throne by body possession, he was putting the cart before the horse.

You see, Artoria's body was truly tempered—much stronger than Arthur's.

"Hmph! Do you think anyone can just use my body? Don't underestimate me, Merlin. The fact that a mentally weak guy like this didn't drop dead right after entering my body deserves praise."

Saying that, Arthur pulled out the knife and examined it expressionlessly.

He could feel his current body was ordinary—powerless in every way. The powerful energy came solely from the knife.

More precisely, from the red gem set into the blade.

Staring at the gem, Arthur felt something stir inside him.

In Camelot, though the king basked in glory, the only valuables on him were the Sword of the Chosen and the Crown. Otherwise, Arthur was practically penniless.

And now——

Gudong~

A distinct swallowing sound came from his throat.

It took immense willpower for Arthur to finally tear his eyes away from the gem.

"By the way, Merlin, can you use magic to turn stones into gems or gold? It's just changing the structure of matter—shouldn't it be easy for you?"

"You're dreaming, my lord. Gems and gold are crucial magical materials in this era. Artificial ones are easily detected."

"We can export them. The Romans might not notice and be fooled."

"Are you serious?" Merlin stared blankly at Arthur's money-obsessed look. "Shouldn't you care about your body more than trivial things like that? There's a strange soul inhabiting it right now."

"That's irrelevant! It's about the national economy!"

Arthur wanted to say more, but then—

"To be honest, I don't really want to change back. My body feels relaxed now—better than it's been in a long time."

"What?!"

"No, what are you talking about?"

"You don't know? Why do you think he suddenly collapsed? Didn't you notice how much work I usually do?"

Arthur's workload was intense almost all the time. Such constant pressure piled up fatigue that would have killed a normal person countless times over—especially since the [Pseudo-Red Dragon Factor] was removed from his body.

Only after acquiring the [Word Spirit] and [Telekinesis] skills, which relied on mental strength, did his spirit stabilize.

But even so, he was only barely holding on through sheer mental power, with no real relief.

Therefore, when a normal soul entered Arthur's body, initial excitement aside, the fatigue feedback was overwhelming.

"Hmm, I wish I could enjoy this relaxation longer, but I guess this is the end."