Chapter 63: Merry is in Trouble

Mer…ry sat on the ground, stunned, her eyes blank as if her thoughts had simply stopped.

Arthur looked at her and nodded with satisfaction.

"Hmm, you have a beautiful face. From now on, use it to your heart's content and live happily."

But those words immediately roused the ire of Miss Killer Whale.

Pretty?

My king actually praised this incubus for being beautiful?

Skadi's glare cut sharp through Merry as she raised her sword in warning. Feeling threatened, she swiftly pulled Arthur toward the office.

"Humph! You're nothing but a mere Merry. I'll kill you sooner or later."

Then, happily, she went back to fawning over Arthur.

When the two figures had completely vanished from her sight, Merry—who'd been utterly dejected, seemingly stripped of all courage and will to live—suddenly curled the corners of her mouth into a strange, sly smile.

"That's it? That's my king's punishment?"

Excitement tinged her voice.

After all, even King Arthur couldn't bear to be truly cruel to her.

True, Merry couldn't quickly remove the magical outfit jointly created by Manaka and Morgan, but why had Arthur lifted the collar's restriction?

Was there a reason?

No!

Gender was meaningless compared to the interesting future that awaited her.

She had been surprised by the transformation at first. But so what? Becoming a woman wasn't limiting at all. She could even use this female body to get close to the beauties of Camelot. If she wanted to cheat, she still could.

Ultimately, this gender change didn't restrict Merry one bit.

If anything, being a woman gave her more advantages.

Now she could even handle men without issue.

The once serious knights—and even her king—

Huh?

Isn't this a very interesting idea?

——————

After a long day, Kay could finally enjoy some leisure time.

Compared to a few months ago, their workload had exploded. Recently, Arthur had taken it upon himself to teach the Camelot ministers various knowledge little by little, increasing their capacity to manage the rising demands.

"Huh~."

Kay sighed.

According to his king, they simply couldn't keep up with Camelot's pace and growing challenges due to the limits of their knowledge and thinking.

He wished he could share Arthur's concerns, but the lessons were too obscure, too hard for him to grasp.

Not that he was incapable of learning—just unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the new knowledge.

Strictly speaking, Kay was the most relaxed among the Round Table knights, aside from Skadi. (What's Skadi's job? Of course, to play with Arthur all day!)

His duties mostly boiled down to guarding Arthur's safety.

But could he really continue like this?

Compared to Gawain, Lancelot, or even Pelinore who had joined later, was he truly qualified to be Arthur's personal bodyguard?

What more could he do besides fight?

That thought lifted his spirits.

Tonight, he would use his free time to fully understand Arthur's teachings.

Otherwise, he wasn't worthy to stand beside the king.

With that resolve, Kay opened his door, notebook in hand.

But the next second, a familiar voice floated from his bed.

"I'm finally back, Sir Knight. Thanks for your hard work today~."

"What?!"

Kay froze.

Artoria? No, no, no—though the voice was definitely Artoria's, his stepsister would never sound so frivolous!

He glanced at the white-haired woman sitting on his bed, wearing a collar and winking at him. His eyebrows shot up, and his heart nearly stopped.

Is this Merlin?

It had to be Merlin!

"Merlin! What are you doing? End your illusion now, or I won't be polite!" Kay drew his sword instinctively.

Pointing a blade at a weak, unarmed lady wasn't proper knightly behavior—but if it was Merlin, he could understand.

"Sir Knight?"

Merry curled into a ball, trembling and slowly retreating, utterly terrified.

"I'm not Lord Merlin. I'm just King Arthur's newly recruited servant. How could I, a mere ordinary person, compare with the great Lord Merlin—"

"You're really not Merlin?" Kay asked, skeptical.

Looking at her, he wanted to strike—her temperament was far too similar to Merlin's. But the voice was the same as his sister's.

Someone with Artoria's voice couldn't be as detestable as Merlin... right?

No, putting Merlin and Artoria on the same level was insulting to Artoria.

"Tell me, who are you?"

"I'm Merry, and I just joined the castle recently. Since the Knight is so busy, King Arthur gave me to him as a reward. In other words, I belong to the Knight now, and you can use me however you like~!"

"You—"

Kay's whole body trembled noticeably.

Though innocent-faced, this woman was shockingly good at seducing men.

Calm down, Kay!

You're not the hardest working knight among them all, and knowing your king's character, how could he really send a person away as an object?

Right—it had to be an illusion, Merlin's trickery. That bastard incubus was probably hiding somewhere, waiting to make a fool of him!

But men have two heads—one for reason and planning, the other for emotion and impulse.

Right now—

Kay knew he shouldn't use the lower one, especially on a woman who looked like Merlin.

Yet, he couldn't resist. Hearing Artoria's voice made his conscience scream in protest.

Knowing was one thing; acting was another.

Though he knew it was a trap, his feet refused to obey.

He should have ignored the woman, but he spoke anyway.

"Ah, with your looks, you shouldn't be a servant. If you have any troubles, tell me—I'll... help you."

Kay gritted his teeth and forced out the most ferocious tone he could muster, though his gesture was shy.

Oh no~ I've fallen for it.

I knew it was forbidden, but I fell for it anyway.

Compared to noble ladies, knights were way more interesting than he'd imagined.

Wouldn't it be more fun if I'd chosen a knight as my playmate from the start?

"Thank you, my king, for this convenient body."

"Your Majesty, you really understand me, Meli!"

"Hate it! Do you have to announce it before you understand? Whether I'm a servant or in the castle, I'm here because I admire the Knight!"

Merry said this in a mix of embarrassment and anger, then dashed out, covering her face.

Only Kay remained, dazed, wishing he could disappear.

Looks like I'll have a very interesting dream tonight~!

Merry, full of joy.

Okay, next! Who to tease next? Lancelot or Gawain~?