"Teacher, you're not joking, are you?"
Hearing her teacher say this, Artoria was taken aback.
She was already quite satisfied with her current abilities.
I'm just the adopted child of an ordinary knight, and it's only by chance that I've gained this much strength.
Not only that, she even wielded two holy swords.
This was something even the protagonists of many knightly tales had never achieved.
One must know contentment greed is not in my nature.
Her earlier frustration had stemmed mostly from shame over her combat skills.
Despite possessing such powerful holy swords, she still couldn't defeat others.
This made Artoria feel that she had utterly failed to live up to the gifts bestowed upon her by Their Majesties Morgan and Lot.
"How could I possibly joke about something like this?"
Merlin looked at his bewildered student and immediately laughed.
However, his words only earned him Artoria's crossed arms and a look of deep suspicion.
Respecting one's teacher was only natural.
But that depended on the teacher's credibility.
As for trusting Merlin's credibility…
Artoria's expression said it all.
"I'm just trying to find you a weapon that suits you."
Merlin smiled at Artoria.
At the same time, he didn't miss the chance to slander Lot and Morgan a little.
"Some things aren't something Morgan and Lot can "
Just as he was about to continue, a voice suddenly cut him off.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Of course "
Merlin suddenly realized that the person who had answered him wasn't Artoria, who stood before him, nor was it Guinevere, who had been watching her intently.
Instead, the voice had come from behind him.
This was beyond Merlin's expectations.
And the only person who could ever exceed Merlin's expectations was
Merlin turned his head and saw Lot, grinning, holding Morgan's hand as they both stared at him.
Lot tilted his head, first glancing at Merlin before speaking to Artoria and Guinevere.
"Artoria, Guinevere, close your eyes for a moment."
"Mm."
Seeing Lot's expression, Artoria and Guinevere instinctively shut their eyes.
Then
THUD!
A dull impact echoed through the tent.
Artoria opened her eyes.
Merlin was clutching his face, and the two girls instantly understood what had happened.
Huh?
Wait, something's off.
His Majesty Lot only threw one punch, right?
Then why is the teacher covering both eyes?
Oh
Beside Lot, Queen Morgan had also swung her fist.
Merlin couldn't perceive Lot's movements, and while Lot was throwing his punch, Morgan had also cast a spell.
Morgan's magical energy was already terrifyingly strong.
With both Lot and Morgan attacking at once, Merlin truly had no choice but to take the beating.
Merlin was used to relying on his Clairvoyance to observe others, but Lot made sure he couldn't.
So
One punch from the left, another from the right.
The husband-and-wife duo teamed up, leaving Merlin with nothing to do but endure the beating.
As Merlin collapsed, clutching his face, Morgan and Lot exchanged satisfied smiles.
Exactly.
Seeing you try to deceive my little sister like this of course we had to give you a good punch.
At the same time, both Lot and Morgan felt a surge of relief.
Thank goodness we arrived in time.
Otherwise, who knows what nonsense our little sister might've been tricked into believing?
If she'd been led astray, the two of us would've been left utterly heartbroken.
A few days earlier, while analyzing the Wind Clan's invasion routes, Morgan and Lot had decided to rush to Artoria's side first to ensure her safety.
Though they knew Merlin was with her, facing someone like Melusine demanded extra caution.
So, they had quietly made their way over.
At the same time, they ordered Galahad, Gawain, and the others to lead their troops and follow as quickly as possible.
By the time they arrived after traveling through the night, they had missed the battle between Melusine and Artoria earlier that day.
But they were just in time to catch Merlin trying to undermine Lot and Morgan behind their backs.
Hearing his words, how could they possibly let it slide?
[Honestly, this Merlin just never gives up. If Artoria were to take up Rhongomyniad, her strength would indeed increase but her personality might change, and that's the real problem.]
Lot thought to himself.
Beside him, Morgan, hearing his thoughts, also considered the matter.
Wielding the Holy Lance would indeed enhance her power.
But
It must be under our control.
"What's wrong? That Merlin's still talking over there we can't let him have the last laugh."
As she was lost in thought, Lot nudged her shoulder.
"Ah, right."
Snapped out of her reverie, Morgan glared at Merlin inside the tent, grinding her teeth.
That white-haired swindler!!!
...
Because they were so furious,
when they struck Merlin earlier,
Lot and Morgan had held nothing back.
They put their full strength into those punches.
Even Morgan's fist left a dark bruise around Merlin's eye.
And as for Lot's punch?
That one nearly turned Merlin's eye socket from purple to black.
One side was lighter, the other darker the mismatched bruises made Merlin look utterly ridiculous, causing Artoria and Guinevere to burst into laughter.
It was just too funny.
"Pfft HAHAHA!"
Guinevere laughed especially brightly.
But after a few seconds, she remembered that the person being beaten up was her beloved's teacher she really shouldn't be laughing like this.
She quickly covered her mouth.
But then
She noticed Artoria laughing too.
So she let go and laughed freely.
Merlin was miserable.
Seeing him like this, Lot slung an arm over his shoulder and dragged him outside.
"Come on, how about I hook you up with a job? I'll pay you to go flirt with a few of the Wind Clan's fairy girls…"
As he spoke, he led Merlin away.
Meanwhile, Morgan turned to Artoria.
"Alright, I'm here now. You don't need to worry about the battles ahead."