After what felt like an eternity, a surge of vibrant life energy suddenly emanated from the woman's belly.
Arkhan instantly released his hand, and the Abyss Flower turned into faint light, disappearing into the air.
Feeling the vigorous life energy on the woman's belly, a faint smile tugged at his pale face.
"Just as I thought, it's really you, capable of pulling off something like this~"
A playful voice chimed in from the side, with the faint scent of flowers lingering in Arkhan's nose.
Pink petals converged from all directions, forming a human figure in an instant. Then, the petals scattered, revealing a white-haired man holding a cherry wood staff.
With such a flamboyant entrance, who else could it be but Merlin?
"After watching the show for so long, you finally decided to show up?" Arkhan said casually.
Merlin possessed a 'Clairvoyance' that could see 'Present', and Artoria was his primary focus of observation. There was no way he could have missed what was happening here. He might have been here from the beginning, just quietly watching the show.
But Arkhan couldn't really blame him. After all, this guy wasn't even human and had no love for humans. He merely enjoyed watching humans.
Except for a few individuals who piqued his interest, everyone else was like roadside stones to him.
"I suddenly feel that what you said back then might indeed have some truth. It seems I might have made a slight mistake in Lily's education..." Merlin sighed, looking at the fading people within the black flames, his face showing a hint of disappointment.
Arkhan couldn't be bothered to deal with this guy. If it weren't for this idiot's insistence on nurturing some ideal king, this whole situation wouldn't have happened in the first place.
"Hmm... judging by your expression, it seems you don't intend to let this matter end here?" Merlin smiled.
"To root out the weed, one must remove its roots completely..." Arkhan said coldly.
"In that case, I'll lend you a hand. Consider it making up for my mistake. Let's use my newly researched magecraft. Hopefully, I won't bite my tongue this time..."
Merlin muttered and waved his cherry wood staff.
"Behold! British Magecraft—Lily, it's dining time—argh! my tongue..."
Invisible magical energy gathered like a storm, feeling the vibration in the surroundings, Arkhan's eyes showed a hint of caution. He had never seen such a massive amount of magical energy before, even compared to his mother, Scathach.
Although the incantation seemed a bit ridiculous, Arkhan was still somewhat excited. After all, this was magecraft unleashed by the Grand Caster's candidate. With such a commotion, the effect must be extraordinary.
One minute...
Two minutes...
Three minutes...
A full ten minutes passed, and the vibration gradually calmed down, but nothing seemed to have happened.
"Uh... it seems like the magecraft... had a little problem, ahaha~" Merlin said awkwardly, flashing a sheepish smile.
Arkhan: "..."
"I might have to keep my distance from Kay in the future. Otherwise, I feel like my IQ might suffer...." Merlin sighed, rubbing his forehead.
'Why did I even expect something from this waste?' Arkhan said inwardly with disappointment.
"Ahem, having some flaws in a newly created magecraft is perfectly normal. Let me try it again, it'll definitely work this time!" Merlin cleared his throat and raised his staff again.
*Buzz—*
However, before he could utter another word, the surroundings suddenly trembled once more.
A loaf of bread fell from the sky, landing on Merlin's head, followed by countless loaves raining down from out of nowhere.
"Wait! Wait—"
Before Merlin could react, he was engulfed in this sudden rain of bread and got buried.
After about ten minutes, the bread rain gradually subsided, leaving countless loaves piled up in the courtyard, resembling a small hill and filling the air with a rich aroma of wheat.
Arkhan curiously tasted a piece, and the soft bread turned into magical energy the moment it entered his throat.
So, even though it looked like bread, it was actually a magical energy in bread form.
Arkhan nodded, his finger drawing a Rune in the air.
[Rune - Devour]
A light green vortex appeared by his side, sucking some loaves into it, quickly transforming them into magical energy replenishing his body.
Arkhan's originally pale complexion visibly returned to normal.
Merlin's head popped out from the bread mountain, complaining, "Your way of eating has no soul; it's disrespectful to food!"
Arkhan couldn't be bothered with this eccentric fellow; he was in a hurry and didn't have time to nibble on pieces of bread one by one. Besides, this stuff only looked like bread; it was fundamentally a product of magic and couldn't satisfy his hunger.
Merlin looked at the bread in front of him, took a bite, and proudly proclaimed, "As expected of me, it tastes really good."
'So, that is what makes you proud?' Arkhan sighed inwardly and suddenly looked beyond the courtyard.
Three familiar figures were rapidly approaching—Artoria, Kay, and the breathless Guinevere.
"Teacher, what happened..."
Seeing the bread mountain in front of them and Merlin grinning with that familiar mischievous smile, Artoria was momentarily baffled.
"You've arrived just in time."
Arkhan spoke to the trio, then entered the house.
[Rune - Search]
With the help of Rune, Arkhan swiftly located the concealed jar of wyvern blood. He then turned to Artoria and the others, pointing at the still unconscious peasant woman lying on the ground.
"Stay here and watch over her; I have something to do."
After saying that, Arkhan wrote a Rune in the air, and a pair of blue wings appeared behind him. Without delay, he flew in the direction of the main street.
Artoria gritted her teeth, turned, and ran to follow Arkhan.
"Hahh... can we... hahh... have some rest first?!"
Guinevere let out a breathless and despairing moan but still followed Artoria's footsteps.
Kay also wanted to go with them, but a vine that seemed to appear out of nowhere entangled his feet, nearly causing him to fall.
"Haven't you heard what your teacher said? Stay put young man~" Merlin grinned.
'Are you kidding me?' Kay fumed, ready to engage in a 1 vs 1 showdown with Merlin, but the peasant woman nearby suddenly let out a scream, writhing in pain, covered in sweat.
"What's happening?!" Kay looked utterly bewildered.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, she's about to give birth."
"What?!"
===
Arkhan soared high in the sky, clutching a piece of black cloth.
It was a fragment of clothing he had torn from those bastard knights earlier. With this, he could use Rune to trace their past movements and find the so-called prince.
A thin straight line extended all the way, ultimately pointing to the top floor of an inn.
'Found you!'
Arkhan's eyes flashed with cold determination as Gae Bolg materialized in his hand. The crimson magical energy burned on the spear like flames, and he descended toward the room below.
*BOOM!*
The ceiling exploded instantly, and a young man wrapped in bandages lay unconscious on the bed in the room. The falling rubble hit him squarely, and he moaned in pain.
A black-robed old man stood nearby, trembling as he looked at Arkhan descending from the sky.
"Who are you—"
"Just a passing-by teacher..."
Arkhan's voice was as cold as ice as he gazed at the two figures in the room.
"Now, let me teach you all what it means to repay blood with blood."