"What on earth were you thinking, Lord Merlin? Although I'm not sure what was going on, you should have anticipated that those words would upset King Ophis, right?"
As soon as the three servants stepped out of the temple, Jeanne asked with a frown.
"Well, it seems that the Saint Lady is also quite strict."
Merlin remained unfazed by Joan of Arc's questioning.
"Sir Merlin!"
Joan of Arc was exasperated by Merlin's nonchalant attitude.
"This is a matter of life and death for humanity. We must not start splitting ourselves from within..."
"Don't worry."
Merlin waved his hand dismissively.
"That king is perhaps even more strict in 'obeying her duty' than the one I once coached. She knows what to do and what not to do, and she will force herself to follow those rules. So, what the Saint Lady said will never happen."
"Is… is that so?"
"However, unlike the one I once coached, this king has used those rules to restrict herself, which isn't necessarily a good thing."
"Isn't that... bad?"
Jeanne questioned with some doubt.
During her lifetime, as the saint of France, she was naturally very disciplined. In her opinion, even if this wasn't the absolute right behavior, it was at least better than being unrestrained.
"Indeed, while this approach can minimize the possibility of accidents... that's all."
Merlin chuckled and shook his head.
"Bound by the framework of 'king,' she can only be an excellent king and will never become a 'hero king.' This way, she will always be confused, right?"
"Is that so?"
Joan of Arc didn't understand this.
However, as an excellent magician who trained the 'King of Perfection,' Merlin wouldn't speak without reason.
"Well, there's no point in discussing it further. Saint Lady, please return to the front line. The soldiers are eager to see you again."
"Yes... I understand."
Although she still felt uneasy, Joan of Arc was clear about her mission.
Unlike Artoria and Arjuna.
Those two could at best provide assistance in terms of force, strategy, and tactics, but she was the spirit of the entire army.
She couldn't be away for too long.
Taking up her battle flag again, Joan of Arc rushed towards the northern battlefield.
"Hmm, I didn't expect to develop an occupational disease. Although it's not particularly straightforward, it should make her start to confront some issues, right? So, how will the future unfold?"
Merlin looked up at the sky with a smile.
"Well, although this range of vision is quite convenient, it would be easier to see the future like the other two. But such an unknown is also a kind of fun..."
"What do you think, King Ophis?"
Behind Merlin, Ophis slowly stepped out of the temple.
"Perhaps."
The unknown can indeed be enjoyable... but in the current situation, if she could fully see into the future, Ophis would be willing to do so, no matter how mundane it might be.
But this was a pointless assumption, and Ophis wasn't interested in delving into it.
"Merlin, I need your help with something."
"Oh, it's really surprising that King Ophis would ask for that."
Merlin said this with no visible surprise.
Ophis didn't care and handed Merlin a bucket full of red liquid and a stone slab from the King's Treasure.
"The magic circle must cover the entire Uruk. I will handle the temple at the center of the circle, and Merlin will take care of the rest."
"Oh?"
Merlin took the items and quickly examined the magic circle blueprint, then chuckled.
"Is that so? It seems King Ophis has made some plans for the future. As a familiar, I can only assist."
"I'll leave it to you."
"Well, that's no problem."
Merlin raised the bucket as he spoke.
"This should be the blood of the Fantasy Species, but it seems a bit unusual. Is there anything strange mixed in?"
"It's just a few drops of 'snake blood' mixed in, to help with the operation when the time comes."
"Snake blood? Never mind. Since it won't affect the magic circle's depiction, it's of no concern to me."
Merlin held the slate under his arm, waved his hand, and left without looking back.
As Ophis watched Merlin leave, she glanced at the streets of Uruk.
She noticed many messengers running towards the temple.
The corners of Ophis's mouth twitched slightly.
After careful calculation, she realized she had been working non-stop for more than ten days.
Though she wasn't physically tired, the continuous high pressure was mentally exhausting.
[In fact, taking a break now and then is fine. There's no need to work non-stop.]
"No, it's okay."
Finally, Ophis shook her head.
[Even for you, being too tired can lead to errors in judgment.]
"I'll keep an eye on that."
With this, Ophis walked back into the temple, awaiting the next task.
For her, rest wasn't a necessity. It might help mentally, but it wasn't essential.
[Well… although I have no right to question your actions, you lack experience. If you don't handle this well, you might fail at a critical moment. What was his name, Lao Ma?]
With no experience and too many tasks, the likelihood of errors was high, even for a dragon's calculation speed.
"...Okay, got it. After I finish the tasks at hand, I will shift my attention."
Ophis was not one to act on her own whims, so after consideration, she decided to compromise.
...The main reason was actually that Ophis felt a strong sense of malice from the term "old horse."
No matter what, as a human... or a dragon, it's better not to be too reckless.
[Divert your attention... rather than resting? Never mind, it will have some effect... As for those servants, you should also rely on their power. Although some may have peculiar ways of thinking, their abilities as heroes in human history are unquestionable.]
"Yeah, I understand."
After responding once again, Ophis disappeared into the temple.