I broke up with Merlin [Comprehensive]

When the magician came again, he was surprised to find that his salary, which had been improved, was actually reduced back.

His Excellency the Duke didn't invite him to sit down, or even - didn't even speak to him.

Although this Your Excellency's apologetic smile is beautiful and sincere.

But the magician still needs to ponder seriously, and then, looking at the pen and paper in his hand and the line of words just written on the paper, ask a little question: "Your Excellency, what's wrong with you?"

【Extremely sorry, Your Excellency Merlin, because my voice... well, something went wrong, so I can only communicate with you in this way for the time being. 】

Cyril wrote it down and showed the words to the magician.

——Oh, Your Excellency the Duke seems to have a problem with his throat.

The reason given was very excusable, and the magician immediately said that it didn't matter, the duke could do whatever was right for him.

however.

Yes, there is a twist.

The magician conjured up a chair very consciously, moved it to sit next to the Duke.

As soon as he sat down, a golden head popped out from beside the Duke.The owner of the head stared at a pair of swollen green eyes with fierce eyes.

Well, the truth is out.The magician who was stared at said in his heart.

The rebellious knight really didn't want to see him at all, his little face seemed to be filled with "stay away from my uncle!".

Sure enough, she is indeed the daughter who has inherited Morgan's expectations. She looks so similar to Artoria and Your Excellency the Duke, but her eyes don't look like them at all.

"Oh, it can't be helped."

The magician's slander ends here.He tolerantly ignored the sight of little Mordred, stared at the Duke who was compared to be more gentle and amiable, and took the initiative to chat with him as usual: "Your Excellency, is your health better?"

【Yes, thank you Merlin for your concern. 】

Cyril wrote it down sternly.

Presumably he had prepared for it a long time ago. He didn't put too many chairs in the garden, but only put a table where he could lean over and write.

The magician witnessed the whole process of his writing, so he could see clearly that the handwriting was slightly shaken because of the lack of strength of the Duke's hands.

But even so, the Duke insisted on writing it down neatly, stroke by stroke, without perfunctory.Even if it is the smallest detail, he has his own persistence that he is unwilling to give up.

"On the way here, I heard that you took in another group of refugees. People are grateful to you."

【...Those things are already managed by Glenn and Grandpa Andrew.Ah, it's my knight commander and steward.There's nothing I can do now that I can't afford to be grateful. 】

"Hey, why do you think so?"

The topic brought up by the magician seemed to hit the point again.

The duke's mood has not yet risen, but there is a tendency to decline.Combined with the previous observation, the magician has already discovered that the Duke did not show it to the outside world, but it exists deep in his heart.

He was discouraged by his own sickness.

Originally at an age with great ambitions and the most glorious, but he has to rest like an old man, unable to bear the slightest effort... For a young man in such a situation, he is discouraged or lost, or feels ashamed. is very normal.

The magician felt that he could comfort him.

This is not hypocrisy, some opinions do exist, he just said them just right, maybe it can have some effect.

So, when the Duke froze his wrist slightly and the pen nib was hesitating on the paper, not knowing what to write, the magician smiled and said:

"The hope you sowed with your own hands has already taken root and grown in this land. It is thanks to you, Duke. The flower of hope will bloom in the near future. For us, we just need to wait quietly."

——Just wait...is that all right?

Cyril was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the white-haired magician.

He didn't write down his feelings at this moment, but the doubt-like doubt had already appeared in his eyes, allowing the magician to see clearly.

"Yes."

said the magician.

Make preparations in the early stage, and occasionally promote it at critical moments, and the rest is a long but peaceful wait.

This is what the magician takes for granted and there is nothing wrong with it, because that's what he did himself.

It's almost enough to do what you should do, and the rest just needs to wait.Inexplicably, he hoped that the Duke could take this sentence into his heart.

However, their eyes met, but the magician did not see awakening from the Duke's eyes.

"..."

Cyril said a few words silently, only mouth shapes.

However, then he remembered it, picked up the pen again, wrote a sentence on the paper, and unfolded it for the magician to see.

[But I don't want to just wait. 】

Cyril's determination and the faint smile on his lips made the magician slightly stunned.

He didn't answer for a while, and Cyril didn't start writing again.The scene where there was only one person speaking was completely silent, and the silence didn't know how long it would last.

On the other hand, Mordred, who was always vigilant about every move of Baihuahua, stared at him for a long time, and was so hypnotized that he couldn't help it, and yawned loudly.

"Uh-uh..."

Well done, yawning little girl.

As soon as this sleepy and lazy voice came out, the awkward silence between the two adults in front was broken.

Cyril touched Mordred's head, and suddenly found that her braids were loose, so she helped her braid her hair again.

Because the magician was on the side, he was embarrassed to tell his niece not to fight with others, and to sleep when she was sleepy, since her voice was fine.In the end, he had no choice but to hug the sleepy Mordred into his arms.

"The little girl is sleepy. I have a blanket here. Let's cover her up."

The magician spoke at the right time, and out of nowhere, he conjured a blanket.The blanket was huge, and while covering Mordred, it could also cover the Duke's entire body from the chest down.

"Not sleepy!"

As soon as the words fell, Mordred kept his eyes wide open, vehemently refusing to sleep, and also refusing the magician's blanket.

However, it may be that my uncle’s embrace is too warm, and the magician’s voice is too hypnotizing—no, it’s mainly because I’m too tired from fluttering butterflies in the flowers in the early morning! ——The second after Mordred finished protesting, her eyelids drooped uselessly again, and she was drowsy.

Cyril touched her again, as if smoothing her hair.

This time, he finally had no strength left to resist, and Mordred closed his eyes completely in the second second: "Hoo hoo hoo hoo..."

The magician just said, "It's so cute..."

"Uncle...don't...don't talk to that annoying white flower!!! Huhu~huhu......"

magician:"……"

He couldn't boast anymore, he was a little embarrassed.

Cyril helped him out of this little predicament.

Perhaps he simply wanted to change the subject, but in short, he wrote: [Your Excellency Merlin, have you been to many places? 】

The magician said: "Well, when I was traveling with Artoria and the others, I have been to many places... I have set foot in most of the land of this country."

[That's great, I also want to witness the vast world, but I never had the chance. 】

"Is that so..."

[If possible, can you share your journey story with me? 】

Cyril made the request.

Maybe after writing it, he thought it was a bit rash to say so, so he added a sentence later: [I personally like to read travel notes, and I am very interested in other people's novel experiences, so I was curious for a while, I am really sorry. 】

"Ah, you don't have to be so polite. It's my honor to tell you about those past events." The magician said quickly.

Magicians are really busy.

Also, he's really good at telling stories.

He told Cyril about the experiences of traveling abroad in those years, and the protagonist was Arturia in her teenage years, who would definitely be of interest to His Excellency the Duke.

No matter how boring the content is, it will become exciting and interesting after the clever processing of the magician.What's more, the girl king's journey of experience is not ordinary at all. She travels with her brother-in-law and the teacher, and she will encounter emergencies soon.

As big as slaughtering monsters along the way, as small as catching thieves bravely when seeing injustice on the road, Artoria and her team ran into everything.

The magician not only made the ups and downs of the process more attractive, but also told it so interestingly that Cyril listened attentively. Sometimes he smiled because the trio was unreliable and kept losing the chain, and sometimes he was surprised by the story. Arturia in the movie frowned in crisis.

Cyril himself didn't realize that he would listen so intently that the passage of time could not be noticed at all.

Instead, it was Mordred... She was about to wake up in the middle, but because the voice of the magician was a hypnotic sound to her, she fell asleep even more as she urged on.

"...Just like that, Arturia helped the woman up, and the knight galloping on the street was stopped by Kai, but the knight treated them with disdain. Obviously, no reconciliation can be reached in this situation. , the attitude of the other party is also very bad..."

then.

Hmm...and then?

The magician suddenly stopped, and didn't say anything further.

Although Cyril knew that it was impossible for the protagonists in the story to have an accident, he was so concerned about the follow-up of this incident that he saw the magician paused for a while and did not continue to speak. He waited and waited, but he couldn't wait. Live: "Follow-up happened—uh."

He suddenly silenced, obviously suddenly remembered the key issue: he said earlier that he had a problem with his throat and it was difficult to speak, but now he accidentally opened his mouth.

At that moment, a sudden blush appeared on the face of His Excellency the Duke who had accidentally revealed his secrets. His complexion was like that of white porcelain that had not been cooled to high temperature after it was taken out of the kiln.

For the promise made with his niece, it is difficult for him to force himself to this point.

The magician smiled: "Haha."

Fortunately, he didn't comment on this point—no matter what the opinion is, as long as he mentions it, His Excellency the Duke who is already ashamed will feel even more ashamed—he just said: "It's almost time, I remember, you can't brag too much outside. long wind."

The wind is actually an excuse, the focus is energy.

After listening with all his attention for so long, Cyril didn't have much energy and wasted too much. As soon as he stopped at this moment, countless feelings of exhaustion flooded in like a tide, trying to overwhelm him.

"Although I'm sorry, let me continue to talk about it when I come next time." The magician said.

Cyril gave him a deep look.

"Okay." Cyril's voice was soft and soft, no longer trying to hide it.

"You are welcome anytime."

After a while.

"Hmm... Huh? Huh! Uncle!"

Mordred woke up.

She looked left and right, but she didn't see Bai Huahua's figure, and she just felt satisfied in her heart.

The tip of his nose moved suddenly.

Mordred smelled something different from the flowers in the garden from his uncle—mainly his shoulders—it was so unexpected.

A few pink and tender petals fell on my uncle's shoulders, dangling there, but they didn't fall down.

Mordred: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Blow, blow, she blows hard.

The petals that barely stabilized were attacked by strong air currents, and suddenly they could no longer maintain their balance, and they floated up pitifully, curled up, and they didn't know where they went in the blink of an eye.

This made Mordred feel better.

Cyril: "Okay, darling, Mordred, we're entering the house."

Mordred: "Go back!"

The little girl jumped down first, hopped into the grass, and then circled behind her uncle, raising her hands high to push his chair.

Cyril's reclining chair has been modified, and it is actually more like a wheelchair. With a slight push from the back, the wheels will turn and move forward lightly.

Although Mordred is small, the task of pushing uncle back to the house can still be successfully completed.The figures, one big and one small, gradually left the garden, and were lightly covered by the shadows of trees in the distance, until they could not be seen clearly.

"This is one of the human feelings."

The magician hasn't really left yet.

He watched the pair of uncles and nephews go away in the dark, and then watched the female magician who was also hiding in the dark watching the two from afar.

Morgan watched them, his expression hidden under the veil, and his eyes seemed inexplicably empty.

They are obviously close "siblings", and they miss her dearly, but they don't want to show up in the past.The most frightening thing is that she obviously found him too, but she didn't give him a single thought.

It was so strange, so contradictory, and it really puzzled him.

There was a little interest in his heart that he wanted to know.

It's not about letting yourself own it, it's just "understanding a little bit deeper".

*****

January, two months... one year, and then span to two years.

Perhaps no one expected that the magician would visit many times and brought countless interesting stories to the duke who was unable to go out due to his long illness.

Their relationship at the beginning was not very good, and their relationship was completely piled up by telling stories time after time.

Cyril seemed to have a gentle personality, but the magician felt from the very beginning that the Duke was quite alienated from him.It took him a lot of effort just to clear up the estrangement, let alone close the relationship.

Fortunately, when Cyril was less resistant to him, their friendship developed rapidly.

Although the performance was not very enthusiastic, but a little flat, but they did get along like friends.Calmness is the mode of getting along that suits the two of them.

Most of the time when the magician came to visit was fixed, only in places that Cyril didn't know, avoiding the time when Morgan would quietly come back to visit his brother.

When he came, he brought flowers or other small presents, and when he arrived the Duke was either waiting for him in the house, or had already sat down in the garden.

The first opportunity that brought them together was the adventures of the young Arthur King told by the magician, but later, it was not limited to these.

The magician will say other things that have nothing to do with the maiden king.

He said that the distant place that can only be reached by crossing many mountains, described another country across the sea in words.He also talked about the fairyland that should exist in people's imagination, where it is like spring all the year round and flowers are in full bloom.

"I'm already full of longing for your description." Cyril said with emotion: "It feels like I have been to that fairyland before."

Yes, you have been.

The magician answered in his heart.

Cyril would talk about the nephews he had left during the interval between the magician's narration, and he would also discuss with him the education of the children—yes, it was the youngest niece Mordred.

Mordred is one of the few people in the Ducal Palace who (for now) relentlessly dislikes magicians.

She doesn't like the magician, and firmly believes that the magician is here to rob her of her uncle, and as soon as she sees Bai Huahua, she will rush to fight against him.

Cyril was quite distressed at the beginning, but I don't know what the magician did. Mordred would always be fooled by him with a relaxed and nice voice, and he would fight back when the little girl found out that something was wrong. The magician had already been with Cyril After the chat, Shi Shi ran away.

Cyril: "You—— are worthy of being His Majesty's teacher."

Magician (laughing): "No, the biggest trick is to treat each other with sincerity when communicating."

Slowly, the topic has been increasing.

Cyril gradually mentioned things related to himself to the magician.

He loves to read, and occasionally makes sweets for those close to him. Once—it should be a long, long time ago, and because his nephews all yearned to become knights, he also quietly had the idea of ​​practicing swords and being a chivalrous outsider.

"Maybe there is also the influence of the first travel book I read. If I remember correctly, it is Sir Gray's Adventures."

Cyril recalled: "Probably speaking, in order to protect love, Sir Gray wanted to fight a duel with his rival in love. When life and death were at stake, he accidentally strayed into the legendary fairyland and got..."

"—The sword given by the elves?"

"Huh." Cyril was surprised: "Have you read that travelogue too?"

The magician didn't read it, he heard it from the human child, that is, the blond young man in front of him at this moment.But of course the truth cannot be told directly.

Actually a little surprised.

He was a little surprised. A weak person like the Duke... No, it should be said that he is very gentle from the inside out. It turns out that he once had such a passionate idea of ​​becoming a knight and saving the world with a sword.

It feels slightly different, so I was surprised.

However, when the magician changed his mind and remembered what happened a long time ago, he suddenly realized that his evaluation of the Duke was too simple and superficial.

"Gentle" is a beautiful adjective.

But just this one word is not enough to fully summarize Cyril.

The events that made him realize this happened when he was a teenager, about 14 or 15 years old.

At that time, the magician would see him in the sea of ​​flowers in Avalon, and would observe him quietly in reality.

One day, the boy in reality during the day suddenly lost his mind, fell asleep in a hurry, came to his dream, and saw Mr. Elf who still appeared in his eyes.

The magician took him into his arms and made him cry after a long period of stupefaction.

"I understand, Cyril. Your confusion, your confusion, your struggle..."

On this day, the boy overheard the conversation of the servant at home.

Lord Cyril's age does not match the time of the Duke and Duchess' death at all.It turned out that everyone was privately speculating that Mr. Cyril, who appeared only a few years after his wife's death, was someone else's child that Mr. Morgan had found from nowhere, but he was similar in appearance to his wife.

What they said was the truth, and they could be found out with just a search, but the teenager had never thought about it before, and Morgan had never mentioned it.

The discovery of this suspected truth made the young man feel uneasy, but he didn't know whether he should seek proof.

"If I'm not a child left behind by my mother... then, who am I? What's the point of my presence here? Me, I..."

The uneasiness and pain in his heart have been glimpsed by the magician who has been watching him.

Perhaps it was a spur of the moment, and the magician told him, no, you are indeed the child of those two respectable people, and you have their blood, but——

"You are not human. You are an artificial human created by Morgan combined with the blood of your parents."

At that time, the magician may have known that his revelation was cruel, but he said so anyway.

The young man's staring gaze, gradually covered by the white mist of emerald green eyes, turned into an extremely sad scene.

He is so fragile, like a flower about to fall that has been beaten by wind and rain, so pitiful.

The nightmare who is also not human was touched by this seemingly fragile beauty, so he gave a choice pitifully: "Pure soul, you can stay, stay here."

"Whether it's grievances or responsibilities, it has nothing to do with you. The innocent you were forcibly brought into this story made by human beings, which is an abrupt existence."

If you choose to stay in the fairyland isolated from the world, it should be the best ending for this pure soul.

Whether it's for the sake of a good ending, or for the little pity in his heart, the magician hopes that the boy chooses to stay.

But hope is not "hope".

The magician said: "Stay here, and your independently born soul can leave your crippled body and do whatever you want in the wonderland."

The boy said: "No matter how beautiful the fairyland is, there are no people I love."

The magician said: "You can't do anything to the people you love and love you. Their ending has already been set, and it is almost impossible to change."

Tears still remained in the corners of the boy's eyes, he was silent, and in the end, a light that did not want to be extinguished was brewed in the silence.

"When my sister gave birth to me, she had expectations in her heart for me, right?"

"……Yes."

"Then." The young man said, "I hope that my existence can at least make the ending you mentioned better than the original one. As long as it can be better, a little bit is enough, and this is what I can help prove."

"Even if your own ending won't be happy, doesn't it matter?"

The boy didn't answer, but the magician already knew the answer.

The next thing has already been said before, he erased the boy's memory of the dream, and then waited and watched silently.

Time flies back to the present many years later.

The sun is warm, the shadows of the trees falling in front of the feet are mottled, the wind blows, and the rustling sound of mother-in-law sounds in the ears.

Among the thick branches, a small leisure world was suspended with ropes. Cyril had someone make a swing here yesterday.

It was meant for Mordred, but she didn't like it much.As a result, today, while talking with the visitor who came to visit again, he used the slightly wider swing as a resting seat, and sat here side by side.

The magician was still wandering in the sky involuntarily one moment ago, but the next moment, because of the sudden extra weight on his shoulders, he returned to his senses, turned his head slightly, and cast his eyes on the shoulders.

Can't turn too much, because the few strands of his hair that stick out are held down.

The young man beside him fell asleep unknowingly.

His blond hair was like the warm light condensed by the sun, and it was close to the magician's own white hair.There is a faintly soft touch between the shoulders and neck, as if directly touching the heart of a person who is still awake.

"..."

No matter how wonderful the eloquence is, it is impossible to describe the inexplicable turmoil in the magician's heart at this moment.

He didn't know why he had the desire to raise his hand and take the young man who had become thin as if he had only a dry bone in his arms.

Is it sympathy?

Is it pity?

No matter what kind of emotion, for a bystander who seems gentle but indifferent, it is an emotion that should not appear.

and……

The last time they met in a dream, when they watched the boy disappear into the sea of ​​flowers, the magician should have understood:

He is doomed to lose the boy he met in his dream.

And now, it seems that the moment has come when you can see without clairvoyance.

Soon after.

Him, and this unfriendly world...

——They will lose him.