I broke up with Merlin [Comprehensive]

Very strange, Cyril felt that he had been here.

Standing in the endless sea of ​​flowers, he looked so small.

The arms hang down, and the fingertips can touch the flowers swaying in the wind around you. When you look up, you can see the clear sky without any shade in your eyes.

His fingers touched a little dew that remained between the petals, and the beautiful young man, who was thinly clothed but not overwhelmed by the surrounding scenery, raised his hands, and the gentle breeze blew on him, passed between his fingers, and caressed his hands. His soft face.

"Is this the Avalon you mentioned before?"

Cyril was curious about everything in Wonderland.

No longer looking up at the dazzling blue sky, he looked around, as if he wanted to find the goblins and fairies living in the fairyland mentioned by the magician.

This performance, just like the words he said calmly just now—the sentence that the magician is always looking down on him—is just a shallow wind blowing past, and after it disappears, it is equivalent to non-existence, so there is no need to care about it .

But the magician did hear it.

Not only did he fail to pretend that he didn't hear, but at the moment before that, he showed a somewhat surprised expression on his face.

The blond-haired young man looked over while speaking, which also made his heart, which he thought was calm, move inexplicably, and the emotion that surfaced was a slight panic.

"...Ah, yes, this is Avalon, only reincarnated souls can pass through, the ideal land where elves live."

But the magician answered inexplicably.

"Sure enough." Cyril breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again: "It's really amazing, the fairyland is exactly the same as I imagined."

"This is actually my dream, isn't it, Merlin?" he asked.

"Hmm... that's it."

In fact, it was the nightmare that brought his consciousness to Avalon, but it was not much different from the dream.

"That's great." Cyril smiled, as if he had really forgotten what he said not long ago: "I didn't expect that there would be such a rare opportunity in the end."

"Suddenly, I really want to take a look at that lake, ah, it is the one you mentioned, the lake guarded by the fairies in the deep forest. If I have enough time, I also want to see other places with my own eyes. ah."

"Your Excellency Merlin, if it's possible—can you tell me which direction those places are in?"

"..."

Magician: "...huh?"

I'm, I'm sorry, but the magician was stunned by a plot that didn't go according to his expectations.

His Excellency the Duke, who thought he had come to a fairyland in his dream, was different from what he had imagined.

What is the difference?Not just the responses given.

It seems easier.

The brows of the blond-haired youth stretched out, and his figure looked much lighter.

It seems more energetic.

Pale sickness will not be reflected in a soul that is still thin.

His tone of voice was heavier than the magician's impression, and several eye-catching lights flew between his brows, and then embellished into the emerald eyes.

In one go, he mentioned several places he wanted to visit, and the blond young man was particularly excited.He seemed to have noticed the change in himself, moved his hands and feet, and looked around as if he was about to start an adventure, and he couldn't ignore the eagerness in his eyes.

"you……"

The magician uttered only one word.

He finally deeply felt that what happened to Cyril was a major change called "vitality".

In reality, the magician came to the Duke's side many times, and watched his figure in the dark more times, but he never saw such a vivid expression on his face.

From childhood to adulthood, Cyril was sickly and soft, like a small green pool of calm and unwavering.

It's no surprise that the word "lively" comes up with Gareth, Mordred and others.

Only at this time, when the magician discovered that the energy and spirit shown by the young man who was about to come to an end was actually labeled as active.

His heart was inevitably shaken, but more, he was puzzled.

"You... do you want to see it?"

"um, yes."

"Avalon is too big, it is divided into several small islands, the place where it is now is the center, if you want to go elsewhere..."

"It's okay, just point me in a direction, it's okay if you can't find it, I just want to casually..."

"No, I mean—"

The magician opened his mouth slowly while muttering to himself.He still couldn't figure out why, and had to admit that the development in front of him was beyond his control.

So the last thing that came out of my mouth was, "How would you like me to be your guide?"

"..."

Suddenly the surroundings became quiet.

After the magician finished speaking, for a long while, Cyril just stared at him, unable to tell whether it was calm or indifferent.

But before the magician tried to figure out his intentions, Cyril nodded: "If it doesn't bother you."

What happened next... was quite miraculous for both Cyril and the magician.

They didn't touch on superfluous topics, as if they were really taking a leisurely tour here.

A magician is a very good guide.

He knows every part of this fairyland like the back of his hand, and he has obviously been here countless times, and he is already a permanent resident.

Where the goblins like to play around most, he knows.He knew how to get to the lake guarded by the fairies in the lake.In addition to these, he also knows where the most beautiful place in Avalon is, and where it is worth visiting, what he saw in his eyes, and what anecdotes can make people laugh.

Cyril watched around with confidence under the guidance of the magician.

In the beginning, the magician was still in the lead, but soon, Cyril walked for a long time without feeling tired at all.Later, the two of them, whose backs were all white, walked side by side unknowingly.

The magician was absolutely right.In Avalon, a fairyland isolated from the world, only pure elves can stay for a long time.The goblins and fairies were born here and have lived together for hundreds of thousands of years, which is familiar to everyone.

Therefore, the sudden appearance of a strange soul that is not familiar at all, and the key is that it still has a human breath, seems very abrupt.

"Wow - that's scary -"

As soon as he arrived at the gathering place where the goblins played, Cyril scared away all the screaming elves without saying a word.

Cyril didn't even see what the goblin looked like, and the petals splashed from the flowers were flying all over the sky before his eyes.

His arrival seemed to bring a rain of flowers with charming eyes.The gorgeous petals fell one after another, many spread on the young man's blond hair, and lingeringly brushed past his slightly surprised face.

"...I, am I really scary?"

I didn't expect the effect to be so amazing, he was stunned, he asked the magician so blankly.

Magician: "Puff—cough, how come, there is no more friendly existence than you."

The problem is with the goblins.They haven't seen a stranger for hundreds of years, and when they bump into one, they naturally run away timidly.

"It's also my fault. I should say hello in advance and say hello to them." Cyril held his chin, thinking deeply.

"Then they may run faster... No, nothing." The magician glanced at the piles of fruits that fell among the flowers, all dropped by the fleeing goblins.Shaking his head, he suggested: "After the little guys run away, they won't come back for a while, why don't we go to another place to see?"

Cyril was a little regretful, but still responded: "Okay."

They turned to the next location. On the way, the magician, perhaps in order to make up for Cyril's regrets, described to him the appearance of a goblin, as well as other habits including timidity, which made Cyril constantly amazed.

The originally very long journey has become less long because of the narration that the magician took the initiative to join in.

The time of walking was completely covered by the pleasant and anecdotal stories from his mouth.

It is somewhat similar to the magician who came to Cyril's castle and told stories to the owner of the castle in these years, but there are also many differences.

The difference is one in location and one in form.

The place where the story is told is no longer the garden that seems to have remained unchanged for years, they have come to a wider world.

The biggest difference lies in the Duke.

He can no longer just sit and listen quietly, but while listening, he also takes steps at will, and can go to the place mentioned in the magician's words in person.

Once upon a time, "story" to him was a distant place that he didn't know where it was located or when he could reach it.

The lake that Cyril wanted to see the most was located in the deepest part of the forest.

However, that forest grows in the swamp, and they need to take a small canoe docked on the shore and paddle into the forest by themselves.

The shore was almost here, and a corner of the wooden boat appeared in the field of vision.

But before they approached, the wooden boat was not fastened, and the wind swept forward from behind, pushing the swaying boat backwards, and it seemed that it was about to enter the depths of the swamp.

"shit!"

When Cyril saw it, he couldn't help but exclaimed.

Of course the magician also saw it, but unlike Cyril's nervousness, he was not worried.

Just about to say, it doesn't matter, he can use magic to make the boat float back again.After a brief hesitation, the young man beside him actually made up his mind and stepped forward quickly.

"Crack-crack!"

After the violent shaking of the boat, there was the sound of water splashing in all directions.

Before the canoe retreated too far, Cyril ran to the shore as fast as he could and stepped aboard.

At the beginning, because he couldn't stand firmly, he swayed with the boat and almost fell down, but fortunately, he inserted the oars of the boat into the mud at the bottom of the swamp in time, and managed to support his body.

"...Phew, that's great."

Cyril heaved a sigh of relief thankfully, a drop of sweat slid from the corner of his forehead, but the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.

He slid the boat back a little further back to the shore at this time, and after a short time, he was sweating again from exhaustion, and his face was steaming.

But Cyril himself didn't seem to notice anything, he only calmed down a little, and stretched out a hand with a smile: "Come on, Your Excellency Merlin."

On the swaying boat, the smiling blond young man stretched out his hand to him. This was the most sincere and warm invitation.

The magician did not respond in time.

The reason was that his mind was inexplicably shocked again.

In this place, the Duke, who was no longer tormented by illness, bloomed the most dazzling brilliance he had never seen before.

It turned out that this is what he looked like when he was healthy—the magician was still thinking about it, and he was held by the young man who couldn't wait, and pulled him onto the small canoe.

"I am so sorry."

Cyril himself said: "Am I too excited? Well, this... because, this is actually the first time I have seen a real swamp forest, and the first time I have rowed a boat by myself..."

The magician was sitting on the small canoe, and he didn't know whether he was stupid or in a daze, but he actually let Cyril row the canoe by himself.

After a while, he asked a rather silly question: "How does it feel?"

"What does it feel like?" Cyril couldn't understand at first, but he came to his senses as soon as he finished speaking.

Looking at the magician, the smile on his lips widened, his eyes sparkled, and he nodded heavily: "To be honest, it feels very good! Hahaha, just kidding."

The rickety boat passed through the forest like a gray curtain, and it didn't seem long before it landed smoothly on the edge of the most central independent island.

The two got off the boat, walked forward for a short while, bypassed the barrier of bushes, and saw the quiet and beautiful lake hidden in the depths.

The water of the lake is as clear as a mirror, and it seems that the water of the galaxy in the sky has been poured here.The petals floating from unknown places lightly fell on the surface of the lake, and only then did layers of ripples spread out.

It's a pity that Cyril only saw the lake, but didn't see the fairy in the lake.

In this regard, the magician can only express regret. Although the fairy is not timid, she is quite easily shy.They didn't want to show up, so even if he came to shout, he couldn't shout.

Cyril: "Really... Well, it would be nice to come here and have a look."

He was in a good mood and not depressed at all.

The magician wanted to ask him if he wanted to go to other places to have a look.But before he could speak, Cyril sat down by the lake without any fuss.

After walking for so long, he finally felt tired, so he just rested by the beautiful lake.

The magician sat down beside him.

The eyes of the two did not meet, but they both looked forward, landing on the blue waves reflecting the shadows of the surrounding trees.

All sounds are silent.

Even the sound of the wind was blocked by the barrier-like tall trees, unable to leak in.

After going through this side-by-side play in an unbelievably good atmosphere, now the magician finally has free time to go back and continue thinking.

He should have come to persuade His Excellency the Duke to stay in Avalon.

If it stays, the artificial human soul can also become the companion of goblins and elves, living in a carefree paradise from now on, and avoiding the worst ending of tragic death.

So, what went wrong?

He couldn't explain the situation clearly at first, or because of a momentary mistake, he was fascinated by the different smile of the blond young man...

"Your Excellency Merlin."

"..."

"Sir, is there anything you want to ask me?"

"...Huh? Oh, indeed..."

The magician's reaction was half a beat slower, but Cyril still smiled.

"In the past, I always didn't understand that you are obviously by my side, with a kind expression and kind behavior, but why..."

The magician was puzzled: "Why?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man who had closed his eyes in the silence turned his head and looked at him again.In the eyes that are close at hand, there is an icy clarity.

"Your eyes can't let me find warmth."

Cyril said.

"now I understand."

"It turns out that you cast your gaze from such a distant place... Although I don't know the deeper reason, I discovered it just because of this."

"It turns out that you have always been a bystander." Cyril's tone changed after the magician returned to his strangely calm gaze after being stunned.

Perhaps, he had endured these thoughts for a long time before finally expressing them uncontrollably at this moment: "You are watching the joys and tragedies in the world, but you have never set foot in them. You seem to be waiting for something, and you have nothing to do with it. Things remain indifferent. But, at the end when the ending cannot be changed, why did you reach out to me from a high place?"

"..."

The magician tasted it for a while before he said, "Your Excellency, do you have any complaints against me?"

The meaning of these words seems to be that the Duke is dissatisfied that he did not lend a helping hand until the end... No, this is not a helping hand either.

The magician thought so, but he was wrong.

"No, please believe me, I never think of it. I don't have a grudge against anyone, and if I have a grudge, it's only against myself."

"I just want to remind you that it's easy to ignore your own heart like this."

Before the magician could break free from the image of the Duke on the boat reaching out to him not long ago, and before he could understand the meaning of the phrase "one's own heart", Cyril stood up.

He couldn't stop him, he could only watch the young man's clothes brush against his shoulder.

Not only the tone of voice, but also the expression on the face of the blond young man who looked weak and docile.

The flames that were about to go out but were still unwilling to dance burned in his eyes.

"...you still want to go back."

The magician said in a low voice, "Maybe it's because I'm not a human being, so I can't understand human emotions, and—pursuit. I can't understand why you have to make this choice."

"It's useless to go back. Your time may only be a few insignificant seconds. Even so, you still..."

—You might as well stay here.

——Here, you can get real relief.Yes, as it is now, you can be happy and not be tortured by any pain, including death.

Can't understand, really can't understand.

As the magician talked to himself, he didn't know whether he was talking about the fire that burned in the eyes of the emaciated young man, or whether he himself was illuminated by the fire and felt the burning pain in his heart inexplicably.

I don't understand.

And the blond youth who got up and faced the calm lake was still making a statement.

His face was filled with passion, the indignation that had settled down over the years and would burst out one day. What was burning was not fire, but a stubborn soul imprisoned by the body.

He put his palm on his chest, feeling the unstoppable heartbeat:

"Not being able to run as fast as I can, not singing loudly, not having violent emotional ups and downs, not being able to use my own legs to go to distant places. Only listening, only seeing, only touching the nearest things that are right next to me, this That is my destiny."

"I'm not a human being, and I was born with seemingly endless restrictions. I want to break through these barriers, but my strength is negligible. But! Why! My heart is screaming again, and I can't stop."

"What can I do? I don't even have the qualifications to hate, and I don't have the energy to hate or complain. So, I figured it out. I just want to use my little power to do as much as possible." even if it's about to go out—"

All sounds are silent.

But the lake's surface swayed with frightened and broken ripples.

"I made you laugh again, Your Excellency."

Cyril's voice became flat again.

"At least, I, who is so small and incompetent, still have one thing I can do."

He is retorting.

He refused to admit that "nothing has changed" as the magician said.

Before returning to a world that would only bring him pain and despair, this blond youth who was not human, but more human than human, brushed past the magician.

"Anyway...thank you very much, Your Excellency Merlin."

"This is the most beautiful dream I've ever had."

After all, the soul that should have come to the fairyland goes to the world, and it will definitely not be able to return.

The magician stared at his back, but did not say that the only place they had decided to visit before was the tall tower in the center of Huahai that could see the end of the paradise.

It seemed that a trace of regret flashed through my heart, but it flickered so fast that I couldn't catch it.

The magician didn't realize that at this very moment, a wonderful emotion grew in his heart.

but.

Sooner or later he will find out.

……

The woman who knelt by the bed and repented, suddenly waited for the last vitality to emerge from the exhausted body of the person she loved the most.

"Cyril... I was wrong. As long as I can save you, even if I ask Arthur and Merlin for help, I will... hold on, hold on! I'm going to—"

She was about to leave, but before she got up, her hand...

He was gently pulled by another pale and thin hand.

The young man lying on the bed failed to open his eyes, but he put the remaining strength into his hands.

Morgan didn't dare to move immediately.

Her heart was filled with small joys and great sorrows, and she couldn't cry at this time.

But her favorite brother raised his hand gropingly, and his cold fingers touched the woman's tearful cheek.

The last thing Cyril Cornwall did in her life was to wipe the tears from her sister's eyes, as gently as she had done as a child.

as well as……

His dry lips seemed to squirm a few times, and at the same time, a very faint spot of light escaped from Morgan's chest and sank into his body on the bed.

Morgan, who was immersed in endless grief, did not notice this detail.

From now on, no matter how many thousands of years or hundreds of years have passed, whether in this world or in the future, the curse formed by people's fear, resentment, and disgust towards the witch Morgan will not fall on Morgan himself.

Cyril got the method of transferring the curse from a magician he recruited, and only he and the magician knew about it.

After her death, her sister will definitely go crazy and do irreversible things.

If he was still alive, those bad things would not have happened.But he couldn't wait for that moment, all he could do was bear the price for the person he loved the most.

His soul is doomed to be unable to escape.And making this choice, he will not regret it.

"uncle……?"

On the other side of the bed, the little girl standing blankly called out to him for the first time.

Mordred still didn't understand death.

But she subconsciously realized that what happened at this moment would not be a good thing.

"Uncle? Uncle, uncle! Uncle!!!"

She rushed forward.

Just right, it was this moment.

The emaciated right hand that barely wiped Morgan's tears fell down like a fallen leaf blown by the wind outside the window.

The sudden strong wind seemed to overturn the whole world.

It roared and rushed into the study room with no windows closed, rolled up the blank letter papers stacked on the table that had long been stained with dust, and then broke through the window, flying into the gloomy sky, as if to deliver them to an unreachable place distance--

……

……

"His Excellency Cyril's letter this month, when will it be delivered?"

Arturia was looking forward to it, and started to write the beginning of the letter she was going to send.

[Your Excellency Cyril, it’s like seeing a letter. 】

[Thanks to you, the war against foreign enemies has been smoother than expected. We only paid the smallest sacrifice. The peace we want to see is coming soon. 】

[Because the fighting on the front line has slowed down, I granted Gao Wenqing and others a few days of vacation. Counting the days, they should be able to get home the day after you receive this letter.This is the surprise I prepared, you will be surprised. 】

At last.

[Wish you good health and happiness.My most trusted friend, my most beloved relative. 】