I, Kenneth, am going to get to the root of the problem today.

Page 86

The wall clock ticked, and Kenneth kept refilling his teacup until dawn. Only then did Weber, whose lips were almost worn out from talking, stop narrating. Like a prisoner awaiting trial, Weber held his breath, waiting for Kenneth's verdict.

The empty teacup clinked against the table. Webber, tense all over, nervously tapped his feet. Even with his head down, Webber could still feel Kenneth's gaze on him. His breathing became heavier and heavier, and cold sweat began to seep from Webber's clasped hands.

"A very good journey. Now, I ask you, Weber Velvet, do you still hold onto that ridiculous idea that defies the theory of bloodline?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Webber clenched his fists, hesitated for a long time, then abruptly raised his head, looking into Kenneth's crimson eyes. His voice was firm and resolute as he said:

“Kenneth, I have always believed that we can make up for the difference in bloodline by optimizing and improving our skills. Even if I can’t do it, there will always be mediocre people who are better than me who can do it!”

With his eyes closed, Webber was prepared to be scolded by Kenneth, like a prisoner waiting to die. But the expected scolding didn't happen. Instead, Kenneth's agreement made Webber's eyes widen instantly.

"It's commendable that you still have self-awareness. Since you have an idea, then go ahead and do it."

A year ago, Kenneth might have been wary of the Clock Tower's unspoken rules, but now, he, Kenneth, was the Clock Tower's rule. Since Webber was going to be reckless, Kenneth could handle it. However, Kenneth's next words made Webber jump up from the sofa in a flash.

"Weber Velvet, would you like to join El-Melloi and become my official disciple?"

Webber's expression completely spiraled out of control. Shocked by Kenneth's words, Webber stared incredulously at the serious-looking Kenneth. The expected reprimands did not come; instead, Kenneth was going to formally accept him as a disciple. This huge contrast plunged Webber into deep self-doubt.

"Teacher, how is this possible? I'm just a magician of average talent, how could I..."

"Answer me whether you're willing or not. I didn't ask you about your talent!"

Kenneth's reprimand calmed Webber down. He took a deep breath, walked up to Kenneth, and bowed deeply.

“Disciple Weber Velvet greets Master.”

Chapter 220 Mordred: No problem, Father

With a simple apprenticeship ceremony, Kenneth formally accepted Waver as his disciple. Before Waver could even catch his breath, Kenneth's next arrangement made Waver's legs tremble: to take over the Modern Magic Department from El-Melloi and temporarily assume the position of monarch.

"Teacher, this is absolutely impossible! How could I, with my abilities, assume the position of monarch? I am merely an ordinary magician; the Clock Tower would never..."

"Your abilities are beyond question, and the people at the Clock Tower won't have any objections. It's settled then! I've already sent the appointment to the Political and Legal Affairs Department. From today onwards, you are Lord El-Melloi II!"

Without giving Waver a chance to refuse, Kenneth finalized Waver's arrangements. The Modern Magic Department and the Mineral Department were both subjects under El-Melloi's supervision. Given Kenneth's position in the Clock Tower, no one with a brain would dare to say anything. Moreover, this was just the beginning. Once Waver got the hang of things, Kenneth would also hand over the position of monarchical agent for the Mineral Department to Waver and ruthlessly exploit this tool.

The words he hadn't finished speaking stuck in his throat. Webber stood there blankly, his eyes vacant. Today's script had far exceeded Webber's expectations. Webber, who had brought his head to meet him, never imagined that he would become the monarch standing at the top of the clock tower. In a daze, under Kenneth's arrangement, Webber numbly followed the magician from the Mineral Department toward the Modern Magic Department.

Of all those present, the happiest about Kenneth's arrangement was Chris. As a maid who yearned for fighting at heart, Chris had long been fed up with this monotonous life, having been forced by Kenneth to handle the work of two subjects while in the position of a monarch. Seeing Chris practically screaming "I'm getting this for free!" on her face, Kenneth hesitated for a moment before deciding to let Chris be happy for a little longer.

As a homunculus meticulously created by Kenneth, Chris is a true all-rounder, excelling in secretarial work, magic, and combat—all at the pinnacle of humanity, reaching Servant level. As a key figure in Kenneth's plan, he absolutely cannot allow Marisbury to take control of Chaldea, and Chris is undoubtedly the best candidate.

Kenneth was quite at ease having Chris involved in Chaldea's construction and supervising Marisbury. With Chris's abilities, eliminating Marisbury at a crucial moment would be easy. As for Marisbury's opinions, Kenneth wouldn't even consider them. El-Melloi, as Chaldea's biggest financial backer, had no reason to refuse sending someone to supervise Marisbury; that's the power of the client.

"By the way, Chris, how are the people I asked you to find coming along?"

The candidate was naturally a magician with the ability to transfer spirit particles. In the original work, almost all the Masters of Chaldea were searched by Marisbury, and the plans of Team A were also closely related to Marisbury. It can be said that the composition of Chaldea from top to bottom was built by Marisbury.

Kenneth would naturally not allow this to happen. This time, he would get involved in everything from the construction of Chaldea to the staffing. Without arousing Marisbury's suspicion, Kenneth wanted to place his influence in every corner of Chaldea.

"We've found a few, and we're still observing them. Once they pass the review, I'll arrange for someone to take them over."

Just as Kenneth was asking Chris about what had happened during this time, El-Melloi, when Morgan released Black Saber, snapped his teeth through the porcelain plate while he was eating; with a crash, Little Morgan, who had sneaked back late at night in a car, crashed headfirst into the wall, and Black Saber, the culprit, after adjusting to his new body, also looked at Blue Saber with his ahoge standing on end.

"Tch! I didn't expect to see this guy again. Looks like my life won't be boring from now on. Is this your plan, Morgan?"

Ignoring Mordred's ostrich-like act, and sensing her contract with Morgan, Alter Alter fixed her golden eyes on Morgan, unable to discern anything useful from Morgan's face. Dressed in a revealing outfit, Alter Alter sat down opposite Artoria.

"What are you trying to do? Even if you look just like me, all these things are mine. If you want to eat them, go to the kitchen yourself."

Poor thing, after a year of corruption, Artoria had completely turned into a glutton. Her ancestral intuition kicked in, and Artoria clearly realized that the black-clad fellow in front of her had the same appetite as her.

Looking at Artoria who was guarding her food, Black Saber showed disdain. Only little girls would eat such sweet things that made them nauseous. The real King Arthur would not look down on such things.

“That’s you over there, yes, it’s you, Mordred.”

Upon being noticed by Alter, Mordred instantly stood up straight. Alter, dressed in a similar hot outfit, looked Mordred up and down before nodding.

"A very nice combination. You could say it's the second-best taste in the world, Mordred."

[He praised me! My father praised me... I've finally gained his approval...]

At this moment, Mo Zai felt that his ghostly life had been sublimated. The vigilance in his heart disappeared, and Mo Zai, who had been affirmed, only wanted to be the black father's dog... cough cough cough! subject.

"Lord Mordred, my excellent knight, I have a very important matter to entrust to you. Hunger is the greatest enemy, and I need to replenish my energy. Do you understand?"

"Leave it to me, Father!"

With a 'whoosh,' Mordred knelt on one knee in a knightly salute. Alter's acknowledgment made Mordred incredibly happy. Watching Mordred, so easily won over by Alter, Artoria choked on a piece of cake.

"Cough cough...cough cough cough!! How dare you, as king, order a knight around with such a trivial matter? Have you forgotten the code of conduct for a knight?!"

Just as Mordred was about to be carried away, Artoria regained the dignity she had shown when he devoured her. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly. Artoria, who still remembered some of her past principles, glared at Alter Alter. Seeing that Artoria hadn't even had time to wipe her mouth, Alter Alter's disdain became even more obvious.

"The code of knighthood? You, looking like this, have the right to speak of the code of knighthood! And Mordred, do you have any objections to my orders?"

“No, no, absolutely not. Father’s words are correct, and Mordred will certainly carry them out.”

As Alter's sharp words fell, Mordred immediately followed up by praising her father, who did not deny his own existence. With Alter and Mordred echoing each other, Artoria was speechless.

"Hmph! Ridiculous! Mordred, you should be very familiar with the surroundings, show me around Britain now!"

"Yes, Father!"

Mordred, now in Alter's form, quickly opened the door for Artoria, who was acting as her bodyguard. Watching the two leave one after the other, Artoria suddenly lost interest in the cake in her hand. Having observed Artoria's reactions from beginning to end, Morgan felt that life ahead would be quite interesting.

Chapter 221 The Scoundrel Meli

The news of Webber's appointment as the monarch of the modern magic department did not cause any ripples in the Clock Tower. Those who were interested only paid attention to this magician who had been the focus of Kenneth's attention for a year. Unlike Webber, who was busy dealing with the monsters and demons in the Clock Tower, Kenneth, as a hands-off manager, once again got entangled with Maris Billy.

Chaldea's location was chosen in the Fairy Realm, 80 kilometers below the surface of Albion, the Tomb of the Spirits. Adjacent to the Inner Sea of ​​the Stars, this place is as mysterious as Antarctica. Even if the surface of the world changes, Chaldea can sink into the inner world under Morgan's magic. It can be said that Chaldea is both a tool for Kenneth to complete his mission and a backup plan for him. As for Marisbury, he was merely a tool for building Chaldea.

As the client, Kenneth looked at Marisbury with an angry expression. The larger the project, the more funds were involved, especially for Chaldea, a project that could be called a project of the last century. With a little investigation, Kenneth found a group of magicians who were leeching off the construction of Chaldea. What was in front of Marisbury were just a few of the big fish. The amount was so huge that even Marisbury, who had seen a lot of the world, was slightly breathless.

"It was my oversight that was inadequate. I will arrange for Trisha to assist Miss Chris in establishing a review department."

With a sigh of relief, Marisbury relinquished his control over Chaldea under Kenneth's impeccable demands. There was no other way; as the biggest financial backer of Chaldea's construction, Marisbury had no reason to refuse given the current situation.

[He's a real old fox; he's incredibly cautious.]

If Chris is Kenneth's confidante, then Trisha is definitely Marisbury's confidante. As the holder of the future vision, Marisbury ostensibly sent Trisha to assist Chris, but the real reason is probably to have her monitor Chris.

"That's for the best. I've also made some progress on the near-future lens, and we can start verification construction now. These are the specific specifications, and the construction of the observation room can be put on the agenda."

Without showing any unusual wariness towards Marisbury, Kenneth placed the overall blueprints of the near-future observation lens on the table. Architecture should serve the equipment; Kenneth didn't understand engineering, but he could simply hand over these irrelevant details to Marisbury. Similarly, Kenneth wouldn't reveal everything he'd brought from Chaldea all at once; he would use these things little by little to lure Marisbury and create the greatest value.

When it came to Marisbury, Kenneth rubbed his head in exasperation. Chaldea was a huge organization, and if Kenneth wanted to replace Marisbury, he would have to start stuffing people into Chaldea from this stage. But that was the problem. There were too few capable and resourceful people who were also on Kenneth's side. Kenneth couldn't very well stuff Lydel into Chaldea, could he? That arrogant girl might be sold out by Marisbury and still be counting the money for him.

Morgan is a good candidate, but placing him in Chaldea at this stage would be a waste of his talents. While considering possible candidates, before Kenneth could even leave his study, Morgan, his face ashen, appeared before him amidst a flash of light.

"That guy got away; what I have with me is just a projection."

Not only did the scoundrel escape, but following the principle that a thief never leaves empty-handed, Meryl also stole almost all of her collection. After several attempts, she still couldn't catch him, which instantly made Morgan's otherwise good mood turn sour. If she hadn't been completely lost, Morgan would never have come looking for Kenneth.

"Your tracking spells have no clue either? It seems Lady Avalon has done a good job hiding this time!"

Kenneth's reaction was somewhat indifferent. After a moment's thought, Morgan, realizing something, gave Kenneth a charmingly disdainful look and said in an annoyed tone:

"You knew all along? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Did you just want to see me lose my composure?"

Once it was confirmed that Kenneth had known about Meryl's escape all along, Morgan's mood immediately calmed down. Kenneth's plans were always interconnected, and Morgan subconsciously assumed that Meryl's escape was also part of Kenneth's plan.

"I don't deny it. After all, it's rare to see you with that expression. How could I miss such a good opportunity?"

Seeing that Kenneth still looked confident of victory, Morgan relaxed immediately. He walked gracefully to the French windows and leaned lazily against the long table.

"So you already know where she's hiding?"

"I don't know. That Nightmare's methods are much more slippery than that Avalon Sword Saint's. I have absolutely no clue about it."

Although she said she didn't know, there was no trouble in Kenneth's eyes. As a witch who got along very well with Kenneth, Morgan only needed one look to understand Kenneth's meaning: there is a traitor, terminate the deal.

As Merlin's alternate dimension counterpart, Merlin naturally possesses everything Merlin knows, and in some ways, Merlin is far more troublesome than Merlin. Previously, Morgan was only able to capture her because she hadn't activated her clairvoyance and because of Merlin's cooperation. Having learned from that experience, Morgan knew that Merlin would be extremely vigilant, and the highest level of clairvoyance is very difficult to detect. The thought of possibly being spied on by that scoundrel for days sent chills down Morgan's spine.

Just as Morgan realized that Meryl was spying on him and felt disgusted, at the Kuonji Mansion, Meryl, who had become the tyrant among the fairies, was brazenly ogling these fairies born from fairy tales. When she saw the fairy crying and going to Kuonji Arisa to complain, Meryl, as the epitome of a despicable person, raised her hand and cast an illusion spell, making the fairy spin around in mid-air like a fly.

"Pfft! What a bunch of idiots! Hurry up, or Artoria will eat you up!"

In the illusion, a dragon with Artoria's head chases the group of fairies. The despicable Meli uses the fairy tales she has seen to torment the fairies every day with different tricks. Familiar footsteps are heard, and realizing that Kuonji Aratsu has woken up, Meli immediately withdraws the illusion and pretends to be harmless.

With dark circles under her eyes, Kuonji Arisu, who hadn't had a good night's sleep since Meryl took over, looked at the exhausted fairies in the hall with a flickering gaze. If it weren't for the fact that these fairies were in good health, Kuonji Arisu would have suspected that something was wrong with the mansion.

After confirming that the fairies were alright, she brewed a pot of tea, yawned, and sat quietly by the window. Looking at the scene outside, she drifted into a daze, and the fairy tale between her legs slipped down. As her breathing became even, the fairy tale witch fell into a dream.

"Hehe, the opportunity has come."

With her hands rubbing together and her face covered in grime, Merry flew to the window and began her usual dream-weaving plan. The dream weaving began, and the fairy tales were filtered. Under Merry's intervention, a perfectly good children's fairy tale was directly transformed into an adult 18+ version. As Kuonji Yuzu's face grew hotter and hotter, Kuonji Yuzu's legs couldn't help but rub together.

Poor thing, ever since that scoundrel Mary moved into the mansion, Kuonji Arisu hasn't had a single good night's sleep. With Mary's embellishments, the nonsensical fairy tales tormented Kuonji Arisu sometimes made it hard to distinguish between dreams and reality.

Less than half an hour later, Kuonji Yuzu, breathing heavily, suddenly opened her eyes. The violent movement overturned the small table. Without bothering to clean up the mess in front of the window, Kuonji Yuzu, continuing her dream from the previous night, ran erratically towards the bathroom.

The slightly cold water extinguished the body's heat. After a quick rinse, Kuonji Yuzu, whose cheeks were still flushed, tested the water temperature and soaked in the bathtub. Thinking of the man who had entered her life and then suddenly left, her dreams from the past few days flashed by like a slideshow. Overwhelmed by the heat, Kuonji Yuzu immediately submerged half of her face in the water and started blowing bubbles.

"Those little guys have been acting strangely lately. Should we have him come over and take a look?"

Having found a reason to convince herself, and with a strange sense of calm settling in, Kuonji Arisu stretched out her curled-up body. In the rising steam, the warmth of the hot water soothed her fatigue; having not rested well for days, Kuonji Arisu lay back and closed her eyes. Sensing the essence of a dream, Meryl, munching on a snack, rubbed her hands together and continued her old profession: the witch of fairy tales. Meryl could never get enough of it.

Chapter 222 Spiral Ascension

El-Melloi, Morgan's new hostage, sat imposingly on the sofa, his mouth stuffed full, with fast food wrappers piled up in front of him. Mordred, who was usually very tough, was running around like a lackey, pouring him Cokes.

In contrast, Artoria, with her gluttonous pale green eyes fixed on Alter Alter, continued stuffing snacks into her mouth. Watching Alter Alter treat Mordred like Tom, Artoria bit off the knife and fork in her mouth.

"Black King Arthur, were you the robber last night?!"

With a sharp gaze, Artoria, who had been holding back all morning, finally couldn't bear it any longer and immediately questioned the scantily clad Saber Alter. With her unique lunar self-dislike, Artoria felt extremely disgusted with her [Alter] self. Her shameless attire, her wanton command of her knights, and her use of force to rob others—if it weren't for Morgan's restraint, Artoria would definitely have drawn her Excalibur and fought Saber Alter in a real battle.

"Ah!"

Glancing at Artoria whose ahoge was standing on end, Alter Alter completely enraged her with a single word. Just as Artoria was about to rush over, Mordred, who had already transformed into Alter Alter form, pounced and grabbed Artoria's thigh.

Mordred, you!

Feeling Artoria's angry glare, Mordred shuddered but clung tightly to Artoria's leg.

"It's not what you think, Father. Last night, Father and I went racing... cough cough, we went to inspect the territory. Those people attacked first. We were just acting in self-defense!"

"Self-defense! What do you mean by self-defense?!"

Artoria was furious. She didn't care about the street bikers; what mattered was that these two had really gone too far. Not only did they send someone to the ICU, but they also drove off with the motorcycle! Bandits? They were even worse than bandits! That morning, Artoria had gone out to find food, but before she could even take a few bites, the restaurant was surrounded by police. If she hadn't been skilled enough to shake off the pursuers, she might have ended up as a prison-bound Servant.

Disguised and slinking back to El-Melloi, the wanted poster in the newspaper dealt Artoria a heavy blow. Looking at the two faces that were ten or even nine-tenths similar to her own, Artoria felt her primal power about to burst forth. Combined with the motorcycle that Alter and Mordred had brought back, Artoria's ahoge, which had been unjustly attacked, stood up like a liberated holy sword.

"Ha! They're just a bunch of eyesores! They should feel honored to be trampled by me!"

"You bastard! I will never admit that you are also King Arthur! You tyrant! You should reflect on your actions!"

Black Saber's answer completely snapped Artoria's nerves. She flung Mordred away from holding on tightly, pulled out her Curry Stick, and with a single blow, Artoria smashed the hamburger in front of Black Saber with the Wind King's hammer.

The meat patties, cola, and bread were churned apart by the gale. Anger flashed in her golden eyes. Even the Black Saber, who had originally intended to ignore Artoria, got angry. Red light flashed in her hand, and her jet-black holy sword unleashed a magical attack that blocked the Wind King's hammer while simultaneously blowing the ceiling away.

"Why should I need your acknowledgment, you hypocrite! Let me take this opportunity to teach you a lesson."

As a ruthless and taciturn individual, Black Saber had never suffered such a loss before. Her magical power instantly surged, and the rapidly spreading black light forced Artoria, who was slashing down from mid-air, back away. At this moment, the two ahoge, who disliked each other intensely, completely tore off their masks. The jet-black holy sword spewed out a light that devoured everything, and the dissipated magical power directly destroyed the furnishings in the hall.

Seeing that Black Saber was serious, Artoria couldn't hold back any longer. The wind binding the Holy Sword dissipated, and golden particles of light slowly appeared around Artoria. Her eyes were filled with rage, and the Holy Sword's light reached its peak as Artoria raised her arm. Looking at her two fathers who had gone berserk, Mordred, who had been kicked away, willingly buried his head back in the ground.

[Excalibur Morgan!]

Excalibur!

As the golden and black light intertwined, it spiraled upwards into the sky. Along with the light, the El-Melloi family mansion, which had stood for hundreds of years, also ascended into the sky. Today, London witnessed the largest gas explosion in history. Sakura, far away at the Clock Tower, even saw the mushroom cloud rising from the El-Melloi family mansion... Regardless of what happened to others, with a loud bang, the study, which had been specially protected by Kenneth, fell from another dimension. The door opened, and Kenneth, expressionless, appeared in the ruins.

Seeing the two still wrestling with their ahoge, Morgan raised his arm under Kenneth's gaze. The Command Spell, modified by the Third Law, took effect. Seeing the two Artoria finally stop, Morgan gave Kenneth a very awkward smile.

"I'll teach them a lesson. Give me some time, and things will be back to normal here."

With a black Saber in his left hand and a blue Saber in his right, along with two Artorias who were still baring their teeth at each other, Morgan flashed back to the underground workshop. Looking at the mess in front of him, Kenneth, feeling a little irritated, plopped down on a half-burnt sofa.

"Mordred, explain yourself!"

As Kenneth's voice echoed, Mordred, who was trying to slip away, clicked her tongue and stopped her furtive movements. Knowing that she couldn't get past this hurdle, Mordred stood in front of Kenneth with a death-defying air. Just as Kenneth was interrogating Mordred, the Kuonji Mansion, a living mansion, entered another dimension when its Noble Phantasms collided. The vibration from the transfer directly woke up the sleeping Kuonji Yuzu.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Almost choking on water, Kuonji Arisu, having once again experienced a bizarre fairy tale under Meryl's wicked humor, wrapped herself in a bath towel and wanted to know what had happened. Looking at the ruins outside the window, Kuonji Arisu, doubting whether she was still dreaming, rubbed her eyes hard.

A cool breeze blew by, and realizing she wasn't dreaming, Kuonji Yuzuki, inexplicably agitated, immediately picked up the formal attire on the table.

"Hello, Ms. Kuonji, there was a small accident here, but it's nothing serious."

Hearing the familiar voice, Kuonji Yuzuki's mood inexplicably calmed down. She glanced at the ruins outside the window, then at the listless fairies in the room, and after a moment's thought, extended an invitation. To be honest, Kenneth was a little confused when he received the invitation, but he understood after learning the reason. Given how much Kuonji Yuzuki valued these fairies, such a thing would indeed attract her attention.

But when Kenneth entered the mansion, he sensed an aura that did not belong to his creation. Meryl's disguise was indeed very clever, so clever that even the mansion could not distinguish whether this extra fairy was born from it. But this could not escape Kenneth's perception. As the creator who gave life to the mansion, Meryl's essence, which was different from other fairies, was as conspicuous as a light bulb in the dark.

Before Mary could even react to the dream of Kuonji Arisa, the fairies in the mansion swarmed and flew toward Kenneth. Unaware that she had been exposed, Mary immediately imitated the fairies around her and flew up. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the scoundrel among the fairies who was deliberately keeping his distance from her. Kenneth, without changing his expression, pulled out a chair under the French windows.