Chapter 307: Merlin's Love?

What's failure?

Yu Lin pulled him up from the ground and encouraged him: "Failure isn't scary; what's scary is... uh, I forgot the rest."

"In any case, remember: failure isn't scary."

This was supposed to be comforting, but no matter how you look at it, it doesn't sound like comfort; yet it eased Arthur's heart, which had been shrouded in gloom, a little.

He lifted his lowered head; eyes peeking through his messy hair showed a hint of confusion and curiosity as he softly asked:

"Teacher, have you ever failed... like this?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Lin really thought about it, then honestly shook his head:

"Teacher me... I seem not to have failed yet."

Arthur: "......"

The mood that had just improved a bit was almost blocked again by this overly honest answer.

"Ah, this isn't the point!" Yu Lin waved his hand carelessly, as if saying something trivial.

He naturally put his arm around Arthur's shoulders and led him out of the tavern, his steps relaxed, as if merely taking a student for a stroll.

"Come, listen to me," his voice sounded especially clear on the quiet night street: "Before you, I had taken on another disciple, his name was Liu Bang."

The two walked down the deserted street, blending into the night, as passersby paid them no heed.

"He didn't have your royal bloodline; his starting point was much lower than yours."

"Before he was in his forties, in their place, everyone said he was an idle good-for-nothing, hopeless..."

Yu Lin spoke at length, recounting how, in another time and space, a middle-aged man struggled from obscurity and turned defeat into victory.

Arthur listened quietly; the story of another king's rise moved him more than any splendid encouragement.

"Things, more or less, are like that." Yu Lin ended his narration.

"Teacher, what happened after?! Senior brother... did he succeed?"

"Afterwards?" Yu Lin smiled slightly, his hand resting on the sword hilt at his waist. Only the sound of "clang" was heard as Chi Xiao answered and came out of its sheath.

The sword blade flowed with a crimson glow in the moonlight.

Yu Lin stood holding the sword, grinning: "He became the ancestor of a clan; look, this is his sword from back then."

Arthur's gaze fixed on the Chi Xiao Sword. In a daze, he seemed to see through that crimson blade a figure—walking out of the market streets, scrambling through the mud and blood of a chaotic age, face stained with dirt and blood, yet his gaze grew steadier with each failure, gathering companions as unwilling to be ordinary as he, and ultimately... ruling over all!

That figure, which had crossed the long river of time, seemed to sense Arthur's gaze and slowly turned around.

His face was blurred in the haze of history, but his eyes were crystal clear; he looked at Arthur and the corner of his mouth slowly curled into a smile.

It seemed a silent praise for another king, and also an encouragement for his junior brother facing adversity.

Immediately, a red dragon seemed to manifest beneath his feet, lifting his figure as it soared toward the edge of the starry sky, vanishing into the depths of time.

Arthur stood there dazed, silent for a long, long time.

Those obsessions with his own failure and shame, before his senior brother's tumultuous, thorn‑filled, sacrificial journey, suddenly seemed... much lighter.

He slowly raised his head, looking at Yu Lin; for the first time in months, he showed a smile that, though weary, was exceedingly bright and came from the heart, as if he had shed a thousand‑jin burden:

"Teacher, I understand."

His voice was no longer low, carrying a newfound strength:

"From now on, I will also give you my sword! Just like senior brother!"

Yu Lin returned the sword to its sheath, emitting a clear ring, and he asked:

"Your sword... isn't it already broken?"

Arthur's smile froze, then he said somewhat embarrassedly yet firmly: "... Teacher, I, I will forge another sword! A sword that belongs to the me of now!"

Yu Lin saw the fire reignite in his eyes, nodded in relief, and said nothing more.

Because his gaze had already passed Arthur and was directed toward the street ahead.

Arthur, sensing this, followed his gaze and looked back.

All that could be seen at the end of the long street was Merlin standing there quietly, staff in hand, his aged countenance looking especially solemn in the moonlight; obviously he had been waiting a long while and had something to say to him.

Arthur took a deep breath and walked toward Merlin.

But when he turned his head again, there was no one beside him.

Yu Lin's figure had, at some point, dissipated like a clear breeze, as if he had never appeared.

"Merlin Grandpa."

"Arthur, the breaking of the Stone Sword is not the end of your Path of the King."

He slightly raised his staff, pointing westward to the distant unknown shrouded by starlight and moonlight.

"It means that the you of before, relative to the you of now, is already past."

Arthur listened quietly, without interjecting.

"You need a new sword," Merlin continued, "one not given you the title of king by the sword, but one to which you give the title of king."

"Where is it?"

"Avalon." Merlin uttered that name, his gaze seeming to fall upon that place:

"That elf‑laden land, that island beyond, that holy ground shrouded in mist—legend says it is a utopia, the source of life and magic, and also hides the world's most precious treasure."

The tip of his staff began to gather a soft silver radiance, like flowing moonlight.

A vision gradually appeared before Arthur's eyes,

"There, the Lake Fairy guards that sword; to obtain it, you need not force, but a heart tempered and truly understanding the meaning of 'king'."

"You must alone traverse the mist, face the trials of your heart, and prove you are ready to bear a burden heavier than the Stone Sword."

Merlin withdrew his gaze, locking eyes with Arthur, gazing into Arthur's eyes:

"Retrieve your sword, Arthur Pandragong, but more importantly, retrieve the original intention behind your wielding the sword."

Arthur nodded and said solemnly: "Merlin Grandpa, I understand!"

Well, go ahead.

Arthur didn't answer; he turned and strode ahead, walking in the direction Merlin had indicated.

Having a goal, he was no longer at a loss.

He soon disappeared into the night.

He vanished from Merlin's sight.

You say, if he knew that the earlier incident was your doing, what would happen?

Merlin: '............'

If you don't speak, he won't know.

What if I say it?

I can only pretend to be dead.

I heard you've recently taken a liking to a Lake Fairy?

Huh? How do you know?

Don't worry about how I know, but I advise you to give up pursuing her.

At my age I've never pursued love; how would I know if I don't try? I believe she will love me someday!

....... Do as you like.

Yu Lin shrugged and dropped the subject.

Merlin was doubtful.

Why did he suddenly say that? Could something happen in the future?

Forget it, let's give it a try; it's rare to meet someone who makes one's heart flutter..........

Love!