It was early in the morning, the light had only started to peek out from the east. The biting chill in the air was still prominent. The world was supposed to be relatively quiet, but Emery was up, busy helping people on the border to evacuate. He passed and helped the people in the villages he passed through, until he met a group of Logress knights arriving at the scene.
Surprisingly, when the knights arrived, it was like a ticking timer was activated on the Danes' mind. They quickly stopped burning and pillaging the villages halfway, immediately retreating to regroup with the main force.
As the knights arrived, Emery decided to let them take control of the situation, while he started his journey to the capital city of Camelot.
Right as he arrived, the Accolade ceremony was about to start, so he joined the crowds who had started to fill in the hall of the Divine Order Knights. He was about to reach the guard positioned in front of the gate when he realized something. What if his arrival ended up upsetting a certain someone?
He decided to stay on the cautious side and hide amongst the crowds.
The mood between the knights was sour, to say the least. Every so often, one would glance at another with suspicion. Although Arthur's speech did inspire them to keep being vigilant against the upcoming threats, it ended up sowing discord between the knights he had. Arthur also mentioned about the wedding that would be held later today.
Surprisingly, Arthur's inspiring speech made Emery less worried about the situation, both about the upcoming invasion and also about Gwen. Arthur was a great King, he will be able to handle this matter.
After some thought, Emery decided not to meddle in this matter. It wasn't too late to slip away quietly, not focus on this matter anymore and go look for Morgana. To find her, returning to the Fey village would be a good start.
But as he turned around and was about to leave the palace, he was once again reminded about the contents in Arthur's letter. It might be a good idea to at least meet Arthur and talk a bit.
He decided to go look for Arthur, only for his spirit sense to detect he was currently in the same room as Gwen.
With his enhanced senses, Emery was able to hear all the details as Arthur confronted Gwen about him.
"Arthur. Marrying you will be the best way for me to help the kingdom, to ensure the safety of my people."
The words she said only reaffirmed what he already knew deep in his heart. It will be a lie if his heart didn't stir hearing such words but it appears there really are not meant to be. The two of them were focused on different priorities and had different goals in life. They were no longer the innocent, young teenagers who could afford to pursue what bloomed in their hearts without worrying about anything else.
He decided to leave the two alone, as there was nothing else for him to do. Before leaving, he remembered about Gaious the wizard, so he decided to go to his lab.
The wizard was busy tidying his stuff in the lab table when Emery walked in. Gaious was already dressed in a simple formal attire. It was clear he was about to attend the wedding. As Emery walked in, the old wizard looked up in surprise.
"Merlin… You made it, did you come for the wedding?."
"No, Gaious…" Emery shook his head. "I just wondered, in the last nine months, had there been news from the Order about the traces of the witch's presence."
During his journey from the three claw islands, Emery knew this was the only link that could connect the dots and Meave must have something to do with it. The witch must be the sorcerer that killed the first wolf. Hence she could explain what happened to Morgana.
The Divine Order had searched thoroughly during their visits to the seven kingdoms' territory, confirming a few sightings of Maeve. Gaious reached down to a drawer on his table and pulled out a map marked with the places where she had been sighted. With his current level of spirit reading and enough time, Emery would find a trace of her.
"Are you sure you are not coming to the wedding? I know Arthur wishes to see you."
"No, Gaious, I will see you around later. I have found many new herbs that I might need your assistance with." Emery dismissed the topic and left, not keen to discuss it further.
He exited the castle and walked through the courtyard. He activated his spirit reading and searched for the beacons he left to open a [Spatial Gate] only to find out something was definitely amiss.
There were only very subtle signs, but his senses were tingling, something that only occurred when a fight was going on nearby. He tried to search for the source, but he couldn't pinpoint where exactly it was. It felt like his senses were blurry.
Then it occurred to him, a certain place that would block his spirit reading.
A bad feeling reared in the back of his mind and he quickly rushed to the place.
He opened a [Spatial Gate], arrived in the building, the place was empty. Usually, guards would stand in front of the entrance, knights would train in the yard and silver knights would patrol around. But the place was quiet, far too quiet. This only exacerbated his worries.
Without further ado, he rushed toward the basement room.
As he arrived, he noticed the smell of blood, along with the fallen knights in the room. Some were writhing on the floor, the others lay still, dead from the sudden attacks. In the far end of the room, he saw Arthur kneeling on the floor, a gash extending from his shoulder to his hip. His clothes were stained with blood.
In front of him, a golden knight lifted his sword, smirked and said.
"You shall die here and your bride will be next!"
Emery quickly cast [Blink] and appeared next to the golden knight, while grabbing his arm tight enough to crush bone. With a casual tone, he replied. "Bride, you said?"
To his credit, Maleagant didn't flinch at all, he simply regarded Emery with the same contempt he showed to Arthur.
Arthur looked at Emery and, although he was still in pain and spat out blood as he spoke, he still had the audacity to laugh.. "You are all in so much trouble now."