Looking at the ceiling of the infirmary room, Romani wondered why he was lying on his bed instead of being in the command room.
'What happened?' He thought before he closed his eyes, trying to remember the last thing that happened to him.
'If I remember correctly, we discovered a new singularity in Britain and... we sent Ritsuka and the Servants of the Round Table but only she managed to Rayshift while the other failed... Guh...'
Romani grimaced then closed his eyes, as if in pain, after remembering the cold and hard truth that his favorite idol was none other than Merlin.
"O Heavenly Father, why are you so cruel..." He muttered sadly, placing a hand on his chest before he shook his head and got off of his bed.
As much as he would like to just lie on his bed and forget about the whole deal, he still had a job to do, which was to support Ritsuka in her trial. He then checked the clock and found that two hours had passed since he passed out.
"Oh shit!"
Quickly leaving the room in a hurry, he ran straight to the control room and as soon as he reached it, he shouted as he swiftly entered the room.
"Sorry, everyone, I'm back. Can somebody brief me of the current situation... Just what on earth happened here?" He then asked once he saw the state of the people present in the room.
"Please, don't charge into the battlefield like that! It's too dangerous!"
Mash kept shouting, seemingly communicating with Ritsuka and the singularity's residents, but she seemed like a bundle of nerves, constantly on edge. Meanwhile, the majority of the staff seemed exhausted beyond measure, with some even slumping at their stations.
He then glanced in the corner of the room where the knights were gathered, only to see diverse reactions on their faces.
Gawain seemed depressed as he didn't have his usual warm smile but instead looked down with a somber look on his face, muttering something about an infidel mother.
At the same time, Bedivere was busy trying to calm Artoria down as the King of Knight looked distraught as she stared at the screen with a glare, her fists clenched, which surprised Romani as he didn't expect her to act so emotionally.
And a few meters away from the duo, he could see Tristan cheering Lancelot up, the latter seemingly being as depressed as Gawain, as the red-haired knight tried to share his passion about how married women were the best, like how wine was best when aged.
While he had no idea about the context behind his words, Romani decided to ignore them completely before he glanced at the last knight of the Round Table whose expression was the complete opposite of her peers, instead, she looked excited like a child in front of a toy store, having stars in her bright eyes.
"Damn, I wish I could fight alongside them!"
Although he was curious about the reason behind her excitement, he decided to ignore her and headed to the one in charge whose appearance worried him the most as the genius just collapsed in her seat, as if she had given up on all things.
"Hey, Leonardo… are you alright?"
"Ah, Romani, you're finally here."
"Just what happened?" Romani asked the genius who let out a small sigh before she turned to the monitor, prompting him to do the same only to be shocked when he saw Ritsuka's signal moving towards Londinium at an unimaginable speed. But what shocked him the most was the massive amount of signals standing between hers and the town.
"What's with that army... Eh?" He then blinked in surprise when more than half of the signals suddenly disappeared from the monitor before he turned to Da Vinci when he heard her chuckle weakly.
"They're nuts, Romani... Artoria, that dog, Merlin and Kay, they're all nuts, especially the last two. They're not supposed to be in their prime and yet... I just don't understand..."
A bit perplexed by her words, he couldn't only watch Da Vinci mutter to herself before he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You should go rest, Leonardo. I'll take care of the rest." He said, a bit worried about the genius's mental health, before he heard the voice of the idol he once loved come through the monitor.
[Ever since Uther's death ten years ago, Britain has slowly entered the Dark Ages.]
"What on Earth is she doing?" Romani muttered before he looked at his monitor which displayed a large fluctuation of magical energy occurring across the entire land, much to his confusion.
"Sir! It looks like Merlin is launching a broadcast across Britain!"
"What?!"
At the same time, all people from Britain looked up in the dark sky to see a projection of Merlin as she solemnly spoke, earning the attention of all.
The projection then joined her hands together in front of her chest, as if she was praying, before she looked up to the sky with a mournful expression on her face.
[The land slowly lost its life, becoming barren for crops. War has become our daily life, causing much bloodshed. And now, the sky is covered by dark clouds, covering our country in shadows. It is only a matter of time before all is lost to darkness... because of Vortigern, the tyrant who invited the savages from overseas and the white dragon that lies dormant in the ruins of the prestigious fortress city of Londinium.]
Among those watching the broadcast was Ector who looked up with a frown, his wife looking at him with concern in her eyes as she stood by his side.
"Dear, do you have any idea what's going on?"
"No, I don't know... but I can definitely say that the Head Magus is up to no good this time." He said, glancing around at the other residents of Carmarthen and seeing that, just like his wife, most of them had a worried expression on their faces.
'She's doing it on purpose...' He let out a small groan as he felt a headache coming on, knowing Merlin's penchant for causing unnecessary trouble with his pranks.
He then turned his attention back to the projection whose expression hardened while opening her arms wide.
[However, do not fear because the time has come! Ten years ago, I made the declaration that the late King Uther's successor had been chosen. That this successor will be the future king, the advent of the Red Dragon, and the one who will save this country!]
'Don't tell me she's planning to…' Ector thought as a shiver ran down his spine, silently staring at the projection who looked down on him and sneered, making the old knight shudder once more.
"This will surely create a giant disaster..." He muttered, much to the confusion of his wife who looked at him while tilting her head.
[And now, the time for the king to appear has come. Having taken up his sword and gathered his very own Knights of the Round Table, he is on his way to slay the White Dragon that plagues our land!]
And with a snap of her fingers, several projections appeared in the sky beside hers, all displaying a chariot being pulled by an equitaur, the creature shocking many, and the passengers in it.
[If no one is willing to help the weak and poor, he is willing to get his hands dirty to do so! An ally of the people, he will bring down the tyrant!
Tenth Seat! The Noble Hero, Robin Hood!]
[An ally of children, she will fight so nobody would suffer! Her bow ready, her arrows shall trailblaze a path to a bright future!
Ninth Seat! The Feline Huntress, Atalanta!]
[Even though she can't fight, her determination will never disappear! With her sublime beauty and charming smile, she will become the very light that was lost to Britain!
Eighth Seat! The Lovely Sunshine! Mata Hari!]
[Returning from the dead, the ancient queen of Britain came back in order to lend her support to her distant successor!
Seventh Seat! The Queen of the Iceni, Boudica!]
[The definition of freedom itself! Running with the wind across the fields of Britain, this horse will lunge at anything that gets in his way with its giant halberd!
Sixth Seat! The Red Hare, Basashi!]
[A Magus with skills that are no better than average but her bravery and selflessness knows no bounds, for her heart is filled with nothing but kindness!
Fifth Seat! The Chaldean, Ritsuka!]
[A simple dog he is not! His loyalty to his Master is so grand that he's willing to join the battlefield, wielding a sword on his own!
Fourth Seat! The Wild Hunt, Cavall!]
[Led by nothing but filial love for her brother, Uther Pendragon's firstborn is ready to take up her weapon and fight for her family!
Third Seat! The Princess of Britain, Morgan Pendragon!]
[Unparalleled under heavens, even the gods fear his skills! Wielding an armada of weapons, he will lead the king to the very ends of the starry sky!
Second Seat! The Guider to the Eternal Edge, Kay!]
[He is the one who we were all waiting for! The one savior that will liberate the country and its people! Brandishing his golden sword, he will fight for a bright future!
First Seat! The Once and Future King, Arthur Pendragon!]
No one spoke as they all stared at the image displayed on the projection, at the regal young man Merlin called their savior, seeing him take a stance with his golden sword, adorned with seven precious gems on its blade.
[We will advance with blade in hand... for our cause is pure.]
He said before standing up despite being on a moving chariot, and he then pointed his sword towards the ruined fortress with Kay and Atalanta standing beside him, their bows ready.
[Prepare yourself, Vortigern, for we will take you down, right here, right now!]
And as soon as she said this, Kay and Atalanta released their arrows and the British people then witnessed a shower of shooting stars falling from the sky towards Londinium.
[And this was Merlin, your favorite emcee! Stay tuned for more!]