“Wait a moment, Lion El’Jonson!”
“We still need to make arrangements for the people of New Spring Town and the bonfire feast.
And with so many outsiders invited here for the Order of the Round Table’s meeting, I also need to deal with security—”
Merlin hurried through the door and quickened his pace to catch up with the female Primarch.
Ever since the two of them had settled on Caliban, frontline combat had been left to Lion El’Jonson, while Merlin handled logistics, administration, and everything else behind the scenes.
For Merlin, a Rogue Trader, the thirty years he had been given inside the Ring of Sagittarius simulation were also the perfect opportunity to learn how to manage supplies and administration properly.
But right now, he had no time to arrange New Spring Town’s upcoming production or garrison duties.
No matter how many times he called out, Lion El’Jonson didn’t respond.
She simply walked ahead of him in silence.
She was sulking.
Merlin helplessly quickened his pace.
In theory, the Primarchs—the pinnacle of humanity created by the Emperor and the greatest geneticists of His age—should have possessed minds every bit as exceptional as their bodies.
In practice…
It seemed like most Primarchs had some kind of psychological problem.
Lion El’Jonson was already considered one of the more stable ones.
As long as nobody deliberately provoked her, she generally wasn’t the type to suddenly kill someone.
The important part being—
Don’t provoke her.
Merlin sighed inwardly.
What had he done to upset her this time?
For some reason, Lion El’Jonson had been sulking much more often lately.
Sometimes, while Merlin was busy with logistics or administrative work, he would turn around and find her sitting silently at the table, staring at him with obvious displeasure.
Whenever he asked what was wrong, she refused to answer.
She would simply sit there without moving.
Still, there was usually one obvious clue.
Her fluffy blonde hair would be all puffed up again.
Sigh…
He missed the old days.
Back when she still liked lying across his shoulders, her thoughts had been incredibly simple.
If she was unhappy, she growled.
Easy to understand.
How had she developed so many little secrets after growing up?
Merlin suddenly felt like an exhausted father watching his daughter enter her rebellious teenage years.
He wanted to say something to Lion El’Jonson as she walked ahead of him with her head lowered, but…
What exactly was he supposed to say?
“For the Order of the Round Table!
Follow me!
Today we shall slay the evil Great Beast!”
As they walked along the gravel path outside the fortress, a group of children playing knights suddenly blocked Lion El’Jonson’s way.
“Our scouts have found tracks belonging to a Great Beast!
It’s a ferocious Calibanite lion!”
The child leading them raised his wooden sword, and the others quickly surrounded Lion El’Jonson.
“…”
“Move.”
Lion El’Jonson possessed enough restraint not to strike a group of children.
But that was about as far as her patience extended.
“Uh…”
The boy holding the wooden sword instinctively pulled it back after being reprimanded.
The other children exchanged uncertain looks, suddenly unsure what to do.
“HA!!!
That’s right!
I am the Calibanite Lion!”
Seeing the situation, Merlin immediately rushed forward and placed himself between Lion and the children.
He raised both hands beside his shoulders like claws and put on his most threatening expression.
“Little knights!
Your doom is at hand!”
“Waaah!!!” This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
Most of the children immediately scattered.
“Run!
A Calibanite lioness is even scarier when she’s in a bad mood!”
“There’s another Great Beast with her!
Run!”
After the chaos subsided, only two children remained.
The first was the boy holding the wooden sword.
The second was a smaller, somewhat nervous-looking child hiding behind him.
“Hmm?
There are still little knights brave enough to stand against me?”
Merlin continued in an exaggerated monster voice.
“Tell me your names, little ones.
Perhaps I’ll consider sparing your lives.”
“…Zahariel.”
The smaller boy hiding behind the leader answered first.
“And I’m Nemiel!
The most stubborn and unyielding knight on all of Caliban!
Come on, Great Beast!”
“Our battle will be sung by the bards for ten thousand years!”
“Haha…
Zahariel?”
Merlin immediately dropped the Great Beast act and crouched down in front of the smaller boy.
“You’ve got potential.
Maybe you’ll grow up to become a powerful Librarian someday.”
Zahariel.
An important figure among the Dark Angels during the 30K era.
If Merlin remembered correctly, the boy possessed considerable psychic talent and would eventually become a Librarian.
“As for you, Nemiel…”
Merlin sucked in a quiet breath.
He looked at the fearless boy standing before him.
Then he glanced back at the increasingly gloomy Lion El’Jonson.
Well…
Some people really were born with talent.
As the future victim of one of Lion El’Jonson’s infamous moments of lost temper, Nemiel had apparently possessed the ability to get under a Primarch’s skin from an early age.
Impressive.
“You’ll definitely make a name for yourself someday.”
That was the most tactful warning Merlin could offer.
“But I’d advise you to keep a healthy distance from Lion El’Jonson.”
“Consider that both a prophecy and some friendly advice.”
“All right.
Go play.”
Merlin watched the two boys run off before turning around and quietly following Lion El’Jonson once again.
…
They had arrived.
After pushing through the dense undergrowth, an endless lakeshore opened up before them.
This was where Merlin and Lion El’Jonson had first met.
After years spent clearing Great Beasts from the surrounding region, the forest had practically become the Order of the Round Table’s backyard.
Whenever something troubled her, Lion El’Jonson often brought Merlin here.
They would sit together beside the lake and stare at the calm waters hidden beneath the mist.
“Sit here.”
Lion El’Jonson smoothed down the strands of blonde hair that had puffed up around her temples.
The corners of her mouth, which had been stubbornly turned upward in a pout, finally relaxed a little.
A gentle evening breeze swept across the lake, sending countless ripples over its dark surface.
The moon remained half-hidden behind the mist.
“All right.”
Merlin obediently sat beside her.
Feeling him settle barely a fist’s width away, Lion El’Jonson rested her head against her folded arms.
She didn’t understand what was happening to her.
Why had she become like this?
Could some strange sorcery be affecting her?
Lion El’Jonson didn’t know.
But whenever she saw Merlin buried beneath endless logistical reports and administrative work, an inexplicable irritation rose from somewhere deep inside her.
Had she not done enough?
Was she still not strong enough?
Had she failed to establish enough authority over the Order of the Round Table, forcing Merlin to waste his time dealing with trivial matters that should never have required his attention?
The thought gnawed at her.
Her loyalty to Merlin was beyond question.
Lion El’Jonson knew with absolute certainty that she would never betray him.
But…
What if Merlin betrayed her?
What if he had approached her from the very beginning for some hidden purpose?
What if…
He was keeping secrets from her?
Secrets.
Yes.
Secrets.
She could feel them.
In truth, she had sensed something strange from the very beginning.
From the moment Merlin had handed her that nameless, sheathless sword and led her out of the forest, he had never behaved like an ordinary mortal.
He was nothing like the people of Caliban.
No.
Lion El’Jonson did not like secrets.
Or, more precisely—
She didn’t like secrets being kept from her.
But what was she supposed to do?
How could she ask him?
She…
Couldn’t bring herself to say it.
The more she cared about Merlin, the more afraid she became of losing what she had with him.
And the more afraid she became, the more cautious she was.
She had struggled with the question countless times.
If she confronted Merlin directly, would he dislike her for it?
Would he think she didn’t trust him?
And if this really was some strange sorcery he had placed upon her, wouldn’t asking him directly only reveal that she had become suspicious?
Lion El’Jonson didn’t know.
But she couldn’t let this continue!
She could no longer endure the uncertainty burning inside her.
She wanted to—
No.
She needed to know everything about Merlin.
And if this unbearable desire itself was some kind of curse, then Lion El’Jonson would accept it.
His thoughts.
His past.
His experiences.
Everything.
She wanted to understand all of it.
There could be no secrets between them.
“Merlin.”
After sitting silently beside the lake for a long time, Lion El’Jonson finally spoke.
“What is it?”
“Answer one question.”
She turned toward him.
Her emerald eyes were as deep and dark as the forests of Caliban.
“Will you die?”
It really helps the fic grow!