A drop of cold sweat slid down Mordred's forehead.
In her ears, the classical symphony played by the court musicians echoed, yet at this moment, Mordred's mind had completely frozen.
How did it turn out like this?
She had already been so lucky to see her father again after the White Dragon battle. And moreover… her father was different from everyone else.
Alvin always treated Mordred with endless patience.
Even back then, when she didn't know him and Artoria attacked her, it was Alvin who had stepped in to help her.
Though called the rebellious knight, in fact, Mordred had always been in a state of extreme emotional deprivation.
Because of this, even the smallest bit of affection from someone else would make her feel warmth… and inspire her to do everything she could to repay it.
Why did he have to appear at this exact moment?!
The moment she saw the young man entering the hall, Mordred was plunged into deep despair, so much so that she even started to suspect that either Alvin's luck stat was somehow cursed, or Merlin was secretly up to something.
If Alvin had arrived just a little later, she could have found an opportunity to slip out and warn him, so he could prepare before coming in.
But now…
Mordred took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Just as Morgan was about to get up and approach Alvin, she acted first, moving swiftly.
"I'll go bring Father over!"
Seeing Mordred walking straight through the crowd and heading towards Alvin, for a moment, the two women present seemed to be slightly silent.
Morgan narrowed her beautiful eyes, watching Mordred's retreating figure.
Why does it feel like Little Mo and Alvin have gotten quite close lately?
Altria was also watching this scene with a very calm expression.
Then, at some point, she slowly rose as well, following behind Mordred, heading in Alvin's direction…
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Alvin stared blankly at the personal interface floating before his eyes.
Ever since he had stepped into the golden hall, there had been one entry in his personal interface that was flashing madly with a mysterious black light.
[Reversal·White Moonlight]
Why is this thing flashing so much?
Ever since he had left the Tower of Radiance a while ago, the White Moonlight entry had appeared in its Reversal state.
Since then, it had been constantly pulsing with a strange, eerie black glow.
And just now it had become even more intense… that pitch-black radiance was nearly covering his entire personal interface.
What the hell is going on…?
While Alvin was still pondering this, a young girl approached him.
"Little Mo? You're here this early too?" Alvin was surprised for a moment, then he looked at her a few more times and said with a smile. "You look pretty good today."
Unlike her usual self, because of the banquet, even Mordred was wearing formal attire.
A pale white dress paired with a sharp ponytail, beautiful indeed, but carrying an air of bold charm.
When Mordred had walked through the crowd, quite a few noble girls had instinctively glanced her way.
Even though they were all women, many found Mordred's aura very appealing.
Even Alvin couldn't help but think to himself: In terms of handsomeness, Little Mo is probably at 70% of my level.
Hearing Alvin's greeting, a few days ago Mordred would have responded with a bright smile.
But this time, the rebellious knight's expression looked a bit tense.
After coming up beside Alvin, Mordred lowered her voice and said. "...Leave, now!"
Alvin froze for a moment, then furrowed his brows slightly and asked,
"What do you mean?"
To ensure the banquet could proceed smoothly, even before it began, over seven types of special barriers had been deployed throughout the palace.
Even a magus from the Age of Gods wouldn't be able to discern exactly who was attending tonight's banquet.
No matter how exceptional Alvin's sensory perception was, unless he actively released the magical power of the White Dragon Core, it would be difficult for him to immediately detect who all had arrived at the scene.
Judging by Little Mo's anxious demeanor… something really didn't feel right…
Looking at the girl in front of him, so tense, even seemingly afraid, Alvin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
For some reason, a vague sense of dread began to surface in his chest.
…An enemy attack?
But how could that be possible?
With Morgan le Fay in Britain right now, and on top of that Merlin and Artoria in Avalon, not to mention the Round Table Knights… who would dare stir up trouble at the banquet?
They must have a death wish, surely?
Besides, if it were simply a powerful enemy, there's no way Mordred would show this kind of frightened expression.
Alvin sensed that things were going wrong, but still, he put on a gentle smile, preparing to calm his visibly shaken daughter.
But just then, Mordred raised her head first and said in a strained, hushed tone. "Mother is attending the banquet."
The banquet was hosted by Morgan herself, wasn't it perfectly normal for her to be here?
Before Alvin could process that, he heard Mordred continue, her voice quivering slightly. "King Arthur is also here…"
For a long moment after she said that, Alvin still wore his smile, and then, bit by bit, that smile began to fade.
His body started to stiffen. The expression on his face gradually froze.
Until finally, the smile on Alvin's face disappeared completely.
"..."
Alvin stared blankly at Mordred.
After a long while, his lips moved slightly, and he spoke with difficulty:
"Do they know that the other is here?"
Mordred softly replied,
"They've already seen each other."
BOOM.
It felt as though his brain had been struck by lightning as Alvin stared blankly at Mordred, his face twitching slightly.
His face was stiff, and behind his dazed gaze was an emotional storm on the verge of exploding.
Thinking back to when he had seen Merlin earlier tonight, that white-haired mage had sworn so confidently that Artoria was still in Avalon…
Now that he thought about it, the guy had probably sent Artoria out of Avalon and then, afraid that Alvin might back out of attending the banquet if he found out, had lied to him.
In fact, even if Merlin had told the truth, Alvin wouldn't have run away from the problem… on the contrary, he would've mentally prepared himself and arranged to meet Morgan and Artoria separately in advance.
Having those two sisters in the same space versus meeting them separately was an entirely different level of difficulty.
But now…
"Merlin, you fucking… ###…"
Alvin's face looked utterly dreadful, all he wanted right now was to curse that white-haired bastard.
But there was no time for him to think, because while Alvin's mind was still in chaos, a cool and sultry voice reached his ears.
"Little Mo, you may leave now."
Mordred's body stiffened. But… she did not obey.
She was the rebellious knight.
Rebellious meant that even in front of King Arthur, she would not submit to her commands, though the girl was under immense pressure at this moment.
Then, a hand gently rested on her shoulder.
"You go rest for now… leave this to me." Alvin said softly.
His tone was calm, as if he were stating something utterly ordinary.
"But…" Mordred hesitated for a moment. But after seeing Alvin's look that signaled her to trust him, she finally turned and silently found a seat.
At that moment, Agravain walked over to the rebellious knight's side and whispered. "Don't worry too much — it doesn't look as bad as it seems…"
However, the worry in Mordred's eyes did not lessen, instead, it grew even heavier.
"Not that bad? You don't understand Mother and the King at all."
"Something big is going to happen…"
As Mordred said this, she glanced toward where Morgan had been.
Agravain instinctively followed her gaze and froze.
When did Morgan disappear…?
As Artoria rose, more and more gazes in the golden hall began drifting toward where the two of them were, intentionally or unintentionally.
Euryphis watched the golden-haired King of Knights walk up to Alvin, frowning slightly. "What is King Arthur trying to do?"
Holding his wine glass, Kayneth stared at Alvin for a long time, his eyes flickering.
King Arthur possessed the Red Dragon Core, her sensory abilities were incredible… could it be that she sensed the White Dragon's magic flowing within Alvin?
After all, the White Dragon had once nearly destroyed Britain… if King Arthur knew that Alvin was the White Dragon's descendant… the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thinking of this, Kayneth began to feel faintly uneasy, secretly sweating for his disciple.
And he wasn't the only one tense, in the banquet hall, Gray, who was sitting with Reine, was just as nervous.
She watched as King Arthur slowly approached Alvin, her small hand unconsciously clenched tight within her sleeve.
Not long ago, after learning from Add that Alvin was connected to that demonic dragon, Gray had been in deep turmoil.
The White Dragon, it was said to be naturally violent, and Britain had nearly been destroyed by it.
The British people hated the White Dragon to the bone.
If word got out that Alvin possessed the White Dragon Core… it was easy to imagine just how difficult his life in Britain would become.
Though Gray wanted to help Alvin keep the truth hidden… it now seemed that King Arthur had already sensed something?
If not, why else would she be approaching Alvin at this moment…
Everyone present had different thoughts, but at this moment, their gazes were all drawn toward Alvin.
Among the four monarchs of the Clock Tower, aside from the Animal Division monarch, Gaiuslink, who remained expressionless, the other three all showed subtle changes in their expressions.
Euryphis's gaze was dark and deep.
Kayneth's expression shifted between dark and light, as if struggling internally.
Meanwhile, in the Department of Political Law, and even among the Clock Tower's acting director, Barthomeloi's narrow beautiful eyes were now quietly observing the young man called Alvin, pondering something in secret.
For King Arthur to notice him, he must possess something special…
But what exactly was King Arthur intending to do now?
It wasn't just Barthomeloi, at this moment, quite a few people in the hall, upon noticing the disturbance around Alvin, had the same thought flash through their minds.
They instinctively held their breath and waited silently.
Alvin too was waiting.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed on Artoria.
Bathed in brilliant, dazzling light, she seemed to embody both elegance and nobility.
Beneath the crown was that supremely beautiful and noble face, those saintly green eyes completely pure and untainted...
Such majesty and dignity, like a goddess high above.
Beneath the tight-fitting dress was a flawless, sensual figure.
Though everything at tonight's banquet glittered with opulence, before this King Arthur, all else seemed to pale in comparison.
After staring at each other for an unknown amount of time, Alvin took the initiative to smile and greet her, "You're back... Lily."
"How was your time in Avalon?"
"Quite good," Artoria replied, giving the young man a look. "Personally helped Merlin send me into Avalon… you've done quite well too."
Alvin. "..."
At that time, in order to prevent any needless casualties during the sisters' conflict, when Merlin deployed Avalon, Alvin had assisted him in temporarily sending Artoria there.
Looks like she's still holding that grudge… Alvin cleared his throat lightly and said, "I just thought you both had lost your heads a bit back then… it was necessary to help you cool down a little."
Hearing this, Artoria merely nodded gently, "I understand your reasoning."
"So this time, on my return, I'm not planning to stir up any conflict with Sister."
This unexpected reply left Alvin a little stunned.
Lily actually calmed down after one trip to Avalon??
After all, the last time she saw Morgan, she had drawn Excalibur without any hesitation.
Seems like temporarily separating them really was the right move… Alvin thought to himself.
Just then, he saw Artoria gracefully extend her hand, a faint smile appearing on her face, "The palace rarely holds such grand banquets. Since we're already here… dance with me."
This unexpected reaction made Alvin exhale slightly in relief.
Lily is staying pretty calm, looks like the situation hasn't spun out of control yet…
As for dancing, that wasn't a problem a all.
Anyway, the important thing right now was to stabilize the situation…
Thinking this, a faint smile appeared on Alvin's face, and he was just about to take the woman's hand.
However, at that very moment, Alvin's eyelid twitched heavily, because behind Artoria, he suddenly saw another woman approaching them…
She actually stepped past Artoria and grabbed Alvin's hand first.
In that instant, Alvin felt a wave of despair wash over him from head to toe.
And under this strange and silent atmosphere, Morgan looked up and smiled at Alvin and spoke in a soft voice. "Would you dance with me first, Alvin?"
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