At the entrance leading to the Forbidden Forest, Emery's senses flared and he could feel eyes watching him. He followed his senses and approached the bushes. There, he saw a man standing watching him
It turned out the man was one of the villagers that was merely assigned to check and report any news about him or any changes to the stone formation. Apparently, Chief Brennus was concerned that Emery was gone without any news.
Emery told the man he was alright and he would visit the village when he could. At the moment he was occupied in trying out his new spell.
When he was ready, he once again tried to spread the power of his spirit force to his surroundings.
From his time in the academy, he had learned about the use of spirit reading. Though he was not very talented in using the spirit force to move items or enchant minds, he could feel that his ability to probe and detect things in his surroundings had increased significantly.
Through the use of his spirit force, he could sense people gathering in the hidden village. By expanding the scope of his ability even more, he could even feel the presence of people in Venta, the town several hours away from where he stood.
Emery believed his understanding of the power of space had helped increase the scope of his spirit reading power.
Without further ado, Emery tried to sense and pinpoint the place he wanted to visit. He pictured the massive Quintins' family estate, before letting his power gather on the palm of his hand.
With the power pulsing beneath his fingertips, Emery drew a circle in the air with his arm, creating a glowing gate with the blurry image of the mansion beyond.
He stepped into the gate and felt the sensation of passing through a thin layer of film, before his feet touched the ground right in front of the mansion's gate,
After he arrived, the gate dissipated into pieces of rainbow light before disappearing.
Amazing. Emery thought to himself.
The guards spotted a man seemingly appearing out of nowhere and a few of them came by to check his identity. Seeing the familiar face, they smiled and greeted him politely.
"Master Merlin, welcome back." The guard bowed slightly.
Emery was welcomed as if he was a member of the family. The guards escorted him through the garden and opened the door for him, revealing the lady of the house was already waiting. Upon seeing Emery's face, Luna offered a sincere, welcoming smile.
"Ah, Merlin, welcome back, I guess I need to get used to your unique presence. I take your visit to the Forbidden Forest went smoothly, yes?"
Emery talked to Luna about what happened during his visit and made small talk, not forgetting to apologize that he was held by his own personal responsibility and thus unable to offer any real help to the family. Luna simply smiled and offered her own help back in response.
The talk quickly shifted, Emery was waiting for progress regarding the search for Keane, the silver knight working under the late Bagdemagus. Unfortunately, even though Luna had tried every method she knew, the only information she could obtain was that Keane had disappeared from the Lioness Kingdom for the past three months.
Emery asked Luna to try to narrow down the search. Instead of searching the whole continent, he suggested searching in the city of Camelot, the capital of Logress Kingdom. While on the topic of searching, Emery also asked Luna to find a woman and gave out Morgana's physical description.
Once again, Luna flashed a knowing smile.
"Ah, so it's all about a girl problem all along… You're telling me the wolf girl went missing? You should've told me from the start, Emery… Maybe I'm a little jealous, but I will be fine…"
"Haha, it's not like that. I just need information. I just don't want her to be hurt because of me."
The High Priestess had confirmed that Morgana was safe and that he shouldn't look for her until their paths crossed by themselves. However, Emery couldn't be content with such a vague reassurance and by knowing more, he hoped he would be able to sleep better at night.
"So, anything I can help you with in return, Luna? Apparently, I don't really have many things to do now, so I'm available to assist you."
"Haha, Merlin, you don't have to do anything. You have no idea about how much the name of a wizard can sway things in our favor. Just the mention of you being the benefactor of the Quintins already gave us a lot of positive responses, especially with the Venta residents who already knew you."
In the battle against the Crimson Fang Marauders and in the venture to the Forbidden Forest, Emery had the chance to show off some of what he was capable of. It appeared that even a little magic went a long way here.
Emery stared at Luna, she seemed reluctant to say what she needed.
"Ah, Merlin, it's about…" Luna looked away. "The sway of your presence is bigger than I previously thought, actually… There was someone from the Lioness Palace who came here looking for you and they reported the King of Lioness is interested to meet you in the palace. What do you think, Merlin?"
The mention of the king piqued Emery's interest.
"Did they say anything about their intentions, Luna?"
"Well, no, but…" Luna thought for a few seconds. "Considering how respectful the messenger was being, I don't think they harbor any bad intentions. The only thing I can think of is that they're interested in wooing you, just like me." Luna laughed. It appeared she was teasing him again.
Though the invitation was a great honor, Emery himself was not too interested in meeting the king. At the moment, the only reason he would want to get involved with the court of politics was to find Fantumar and seek justice for his father along with the 12 Ambrose Family residents who died on his order. But for now, that was not on his priority list.
There was also the matter of his childhood friend. That made him even more reluctant to consider getting anywhere close to the palace.
"So, Merlin, what is your answer? I will ask someone to send a letter."
Emery gave a confident smile. "No, I am not interested to go, thank you"
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Written and Directed by Avans, Published by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,