There was no time to waste.
Emery bid farewell to the fey sisters before casting [Spatial Gate].
At first, he had his doubts and considered solving his problem with Princess Gwen first. Both problems could get complicated, but at least dealing with the princess should be faster. He just needed to confirm what she planned to do with him.
But he realized that, even though the fate of his identity was important, it came second to the safety of those he cared about.
Therefore, he decided the best course of action was to grab Morgana first and set his mind at ease.
The spell was cast to the stone formation he set up just outside of Camelot city. Right as he arrived, he quickly dashed towards the old Gaious estate where they kept Morana before.
Fraught with worry, he decided to cast [Spatial Gate] yet again, expending himself just to reach the place faster.
It was at noon when he arrived at the palace. He saw the mansion standing amidst the now bright forest.
Without thinking much, he cast multiple [Blink] and moves closer to the estate
The closer he got, the more worried he became because there was no hint of Morgana's presence in the estate. There was no one else aside from the old magician.
He concentrated and focused on the old mage's presence before appearing in front of him inside the mansion's study room. He asked, trying to keep himself as calm as possible.
Emery's sudden arrival almost made the old magician drop his tomes.
"Damn! Do you want to give this old man a heart attack?!"
"I have no time for jokes! Where is Morgana?!"
The old man didn't manage to hide his frown and Emery's anger only burned even hotter, threatening to boil over any second.
"Old man, I have warned you to take care of her, if harm comes to her…" It was clear Emery was about to burst into rage.
"Wait, wait! Don't be rash. She is not here. Please be patient and let me contact Arthur!"
"No. Tell me where Morgana or Arthur is, or I will break down the whole castle if I have to. Tell. Me!"
"She- She was taken by the king, King Ulther Pendragon."
Hearing the news shock him. Emery's expression became even more twisted, he gripped his hands until his knuckles turned white.
"The castle it is, then," he said
"Calm down and listen to me! Listen to me for a minute! If you go there, you will only make everything worse."
Emery took a deep breath and glared at the old magician.
"Please be patient. Remember, there are things at work here and I sincerely hope you will take the time to listen to Arthur's words first. Give me a few minutes and he will come in no time… Please, your actions will only create even more havoc, and right now, that will do nothing but endanger her."
Emery took another deep breath and calmed himself. The High Priestess' words floated in his mind, about Arthur, about his role in everything… He really wished he could just get away from here and try to find the prince by himself, but no matter how he looked at it, waiting for someone to fetch the prince would be faster than searching for him.
Now that the cloud of anger no longer shrouded his mind, he realized he had no idea where to even begin searching for the prince.
"Fine, I will give you thirty minutes."
The old magician quickly wrote a short letter on a small piece of parchment, before folding and placing it inside a small, cylindrical case. He fetched a bird from the next room, whispered some instructions to it and let it fly away from the window.
There was always the grim possibility of the old magician warning the kingdom knights to come and attack him. But, if it really came to that, Emery will ensure the old magician would live to regret his actions.
Emery tried to stay calm, but all the possibilities kept on replaying in his mind, each clamoring for his attention and making him feel a bit constricted here.
A few minutes later, his senses picked up the sounds of a horse galloping closer. He could tell that it was the prince.
The prince came riding alone, that was a good first sign. Right after the prince tied his horse, Emery dashed outside to face him.
Upon seeing him, Arthur's face looked strangely happy. Before Emery could open his mouth, Arthur said.
"It's good that you have come back. Things have started to get out of control."
Emery quickly interrupted the prince and said "Tell me what happened!. What did you do to her?!" Try as he might, Emery couldn't keep the rage from bubbling through his question.
The prince merely shook his head and said. "Our last meeting created more ruckus than I thought. I sincerely apologize, my father found out about her and he sent his knights to capture her."
Once more, Emery tried to calm himself. No matter Arthur's role, this was partially his fault. If only he got her out first. Emery then tried to politely ask.
"If you really care about the relationship of the seven kingdoms with the Fey, now is the time to prove it. Tell me where she is and I will get her out."
"No, please don't do that." Arthur shook his head. "We should not get her out by force. I know this is hard for you to believe, but I will get her out myself!"
Emery merely gave him a mocking smile.
"No! I don't believe you! Why should I?"
The prince fell silent, realizing Emery's words rang true no matter how much he tried to deny them. He thought for a moment before replying.
"Because… It is the will of the sword."
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,