Chapter 258: Merlin Trials

Leonel was shocked by the sudden change, as was everyone else. However, Leonel had long since gained a habit of paying attention to everything going on in his surroundings at once. This wasn't only a method of training his Internal Sight, but it was also a method of protecting his life. 

Due to this, Peirce's expression fell perfectly into Leonel's vision. The hint of surprise quickly followed by anticipation didn't escape him. 

'He knows what this thing is?'

Leonel didn't think much of it. He knew too little about this world. It made sense that a veteran knight like Peirce would know more than he did. However, this only made Leonel more curious. 

The reason was simple. While Peirce reacted in this way, none of his fellow knights or death guards did. In that case, the most likely explanation was that this was very high level information. This was only made more obvious by the fact none of the books Loenel had read in the Mage Academy had the necessary information. If they did, his Dreamscape would have reacted. 

Peirce's expression changed many times before it seemed he finally settled on a decision. 

"Arrange the formation! We're retreating back to the Large Barracks!"

Peirce's roar called out, causing the knights who had followed him here to be stunned for a moment. 

The reason they had gathered here was to counter attack the demons. While they thought the humans were all converging back toward the Large Barracks, they'd be caught off guard by the sudden appearance of an army. 

Yet, instead of waiting to deal this blow, Peirce actually decided to retreat immediately. It could only be said that whatever that pillar of light was, it was extraordinarily important. 

Leonel's gaze flashed, but he didn't say much. It could be said that the death of a Demon Lord was already a great result for this expedition. Even if it was easy for Modred to replace Demon Lords, they would still need time to acclimate themselves to their new strength. 

'I wonder what's going on…'

…

Leonel knew that this matter would be a big deal, but he could have never imagined just how great of a matter it would be. It was to the point that even the core city of Camelot was stirred. 

Whether it was the mysterious Grand Magi, the Knights of the Round Table, or even the lofty King and Queen of Camelot — Arthur and Guinevere — not a single one could sit still. 

Before the sun rose on the horizon the following day, a single title had been ingrained in the minds of every human and demon across the Mythological Zone…

The Merlin Trials. 

**

Leonel never expected he would have returned to Camelot so quickly. Of course, he had already mostly completed the mission he and Lionus had been assigned. They were only meant to be posted at the border regions for a single month and half of that time had already passed.

"Merlin Trials…?"

Leonel sucked in a cold breath. 

The moment he heard these words, his Dreamscape reacted, numerous arcs of lightning branching to cover dozens of books. 

Without exception, all of these books touched upon King Arthur's legend in one way or another. Despite not directly mentioning the Merlin Trials directly, Leonel came to understand something very important. 

It was very likely that before the birth of Camelot, it was precisely these Merlin Trials that allowed King Arthur to gain the legacy he needed to rise to the top of this Mythological Zone. 

If Leonel's conjectures were correct, this meant that these Merlin Trials were even more important than he originally assumed. It was no wonder Peirce's reaction was so fierce.

There was another matter as well, though… 

The movements of the demons could have been considered to be exceptionally odd before the appearance of these trials. But, if the appearance of that pillar of light was taken into account, then it would explain everything. 

The demons had forced the humans to retreat from the Small Barracks. The result of that was the humans losing the footholds they had gained around the trial location. Due to this, it was not only easier for the demons to enter, but it had suddenly become several times more difficult for humanity to do the same…

'But isn't Merlin a hero of the humans…?'

Leonel shook his head. Even if he was, just judging by how far Maugrier had gone with his Bowman King legacy it was obvious that the Merlin Trials should be beneficial to demons as well. 

'If this is all true, then why is it that I was recalled back to Camelot…? Shouldn't we all be trying our best to reclaim the land we lost in retreat?'

As Leonel was lost in thought, the person he most wanted to see now came. He really couldn't stifle his questions anymore. 

What were the Merlin Trials really? Why were they recalled to Camelot if it was so important?

Leonel opened the doors to his residence only to find Elys on the other side. 

He was a bit surprised. He had been certain that it would be Lionus, but it was Elys instead. 

"The Prince was suddenly called by the Royal Court, so he sent me with his apologies for missing your meeting."

"Oh?" Leonel nodded. "It's not a big deal. You can come in, I do still have some questions."

Elys smiled and accepted Leonel's invitation. 

She was surprised to see just how clean and meticulous Leonel's room was. It was almost as though he wasn't living in it at all. It couldn't be said that she entered the room of men often, but she knew that even a woman's room wouldn't necessarily be so orderly. 

Of course, what Elys didn't know was that this was the product of his father's teachings. It could be said that the only reason this side of Leonel didn't show more was because of how odd the times were. He didn't really have a place to call home on Earth currently unless the Segmented Cube was counted. 

Every since Elys watched Leonel battle and kill Gorgo, she had become more reserved around him. Though she had known he was powerful after watching his battle with Lamorak, it was difficult to fuse the state he ended up in with a powerful persona. 

"You can sit anywhere." Leonel said casually. "Did you really only come here today to answer my questions? Or did you have another purpose?"

"Oh!" Elys snapped out of her thoughts. "Yes, yes. I wanted to say that you've gained a great number of merits. The death of a Demon Lord is already enough to be promoted to a Two Star Magus. But, you actually killed two. This falls just a bit short of enough to become a Three Star Magus…

"As long as you pass the standardization tests, you'll be able to raise your standing in the Mage Academy."

Leonel nodded, accepting the crystal Elys passed over to him. It likely held information about his merits and could be considered his proof.

"So about these Merlin Trials…" 

Leonel tried to steer the conversation away from this topic. He wasn't very interested in  promotion right now. At most, he'd promote to a Three Star Official Mage so that he could read the Level Nine books within the library. 

"This…" Elys' eyes went dim for a moment. "… Since you've gained so many merits, it should be fine…

"The Merlin Trials have existed even before His Majesty King Arthur established Camelot. It has picked a great many heroes in its time but His Majesty was the one who traveled the furthest down this road.

"The truth is that the Merlin Trials are separated into Minor Openings and Major Openings. This is most definitely a Major Opening. 

"Minor Openings find individuals to test while Major Openings are open to all. But, in return, Major Openings are several times more dangerous, not only because of the trials within, but also because of our fellow man…

"It could be said that all the major players of Camelot and Modred's Demon Army have all benefited from the Merlin Trials in one way or another, so it's not a chance anyone wants to miss…"

Leonel's brows knit. Could it be that Maugrier's Bowman King inheritance was the product of a Minor Opening? 

"Are there any other differences between a Minor and  Major Opening…?"

Elys shook her head. "It's too hard to tell. Normally, someone who benefitted from a Minor Opening wouldn't easily divulge this information. But, from what we do know, it should be impossible to gain the true core inheritances of Legendary Magus Merlin unless it's attained during the Major Opening…

"However, there are some clues that point toward the idea that having benefitted from a Minor Opening makes doing the same in a Major Opening easier…

"Some scholars believe that this is Legendary Magus Merlin picking out successors. He will first pick out individuals, then have them fight the masses to temper them…. 50 years ago, His Majesty King Arthur was one such person.

"The sword in the stone was his Minor Opening, and 50 years ago, he swept through the world of the Major Opening and established our Kingdom!"