I woke in a familiar bed with mind and body feeling extremely refreshed and unhindered by any stress. It was like how Senya put me into sleep for several days to take off all the accumulated stress on me.

I am certain that the dream I just had was out of this world. Certainly, Merlin has all sort of conventional power, however, taking me away from my dream world and waking up inside my dream in a place called Avalon, I am still in a daze.

The morning sun stowed away by the dying twilight hasn't peaked yet and the forest is dim. This is where I realized that I was sleeping on SS Iowa and this is Merissa's room but no Merissa to be found.

It was an unruly room with pieces of scraps here and there, showing evidently that Merissa hasn't cleaned her room for months or something. The smell wasn't putrid or anything, it was in fact, reek grease though...

Looking back at what Merlin tried to do to me inside my dream, my face becomes hotter and I got a bit furious.

"Ah. that damn wimp! I'm gonna sludge his face with my knuckles too here in the real world when I see him!"

I pounded on the pillow with utter rage to help me alleviate this brewing displease inside of me.

After five minutes of pounding, thrashing, and throwing the poor pillow, I exhausted myself and fell back into the bed, albeit working up a bit of sweat.

I don't know what's going to happen from now on. I am unsure on how I will approach things connecting to my mother, to this body's true power and nature, and to, not to boast but, my ability to charm people of both sexes.

I mean, no matter how you look at me, I look like around eleven years old or twelve years old max...though I am twenty years old.

I never smelled myself reeking with sweat and as everyone describes, I smell like a flower all year round. Higanbana even mentioned one time that I smell the best in the morning as if I am newly born dew out of a flower.

......

With hesitation, I raise my arm and tried sniffing myself, especially my armpit.

"A very interesting way to inspect one's self. Such action has its own merits."

"Wah?!"

My whole body jerked up from the bed before turning to my right. As my face twisting into a frozen smile while my whole face grew hot, I found Daisy, or rather from the demeanor and the commanding voice, King Arthur.

He was sitting there on a wooden stool with Caliburn leaning on a wall beside him. His gaze is full of curiosity as he intently watches me.

"How...long have you been there...?"

"Since you woke up."

Realizing that he saw every stupid thing that I did, my face reached a boiling point of embarrassment I could only shy away by raising a pillow on my face for him not to see!

"I can see why Merlin took a liking to you. Even with my plethora of words to describe a woman or a girl, you nonchalantly exceed any beauties I have encountered so far."

"Say, could you stop that guy from harassing me?"

"Sadly, that cannot be done."

"Eh? Why is that? Is it because of this and that between the two of you?! Or something along the line that you disowned him?!"

"Disowned? In our case, Merlin would be the one doing the disowning but I doubt the man of his caliber would do something disgraceful. Speaking of which, did Merlin took you anywhere out of ordinary or any relatable event?"

"...Well, he brought me in Avalon inside my dream."

"Ah, that's the charmer right there. He always uses that to woo women and sway their hearts. Were he able to do that to you, I wonder?"

"Buh?! N-No! Of course not! And what's with you too? Do you think someone with a body of a child will catch anyone's interest?"

"Merlin probably. After all, he has a huge range of preferences when it comes to women. Why would age matter to him?"

Crap!

I dodged a bullet there!

I am not saying that I got a little bit attracted when I felt his oddly lean but strong muscles or when his face got serious and it brought out a charm I have never seen before!

No, definitely not!

"Well, Merlin's number one rule is always consent. As long as you decline, he will never attempt anything else."

"Yes, he asked me for it."

"So he did attempt. Although I have high regards for Merlin, I always kept in the back of my mind how he tormented me from time to time."

"So, I fail to see the respect there."

"I equally respect and detest him."

I inevitably sigh at the remark. At the back of my head, I want to retort something snarky and Merlaughs but I kind of know where he is pulling those words.

"King Arthur...I can already see the similarities between us!"

"I hate to admit but...we are pretty much in the same boat."

"I know, I know! People around me have this weird perception of me, always making fun of me whenever there is a chance!"

"I think you meant they love teasing you at every possible time. Though, for me, it has always been the Knight of the Round Table that inconveniences me. Do not get me wrong, they are my reliable allies, however, they tend to do antics way beyond tolerable."

Stolen novel; please report.

"I have a master who is a sage! He gave me once heck of training, drilling everything into my skull and going overboard with everything!"

"Merlin is my mentor in swordsmanship. You can guess how detestable my days were."

Uwaah...

That's another form torment if you ask me.

"But, enough with the small chatter. I have something important to ask."

"This sudden seriousness..."

"Do you happen to know where Merlin is right now or if he mentioned anything about going anywhere?"

"No, we just parted ways at my dream. Is there something wrong?"

"Usually, Merlin, if he were missing, would on a prowl to drink alcohol or chase women."

"What are the possibilities?"

"At our current situation, I doubt he'd fool around like that."

"Is there any significant reason he'd go missing? It hasn't been hours since we last spoke, though inside my dream."

"That's where the problem lies. Merlin has visited Avalon. I doubt he visited it since my death. I want to be clear about something. Do you know any reason, even if just the slightest, what Merlin is up to?"

I certainly do not have any idea about Merlin, much less, his course of actions. For me, Merlin is already a mysterious entity that suddenly appeared before us at specific circumstances. Even though he said that his power or magic is useless in fighting, which I doubt, I never know the extent of his power or any of his abilities, other than he can freely manipulate the space around us.

I openly admitted to Violetta that Merlin, even with her full power, could be equal or greater in terms of full capacity. I doubt Merlin also falls behind in the intelligent department, or rather, he is someone who can easily see through lies and could lie at face value.

"Merlin only told me that he was sticking close to me because I was constantly releasing divine energy and he feeds off from it."

"Divine energy? Are you perhaps...something like the effect of the Holy Grail?!"

"Eh?! No, I am not something grand as that!"

King Arthur rushes to me and grabs hold of my face, squeezing tightly on my cheeks while pulling me towards his face, specifically, Daisy's face.

"Unlike Merlin, I cannot perceive the presence of the spirits. Fairies are visible as long as they voluntarily show up themselves in our sight. However, you, as close as possible, emits that warm sensation."

"Must be the blood rushing into my face!"

Crap!

I don't have to mention this but Daisy's countenance is pretty cute.

From the Lion Clan, beautiful beast kin with rounded ears and brilliant blond hair the grows past her hips, her deep blue eyes filled with haughtiness, and her tail that indicates her mood.

She doesn't fall behind with Higbananba, Casablanca, Hibiscus, Topaz, and even Mimi in terms of still immature but already looks amazing template.

Of course, getting stared hard a girl like this would make my face boil.

"I guess it is, however, If Merlin did say that, I doubt there is any lie to it. What I'd like to know now is why he needed such energy in the first place."

"That's also something I do not know."

"My apologies for troubling you. As much as I'd like to turnover this body to its rightful owner, for now, her consciousness is still in a rather...pouty mood...just now."

"Do I have to remind you that your current host is a maiden with a fragile sense of distance with people?"

"Up until this day, I can never hope to understand women's feelings. Guinevere was a splendid queen that did her best to support me, however, I was inadequate as a man..."

"......"

In the legend, King Arthur's wife, Guinevere, was an ordinary woman. It means that while the man, King Arthur Pendragon was capable and steadfast as a king to an abnormal degree, Guinevere was only a woman with hopes and dreams of a girl.

Sir Lancelot was able to garner her attention and likewise, the girl returned the feelings, entering a forbidden relationship.

Everything about King Arthur started spiraling down to the ground. Sir Lancelot and Sir Mordred had done him a great disservice ending the tale of King Arthur as he was gravely wounded in the Battle of Camlann and died later on.

"Anyway, King Arthur, we should out for now and see the situation."

"I have already heard about what happened yesterday. We cannot further delay the strategic meeting. No, we do not have any time for the meeting. The wisest decision Queen Hinoki can make should depend on her remaining forces, resources, and current topography."

"You won't give Queen Hinoki any strategic insight?"

"I will not. This is not the kind of world that I grew in nor I have the place to give a say on its affair. I will only move accordingly to this girl's desire."

"She desires peace."

"She doesn't."

"...What does that mean?"

"Do you want me to divulge her secret then?"

"Eh? No! But...I understand..."

If it is something so personal, I won't make any pursuit.

"Wait, how do you know about that?"

"Because I can dive into her memories. It is a bit intrusive but it was the only way I can gather information about this world. She is studious so there's plenty to learn. She is also very dil--"

Before King Arthur finishes his word, he froze in an instant. After a second, as if there was a gear that clicked, Daisy takes over the body!

"What the heck are you saying you, idiot!? Who told you to say anything about me and what I do?!"

"Umm...Miss Daisy...King Arthur hasn't said anything too revealing!"

"That's not what I am..."

Because Daisy was in a screaming spree for denying some things we didn't do, albeit she is self-destructing, she leans her face closer and closer until there's only an inch between our noses

Realizing that there's little distance between the two of us, our faces flared up.

"T-Too close..."

"Ah...M-my bad...I shouldn't have shouted at you. I have shown you something so disgraceful..."

What...what kind of a cliche romantic comedy is this?!