Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 970: Merlin’s Intentions

Complaints were complaints, and grumbling was grumbling, but once Altroufe accepted a task, she would see it through properly—otherwise, she wouldn't be the leader of the organization.

After quickly adjusting her mood, the black-clad princess placed her pet on the ground and clapped her hands.

"Let's pause the argument between old friends for now and settle the important matters first. Mr. Merlin, how do you prove that Len is helping you voluntarily?"

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"That's easy; you can ask her yourself. I utilized the special abilities of a nightmare demon to connect through a dream—right now, I'm just a part of her dream. I'll disappear and wake her up."

As he spoke, the white mist, fragrant with flowers, that had enveloped Len began to fade, and the image reflected in her eyes disappeared. A few seconds later, Len's eyes regained clarity.

Still in its magical cat form, Fou scampered over, waving its little paw in front of Len's face, and then let out a couple of "Fou" sounds. It was asking her something—being the self-proclaimed creature that hates Merlin the most in the world, it wouldn't miss any chance to take a jab at him.

Len lightly nodded, and Fou's ears drooped immediately. There was no need for a translation; it was obvious that Merlin hadn't lied this time, and Len had indeed helped him voluntarily.

But the strong and resilient Fou wasn't about to give up so easily. Its "Fou-fou" cries became more and more urgent, insisting that Merlin was a big liar, a bastard, and should be avoided at all costs to prevent being tricked.

In response, Len simply opened her mouth and exhaled a puff of white mist, similar to the one that had appeared when Merlin manifested.

The white mist swirled and condensed, forming a faint human figure.

It was a girl, about the same height and build as Altrouge, dressed similarly in a simple black dress, though in a more modest style. Her long blue hair fell to her waist, and she wore a large black bow on her head, giving her a very cute appearance.

Upon seeing the girl, Arcueid gasped in surprise and said, "Len, can you appear in this form in the real world now?"

The white mist continued to roll, and a writing board materialized in the girl's hand, with a large "Yes" written on it.

This girl was Len's true form. Previously, she could only appear like this in dreams, while in the real world, she was always a black cat. But now this restriction seemed to have been lifted, for obvious reasons.

"Was it Merlin?"

Altroufe asked.

"Yes."

Len flipped the board over.

"Payment."

From what Merlin had said earlier, it wasn't hard to deduce that he had offered to teach Len in exchange for borrowing her body temporarily. Given that Merlin was one of the most famous nightmare demons in the world and had lived for a long time, teaching Len, a newly-born nightmare demon, would be an easy task for him.

"Hmm, so you still can't speak in this form?"

Altroufe continued her questioning.

"Practice, material form, possible."

The board flipped again, meaning that with more practice, she'd be able to condense a true physical form and speak—seems that Merlin was indeed taking good care of her.

"In that case, it's not entirely unacceptable. At least it's beneficial for Len's growth. And in this form... you look more like my sister than the fool over there. Why don't you just forget about that idiot and follow me instead?"

"Altrouge! Are you looking for a fight?"

Arcueid snapped.

"Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

With Fou by her side, Altroufe was feeling bold.

"Princess, please settle down. Merlin's issue hasn't been resolved yet," Brad quickly reminded them.

"Oh, right."

Arcueid slapped her forehead.

"Len, switch back."

The white mist swirled and, once again, the air filled with the scent of flowers as the image of Merlin, dressed in flowing white robes, reappeared.

While Len could only create visual representations, Merlin could affect all senses—sight, smell, and hearing—showing his mastery in this area.

"Ah~ My beautiful ladies, I wasn't lying to you, was I? Can you let me leave now? I have something very important to do."

"Oh? What important thing do you have to do?"

Altrouge smiled and stood directly in Merlin's path.

"Uh... it's a personal matter..."

Merlin stammered, his eyes darting about.

"I've heard that Mr. Merlin's clairvoyance allows you to see any corner of the world. Surely you know why we're here. If you can't give me a satisfactory reason, I'm afraid I can't let you go. If you find it inconvenient to tell me, you can tell Fou—Cath Palug instead."

"I'd rather talk to a beautiful lady than a magic cat."

Glancing at the eager Fou, Merlin quickly gave in.

"Well, I came for Artoria. She finally has an opportunity to experience love like a normal girl, and I want to watch over her up close."

"Fou—Fou—(I don't believe it. You don't need to come out just to watch)!" Fou continued its role of undermining Merlin.

"I don't just want to watch; I want to secretly help her. Artoria is a bit clumsy in love, and the person she likes is as attractive to women as I am. Without my help, she'll probably fail very quickly—probably."

"Is that so? And her rival in love is standing right here."

Altrouge glanced at Arcueid with a mischievous smile.

"Hey, someone's eyeing your man."

"Oh."

Arcueid's expression remained blank.

"I said, someone's trying to steal your man!"

"I heard you."

"And you're not angry?"

"I'm not angry. As long as Shinji likes me, he's free to like anyone else."

"You—then why did you hit me before?"

"Except you."

"You—!"

Altroufe was furious.

"Um, can I leave now?"

Merlin asked timidly.

"Absolutely not!"

"Why?"

"You know very well. Both major counterforces are involved in this Holy Grail War. Leaving you unchecked introduces too many variables. If you want to support King Arthur's romance, I won't stop you but do it under our watch. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude—"

As Altrouge spoke, she subtly moved her fingers. The night breeze by the riverside instantly stopped, and the constantly shifting white mist around Merlin also froze in place.

"This is—!"

"I may not have the marble phantasm, but I've studied mental energy quite extensively and know how to target dreams. Your true body might be beyond my reach, but as for a dream, that's a different story!"

This was Merlin's only real weakness. As a nightmare demon, his true body resided in dreams, and no matter what happened to his physical form in the real world, it didn't matter. However, if someone had the ability or a treasure specifically designed to target dreams, it could cause him significant harm.

"Fou, now's your chance. He has a physical form."

"Fou—"

Fou immediately perked up and pounced toward the large tree by the riverbank.

"Stop, you magic cat! I took care of you for so long, surely that counts for something!"

"Hey, didn't you hear me? Stop!"

When Fou ignored him, Merlin changed tactics.

"We can talk this out. How about we consider how cute I made your friend?"

"Fou—"

That only made Fou climb faster.

"I know what you're thinking, but she's still young and still has room to grow. When she's fully developed, she'll be just as beautiful and well-endowed as your current master."

"Fou—!"

Fou's ears twitched, clearly intrigued.

Merlin, sensing he was getting through, was about to push further when Altrouge coldly snorted, "Oh, so that's the type you like?"

The chill in her voice made both experienced tricksters' hair stand on end. Fou didn't dare hesitate and scrambled to the top of the tree as fast as it could.

And then—

"Fou—Fou—Merlin Special Attack!"

Spinning Piercing Self-Destruct Dog, Super Fou Missile!

"GUAAAHHH—"

With a miserable cry, Merlin was knocked flat on his back.