712 Mordred
— A Month Later - Calot Outskirt —
On the vast green pastures of Calot, shepherds of all ages—so young, so old, and so accompanied by their parents—train in the art of shepherding. They oversee flocks of sheep and various other livestock. Herding dogs bark and run around, assisting their owners in controlling the sheep, while others simply rest, lie around, or play with their owners as the sheep graze peacefully.
Amid this peaceful scenery, Daniel and Morgan take a leisurely stroll while holding each other's hands. They're talking and teasing each other like a normal couple. The scent of fresh grass, the sound of barking dogs mixed with children's laughter, and the occasional soft bleating of sheep create a soothing atmosphere for the couple as they walk side by side.
The shepherds pay no attention to the couple, as both Daniel and Morgan le Fay are dressed in simple clothes, much like ordinary villagers or peasants. They walk together along the dirt path, slowly enjoying the peaceful surroundings.
As they walk, sothing catches their attention: a girl, about ten years old, is herding a flock of sheep all by herself. She struggles but manages to keep control—until one sheep strays from the flock. She rushes after it, but by the ti she retrieves the lost sheep, the rest of her flock has scattered, so even mixing with other flocks nearby.
The girl falls to the ground, seemingly overwheld by despair.
"Uuuu… master might not let eat again… No… I… I need to bring all of them back," the girl says in a trembling voice, on the verge of tears.
Seeing this, Morgan hurried her step to the girl, followed by Daniel, who also heard what the girl said.
"Why is your master not going to let you eat? Is it because you lost his sheep flock?" The witch gently asks.
The girl turns toward the witch, she seems to be stunned at her feature. As a common peasant in this era, she's not familiar with clean clothes and beautifully combed hair. Most of the woman she saw were either quickly cleaning themselves with water from a water tub or combing and bundling it behind or on the top of their head. Taking a full bath is sothing luxurious, only affordable once a week or maybe a couple of weeks, or on a very special occasion such as getting married. She isn't familiar with the silky hair that can be beautifully combed into intricate braided hairstyles, the kind that looks artistic and enchanting, like sothing out of a fairy tale, as she sees on the woman standing in front of her.
Seeing the girl stunned and unresponsive, Morgan le Fay nudges her gently. "Hello?"
The girl startles and snaps out of her daze. She quickly composes herself, feeling that she might be speaking to a noble. Clean clothes and beautiful features are traits of nobility, and she can discern that much.
"Err… umm… Your… your ladyship. Why ship though?" she murmurs at the end of her sentence but then startles again, realizing it might be rude to mumble. "Er! No, your ladyship, I'm sorry! I didn't an that!"
Morgan le Fay lets out a light chuckle, her soothing voice calming the girl's frantic state. Daniel, standing to the side, smiles faintly, amused by the girl's behavior.
"Um… As for your question, your ladyship, my master usually just scolds and teaches . He doesn't usually deny food. It's just that yesterday, I lost a sheep from the flock, and he stayed quiet, went to sleep, and didn't let eat," the girl explains.
"Hm? Are you his apprentice? Where is your master? Isn't he supposed to be here teaching you?" Morgan asks.
"Yes… I'm his apprentice. Usually, he cos out to the pasture with to teach , but maybe he's still angry about the lost sheep. Or maybe he's sick… I don't know. But he's not here with today," the girl replies.
"Huh?" Morgan frowns, sensing sothing is off. Staying quiet in his room? Not getting up since yesterday? It's unlikely soone would skip als unless they had no money or nothing to eat, which is impossible for soone who owns a flock of sheep. He might have punished the girl by denying her food, but he should have eaten himself… unless…
"Where is your master now? Can I et him?" Morgan asks the girl again.
"He should be at ho, your ladyship. I don't know why, but Master seems to be sick. He hasn't gotten out of bed since yesterday, and this morning, he didn't greet like he usually does," the girl says.
"Can you lead to your master's ho?" Morgan asks.
"Er…" The girl hesitates, glancing at her scattered flock of sheep. If it weren't for the fact that her sheep had scattered and so had mixed with other flocks, she would have imdiately taken Morgan to her master's ho.
Seeing the girl's reluctance and her eyes darting toward her sheep, Morgan gives her a gentle smile and asks, "What's your na?"
"Er… It's… it's Morgan, your ladyship! My na is Morgan!" the girl replies.
Morgan is montarily stunned. The girl shares the sa na she is using now. "Okay, little Morgan… I'm also Morgan. Nice to et you," she says with a small, teasing smile.
Morgan then casts a spell, focusing it on her throat. In an ethereal voice, she says, "Those who belong to little Morgan's flock, return imdiately."
As soon as the words are spoken, the scattered sheep startle, even those mixed with other flocks. They imdiately run back, one by one, and sit obediently in front of little Morgan.
The girl is in awe, watching the sheep return to her like a well-oiled machine working in perfect synchrony. Afterward, she begins counting her sheep using her small hands and double-checks to make sure none are missing.
"Thank you, your ladyship. Please follow . I'll lead you to my master's ho," the little girl says gratefully before guiding Morgan and Daniel, along with her flock of sheep, toward the nearest village near the pasture.
After a brief journey, they arrived at a small house with a modest sheep pen. The house was a simple mud structure, slightly sturdier than the typical thatched huts of peasants, indicating that the owner was sowhat better off than most.
As soon as little Morgan arrived, she quickly herded the sheep into the pen and locked it before rushing into the house.
"Master! Master! A nobleman and noblewoman have co to visit our house! Please get up! Otherwise, we might get punished!" Little Morgan hurried to her master's bedroom.
"Master! Get up! Get up!" The girl tried her best to wake her sleeping master, but to no avail. Her master didn't respond, lying still without a word.
Both Daniel and Morgan le Fay heard the girl's calls and moved to the bedroom. What they saw was an old man around 60 years old, his skin dry and his thin, husk-like body causing both Morgan and Daniel to exchange alard glances.
Morgan slowly approached the old man's body. Little Morgan stopped calling for her master as Morgan le Fay checked the old man's pulse. There was nothing—no response. Judging by the rigidity of his joints, the old man had likely died in his sleep of natural causes. Due to the cold weather, his body showed no signs of decomposition yet.
"Little Morgan… I'm sorry…" Morgan le Fay hugged the girl and gently explained what had happened to her master. The old man had passed away peacefully in his sleep.
After listening to Morgan le Fay, little Morgan slowly accepted the truth. She was remarkably mature for a ten-year-old, perhaps due to the harshness of her life accelerating her growth.
"So… yesterday… It wasn't that master was punishing for losing one of his sheep. He… he went to heaven, right?" Little Morgan asked, though her words were more of a confirmation and acceptance than a question.
"I'm sorry, little Morgan… What are you going to do now? Do you have any relatives nearby?" the witch asked gently.
"No… I'm an orphan. Master picked up from my old ho several years ago… I'm alone," the girl replied.
Several years ago—based on what the girl said—it must have been during the war with the undead, the conflict that shaped Calot. Daniel glanced at Morgan, unsure if she was aware that, as a witch, she couldn't have children of her own. But he knew that Envy—or Morgan—had a fondness for children, at least from what he rembered of the future. Seeing the opportunity before them, he decided to suggest adopting the girl. Morgan le Fay also seed to have taken a liking to her.
"Since that's the case, Morgan, why don't we adopt her as our daughter?" Daniel suggested.
Hearing this, Morgan le Fay was montarily stunned before breaking into a smile.
"That's a wonderful idea, rlin!" She quickly turned to the little girl. "What do you think, little Morgan? Would you like to be our daughter?" the witch asked excitedly.
The girl was confused for a mont but then nodded with determination. She knew she couldn't survive on her own. Even if she tried, life would be incredibly difficult, and she might have to resort to theft or fall into depravity out of necessity. The girl quickly recognized this as her lifeline.
"Thank you, Father! Thank you, Mother!" the girl said quickly, afraid that the two might change their minds.
Morgan le Fay nodded but then frowned. "Hmm… there's one problem."
Her words startled the girl, who feared that the next sentence might be a change of heart. She gritted her teeth, praying that her fears wouldn't co true.
"Your na is Morgan… the sa as mine. It's confusing. How about I change your na to Mordred?" Morgan offered with a wink.
"Yes, Mother! I'll change my na!" The girl quickly agreed, her heart, which had been racing a mont ago now filled with relief. It was just a na change, after all.
But Daniel, who had been listening nearby, made a strange face. Mordred? Don't tell … His mind flashed back to the card he couldn't use yet because it wasn't the right ti—the Mordred card.
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