Chapter 90: She Knows - II (1/2)

'I caught you' The oracle's words replayed in Merlin'seyes

'da I was careless' He rebuked hihts He didn't expect that he'd have to worry about scrying this early in the game, but he had made himself known to someone who claims to have an oracle's power, and clearly ure a way to counter that, but for no do I get out of this?'

He stood there in silence for severalat Kilo's confident expression He wondered ould happen if he just splashed her with holy water, would she sizzle like the rose wight did?

A demon who publicly flaunts its enslaved victiard for the life of others, even going so far to accuse him of murder without any evidence A plan forood one

"So, you're accusing me of murder?" Merlin asked with a shocked expression that was obviously forced, "If you truly believe I have done so withall the evidence you have to the town guards?"

The oracle's confident expression crumpled into a frown, it seemed like she just expected hiured she probably wanted to use it as a bargaining chip, or as blackame

"Perhaps you don't have any evidence that you could use to turn me in In which case, did you perhaps want to coerceto a murder I had no part in?" Merlin asked with an accusatory tone

"No part?" The oracle repeated as she stared at Merlin, and with her confident grin returning she began recounting every action that Merlin took during the assassination in great detail, including the part where he killed LordKyle and started frah you had quite a significant part in the murder of Arwell Lychester"

"Well, that's quite the i but a story, I don't see how you expect people to believe you, especially when all the evidence seems to point towards someone else" Merlin pressed the issue further "As far as the records are concerned, I had left through the northern gate earlier that day, and there are at least six people who can confirm that I was in fact north of Orchomenus around the apparent time of the murder"

"More importantly, if you believe I was the one who killed him, then what is my motive supposed to be?" Merlin asked It didn't le part of the kill, she still wouldn't have any of the context as to why he did it, which would have been a major reason for his suspicion

"From what I understood froh the kill was premeditated" Merlin pretended to think as he spoke "Surely someone who puts thatmotive, and there is someone who fits that description much better than I"

"The man you framed you mean?" The oracle asked "Yes, it was quite crafty, I will ad a oat for your crienious And while I don't knohy you decided tothat it si"

"If you truly believed me to be a villain who murders indiscri here before me without any form of protection?" Merlin asked as his eyes narrowed in on the woman's face "Unless of course, this isn't your real body?"

Merlin expected soet a surprising reaction, but it wasn't anywhere close to what he expected

Rather than the oracle reacting, it seeh she froze, there wasn't even a flicker in her eyelids However the snake that rapped around her neck, the one that hadn't moved an inch since Merlin entered the roo his words

'Interesting' Merlin thought to himself as his eyes locked onto the snake He noticed before, but the snake really did have intelligent looking eyes 'Then it's not just a case of body-snatchers Perhaps it's a parasite?'

The oracle started ain a few moments after, it was like she temporarily lost control of her body'swasn't quite right with her now

Kilo looked at Merlin with a great arown cautious of him Merlin decided that he had to break the oracle's suspicion, because he didn't knohat sort of rash actions she would do if she felt cornered

"Well, it doesn't seem like you're an illusion" Merlin spoke out loud as he stared at the oracle "So I suppose you really are here I'h to not murder you like the supposed serial killer you believe s the question, do you really believe that I am someone capable of such violent and irredeemable acts?" Merlin asked, "Or if not, what is the real reason you brought me here?"

A few h "It would have been easier for me if you just let me blackmail you This is why I cannot stand schemers"

The oracle had dropped all pretext, and had seely broken character She narrowed her eyes at Merlin, inspecting his demeanour before she explained herself "One of o find the this, a quest notification appeared before him