Four Knights of the Apocalypse: Why Is Merlin With Arthur?

As far as The Seven Deadly Sins manga and anime are concerned, it is a well-known fact that the whole series was very popular around the world, despite the fact that a lot of people criticized it for being one of the (best or worst, you pick the word) examples of fan-service in the world of anime. Still, the series has been popular enough to merit a sequel and in this article, we are going to discuss the relationship between two characters – Merlin and Arthur Pendragon – in the Four Knights of the Apocalypse manga, as we are going to reveal why Merlin is still by Arthur’s side, despite him being a villain.

Merlin and Arthur seemingly have a mentor-and-student type of relationship

The actual nature of the relationship between Merlin and Arthur is both interesting and somewhat confusing, especially in light of everything that has happened in the Four Knights of the Apocalypse. Their relationship in The Seven Deadly Sins was clearer and the boundaries were fixed, but in the Four Knights of the Apocalypse, the situation has become a bit more complex.

It is actually unknown when and how Merlin and Arthur met for the first time, but The Seven Deadly Sins made it clear that Merlin was Arthur’s mentor, mimicking the actual relationship between the mythological wizard and Britain’s legendary king. She taught him how to read, she was there to take care of him, and in general, he could rely on her and he respected her as his mentor, someone who would be by his side at all times. As the series progressed, it also seemed that she was a motherly figure in his life, as she protected him and even shielded him from Meliodas’ inappropriate groping of Elizabeth, trying to preserve his decency.

While Arthur has shown nothing but respect for Merlin, the Four Knights of the Apocalypse have implied that Arthur has developed romantic feelings towards Merlin, which is what Guinevere accused him of. Merlin, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to share these feelings. But, whatever the true state might be, it is unclear how much of this is real because it is believed that the majority of Arthur’s story in the Four Knights of the Apocalypse is actually an illusion created via his merger with Chaos.

The current state of affairs is unclear, as we don’t know what actually happened to Merlin

Now that we have explained the basic aspects of the relationship between Merlin and Arthur, let us explain why she is still by his side.

Following a time when their whereabouts and fate remained unknown, Arthur and Merlin made a reappearance in the Four Knights of the Apocalypse. Arthur assumed the role of host for Chaos and the title of King of Chaos at some point following the Holy War. This happened sometime after he and Merlin returned to Camelot.

Due to her connection to her pupil and his chaotic state of mind, Merlin decided to remain with Arthur despite everything and followed him to Camelot, observing his grief over the deaths of his friends and allies. Even though Merlin was not under the influence of Chaos, she remained by Arthur’s side and witnessed all of the horrors. Of course, they still intend to restore Camelot, but now that he has the power of Chaos at his disposal, Arthur is prepared to wipe out everything in order to (re)create an illusion that he once held.

The fact that she remains by Arthur’s side despite him being a villain has been questioned by fans, but it has been implied that the Merlin we’re seeing is not the real one. The real Merlin was with Arthur after the war ended, but she disappeared, and according to this theory, her actual whereabouts are unknown. The Merlin we are seeing is a complex illusion created by Arthur with the help of Chaos, and if this proves to be true, it would explain why Merlin chose to stay at Arthur’s side despite him becoming a villain, and that is because it’s not actually Merlin. This raises several other questions as well, but we will leave them for another article.

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