"Young Master, it's me, James. May I come in?"
Hearing James' voice, Merlin was startled. He quickly disconnected from the system, moved Lyserra to his side, and slowly got out of bed.
"I'm still awake, Uncle James. Come in," he said, walking to the end of the room and turning on the light.
Clack!
The doorknob turned, and James stepped into the room.
"Sorry to disturb you, Young Master," James said, bowing his head slightly.
Merlin smiled and waved casually.
"It's okay, Uncle," he replied, heading toward the sofa in the center of the room. "Do you need something?"
James closed the door, walked forward, and sat opposite Merlin on the sofa.
"There are two things I want to discuss," James began. "First, while I was guarding the city of Dralmor, I felt a small earthquake. At first, I thought it was natural, but after investigating, it seems it was caused by a battle between powerful figures. I just wanted to make sure you're safe."
Merlin raised an eyebrow. The battle James referred to must have been Lyserra's fight with the two assassins after him.
"The battle you're talking about… I know about it," Merlin admitted.
"You know about it?" James asked, surprised.
Merlin nodded, straightening his posture. "Yes. Earlier, when I was returning home…"
He explained everything to James. The issue with the two assassins wasn't something that needed to be kept secret.
Moreover, James had come to the Tharot family mansion to protect him, so he needed to be aware of such a serious matter.
As James listened, his body stiffened. Anger surged through him, and his expression turned icy.
"Two assassins, you say? Do you know where they came from?"
The Clay family had many enemies. He knew some of them, and it was possible that one was behind this.
If that were the case, he could launch a counterattack and eliminate them.
After all, Merlin was the future of the Clay family. Directing murderous intent at him was essentially a declaration of war on the entire family.
"I don't know where they came from," Merlin admitted, shaking his head. "Lyserra came back and went straight to sleep without giving any explanation. But don't worry—I'll ask her about it later."
James exhaled deeply and nodded in understanding.
"So, what's the second thing?"
"The second thing…" James said, looking at Merlin seriously. "I just received a letter from Master. In it, he said that His Majesty the King wants to meet you. The first princess also invited you for tea."
"The king wants to meet me? And the princess invited me for tea?" Merlin was stunned.
The King of the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria, Vargan Solayne, was one of the most powerful people on the continent.
His strength was unparalleled, and no one dared challenge him.
Beyond his power, he was also cunning, with terrifying political acumen. It was said he had even killed his own siblings to seize the throne.
The previous king had been furious about it, but by then, he no longer held any real power.
All the ministers and the support of many influential parties had fallen into Vargan's hands.
In the end, Vargan succeeded in becoming king—and remained so to this day.
Yet what caught Merlin's attention most was the invitation from the first princess.
In the novel, the first princess was one of the heroines. Due to the cooperation between the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria and Abel, the relationship between him and the princess had quickly grown intense.
She had also played a crucial role in Abel's journey to power. By some measure, forty percent of his growth could be attributed to her assistance.
Now, unexpectedly, the princess had taken an interest in him and invited him for tea.
Suddenly, he remembered Abel and asked, "By the way, Uncle James, I want to ask something. Has the palace established any cooperation with a boy named Abel?"
"Abel?" James frowned and shook his head. "No, Young Master. I've never heard of any connection between the palace and a boy named Abel. Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. I'm just curious." Merlin smiled faintly and shook his head.
Abel still hadn't appeared. His fears were coming true.
In the future, the world would lack a protector capable of defeating the final boss—the Evil God Vorgrath.
"Oh, right. One more thing—I want to ask about my departure and the engagement party."
"You'll leave tomorrow. As for the engagement party, it will have to be postponed. But don't worry—the letter from Master should have already reached Lord Frederin, so you can relax."
Merlin nodded slightly and said nothing more.
Since this was his father's order, he had no choice but to comply.
'A call from the king and an invitation from the princess… This can't be ordinary,' he muttered to himself.
…
"Damn it! How could this happen? Why would a dragon get involved?"
In a dark room, a middle-aged man growled in frustration.
He wore a black cloak, the hood drawn low over his face.
If Lyserra had been there, she would have recognized him immediately—he was the same man who had sent two assassins after Merlin.
"I had calculated everything. Merlin Clay should have been captured. So why did it fail?"
He spread out a map covered in hundreds of dots. Anyone familiar with astronomy would recognize it as a star map.
This star map was an ancient artifact, said to reveal a person's fortune and destiny.
According to it, Merlin Clay had not been under anyone's protection for the past two days.
By all logic, his two men should have captured him.
But that hadn't happened. The star map had made a fatal mistake, and it was the first time such an error had ever occurred.
"This cannot be allowed," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Merlin Clay was destined to die within a few years, yet now his fate has become unreadable."
"Instead, the boy's destiny is weakening every day. This cannot be allowed. He is a pawn for the resurrection of the evil god Vorgrath. I cannot let a plan that has been in motion for thousands of years be destroyed so easily. I must act."
His eyes flashed coldly, brimming with undisguised murderous intent.
For the sake of the god's revival he had waited for, he could not allow Merlin Clay to survive.
…
Morning…
"What? You're leaving?" Luna exclaimed in disbelief.
Frederin, Iris, and James exchanged helpless glances.
Frederin and Iris, in particular, had not expected Merlin to be summoned by the palace.
Merlin and Luna's engagement party would inevitably have to be postponed again.
Frederin didn't know the exact date, but according to the letter he had received last night, it could be several years from now.
He didn't mind personally. But he feared that Merlin might fall in love with another girl and abandon his daughter.
If that happened, wouldn't it be a loss for him? And wouldn't the Tharot family lose an extraordinary prospective son-in-law?
Meanwhile, Merlin looked at Luna with a gentle expression.
He stroked her head and said, "Yes, I have to go. I'm sorry."