Clop! Clop!

The sound of horse hooves pulling a carriage behind them could be heard.

The horse-drawn carriage headed toward the western gate security checkpoint.

After a two-minute inspection, the carriage left the city and headed west toward the capital.

Inside, Merlin sat comfortably, watching the scenery outside the window.

"Finally, we can get out of that city," he whispered with relief.

He felt that if they stayed another day or two, their identities would definitely be discovered. That was why he insisted on leaving today.

Sitting across from him, Luna stared at him carefully, as if she wanted to say something but didn't dare.

Merlin noticed this and turned his gaze to her.

"What's wrong? If you want to say something, just say it," he said calmly.

Luna swallowed, glanced at the coachman, and asked softly, "What did you do to the coachman? Earlier, he seemed to realize our identities, but suddenly he became respectful toward you. Did you cast a spell on him?"

She clearly remembered the coachman's shocked expression—full of fear and horror. It was obvious that he had realized their identities as spies wanted by everyone.

But the next second, the coachman suddenly calmed down and looked at Merlin respectfully.

To be honest, the incident was very illogical unless Merlin did something without her knowing.

Merlin was not surprised by her question.

To prevent the coachman from screaming, Merlin immediately used his hypnotic ability on him.

And it wasn't just the coachman who felt his ability, but also the man he had accidentally hit yesterday.

He made the man tell him information about the city and the layout of various inns and even asked him to hand over his money.

That was why he had enough to rent a room at an inn and buy snacks for Luna.

"Yes, I did do something to him," he answered frankly. "Why? Do you hate what I did?"

His gaze turned cold. Luna felt afraid but quickly calmed herself and shook her head.

"No, I'm not. Don't get me wrong," she clarified firmly. "I just want to know, that's all."

For her, Merlin's actions were completely justified. They were in a distant era, and she couldn't apply her own era's moral standards here.

Moreover, if Merlin hadn't used that method, they might not have survived.

Merlin's expression softened as he sighed deeply.

"I'm sure your father taught you to be cruel and decisive, right?" he asked indifferently. "All I did was survive. If there had been another way, I wouldn't have done it."

He understood that the people of this era had long since died.

All they saw now were images of the past, and even if they changed history, it would have no effect on what had already happened.

Of course, that didn't give Merlin any reason to act recklessly. If there had been a better way, he would have taken it.

But unfortunately, there was none.

Inevitably, he had to use his ability, even if it hurt others.

"You're right," Luna muttered, taking a deep breath. "I support your decision."

"[Ding! The affection of the heroine Luna Tharot increased by 7 points! Current affection: 75 points (30)]"

Merlin was not surprised by the increase in affection points.

In the novel, Luna was known as a cunning and cruel girl.

Although those traits weren't visible now, it didn't mean they wouldn't appear.

It was only a matter of time before the girl showed both sides of herself.

"By the way, system," Merlin called out. "Why did her shadow's affection decrease by ten points? Wasn't it 40 points before?"

"[That's not a difficult question. It's because you used your abilities repeatedly until Luna Tharot thought you were great and defeated you in that mask.]"

"Oh? Just because of that?" Merlin was a little surprised before chuckling to himself.

"[Actually, that's not the only reason. There are many others, such as the fact that she and you, the masked one, don't know each other well. So the bond between you two isn't very strong. Meanwhile, you are now her fiancé and have an official bond. Something like that,]" the system continued indifferently.

Merlin nodded in understanding.

"Merlin, why are you so quiet? Are you still angry?"

Luna's hesitant voice came from in front of him.

"Angry?" Merlin glanced at her with a small smile. "Why would I be angry at you?"

Luna breathed a sigh of relief. If Merlin was angry, she wouldn't know how to persuade him.

Fortunately, it was just a misunderstanding. But then she noticed something strange.

For some reason, his smile seemed so... charming.

"[Ding! The affection of the heroine Luna Tharot increased by 2 points! Current affection: 77 points (30)]"

...

"Hahaha! It's really nice to drink beer at that tavern! I drank four glasses at once!"

"Four glasses? Hahaha! That's nothing! I drank six! Hahaha!"

In the middle of the city, two drunken soldiers laughed loudly while hugging each other's shoulders.

Behind them, another soldier walked along, smiling at the foolish behavior of his two comrades.

If Merlin were here, he would immediately recognize them—the same soldiers who had stopped him in front of the inn.

The soldier walking behind the two was the one who had asked him a string of questions.

"Be careful, guys," he said with a helpless sigh. "If you're careless, you could endanger passersby."

"Endanger? Don't be ridiculous, Rudy! How could we possibly endanger anyone? Right?"

He looked at his partner beside him, who immediately nodded in agreement.

"Yes, he's right. You worry too much, Rudy! Hahaha!"

Seeing their response, Rudy gave a small chuckle and said nothing more.

Even so, he stayed alert in case his two foolish friends caused trouble.

As they walked, they passed an alley on the right side of the street.

Rudy's gaze unconsciously shifted toward the alley, and his eyes widened instantly.

"What's that?"

He stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes. There was a mysterious black shadow behind the dumpster.

Overcome with curiosity, he walked toward the alley.

His two friends didn't notice his departure until they suddenly realized they could no longer hear his footsteps.

Curious, they turned around and discovered Rudy was gone.

They exchanged glances and walked back. When they looked toward the alley, they saw Rudy crouching next to the dumpster.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let's go! Otherwise, the captain will scold us," the soldier on the right said.

However, Rudy didn't respond, making the two even more confused.

Inevitably, they approached and saw Rudy's gloomy expression.

"Hey, buddy, what—"

Before he could finish, Rudy stood up and pointed ahead.

"There's someone unconscious. It looks like he was attacked by someone else."

His two comrades were shocked. They looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, they saw a body lying unconscious with a slightly bruised face.

Their drunkenness instantly vanished, replaced by serious expressions.

"This might be a robbery case. We need to investigate it immediately."

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