"Ugh…" Merlin groaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself in the underground room where he and Luna had discovered the Grail of Time.

"Are we… finally back?" he muttered with a long sigh.

He hadn't expected the journey to the past to be so nerve-wracking. In fact, he felt what he and Luna had experienced was far more exciting—and far more dangerous—than what Abel and Luna went through in the novel.

"M-mmm…" came a soft groan from beside him.

Merlin turned and saw Luna, her eyes half-open, still dazed.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Luna blinked a few times, then took a deep breath and regained her full awareness.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling weakly. "By the way… we're finally back, right? Do you know how long we were gone?"

The surroundings were a mess—the stairs to the upper floor were destroyed, and rocks were scattered around them.

Thankfully, Merlin had saved her in time; otherwise, she would have fallen victim to the trap mechanism that had suddenly activated.

"Considering we were gone for nearly two months in that world, it should have been about one or two days here," Merlin said nonchalantly.

The time ratio between the real world and that era was 1:3—one day in the real world equaled three weeks in that other world.

"One or two days?" Luna's eyes widened. "I didn't expect it to be that long. Tina, Father, Mother, and Uncle James… they must be frantic, searching for us, Merlin."

Her voice trembled with panic and worry.

Her father had only been gone a few days, and by her calculations, they should have returned the day after disappearing.

One could only imagine the chaos that would erupt when they discovered Merlin and Luna were missing.

"You're right," Merlin said, nodding. "Let's head back upstairs."

Suddenly, he remembered the Grail of Time and noticed its golden glow had vanished, replaced by a milky white hue.

"This… what happened to the Grail?" Merlin frowned.

Luna glanced at it and explained, "The Grail of Time has limited power. Once activated, it loses its strength for the next hundred years. In other words, we can't use it during that time."

"A hundred years?" Merlin raised an eyebrow. "That's… a long time."

Actually, that worked in his favor. With the Grail temporarily powerless, Abel wouldn't be able to use it anytime soon.

A hundred years was an eternity in terms of strategy. In the next ten years, Merlin might even conquer this world with his heroines.

System: "[You're too confident, but I like that, Master!]"

"Well then, let's go."

Merlin bent down as if to carry Luna princess-style but then remembered how much stronger she had become.

An embarrassed expression crept onto his face, which Luna immediately noticed.

"Why are you so quiet? Don't you want to carry me?" she teased playfully.

Merlin felt the corners of his mouth twitch. This girl had grown more mature and cunning—just like the one in the novel.

But this time, it wasn't Abel enjoying her spoiled nature—it was him.

Without overthinking it, Merlin scooped her up and leapt out of the room.

***

"Still haven't found them?"

In the living room, Frederin glared at the fifteen guards, his face dark with worry.

Their leader shook his head and replied sheepishly, "Not yet, my lord. We still haven't found any trace of Young Lady Luna or Young Master Merlin."

"Damn… where could they be?" Frederin ground his teeth in frustration.

It had been two days since they were reported missing.

Frederin had just returned from his trip yesterday and was immediately informed of their disappearance by Tina.

Panic and fear gnawed at him. Luna was his only daughter, and he loved her dearly.

Merlin, on the other hand, was his future son-in-law. His disappearance could instantly ruin the long-standing alliance between the Tharot and Clay families.

"Be patient, dear. Don't lose your temper. I'm sure they'll be found soon," Iris soothed, rubbing Frederin's broad back.

She was just as worried, but she managed to keep her emotions under control.

According to Tina, the two had vanished somewhere inside the mansion.

The guards had found no evidence of them escaping.

That meant they must still be somewhere within the estate.

Frederin took a deep breath to steady himself and ordered the guards to continue searching.

Then he turned to James, seated across from him.

"James… I'm sorry. I never meant for things to turn out this way," Frederin said apologetically.

James sipped his tea calmly and shook his head.

"It's alright, Duke Tharot. I don't blame you," he replied evenly. "I'm sure they'll come back."

Unlike Frederin, James showed no sign of worry.

Ever since Merlin had demonstrated his abilities by saving Margaret, James had no doubts about him.

Moreover, Merlin was a disciple of Linda Thalsis—the head of Saint Freya Academy and a formidable First Spirit Core.

There was no way Linda would leave her disciple without some lifesaving means or protection.

Frederin let out a deep sigh at James's calm demeanor. At least he wasn't being blamed, and that was a relief.

Just then, Tina came running toward them, her face glowing with excitement.

"Lord, Lady! Young Lady Luna and Young Master Merlin have been found!"

***

"Oops! Looks like this really is a big problem, Luna."

"You're right, Merlin. We're in trouble this time."

In the library, Merlin and Luna were surrounded by guards and maids, their faces a mix of relief, surprise, and irritation.

Merlin couldn't help but notice just how chaotic things had become after their disappearance.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed, and Frederin and Iris came running toward them.

Frederin let out a sigh of relief when he saw them, opening his mouth to speak—but before he could say a word, his wife rushed forward and hugged them both tightly.

"You two naughty children! Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried we were?" She sobbed, clutching them even closer.

Luna and Merlin exchanged helpless glances.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Luna said, rubbing her back. "Merlin and I didn't mean to disappear. We… we had an accident—"

Merlin pinched her waist, cutting her off.

'Reword that,' he whispered seriously.

Luna quickly nodded, correcting herself. "I mean… We had an unexpected incident. So please, don't cry anymore, okay?"

But Iris didn't listen, continuing to sob as she held them tightly.

After a while, Iris finally calmed down and released her embrace.

She wiped her tears, shot them an irritated look, and asked, "What exactly happened to you two? And what do you mean by an incident?"

Frederin and James glanced sharply at them, clearly urging them to speak honestly.

"It's…" Luna hesitated under their piercing gazes, unsure where to begin.

At that moment, Merlin stepped in and said, "It's a long story. How about we sit in the living room first?"

Frederin, James, and Iris agreed that it made sense.

Iris stood up and grabbed both of them by the arm.

"Don't you dare lie when you tell the story, understand? If you do, I'll spank both of your asses."

Merlin and Luna: "…"

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