"Just now… What was I thinking!? Why did I ask him to kiss me? Argh! Luna, you're so stupid!"

In her room, Luna squirmed from side to side, hugging her bolster tightly.

She couldn't understand how she could be so foolish—asking Merlin to kiss her cheek, and on top of that, making a shy, almost cat-like expression.

As a girl who prided herself on being strong, she wanted to slap herself just a few minutes ago.

After a while, the intense embarrassment finally began to fade, though not entirely.

She lifted her head and stared blankly at the ceiling.

'Am I really in love with Merlin? But… why so quickly? How could I fall for him so easily?' Luna wondered, lost in thought.

Before this, she had never believed in love. To her, no relationship was ever born from feelings—only from convenience or mutual interest.

Of course, her outlook had been shaped by what she'd seen in her parents.

On the surface, they looked harmonious and affectionate, but only Luna knew their marriage had been forced by family pressure.

Since then, she had despised engagements and arranged marriages.

At first, she had convinced herself that she could never feel love—or anything like it. Yet, unexpectedly, she was feeling it now.

And she had to admit… this feeling wasn't at all as unpleasant as she had imagined.

On the contrary, it thrilled her and made her body warm with happiness.

"Hah…" Luna let out a soft sigh as she wrapped herself in a blanket. "This… This feeling is definitely love. I… I really love him…"

A delighted smile blossomed on her face as her eyes slowly closed.

Soon after, she fell asleep, a smile still lingering on her lips.

***

Since the Grail of Time incident, Merlin had stayed at the Tharot family's house for several days.

Originally, he had planned to return to the Clay family on the fifth day after coming back from the past era.

However, Frederin and Iris forbade him. They explained that the Dragon God Festival had been moved up by order of the king.

What was supposed to start in twenty-five days had now been brought forward by fifteen, meaning the festival would begin in just ten days.

As the kingdom's most festive event after its anniversary, preparations were extensive.

As a result, the city of Dralmor and several other western cities were bustling with activity, as people decorated every corner.

Fortunately, the central government funded the decorations, so it didn't burden the Tharot family or other noble houses.

"Merlin, do you have time later? How about coming with me to the city? There's something I want to buy," Luna said excitedly, eating her breakfast.

Merlin, chewing thoughtfully, nodded slightly.

"Of course. I'll accompany you."

"Hehehe!" Luna beamed with happiness. She turned to her father and mother. "Can I go, Father, Mother? Merlin is with me, so it should be fine, right?"

Frederin could only sigh helplessly. This girl often went to the city, but now he had no reason to forbid her—Merlin was by her side.

After all, the closer the relationship between the two children, the better the ties between the Tharot and Clay families.

"I understand. You two go ahead," Frederin said, waving his right hand. "But don't forget to be careful. No one knows what might happen. Besides, the Dragon God Festival will begin soon, and there will surely be many visitors from outside the city. It's not impossible that some of them could be dangerous."

At that reminder, Merlin and Luna didn't take it lightly.

He was right—the closer the festival drew, the more strangers came to Dralmor and the surrounding cities.

Dralmor was, after all, one of the most prosperous cities. The festival here would be lively, especially with the beautiful mountain scenery as a backdrop.

James, sitting across from Merlin, smiled as he watched the interaction between Luna and Merlin.

Since their return from the past era, the two had grown closer.

Of course, as someone who had watched Merlin grow up, James was pleased.

At least his young master seemed at ease with his fiancée. Yet James couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Catrine.

If she knew how close he had grown to his fiancée, wouldn't it hurt her?

Still, James reminded himself it wasn't his concern. His lord surely had another plan—perhaps even marrying Merlin to both Catrine and Luna.

After all, having more than one wife, especially among noble families, wasn't unusual. It could very well happen in the future.

Once breakfast was finished, Merlin and Luna walked side by side out of the mansion.

Ever since Merlin had kissed Luna on the cheek, the two had grown noticeably closer—especially Luna, who clung to him like glue.

Of course, it had been awkward at first. Luna would often shy away when he approached, as if she had seen a ghost.

Everything changed, however, when Merlin began talking to her casually, as if nothing had happened.

Luna gradually relaxed, and her embarrassment slowly faded.

"By the way, what do you want to do in the city?" Merlin asked as he climbed into the horse-drawn carriage.

Luna took her seat and folded her legs. "I want to buy a weapon."

"A weapon?" Merlin raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

Luna took a deep breath, glanced around, then leaned close to his ear.

"Do you believe in something called a destiny weapon?"

"A destiny weapon?" Merlin blinked in surprise. "What's that?"

"A destiny weapon is a weapon meant for a specific person. This morning, I felt a strange, mysterious pull from the city—not a normal call, but something I couldn't explain," Luna explained seriously. "When I investigated, I realized it was the call of a destiny weapon. That's why I want to find it."

In fact, the phenomenon of a destiny weapon was extremely rare. Only a handful of people in history are known to have had one.

Several factors could trigger it, such as possessing a special bloodline, inheriting from a powerful figure, and so on.

When they were at the Avernia royal palace, Luna had inherited the bloodline of the founder of the Tharot family—a rare and remarkable lineage.

So, it made sense that her destiny weapon would be connected to that bloodline.

Meanwhile, Merlin, hearing her explanation, fell silent and sank into thought.

'A destiny weapon? If that's true… then what kind of weapon could it be?' He wondered quietly.

"[Master, the destiny weapon Luna refers to is most likely the Blazion Spear, which the main character in the novel possessed. Do you remember?]"

The system's voice snapped Merlin out of his reverie immediately.

'The Blazion Spear? Isn't that the weapon the protagonist obtained by accident?' Merlin asked, his tone serious.

The Blazion Spear was an extraordinary and mysterious weapon. In the novel, it had been the protagonist's main weapon for facing all his enemies.

Even in the latest chapter, he still relied on it as his primary weapon.

That alone gave an idea of just how powerful the spear was.

"[Master, think about it—when did the protagonist obtain the spear?]" the system asked.

'When? Isn't it…' Merlin's words trailed off as he recalled—Abel had acquired it just a few days after he and Luna left the Grail of Time.

Merlin took a deep breath. 'Your words make sense, system. The Blazion Spear must indeed be the destiny weapon Luna was talking about.'

In the novel, Abel had inherited the bloodline of the founder of the Tharot family.

Consequently, he was the one who obtained the destiny weapon. Yet the novel itself never explained that the spear was a destiny weapon.

Most likely, Abel didn't even realize it—he probably thought he had simply been lucky to find it.

"Merlin, why are you spacing out? Are you okay?"

Luna's worried voice brought him back to reality.

Merlin shook his head. "I'm fine. By the way, do you know exactly where the weapon is?"

Luna pursed her lips. "Not yet, but once we get there, I should be able to locate it with my senses."

"All right, I understand." Merlin gave a slight smile. "I'll help you."

A warmth spread through Luna, and she lowered her head, whispering softly, "Thank you…"

The horse-drawn carriage continued on until they finally reached the city center.

To avoid drawing attention, Merlin and Luna slipped out, their heads covered by black hoods.

The carriage itself was plain, without the Tharot family crest.

"Do you know where it is?" Merlin asked, adjusting his hood.

"I can sense the aura of the destiny weapon from over there," Luna replied, pointing into the distance.

Merlin nodded and took her right hand, guiding her toward the direction she indicated.

Unbeknownst to them, as they disappeared into the crowd, two men wearing strange masks appeared roughly two hundred meters behind.

"Is that them?" the man on the right asked.

The man on the left narrowed his eyes and stared in the direction they had gone. "Yes. One of them is the person we're after."

He pulled a poster from his pocket and studied the face of a handsome young boy.

If Merlin had seen it, he would have been shocked—because that face was his own.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.