"[Reminder! The story has undergone a drastic change! The Master of Illusions has appeared!]"

"What? The Master of Illusions has appeared?" Merlin exclaimed in surprise, immediately sitting up in shock.

"System, you're not mistaken, right? The Master of Illusions should appear a few years from now, not this early. Besides, the others and I haven't even entered the academy yet. This has to be a mistake."

The Master of Illusions was a mysterious old woman. In the novel, she appeared only twice—once when she discovered the bloodline in Catrine's body, and once when she helped Abel, who was being chased by a powerful Eight-Star mage.

When she discovered the bloodline of the Sovereign of Winter in Catrine, she helped her awaken it completely.

Since then, Catrine grew dramatically stronger—even making Abel feel inferior at times.

The bloodline of the Sovereign of Winter was indeed extraordinary and terrifying. Catrine could make snow fall within a five-kilometer radius.

She could even freeze people into ice statues.

Even so, in the novel, Catrine still couldn't fully control her power because her awakening wasn't perfect.

If the timeline followed the novel, that event should still be two to three years away.

So why did the Master of Illusions appear now?

What was her purpose?

"[I can't be wrong, Master.]" The system rolled its eyes. "[Besides, from the start, the storyline has already been a mess. So something like this shouldn't be that surprising, right?]"

Hearing that, Merlin fell silent, feeling that its words made sense.

Even Abel himself had disappeared somewhere, and now he was considered the child of the prophecy.

So why be surprised by something trivial like this?

Once he calmed down, Merlin leaned back against the headboard again.

"Then, where is the Master of Illusions now? Has she found Catrine?"

"[Yes, she has met your sister—she's even helping her awaken her bloodline.]"

Merlin froze. Without hesitation, he took Catrine's belonging from his storage ring: her hairpin.

Before he left, the girl had asked him to take it as a memento so he wouldn't forget her.

At that time, Merlin thought Catrine was being overly dramatic. He had gone to the Tharot family with the sole intention of breaking off the engagement.

Although the outcome had turned out differently, it didn't change the fact that he hadn't gone too far.

He never expected the hairpin he brought would become useful like this.

Without wasting a second, he attached the hairpin to the back of the camera and placed his face in front of it.

Moments later, his dark view shifted entirely into the sight of a quiet cave. It was dim inside, with only a little light seeping through the cracks.

Merlin turned his face to the right, and the view inside the cave moved along with it.

Suddenly, a little girl appeared in his line of sight. She was beautiful, with long silver hair and a hairpin on the right side of her head.

The girl was none other than his younger sister, Catrine.

"Is that Catrine? And what is she doing? Meditating?" Merlin's eyebrows furrowed.

He shifted his gaze to the left. Sure enough, he saw a woman watching Catrine with an admiring and appreciative look.

The woman was old and short, with long white hair. Her face was covered in wrinkles that were hard to ignore.

She wore a black cloak that covered her entire body, except for her neck and head.

"Is she the Master of Illusions?" Merlin's heartbeat quickened.

In the novel, the Master of Illusions was described in detail—an ordinary-looking old woman with white hair, short stature, and so on.

Her most distinctive feature was a mark on her forehead, shaped like an ice flower, barely visible unless seen up close.

Although Merlin couldn't see the mark from his current position, he was certain this woman was the Master of Illusions.

Just as Merlin was observing her carefully, the old woman suddenly turned her head toward him.

Her gray eyes emitted a red glow, and in that instant, Merlin's view of the cave shattered into pieces.

Merlin quickly pulled the camera away from his face, cold sweat dripping down his neck.

"Did she notice me?" He swallowed hard.

The Master of Illusions was a powerful expert at the Ninth Awakening stage—equivalent to the first stage of the Spirit Core.

He thought he could observe longer, but it seemed he had underestimated someone as powerful as her.

"[Don't worry, Master. Although you were caught peeking, your identity is still hidden. I can guarantee that,]" the system said reassuringly.

Merlin let out a relieved sigh and rubbed his chest.

"Thank goodness. But it looks like this camera is broken." He stared at the artifact in his hand, now emitting black smoke. "Do you have a way to fix it, system?"

"[I have the tool in the system shop. But it's quite expensive.]"

"How much?"

The system paused for a moment, then replied sheepishly, "[Sixty thousand system points.]"

Merlin: "…"

That amount was enormous. But he knew there was no point in arguing with the system.

With a heavy heart, he sighed deeply. "Alright, I accept. Bring out the tool immediately."

...

"Who was that just now? How dare someone peek into the cave I'm guarding?" The Master of Illusions muttered coldly.

She looked around, making sure the intruder had already left.

Once she felt certain, she exhaled slowly—then snorted, "Whoever they are, I will definitely find them and kill them."

Her eyes flashed coldly, instantly causing the temperature inside the cave to drop even further.

...

Morning…

Merlin woke up and stretched his stiff body.

"Is it morning already? That was quick," he muttered as he rubbed his heavy eyes.

Still, he didn't stay in bed and quickly got up to take a morning shower.

After twenty minutes, he came out with a refreshed look on his face.

When his gaze fell on the table in front of the sofa, he saw many dishes already laid out—surely prepared by the servants.

Without a second thought, he sat on the sofa and ate heartily. Coincidentally, he hadn't eaten anything last night because he was too sleepy.

Suddenly, he remembered James and asked, "System, do you know where James is?"

"[It takes ten system points to search for James. Do you want to use them?]"

The corner of Merlin's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't argue and simply nodded.

"[Ding! Ten system points have been deducted!]"

"[Ding! Searching for James's whereabouts…]"

"[Ding! James is currently sleeping in his room!]"

"Oh? He's still sleeping. That's unusual for James at this hour," Merlin muttered as he glanced at the clock, which already showed seven in the morning.

Still, when he thought about it, it made sense. After all, James was always awake when driving the horse-drawn carriage that took Merlin to the capital.

Even when they stopped to rest in a city or on the road, he rarely slept properly.

As Merlin continued eating while communicating with the system, Charlotte's cheerful voice came from outside the door.

"Merlin, are you in there? My father wants to see you."

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