"System, what's going on? Why are you throwing golden pots at me like this? Are you broken?" Merlin asked, utterly confused.

Two hidden missions had been triggered just like that, leaving Merlin feeling as if he were dreaming.

"[Master, you're really cruel! Am I incompetent in your eyes?]" The system complained, clearly dissatisfied.

"Ahem! It's not like that, but these rewards came out of nowhere—I can hardly believe it," he admitted honestly.

"[Humph! Glad to hear it. Don't worry, those two hidden missions really exist, and you completed them,]" the system explained.

Merlin said nothing more. A chunk of gold was delivered to his house.

How could he possibly refuse?

He examined the two hidden missions carefully.

'Connecting Charlotte with Calystron? I didn't expect my actions to trigger a hidden mission I didn't even know existed,' he murmured softly.

Well, the system would never mention hidden missions in advance. Still, he had to admit—the reward was impressive.

"Oh, right, system, what's the use of the Evil Spirit Repelling Talisman?" Merlin asked.

"[Can't you read the description yourself?]" The system rolled its eyes.

Merlin coughed awkwardly and quickly opened the item's description.

"[Evil Spirit Repellent Talisman (Legendary): An item that removes evil spirits from a person's body. It can also destroy evil souls attempting to possess another person. Note: This item is not disposable and can be used three times a month. Cooldown: one month.]"

After reading it, Merlin took a deep, awed breath.

'This item is truly incredible,' he murmured softly.

Evil spirits were among the mysterious entities in the novel The Lost Hero.

If he remembered correctly, there was an arc where an evil spirit tried to possess Catrine's body.

Fortunately, the main character had managed to stop it.

Abel's dialogue with the heroines had also mentioned that people affected by evil spirits were extremely difficult to cure.

Unless someone possessed a special item or a gold-level healing potion with over ninety percent purity, removing an evil spirit was almost impossible.

'Tsk! This luck is unbelievable. Is it all because I received a blessing from Calystron? If so, its effect is far stronger than I expected,' he whispered, a note of happiness in his voice.

Accepting the royal family's invitation had not been in vain.

Not only had he gained Calystron's blessing, but he had also made the dragon his ally—and acquired extraordinary luck in the process.

Of course, one of the sources of this luck was Charlotte. He made a mental note to thank that beautiful girl later.

Merlin's gaze then shifted to the other hidden mission.

"The Awakening of the Dragon Maiden, huh? Is that a new title for Charlotte, system?" he asked.

"[Yes, Master. It's a new title for the heroine Charlotte.]"

'Even in the novel, there was nothing like this. My appearance has really messed up the plot,' Merlin whispered, sounding helpless.

But he felt no regrets. In the novel, Charlotte hadn't gained much personal benefit from helping Abel rise—and now, thanks to him, things had changed.

Well, helping Abel was her duty—but a duty without reward was pointless.

In terms of benefits from being part of the protagonist's harem, Charlotte had lost the most—aside from Luna, of course.

However, what happened in the novel wouldn't necessarily happen in the real world.

Charlotte would surely rise to become a powerful figure, just like Luna, who had inherited the bloodline of the Tharot family's founder.

'I'm truly their lucky star,' he said, praising himself.

System: "..."

"System, what's with that expression? Do you disagree?" Merlin pretended to be dissatisfied.

"[It's nothing. I was just watching a butterfly fly by. Don't get the wrong idea.]"

Merlin rolled his eyes. The system clearly thought it could fool him—but it couldn't.

Turning his attention to the second hidden mission reward, he grew curious about the Azryon Dragon Sword. "System, what does the '+' sign on the sword's legendary status mean?" he asked.

"[It means the sword has the potential to grow stronger.]"

Merlin froze. "Grow stronger? Are you saying this sword can actually reach mythical level?"

"[Yes, it's possible. However, the sword isn't complete yet. To upgrade it, you'll need to find its missing part.]"

Merlin was speechless. In his entire life, he had seen only one Mythical-level artifact—and that was the Grail of Time.

Actually, his Primordium Twin Daggers were also at the Mythical level—no, even higher.

Unfortunately, he didn't know if anything existed above the mythical level.

Once he calmed down, Merlin opened the sword's description and read it.

"[Azryon Dragon Sword (Legendary+): A sword capable of splitting mountains and oceans at its peak power. Forged from the flesh and scales of a dragon god long ago, it has since been shattered and lost half its strength. Note: Only those who have obtained the power of the Dragon of Light, Calystron, can wield this sword.]"

'It's clear this sword is meant for Charlotte,' he whispered weakly.

He had received Calystron's blessing—but not his power.

It wasn't that he didn't want it, but he already had Lyserra by his side. What use would Calystron's power be to him?

So, this sword truly was destined for Charlotte.

"Well, that's fine. I'm not a sword user anyway, so this works out perfectly for her," he said casually.

After checking the other missions, he closed the panel and looked up—only to find Vargan staring at him with a peculiar expression.

"Um… Your Majesty, is something wrong?" Merlin asked awkwardly.

Vargan looked away and shook his head. "It's nothing. I just saw you smiling to yourself and thought… maybe you were sick or something."

Merlin felt a flush of embarrassment. Come to think of it, no one else could see the system panel—only him.

No wonder people would think he was crazy, waving his fingers around in the air.

"Ahem! Anyway, let's head back, Your Majesty," he said, changing the subject.

"Back?" Vargan looked surprised. "No, I can't leave yet. I have to wait for my daughter first."

Although Merlin's earlier explanation had calmed him somewhat, his concern for his daughter's safety hadn't faded.

"There's no point in waiting, Your Majesty," Merlin said softly with a sigh. "Charlotte won't be coming out for the next seven days."

At the same time, he glanced to his left, where a panel appeared in his line of sight.

"[The Dragon Maiden's Awakening Status: 7% (Estimated completion: seven days)]"

...

Before he realized it, time had flown by. It had already been seven days since Merlin left the Hall of Offering.

During that time, Vargan arranged various activities for him, including training and other preparations.

Since Merlin had been invited to the palace specifically for training, Vargan had no intention of wasting such limited time.

Merlin, on the other hand, didn't complain about the arrangements.

On the contrary, he welcomed them wholeheartedly.

After all, opportunities like this didn't come twice.

Merlin remembered that in the novel, Abel had received special training from powerful figures in the palace for an entire month.

So even with only seven days, Merlin had no intention of wasting them.

Aside from training, he also spent his time reading books in the library.

Unlike the libraries of the Clay or Tharot families, the royal palace library was enormous and filled with remarkable books.

Considering the Solayne family's long history, this wasn't surprising.

"Tsk! If only I had more time. Maybe with a whole month, I could finish reading everything here," Merlin muttered regretfully.

But he knew that was impossible. The academy's invitation letter should arrive within the next few days.

When that happened, he would have no choice but to return to his family's mansion.

"[Finish all the books? Master, are you hallucinating? Just look at those shelves—there are probably more than five hundred of them! Would a month even be enough? Tsk! You're being unreasonable,]" the system teased.

Merlin: "…"

He was just using a hypothetical, alright? Why was the system so dense that it couldn't even tell?

Too lazy to argue with it, Merlin closed the last book he was reading and stretched lazily.

"Charlotte should be coming out today. Do you think she'll succeed in obtaining Calystron's power, system?" he asked.

"[Considering she's a heroine, she should be able to,]" the system replied casually.

Merlin nodded in agreement. While he was still immersed in his conversation with the system, something unexpected suddenly happened.

A golden panel appeared before his eyes.

"[The Awakening of the Dragon Maiden Status: 100% (Perfect)]"

"Oh?" Merlin was briefly surprised, then smiled. "So it's finally done."

Just as the system had estimated, Charlotte's awakening as the Dragon Maiden was completed today.

That meant he could return home after saying his goodbyes to her.

"Alright, let's head to the Offering Hall," he muttered.

Without much thought, he rose from his seat and walked out.

However, before he had taken even five steps, the ground beneath him shook violently.

At the same time, a dazzling golden light illuminated the sky outside the palace. Startled, Merlin hurried out of the library.

When he looked up, he saw a massive avatar of the Dragon of Light soaring into the sky, its enormous wings spread wide.

Roar!

The thunderous roar shook the royal palace, sending servants and guards alike collapsing to the ground in fear.

The corners of Merlin's mouth lifted as he whispered proudly, "I knew it—I really am the lucky star of heroines. Hahaha…"

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