"Damn elf! Get away from me!"

Merlin and Luna flinched at the voice.

They turned to see a twelve-year-old boy standing there, glaring at a ten-year-old elf girl who had fallen in front of him.

The boy had short silver hair and piercing red eyes and carried an air of arrogance that matched his expression.

The elf girl, small and delicate, had blonde hair, green eyes, and sharply pointed ears.

Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, yet so innocent it seemed doll-like.

But her appearance was marred by her condition. Her clothes were wrinkled, dirty, and torn in several places.

She looked utterly out of place among the other students, who wore elegant, well-kept uniforms.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!" She stammered, rising slowly and trying to brush off his clothes, only for him to shove her away.

"Don't come near me! You're disgusting!" The boy snapped, his face twisting in anger and disdain.

The elf girl froze, shocked by his harsh words, but she dared not show her own anger. She bowed her head and kept apologizing.

Yet he seemed determined to humiliate her further.

With a smug smile, he crossed his arms and taunted, "You're a lowly elf. How dare you bump into me?"

His words struck her like knives, cutting deep into her heart.

"And you think you can apologize so easily? Do you really think you deserve forgiveness?" The boy sneered, his expression full of arrogance.

Those who witnessed the scene frowned in displeasure.

Even though they were humans, humiliating a member of another race so cruelly was still wrong.

However, no one dared to intervene. Judging by the boy's appearance, he was clearly no ordinary person.

Moreover, a star-shaped badge was pinned to his right chest—the symbol of the royal family of the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia.

It was obvious that the boy was of royal blood, and no one had the courage to reprimand him for his harsh behavior.

"I-I'm sorry! Please don't blame me anymore! I really didn't mean to do that…" The elf girl pleaded in a hoarse voice.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him with fear.

"Hehehe…" The boy let out a playful laugh. "Fine. I'll forgive you."

Hearing that, the sadness on the girl's face faded, replaced by a flicker of hope.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, I'm not lying. However…" The smirk never left his face as he continued casually, "You have to kneel in front of me, admit your mistake, and beg for my forgiveness. Hurry up and do it."

He stepped forward and extended his right foot, as if expecting her to kiss it.

The girl froze at his words. Anger flared within her at the unreasonable demand, yet fear left her unable to resist.

Tears streamed down her face as she bit her lower lip and began to kneel before the boy—when a cold voice suddenly broke the tense atmosphere.

"Isn't this excessive? You're humiliating her in front of everyone. Do you really want to embarrass our race in the eyes of others?"

Both the boy and the elf girl were startled. They turned to the side and saw a handsome youth approaching with his hands clasped behind his back.

He was tall, with silvery-white hair and purple eyes that gleamed like sapphires.

Dressed in a black robe, he radiated an oppressive presence that made the boy shudder unconsciously.

However, once the boy recalled his own identity, he quickly regained his composure and glared arrogantly at the newcomer.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The newcomer—Merlin—stepped in front of the elf girl and fixed the boy with a cold stare.

"You don't need to know who I am," he said calmly. "But I won't tolerate you treating a member of another race like this. Apologize to her."

On his first day, Merlin never expected to run into the most troublesome person of all—Lucius Hexaris.

And Lucius was no ordinary troublemaker. As a member of the royal family of the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia, his status placed him above almost everyone else.

He was the fifth prince, dearly favored by both his father and siblings.

That indulgence had shaped him into someone hot-tempered, arrogant, and utterly dismissive of others—especially those he deemed beneath him.

In the novel, Lucius frequently sought trouble with Abel. This was because he was infatuated with Catrine and wanted her to belong to him, no matter the cost.

However, as was often the case in the story, anyone who challenged the main character was destined for a tragic end.

Lucius was no exception. In the fifth volume, he was ultimately killed by Abel, an event that directly provoked the wrath of the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia.

Unfortunately, Abel could not be arrested, as he was under the academy's protection.

Even in the latest volume, the conflict between the two sides continued.

Without waiting for the final volume to be released, Merlin already knew the future fate of the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia—destruction.

Lucius seethed at Merlin's words. He pointed at him and shouted, "Who do you think you are, daring to challenge this prince? What, are you her protector? Or do you fancy this shabby elf girl? If that's the case, then you've made an enemy of me!"

Although Merlin was far taller than him, Lucius showed not the slightest hint of intimidation.

Merlin narrowed his eyes and replied coldly, "I only asked you to apologize. Didn't you hear me?"

Lucius growled in irritation. Without warning, he spread his palm, and a ball of fire formed in his right hand.

In the next instant, he hurled it toward Merlin's side.

Everyone was stunned, never expecting Lucius to be bold enough to attack him.

Just as they thought Merlin would be hurt, he casually swatted the fireball away, as if brushing off a mosquito.

Lucius froze, then staggered back several steps in fear.

"H-How did you do that?"

He was certain he had cast the spell in secret.

Moreover, it was a low-level fire magic with an extremely fast casting time—less than a second.

He never expected Merlin to block it so effortlessly.

"Apologize to her, or I will take harsher measures against you," Merlin warned.

At those words, Lucius's anger flared once more.

He spread his palms, and two balls of lightning formed, quickly shaping themselves into lightning spears.

With a furious roar, he leaped toward Merlin. "Die!"

"Be careful!" the elf girl cried, rushing forward—but Merlin had already sidestepped the attack with ease.

"What?" Lucius froze in shock.

Before he could react, Merlin struck him with a powerful blow.

Bang!

Lucius was sent flying over twenty meters before crashing heavily onto the ground.

"Ouch!" he groaned, clutching his aching back.

Tears welled in his eyes as he pointed at Merlin, his face twisted with hatred. "You've asked for death! Just wait—I'll repay this a hundred—no, a thousand—fold!"

"Your Highness!"

Two adult men rushed out from the crowd, their faces filled with worry, and ran to Lucius's side.

"Are you all right?" the man on the left asked anxiously.

"Ouch!" Lucius snapped, grimacing in pain. "Don't touch my back! It hurts, you bastard!"

The man panicked and quickly pulled his hand away.

But that only caused Lucius's body to slam back onto the ground, drawing another pained groan from his lips.

"Ouch! It hurts! You useless piece of trash!" he cried as he writhed in agony.

Then he pointed at Merlin and shouted hoarsely, "Kill him! Kill him right now!"

The two men stiffened. They turned to look at Merlin but did not dare to move.

It wasn't fear that stopped them—acting here would be no different from suicide.

This was the territory of Saint Freya Academy, a neutral ground.

Even as palace members of the Arcadia Magic Kingdom, they couldn't act recklessly or commit murder.

"Your Highness, if we do that, the city guards will execute us," one of them said in a grave voice.

Lucius clenched his teeth, forced to admit that the man was right.

After a moment, another idea surfaced in his mind.

"Then beat him half to death!" Lucius roared. "I want him to suffer!"

The two men hesitated again, but refusing would only further enrage the prince.

Finally, one of them stepped forward and fixed Merlin with a cold stare.

"Kid, don't blame me for teaching you a lesson," he said icily. "You injured the prince, so you must accept your punishment."

Merlin showed no fear. He calmly met the man's gaze and murmured, 'A Seven-Star mage, huh? Impressive. But not enough to intimidate me.'

His level was indeed only at the Fifth Spirit Core, equivalent to a five-star mage.

However, over the past two years, he had refined not only his level but also his knowledge and combat skills.

Thus, even when facing a Seven-Star mage, he felt no fear at all.

"Merlin, do you need my help?" Luna's worried voice echoed in his mind.

Merlin shook his head. "No need. I can handle it."

Luna said nothing more. She trusted Merlin's strength.

Just as Merlin and the man were about to clash, a cold voice descended from the sky.

"Who dares cause trouble in the city of Brindel?"

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