Seeing him still standing there, Kuruv frowned and urged, "What are you doing just standing around? Hurry up and apologize to the girl!"

Lucius bit his lower lip and shot a sharp glance at Merlin.

If looks could kill, Merlin would have died a thousand times over.

Lucius stepped toward the elf girl, his face turned to the side.

"I'm sorry…"

His voice was weak, barely audible.

Merlin rubbed his ear and said casually, "What did you say? Why didn't the professor and I hear it?"

Kuruv glanced at Merlin with a meaningful look but chose to remain silent.

Lucius clenched his teeth, raised his head, and shouted, "I'm sorry!"

The elf girl stepped back in fear but quickly steadied herself and nodded faintly.

"I… accept it," she whispered.

Without another word, Lucius turned and walked away.

However, his gaze met Merlin's, as if to say, I won't let you get away with this.

Watching Lucius and his two henchmen leave in humiliation, Merlin chuckled softly.

'It's nice to see Lucius humiliated like this,' he muttered in satisfaction.

Merlin did not like the novel's protagonist, Abel. However, that did not mean he liked villains like Lucius.

Lucius was a typical spoiled child who refused to admit his mistakes and believed the world revolved around him.

When Lucius's character was first introduced in the novel, Merlin had been extremely annoyed.

He had even asked Michiku-sensei several times to kill Lucius as soon as possible.

Although his request was eventually granted, Lucius's death felt underwhelming, leaving Merlin less than satisfied.

And now, he had taken Abel's place as the child of prophecy. As such, conflict with Lucius was inevitable.

Kuruv looked at the surrounding students and scolded, "What are you all doing? Go to the academy, now!"

Startled, everyone hurriedly dispersed.

Kuruv then turned to Merlin and gave a faint smile.

"Kid, I like the courage and sense of justice you showed. You remind me of my younger days," he said with admiration. The next moment, however, his expression turned serious. "But do you realize that your actions were tantamount to suicide? Lucius Hexaris is no ordinary person. His status is extraordinary."

How could Kuruv not understand what Lucius was thinking?

The boy would surely remember this incident and plan his revenge.

Lucius might not dare act within the academy grounds, but there would come a time when the new students left the academy.

When that happened, it wouldn't be surprising if Lucius carried out his revenge.

The elf girl behind Merlin looked frightened. She clasped his hand tightly and whispered weakly, "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

She lowered her head, her face filled with worry.

Merlin smiled and was about to pat her head, but he remembered that they had no real relationship.

In the end, he withdrew his hand and said casually, "Don't worry. I'm not afraid of Lucius."

He then turned to Kuruv and nodded in thanks. "Thank you for the warning, Professor Kuruv. I'll keep it in mind."

Was he afraid of Kuruv's words? Of course not.

Lucius was indeed powerful, at least in terms of status and background, comparable to Leonard and Charlotte.

But that didn't faze Merlin at all. Lucius was from the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia, while Merlin came from the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria.

There was no need to worry about Lucius targeting his family, who were safely within the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria.

Moreover, Merlin's status as the child of prophecy meant he was under protection.

Vargan would stand by him no matter what happened.

Even if it meant starting a war with the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia, Merlin was certain that Vargan would still defend him.

Aside from his status as the child of prophecy, Merlin also held the heart of Vargan's daughter, Charlotte.

How could Vargan allow his future son-in-law to be harmed so easily?

"You…" Kuruv wanted to scold him but swallowed his words and let out a deep breath. "Fine. What matters is that I've warned you. Still, I don't want you to die so soon, so I'll give you a protective measure. Consider it a gift."

He reached into his pocket and handed Merlin a white token. It was square and no larger than a thumb.

"Break it if you're ever in danger. I guarantee I'll come to your aid. However, my range is limited to five kilometers from the academy, so make sure you're not too far away when it happens."

After handing over the token, he turned and vanished from the spot.

Merlin stared blankly at the token. Then, the next second, a wide grin spread across his face as he whispered, 'Hehehe… I got help from Kuruv! This is really beneficial!'

Kuruv was one of the supporting characters who had helped the protagonist.

Getting on his good side meant that one of the missions—to win over three of the protagonist's supporting characters—should have been completed, right?

"Mission panel," he muttered.

"[Mission triggered! Recruit three supporting characters who will become the main character Abel's primary assistants in the future! Number of supporting characters successfully conquered: 0/3.]"

Seeing the zero on the panel, Merlin pursed his lips in annoyance.

'It seems Kuruv isn't counted as a supporting character,' he muttered helplessly.

Still, that was fine. He was certain he would meet the others sooner or later.

"Um… thank you for helping me." The elf girl's voice came from beside him.

Merlin turned to her and shook his head slightly.

"It's okay. And could you let go of me?"

His gaze dropped to his right arm, which she was holding tightly.

The elf girl was stunned and quickly let go of him, then said in a panic, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to."

Merlin chuckled. "Relax. By the way, what's your name?"

He looked at the girl with curiosity. She was quite beautiful—on par with the heroines.

What set her apart, however, was her shabby and slightly messy appearance.

For some reason, Merlin's intuition told him that this elf girl was not a minor character.

The elf girl raised her head and replied softly, "My name is Monica Sael'myr. Nice to meet you. May I know your name?"

She blinked at him with a mix of curiosity and hope. The boy before her had been very kind.

When no one else stepped forward, he was the only one who defended her.

It felt like something out of a fairy tale, where a hero rescued a princess in danger.

Moreover, Merlin was very handsome—even by elf standards. His features were perfect, gentle yet firm.

And his beautiful purple eyes seemed to draw her in the moment she looked at them.

Meanwhile, Merlin frowned when he heard her name.

'Monica Sael'myr? Why does that sound familiar?'

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind, and his eyes widened in shock.

'Wait… Monica Sael'myr? Isn't that the villainess from the novel?!'

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