Nivis's eyes widened at the sound of his name.

"Merlin Clay? Are you the champion my mother told me about?" she asked, wide-eyed with surprise.

Just a few days ago, the academy held a test to identify the true geniuses among its students.

It was the first test of its kind in the academy's history, and news of it quickly spread throughout the city.

Even she, confined to this room, had heard about it.

Who would have thought that the annoying boy in front of her was Merlin Clay—the champion of the test?

"Good, you know me," Merlin said with a satisfied nod. "But honestly, Nivis Astrala, I really hated your attitude earlier."

His tone turned cold as he reprimanded her. "You were too harsh on your mother. Didn't you see how sad she was?"

Nivis's face darkened. She clenched her teeth and shot back angrily, "How could I not know? I know it very well!"

Her voice echoed through the room, but Merlin showed no fear.

He folded his arms across his chest and asked, "Then why did you treat her that way? Was it because of your illness?"

Nivis lowered her head and nodded heavily.

"Yes… it's all because of my illness," she admitted honestly. She stared at her arms and legs, marred by the throbbing black spots, and scorned herself. "If it weren't for this illness, I could have lived happily. I could walk outside like a normal person. But because of this plague, my life has become miserable. I can't accept it!"

She gasped, tears streaming down her face.

Merlin remained silent, neither scolding nor comforting her. He understood—Black Pox was truly terrifying.

Merlin's earlier words weren't meant to scold her—they were meant to start a conversation.

"I know you're sad, but that doesn't give you the right to be rude to your mother. Do you realize that her life has also been full of hardships all this time?" Merlin took a deep breath before continuing. "She is in debt for thousands of gold coins. The food shop she opened was always quiet, and she had to rack her brains just to keep it running and earn enough for your survival."

He leaned back in the chair, fixing Nivis with a steady, piercing gaze.

"Just yesterday, debt collectors—hired by the person she borrowed money from—almost took her away because she was late on her payments. If I hadn't intervened, you might never have seen her again."

Those words struck Nivis like a hammer to the head, leaving her dazed.

All this time, her mother had always come home with a cheerful smile, as if life were fine every day.

But who would have guessed that behind that smile lay such immense suffering?

She wanted to believe Merlin was lying. But a question formed in her mind: why would he lie about this?

Her chest tightened, her breathing grew heavy, and tears streamed freely down her face.

In the end, she couldn't hold back—she broke down completely.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Mom. I was wrong! Huwaaa!"

Her cries were shrill, filled with sorrow and regret. If only she had known from the start, she wouldn't have been so harsh and cold toward her mother.

She truly regretted it and wanted to apologize in person.

Watching her, Merlin exhaled deeply and sank into thought.

In his previous life, he had no parents—they had died while he was still a child.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious of those who still had parents who loved them, like Nivis.

If only he had had someone by his side, his life might not have been so difficult.

But he knew well that was fate, and he had lived his life wholeheartedly.

Meanwhile, someone like Nivis—who still had a mother who loved her—had shown such insolence.

To be honest, his chest tightened, and his anger flared.

That was why he had snapped and scolded her: to make Nivis realize her mistake before she lost the only person who truly cared for her.

Merlin didn't disturb her as she cried. He let her release all her emotions until she finally stopped on her own.

After ten minutes, Nivis had quieted, though she still hiccupped occasionally while wiping her tears.

"Are you done crying?" Merlin asked lightly, a teasing tone in his voice.

Nivis glared at him, annoyed, but there was no hatred or anger in her eyes.

Thanks to Merlin, she had recognized her mistake—and for that, she felt deeply grateful.

"Yes, I'm done. Thank you," she whispered softly. "I want to see my mother. Can you call her?"

Her guilt toward her mother was overwhelming—she wanted to apologize immediately.

But Merlin shook his head. "Not yet. There's something more important—it's about your healing."

Nivis's face froze, and her heart began to race.

"My healing? What do you mean?"

For years, she had waited for news of a cure. That hope, however, had never come, slowly fading away.

"Your healing—from the Black Pox, of course," Merlin replied calmly.

He took out the potion Tharvis had prepared and held it before her.

"This is a healing potion my friend in the alchemy department has successfully developed," he said, glancing at the bottle with indifferent eyes before handing it to her. "However, as I mentioned, it's a new potion and hasn't been fully tested. I can't guarantee that your illness will disappear completely. Do you want to try it?"

His gaze turned serious as he looked at her. Of course, his words were just nonsense.

Anything provided by the system was authentic and effective—it was impossible for the potion to fail.

He had said it only to test Nivis's determination in confronting her illness.

That way, once she was fully cured, she would never forget the hardships she had endured.

Nivis took the potion and examined it carefully.

There was nothing strange about it. The potion looked perfect, without the black spots that usually appeared on failed potions.

"What are my chances of recovery?"

Merlin paused for a moment before replying, "Forty… maybe fifty percent. Somewhere around that. Do you want to try it?"

Nivis fell silent, deep in thought. How long had she been suffering?

She couldn't even remember—maybe three or four years.

Every time she woke up, all she saw was the dull ceiling of the room. There were no activities, nothing she could do.

Let alone going out to play—she wasn't even allowed to pass through the metal door.

If she broke the rules, the nurses would scold her without mercy.

After a moment, she clenched her teeth and said firmly, "I accept. Give it to me!"

To hell with failure. As long as there was even a chance—even one percent—she would take it.

She would rather die than keep living in such misery.

Merlin nodded in satisfaction. This was exactly what he wanted to see.

He stood up and took five steps back.

"Drink it now. Don't worry—I'll be watching," he said.

Nivis nodded. She opened the lid and, without hesitation, swallowed the entire potion in one gulp.

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