Klein's patience had run out. The woman in front of him was clearly toying with him, treating him like a clown.

"Hah…" Merlin exhaled deeply and glanced at him calmly. "There's no need to make threats like that. We didn't come here to disrupt the peace of Dunvale."

Klein's gaze immediately locked onto Merlin. From the very beginning, he had been suspicious of the boy.

He looked handsome and well-kept, nothing like a refugee child struggling to make a living in the city.

Just as Klein was about to act, footsteps echoed from the doorway.

A man in a silver robe appeared, his face flushed as if he were suppressing his anger.

Seeing the man arrive, Klein quickly straightened his posture and bowed respectfully.

"Welcome, Mayor's Advisor," he greeted politely. "Why did you come so suddenly? If you had informed me earlier, I would have welcomed you properly."

The man before him was the highest authority in Dunvale, second only to the mayor.

His status was extremely prestigious, and Klein had not expected him to appear here.

Strangely, however, the mayor's advisor did not spare him a glance.

Instead, he stopped in front of Leina and bowed deeply.

"I apologize for my late arrival, Professor Leina. I hope you were not offended by our treatment," he said, his voice tinged with fear.

The woman before him was an expert at the Second Spirit Core stage—a level far beyond his imagination.

Leina slowly rose to her feet and replied calmly, "It's fine. Are Jason and Victor at the mayor's residence now?"

The mayor's advisor raised his head and nodded slightly.

"Yes. They are both at the mayor's mansion now. I'll take you two there."

Leina glanced at Merlin, who responded with a nod.

Without another word, the mayor's advisor promptly led them out of the room.

From the beginning to the end, Klein was completely ignored, as if he didn't exist.

Klein stood frozen in place, his face pale with fear.

"Did the mayor's advisor just call that woman… a professor? Don't tell me she's a professor from Saint Freya Academy."

His heart pounded wildly as an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.

From that moment on, he realized his future would become a nightmare he had never imagined.

…

Upon arriving at the mayor's mansion, Leina and Merlin saw Victor and Jason speaking with a man in his mid-thirties.

Noticing their arrival, the three stopped talking and turned toward them.

"You're finally here, Leina and Merlin. You're all right, aren't you?"

Jason stood up and greeted them with a worried expression.

Leina shook her head slightly. "We're fine. By the way, thank you for acting so quickly. Otherwise, I might have lost my temper in the interrogation room earlier."

She was truly fed up with Klein. If not for Merlin, she would have beaten him on the spot.

Jason smiled. "No problem. After all, this was only possible thanks to Mayor Ludric's help. You should thank him instead."

Leina and Merlin turned to Ludric, who was looking at them with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, Mayor Ludric. Sorry to have taken up your time," Leina said politely.

Merlin followed suit.

Ludric stood up and waved his right hand, as if brushing aside the formality.

"It's fine, Professor Leina. I'm the one who should apologize for putting you through such an unpleasant experience. I hope you're not offended."

Leina smiled. "We're fine. Thank you for your concern, Mayor."

After exchanging a few more words, Ludric ordered the servants to escort the four of them to their prepared rooms.

Considering what had happened to Leina and Merlin, Ludric felt it necessary to offer compensation.

As such, he arranged accommodations for all four of them.

Once they left, his friendly expression faded, replaced by a cold and indifferent look.

"Inform them that Saint Freya Academy has taken action. For now, suspend the summoning operation," he ordered.

Whoosh!

A shadow appeared, nodded, and vanished.

***

Merlin entered the room and glanced around, impressed by the interior.

"It's more spacious than the room at the inn," he whispered. "I'll sleep well tonight."

He walked over to the bed and jumped onto it. As he lay there lazily, Lyserra suddenly appeared beside him.

She looked at Merlin seriously and warned, "Merlin, I sense something strange and suspicious about that man named Ludric. Be careful."

Her words startled Merlin. He quickly sat up and looked at her intently.

"Are you saying he's an evil person?"

Lyserra lazily laid down her small body and replied, "Something like that. In any case, be careful around him. It's like he's holding a knife, ready to stab you and your friends in the back."

After saying that, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Merlin furrowed his brows. He pondered for a moment before calling out, "System, open Ludric's status panel."

[Status]

Name: Mayor Ludric (Disguised)

Age: 40

Identity: Spy assigned to monitor the City of Dunvale; member of the Dark Tunnel Organization

Talent: B

Rank: Seventh Awakening

Bloodline: None

Favorability: -50

Seeing the status panel, Merlin's breath caught in his throat.

"A spy? So he's the fake mayor?" he exclaimed in horror.

Now he finally understood why the people of Dunvale were forbidden to talk about the Dark Tunnel.

It turned out the mayor of the city had been replaced by one of their members.

Merlin didn't know how this had happened. What was certain was that it was extremely dangerous—there was a real possibility that Dunvale would fall like Helvar.

"This is really dangerous," he whispered.

However, he realized that acting now would only create chaos and put everyone at risk.

"I have to tell Leina, Jason, and Victor about this."

Without a second thought, he got out of bed and headed outside.

…

The next morning, Merlin, Jason, Victor, and Leina said goodbye to Ludric.

Ludric had wanted to escort them to the city gate, but Jason politely declined.

The four walked in silence, their expressions gloomy. Once they were far enough from the mayor's mansion, Jason finally spoke.

"Merlin, what you said last night… was it true?"

The night before, Merlin had revealed that Ludric was actually a spy and a member of the Dark Tunnel.

Although Jason believed Merlin wasn't lying, it was still hard to imagine.

"I told the truth, Professor," Merlin replied confidently.

Jason fell silent, then nodded slowly.

"I understand. And the plan you suggested is correct. It's better to deal with the situation in Helvar first. After that, we'll capture him."

Victor nodded in agreement. "I've placed tracking bugs around Ludric. If he tries to escape, we'll catch him."

"Great!" Leina smiled with satisfaction. "Then let's go."

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