Chapter 295: Asking to Give a Speech

“[Congratulations, Master! You have successfully completed the mission: restoring the mood of the heroine Luna Tharot! Reward: 40,000 system points and a Northern Blue Grass (Legendary) have been awarded!]”

Seeing the mission panel appear, Merlin couldn’t help but smile.

After two full days of spending time with Luna, he had finally succeeded.

It had to be admitted—the mission was far from easy. Luna’s mood hadn’t been simple to lift, and Merlin had to persuade her multiple times before she genuinely regained her confidence.

“But with this reward, it was all worth it,” Merlin whispered, nodding with satisfaction.

He checked his reward—the Northern Blue Grass. Reading its description, he was intrigued.

“So this ingredient can be used for the other seven colors of potions? Fascinating,” he murmured in awe.

If only this ingredient were sold in the system shop, he’d buy it in a heartbeat—though he knew it would be ridiculously expensive.

Shaking his head, Merlin closed the description panel and stretched his stiff body.

“Alright, time to head back to the monitoring room. Today’s test should be over by now,” he muttered.

Luna had already returned to her dorm, so he didn’t need to wait for her.

Arriving at the monitoring room, he noticed Margaret wasn’t there, which left him slightly puzzled.

“Were you looking for me?” Margaret’s playful voice came from behind him.

Startled, Merlin turned around and saw her at the door, holding two glasses of orange juice.

Rubbing his chest, he muttered irritably, “You scared me.”

“Pfft!” Margaret giggled as she stepped inside. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Here—you can have this.”

She handed him the glass with her right hand.

Merlin took it and drained it in one gulp. He had been quite thirsty, so Margaret’s timing couldn’t have been better.

“By the way, the test is over, right? Who won?” Nolan asked casually.

He already knew the answer, of course, but he pretended not to.

Margaret caught on immediately and rolled her eyes.

“Who else but your sister? She took first place on the test rankings,” she replied, sipping her juice, her expression a mix of admiration and envy.

Because of her status, Margaret hadn’t taken the regular test or the first wave; instead, she followed a special path.

Her family was the academy’s biggest benefactor, which earned her that privilege. Still, she didn’t like being treated differently.

Of course, she knew her talent wasn’t particularly remarkable. Her S-level talent existed only because a rare potion had boosted her original ability by one level.

Fortunately, her base talent had already been A-level, so the potion had elevated her to S-level.

Still, the difference between her and those born with natural S-level talent was obvious—Margaret could feel it clearly.

And Catrine’s performance in the test earlier had been truly impressive. It made Margaret feel both inferior and a little threatened.

Like Luna, she feared Catrine might take Merlin away—but she never showed it in front of him.

Suddenly, a hand touched the top of her head. Startled, she looked up to see Merlin leaning down toward her.

“You…”

Before she could finish, Merlin pulled her into his embrace and whispered, “Your emotions are too obvious. Are you afraid, like Luna?”

Margaret fell silent. She knew she couldn’t hide her feelings from him, yet she was far too embarrassed to admit them.

Seeing her quiet response, Merlin chuckled softly and rubbed her back gently.

“Don’t worry. Whether it’s you, Luna, or Catrine, all three of you have a special place in my heart. None of you can replace the other, because in my eyes, you’re all equal.”

He tightened his embrace, and Margaret’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

But she didn’t resist. She stayed silent, letting Merlin hold her, her face buried in his chest.

“You bastard,” she whispered, lips pursed.

Merlin: “…”

…

Merlin walked toward Linda’s office. She had just called him, but he had no idea why.

After all, Melinda hadn’t given him a clear explanation earlier. When he arrived, he knocked on the door and waited quietly.

“Come in, Merlin.”

He turned the doorknob and stepped inside. Linda was sitting on the sofa, absorbed in a book.

Curious, Merlin asked instinctively, “What are you reading, Master?”

“This?” She glanced at the book in her hands. “It’s a magic tome covering many forbidden spells. I thought I’d study a bit more magic to become stronger.”

A faint smile curved her lips.

Merlin rolled his eyes. Forbidden spells? That’s nonsense.

There’s no way a book like that exists. But he was too lazy to argue, so he sat down across from her.

“So… why did you call me?” he asked bluntly.

Linda closed her book and replied calmly, “I called to tell you that you’ll be the representative of your generation at this academy. You’ll go on stage and give a speech to the other students.”

“Huh?” Merlin froze. “What? Give… a speech?”

His mouth gaped open, as if he couldn’t believe what she’d just said.

“Yes. Give a speech. Why? Are you scared?” Linda said, giving him a playful look.

Merlin was silent for a moment before shaking his head.

“It’s not that I’m scared… I’m just… ugh… too lazy,” he admitted listlessly.

Come to think of it, he had been a representative at his campus before. Back then, he had scored the second-highest—just one point behind the first-place winner.

But since that person had fallen ill, he had to step in and stand on stage as a replacement.

Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly at the time, with no problems.

Still, standing in front of everyone had been both embarrassing and exhausting.

“Since you don’t mind, my decision stands—you’ll be the representative at the new student welcome party. Understand?” Linda said with a smile.

Merlin nodded reluctantly. “Understood.”

“Good!” Linda looked satisfied before continuing. “By the way, your sister is incredible. She took first place and nearly broke the record I set back then. She’s a real monster—just like you. If only I had taken her as a disciple too, it would have been wonderful.”

Merlin let out a small chuckle. “That’s impossible, Master. Don’t you know Catrine already has a very powerful master?”

“A very powerful master? Who?” Linda straightened, her expression full of curiosity.

Ardhis had mentioned it in a letter, but when Linda had asked for the name, he hadn’t answered—something that had annoyed her.

“She is Master Illusion. Do you recognize her?” Merlin gave her a meaningful look.

“Master Illusion?” Linda’s eyes widened. “How could it be her? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Master Illusion had been a legendary name decades ago.

She was a powerful woman who had reached the First Spirit Core level, making her one of the strongest people on the continent.

Compared to herself, Master Illusion was far more senior. By the time Linda was a child, the Master Illusion was already legendary, and the respect she commanded had been instinctive.

Who would have thought? The master behind Catrine turned out to be that very figure.

No wonder Merlin had said training Catrine was impossible—the name Master Illusion alone could strike fear into anyone who tried.

“Of course not, Master,” Merlin replied with a chuckle. “If you don’t believe me, ask Catrine herself.”

Linda fell silent. She knew Merlin wouldn’t lie, yet the news was so astonishing it was hard to accept.

After all, the Master Illusion had long since vanished without a trace.

Some rumors claimed she was dead, while others said she had secluded herself from the world to explore a legendary ancient ruin.

The ruin was said to be the dwelling of the most powerful figure in history—his name and appearance unknown.

What was certain was that this figure had once defeated the Evil God Vorgrath.

Linda herself had searched for it, but so far, she had found nothing.

Eventually, she gave up, though the desire to uncover it still lingered.

“All right, I believe you. Now I understand why Catrine was able to reach the Fourth Spirit Core level—it all comes down to that woman,” Linda said, admiration clear in her voice.

Merlin only smiled, saying nothing.

After a few more words, Merlin stood to leave. Just as he reached the door, Linda’s voice called out behind him.

“Oh, right. The next test is a combat test. New students can challenge and compete with students from the first wave. If you want, I can register you. How about it?”

Merlin froze in surprise. He hadn’t known the second test would be a combat test.

“No, I won’t participate,” he said firmly. “But I’ll watch from the sidelines.”

Linda didn’t object and gave a small nod.

Without another word, Merlin turned and walked away, leaving Linda with a faint smile.

…

“Hah… that would have been a real hassle. Good thing I refused. Otherwise…”

Imagining himself surrounded by students all trying to challenge him, Merlin felt a shiver run down his spine.

It wasn’t fear—just the sense that it wouldn’t be worth the energy or time.

He realized many of them were likely motivated by his performance in the previous test.

Shaking his head, Merlin decided to head to the cafeteria. He missed Lisa’s cooking.

But before he could take twenty steps, a soft voice from his left caught his attention.

Curious, he turned toward the sound to see what was happening.

In the distance, a group of boys and girls was bullying a girl.

The girl looked pitiful and strange, covered in leaves and branches, her frame hunched and small.

“That girl… isn’t she Liora?” Merlin narrowed his eyes. “Bullying, huh? So soon…”

Without hesitation, he strode toward them and shouted, “Hey! Stop!”

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