Chapter 346: The Plan to Humiliate Merlin

“[Ding! The Charm Glasses are activating! Ding! Congratulations, Master—you’ve received 10 affection points from Rosaline Hexaris!]”

“Oh! Have the effects finally kicked in?” Merlin beamed.

He looked at Rosaline’s cold face and noticed her hatred slowly fading, replaced by confusion and curiosity.

’What’s happening to me?’ Rosaline wondered in disbelief.

She didn’t understand it, but as she looked at Merlin, the hatred that should have been there was simply gone.

It didn’t make any sense.

’Pfft! She must be confused,’ Merlin chuckled, letting out a long sigh.

Ten affection points might be a little low, but it was still better than a negative score.

At least, he didn’t have to try so hard to stop Rosaline from hating him.

“Welcome, Rosaline. Thank you for arriving on time,” Ronald said with relief.

To be honest, he didn’t understand why someone like her would want to attend a welcome party like this.

Still, a few guesses crossed his mind. One of them involved Rosaline’s younger brother, Lucius.

“You’re welcome, Vice Principal. I’m glad I could make it,” Rosaline replied calmly.

The five seniors immediately approached her, and soon they were chatting among themselves.

“Alright, everyone. The party has begun. Don’t be shy,” Ronald said with a small laugh.

He lifted a glass of wine and raised it high.

“Even though you’re not old enough to drink, I’d like to say this to you all—welcome to Saint Freya Academy!”

“Welcome to Saint Freya Academy!” the professors echoed, raising their glasses.

“Thank you, professors!”

The students lifted their glasses of juice enthusiastically and took a sip.

Music floated in from the far end of the hall, and the atmosphere gradually grew lively as the students returned to enjoying the prepared dishes.

Merlin was about to try some food when Catrine suddenly gripped his hand tightly.

“Big Brother, come taste the northern specialties with me. Please?” she asked, her eyes filled with hope.

But Luna wasn’t about to be outdone. She hooked her arm around Merlin’s other arm and said flirtatiously, “Come on, darling, come with me. I want to try the cuisine from the Knight Kingdom of Batrum.”

Margaret refused to be outdone. She pulled out a black-and-gold card and waved it in front of Merlin.

“Merlin, this card is for you. It has two hundred thousand gold coins in it. Come with me and explore the hall. What do you think?”

When Luna and Catrine saw Margaret using money as a weapon, their faces turned pale. They hadn’t expected her to be so shameless.

Afraid Merlin might actually be tempted, they quickly started trying to persuade him.

“Merlin, this girl is extremely dangerous! She’s trying to buy you with money. I’m sure you won’t fall for it.”

“Hmph! Margaret is so immoral. Brother, let’s ignore her,” Catrine chimed in, nodding firmly.

“You two…” Margaret gritted her teeth in anger.

How dare they talk nonsense about her right in front of Merlin?

Sure, using money like this was a little underhanded—but it was something she did all the time.

Besides, money was what she had the most of. Wasn’t it only natural to use it to get what she wanted?

But she was afraid Merlin might be swayed by their words. Her gaze instinctively fixed on him, as if waiting for his answer.

Merlin let out a small sigh and pulled his hands free from the two girls’ grip.

“Alright, enough fighting. We’re all going to taste the food together. Got it?”

Hearing that, none of them dared to argue. They nodded reluctantly.

Merlin smiled in satisfaction and led the three of them around the hall to sample the various dishes.

Meanwhile, Lucius approached Rosaline, who was chatting with Rose and Mey.

“Sis,” he called out.

The three of them turned toward him. Rosaline frowned and asked coldly, “What is it?”

Lucius hesitated. After all, his sister’s friends were right there, and it would be humiliating to ask her to help him bully Merlin.

“It’s…”

Before he could finish, Mey cut him off.

“Are you Lucius? Nice to meet you. My name is Mey.”

She smiled and extended her right hand.

Lucius felt flattered. Mey was stunning. Although he liked Catrine, there was nothing wrong with getting to know another beautiful girl.

Just as he was about to reach out, Mey spoke again—her words striking straight at his pride.

“I heard you had a run-in with another new student. If I’m not mistaken, his name was Merlin Clay, right?”

Lucius’s hand froze in midair as a wave of intense embarrassment washed over him.

Seeing his reaction, Mey giggled and casually waved her left hand.

“Why do you look like that? Is the rumor true?”

Rosaline shot her a sharp glance and said coldly, “Stop joking. That’s not funny.”

Instead of stopping, Mey only chuckled and shrugged.

“What? Is it my fault? I’m just telling the truth, aren’t I? Besides, it’s not only me who knows—Rose, Geran, Arta, and Trigard know too.”

Lucius’s embarrassment deepened. His favorable impression of Mey instantly dropped to zero.

He never expected that such a beautiful girl, who seemed so sweet, would have a tongue as sharp as a chili pepper.

If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have tried to get close to her.

“Stop it, Mey. You’ve gone too far,” Rose snapped. “Weren’t you taught any manners?”

At the same time, she glanced at Rosaline, whose expression had already darkened.

Mey realized she had crossed the line and raised both hands.

“Alright, alright. I was just joking. Don’t take it to heart, okay?”

Lucius: “…”

’What a shameless girl,’ he cursed inwardly.

After humiliating him, she claimed it was just a joke. If he weren’t so much weaker than Mey, he would have challenged her to a fight on the spot.

“What are you going to do, Rosaline?” Rose interrupted, changing the subject. “Are you going to take action?”

Rosaline didn’t answer immediately. She took a slow sip of her wine and pondered deeply.

Originally, she had planned to confront Merlin right in front of everyone. But strangely, after seeing him earlier, that urge had gradually faded.

She didn’t understand why she felt that way.

Could it be that she had developed a favorable impression of Merlin without even realizing it?

“For now, I’ll just observe him,” she said calmly. “It’s not wise to cause trouble in front of the professors, especially the vice principal.”

Rose raised an eyebrow and glanced at Merlin in the distance. “What if we ask Geran to stir up some trouble with him? He’s your number two admirer. There’s no harm in using him, right?”

A playful smile curved Rose’s lips. Rosaline was the belle of the second year. Many boys had tried to win her over, but all had failed. She was too strong, too cold.

No one could hope to conquer her—unless they were far stronger. But who could possibly be that strong?

At only fifteen, Rosaline’s power had already reached the Seven-Star Mage level.

It was only a matter of time before she broke through to Eight-Star, becoming the strongest among the Seven Ring Bearers in the academy.

Rosaline considered Rose’s idea and found it clever. At least this way, she wouldn’t have to lift a finger.

Seeing Rosaline remain silent, Rose knew she had her agreement.

With a mischievous smile still on her lips, Rose walked toward Geran, who was casually chatting with Trigard and some new students, including Luvis and his friends.

Noticing her approach, Geran turned and asked, “What’s up?”

Rose stopped beside him and said calmly, “I have a mission for you. If you succeed, Rosaline will reward you handsomely.”

At once, Geran’s lazy eyes brightened.

“Tell me!”

Rose smiled, though deep down she despised him.

Geran was like a sycophantic, annoying dog—but that was fine. He was useful enough for a task like this.

She pointed toward Merlin in the distance. “Do you see him? His name is Merlin Clay, and Rosaline wants you to pick a fight with him. Can you handle that?”

Geran blinked, following her gesture, and gave a thin smile.

“I know him. He’s the champion of the Star Island test, right? If I’m not mistaken, he even broke the record with over 30,000 points, when the peak should be around 25,000. Does he have a problem with Rosaline?”

Rose nodded. “His younger brother was beaten and humiliated by him during the Star Island test. Rosaline couldn’t intervene because of her status as a Ring Holder. Can you handle it?”

Without hesitation, Geran nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! Leave it to me!”

Just then, Luvis, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

“Senior Geran, be careful. Merlin Clay is incredibly strong. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he warned seriously.

But deep down, he could barely contain his laughter. Luck was clearly on his side.

It seemed Merlin Clay had somehow offended Rosaline and the seniors—what a perfect opportunity to humiliate him in front of everyone.

Geran snorted coldly. “He’s just a first-year. What’s so special about him? Don’t worry—I can handle him easily.”

Luvis hesitated for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh.

“Alright, I trust you.”

Unaware of it, a faint, triumphant smile spread across Geran’s lips.

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