Chapter 363: The Best Way to Teach a Lesson

Jared waited outside with a worried expression. Two days had passed, and he didn’t know whether Merlin was still inside the library.

If not, his chance to rise up would be completely lost.

Yes, over the past few days, he had given Merlin’s offer careful thought. At first, he had been hesitant, even thinking the boy was just bragging.

But upon further reflection, what motive would Merlin have for doing that?

Merlin was the most talented student in the first year. He was also beloved by the professors and received special attention from them.

Meanwhile, Jared?

He was just an ordinary student who didn’t stand out much.

Although he was part of the first wave of students, the fact that he couldn’t get into Class 1-A showed that he wasn’t any more talented than the others.

That was why he wanted to believe Merlin wouldn’t deceive him. There was no advantage, and nothing to be gained from it.

Just as he began to worry that Merlin might have left, the sound of footsteps came from up ahead.

He looked up and saw Merlin walking toward him.

“Thank goodness…” he whispered in relief. Fortunately, his fears hadn’t come true.

Merlin could see the worry on Jared’s face and smiled faintly.

“Have you decided yet?”

Jared nodded. “I have!”

Merlin stopped a meter away and asked playfully, “Aren’t you afraid I might deceive you?”

Jared fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

“I was scared at first, but I know you wouldn’t do that. There’s no point in it anyway, right?”

Merlin chuckled. Despite his large build, Jared’s brain didn’t seem to have turned into muscle like most meatheads.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” Merlin nodded in satisfaction.

His mission to win over the three supporting characters wasn’t finished yet. So far, he had only won over Nivis, leaving two more to win over.

Jared was his next target, leaving only one more who might appear in the future.

“In that case, let’s go,” Merlin said as he turned to leave.

Jared nodded and followed him. But suddenly, a voice came from behind.

“Merlin, have you had lunch yet?”

Both of them froze. They turned and saw a tall, beautiful girl with silver hair and two horns on her forehead.

Her face was expressionless, as if devoid of emotion. In her hands, she held a loaf of bread and a glass of cold chocolate milk.

“Nysera?” Merlin’s eyebrows rose slightly. “What are you doing here?”

Nysera walked up to him and handed him the bread and milk.

“You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? It’s my duty as your maid to prepare it.”

Merlin fell silent. It had been two months since this girl became his maid, and he had to admit it was quite helpful.

At least in the mornings, Merlin didn’t have to prepare breakfast. The girl would already have entered his room and placed it on his desk.

Merlin let out a small sigh and accepted it.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Nysera replied flatly.

But she didn’t move from her spot. She simply stood there, staring at him calmly.

The corner of Merlin’s mouth twitched slightly as he asked, “Are you free?”

“Mm! I’m free!” Nysera nodded without hesitation.

Merlin shook his head helplessly and said, “Then come with me.”

Nysera’s eyes sparkled. “Alright~”

Behind them, Jared could only watch the scene with a blank expression.

Nysera, who had once been that arrogant dragon girl, was actually this obedient to Merlin?

It was hard to believe. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would’ve thought it was nonsense.

However, Jared wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s affairs.

So he stayed silent and didn’t say a word.

With that, Merlin, Nysera, and Jared walked away from the library area.

***

The city of Brindel was bustling as usual. People were out shopping, working, and going about their daily routines.

Since the city was under the academy’s jurisdiction, second- and third-year alchemy students took advantage of their status to sell potions.

Coincidentally, many potion shops were running low on stock, so those students became the main suppliers for most of them.

Just then, Merlin, Nysera, and Jared were walking down the main street.

With so many students passing by, the presence of the three of them wasn’t particularly surprising.

“Don’t you want to ask why I brought you to this city?” Merlin asked, glancing at Jared beside him.

Jared shook his head. “I know you have your reasons, so I won’t ask.”

Merlin was impressed by his answer. How should he put it? Jared was indifferent, firm, and a man of few words.

Perhaps it was because of the trauma he had experienced, which had made him this way.

But that was actually a good thing. Merlin hated nothing more than a barrage of questions, because they were a hassle to answer.

As the three of them strolled along, they heard a commotion in the distance.

“Damn it! You’re so annoying! Don’t you see I’m standing right in front of you?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

“Sorry? Do you think my uniform is cheap, huh?”

Merlin furrowed his brow.

“Let’s go check it out.”

Nysera and Jared said nothing and followed him toward the commotion.

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to! Please don’t make things hard for me!”

A young woman sat on the ground, her face filled with distress.

Standing in front of her was a fourteen-year-old boy.

He looked fierce, with red hair and eyes the same color.

“I told you, just saying sorry isn’t enough! You have to pay for the damage!”

The woman could only lower her head and hold back her sobs.

She didn’t have the money to pay. Even if she did, it certainly wouldn’t be enough.

The onlookers wanted to help, but none of them dared. The boy was the most notorious troublemaker in the city of Brindel—Jorun Steelward.

If they got involved, it wasn’t impossible that they would be targeted instead.

The young woman felt deeply saddened that no one stepped forward to help her.

As Jorun continued yelling and berating her, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Are you satisfied with scolding her?”

Jorun and the others froze. They turned toward the voice and saw Merlin walking toward them.

Jorun narrowed his eyes, then smirked.

“Oh, really? What’s this all about? Did you come here to play the hero?” he asked sarcastically.

Merlin didn’t care. He walked over to the woman and helped her to her feet.

“Thank you,” she whispered timidly.

Merlin nodded, then turned to face Jorun.

“Bullying an ordinary person and humiliating her in public. Those two actions could be considered a violation of the rules. I’d like to know how you plan to explain this.”

Jorun’s playful expression turned grim.

“Are you lecturing me?”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And if I am?”

The two stared at each other as the atmosphere grew tense.

“Merlin, don’t be rash.” Jared’s voice came from behind him. “He’s Jorun, the eldest son of the Steelward family!”

Merlin raised an eyebrow. He turned to Jared and asked, “You know him?”

Jared nodded heavily. He stared coldly at Jorun and explained, “The Steelward family is the most famous blacksmith family in the Knight Kingdom of Batrum. They have direct ties to the royal family.”

As he spoke, his face darkened, as if he were holding back anger.

Merlin noticed the change but chose to remain silent.

On the other hand, Jorun seemed slightly surprised that someone recognized him. But when his eyes met Jared’s, his grin only widened.

“Oh, Jared. I never expected it to be you, buddy,” he said, bursting into laughter. “You actually managed to get into this academy. That’s truly great news.”

He clapped his hands, though it was unclear whether it was praise or mockery.

“I’m sure your father will be proud of your achievement. Wait a minute…”

Jorun patted his head, as if suddenly remembering something.

“Oops! I forgot. Your father is a cripple. How could he possibly know his son got into the academy? Sorry, sorry.”

He burst into laughter again, as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

Jared clenched his teeth. But he didn’t move, only stood there in silence.

Ever since losing his ability to forge, and after the accident that had befallen his father, he had grown used to enduring insults without speaking up.

It wasn’t out of fear, but because of the inferiority that held him back. It was the same as when Luvis had insulted and beaten him a few days ago.

Even so, that didn’t apply to Merlin. Jorun’s face and behavior made him sick.

Then Merlin stepped forward, clenched his fist, and punched Jorun in the face.

Boom!

Jorun was sent flying backward. His body slammed into a nearby shop, smashing part of it to pieces.

Everyone stared in shock, not expecting Merlin to take such sudden action.

Merlin shook his hand and looked satisfied.

“That’s exactly what you do when dealing with someone like him,” Merlin remarked smugly.

Everyone, including Jared, could only stand there in silence. They stared at Merlin with amazement… and admiration.

“He’s knocked out too,” Merlin added, stretching his shoulders.

He then reached into his pocket, pulled out a pouch of gold coins, and handed it to the young woman.

“There are two hundred gold coins inside. Give one hundred and fifty to the shop as compensation. The rest is for you.”

The young woman accepted it in a daze.

Without waiting for her response, Merlin turned and walked away.

Jared and Nysera finally regained their senses and hurried after him.

The woman stared at the pouch of gold coins in disbelief.

“Am I dreaming?”

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