Upon hearing his arrogant words, the two remaining men felt a surge of anger.

But Merlin's power was already obvious. Even their three friends had been beaten to a pulp—let alone just the two of them.

Suddenly, the man on the right seemed to have an idea. He stepped toward Jared, grabbed him by the throat, and threatened, "Don't stop us from leaving! Or I'll kill him!"

With Jared still unconscious, the man had complete control over the situation.

Merlin narrowed his eyes, fixing him with a sharp stare.

"Are you threatening me? Don't you realize what you're doing is basically suicide? If I report this to the academy, you'll face a very severe punishment," he said coldly.

The two men trembled, fear flashing across their faces. Yet they had no choice but to follow through with their plan.

"I know, but I don't care. After this, I'll escape from this city. Even if the academy searches for me and my friends, they won't find us," he said confidently.

The man beside him nodded eagerly. "Then let's work together, okay? After this, we won't bother each other again. Your friend is safe, and we leave. That's a fair deal, isn't it?"

He tried to sway Merlin with sweet words.

But did he really think that would work? Of course not.

Instead of agreeing, Merlin's lips curved into a wide grin as he whispered, "Stupid…"

Neither of them heard clearly what he said, but Merlin's expression left no doubt—it was an insult.

The man choking Jared grew even angrier. He was about to squeeze harder when a fireball suddenly appeared from above, striking him squarely.

Puff!

He was thrown three meters back, instantly engulfed in flames.

"Hot! No! Argh!" he screamed, writhing like a man possessed.

His friend froze, unable to comprehend how the man had suddenly ignited.

Before he could react, Merlin appeared beside him and delivered a crushing punch to his face.

Bam!

The man collided with his friend. The flames spreading from his friend engulfed him as well.

"Hot! Stop! Argh!" Both screamed in panic.

The fire blackened their skin and reduced their clothes to ash.

Merlin clenched his right hand, and the flames vanished instantly.

Both men gasped with relief, only to collapse into unconsciousness the next second.

Though alive, most of their skin was burned, and their condition was dire.

Merlin didn't flinch. Their arrogance had brought this upon them.

He had restrained himself; otherwise, they wouldn't have survived.

Ignoring them, Merlin strode to Jared and crouched beside him.

He checked his breathing and let out a faint sigh of relief when he detected a weak pulse.

"His breathing is fragile… Could he be seriously injured?" Merlin muttered under his breath.

He extended his index finger to Jared's forehead, channeling his mana into his body.

At that moment, Merlin's face grew serious.

"Poison? And not just a weak one—a strong poison," he whispered, withdrawing his hand. He studied Jared carefully, muttering to himself, "Who did this to him? Did they intend to kill him? And if so… why?"

No matter how hard he tried to reason it out, no satisfactory answer came.

Finally, he pushed the thoughts aside, deciding to focus on saving Jared first.

…

"Ugh…" Jared groaned softly, slowly lifting his heavy eyelids.

As his vision cleared, surprise crossed his face.

"Where… am I?" he whispered.

Glancing around, he realized he was in a modestly sized room.

The furnishings were simple but complete: a wardrobe, a table, chairs, and, of course, a bed.

"Am I… in an inn?" he murmured uncertainly.

Footsteps echoed, and Merlin appeared, carrying a tray of food.

"Oh? You're awake. That was quicker than I expected," he said casually.

Jared's jaw dropped slightly as he stared at Merlin.

"Are you… Merlin Clay?"

Merlin Clay was a famous name, especially among new students. He was the champion who had outshone all the geniuses of the first wave.

"Yes, I'm Merlin Clay," Merlin replied, setting the tray on the table. "By the way, what happened to you? Why did you faint in an alley and end up beaten by those adults?"

Jared froze for a moment, then let out a wry smile.

"It's a long story," he said shortly.

Merlin studied him for a moment but chose not to press further.

He stretched his stiff body and said, "I don't care what happens to you. But remember—don't embarrass the academy. You're a first-wave student, just like me. If the professors find out you were beaten by ordinary people without putting up a fight, it will tarnish the academy's reputation. You don't want to be expelled, do you?"

Those last words struck Jared like a knife. He lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and snapped, "I don't want that either! It's all because of that damn Luvis!"

Merlin remained calm, though his curiosity was clearly piqued.

"Luvis? Are you talking about the fourth-place winner?" he asked, feigning confusion.

Jared opened and closed his mouth, hesitating, but then realized hiding it was pointless.

Merlin already knew the culprit, so it was better to tell the whole truth.

"Yes… it's all because of Luvis," he admitted weakly.

Jared let out a long sigh, his voice heavy as he began to explain.

Merlin remained silent, listening to his story with an indifferent expression.

When Jared finished, Merlin finally grasped the intrigue behind the incident.

In short, Jared had been invited to dinner by Luvis without suspecting anything.

What he didn't expect was that the food had been laced with a potent, special poison. The toxin began devouring his body from within, steadily weakening him.

The reason Jared had been unable to fight the five adults wasn't fear—it was the poison, which had left his body weak and fragile.

"Did you and Luvis have a previous feud?" Merlin asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"No," Jared replied, shaking his head. "He and I are from the same kingdom. He's a prince too—the second prince, to be exact."

"The second prince?" Merlin's eyebrows rose slightly.

He recalled that in the novel The Lost Hero, there was a conversation between Abel and the heroine from the Kingdom of Batrum about the second prince.

It had been explained that the prince was the king's illegitimate child with a maid, who had since become a royal concubine.

At the time, Merlin hadn't paid it much attention.

After all, up until the latest volume, the second prince had never appeared.

But now—the prince had appeared. And it was Luvis.

'This is… really interesting,' he muttered softly.

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