Whoosh!

Merlin felt a gust of wind sweep against his body. A moment later, a faint golden light began to emerge from within him.

At first, it was only a small glimmer, but it slowly expanded until it wrapped around his entire body.

"Urgh..." Pain surged through his veins, bones, and muscles, forcing a faint groan from his lips.

As the seconds passed, the pain grew sharper and more intense. But since Merlin was already used to enduring it, it didn't torment him too much.

Then, without warning, a thick black smoke burst out of his body.

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed, and a horrifying face shot out from his chest.

"Argh!" The face screamed in agony with a piercing voice.

The entire room shook violently, and Merlin's eyes snapped open.

Terror unlike anything he had ever felt spread across his face.

"What is that?" he cried out in fear.

The face was massive—nearly two meters tall—and its appearance was horrifying. Its eyes glowed blood-red, and rows of razor-sharp teeth filled its wide, gaping mouth.

"[It's the curse that infected your body,]" the system explained casually. "[All this time, it's been hiding inside you, turning the original Merlin Clay into a brat. If it had followed its original path, this curse would have twisted him into a cruel and merciless depraved person.]"

A chill ran down Merlin's spine, and goosebumps prickled across his skin.

He didn't deny the system's words—they were entirely true. After all, the contents of the novel were proof of it.

Merlin Clay was willing to do anything for the girl he was obsessed with—Luna Tharot. He was like a dog following its master, even using the power of the Clay family to eliminate anyone who tried to take Luna away from him.

Honestly, every time Merlin read the character's simping scenes, a wave of nausea rose in his chest. Merlin Clay was Michiku-sensei's cruel joke, a reflection of himself in the story.

A few minutes later, the horrifying face slowly disintegrated and finally vanished completely.

At the same time, the pain in Merlin's body faded away, replaced by a refreshing lightness, as if the heavy chains binding him had suddenly been broken.

"Am I finally free?" he muttered, clenching his palms tightly.

"[Of course, Master. The S-Level Healing Potion is incredibly powerful. Your curse has been completely lifted,]" the system replied proudly.

Merlin let out a long breath of relief. "Good. With this, I don't have to live in the shadow of fear anymore."

Then, he checked his system points and found that the number had skyrocketed—140,000!

"With this amount, I can buy so many things," he cheered excitedly.

But he reminded himself not to act rashly. He already had three high-quality rewards, and saving his points for the future would be wiser.

Once everything was settled, Merlin stood up and was about to change his clothes when a long-forgotten voice echoed in his mind.

"Have you forgotten me already?"

Merlin froze instantly, his eyes widening in shock.

"Lyserra? Is that really you?"

Whoosh!

A red light appeared before him, and the little dragon floated into the air.

But unlike the innocent Lyserra he remembered, her expression was now cold and indifferent.

Clearly, the original Lyserra had taken over her body again.

Though he felt a pang of sadness that the cute Lyserra was gone, Merlin had anticipated this would happen sooner or later and had already prepared himself.

"Why the sad expression? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm back?" Lyserra's gaze was sharp and piercing.

Caught off guard that she could read his thoughts so easily, Merlin coughed in embarrassment and pulled her into a hug.

"What are you saying? How could I have such thoughts?" he said, gently rubbing Lyserra's head.

Lyserra bristled at being treated like a pet, but she didn't resist—the touch was far too comforting.

Without realizing it, a look of pleasure spread across her face as she squirmed in Merlin's arms.

"So… How did you get out? Have you regained your strength?" Merlin asked.

Lyserra nodded slowly. "Yes, my strength has recovered, though only about two percent. But since you were already stronger, I had the opportunity to escape."

"So that's how it is…" Merlin blinked in understanding. "By the way, I want to go check on a plague that has struck a nearby village. There's a chance it could spread to Droswen City soon. Come with me and help."

With Lyserra by his side, his confidence in handling the situation rose by fifty percent. After all, she was both a Primordial Chaos Dragon and a Dragon Empress—her strength was undeniable.

Even if she hadn't fully recovered, she was still incredibly powerful.

Lyserra didn't hesitate. "Of course, I'll come. Besides, I haven't been out in a while and want to see the outside world."

Her voice was indifferent, but anyone attentive could sense the quiet longing beneath it.

Merlin couldn't help but smile. "Then let's go. But first, I need to see my sister. This investigation might take some time."

With that, he changed into casual formal clothes and stepped outside.

***

Merlin stepped into the dining room and found it mostly empty, except for his little sister, who was having breakfast, and a few maids moving about.

As soon as Catrine saw him, her round eyes lit up with affection.

"Big Brother! Good morning," she greeted cheerfully.

Merlin gave a small smile as he stepped forward and sat beside her.

"Good morning. Did you have breakfast by yourself? Where are Mother and Father?"

"They went to the capital with Linda," Catrine replied softly.

"The capital?" Merlin's eyebrows lifted. He suddenly remembered Linda mentioning a small gathering at the palace and that she had been invited.

Since his father was a Viscount, it made sense that he received an invitation as well—not to mention he had brought Linda to this kingdom.

"Big Brother, come eat with me!" Catrine quickly grabbed a nearby plate and piled it with various foods.

They often had breakfast together, so she knew exactly what he liked. Merlin felt a warmth in his chest he couldn't suppress.

'Could this be the effect of a hundred points of affection?' he mused with a small chuckle.

Once Catrine finished preparing the food, Merlin began his breakfast while chatting about various things. Then he brought up a topic he had been meaning to discuss.

"By the way, I'll be leaving after this. I might not be home until tonight."

At those words, Catrine froze mid-bite. She looked at her brother, frowning, her eyes filled with sadness.

"Where are you going? Are you going to leave me all alone?"

Merlin felt a pang of guilt but quickly composed himself and gently rubbed her head.

"I can't tell you right now, but it's very important and needs to be taken care of immediately. So please, wait for me to come back, okay?"

Instead of calming down, Catrine's sadness deepened. She lowered her head and asked in a trembling voice, "Big Brother… Do you… hate me?"

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