The Truth

"Ughh-ughh!! Arghh!!" Zeta coughed while holding the pain in his chest. What did I just see?! This is the first time I've felt a diving sensation like this, it really hurts, thought Zeta.

"Zeta, are you okay? Did you find something?" X asked.

"I'm fine, and also... he's just an ordinary human," replied Zeta, who had just returned from diving into Merlin's memories with his magic.

"His magic energy... is really huge, and strange. Can humans have energy like that?" X asked Zeta.

"The kid has a huge and terrifying aura, and claims to be Merlin Yvkiasha," said Fenrir.

"Listen to me first, I haven't finished saying it. He... that kid... is Merlin Yvkiasha from Railis village."

Hearing this, everyone in the bar panicked.

"Really?!!! What should we do now?!! Should we report it to the kingdom?!" Fenrir asked X.

"Listen to me first, idiot! I didn't see everything. What I could see was only when it had already happened, he was already unconscious," Zeta asserted.

"Is there no other information?"

"No, his memory is really strange. Unlike the people whose memories I've dived into before. His is like a labyrinth in the middle of the ocean. Very difficult to enter and very painful."

"I thought there was something strange, let's just wait until he wakes up," X said.

"Jose, please order food, bring as much as possible, I'll pay for it," Zeta asked Jose.

"Are you still hungry, Zeta?" Fenrir asked.

"Huh? Of course not for me, you idiot. This kid hasn't eaten anything for a year. Do you believe that?"

"Ha..ha?!!!!"

"Okay sis, I'll be right back," Jose said.

"I understand why during the mission to conquer the village of Railis, no one found him. Even after he regained consciousness, he was able to leave the village alive. His parents gave him a protection spell that caused his body to shift to an artificial dimension they created with all of their magic energy. His body was completely safe, and every day he absorbed nutrients by absorbing his parents' magic energy. One thing's for sure, this child is not the demon general referred to by the people or the ruler of the black labyrinth. I didn't see any of that in his memory," explained Zeta.

They all seemed quite surprised after hearing Zeta's story.

"So that story isn't true? Has the Cassanova family been spreading false stories all along?" Fenrir asked Zeta.

"I don't know, I can't confirm it. I couldn't see what happened before he passed out. What I saw was the same as what we saw at the time. There was a demon general standing in front of him, he... Beelzebub, thought Zeta. I don't know what his goal was, but that's all I could see. Afterward, Merlin's body was transferred by his parents' magic. And I saw everything when Merlin left Railis village to go to Balma village. And that's where we met him."

"I see," said Fenrir, who seemed to regret having pointed his weapon at an innocent child.

"Argh..."

—Did I return to my home? My house? ... Of course not, I'm still here. I remember clearly how I ended up like this, I mean the incident at the bar a while ago. What did that girl do? Her wand lit up, and then it was like a strong wind pushed me and I was thrown back, and then I... lost consciousness afterwards.

Jon stood up after almost half an hour of being unconscious.

—Damn, I feel so weak, and I'm so hungry.

The bar's condition, which was previously chaotic, was slightly better than before. Some people were still inside the bar. Some were there to enjoy their time, while others were still curious about Merlin, the four-year-old boy.

"Hey X, he's awake," Fenrir said to X.

"Hey, come over here, sit down, and eat."

"..?"

—What's going on? Why are they suddenly being nice to me? Are they trying to deceive me again?! Calm down, I can't be fooled! But... my stomach, ahh! How stupid of me! I don't care, I have to eat or I'll starve to death. It's not funny if I die just because I'm hungry. It's better to die from being deceived than from hunger!

Jon sat back down with them in the same bar, eating all the food they provided until everything on the table was completely finished by him alone.

—I'm so full! Haah... it's so delicious.

"..."

—Ahh! I forgot! They're still here. What should I do now? This feels so awkward. Should I just leave?

"Hello... hello there... hey kid, let me introduce you... I'm X, this is Jose, Zeta, and Fenrir," X introduced himself and his group to a little boy who was sitting with them.

The situation was very awkward and strange to see. Four adults seemed to be interrogating a four-year-old child.

"What's your name? Where do you come from? Where are your parents? Where's your home?"

—What is this? They're interrogating me like I'm a thief or something, I'm just a little kid! It's so weird, what's going on in this place? I don't want to talk about it, but... they saved me from starving.

"I already said before, my name is Jo-I mean... Merlin. I live in-"

—What should I say? I don't know where I live. Wait, should I just tell them? What if I'm not from here? Maybe they can tell me how I ended up like this. But, is it okay if I just tell them? About me, about who I really am. What if they find out, will they dissect me?!!! No, I have to keep this to myself.

"I live in Bandung."

"Bandung? What kind of place is that?"

"Huh..?"

"Bandung, Indonesia, you've never heard of it? Bali, Bali."

"Huh?"

"...Huh?"

—I'm so stupid!! Why did I say where I really live?!!! But...it seems like they don't know anything. They don't even know Bali, what part of the world am I living in now?

"I'm sorry, I...I just got carried away, it's all because of the food you gave me, I'm too full so I can't think straight, forgive me. I live in a village not far from here. I don't know the name, but I live there. My parents are there too, they're farmers."

"Hey, how old are you?" X asked.

"My age? I don't know, seven...seven years old...six? I don't know, I'm still young...I never counted my age."

"Four, she's four years old. In a few months, she'll be five." Zeta said to X.

—Who is this girl? Is she a fortune teller? Her face, for some reason...I feel like I've seen her face before, but...I don't remember where, I forgot.

"You said your parents are farmers? Do you live in Railis village?" X asked, causing everyone in the bar to fall silent.

"I don't know, but there are many large fields there, but...I didn't see any crops growing in that village. It's a strange village."

"Hey Merlin, what do you remember about a year ago?"

"...Huh? One year ago? I don't know, I haven't even been here for a year yet."

"Hmmm."

—Again, why did I say that? Besides, I don't even know how I could have known about this child a year ago?

"I...uhh...the last memory I remember, I woke up, my parents came, and said I just woke up from my long sleep-"

"Okay, that's enough."

—Huh? X, Fenrir, Jose, and Zeta stood a little away from the table where Merlin was sitting.

"As you said, and it seems he also lost his memory. Maybe that's also one of the reasons why you can't see memories from a year ago," X said.

"I don't know, but it makes sense," Zeta said.

"Actually, there's one thing that bothers me about him, whether it's just a feeling or I don't know...but, have you guys noticed that his way of speaking is not like a child's? I don't know, it just feels strange," X said.

"Yes, I noticed it too, but it's quite common if you've heard a story about the birth of a miraculous baby in the village of Railis. As you suspected, he is Merlin. I heard this story directly from a physician from the village of Railis who happened to be the one who assisted in his birth. He said that Merlin is a miraculous and terrifying baby. He developed very quickly, he could already read, write, stand, and even walk at the age of only three years. It's not strange that he has a huge and terrifying magic energy, actually it wouldn't be scary if he were an adult, but the fact that he is just a little child makes everything he has seem so scary to adults. That's why I'm not so bothered after hearing his way of speaking that doesn't sound like a child, he is the miraculous baby, as well as the demon baby that is being rumored about right now."

"I think, it's the development, greatness, intelligence, and curiosity that he possesses that made the village what it is today. I mean, with that much energy, his brilliant mind, and his huge curiosity at such a young age, I think he was really interested in magic, so he tried it secretly. I don't know, that's just what makes sense to me. Even though in theory it doesn't make sense for a normal child, a truly normal one," X said.

"So you mean, he's the one who called all those monsters? Did he also create the black dungeon?" Fenrir asked.

"I don't know, anything is possible. Maybe he did it all accidentally, or maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe when Merlin used magic, the demon general came at the same time to wreak havoc in this kingdom. In Zeta's memory, she saw that when Merlin passed out, the demon general came to him. We don't know why he visited Merlin, it could also be a coincidence. And do you know, or have you forgotten? Children under six years old are forbidden to use magic?"

"Oh, right, I forgot. I thought it was just a myth," Zeta said.

"I thought so too, I didn't believe it happened to him."

"What? How?" Fenrir asked, confused by what X and Zeta were talking about.

"Merlin, a three-year-old child, used magic, and boom... the huge magic energy inside his body that he couldn't control caused a magic explosion that made him pass out. And at the same time, the demons came to attack this kingdom. At least that's what makes the most sense," X explained.

"So, they really lied?! How dare they play with my feelings," Fenrir said with hatred towards the Cassanova family.

"Fenrir? Since when did you believe that story? Aren't you the one who never believed those stories?" Zeta asked.

"Since he came and claimed to be Merlin, with such a strong aura, how could I not believe the story?!! Damn it."

"I too have done a foolish thing, but what we did was neither right nor wrong. Anyone would have reacted the same in that situation. However, he truly has a very eerie magical energy aura," X stated firmly.

"Huh? Anyone? Please don't bring me into this, I didn't do anything like you guys do to him," Zeta objected.

"Hey wait...where is he?!! Where's Merlin?!!" Fenrir asked.

"Huh?"

"He's gone, he ran away in a hurry, he looked very scared, I don't know," Jose said.

"Why didn't you say so???"

"Well, I just realized that the one who just ran was Merlin. He left just a few minutes ago, he should still be in the village."

"You're even more foolish, Fenrir. You're a werewolf, aren't you? Why didn't you notice it?"

"I swear by the moon god, I really didn't notice, damn it...he's really clever."

"Chase him, if he returns to the Railis village, I don't know what will happen to him. Plus, the day is getting darker, it will surely be more dangerous for him," X ordered Fenrir to chase him.