Chapter 29: An Unexpected Gain

"Anything I want?"

Merlin's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze shamelessly lingering on Jia's full chest.

"Yes, from now on, I'll stay by your side, and you can do anything you want," Jia replied, a faint, seductive smile on her face.

"Too bad... you're of no use to me anymore."

Merlin's narrowed eyes revealed a trace of chilling intent.

*Whoosh.*

A fireball shot out from Merlin's hand, slamming into Jia's chest, leaving a bloody, charred hole in her otherwise fair skin. The blackened flesh contrasted sharply with her pale skin.

Jia's eyes widened, as though unable to believe what had happened.

After killing Jia, Merlin walked back to the bearded man's body and searched it for a moment. From his belongings, Merlin found a few slightly yellowed pages.

"Hmm? This is... a spell model?"

Merlin was momentarily stunned, surprised to find a spell model, typically valuable only to spellcasters, on the man's body. But this wasn't the time for close examination; he still needed to clean up the scene.

He dragged the bodies out to the yard, where he summoned another fireball. The corpses were soon engulfed in roaring flames, disfigured beyond recognition. When the fire died down, Merlin dug a shallow pit in the yard and buried the ashes.

After ensuring everything was taken care of, he left the yard.

"Ah..."

A cold wind blew as Merlin stepped out, carrying a faint, lingering scent of blood. He glanced back at the yard. By tomorrow, the smell would likely be gone, and as long as no one looked closely, no one would suspect what had happened here.

Pulling his cloak tighter against the cold wind, Merlin walked back along the street.

Outside a small building, he saw Moss waiting in the carriage. Merlin approached and quietly called out, "Moss, take me home."

Moss looked at Merlin with a hint of suspicion, but without asking questions, he promptly drove the carriage back to Wilson Castle.

***

In his room, Merlin sat on a high-backed wooden chair, the dim candlelight flickering. He closed his eyes, still reflecting on today's fight.

Whether in his past life or this one, it was his first time killing—and he'd killed four. Yet, he felt surprisingly calm, unfazed by the act.

"That yard was clearly Jia and her crew's secret base. To maintain secrecy, they likely avoided contact with others in Blackwater City. That works in my favor; it means fewer people will notice anything."

Merlin weighed the potential dangers. If any threat remained, it would be if Jia's associates came looking. But he doubted this; to confront a spellcaster, they would have gathered their strongest allies.

After a moment, he stopped thinking about it. From his pocket, he took the yellowed pages he had taken from the bearded man's body and held them up to the candlelight.

"Frost Spell, a basic ice-element spell."

Merlin felt a surge of joy. This was a basic binding spell he had long wanted.

Though Merlin already had a model for the Wind Spell, which was noted as the second basic spell in Old Etta's journal, it, like Fireball, was purely offensive. Merlin had determined that the Wind Spell wasn't the best fit for him.

With Fireball at his disposal, he needed support or binding spells instead.

This unexpected Frost Spell model was the perfect complement to Fireball, enhancing his battle capabilities.

The fact that the bearded man—a fiery swordsman—possessed a spell model intended for spellcasters was indeed curious. Merlin guessed the man likely harbored a deep-seated desire to become a spellcaster. But, perhaps due to weak mental power, he had been unable to master it, resulting in resentment toward spellcasters over time.

Now, the model had conveniently fallen into Merlin's hands.

"My mental power still isn't enough to sustain two spell models. I'll have to wait a bit longer before I can start learning the Frost Spell."

Merlin sighed, somewhat disappointed.

Though he had been practicing the art of mental meditation, growing mental power was a gradual process. For now, Merlin's mental power level couldn't support a second spell model.

"It seems I'll have to spend more time meditating."

Mental power was Merlin's current limitation. Thanks to the Matrix, he had no issues constructing spell models; all he lacked was the mental strength to support more of them.

***

The next day, Merlin instructed Moss to take the carriage on a long detour around the city, subtly observing the yard where the bearded man and his companions had lived.

Outside the yard, there was no trace of blood, and no one seemed to be around. As Merlin had suspected, the group kept to themselves to maintain secrecy. Even if they vanished for months, no one would likely notice.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. The less attention, the better.

There was still the matter of Jia, though. With her striking appearance and role as an etiquette instructor, her absence would raise questions.

To gather information on how her disappearance was being received, Merlin attended her etiquette classes over the next few days, keeping a close watch on others' reactions and preparing for any contingencies.

***

The most iconic structure in Blackwater City was undoubtedly the Lord's Castle.

Surrounded by high walls, the castle itself was an oval-shaped, pointed-top building. Knights of the City Guard could often be seen patrolling outside, making it difficult for commoners to approach.

Suddenly, a group of knights, distinct in their attire from the City Guard, appeared near the Lord's Castle. Approaching closer, it became clear they were escorting a carriage, a group of over twenty riders forming a protective formation as they quickly made their way toward the castle.