Ch49. Merlin's resolve

"... and that's when Meliodas sent them flying with his Full Counter!" Merlin excitedly finished telling yet another of her stories, sitting next to Rei on the couch while leaning on him.

"Look like you found yourself some very valuable companions and friends, Merling. Are you really sure you won't regret leaving them behind?" Rei worriedly asked, knowing it didn't matter anymore since the contract between them was already established.

Hearing him, Merlin's eyes softened before she gently shook her head, "No... My goal didn't change for the past three thousand years. It was the only thing that gave me the strength to keep moving forward. Just because I liked being a part of the Seven Deadly Sins doesn't mean I expected the group to exist forever. It was my time to go."

Rei took hold of her hand and softly squeezed in support while he was inwardly pleased. The woman just basically told him being his magical researcher is more important to her than her friends. Rei really wasn't about to complain about such a display of loyalty, even though he had no idea what exactly evoked it.

"More of you for me, then." Rei smirked, causing Merlin to delightfully smile at him.

"Heeh~, that's quite a bold declaration. A girl could misunderstand what you mean, Rei." Merlin teased, leaning closer to him.

"And you became quite feisty. A man could misunderstand your intentions." Rei chuckled before flicking her forehead, making her pout, and stood up, "Well, I think it's time for me to prepare dinner." He left, feeling that Solution wanted to have a girl-talk with Merlin.

The second the door closed behind Rei, the air in the room became almost friggid cold as the two women stared at each other with cold expressions, measuring each other up.

"You got stronger, pipsqueak." Solution indifferently started, "Level eighty-six... Not bad for a human."

"Rei already said the scanning magic you two use is flawed. I am much stronger than that." Merlin casually rebuked, her magical aura slightly leaking after she made sure to ward the room from alerting Rei of what was going on inside.

Solution just lifted one of her eyebrows in amusement, offsetting the pressure of Merlin's magical aura with her own magical aura while also covering the room to prevent any damage from the two auras clashing.

Yet, Merlin was not cowed despite the casual display of superiority from Solution's side. She just intently stared at Solution in front of her with astonishing determination, "I won't give up." She seriously said, no longer acting playful.

"I am not asking you to." Solution admitted, "Honestly..." She chuckled at the bewildered look Merlin gave her, "I expected this from the start."

"So... you are fine with me pursuing Rei?" Merlin asked for a verbal confirmation.

"You are asking as if it depended on me. I am but a maid. If Master finds himself desiring you, who am I to prevent him?" Solution snorted but Merlin gave her a deadpan gaze, knowing Rei cherished Solution a lot.

'But a maid... my ass.' Merlin inwardly clicked her tongue at such a ridiculous statement. Rei and Solution were basically glued together for the year she spent with them. Merlin never intended to usurp Solution's position and she was aware Solution knew it. That's probably why they were not trying to kill each other right now. Merlin simply wanted to win some ground for herself. She was not seeking dominance, rather, she desired approval.

"But... no. I won't stand in your way." Solution admitted, "You are already under lifelong contract and can't betray Rei. Plus... Master is Incubus." She glanced at Merlin's body, causing the magician to proudly puff out her chest.

"Hehe..." Merlin giggled, "I understand."

"No, you don't." Solution chuckled, thinking about Rei's stamina. "But you will learn... if you ever get that far with him." She shrugged before standing up and leaving the room, intending to help Rei with the dinner preparations.

...

The dinner was a pleasant affair as the trio enjoyed the food and listened to some more stories about Merlin's life. She told them about her travels, about her studies of magic, about wards and various conflicts through the ages, about the war between Demons and Angels, about her role in it all, and how she secretly robbed most of the magical knowledge from both races while they fought...

Yes, Rei was very proud of her after hearing that particular story...

In the end, Merlin satisfied the secret condition for the contract to go on. Namely, for her to become the most knowledgeable magic user in her world.

That actually sent goosebumps through Rei. Next to him sat a person who was unrivaled in her own world when it came to magic knowledge and she was now one of his people. He briefly wondered if he perhaps stole Momonga's plot armor without even realizing it.

Initially, Rei didn't expect Merlin to fulfill this condition of the contract. There were a few other conditions with less difficulty to achieve that would also trigger it. After all, expecting her to become the best in the world was a bit too much. Yet, she managed.

Rei looked at the information his scanning magic gave him about Merlin. She was not level hundred. She was quite far from it, to be honest. Nevertheless, Rei knew his scanning magic could not really measure Merlin's capabilities properly. Her body and magic were strong, enough to match level eighty-six in Yggdrasil. It was her spells, however, that formed the bulk of her strength. The spells so much different from Yggdrasil's Tier System that it gave her enough edge to be a tricky opponent even for somebody with level hundred.

Merlin was from a different world and that meant her power existed under different rules. Rei found it incredibly interesting and Merlin couldn't help herself either. After the dinner, much to Solution's exasperation, the two spent the entire evening in the sparring area, comparing spells and differences between their usage.

Standing to the side while observing, Solution couldn't help but slightly smile as she saw Merlin and Rei laughing while fervently discussing magic and experimenting with spells.

'Honestly... these two are already acting like an old married couple without even realizing it.' She shook her head. Alas, she was but a maid and that meant she wouldn't be getting involved in their relationship. Not until Merlin managed to become her 'sister'. For now, Solution was satisfied with watching the entertainment the two provided.

Unfortunately for Merlin and Rei, they could only experiment and play with magic for two more days before the Negotiation Room collapsed. Rei only paid for its existence for a certain amount of time and it was already at its end.

It was a surreal feeling for Merlin. To think she would enter a whole new world. A new place to explore and learn about. She couldn't help but be excited. In these last two days, Rei showed her some of the more powerful spells from the Tier Magic, and Merlin was hooked. She understood the only thing she could depend on against someone of Solution or Rei's caliber is her cunning and tactics. She didn't have much going for her, to be brutally honest. That's why she wanted to get stronger, learn new spells... she wanted to become useful, match Solution in Rei's eyes.

As Merlin stood in front of a white portal leading to the new world, she inwardly swore a new oath to herself as she with the corner of her half-lidded eyes stared at Solution's back.

'I will become the most useful person to Rei. You can be proud of being his shield but one day, I will make sure he can depend on me.'