"Wow! The sky is so beautiful!"

On the ship’s deck, Monica and Liora couldn’t hide their amazement.

The vast ocean stretching endlessly below and the clear blue sky overhead felt completely different from anything they had seen on land.

Merlin approached and stopped between Monica and Liora.

"Did you know there’s an ancient legend that’s famous among sailors?" Merlin asked, wearing a mysterious expression.

"An ancient legend?" Liora asked curiously. "What is it?"

Merlin gave a faint smile and lowered his voice.

"It’s said there’s a ghost ship that often roams the seas at night."

"A ghost ship?" Both of them flinched and exchanged glances.

"That’s right." Merlin nodded and continued, "Ghost ships are one of the most famous legends among sailors. They’re said to harass sailors and merchants out at sea."

Monica’s and Liora’s faces immediately paled. Back when they lived in the forest, they often heard stories about ghosts and ferocious monsters.

Normally, they weren’t afraid at all. After all, they lived among their own kind.

Whether ghosts or monsters, nothing could enter their territory.

But now, the situation was different. They were in the middle of the ocean, and encountering something like a ghost ship was clearly no trivial matter.

"Pfft!" Merlin burst out laughing and patted both of their heads. "Just kidding. There are no ghost ships or anything like that."

Both of them let out a sigh of relief. But at the same time, they felt annoyed and pinched Merlin’s waist from both sides.

"You’re so annoying!" they both grumbled.

"Ouch!" Merlin cried out, feigning pain. The sudden reaction startled them.

They panicked and quickly let go, then instinctively pressed closer to him.

"Are you okay?" they asked anxiously.

Merlin remained silent for a moment before looking up with a grin. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I’m fine."

Monica: "..."

Liora: "..."

Before the two could get angry, Merlin took their hands and gently pulled them away.

"Alright, it’s really hot outside. How about we play cards inside? I’ll ask Lisa to prepare some refreshing cold drinks."

The two looked at each other, then smiled.

After that, Merlin led them back inside.

***

Nighttime...

The ship had more than twenty rooms. Merlin, Nysera, Nivia, Luna, Catine, Monica, Liora, and Margaret each had their own, while Lisa stayed in a room near the door leading to the deck.

That way, if anything happened, she could react quickly and protect the eight of them.

Merlin lay lazily on the bed. Although his room wasn’t large and the bed wasn’t as soft as the one in the dormitory, he still found it comfortable.

"Lyserra, are you there?" he called.

Buzz!

Lyserra appeared beside him in the form of a small dragon. She jumped onto his stomach and lay there lazily.

"What’s wrong?" she asked indifferently.

Merlin shifted into a more comfortable position, then gently stroked her body.

Instead of getting angry, Lyserra seemed to enjoy his touch.

"Nothing. I just wanted to chat with you for a bit," Merlin said softly. "That’s okay, right?"

Lyserra opened her eyes and nodded. "Sure."

Merlin smiled, then asked, "Can you tell me about your previous master?"

"Why are you suddenly asking that?" Lyserra raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Nothing in particular. Do you remember? A while back, I met a mysterious faceless man when I lost consciousness after my first intense training session with Linda. That man was most likely your previous master."

"My previous master?" Lyserra looked surprised. She tried to recall it, and Merlin had indeed mentioned it before.

"What do you want to know about him?" Lyserra asked lazily.

"What was he like? His personality, his appearance—anything," Merlin replied.

"My master’s name was Ishtar," Lyserra explained calmly. "He was a charismatic, kind, and caring man. Because of his nature, he was liked by many people, especially the leaders of various races."

As she spoke, pride shone clearly on her face.

"Oh? So humanity was already like it is now back then?" Merlin asked.

The history of the Three Kingdoms stretched back a very long time.

The oldest among them was the Arcadia Magic Kingdom, which was said to have been established two or three thousand years ago.

Although the details were unclear, there was no denying it was the oldest, followed by the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria and the Knight Kingdom of Batrum.

"There were no kingdoms," Lyserra replied with a tone of disgust. "Humans were so weak back then. They stood at the very bottom of the hierarchy among all races."

During her time with Merlin, she had seen many arrogant humans. Some liked to oppress the weak, while others acted as if they were already at the top of the world.

Considering how weak humans had been in the past, Lyserra clearly looked down on such people.

"I see..." Merlin nodded slowly. "In that case, could it be that the one who made humans the rulers of this continent was your former master, Ishtar?"

"That’s right." Lyserra nodded. She stood up and stretched, then hopped to the side before lying back down. "Since Vorgrath’s defeat, the world entered a long period of recovery. During that time, humans received blessings from the gods. One of those blessings allowed them to produce powerful individuals at an astonishing rate."

Lyserra glanced at Merlin. "You can see it yourself—so many humans have reached the First Spirit Core, the Ninth Awakening, and Ninth-Level Mage. It’s all thanks to my master."

Since regaining her horn, Lyserra had begun to recover her memories more completely.

Of course, those weren’t entirely her own memories, but rather the legacy Ishtar had left behind. That was why she could recall certain important details that had long been forgotten.

Merlin fell silent. Come to think of it, her explanation did make sense.

Compared to other races, humans had produced an unusually large number of peak-level experts.

Take the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria, for example. In that kingdom alone, there were five to seven individuals who had reached the First Spirit Core level.

Not to mention, there were many experts in the Knight Kingdom of Batrum and the Magic Kingdom of Arcadia as well.

When combined, the experts from those three kingdoms alone would be enough to shake the entire continent.

On the other hand, the number of peak-level experts among the elves and druids was far smaller.

"In that case, is there a limit to it?" Merlin asked hesitantly. "I mean, does that blessing have an expiration date?"

"Of course." Lyserra nodded. "The blessing won’t last forever. But I don’t know when it will disappear. In my estimation, it will vanish around the time Vorgrath is about to return."

Merlin furrowed his brow. In the novel itself, Vorgrath had not yet appeared. But according to Michiku-sensei, Vorgrath would emerge when Abel reached the peak of his power.

Judging by Abel’s rapid progress, Merlin estimated it would happen when Abel turned seventeen—perhaps even eighteen.

"Five more years, huh?" Merlin narrowed his eyes.

It sounded like a long time, but in truth, it was very short. Even so, he wasn’t worried.

With the system’s help, everything would be easy.

"I understand." Merlin smiled and patted Lyserra on the head. "Thank you for the explanation."

Lyserra nodded and closed her eyes. Merlin soon felt sleepy as well, and before long, he drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning...

Merlin opened his heavy eyes. Suddenly, he felt someone sitting beside him.

When he turned his head, he was surprised to see Nysera sitting calmly, watching him.

She was wearing a maid’s uniform that suited her perfectly.

"Good morning," she greeted flatly.

Merlin: "..."

"Hah..." Merlin let out a long sigh and slowly sat up. "Good morning. I forgot to tell you, but you don’t need to wake me up during this vacation. Just consider yourself on vacation too."

Actually, Merlin didn’t truly want to make Nysera his servant. He simply wanted to keep her by his side.

That way, he would have more chances to deepen her affection for him.

"No, I still have to wake you up," Nysera insisted firmly. "I am your servant. Until our agreement is fulfilled, I will remain by your side."

Merlin let out a small sigh and didn’t argue further.

"It’s up to you. I won’t force you."

Since the girl was so stubborn, there was no point in trying.

Nysera’s expression softened, and a faint smile returned to her face. She began preparing breakfast for him.

But since they were on a ship, breakfast was simple—just a piece of bread and a glass of milk.

Merlin didn’t mind and ate quietly.

"By the way, you’ve never seen the ocean before, have you?" Merlin said. "Just enjoy this vacation. It’ll surely become a precious memory for you."

Hearing the word "memory," Nysera’s expression turned distant.

"Memories, huh?" she whispered. "Do I even deserve to have them?"

Merlin didn’t catch her words clearly and asked hesitantly, "What did you say?"

Nysera shook her head. "It’s nothing."

Although he felt suspicious, Merlin only nodded and didn’t press further.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, followed by a loud knock on the door.

"Merlin, are you awake!? Hurry up and come out! There’s something fascinating—you’ll never see it again in the future!"

Merlin and Nysera were startled. They exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.