The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!

Chapter 360 360: An Offer to Rise Again

Merlin walked out of Tharvis's office.

He headed down the corridor, which was bustling with first- and second-year students.

"Good afternoon, Merlin Clay!"

A few second-year girls greeted him with sweet smiles.

Merlin returned their smiles. "Good afternoon. Are you heading to afternoon practice?"

"Um! We are!" replied a pretty girl named Ziora. "Wish us luck, will you? I heard prayers from handsome boys are always granted by the gods."

The moment she said that, her face flushed red. The girls beside her giggled and nudged her shoulder, clearly teasing her.

Merlin couldn't hold back a chuckle. He nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get through it. Good luck."

He clenched his fist in encouragement, making the girls' eyes light up with excitement.

After exchanging a few more words, Merlin continued on his way. Over the past two months, he had visited the alchemy department building quite often.

That was why he had grown familiar with some of the students there, especially the beautiful girls.

Well, that wasn't surprising. Merlin's handsome appearance made him easy to approach, and he didn't mind the attention either.

He left the building and headed toward the cafeteria.

As it turned out, Luna, Catrine, Margaret, and Liora were already waiting for him.

But suddenly, he heard a faint voice in the distance.

"Hahaha! You're just the son of a worthless man who's lost his powers!"

"That's right! What right do you have to speak so harshly to Luvis?"

Merlin's eyebrows lifted slightly when he heard the name "Luvis."

"A fight, huh?" Merlin turned toward the source of the voices and walked over.

When he arrived, he saw two students beating up a tall, muscular boy.

The moment Merlin recognized who they were attacking, his eyes widened in shock.

"Jared? Why is he being beaten up?"

His gaze unconsciously fixed on the two students as they kicked and punched Jared without hesitation.

Then his eyes shifted past them, and he spotted the person he had suspected—Luvis.

"Bullying, huh? I really don't get what's so satisfying about beating up the weak," Merlin muttered with a sigh.

Come to think of it, Jared had been beaten up before. But back then, he had been poisoned, which made it easy for those thugs to take him down.

Now, however, the situation was different. Jared didn't look poisoned at all.

He looked perfectly fine.

So why was he just standing there and taking it?

While Merlin watched from a distance, Luvis stepped forward and patted both of his subordinates on the shoulder.

"Alright, that's enough. If you hurt him too badly, it'll cause trouble for me."

The two cronies immediately stopped and took a few steps back.

Luvis moved closer, standing right in front of Jared with a cold stare.

"Remember this. Every time you see me, bow your head," he said with a sneer. "After all, you're nothing but worthless trash… just like your crippled father."

Jared gritted his teeth, holding back his anger. He couldn't tolerate anyone insulting his father.

But he was powerless, and all he could do was swallow that bitterness in silence.

Luvis looked bored as he turned and walked away.

His two subordinates quickly followed after him. Once they disappeared from view, Jared clenched his fist and slammed it hard into the ground.

"Damn it! Why does this keep happening?"

Even before entering the academy, Luvis had constantly harassed him. Jared had thought that once he got into the academy, he would finally be free of that jerk.

But he had been wrong.

Luvis not only didn't stop but also made it worse.

Jared wanted to fight back, but he couldn't. Not only was he far weaker than Luvis, but Luvis's noble status also left him with no choice.

As anger gnawed at him, an indifferent voice sounded from behind.

"Staying silent while being humiliated like that… it hurts, doesn't it?"

Jared stiffened. He quickly turned around and saw Merlin walking toward him with a calm expression.

"Merlin Clay…" Jared's eyes narrowed. "Did you see everything?"

Merlin stopped about a meter away and nodded casually.

"More accurately, I saw it from the beginning."

He extended his left hand, but Jared slapped it away.

"I don't need your pity," he said coldly.

He stood up and brushed the dirt off his uniform.

Merlin wasn't angry. He understood Jared better than anyone. The databook described Jared as stubborn and arrogant.

That was why he didn't have many friends. Still, his personality was understandable.

Once, Jared had been the son of the most famous blacksmith in the Knight Kingdom of Batrum, and many believed he would become the greatest blacksmith after his father.

Unfortunately, the royal family saw his father as a threat. They orchestrated an incident that became the greatest tragedy and trauma of Jared's life.

His father had been burned alive, leaving only half of his body intact. Although he was still breathing, he was nothing more than a living corpse, unable to do anything except lie in bed.

That trauma destroyed everything. Jared lost his ability to forge weapons, along with his identity as a blacksmith.

Merlin sighed as he watched Jared about to leave. Then he asked, "Do you want to stay like this? Don't you want to change and break free from the fate you've been trapped in?"

His words stopped Jared in his tracks. He turned back and looked at Merlin with hesitation.

"What do you mean?"

Although Jared was tall, Merlin wasn't short either. He was only half a head shorter than him.

"I have a way to help you stand up again," Merlin said calmly. "Your wish is to be able to forge again, isn't it?"

Those words struck Jared like lightning, making his whole body tense.

"H-How did you know?"

He was sure he had never told anyone about that problem, especially not Merlin, whom he barely knew.

Merlin smiled faintly and crossed his arms.

"You don't need to know that. What matters is whether you're willing… or not."

"I…" Jared hesitated. His cold, arrogant demeanor faded, replaced by uncertainty and self-doubt.

Seeing his silence, Merlin knew Jared was still struggling with his trauma. He didn't blame him.

Trauma was a wound of the soul. It couldn't be healed unless the person chose to heal it themselves.

"I won't force you," Merlin said indifferently as he turned away. "If you want to regain your ability to forge, come to the academy library. I'll be there during lunch for the next two days. But remember—if you let this chance slip, there won't be another one."

Without another word, Merlin walked away, leaving Jared behind.

The bait had been laid. Now it was only a matter of time before the prey took it.

Merlin wasn't worried that Jared would refuse. The human heart was complicated. No one wanted to stay at the bottom forever, constantly humiliated by others—especially someone as proud as Jared.

Jared stared at Merlin's retreating back, his expression dazed.

"Can I really go back to being… who I used to be?"

Just imagining himself holding a blacksmith's hammer again and forging powerful weapons made his body tremble with excitement.

But one question remained.

Was it even possible?

He didn't know Merlin Clay very well. There was a chance the boy was lying.

And yet… What if he wasn't?

***

"So, what took you so long?" Luna asked curiously.

Catrine, Margaret, and Liora looked at him with the same curiosity.

Merlin sat down and let out a long sigh.

"I just finished my business with Tharvis."

"Tharvis?" Luna's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Is this about the potion for the Blackpox outbreak?"

She picked up a piece of honey-glazed roast chicken leg and placed it on Merlin's plate.

"Thank you." Merlin smiled and began eating.

Then he said, "There's an issue with the potion. No… that's not the right way to put it. Professor Leona wants to find its flaws and perfect it."

His expression turned helpless.

"Hah…" Luna sighed and gently stroked Merlin's cheek. "She probably refuses to accept that you were the one who discovered the recipe, doesn't she?"

"Something like that," Merlin admitted. "Alchemists have too much pride. So that outcome isn't surprising."

"Do you want me to help?" Margaret asked as she took a bite of a fried chicken drumstick. "If I step in, your proposal will be approved at once by the alchemy department."

With her family's influence, it would be easy. After all, her family was the academy's largest contributor. Her words carried more weight here than anyone's—second only to the academy head.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I'm sure Professor Leona will approve it within the next few days. After all, there's nothing lacking in the recipe I provided," Merlin said confidently.

Margaret smiled and didn't say anything else. She trusted him completely.

As Merlin chatted casually with the girls, he suddenly felt something cold press against his right cheek.

When he looked up, he saw Nivis smiling, holding a glass of peach juice.

"This is for you," she said, placing the glass on the table.

"Huh? Are you treating me?" Merlin asked, feigning surprise as he accepted it.

Nivis rolled her eyes and replied casually, "Yeah. I'm treating you."

Merlin smiled and patted her head. "Thanks."

Nivis's face flushed, and she quickly hurried off to another table.

Watching the scene, the others couldn't help but laugh.

But then Merlin realized someone was missing.

"By the way, where's Monica? Why haven't I seen her?"

Liora wiped her lips with a tissue and replied weakly, "Monica… she's in serious trouble."

Merlin froze.

"...What?"