After giving Balthazar hope once again, I am now a hundred pert ensured by Balthazar’s loyalty towards me.

  ‘Gaining a Mid-css human as an ally. Check. All that’s left is to enhance his strength through other means. Being Mid-css would just make him a better on fodder in a battle against Gods and Dragons.’ As I proceeded to follow Balthazar who have gained a renewed vigor after I gave him my word, my mind started making future pns involving Balthazar and the ret events that just occurred.

  First is obviously learning everything that Merlin has to offer in his tower, magic spells, theories, even Runes as Balthazar expined earlier how the Magigs were created with a mix of Nordies and Merlin’s own touch of Runes.

  Sed, try to see if I could still gather some of Merlin’s trusted allies, it would be a great addition to the strength of the Sorcerer Society.

  Lastly, vert Man Le Fay’s followers to follow me instead. Of course, the version wouldn't be normal, it would involve a small hint of mind trol and memory ges.

  If there’s something that the devils are good at, it’s tempering with human memories, either to hide their presence or simply for fun.

  “We’re close. Be careful though, it’s been a while since I st visited and I’m not sure if Merlin’s magical traps are still active.” Seriously, you’re just saying that now?

  As if sensing my displeasure, Balthazar made an apologetic expression.

  A few mier, we stopped in our tracks.

  “We’re here.” He said.

  I looked around me in fusion. Here? In the middle of the forest?

  Guessing the meaning of this, I pulled into my magical sciousness, sensing any magical anomalies around us.

  That’s when I saw it. A rge illusionary dome in front of us, t over 50 meters or beyond and c a kilometer radius of nd area.

  I ’t pierce through the illusionary dome, as if it defend even from peepers like me.

  I didn’t know Merlin is capable enough to build an illusion that hide even from me, a High-css devil.

  I wonder how strong that old man is. Ba my previous world, the Marvel Universe, Merlin was one of the former Sorcerer Supremes, his tributioered mostly around enhang the effectiveness of the Sanctum Sans in building a magical defense against dimensional lords and demons.

  Merlin was also the Sorcerer Supremes who made the most artifacts for the Sorcerers, such as the Ebony Bde, Book of Eternity ac.

  There is also a rumor that Merlin is actually ected to his other selves across the Multiverse, making him almost anywhere.

  This might be the reason why in almost every Universe, there will always be the name of Merlin, a legendary wizard.

  “Master Merlin didly taught me how to ehrough the illusion, I only remember that he held my shoulders as we walk forward and bypassed through it.” Balthazar spoke, pting the reason behind it.

  Meanwhile for me, my mind just realized the answer behind it.

  Looking down on my hand where the Drag’s eyes were blinking in red secutively, I grinned.

  I walked forward and touched Balthazar’s shoulders, surprising the old wizard.

  Before he could express his fusion, I pushed him forward, my palm not leaving his shoulder.

  As we walk forward, we slowly passed through the bubble of illusion. Finally revealing the rge expanse inside.

  Aside from that, the ohat caught my attention was the t structure in front of us. It was made of cobblestones and some green leaves ging on its body.

  The windows weren’t broken as I expected, despite years of abando, it still maintains its sheen, the wooden parts of the tower looks just fine, as if someone is still living here.

  Could there be indeed someoill living here?

  “It still looks the same.” Even Balthazar was fused.

  “What do you think?” I asked. Hopefully the old wizard would shed some clue here.

  I don’t want to ehe tower only to meet a naked old man who just got out of the shower who turns out to be someone who took the tower as his new home.

  “I…I don’t know.” Balthazar furrowed his eyebrows.

  Seeing that he won’t be a help, I expanded my sehroughout the eower, only to be met witht the same response as when I used my senses on the illusion barrier earlier.

  ‘Merlin is truly adept at hiding his secrets.’ I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Let’s enter. Maybe the tower has a self-repair and self-ing magic? Who knows.” Shrugging my shoulders, I pushed myself forward.

  Balthazar, albeit hesitant, chose to follow my tracks, keeping up his guard just in case of surprise attacks.

  As soon as we reached the dootstep of the tower, my senses immediately went haywire when the door opened by itself.

  I hear the droaning, the hinches must be rusty if it make a sound that loud and irritating to the ears.

  Inside was dark, but I still see what’s i was . Too as a matter of fact.

  Did Merlin own some sort of House Elf or something? Not even a human make this pce so .

  It has to be magic.

  Yeah, that’s gotta be it.

  “Hello? Is somebody there?” I yelled. Balthazar from behind me also followed.

  “Sorry for intruding! My name is Balthazar Bke, Merlin’s disciple, the one who owns this tower. you please answer me?”

  ‘This feels like something that occurs in a horror movie. Two main characters, entering a very haunted pce thehe ghost, got killed and passes off a curse.’ Too bad ghost don’t scare me anymore.

  The only thing that might scare me is if the existence of aliens is real.

  Before I could add something in, I suddenly felt a searing pain on my finger, more specifically, my index finger where I wear my Drag.

  Looking down in pain, I saw the said ring glowing and pulsing as if it had gained a life.

  “What the?” Just as Balthazar noticed my predit and tries to help, I felt my sciousness slipping.

  God dammit. How a mere ring make me fall asleep like this?

  Before I k, I passed out on the ground.

  ***

  I don’t know how many hours have passed. As soon as I woke up, I found myself in the same pce where I passed out earlier.

  That’s weird. I thought I would wake up to meet Merlin and gain knowledge or power from him like a novel protagonist.

  “Balthazar? Where are you?” Did that guy just left me here?

  How cruel.

  Standing up, I was about to spread my senses when suddenly, I realized I ’t. I tried my powers, demoniergy or some magic spells but I ’t.

  No, it didn’t just disappear or something. It’s like I didn’t know it. As if the knowledge on how to use it disappeared from my mind. Like I didn’t learn it on the first pce.

  I still feel it, but I fot how to draw it. I know it’s existe I don’t know how to use it.

  This is…fusing and scary.

  “I see that you’re finally awake.” Suddenly, an elderly voiterrupted me, causio snap my head to the right.

  Only then I noticed that someone has been watg me for a while, sitting on a rog chair beside a lit firepd a side table with a rge book resting on it.

  Due to the light from the firepce behind, I couldn’t see the face of the owner. I do know that he’s old base on his voice, just not his appearance.

  “Who are you?” I asked, wariness evident in my tone.

  “You don’t o be cautious around me. I’m a kind old man.” The dark figure raised his hands, showing he’s harmless.

  Well, too bad for him, I’m not the kind of guy who sees someone unarmed as harmless. Magic is invisible and sidered an armed on.

  “Where am I? What happeo me? How did I get here?” I barraged the man with questions after question.

  “Rex. Rex. I’m not here to harm you. As a matter of fact, I wele you here in my tower.” Despite the darkness c his face, I see his grin inside.

  Wait, his tower?

  “Are you…Merlin?” I asked in surprise.

  That’s when he finally stood and stepped fiving me his appearance.

  “In the flesh.” He was old, older than the oldest looking person I know. His wrinkles are so bad that they droop over his eyes like a Neapolitan Mastiff dog.

  His beard is long, not as long as the oed in history where his beard would slide on the floor but still long heless.

  As for his outfit, he was wearing a long purple robe with star designs. I rubbed my eyes slightly, are those glitters I’m seeing on his robe?

  And before I fet

  He’s also bald.

  tally as my eyes hovered around his bald head, Merlin rubbed his head, as if he was insecure about it.

  “You’re alive…” I muttered to myself. Doesn’t this mean he purposely allowed himself to be killed by his traitorous student?

  Did Merlin p all along?

  “No. I’m dead already. This is just a piey soul I engraved in my tower.” ht.

  “I khat someday Balzy will find my successor. I wasn’t just expeg it to be this early. Tell him that he did a good job.” Wait Baltzy? Is that Balthazar’s niame?

  “Why not tell him yourself?” I asked.

  “Because this will be the st time you’ll see me alive. My Tower has kept my soul alive for this long and the moment that ring came in tact with the tower, my soul activated and I grew my sciousness. It wouldn’t st this long, so I’ll tell you everything you o know.”

  “Anyways, first, let me introduce myself properly to you, my name is Merlin Ambrosius. I’m a wizard. o meet you, my legaheritor.”

  “As for your questions earlier, you’re currently inside my soul, or more specifically, a piey soul inside my tower.”

  “Since I wouldn’t st long, I ’t give you everything I know. But I already expected this, so once you wake up, go to the highest floor of the tower aer my study. Only me and my successors e, not even my students like Balthazar enter. So always remember to wear my magig.”

  “And also, I’m surprised that my ior would be a devil.” I hear him chuckled, which made me shift awkwardly.

  “Oh, don’t be tense. I’m not racist. I know someone who used to ensve devils and I personally dealt with him myself. In my eyes, as long as you’re alive and breathing, we’re all equals in the universe.”

  “I only have a minute left. Ask what you want to know.” As if on cue, I blurted out the question that has been bugging me.

  “How strong are you?” I see him stunned by my question before smirking in fidence.

  “…You might not know this but I once helped the God of the Bible to upgrade that Heaven’s System of his.”

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  [ Chapter: Ch. 60 - Angry Diorno]