"Hah... What a hassle! Father is really cruel to give me such a tough job."

In his room, Merlin sat in a chair, sorting through the documents on his desk.

Two years had passed since his reincarnation into this world, and his growth was remarkable.

Previously, he had only been 1.35 meters tall, but now he had grown fifteen centimeters—to 1.5 meters.

For his age, that was already considered tall, and he was confident that in another two years, he would reach 1.7 meters.

His appearance had also changed significantly. The childish expression on his face had begun to fade, replaced by a distinct teenage aura.

He had grown even more handsome—enough to make any girl fall for him with just one glance.

Shaking his head, Merlin rubbed his sore temples.

'Time really does fly,' he muttered softly, pushing the documents on his desk aside.

The past two years had been tough for him. He had made good use of his time—training his body and magic, studying leadership, and much more.

It was all his own initiative, not something forced by his parents. Naturally, they were delighted when he made that decision.

Merlin even remembered how happy his father had been—so happy that he shed tears.

Well, it was only natural, considering how desperate his father had once been for the real Merlin.

"System, are you there?" he called out casually while stretching his stiff body.

"[Ding! I'm here, Master. Do you need anything from me?]"

Merlin couldn't help but smile. Leaning back in his chair, he asked, "How many system points do I have?"

"[Your system points total 400,000, Master. Do you want to open the system shop?]"

"400,000, huh? That's quite a lot," Merlin murmured, nodding in satisfaction.

In the past, his system points had only been a little over 200,000, but after two full years, that number had risen to 400,000.

Even so, that nearly one-hundred-percent increase still didn't satisfy him. By his calculations, he should have earned between 700,000 and 800,000 points during these two years.

Unfortunately, he hadn't had the chance to interact with other characters in the book. He needed to improve his strength as quickly as possible before the main plot began.

"No need, System. Just keep it as a precaution in case something unexpected happens later. By the way..."

Merlin rubbed his chin and asked, "When will the main plot start? And... when will the main character be found by the royal family?"

The novel The Lost Hero tells the story of the main character, Abel. The Kingdom of Aldoria holds a prophecy that the Evil God, Vorgrath, will appear in the world once again.

Why "again"? It is because Vorgrath had appeared in the past and nearly destroyed the world.

However, the god was sealed away by an unknown man. And according to the prophecy, that being will return in ten years to destroy the world once more.

Abel is the one foretold to be the world's savior.

"[Honestly, I don't know, Master,]" the system replied in an embarrassed tone. "[Do you still remember what I said two years ago? This world has started moving in an unknown direction. The butterfly effect of your actions has greatly influenced the storyline. So, I can't say for sure whether Abel will be found by the royal family or not.]"

Hearing that, Merlin's expression turned serious. He still remembered the system's warning from two years ago, but he hadn't expected its impact to be this great.

He paused for a moment before asking, "Is there a possibility that Abel won't be found by the royal family?"

That was what he feared the most. Merlin didn't hate Abel—there was no eternal enmity between them.

After all, in the novel, it was Merlin who had first caused trouble for Abel. His obsession with Luna was the main reason for his death at Abel's hands.

Of course, that didn't mean he would lower his guard. If Abel ever showed malicious intent, Merlin wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him.

As for how his own actions might further disrupt the storyline of this novel world, he couldn't have cared less.

At the very least, he hoped Abel would still appear as expected, so the shifting world lines wouldn't cause even greater chaos.

The system paused before replying, "[I… don't know either. Such a possibility exists, which is why I asked you to remain vigilant and cautious.]"

"Even you don't know, huh? Looks like I'll have to work even harder from now on," he whispered softly.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind him, and both his eyes were covered by soft, fragrant hands.

"Guess who I am?"

Merlin was slightly startled but quickly regained his composure. A smile appeared as he tapped his lips with his index finger.

"You should be… Maya, right?"

"Bingo!" Maya laughed, pulling her hands away from his eyes as she walked to his side. "How did you know, Young Master?"

She blinked curiously, a beautiful smile on her lips.

Merlin chuckled softly. "Just a guess."

Having answered, he observed Maya carefully. Over the past two years, it wasn't only he who had changed—Maya had too.

She had become more mature, radiating a gentle and calming aura. In the novel, Maya had died after the original Merlin's death.

For her, Merlin was her only reason for living. Losing him would be like losing her entire world.

"System, open Maya's panel."

[Status]

Name: Maya

Age: 17 years old

Identity: Merlin Clay's Personal Maid

Talent: (locked)

Guardian Spirit: -

Rank: -

Bloodline: (locked)

Favorability: 100

As Merlin studied her status, his heart skipped a beat.

'This… What's going on here? Why is Maya's status like this?' He wondered, astonished.

Maya was supposed to be an ordinary person without any special powers. Yet her panel showed something impossible—both a talent and a bloodline, each locked!

'System, answer me—what's going on? Why does Maya have both a talent and a bloodline?' he asked urgently.

"[Master, you've underestimated your maid. She is talented, but her talent and bloodline haven't been activated,]" the system replied casually.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Merlin felt a surge of frustration. 'If I had known earlier, I could have helped Maya awaken her potential.'

"[Eh! Don't blame me like that!]" The system protested, clearly unhappy. "[The reason I didn't tell you is because you never asked. You never opened Maya's status panel either, right? So why am I to blame this time?]"

The system seemed more human than it had two years ago. Daily interactions with Merlin had clearly stirred emotions it wasn't supposed to have.

Merlin was at a loss for words. The system was right—he was the one at fault.

"Master? Why are you silent?" Maya asked in a slightly anxious tone, gently rubbing both his cheeks with her palms.

The soft, cool touch brought Merlin back to his senses. He gazed into her purple eyes and, almost without thinking, asked, "Maya… do you want to have power like mine?"

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