Chapter 367: The Return of Link
"Damn it..." Just as Leon Merlin's fear was spiraling out of control and he wished he could bury his head in the long table, he suddenly saw the middle-aged man beside him recklessly raise his right hand!
Leon Merlin was nearly scared out of his wits on the spot...
"Are you insane!" In that instant, Leon Merlin's face changed dramatically. He pressed his head down hard while desperately signaling to his companion with his eyes.
However...
Not everyone could read Leon Merlin's signals...
For instance, the middle-aged man sitting next to him saw Leon Merlin acting this way and immediately looked puzzled. What was going on? Why was Young Master Leon acting like this—did he get sand in his eyes or was he trying to give some kind of hint?
Ah, a hint!
Suddenly, the middle-aged man understood—Young Master Leon was trying to give him a hint, that must be it! A few months ago, Young Master Leon went to Seaview City and apparently had some unpleasant encounters. When he returned, he was a changed man. And isn't that Marfa Merlin from Seaview City? Looks like whatever happened to Young Master Leon back then probably had something to do with this Marfa Merlin...
Thinking of this, the middle-aged man quickly gave Leon Merlin a reassuring look—"Don't worry."
"At least he's not completely clueless..." Leon Merlin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that look.
But then...
He hadn't even finished exhaling when the middle-aged man beside him stood up and, loud enough for everyone to hear, declared, "I support Elder Lurgan's proposal. Leaving the Gilded Rose in the hands of someone as young as Marfa Merlin would be a huge loss for the Merlin Family..."
After saying this, he even shot Lin Yun a provocative look...
Leon Merlin stared in disbelief at the whole scene, feeling as if thunder was roaring overhead, his mind completely blank. He gazed at the middle-aged man beside him, his face twisted in a mix of laughter and tears...
"Young Master Leon, don't worry..." After provoking Lin Yun, the middle-aged man whispered reassuringly to Leon Merlin.
Damn it, worry about what!
Leon Merlin was on the verge of losing it. Are you insane? This is how you want me to feel reassured? What, are you afraid I won't die fast enough? I'm already this miserable, and you still want to push me into the fire. If that bastard thinks you said all this because I told you to, how am I supposed to survive?
Damn it, how did I end up with such a pig-headed teammate...
Now I've really been screwed over...
No, no, I have to find a way to clear myself of suspicion. Otherwise, when this Elder Council ends, I might not even make it out of the Merlin Family manor alive.
Leon Merlin shot a venomous glare at the middle-aged man beside him, then nudged his chair back a little so he could bury his head even lower...
Then he started racking his brains...
"Marfa Merlin, we're only thinking of the Merlin Family's interests." Besides himself, there were sixteen elders in the council, and now fourteen of them supported Lurgan. Lurgan's face was barely able to hide his smug grin: "Besides, this isn't just my decision—it's the decision of the entire Elder Council."
"That's right, Marfa Merlin!" As soon as Lurgan finished, Owen Merlin stood up. "You're still too young to control the Gilded Rose. And right now, you're just a First-Tier Mage. In a place like Seaview City, maybe that's impressive, but Marfa Merlin, open your eyes—you're now in the heart of the Andalusia Kingdom, in Auckland. Here, a First-Tier Mage is nothing..."
"Just look at Ross. Years ago he was already a Fifth-Tier Mage, but in the Blazeforge Realm, he was still easily defeated by Stan Watson..." With that, Owen Merlin took a shot at Ross Merlin.
"Heh..." To everyone's surprise, Ross Merlin, who got dragged into this for no reason, didn't even seem angry. He just let out a cold laugh and ignored Owen Merlin.
Because Ross Merlin knew he didn't need to step in—his cousin Marfa would settle everything...
At that moment, Ross Merlin just wanted to tell Owen Merlin, "Do you even know that Stan Watson wouldn't last ten seconds in front of this so-called First-Tier Mage?"
Of course, Owen Merlin had no idea...
So he just kept on rambling...
Think about it—if one day your Gilded Rose catches the eye of some faction, and it doesn't even have to be a top-tier one, just a group with a few Fifth-Tier Mages and a couple dozen Grand Mages. In Auckland, that's barely second-rate. But if they target your Gilded Rose, could you really protect it with just First-Tier Mage strength?
Exactly..." Lurgan chimed in again. The two who had been arguing moments ago were now working together seamlessly: "Marfa Merlin, let me be blunt—without the Merlin Family's protection, you and your Gilded Rose wouldn't survive. Sooner or later, some faction would swallow you whole, bones and all..."
As the two kept going back and forth, a figure in black leather armor suddenly walked into the family council hall...
He looked to be in his thirties, his face pale and body thin, dressed in a somewhat worn black leather armor. His ordinary face made him seem like a complete stranger...
"You bastard, you think you can just barge into the family council hall? Get out, now!" Lurgan was about to join forces with Owen Merlin to seize the Gilded Rose, but was interrupted at the critical moment by a stranger, so his tone was anything but friendly...
(Irrelevant passage, skip translation)
"Elder Lurgan, please sit down." Hoffland, however, frowned and unexpectedly asserted his authority as family head.
"Hm?" Lurgan was caught off guard. Honestly, in the past ten or twenty years, even though Hoffland was the family head, he'd always been rather accommodating in council meetings. So much so that many elders, Lurgan included, had forgotten Hoffland was actually the patriarch of the Merlin Family...
Faced with Hoffland suddenly wielding the authority of family head, Lurgan was clearly unprepared. For a moment, he actually sat down quietly...
"What is it?" Only after Lurgan obediently sat down did Hoffland nod calmly, signaling the newcomer to speak.
At that moment, only Hoffland himself knew that his mood was far less calm than his face showed...
Because the person who just entered the council hall was named Link.
Yes, the very same Link who once followed Thornton Merlin, and even after Thornton disappeared, guarded the Merlin Family for three hundred years...
Back then, I sent Link to follow Marfa Merlin, hoping to stop that young man from doing something foolish. But after Link left, he never returned. Instead, the next day, news came of Stan Watson's sudden death...
For over a month, Hoffland kept wondering where Link had gone, and how Stan Watson had died...
But as long as Link didn't come back, those questions remained unanswered...
But today, Link had suddenly returned.
Link hadn't said a word, but Hoffland could sense that something major had happened...
It was this feeling that made Hoffland's emotions a little unstable.
Under the confused gazes of the elders, Link strode over to Hoffland and whispered something to him...
"Hm?" At first, Hoffland just nodded as he listened, but the longer he listened, the more his expression changed—pale and shocked, he stared at Link, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Really?"
"Yes." For once, the usually expressionless Link showed a rare hint of frustration...
"Hiss..." Hoffland sucked in a cold breath as if struck by toothache. If what Link said was true, then today's Elder Council might bring disaster to the Merlin Family...
What to do, what now...
Only Hoffland knew just how terrifying the news he'd just heard really was...
"Patriarch Hoffland, the Elder Council has finished voting. Shouldn't you announce the final result now?" With the Gilded Rose's daily fortune almost within reach, only to be interrupted by a stranger, Lurgan was getting impatient.
"Wait, wait..." Normally, Hoffland would have let things slide, but now he wore a deeply conflicted expression...
There was no help for it—Hoffland was truly struggling right now...
Only Hoffland knew just how horrifying the things Link had witnessed during his month-long disappearance really were...
Link had witnessed two things in total.
One of them had nothing to do with today's Elder Council, but the other was enough to make Hoffland's hair fall out.
Link made it perfectly clear: Marfa Merlin possesses terrifying power...
Fifty elite members of the Red Dragon Mercenary Company, plus First Vice Commander Hannah Achilles, a Fifth-Tier Swordmaster, and Stan Watson, an Eighth-Tier Mage—such a team could go toe-to-toe with a Title Mage.
But...
Link told Hoffland that this entire group, facing Marfa Merlin, didn't last ten seconds. From start to finish, Marfa Merlin strolled through them as if on a leisurely walk, and effortlessly claimed Stan Watson's life...
As he listened, Hoffland felt his scalp tingle...
Originally, Hoffland had always thought that a twenty-something First-Tier Mage was already impressive—especially one from a place like Seaview City. So he'd always valued Marfa Merlin highly...