Merlin wasn't skilled at riding, so he sat in the carriage, pulling back the curtain to gaze forward. In the distance, Wilson Castle was already within sight.
Suddenly, a strong scent of blood drifted over on the cold wind, causing Merlin's expression to change. He quickly jumped down from the carriage and called to Prahl, "Uncle Prahl, let's stop here!"
Prahl, too, had caught the scent of blood, his face growing grim.
"This direction… it's Wilson Castle!"
Determining the source of the blood scent, Merlin could no longer hold back. He sprinted forward, reaching Wilson Castle in a single breath, where he saw the ghastly sight of corpses—familiar servants and guards of the castle—strewn across the grounds.
"Damn it!"
Merlin cursed under his breath as he and Prahl entered the castle.
"Hmm? Merlin, you're still alive? And you've returned?"
Tirafa emerged with his men, charging out from within the castle, coming face to face with Merlin. Both sides' knights immediately drew their swords, the tension mounting.
"Tirafa! Where's Meixue?"
Merlin's face darkened as he scanned the bodies on the ground, not spotting Meixue among them.
Tirafa didn't answer, but a gleam of excitement flashed across his face. He quickly pointed at Merlin and addressed two men in white robes and silver armor standing beside him, "This is Wilson's son!"
These two white-robed men were guardian swordsmen assigned by Mage Jason. They exchanged glances and growled in unison, "Kill him!"
Immediately, white light flared from the bodies of the two swordsmen—they were both Level-One Light Swordsmen—and they charged toward Merlin.
Seeing the massacre in Wilson Castle, Merlin's heart burned with rage. His gaze fixed on Tirafa, ignoring the two guardian swordsmen.
"Out of my way!"
Merlin strode toward Tirafa, his body enhanced from practicing the mysterious postures of the arcane engravings. His physical strength now matched, or even surpassed, that of a Level-One Elemental Swordsman. With just a few steps, he covered several meters.
The two guardian swordsmen were visibly startled, sensing that Merlin was not an Elemental Swordsman, yet his physical prowess exceeded their expectations.
But what happened next surprised them even more. Merlin raised his hands, and two fist-sized balls of flame appeared, hovering over his palms.
"Whoosh, whoosh."
With a flick of his fingers, the fireballs shot forward in blurs of light, hurtling toward the guardian swordsmen at incredible speed.
"Damn! It's the dark arts of a heretic!"
The two guardian swordsmen recognized the fireballs as a spell, but it was too late for them to dodge.
As Merlin's mental strength grew, so did his control over the fireball spell, making it almost ghostly in precision. Even a Level-Three Elemental Swordsman would find it difficult to evade, let alone two mere Level-One swordsmen.
"Boom, boom."
The fireballs struck the chests of the two swordsmen, the searing heat melting through their light armor. Each fireball left a blood-red hole in their chests, extinguishing the light element within them, and their bodies fell heavily to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the two formidable guardian swordsmen were dead. Merlin didn't even pause, continuing his charge toward Tirafa.
Tirafa was stunned, but the knights around him, though terrified, bravely positioned themselves in front of him to shield him.
Merlin couldn't be bothered to waste mana on knights who weren't even Elemental Swordsmen. With swift, wind-like punches, he took down the knights protecting Tirafa with ease.
"Slash."
Tirafa now stood unprotected, and Merlin fixed his gaze on him.
"Tirafa, where is Meixue?"
Merlin closed in on Tirafa, his voice icy, and another fireball, exuding intense heat, materialized in the air before him.
The sight of the fireball made Tirafa's face go pale with fear, his gaze shifting nervously as he hesitated.
Just as Merlin was about to seize Tirafa for questioning, a throng of knights suddenly surged from the castle, charging toward him with loud shouts.
Tirafa had brought two hundred knights, outnumbering the hundred Merlin had with him. Yet Merlin remained unperturbed, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes as he eyed the oncoming knights.
"Explode!"
Merlin pointed toward a group of knights, and the hovering fireball shot forward, detonating under his mental command.
The fist-sized fireball released a powerful shockwave, sending the nearest knights flying. Those in the immediate vicinity collapsed, their armor shattered, while those further away fell, screaming as flames scattered and burned them.
Meanwhile, Prahl drew his sword and, with a loud shout, led the hundred knights behind him against Tirafa's forces. Although outnumbered, they were filled with determination and had the support of Merlin's fireballs. The attack was devastating, leaving Tirafa's knights scattered and suffering heavy casualties, with only a few managing to flee Wilson Castle.
The castle grounds were now a field of death, littered with bodies of Tirafa's knights, the castle's servants, and guards, transforming Wilson Castle into a living nightmare.
"Young Master Merlin!"
Prahl approached, his armor stained red, his face smeared with blood. It was hard to tell if it was his own blood or that of his enemies.
"Have you found her?"
"We've searched everywhere, Young Master Merlin. There's no sign of Miss Meixue, the butler, or the lady."
A glimmer of hope lit up Prahl's face; if no bodies were found, it might mean Meixue and the others were still alive.
Tirafa lay on the ground, his face drained of color. He was now Merlin's prisoner.
Merlin glanced at Tirafa, a cold smile playing on his lips. He turned to Prahl and said, "Uncle Prahl, I'll leave Tirafa to you."
Prahl grinned with a cruel edge, his bloodied face twisted with rage. "Don't worry, Young Master Merlin. For the 148 lives lost here in Wilson Castle, I'll settle the score with him."
Merlin left Tirafa to Prahl, heading toward Old Wilson's room. He had a suspicion about where Meixue and the others might be hiding.
***
"Why did it suddenly go quiet?"
Still hiding in the basement, Meixue asked in a hushed voice. She had been listening to the sounds of footsteps outside, but they had suddenly vanished.
The butler pondered for a moment, then replied, "Miss Meixue, let's wait a little longer. Something might have happened, causing them to leave temporarily. For now, staying here is our safest option."
Meixue nodded, letting herself relax a bit.
Just then, the entrance to the basement began to open with a soft creak.
"Oh no, we've been discovered!"
Meixue drew in a deep breath, raising her sword high, prepared to fight to the end.
A shadowy figure appeared at the entrance. Not hesitating a second, Meixue brought her sword down with force as soon as the passageway opened fully.