Merlin, who witnessed Azuma kill the two henchmen of the Black Clan that attacked him, felt weak and powerless.
Lucy returned to her original form, turning into a cute cat so Azuma wouldn't be suspicious.
"Are you okay?" Azuma asked worriedly, looking at Merlin.
But Merlin couldn't respond; her body was still trembling, unable to believe she had just witnessed a murder right in front of her eyes. It wasn't just one person who was killed, but two at once.
Seeing Merlin in silence made Azuma even more worried about her, so he hugged her in an attempt to calm her down.
"Enough, don't cry. You're safe now; there's nothing to be afraid of anymore," Azuma said, which only made Merlin cry even harder.
Azuma had no idea that Merlin had never seen a murder before, and it had become a horrifying sight for her, leaving her weak and her cries becoming louder.
"I'll take you to the academy to rest," Azuma said, lifting Merlin and flying her to the academy for treatment. He thought Merlin was hurt.
Killing each other, fighting for power, and war were common occurrences, especially for those who wielded inner strength battling for dominance; killing was a possibility.
Lucy quickly summoned the wild beasts in the forest to consume the corpses of the recently deceased, as it would be a tasty meal for the beasts.
Lucy had finished her task of tidying up the forest and her home so that there would be no litter; she certainly didn't like seeing corpses lying around, so she cleaned them up and hurried back to the academy to accompany Merlin.
There were many things Lucy wanted to tell Merlin.
"Rest, I'll call a healer to check on you," Azuma said, worried about Merlin's condition.
"I'm fine; it's just that it's my first time seeing someone die in front of me," Merlin said, not wanting Azuma to worry about her.
"You'll see a lot of killing if you live in this ruthless world of martial arts. Being killed or killing is the choice; if you hesitate like you did earlier, you might die," Azuma said, unable to comprehend how deeply shocked Merlin was by witnessing a murder.
"I don't want to see any more killings," Merlin said, truly traumatized by what she had just experienced.
Merlin felt sad about the earlier incident, the horrifying scene still lingering in her mind. Even though she wasn't the one who killed them, the event unfolded right before her eyes, making her unable to believe that the world she inhabited now was so different, far from being peaceful. This made Merlin long to go home and miss her own world.
"I want to go home," Merlin sobbed again, making Azuma feel guilty.
Azuma was already used to killing in wars, especially against the Black Clan, who always caused unrest. The Red Clan also disliked the Blue Clan.
In fact, the most challenging enemy to face was the Red Clan, who could attack the Blue Clan at any time without any agreements, but their presence was not too threatening because the Red Clan lacked power. Only the King held full power.
"I know you miss home. After the tournament is over, I'll take you back," Azuma said, trying to soothe Merlin so she could feel calm and forget about the earlier incident.
Merlin didn't want to go back to her home here; she wanted to return to her original world.
"What if I just don't participate in the tournament and go home instead?"
"I will punish you; running away from the tournament is a cowardly act. The Blue Clan has dignity; it's impossible for someone with the spirit of the Blue Clan to be cowardly. They will see the tournament through to the end," Azuma replied, bewildered by how fragile the girl in front of him seemed, who had never even stepped out to face the reality of the world, yet had the audacity to flee from her cruel family and still longed for her home.
"Fine, I'll win that tournament so you can be satisfied with your clan's name," Merlin said, annoyed with Azuma's excessive pride in his clan.
In reality, all clans wanted to be the strongest and become the most feared clan.
Service arrived, bringing food and water for Merlin to clean herself up; everything was prepared neatly.
"Eat and clean yourself up; after that, you should rest. Tomorrow is the second round of the competition; you need to prepare for it. I'm sure you can do it because you have a companion animal," Azuma said as he dismissed the servant after everything was set.
"How do you know I have a companion animal?" Merlin asked, not having told anyone about Lucy.
"From the sword you used; even though I can't see what your companion animal is, it seems to be a strong one," Azuma replied, sensing the strong presence around Merlin.
Looking at Merlin's small stature and questionable abilities, it seemed impossible for her to defeat a strong companion animal, yet Azuma always felt a significant strength surrounding Merlin that intrigued him to stay close to her.
"Strong? It's just a lazy cat," Merlin thought, unaware that Lucy was indeed very strong. If only Lucy hadn't mistaken her identity back then, perhaps she wouldn't have become Merlin's companion animal; Lucy had come and became her companion without knowing who Merlin truly was.
Lucy, who initially thought Merlin was a strong and reliable boy, was surprised to find that Merlin was actually in disguise and was a woman who was unpredictable and always did the unexpected.
Slowly, Merlin began to forget the earlier incident because Azuma's words reminded her that she had to survive; being killed or killing was her choice.
Merlin knew that the world she had entered was indeed cruel, and she had to endure to return home. Her only goal was to go back, but how difficult that was, as her greatest enemy was Sujin, the King's finance child, which meant that if Merlin attacked Sujin, it would be the same as attacking the kingdom. All of this made Merlin dizzy because to attack a large kingdom required great strength as well.
"I'll take my leave now; you must be strong," Azuma said before departing.
Azuma left Merlin alone in the room to calm down and watch the ongoing tournament.
Asuka, the second prince, who was curious about where his brother had gone, was always keeping an eye on him, and now he had received information from the servant that his brother was taking care of Merlin, which made Asuka angry and dislike Merlin.
When his brother returned to his seat, this was Asuka's chance to go and warn Merlin.
Quickly, Asuka made his way to Merlin's room, knowing from the servant who had just prepared food for her.
He knocked loudly on Merlin's door, and Merlin, thinking it was Azuma coming back, quickly opened the door.
When the door opened, Asuka was seen standing there, angry, and he immediately pushed Merlin, causing her to fall to the ground.
"You lowly woman!" Asuka shouted angrily.