"Merlin, what are you doing? Why are you sleeping?"

That was the question Margaret wanted to ask. But she didn't dare, because Celestia was watching them with her senses.

If she acted even slightly out of the ordinary, she would surely be disqualified. Just because she was from the Beethoven family didn't mean all her actions would be excused.

In the end, Margaret withdrew her gaze from Merlin and continued with her exam.

No matter what Merlin did, she had only one goal: to come in first.

Only then could she win their bet and make Merlin do whatever she wanted.

Just imagining Merlin looking embarrassed as he accepted her request was enough to excite her and make her heart race.

Merlin himself was unaware of Margaret's thoughts. His mind had already drifted into a beautiful dream, causing the corners of his lips to curl upward.

On the podium, Celestia watched the sleeping Merlin but did not scold him.

The boy's scores were always consistent—often even perfect. For that reason, she chose not to disturb him, trusting his abilities.

Minute by minute passed, and before they knew it, nearly two hours had gone by.

Celestia glanced at the clock, then clapped her hands once.

"Alright, the exam is over. Stop working immediately."

As soon as those words were spoken, many students breathed a sigh of relief. However, some felt frustrated and angry.

There were still unanswered questions because they had spent too much time thinking.

Unfortunately, none of them dared to argue with Celestia. They already knew it would be futile.

Celestia raised her right hand. All the test papers immediately flew up and gathered on her desk.

She straightened them, then picked them up and said, "The first exam is over. There's still the final exam this afternoon. You may go."

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the classroom.

"Phew! The first exam is finally over! That was nerve-wracking!" a student let out a long sigh.

"You're right. The exam turned out to be pretty tough. I'm not sure if I passed or not," another student replied helplessly.

Discussions broke out among them, most of the conversation revolving around the questions they had worked on.

"How confident are you in your answers, Luvis?" a student asked.

Luvis gave a faint smile. "One hundred percent. It should be easy for me to get a perfect score on this exam."

As he said that, he glanced at Merlin, intending to show off—but found that the boy was surrounded by beautiful girls.

A pang of jealousy welled up inside him. However, he quickly calmed himself and looked away.

"Whew… That exam was so hard!" Monica sighed in frustration. "Luckily, everything I studied came up. I hope I can pass the next one too."

Merlin smiled and patted her head.

"Good job. I'm sure you'll pass."

Monica was startled by his touch and smiled shyly.

"By the way, what about you, Merlin? Were you able to finish the exam?" Luna asked curiously.

Before Merlin could reply, Margaret interrupted with a sneer.

"Finish it? I'm not so sure. Merlin didn't even take the exam—he fell asleep instead. If he keeps this up, I'm sure he'll get a bad grade later."

Although it sounded like a complaint, there was genuine concern behind it.

She did want to win the bet with Merlin. But she also didn't want him to fail and end up having to retake the exam.

After all, they were going on vacation after the exam results came out.

"Huh? Merlin fell asleep?" All the girls were surprised, staring at him in amazement.

Merlin nodded without a trace of embarrassment.

"Yeah, I fell asleep. It was really easy. It only took me half an hour to finish it."

He shrugged indifferently.

The girls: "…"

However, none of them underestimated Merlin. They all trusted his abilities—except for Margaret, who remained slightly skeptical.

"By the way, I've already told my family. My father allowed me to use the private island we'll be using for our vacation!" Margaret said excitedly.

"Oh? That's great news!" Liora beamed happily.

Previously, using the Beethoven family's private island had only been a proposal.

It required the approval of the head of the family—in this case, Margaret's father. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Although Margaret claimed her father would definitely agree, Liora had still worried they might not be able to go.

Seeing the ocean and the beach had long been her greatest desire.

"Hehehe!" Margaret grinned. "Actually, we could go without his permission. I'm the family heir, and my authority is only one level below my father's. But since the island we're visiting is quite far, I want to inform him so the trip will be more comfortable."

The girls nodded in agreement. There was no harm in adding an extra layer of security to their journey.

After exchanging a few more words, they finally decided to have lunch.

Nysera, who had been silent the whole time, was also invited. At first, she hesitated, but Merlin persuaded her, and she eventually agreed.

***

Time flew by. Before they knew it, four days had passed since the exams began.

"Alright, the final exam is over."

Celestia's voice was like an alarm that instantly stopped all the students from writing.

She clapped her hands once, and all the papers on the desks flew toward her.

She gathered them neatly and smiled at the students.

"The results will be announced in two days. During that time, you're free to relax. However, don't stray too far from the academy—it will be difficult to find you if you need to retake the exam," Celestia warned seriously.

"Yes, Professor!" they all replied in unison.

Celestia nodded in satisfaction. Without saying another word, she turned and walked away.

"Merlin, let's go have lunch!" Luna said, hooking her arm around his neck.

The others looked at Merlin expectantly. The exam was over, and they could finally relax.

Merlin shook his head. "Sorry, I can't. I have important business."

"Important business?" Luna and the others were surprised.

Merlin only smiled without answering.

***

Clang!

Clang!

The sound of metal rang out clearly in the distance. Nolan and Nysera walked side by side toward the alley where Gorim was.

"Do you want to visit Jared?" Nysera asked.

Merlin nodded. "Yes. It's been over a week since I last saw him. I need to check on him and see how he's doing."

Jared and he were in different classes, so they couldn't meet often.

Furthermore, after Jared began studying under Gorim, their chances of meeting had become even slimmer.

Suddenly, Merlin noticed something odd in Nysera's expression and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Nysera shook her head. "Nothing. It's just that I'm not sure Gorim can teach Jared."

She wasn't underestimating Gorim, but in her opinion, it would be very difficult to teach Jared.

Nysera was a member of the dragon race. She could perceive others' emotions, and what she sensed from Jared was despair, resignation, and trauma.

Those emotions were so overwhelming it felt as if they could consume him at any moment.

Merlin understood what she meant and patted her head.

"Rest assured, Gorim is the right teacher for Jared."

All Jared needed was support. Merlin could provide that, but he knew it wouldn't be enough on its own.

What Merlin wanted was for Jared to fully rise again. For that, Gorim's role was absolutely crucial.

Nysera said nothing and simply nodded.

The two of them finally arrived at Gorim's location. The shack still looked the same as before.

But Merlin noticed a major change—trash like bottles and plastic, which should have been scattered across the floor, had disappeared.

As he and Nysera walked closer, they heard shouting from inside.

"Clean that area! Once you're done, take care of that one! Hurry up!"

Merlin and Nysera exchanged glances, then stepped inside.

Instantly, both of them were stunned. They saw Gorim lying lazily on the sofa, while Jared was sweeping the floor.

The shack, which had looked shabby before, was now noticeably cleaner, making it far more pleasant to look at.

"This…" Merlin and Nysera were speechless, unsure of what to say.

"Oh? You two have arrived. Have a seat."

Gorim smiled and sat up, then pointed toward the two rickety sofas across from him.

Jared turned toward them, gave a small nod, and continued his work.

Merlin walked closer and asked hesitantly, "What's going on? Why is Jared cleaning your house?"

"Hahaha!" Gorim laughed, grabbing a glass of pale ale and taking a sip. "This is part of his training—focus and concentration exercises."

Merlin: "…"

Nysera: "…"

"I'm serious!" Gorim sighed deeply at their disbelieving expressions.

He took another sip of his beer, then turned to glance at Jared.

"That kid has incredible talent—I'll admit that."

Upon hearing those words, Merlin smiled faintly. Jared was indeed very talented.

It was just that in the novel, he didn't stand out much because Abel didn't pay much attention to him.

"Unfortunately…" Gorim continued, shaking his head. "The trauma he carries is immense. The day after you brought him here, I asked him to hold a hammer. Do you know what happened? He couldn't do it!"

He took another sip of his beer and leaned back lazily against the sofa. It was the first time he had seen a case like this.

Usually, novice blacksmiths could at least wield a hammer. That was common sense.

Jared's case, however, was different. His severe trauma had truly shattered him from within.

Merlin's expression turned somber. He was about to speak when Gorim suddenly cut him off.

"But you don't need to worry. I have the best way to train him."