The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!

"Are those two okay?"

On the balcony overlooking the courtyard, Livia bit her lower lip as she watched Merlin and Catrine with worried eyes.

"Don't worry, my dear," Ardhis said gently. "Just trust them. They'll be fine. And even if something happens, I'm sure Linda will help them."

With a smile, he turned to Linda beside him. "Am I right, Linda?"

Linda rolled her eyes and took a sip of her black tea.

"Of course," she replied casually, crossing her legs. "After all, I already promised you both."

Livia let out a small sigh and nodded slowly.

"Thank you, Linda."

"Don't thank me. I'm doing this because I want to." Linda shook her head, then smiled. "You're my friends, and I'm helping you willingly."

Her words made Ardhis and Livia exchange warm smiles.

"By the way, how's your work going? How does it feel to be the headmistress of Saint Freya Academy? You must be very happy, right?" Ardhis asked curiously as he sipped his tea. "After all, that was your dream a long time ago, wasn't it?"

Linda let out a small sigh. "At first, I was truly happy to see my dream come true. But over time, everything turned dull and difficult. Running such a large academy is troublesome and exhausting. If I could turn back time, I would have chosen to remain a free adventurer."

Her voice carried a deep sense of longing. Once, she had been an ambitious girl willing to do anything to achieve her goals. But as time passed, she realized ambition alone didn't guarantee good results—especially after her dream was finally fulfilled.

Now, her days were nothing but work, work, and more work. It was so draining that sometimes she just wished she could disappear.

Livia giggled at her complaint. She lifted the teapot and poured more into Linda's cup, which was only a quarter full.

"I don't know exactly how much you're struggling," Livia said, smiling. "But don't give up. I'd rather see the lively Linda I remember, not one who's ready to quit."

Linda chuckled softly. "You're right. I'll be the ambitious Linda I used to be!"

The three of them exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. The atmosphere grew warm, filled with joy.

"By the way, Ardhis," Linda said as she turned to him. "I'm curious about something. How did Merlin change so quickly? Can you explain it to me?"

Earlier, Ardhis had told her that Merlin had changed and become a good boy.

Seeing him in person, she had to agree. In the past, Merlin always radiated malice and unease to everyone around him.

But now, she felt none of that. Instead, there was warmth and comfort—like the sun shining on the world.

"To be honest, I don't know either," Ardhis admitted, sounding a little embarrassed. "About three days ago, Merlin suddenly changed. At first, I suspected he might be hiding some devious plan. But somehow, that wasn't the case."

He took a sip of tea to warm himself before continuing. "I've been observing him these past two days, and I found he's truly changed. Before, he would always cause trouble, scolding the guards or servants. But now, he treats everyone politely. You saw how he interacted with Catrine, right?"

Linda gave a small nod. "Yes, I saw it. And I could feel the sincerity behind his actions."

With her ability, she could sense truth or falsehood in a person's words and deeds. From what she sensed in Merlin earlier, there was no hint of deceit.

"Still, do you want me to keep checking?" She asked calmly. "Just as a precaution."

Ardhis nodded without objection. "Of course. That would help us a lot."

After that, the three of them continued chatting about many things, including the days when they were still in school.

***

"Where am I?"

Merlin opened his eyes and found himself in a strange place. Darkness stretched endlessly around him, making his hair stand on end.

"System, are you there?" he called out frantically.

"[Ding! The most powerful system is here, Master!]"

Merlin let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest.

"System, do you know where we are?" he asked curiously.

"[This is your dimension of consciousness, Master! This is where you connect with your spirit,]" the system replied excitedly.

"The dimension of my consciousness… the place where I contact my spirit?" Merlin muttered, stunned. "Wait a second! From what I know, the dimension of consciousness isn't supposed to be this dark. Everything I've read says this place reflects a person's favorite things. So why is mine pitch black? And besides, I'm scared of the dark! This can't be my dimension of consciousness, right?"

Since childhood, Merlin had been deeply traumatized by darkness. It all began when his mischievous friends once locked him inside the school bathroom and turned off every light.

Although the trauma had lessened over time, it hadn't completely disappeared. A trace of fear still lingered whenever he found himself in a dark place like this.

"[Hmmm… is that so? Then something must be wrong with this place.]"

The system's vague answer only convinced Merlin further that it didn't really know.

With a long sigh, he shifted his gaze forward.

"Alright, never mind. By the way, do you have something like a flashlight or torch in the system shop?"

"[Of course, Master. You can check for yourself.]"

Merlin quickly opened the system shop and searched for the item he needed. Fortunately, he found a torch at a very low price—just 1 SP.

Without hesitation, he purchased it, and a lit torch instantly appeared in the air.

Grasping it by the handle, Merlin swung it from side to side. But then his eyes went wide in horror as the light revealed a wall to his right.

"What… is this?"