NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Another Issue
"Show yourself... Lyserra."
Whoosh!
A streak of red light suddenly appeared above his palm, and the surrounding temperature rose dramatically.
Livia, Linda, and Ardhis froze in shock as sweat trickled down their foreheads and backs.
"Why is it so hot?" Livia asked, wiping the sweat from her face.
Linda didn't answer. Her gaze was locked on the red light, which was slowly taking shape.
Moments later, the glow faded, revealing a small, palm-sized dragon.
Her body was crimson, patterned with mysterious black stripes running along her scales.
Two tiny horns curved from the top of her head, while her eyes remained tightly shut.
Her small wings were pressed against her back—until suddenly, she opened her eyes, revealing two round, sparkling red eyeballs.
She tilted her head, curiously observing Livia, Linda, and Ardhis.
"Piu?"
Her soft, sweet voice was like warm milk, instantly melting their hearts.
"What a cute spirit!" Livia exclaimed with delight.
The little dragon was irresistibly adorable—especially with her chubby cheeks and wide, innocent eyes.
"This..." Linda's mouth fell open. "A dragon?"
Disbelief filled her eyes. Dragons embodied arrogance, power, and absolute authority.
For someone to awaken a dragon spirit was beyond rare—no, calling it rare was a mistake.
In truth, no one in the empire had awakened a dragon spirit since the death of the first Holy King, Arthur Solayne, who once possessed one.
Even back then, the spirit he possessed was the Dragon of Light—his enemy when he was about to seize power and establish the Kingdom of Aldoria.
But now, Merlin had awakened a dragon-shaped spirit, leaving her so shocked that she didn't even know how to react.
Beside her, Ardhis was just as stunned.
"Merlin, is this truly your spirit?" Ardhis asked cautiously.
He also understood how impossibly rare dragon-shaped spirits were in this kingdom. If word of this spread, it would stir a storm of rumors and uproar.
What's more, judging from the aura the little dragon emitted, she was no ordinary spirit. Her level was likely four-star—or perhaps even five-star, just like Catrine's.
"Yes, this is my spirit, Father," Merlin replied honestly.
His eyes softened as he gazed at Lyserra, and inevitably, the memory of that incident resurfaced in his mind.
***
"Are you serious? You can't appear with your full consciousness?"
Merlin looked at Lyserra, his face caught between surprise and confusion.
"Yes," Lyserra replied with a small nod. "As you already know, I've been trapped here for a very long time. A hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand years—I don't remember anymore. All I recall is that someone told me to wait for the one who would set me free."
Merlin's eyes widened at her words. His brows drew together as he asked, "Who is that person? And… is he talking about me?"
Lyserra smiled faintly and shook her head. "You are still too weak. When you become stronger, I will tell you."
Her answer left Merlin frowning. For some reason, it felt like she was looking down on him, but he had no proof.
'System, do you know who Lyserra is talking about?' Merlin asked silently.
If Lyserra refused to tell him, then he had no choice but to ask the system.
But just when he expected an answer, the system coughed and shook its head.
"[Sorry, Master. I cannot reveal that matter. As Lyserra said, you are still too weak. It's better to focus on strengthening yourself first,]" it said in a frail voice.
Merlin froze, staring at the system in disbelief.
'System, you…' He wanted to press further but swallowed the words back.
If even the system refused to tell him, there was no point in forcing the issue.
Still, suspicion began to take root inside him. He was certain the system was hiding something big—what exactly it was, however, he had no idea.
Nevertheless, it didn't change his stance toward the system. After all, without it, changing his fate would be nearly impossible.
So, he chose to trust it and keep getting stronger, hoping the mysteries around him would be revealed one day.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he looked back at Lyserra and asked, "So, what happens if your full consciousness can't appear in the outside world?"
Lyserra hesitated for a moment before replying in an embarrassed tone, "I would act like a child."
Merlin blinked in confusion. "Say that again. I didn't hear you."
Lyserra's face flushed red as her embarrassment deepened. She glared at Merlin with clear dissatisfaction, then repeated in a louder voice, "I will behave like a child!"
This time, Merlin heard her clearly. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his shock.
"Does that mean you…" He almost let the words slip but held them back.
Lyserra narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "What were you about to say?"
Merlin gave an awkward smile and shook his head. "Nothing. Forget it."
"Tch…" Lyserra's suspicion only grew, but she couldn't force him to speak.
Crossing her arms, she snorted coldly. "Anyway, I want you to take care of me until my consciousness fully recovers. Understood?"
Merlin patted his chest confidently. "Leave it to me."
***
'Huh…' Merlin snapped out of his thoughts with a small sigh. 'I didn't expect her consciousness still isn't fully awake. At this rate, I'll have to change my strategy.'
His gaze shifted to the small red dragon resting in his palm.
"What's this dragon's spirit level, Linda?" Livia asked curiously, reaching out a finger toward Lyserra.
"Piu!" Lyserra panicked, quickly covering her head with both wings.
The sight was so funny that Livia burst into giggles, while Merlin couldn't help but smile.
Who would have imagined a proud dragon reduced to such a timid little creature?
If he had a camera right now, he would've recorded it—just to show Lyserra once she was fully awake.
That would've been a lot of fun, wouldn't it?
"This is really strange," Linda murmured, narrowing her eyes. "The aura this dragon gives off is unusual. The only thing that makes sense… is that I can't measure her level."