NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51: Kidnapped
"[Congratulations, Master, you've become a rich boy!]" The system's enthusiastic voice echoed in Merlin's mind.
"Pfft! Thank you, system. But really, I only earned that much because of you," he replied humbly.
"[Hehehe! You're making me blush,]" the system giggled.
Merlin: "..."
He wanted to say, "Can you not overact? That's just disgusting."
But he held back, not wanting to ruin the mood.
"Is it done, Young Master?"
A middle-aged man's voice came from behind. Merlin turned his head and saw the same man who had welcomed and escorted him to Eliza's office.
"It's done. Thank you..." His words trailed off as his eyes landed on the name tag on the man's chest. "Edward."
Edward smiled with a small nod. "You're welcome, Young Master. Then, allow me to escort you out."
Merlin didn't refuse. Edward led him toward the exit. Although the man had no idea whether Merlin had made any transactions in Alkira, he still treated him as a valued guest.
His professional attitude left a good impression on Merlin. Reaching into his wallet, he took out a gold coin.
"This is for you. Take it," he said, placing the coin into Edward's palm.
"This..." Edward froze when he saw the gold coin. "Young Master, are you—"
Before Edward could finish, Merlin patted his arm and turned to leave. Edward swallowed his words and watched his back disappear in a daze.
"He's not so bad after all," he muttered softly.
***
"[Ding! Edward's affection has increased by 70 points! His affection is now at 80!]"
Merlin fell silent at the notification. If only the affection had come from Catrine or Linda, he would've been delighted. But in reality, it was from a middle-aged man. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"[By the way, Master, are you going back to that jewelry store?]" the system asked.
"Of course. I need to return tonight to celebrate Catrine's birthday, so I have to buy it soon," Merlin replied casually.
He continued walking along South Street. The sun was setting, and the sky had turned orange. Yet the crowds in both South Street and the city center showed no sign of thinning.
On the contrary, the streets grew even livelier. Roadside lamps flickered on, casting a warm and beautiful glow.
Just as Merlin was chatting with the system, a man coming from the opposite direction bumped hard into him.
Their sizes were no match, and Merlin was knocked to the ground with force.
"Ouch!" He groaned, rubbing his sore right shoulder. "Damn it... Who's so careless?"
When he looked up, he saw a thin man with a cold, sinister grin staring down at him.
Merlin froze. His heartbeat quickened, and he scrambled to get up—but it was already too late.
An excruciating pain throbbed in his head. Before he realized it, everything went dark, and he collapsed on the spot.
The crowd gasped in shock and moved to help, but the man quickly scooped him up, smiling reassuringly at them.
"Thank you for your concern, but he's my young master. He's just exhausted from walking around the city," he explained convincingly.
Without delay, he carried Merlin into the alley on the right and vanished from sight.
***
"What are you doing? What took you so long?"
A burly man with a scarred face glared at the thin man.
"Sorry, Boss. I found a new prey," the thin man said excitedly as he laid Merlin on the ground. Pulling back his hood, he revealed a remarkably handsome face.
The burly man was stunned. "What a handsome boy! Is he from a prominent family?"
He had never seen a boy as striking as Merlin, so he immediately jumped to that conclusion.
"It seems so, Boss. I've been watching him since noon, and I'm certain he's from a wealthy family! I even saw him leaving the Alkira potion store with one of their staff, who treated him with obvious respect," the thin man explained eagerly.
The burly man took a deep breath, then patted his shoulder. "Good work. With this boy, we'll definitely make a fortune."
The thin man grinned broadly. Together, they dragged Merlin to a carriage waiting a few meters away.
Inside the carriage, if one looked closely, were children between the ages of five and eleven.
Once they had loaded Merlin, the two men climbed into another horse-drawn carriage. Soon, both carriages sped off into the bustling streets of Droswen.
...
"How strange..." James furrowed his brows, glancing left and right. "Why isn't the young master back yet? It's already late afternoon, and he promised to return before sunrise. So why hasn't he shown up?"
He looked toward the large clock on the fountain statue about fifty meters away. It was already three in the afternoon. If Merlin had kept his promise, he should've been back a few minutes ago.
"Could he be in danger? But if that's the case, he should've rung the bell I gave him."
After a moment of deep thought, he decided to search for him. Staying put only made his anxiety worse.
Wasting no time, he climbed into the driver's seat of his carriage and steered it in the direction Merlin had taken earlier.
...
"Ugh..."
Merlin groaned in pain as he forced open his heavy eyelids.
At first, everything was blurry, but his vision gradually cleared.
"Where am I?" he muttered, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Above him was a wooden ceiling.
Thud!
A sudden jolt from below threw his body backward. His back slammed into the wooden wall, drawing another pained groan from his lips.
"System, are you there?" he called out, rubbing his sore back.
"[I'm here, Master!]"
Merlin let out a breath of relief before asking, "Do you know where I am? Is this a carriage?"
"[You're right, Master. You're inside a horse-drawn carriage. And... you've been kidnapped by the man who struck you,]" the system replied helplessly.
"Kidnapped?" Merlin's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"
Then the memory of the man who had bumped into him—and the sharp pain that followed—flashed through his mind.
"Don't tell me he secretly drugged me?"
He drew a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heartbeat.
Drugs weren't only administered through liquids—they could also be powders inhaled through the nose. The thin man must have used that method in secret.
Merlin glanced around and realized he wasn't alone. Several children were with him—seven in total.
One of them immediately drew his attention. A girl dressed in fine clothes sat with her back against the opposite wall, her hands bound with rope.
Her long golden hair flowed down her back, but it wasn't her beauty that caught his eye. It was the silver mask covering her face.
"A silver mask?" His breathing quickened. "Don't tell me she's Margaret Beethoven of the Beethoven family—the wealthiest merchants on the continent?"