NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Spirit Guardian (1)
'System, are you kidding me? Catrine's favorability toward me is minus fifty points? Isn't that a bit too much?' Merlin asked, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
He had assumed her favorability was at zero, so he only needed ninety points to complete the mission. But to his shock, it was minus fifty!
That was far too low, and Merlin even started to doubt whether he could complete this mission at all.
"[You're wrong, Master. The heroine Catrine's favorability isn't fifty points; it's sixty points! How could you overlook those ten points?]" The system replied in a dissatisfied tone.
Merlin fell silent, then let out a long breath and whispered, '...Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. So, is her favorability really this low? You didn't miscalculate, did you?'
"[Miscalculated? Master, please. I'm a powerful system. How could I make such a trivial mistake?]" The system rolled its eyes. "[Heroine Catrine's favorability truly is that low. You should understand just how much trauma the original Merlin Clay left behind, right?]"
Those words left Merlin speechless. Only he could say how deep the trauma ran.
And that was only from the past two years. In the original novel, Merlin continued bullying and tormenting Catrine until she was fifteen.
So, one could imagine how much suffering Catrine had endured. Fortunately, he was reincarnated into Merlin's body when he was eight years old.
If it had been any later, even with the system's help, mending his relationship with Catrine would have been impossible.
'Alright, I understand,' Merlin replied in a sullen tone. 'I won't doubt you anymore. As for Catrine's favorability, I'll try my best.'
He was indeed surprised by how low her favorability was, but that didn't mean he would give up so easily. Just as he had said before, he already had a plan to win her over.
Because of that, he wasn't worried at all.
"[Good! That's my Master!]" The system exclaimed proudly.
Merlin just smiled and began eating the food in front of him.
Coincidentally, he had always dreamed of tasting the nobles' food described in this novel.
Michiku-sensei always wrote about the scenes, settings, and even the meals in great detail, which left him slightly obsessed with imagining how they would taste.
And now that he had mysteriously entered the novel, he wasn't going to waste this opportunity.
Livia watched her son eat and couldn't help but smile.
"Eat slowly, my dear. The food isn't going anywhere," she said with a hint of humor.
Merlin had never eaten so well before. Even when he came to the dining room in the past, he would take only a few bites before retreating to his room.
This was often the cause of his arguments with his father. But now, seeing Merlin eat with such a voracious appetite, Livia felt delighted as a mother.
"Mm!" Merlin nodded with an innocent smile. "Thank you, Mother! The food is delicious."
Livia's heart melted, and she quickly spooned more food onto his plate.
"Eat a lot, my dear."
Meanwhile, Ardhis watched everything quietly. Yet anyone sensitive enough would have noticed the shock and astonishment in his eyes.
'Has he really… changed?' he wondered in confusion.
At first, he believed Merlin was only pretending. The damn boy must be hiding some agenda, waiting to reveal it during the meal.
Yet, up to this point, he hadn't noticed anything suspicious.
What's more, Merlin's entire demeanor had changed.
The boy who used to be hasty and brash now seemed calm and polite, as if he were an entirely different person.
'I should observe him longer,' he muttered softly. 'If this boy has truly changed, I will welcome him warmly. But if not…'
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't love Merlin. On the contrary, he loved him deeply.
But he couldn't allow his son to stray down the wrong path and grow into someone who would harm others. As the old saying went, "The mistakes of children are the mistakes of their parents."
He was determined to prevent anything worse from happening later.
On the other hand, Catrine ate in silence. She glanced at the vegetables on her plate and hesitated for a moment.
She stole a glance at Merlin but quickly turned her gaze away when she found him staring back at her.
'What's wrong with Big Brother Merlin? Why did he change so drastically?' she muttered curiously.
In the past, Merlin would always look at her with cold, hateful eyes, as if she had committed some great sin against him.
That was why she had always been so afraid to meet his gaze. But now, everything was different. Merlin no longer showed that attitude—on the contrary, he treated her with surprising gentleness.
'Did he hit his head on iron or something?' She guessed silently.
Unaware of Catrine's thoughts, Merlin was savoring his meal.
'What a wonderful flavor! So this is the food of nobles?' He whispered in awe.
As a famous editor, he had often dined in five-star hotels and tasted exquisite dishes. Yet, the food before him had a completely different flavor.
He suspected the difference came from the ingredients. After all, this was a magical world, where even the plants carried traces of mana.
"By the way, Merlin, I have something to tell you," Ardhis said in a calm tone. He looked at his son casually and continued, "The awakening will begin in three days. You and Catrine will perform a self-awakening in the mansion courtyard. Do you understand?"