Chapter 51: Merleen, Fenrir, and Arthur (1)

Merleen's Point of View

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When we heard the wails that came from humans, Arthur immediately went in that direction to rescue whoever needed his help. Arthur wanted to help those people despite facing monsters on his road. He was an admirable man, compared to me, who walked away after hearing such a sound.

"Merleen, stay right here and wait for me! I will help those people in need!" Arthur commanded, and dashed straight into the wilderness.

I kept yelling for his name, but Arthur never listened. No… He heard me but refused to abandon those who needed him the most. I did not know he was a man who wanted to help people…

Arthur showed some features of an adventurer. With a sword sheathed around his waist, I knew he could stand on his own.

However, after seeing him off, I did not know what to do. Everything turned dull and grim. Every time I looked at the corner, peculiar orbs glared in my direction.

It was as if haunting me for staying behind. I also had powers lingering inside of my worthless body. But that prowess became a curse for me…

"S-Should Merleen go…?" I contemplated.

But after a few minutes, I made my resolve and moved onwards. It was a hectic fight inside my mind, but my foot paved the road.

I couldn't help myself and followed Arthur's footsteps. That man had piqued my interest despite being a stranger in my eyes. It was as if destiny let us meet each other near the river.

Within a few minutes, my feet dragged me to the ends of Magique. As soon as I arrived at the last footprints I saw, I hid behind the bush. I did not want to use my magic, but my arcane warned me about something.

[Merleen Sylvestris, you have unlocked your system!]

"What is this!" I gasped.

But I had no time to fiddle around with the floating box upon hearing Arthur's wails.

A set of magic spells emerged from the field. As I peered my eyes at the site, various characters welcomed my eyes. Eight people kept harassing the group of defenceless wolves. The mother, who had a larger size than her kind, stood for her pups and protected them.

At the corner of my eyelids, Arthur came face to face against a man wearing ragged clothing and a bastard sword. That blade must have come from the knights, since I saw them once during their visit before.

Behind the man's back stood a girl with one magic circle conjured from her hands. Judging from the characters from the magic circle, the girl was not efficient in using her spells. It was all written everywhere when she fired a gust of wind in Arthur's direction.

And at the right side stood Arthur, extending his arms for the wolves. Despite being beaten up, Arthur still had the energy to protect someone in need, regardless of their species.

However, that wolf couldn't trust him, as the mother hound slammed her paw at Arthur's figure. The force was enough to fling his body against the wall, breaking more of his bones and tissues.

"N-No….," I gasped once more, but my voice never reached Arthur.

Arthur finally fell to the ground and hit his head. That man did not have powers compared to mine. He could barely throw a fireball at his enemy. Arthur knew how to wield the sword, but he got outmatched by a veteran man.

Dark thoughts entered my mind, thinking this event was the last chance for me to see Arthur.

"If Merleen does nothing right now…."

All the courage inside of me left my body… I did not want Arthur to die...

I wanted to save him… I wanted to be with him… If there were a chance to protect Arthur, I would do it…

But if I had to do that, I needed to use my magic. I would extend my arms and use the weapon that killed my parents… All those villagers would continuously scorn me if they saw I could wield my spells.

"M-Merleen's scared…. Scared…," I wailed, but I never let my fear take me. "M-Merleen will help Arthur!"

Every time Arthur got a wound, my body got struck by an invisible needle. That point pierced me through my heart, blaming me for idling behind the tree. But upon receiving the tenth blow, I extended my arms and cast my spell.

It was the same magic that killed my parents…

"[Blinding Light]!" I called forth my slumbering power.

A beam of light escaped from my widened palm, aiming at the man fighting against Arthur. I couldn't contain my power, since my emotions got the better of me. All I cared about was to save Arthur… even at the cost of my life.

As soon as my light went through, a golden shield formed around Arthur, protecting him from any attacks. The man tried striking his sword at the shell, but the blade did not budge. It was an impenetrable force that blocked any damage.

But that shield devoured half of my mana. It continued to feed itself with my arcane….

However, if it were for Arthur, I would do everything that I can to help him!

"L-Leave Arthur alone! M-Merleen will do something bad to you if you don't!"

The ten mercenaries exchanged their looks as they witnessed me emerging from the trees. My words caught their attention. Those people's lips told me they wanted to laugh, but they could not do so. Since I could control light, these people became wary of me.

Light was faster than the speed of sound or lightning. However, I needed a lot of energy to produce such a spell. It was the double-edge sword of my ability.

"Screw that! Kill that guy and run away!" the man shouted.

After giving out his instructions to his pack, all nine members did what they could to fight me. I remembered it right now. These people were the ones the soldiers from before told me about during their stay inside my village.

These people called themselves mercenaries. It was a group hired by someone to kill or protect. The villager's chief also told me to avoid these bad people.

The nine members did what they could, but their weapons never penetrated my shield. They glued their eyes on Arthur and me, thinking about how they could butcher my body.

"M-Merleen told you to leave him alone!" I shouted, despite my legs shaking like noodles.

Another ray of light emerged from my hands, towards the two mercenaries. It was an involuntary move, with my mind wishing to keep Arthur safe around my hands.

"T-This time, Merleen will protect you," I whispered, while witnessing the scene unfold before my eyes.

The mercenary targeted by my magic barely dodged the attack, hitting the ancient tree behind. That man who did terrible things to Arthur received minor injuries to his shoulders. But those wounds were not enough to slow him down, as the mercenary guy pointed his sword in Arthur's direction.

However, before that warrior could do something to Arthur's head, the tree fell behind the mercenary, crushing his body into pieces. Since the man had an exhausted look in his eyes, he spared no time for the tree to fall from his back.

"NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DON! YOU KILLED HIM!" the girl, who was also a friend of that crushed mercenary, yelled at Arthur and me.

She tried pushing the debris off to the side. But no matter how hard the mage girl shoved those rocks, the dead could never return to life. All that woman found was the splattered bones and blood of the man he once cared about.

"You… killed her!" the lass cried, as she pointed her forefinger at me. "I will never forgive you!"

The mercenary girl got the leader's rights from the dead man. Since he was the new commander of her team, all those mercenaries obliged themselves to her. The mercenary squad all formed around the girl and waited for their orders before moving on their own.

Arthur used his last ounce of strength and crawled his way forward beside my shivering body. He had a blissful expression carved on his face, thanking me as soon as he met my eyes.

If I were a minute late…. Arthur would not have been standing on this ground right now.

"Merleen…. Thank goodness you're okay…," Arthur mumbled, before halfly passing out.

Arthur's body could not handle the pressure anymore and forced himself to kiss the ground. But before he could slam his face, my hands reached out for his head and carried him to safety.

"You… did… nothing... wrong... Merleen..... Thank you…. for sav...ing me," Arthur whispered, before his lungs gave out. "You're...no...monster…. Thank you…. Than…. yo"

My body became frozen in place, watching Arthur painfully close his eyes. All the cells inside my body quaked in fright, thinking that… he would pass away.

"You're the only one who's kind to me, Arthur… I'm sorry…. I'm sorry if I'm late… I promise I will be there for you, okay? Just… don't die… I will save you," I said, while wiping the tears falling from my eyes.