Come Out

"Merlin, I have a request."

Gute, looking somewhat weary, spoke with a hint of hesitation.

"Oh? You want me to spare the Douglan Family?"

Merlin naturally guessed Gute's intention. To him, a merchant family was nothing much. Besides, the Douglan Family wielded considerable commercial influence. Since they could contribute to the Church, they could likewise support the Black Moon Kingdom.

So he nodded. "When the time comes, I'll have His Majesty Butuo XVII grant you the title of Marquis of the Black Moon Kingdom. With that title, I believe your family's standing in the Black Moon Kingdom will be assured from now on!"

Gute was very excited. A marquis was far more prestigious than the count title the Holy Light Empire had granted him. And with Merlin's word, surely no one would settle old scores with the Douglan Family in the future.

After all, with Gute's shrewdness, he had long learned from the scattered words of some Spellcasters just how far his old friend Merlin had grown.

"Thank you, Merlin. The only thing I still worry about now is the descendants of my Lineage. With your word, I can rest easy. However, I think you ought to go see an old friend."

"An old friend? You mean Anson?"

Merlin searched his memories slightly. He still remembered that red-haired boy from back then.

But Gute shook his head. "Anson is dead. His elder brother killed him, over the title..."

Gute clearly did not wish to mention the matter again. Anson was dead, and Anson's family had also been destroyed in a war. Seeing his friend die, Gute had naturally been heartbroken.

Merlin took it rather calmly. Ordinary people only had a few fleeting decades. Had he not returned to Blackwater City this time, then if he came back a few years