Merlin was still somewhat familiar with the issue of a magical creature’s bloodline within one’s body conflicting with one’s own magical attributes, because such matters were more likely to occur among nobles and powerful mages and knights. As a noble himself, Merlin understood this all the better.
After all, magical creatures capable of taking human form were all immensely powerful. They generally would not casually mate with humans and bear offspring. Those who were strong and held high status were more likely to gain the favor of magical creatures.
Of course, there were exceptions those with stallion-like tendencies, but the probability of a powerful magical creature conceiving a child with a human of very low strength was extremely low. Even if they sowed their seed far and wide, managing to produce two or three children would already be considered quite good.
Merlin had heard of quite a few nobles who encountered this kind of bloodline conflict. If one’s innate magical talent was very strong, the magical creature’s bloodline would be excised. If one’s innate magical talent was very weak, then the magical creature’s bloodline would be strengthened instead.
But if the two attributes clashed too violently like fire and water being irreconcilable then one might not even live long enough to receive treatment. After the bloodline awakened, death was a very real possibility.
But looking at Ange, who was bouncing around full of energy, Merlin felt it probably wasn’t that severe.
Still, treating this kind of condition started at a hundred gold coins.
Having listened to his inner thoughts for this long, Merlin had more or less confirmed that Ange was a poor orphan. Thanks to his fairly decent talent as a mage, he had received sponsorship from the Mages’ Association, and now he was about to enter university.
Even if the Mages’ Association covered part of the tuition, the remaining amount still had to be paid by Ange himself, along with daily living expenses. All of that combined would certainly be a heavy burden for an orphan like Ange.
If there really was a bloodline conflict, Ange’s future could well be imagined.
However, if the Mages’ Association thought highly of Ange, they might very well be willing to pay for the surgery.
No Merlin began to doubt again. Could this be Ange fabricating his pitiful circumstances to win his sympathy and swindle more things out of him?
Merlin felt that his current state of mind was quite off. He was filled with suspicion toward this person named Ange. No matter what the other party did, he felt that Ange was trying to deceive him.
Merlin lowered his gaze. Perhaps this had something to do with his own upbringing. He did not easily trust anyone, so he naturally harbored suspicion toward anyone who appeared around him. Add to that the fact that his encounter with Ange had been utterly unexpected, that the other party knew exclusive information about his younger sister, and that he could hear the other’s inner thoughts, how could Merlin possibly trust him?
For now, the only way was to use more facts he discovered on his own to determine whether Ange was worthy of his trust.
Merlin collected his thoughts. Under the contract master’s guidance, he placed his hand on the crystal ball, around which various chaotic golden threads swirled.
“Inject your mana into it,” the contract master instructed.
“If treatment really is needed, could the Mages’ Association front the money for me? But is my magical talent really that outstanding? Having them cover half my tuition is already pretty good…”
Merlin injected his mana into the crystal ball, like a drop of cleanser falling onto a pool of water where various colors of oil paint floated on the surface.
Where his magic flowed in, the chaotic golden threads around it rapidly expanded outward, transforming the crystal ball, which had been shimmering with a faint golden glow into something almost resembling a golden lightbulb in an instant.
This made Merlin squint involuntarily.
“If the Association isn’t willing to front the money, then where am I supposed to get it from? Let me think… based on the original plot I remember, isn’t the male lead’s teacher killed right around the time he’s about to graduate? At the time, a child stumbled onto the scene after the teacher’s death. The mage responsible for the killing couldn’t bear to silence the child, so he erased the child’s memories and sent him away, even giving him a wooden-element magic pendant for healing. That pendant wasn’t cheap, was it? If erasing memories didn’t damage a person’s mind, the mage wouldn’t have given that pendant to the child. Let me think… at current market prices, it could probably sell for a few hundred gold coins.”
Merlin’s hand on the crystal froze instantly, and the steady stream of magic he’d been channeling into it cut off abruptly.
The crystal, which had been as bright as a golden lightbulb, dimmed the moment the magic vanished, reverting to that crystal ball with chaotic golden threads swirling at its center.
The Contract Mage furrowed his brow. “The magic can’t be interrupted!”
“Sorry.” Merlin quickly apologized and resumed feeding his magic into the crystal ball.
“I could drink a magic potion to turn myself into a child and go trick someone into giving me a magic accessory, but that would damage my memories and my mind. What if I end up an idiot? No, no I can’t use that method unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Merlin pressed his lips together tightly. He knew the protagonist’s name in Ange’s mind was identical to his own. Though he couldn’t tell whether the other’s talk of “transmigrating into a book” was real or fabricated, or whether those plot points in his head were made up or prophecies from his bloodline awakening, thinking of Mephitis, Merlin had no choice but to take those words to heart.
Could his teacher be the teacher of the protagonist Ange mentioned? Merlin thought about his own life and felt he could hardly be the protagonist of any novel.
Besides, his teacher was utterly ordinary there was no reason anyone would want to harm him.
His teacher had a gentle disposition and loved nothing more than fluffy creatures of all kinds. He was a teacher at Grenor Magic School. Though his magical talent wasn’t particularly high, he had remarkable expertise in raising magical beasts.
Not only did the other teachers like him, but the students adored him too, because he’d bring all sorts of fluffy creatures to class and his lectures were witty and engaging. Every year, his course ranked in the top three most popular classes at Grenor Magic Academy.
How could such a teacher suddenly be murdered and seemingly in a deliberate act of silencing someone?
“Your contract isn’t complete.” The Contract Mage’s sudden words snapped Merlin back to the present, and he looked at the crystal ball before him.
It was only then that Merlin noticed the crystal ball, which had once again transformed into a golden lightbulb, now had a single golden thread floating up and down at the very spot where he had infused his magic. Only this one golden thread all the others were crammed together at the very edge of the crystal ball, bunched into a tight cluster. Had Merlin’s eyesight not been so sharp, that pile of golden threads would have looked like nothing more than a blur of golden light to him.
However, this lone thread floating in the empty center of the crystal ball kept twisting and turning in crooked, erratic patterns, looking as though something was seriously wrong with it.