"Let me go!"

Upon hearing the voice, Merlin gasped in surprise. He quickly assumed a vigilant stance and looked back.

"That voice... a cry for help?" he murmured seriously.

Lyserra straightened up and gave a small nod. "Yes, it sounded like someone calling for help. Go check it out."

Without a second thought, Merlin dashed toward the source of the voice.

***

"Get away from me, you evil bastard!"

In the narrow, dark alley, an eleven-year-old girl glared at the two men before her.

The man on the right was tall and well-built, his bald head revealing slash marks on his muscular neck and a burn scar stretching across the right side of his face.

The man on the left was thinner, yet his muscles were still clearly defined.

His yellowish-brown hair was cut short, and his eyes glimmered with a lewd, unsettling light.

"Hehehe... Little girl, you're finished—my partner and I will eat you now," the burly man on the right said, sticking out his long tongue.

His gaze flashed with lust and greed. The girl was undeniably young, but her face was extraordinarily beautiful.

Her skin was pale and smooth, soft baby fat rounding both cheeks and making her look almost adorable.

But the sharpness in her pink eyes made her seem less like a child and more like a cunning, calculating woman.

Her pink hair flowed down her back, both sides braided and tied up, giving her an elegant, charming air. She wore a black cloak with the hood hanging at her back.

At those immoral words, a wave of disgust rose in her stomach.

She ground her teeth. "You bastard... Don't you know who I am? I'm Luna Tharot, daughter of the Tharot family! If you dare touch me, I'll make you regret being born."

She pulled a Tharot family badge from her pocket. When the two men saw it, their eyes widened in horror.

"She really is from the Tharot family!" The man next to the burly one exclaimed, his voice full of shock.

They hadn't expected this girl to hold such an extraordinary status.

Subconsciously, the man glanced at his friend—but the shock he had seen moments ago was gone, replaced by a lewd, growing expression.

"So what if you're the daughter of the Tharot family? That just makes it even more… enjoyable," he sneered.

Luna froze in fear, but before she could react, the burly man lunged and slammed her to the ground.

"Hahaha! Let's see what a noble girl from the Tharot family tastes like!" he cackled cruelly.

"No!" Luna screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Let me go! I don't want this! Mother! Father! Help!"

Just as the burly man raised his hand, a cold voice cut through from behind.

"Let her go, you bastard!"

The burly man and his companion gasped, but before they could react, a shadowy figure descended from above and struck them both in the face with tremendous force.

Bang!

Their bodies slammed against the alley wall, rebounding violently.

Slowly, the shadow came into view under the lamplight—a ten-year-old boy wearing a mask.

Who else could it be but Merlin?

He turned to Luna and asked, "Are you okay?"

Yet Luna remained traumatized, trembling with fear as she instinctively backed away from him.

"It's…" Merlin faltered, unsure how to respond. He hadn't expected something like this to happen, especially to someone like her—the heroine, Luna Tharot.

[Status]

Name: Luna Tharot

Age: 11 years old

Identity: Daughter of Duke Tharot's family

Talent: A

Guardian Spirit: Owl of Wisdom (★★★)

Rank: –

Affection: 0

"Damn you, kid! You're really asking for death!"

The burly man's voice, dripping with anger and hatred, echoed from behind.

Merlin turned, his gaze cold and filled with killing intent.

"Seeking death? You're the ones who'll die."

Without another word, he vanished, reappearing above the burly man.

Gripping the man's head with both hands, he twisted it with lightning speed—snapping the neck instantly.

The man's companion froze, about to react, when Merlin suddenly appeared beside him and delivered a crushing kick to the side of his head.

The force was so great that the man's skull shattered.

With a fluid motion, Merlin leapt and landed two meters away.

He stared at the two lifeless bodies with neither disgust nor fear.

Two years had been enough for him to get used to the laws of this world.

Unlike the modern world, where murder is strictly forbidden, the world of The Lost Hero was different.

Killing recklessly was prohibited, but punishments were often lenient—especially if it happened in a secluded place, where the culprit was hard to trace.

Shaking his head, Merlin turned and saw Luna still trembling with fear.

'Huh… It's strange to see Luna, who in the novel was always so haughty, cold, and arrogant, end up in a situation like this,' he muttered, feeling helpless.

In the novel, there was no mention of Luna ever facing something like this, nor was it recorded in the databook.

It was possible that this had happened because of the butterfly effect he had caused earlier.

He walked over and crouched in front of her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Merlin asked gently, extending his right hand.

Luna looked at him nervously. "Who… are you? Are you in the same group as them?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Don't lump me in with those bastards. I just saved you from them."

He pointed at the two lifeless bodies. Following his gesture, Luna's eyes widened in shock.

"You… just killed them? How is that possible?" she asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

Too frightened, she hadn't even noticed how Merlin had moved earlier.

"How is that possible, you say?" Merlin chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Nothing is impossible for me."

His arrogant tone made Luna purse her lips in irritation.

She tried to stand, but her legs were still unsteady from lingering fear, and she stumbled backward.

Merlin caught her effortlessly. "Are you alright?"

Luna froze for a moment before stepping back quickly. "I'm… fine."

"[Ding! The affection of heroine Luna Tharot increased by 10 points! Congratulations, Master!]"

Merlin paused, taken aback to receive affection from the girl he disliked most.

"Then, if you're fine, I'll be going," he said, adjusting his mask.

"Wait!" Luna called out, blocking him. "Who are you? And why did you save me?"

She had no idea who he was, and it seemed strange that someone would help her without expecting anything in return. After all, in this world, every favor or relationship carried a price.

Merlin remained silent for a moment before replying coldly, "I didn't help you for any reason—simply because I wanted to."

Before she could respond, his figure vanished, leaving Luna staring after him in confusion.