"Hmmm…"

Pushing the food trolley, Tina hummed cheerfully.

Soon, she arrived at Luna's room and knocked softly on the door.

"Young lady, I've brought you a snack and a cup of warm milk. May I come in?"

She waited patiently. Seconds passed, but there was no response from inside.

"Young lady? May I come in?"

She knocked again and waited. But just like before, there was no reply. Tina frowned in confusion.

"What's going on? It's unusual for the young lady not to answer me," she muttered softly. "Could she be asleep? No, that's impossible. As far as I remember, she's not the type to sleep at a time like this."

If anyone knew Luna best, it was her. That's why she was certain Luna couldn't be asleep.

After a brief moment of thought, she decided to go in and check.

She turned the doorknob, pushed the door open, and stepped inside—only to find the room empty.

"Empty?" Tina's eyes narrowed slightly. "Where did she go? The library? The garden? Or maybe… Young Master Merlin's room?"

The last option seemed the most likely. Luna had no friends other than her, so she must have gone to Merlin's room.

Without thinking much, Tina closed the door and headed toward Merlin's room, pushing the food trolley along.

Coincidentally, she also brought snacks for Merlin, so visiting his room would kill two birds with one stone.

Arriving in front of Merlin's room, she knocked on the door and waited quietly. However, just like before, there was no response from inside.

As she was about to knock again, the door suddenly creaked open on its own. Tina hesitated for a moment but quickly shook off the unease and slowly pushed the door wider.

"Young Master Merlin, forgive me for my rudeness. But I brought—"

Her words stopped mid-sentence when she realized neither Merlin nor Luna was there.

Only a single blue book lay on the bed—the same one Merlin had been reading yesterday.

"This…" Tina froze. "What happened? Where did they go?"

...

"Activate it, you say? What do you mean?"

Luna looked at Merlin beside her in shock. The boy had just said he could activate the Grail of Time in front of them.

Honestly, she didn't understand what he meant.

Merlin smiled casually, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he stared at the golden grail.

"Activate it—well, activate it. Don't you understand what that simple word means?"

Luna fell silent, a blue vein twitching on her temple. But she quickly suppressed her irritation and said coldly, "How can you activate it? Before that, I need to tell you something—it's impossible for you, me, my father, or anyone else to activate it."

"Oh?" Merlin's eyebrows rose slightly. "Why do you say that?"

Luna took a deep breath before explaining, "Only the one who is destined can do it. And neither you nor I are that person."

Merlin's expression immediately turned cold. The "destined one" Luna referred to was clearly Abel.

The question now was, how did she know that?

In the novel, Luna only learned the truth after discovering the Grail. According to the indirect narration in her conversation with Abel, it took her about five to seven days to find out.

But now, she already knew. This was completely different from the original plot.

'System, this change in the plot is outrageous. Could it be that my memories of The Lost Hero will become useless in the future?'

"[Why do you look so surprised? Didn't I tell you before? Since you decided to change Merlin Clay's fate, the storyline has been completely destroyed. I'm just helping you, nothing more. So don't blame me, okay?]" The system rolled its virtual eyes.

'Blame you? You're too confident, System. Since when have I ever blamed you?' Merlin mocked.

System: "…"

It felt so embarrassed that its virtual face seemed to turn red. Merlin ignored it and refocused his attention on Luna.

But suddenly, he noticed the girl staring at him in fear.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so scared?"

Luna swallowed hard and quickly shook her head.

"It's nothing. It's just… Your face looked a little scary earlier."

"Scary?" Merlin rubbed his face. "How scary?"

Luna hesitated before whispering, "Like a monster."

Merlin: "…"

The corner of his lips twitched slightly. If this girl weren't his fiancée, he would've taught her a lesson.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Merlin decided to change the subject.

"So, you mean only the destined one can activate it? And I definitely can't?"

Luna nodded confidently. "Yes, you definitely can't."

Merlin smiled in amusement. "And how can you be so sure I'm not the destined one?"

"Of course I'm sure, because…"

Luna's words trailed off, and her eyes widened in surprise.

That's right—how could she be so certain Merlin wasn't the chosen one her father had told her about?

She looked him up and down uncertainly. His appearance was fine, his status was good, and he was strong.

Statistically, he did match the description of the destined one her father had mentioned. But… why did she still doubt that Merlin was really that person?

"I know you're doubting me, so I'll prove it to you."

With that, he turned toward the golden grail in front of him and placed his hand on it.

'System, activate this Grail immediately,' he commanded silently.

"[Ding! Activation of the Grail of Time is in progress.]"

"[Ding! The Grail of Time has been successfully activated. However, a payment of 60,000 system points is required. Proceed? Yes/No.]"

Merlin: "…"

His chest tightened at the sight of the number. He had expected the cost to be high, but 60,000 points was far more than he imagined.

Still, there was no point in complaining—the system would never lower the price.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed "Yes." Instantly, the Grail shone with an intense golden light.

"What's happening? Why is it glowing like that?" Luna cried out in panic.

But before she could process what was happening, a powerful gravitational force erupted from the Grail.

In the blink of an eye, both she and Merlin were pulled in and vanished, leaving the golden grail behind—silent and still, as if nothing had happened.

***

"Woaaah!"

Merlin and Luna were tossed around inside a mysterious reddish-black tunnel.

Luna screamed in fear, but fortunately, Merlin managed to stay somewhat composed.

"Hold on to me!" Merlin shouted.

Luna quickly reached out her hand. They struggled to reach each other until their hands finally met.

Merlin immediately pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"Don't move. I'll protect you."

Luna buried her face in his chest and whispered weakly, "Mm… I believe in you."

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