Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 536 The Annoying Guy (First Update)

"Sir." Tita reached out to stop the drunken Dave and the old man. In the dark alley, only the crimson glow of the electronic eyes on her helmet illuminated the scene. Dave, who had been plied with alcohol by the old man, couldn't remember the incantation to avoid getting drunk. Tita's electronic eyes, with their night vision, could see the lipstick mark on Dave's face. She pursed her lips and continued to focus her gaze on the old man. Salomon's target was this man, not the intoxicated Dave—"Miss." If Dave were still awake, he would have noticed that the old man looked much younger than he had a few hours earlier. His voice was gentle, soft as velvet. "Let me take this poor boy home. He's made a fool of himself enough today. At least let him change his clothes."

"The monarch invited you, sir." Tita wasn't fooled by Merlin's nonsense. "According to Kamar-Taj..."

"I was the one who made this rule!" Merlin said helplessly. He was now filled with regret, because this rule specifically targeted powerful mages, especially Merlin. The moment Merlin returned to Earth, the Sorcerer Supreme would find out and give him a good beating. Now it seemed that the Sorcerer Supreme had passed this task on to his successor. "I will go," he suddenly smiled, and the dark alley seemed to bloom with flowers in an instant. "Please allow me to settle this poor child a little."

"I'll take him with me," Tita said unmoved. The moment she finished speaking, the area was illuminated by a ghostly blue light. An assault transport ship hovered above the alley before slowly landing on the other side. The hatch opened, and several equally heavily armed androids emerged. Carrying chainsaw swords and explosive guns, they approached from the other end of the alley.

Merlin maintained his smile, obediently allowing the homunculus to take over Dave's care, and accepting the restrictions they imposed on him, even though he found them extremely intrusive—a pair of steel finger cots to restrict his hand movements, a mask to limit spells. "Please come with us, sir," Tita said expressionlessly, though Merlin couldn't see her face clearly. "We apologize for using these measures on you. But for the monarch's safety, we are willing to do anything."

Merlin toyed with the mask and finger cots, nodding silently. He looked up, carefully examining the androids, a silent admiration rising in his heart for Salomon's creations. These were clearly creations of the Philosopher's Stone; he had long wanted to borrow some from Salomon to play with. It wasn't impossible for someone like him, a half-Nightmare, to create the Philosopher's Stone, but the cost would be too high. He had once communicated with the soul of Paracelsus residing within the short sword, and now he wanted to see what Salomon had accomplished under the power of the Philosopher's Stone; after all, in terms of lineage, Salomon was also his student.

"Teacher, since you mentioned the Philosopher's Stone, is it really not just a legend?" Alchemy is an incredibly important subject in magic. Under Salomon's influence, Wanda had some exposure to it; while she wouldn't say she could turn lead into gold, she could certainly make some simple potions. Some superstitions exist in Eastern Europe, where the Byzantine Orthodox Church is very tolerant. Wanda asked Salomon about vampires, and he, in turn, talked about vampire curses, alchemy, and the Philosopher's Stone.

"Of course not, the Philosopher's Stone really exists. It's just that many legends are lies. Many people claim to have created the Philosopher's Stone, but in reality, it doesn't exist," Salomon said. "Even if humans did create it, that imitation of the etheric remnants from the creation of the world wouldn't be effective permanently."

"Then what legends in this world are still true?" Pietro asked, raising his hand dejectedly—Salomon had connected Wanda's and Pietro's cells, folding up the wall between them to widen the classroom. Now Pietro could sit in his favorite little chair and listen to the lesson. "I remember you had King Arthur's sword," he asked. "Could it be that the story of King Arthur is also false?"

"Well..." Merlin slumped in his chair, enjoying the juice Salomon had brought him. "You certainly can't believe the bards' tales; some facts have been embellished," he said. "Some of Pendragon's deeds are unknown. Don't look at me like that; do you want to hear more or not?"

Salomon rolled his eyes in annoyance.

The office still reeked of ionized air and the smell of burning, and half of the ornate desk with its brass-trimmed edges had collapsed. The person responsible for this was none other than Merlin, the unruly old man standing before Salomon.

"Master, we've captured the target." Upon receiving the message, Salomon immediately bid farewell to the Maximov siblings and returned to his office in the Immortal City. He donned his shroud robes and took the magical equipment hidden in his drawer—a headband inlaid with red, green, and blue crystals, capable of converting three spells into either an offensive burst or a defensive shield each day. However, when he arrived at the helipad, he found no trace of Merlin on the assault transport ship; only Dave lay on the ground, fast asleep. Yet the androids insisted that Merlin was on the transport ship and hadn't gone anywhere.

After the illusion dissipated, Tita first showed a shocked expression, followed by self-reproach. Salomon patted her on the shoulder.

“It’s alright,” he said. “Not many people in this universe can control Merlin. You’ve done a great job.” After confirming that Tita and the other androids were calm, Salomon returned to his office. He had expected to see Merlin there, but instead, he was met with a monster.

So Salomon subconsciously cast his spell.

"A demon!"

"That wasn't a demon, that was a kin of Sithon. Beasts that gained intelligence after being influenced by chaotic magic." Merlin ignored Salomon's anger, as if his prank was nothing more than a trivial matter. The face of that half-human nightmare was illuminated by the streetlights and the headlights of the construction vehicle—when Salomon killed the demon, he shattered the office wall. Along with the ornate stained-glass window and a priceless piece of porcelain, they became the monster's grave goods. "Sithon's chaotic magic is very special; it's not simply positive or negative energy. Order and chaos are the themes of the struggle," Merlin said righteously. "Even Atum cannot resist the erosion of chaos. If we cannot stop the Great Shadow, then cosmic heat death will arrive."

Salomon was clearly still angry; the crystal on his arcane headband was still flashing. The blue crystal didn't light up because Salomon had already used it, summoning high-voltage lightning that even pierced the air, destroying a running laptop. A crafted longsword he kept as a collector's item was also broken in two.

Fortunately, the books stored here were protected by magic and didn't suffer too much damage. He finally understood why the Venerable One hated Merlin so much! That guy always manages to do something unexpected, and you can't even have a legitimate reason to be angry.

Let's hurry up and send this guy to Kamar-Taj. His Holiness is waiting for Merlin!

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)