<h4>Chapter 341: Link’s Return</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Shiraishi <strong>Editor: </strong>TheAlliance


    ‘Shit...’ The more Leon thought about it, the more afraid he felt. He wished he could bury his head under the table... When he suddenly noticed that the middle-aged man next to him was recklessly raising his hand!


    Leon was terrified.


    ‘You are crazy!’ Leon’s expression changed as he kept his head lowered while desperately shooting hispanion meaningful looks.


    But...


    Leon Merlin’s gaze wasn’t easy to understand.


    The middle-aged man seemed doubtful as he noticed Leon’s gaze. ‘What’s going on with Young Master Leon? Does he have something in his eye? Or is he trying to tell me something? ...Right, he is definitely trying to tell me something!’


    The middle-aged man suddenly understood. Leon had gone to Thousand Sails City and had run into some trouble there. He waspletely changed when he came back. ‘Isn’t that Mafa from Thousand Sails City? It looks like the trouble Young Master Leon had was most likely rted to him...’


    As he thought of this, the middle-aged nodded to Leon in a way that seemed to say, “be at ease.”


    ‘Looks like he isn’t too stupid.’ Leon visibly rxed when he saw that.


    But...


    Leon didn’t feel that way for long. He watched as the middle-aged man stood up and said in a loud voice, “I agree with Elder Logan’s suggestion. It would be a huge loss to the Merlin Family to leave the Gilded Rose in the hands of the young Mafa Merlin...”


    After saying that, he threw a provocative nce at Lin Yun...


    “...” Leon watched this scene unfold, dumbstruck. He could only hear thunder rumbling in his mind. Leon threw a dull nce at that middle-aged man, weeping and smiling mixing together on his face.


    “Young Master Leon, rest assured...” After announcing his stance, the middle-aged man softly whispered to Leon.


    ‘Fuck, rest assured what!’ Leon almost went crazy. ‘You nutjob, how could you make me feel at ease? Are you afraid I wouldn’t die fast enough without your help? I’m already in such a miserable state, yet you are trying to push me into the fire? Would I ever feel at peace if that monster thinks that I was the one who instructed you to say those words?


    ‘Shit, how could I have such a pig-like teammate... You are truly digging a hole for me...


    ‘It’s bad, this is bad, I have to clear my name or I might not be able to walk out of the Merlin Family Manor alive once the Elder Council is over.’


    Leon clenched his teeth as he looked at the middle-aged man next to him while shifting ufortably in his chair to lower his head even more...


    He then started thinking hard...


    Hearing all these Elders supporting his suggestion, Logan pressed on. “Mafa Merlin, we are doing this for the benefit of the Merlin Family.” Hiding a proud smile, he added, “This isn’t something I decided, this is something the entire Elder Council decided.”


    “That’s right, Mafa Merlin!” Aube stood up after Logan was done talking. “You are still too young! You can’t control the Gilded Rose, and you are only a 1st Rank High Mage. That power might be decent in Thousand Sails City, but open your eyes, this is the core of the Andlusa Kingdom, this is Ond! What does the strength of a 1st Rank High Mage amount to in this ce...


    “Look at Ross, he is a 5th Rank High Mage, yet he was easily defeated by Stan Watson in the Raging me ne...” Aube took a convenient shot at Ross.


    “Haha...” To everyone’s surprise, Ross, who had been unjustly attacked, didn’t take offense and only issued a sneer.


    Because Ross knew that he didn’t need to do anything. His cousin would naturally settle it all...


    Ross only wanted to tell Aube, ‘It’s sad that you don’t know that Stan Watson didn’t evenst ten seconds in front of this 1st Rank High Mage...’


    Aube kept chattering endlessly because of his ignorance.


    “Think about it, if your Gilded Rose is one day targeted by some force, one that has at least a few 5th Rank High Mages and a few dozen Great Mages... This wouldn’t even be a major force in Ond, it’d be a second-rate one. Yet, if such a power attacks your Gilded Rose, would you be able to protect it with your strength as a 1st Rank High Mage?”


    “Indeed...” Logan echoed Aube’s words. The previously quarrelling duo was now in sync. “Mafa Merlin, truth to be told, your Gilded Rose won’t be able to survive without the protection of the Merlin Family. It would be swallowed by someone sooner orter...”


    As the two talked, a thin silhouette wearing ck leather armor abruptly entered the Family’s conference hall...


    He seemed to be in his thirties and had an ordinary face that gave a familiar feeling to everyone who saw him. He also had a pale countenance and his armor was worn down.


    “Shameful! Is the Family’s conference hall a ce you can charge inside? Hurry up and disappear from my sight!” Logan was quite annoyed at being interrupted by a stranger after he had built up so much momentum. It was natural for Logan to be extremely rude here.


    “Elder Logan, please sit down.” Ofran frowned before surprisingly exerting his authority as the Patriarch.


    “Yes?” Logan froze. In fact, Ofran had assumed his authority as the Patriarch for over twenty years, but he had always been patient and amodating towards the Elder Council, to the point that Logan and many Elders seemed to have forgotten that Ofran was the Patriarch.


    It took some time for Logan to react when seeing Ofran suddenly use his authority, but he ended up sitting down.


    “What is it?” After sitting down, Ofran calmly nodded and indicated to the man who had just entered the conference hall that he could start talking.


    Only Ofran himself knew what kind of mood he was in... He wasn’t as calm as he face let on.


    This was because the man who had just barged in the Elder Council’s meeting was Link.


    Yes, the Link who had followed Santon Merlin and had been guarding the Family for the past three centuries.


    He had originally sent Link to keep an eye on Mafa in order to stop this youth from doing anything stupid, but he hadn’t expected Link to go missing for all this time, even when the news of Stan Watson’s death spread the next day.


    For over a month, Ofran had been wondering where Link had been, and how exactly Stan Watson had died.


    Unfortunately, these questions couldn’t be answered until Link came returned.


    But now he was back.


    And although Link had yet to say anything, Ofran could feel that something big must have happened...


    This feeling made Ofran’s mood unstable.


    Under the puzzled looks of the Elders, Link took a few steps to reach Ofran’s side and whispered a few words.


    “Yes?” At first, Ofran only nodded perfunctorily, but the more he heard, the more his expression changed. He was pale and appalled as he looked at Link, his eyes filled with disbelief. “Really?”


    “Yes...” Link’s emotionless face was showing a hint of anger for the first time...


    “Uhh...” Ofran let out a cold breath. If Link’s words were true, then today’s Elder Council might trigger a cmity for the Merlin Family.


    ‘What should I do, what should I do...’


    “Patriarch Ofran, the Elder Council finished voting. The patriarch should decide the final oue...” Logan grew impatient at the dy being caused by this stranger when they were on the verge of getting the Gilded Rose.


    “Hold on, hold on...” Ofran, who had turned a blind eye to this situation so far, now seemed to be struggling with something.


    Only Ofran knew the terrifying scenes that had been seen by Link, who had been missing for over a month.


    Link had seen two things.


    One of them had nothing to do with today’s Elder Council, but the other one was enough to make Ofran’s blood run cold.


    Link clearly described this Mafa Merlin’s terrifying strength.


    The Red Dragon Mercenary Group’s fifty elites, the 5th Rank Expert Swordswoman Anna, as well as the 8th Rank High Mage Stan Watson. This group could take down an Archmage.


    But...


    Link told Ofran that this group didn’t evenst ten seconds in front of Mafa Merlin. All along, Mafa Merlin seemed to have been walking down his own hallway as he casually took Stan Watson’s life.


    Ofran felt his mind going numb as he heard that...


    Originally, Ofran thought that a 1st Rank High Mage in his early twenties was quite formidable, especially since he came from Thousand Sails City, so Ofran had always regarded Mafa Merlin as very important.