"Are you okay?" Merlin asked as he slowly landed beside Monica on her right.
Monica's heart leapt at the sight of him. She nodded eagerly and said, "I'm fine, Merlin. Thank you for helping me!"
She lowered her head slightly. At first, she had thought it was another student who had attacked the three elves.
Fortunately, she had been wrong. It was Merlin who had intervened—and truly saved her.
"You're welcome. Stand up," Merlin said, gently helping her to her feet.
Monica felt a flush of embarrassment at his touch, but she didn't pull away.
"By the way… why were you surrounded by those three elves? And who are they?"
He recalled that the elves had never dared to openly show hostility toward Monica, let alone attempt to kill her.
Something deeper was clearly at play.
Monica pressed her lips together and said, "It's all because of Tina and Tira."
"Tina and Tira?" Merlin's brow furrowed in surprise.
