“So what now?”
Merlin looked into Ophelia’s eyes. She seemed to have calmed down now, which was honestly a relief.
“As you grew, your damaged soul slowly healed on its own. When you shed the Tears of the Spring, your gradually recovering soul guided your body to reshape itself, restoring you to your original form.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Merlin grumbled in a low voice.
So I was originally a girl?
In my previous life I was a boy, my appearance was a boy, and I’d always acted like one.
“To be able to turn back to my original form…”
Ophelia angrily knocked Merlin on the head.
“This is your original form! No more nonsense! If you’re not upset, then I am!”
“But…”
How was Merlin supposed to accept something like this?
“And also…”
Ophelia sat down beside Merlin, gently pulling her into her embrace, letting Merlin lean on her shoulder.
“……”
“……”
“I’ll check you over now, don’t resist me, just relax, alright?”
“Okay.”
Ophelia confirmed again.
“This is a special way elves make contact. Don’t panic, and don’t be afraid of me—just follow my lead.”
“Understood.”
Ophelia let out a sigh.
“Mom isn’t angry anymore, really. Don’t resist me, alright? The first time, there could be some unexpected things, because our souls will make direct contact. If you resist, both of us might be in danger.”
“Okay, okay…”
Being nagged like this by her mom in front of Mashina and all her classmates made Merlin feel a bit embarrassed.
How could she possibly resist Ophelia?
Merlin obediently let Ophelia take her hands, interlacing their fingers.
A shimmering light appeared where their palms met, flowing between their interlocked fingers. Ophelia’s mana ebbed gently like the tide under the moon.
“Come a little closer.”
“Mm.”
Their foreheads touched, their eyes met.
“Close your eyes and relax.”
“Okay.”
Before long, Merlin felt a gentle presence trying to reach her. She finally understood what Ophelia meant by “don’t resist.”
Even though Merlin wasn’t doing anything, she could feel her own soul subconsciously rejecting the foreign presence.
It was a bit like how your eyes tear up automatically when dust gets in them; it was hard not to resist.
“Relax, just leave it to me, trust Mom.”
“Mm…”
Very soon, under Ophelia’s guidance, their souls touched seamlessly.
Merlin could feel both her body and soul gently enveloped by Ophelia’s power.
It was warm and comforting, making her wish it would never end.
After a long while, Ophelia released their interlocked hands and put a little distance between them.
As their fingers slowly parted, Merlin felt an inexplicable sense of loss. The warmth that had wrapped around her soul ebbed away like a receding tide, leaving behind a faint, chilly emptiness.
Is this what contact between elves is always like?
Then, Ophelia looked at Merlin with a complicated expression.
“From now on, your name is Merlinlia Hailiye.”
“That’s so long, and it sounds weird.”
I used to have just two syllables, and now there are five more all of a sudden.
“……”
“……”
She looks like she’s about to get mad again.
“I get it, but why are you making me use your surname? When I first enrolled, I only wrote ‘Merlin.’”
“Jack… what do you think?”
The middle-aged man with the long beard seemed confused at suddenly being pulled into this mother-daughter moment.
“Me…? Is this really okay…? I’m not even an elf.”
“……”
The man scratched his head, messing up his once-tidy hair.
“Uh… it’s because all elves in this world have the surname Hailiye. ‘Lia’ is probably the royal suffix.”
Jack glanced at Ophelia, and only relaxed when she nodded.
“That’s right. You’re an elf, so of course your surname is Hailiye. You looked like a human before, so I didn’t check, and I didn’t make you take the surname.”
Merlin tried to resist.
“But adding ‘Lia’ to my name just sounds so weird! Besides, the suffix is way too cute—what if a royal is a boy?”
That part of Merlin that had been a boy was still fighting back.
Ophelia glanced at Merlin beside her.
“……”
“……”
“There aren’t any? Boys?”
“The royal family of elves doesn’t have boys, so that’s why I said this is your original form.”
“Royal family? Me?”
“I already checked just now, you really are.”
“Proof?”
“I checked everything about you, including your soul—what more proof do you need?”
Merlin lowered her head, struggling to accept the truth.
She’d always believed that since arriving in this world, she was a helpless orphan. But now Ophelia was saying she was an elf? Royalty? A girl?
Was it really because her soul was damaged as a child?
So what about the life she’d lived, all those days she endured before?
“You can’t accept this? Did you think I could just accept it right away? What kind of fate is this… Wandering down the road, I pick up two random kids, and both turn out to be elven royalty. Makes it look like royal elves are handed out in bulk or something. There are only three in my whole generation…”
At that moment, Ophelia’s expression looked so aggrieved in front of everyone, like she was about to burst into tears.
“Then… what about me…”
Am I in the same generation as Ophelia, or the next one?
“You can keep calling me ‘Mom’ or switch to ‘Aunt,’ up to you. That’s all I can say for now.”
“I understand… Mom.”
Ophelia gently stroked Merlin’s head, using her fingertips to lightly scratch her scalp as she passed through her hair. She knew Merlin liked this.
“Merlinlia Hailiye. If you can’t get used to the name, just go by ‘Merlin’ day-to-day. But you can’t drop the full name when it’s required.”
“I know.”
The name was a bit of a mouthful, but it was also proof of where she belonged.
After everything, Merlin had finally taken on the same surname as Ophelia, along with the same royal suffix.
It finally made Merlin feel like she and Ophelia were truly a family.
“Well then… Although revealing your identity is a good thing, it’s time to discuss the punishment for sneaking out of the labyrinth.”
“Punishment?”
Ophelia pretended to reach for Merlin’s ears, scaring Merlin so much she jumped back onto the edge of the bed, covering her ears.
It really hurt—elven ears are so fragile!
“I know I was wrong, and I’m willing to accept my punishment.”
“Oh? Then your punishment is that you can’t leave the city alone for the entire semester, and for a month you can’t leave the school by yourself. While you’re grounded, if you go anywhere beyond the allowed areas with anyone other than me, you must report to me.”
Isn’t that way too strict?
Merlin was a bit indignant and looked up at Ophelia with a rebellious glare, but she saw that her mom was even angrier.
“What’s wrong? You snuck out and almost died—do you really think you’re in the right?”
“Uuuuuu.”