The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!-Chapter 281: The Terrifying Vorgrath

Several days passed quickly. Merlin, along with Leina and Jason, managed to locate the people he had previously teleported from the underground prison.

The three of them brought the victims back to the city of Helvar.

At the same time, Leina requested aid from nearby cities to send large supplies of food and clothing.

The city’s food warehouse still had some provisions, but they were insufficient. Some of the ingredients had even begun to mold, making them inedible.

Thanks to the efforts of the three, they were able to provide food and clothing for thousands of Helvar citizens.

Of course, the aid didn’t come for free. They used their own savings to cover the costs.

At first, Leina didn’t want Merlin involved. After all, he was a new student, and she felt it was inappropriate for him to contribute. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Still, Merlin insisted on helping. He had plenty of money—most of it given by his fiancée, Luna, and also Charlotte.

On top of that, he possessed a five-star card from Margaret, valid at all Beethoven family stores across the continent.

Although it might seem distasteful to receive money from women, Merlin didn’t care. The heroines were extremely wealthy and gave him large sums freely.

How could he possibly refuse their generosity?

In the end, Leina gave up trying to persuade him, though she promised to reimburse his expenses once they reached the academy.

Merlin didn’t particularly care, but he still gave a polite reply.

Two more days passed, and the situation in Helvar had completely stabilized.

The academy had stepped in, sending construction workers to clean up the remaining damage.

Tomorrow morning, Merlin, Jason, Leina, and Victor would finally return home.

***

Nighttime...

"Ugh... finally, this annoying mission is over."

In his inn room in the city of Dunvale, Merlin stretched his stiff body.

Feeling relieved, he walked over to his bed and sat on the edge.

He opened the system shop, bought some snacks, and browsed the discounted items in the display case.

Nothing caught his interest, though, so he closed it.

"Lyserra, come here," Merlin called.

Buzz!

Lyserra appeared beside him. Lying lazily, she yawned and asked, "What’s up? Need my help?"

Merlin smiled and handed her some snacks—dry biscuits, candy, and chocolate.

Lyserra’s dull eyes instantly lit up. She leapt onto Merlin’s lap and started eating with a bright smile.

Merlin gently stroked her head and asked, "Lyserra, you said you came from a distant era, right?"

While chewing, Lyserra nodded slightly.

"Yes, a distant era—a time when the Evil God Vorgrath descended upon the world, trying to destroy it. But he underestimated the living creatures here. In the end, my master defeated him," she explained proudly.

The smile on her lips was... irritatingly cute. But Merlin didn’t feel annoyed—if anything, his interest grew.

"The Evil God Vorgrath, huh? What did he look like, and how strong was he? Compared to Linda, how does he measure up?" Merlin asked.

He had never read an article about the Evil God Vorgrath.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; there simply weren’t any detailed articles on the subject.

Most people considered Vorgrath nothing more than a figure from fairy tales. The truth was still uncertain.

But Merlin knew this figure really existed. After all, Vorgrath was the final boss in the novel The Lost Hero.

"Hmmm... where should I start?" Lyserra murmured, rubbing her chin while chewing a dry biscuit. "Vorgrath is terrifying. He’s incredibly tall, his body is black, and his head is completely bald. Among all the horrible creatures in this world, none even come close to his appearance."

Her face twisted with obvious disgust, as if she were imagining the worst thing imaginable.

"But his power is even worse. He could lay waste to an entire continent and almost destroy everything on it. Fortunately, he ran into my former master, who had already reached the pinnacle of power in the world," she continued casually. "Earlier, you asked how he compares to Linda, right? I’m sorry, but the difference is like heaven and earth. Linda—or the First Spirit Core, the Ninth Awakening, even the strongest people in this world—none of them are a match for him."

Merlin felt his throat go dry. He had always thought the First Spirit Core was the pinnacle of power on the continent.

But Lyserra’s words struck him like a hammer.

Noticing the change in Merlin’s expression, Lyserra chuckled softly and said reassuringly, "Don’t worry. Since my former master chose you, it’s clear that you’re someone who can match him—even surpass him. You have a long future ahead, and I’m sure you’ll manage. Well... but I’ll remind you—don’t go looking for trouble. Even though I believe in you, if you provoke a truly powerful enemy, my words won’t protect you. You understand what I mean, right?"

Merlin’s face darkened slightly, and he gave a small nod.

"I understand. Don’t worry—I’ll be careful not to pick fights with powerful figures outside," he said confidently.

Lyserra didn’t say anything. Merlin’s growth over the past few years had been remarkable.

He was also more mature than most children his age, and she was certain he grasped the key point she had just made.

After finishing the snacks before her, Lyserra stretched her small body and hopped onto the bed.

"I’m going to sleep now. Good night."

She walked to the center of the bed, curled her tail, and closed her eyes.

"Good night," Merlin replied softly.

Once he was sure the little dragon was fast asleep, Merlin whispered, "System, I want to receive my reward."

"[Ding! Congratulations, Master, for successfully completing the mission given by Linda Thalsis! Reward: 30,000 system points and 1x Feather of Life (Epic). Note: The reward has been automatically added to the system storage!]"

Merlin nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "What does this Feather of Life do?"

"[Master, in your world, you were taught to read item descriptions, right? So, read it]," the system replied with a faint snort.

Merlin: "..."

He clenched his right hand, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

"System, you..."

He wanted to scold it but gave up. It was pointless. Besides, the system was right—he should have read the item’s description.

With a deep breath, he pressed the virtual "description" button next to the Feather of Life.

"[Feather of Life (Epic): Main ingredient for the Seven-Colored Legendary Potion: Resurrect the Dead. Note: This potion requires three ingredients: Feather of Life (Epic), Northern Blue Grass (Legendary), and Spirit Water Lotus (Legendary).]"

Merlin’s heart began to race.

"A legendary potion... seven colors?" He swallowed hard.

That meant it was equivalent to an S-rank potion. He recalled the resurrection potion he had obtained from a mission four years ago.

It could actually be crafted—and he already had one of the ingredients.

"This is incredible!"

He only needed two more ingredients. Once he had them, he could craft the resurrection potion—a flawless trump card.