Extra To Protagonist-Chapter 49: Watching Dieties

She turned away, stretching out her arms. "We'll work on it. Everyone is dismissed, class is over."

The watching students hesitated, then began murmuring among themselves as they dispersed. Some stole glances at Merlin—half impressed, half pitying. He ignored them.

Nathan nudged him. "You alive?"

Merlin let out a slow breath, straightening despite the throbbing pain in his limbs. "Unfortunately."

Nathan grinned. "You sure? Because from over there, it kinda looked like you died three times."

Merlin shot him a flat look. "Thanks for the support."

"Hey, I'm just saying—you lasted longer than I expected. I mean, not by much, but still."

Merlin sighed and pressed a hand against his side. Bruised, not broken. He'd had worse. But that didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that he'd barely even touched her.

No—he hadn't touched her at all.

The realization dug under his skin like a splinter.

Elara stepped up beside them, her brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Nathan snorted. "He's lying."

Merlin ignored him.

Elara hesitated. "You don't have to push yourself this hard, you know. Losing to someone like Vivienne—it's not a failure. No one expected you to win."

That was exactly the problem.

Merlin clenched his fists. "I didn't expect to win either…"

Nathan's grin faded slightly. He exchanged a glance with Elara, but neither of them said anything.

Merlin turned away, already heading toward the exit.

—

The hallway stretched quiet before him, the distant murmurs of students fading behind as Merlin walked toward his next class—Runes and Arcane Theory.

'Some peace and quiet finally.'

His ribs ached with every step, but he ignored it. The pain wasn't important.

What mattered was the lingering weight of his own inadequacy. He hadn't just lost—he had been overwhelmed. He could still hear Vivienne's voice in his head.

'I hesitate too much..'

Merlin clenched his jaw. He already knew that. Knowing again didn't help.

He turned a corner. The classroom wasn't far now.

And then—

[A being beyond mortal comprehension has taken interest in you.]

'What the fuck?'

Merlin stopped.

The message hung in his vision, weightless yet suffocating.

Then another appeared.

[The Messenger stirs.]

'…gods didn't appear until later in the story…and they only took interest in those that entertained them..but, there seems to be two watching me…'

His breath slowed. His surroundings remained unchanged, the hallway still empty, still quiet—but something unseen had just acknowledged him.

The air felt heavier.

[The god of silent endings watching.]

Merlin's fingers twitched.

'This isn't normal.'

[The Messenger warns The god of silent endings.]

'What..?'

Merlin was flabbergasted…as the two gods seemed to be arguing?

Another message flickered into existence.

[The god of silent endings is displeased.]

[The god of silent endings gazes at you with mild irritation.]

'Displeased?'

Then—

[The god of silent endings scoffs at you and The Messenger.]

Merlin's heart pounded.

Before he could even process that, another message followed.

[The nameless one hums in amusement.]

A chill ran down his spine.

Something else was watching.

Something without a name.

A final message appeared.

[The god of silent endings withdraws.]

The weight lifted. The air returned to normal. The hallway was still empty. But the feeling remained.

Merlin exhaled, forcing his hands to relax.

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[The Messenger smiles proudly.]

'This is too much for my brain right now..'

Merlin inhaled slowly, exhaling through his nose as he forced himself to keep walking. The classroom was just ahead.

A few more steps and he'd be sitting down, focusing on something tangible—something that didn't involve unseen deities watching his every move.

'Okay. Let's think about this rationally. The gods didn't take interest in people this early. In the novel, they only started paying attention after the first major arc. So why the hell are they looking at me now?'

He didn't have an answer.

But the more disturbing part wasn't just that he was being watched—it was that there were multiple entities, and they weren't on the same side.

'The Messenger. The god of silent endings…'

His fingers curled slightly.

'One of them has already claimed me. Another was trying to interfere. And the last one… just observed. Like a spectator waiting to see what happens next.'

It wasn't a comforting thought.

[A presence lingers.]

Merlin's steps didn't falter, but his shoulders tensed.

'…Still?'

[The Messenger hums in satisfaction.]

He resisted the urge to sigh. 'So it's still here.'

If nothing else, that confirmed one thing—The Messenger was the first to take notice of him. And whatever its intentions were, it had enough influence to drive the other god away.

'Does that mean it's on my side? Or am I just entertainment to it?'

There was no answer. Just the quiet hum of mana in the academy halls, the faint chatter of students passing in the distance.

[The Messenger watches patiently.]

Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 'Great. Fantastic. That's not ominous at all.'

At least nothing was actively trying to smite him. Yet.

He finally reached the door to the classroom. Runes and Arcane Theory.

A normal class. A break from whatever this was.

Merlin exhaled once, schooling his expression before pushing the door open.

The classroom was already half-full when Merlin stepped inside.

Students sat at long, curved desks arranged in a semicircle around the front, where intricate rune diagrams were inscribed on a massive blackboard.

The scent of old parchment and ink lingered in the air, mingling with the faint crackle of ambient mana.

Sophia Ashford, the instructor, stood at the front with her arms crossed.

She had the sharpest and prettiest brown eyes and neatly cropped hair, dressed in some kind of robe that had the academy's marking on it.

'As pretty as ever.'

Despite her unimposing stature, her presence was enough to make students straighten in their seats.

Merlin ignored the glances thrown his way as he made his way toward the back. He didn't care what they were whispering about—whether it was the spar with Vivienne or something else entirely. He just needed to sit down and focus.

Nathan, already seated, waved him over with a grin. "Oh look, the dead walk among us. How was your funeral?"

Merlin dropped into the seat beside him without comment.

Nathan nudged him. "C'mon, you have to admit it's impressive that you're still moving after that beating. Vivienne basically turned you into a training dummy."

Merlin propped an elbow on the desk, resting his chin on his hand. "If you're trying to cheer me up, it's not working."

"I'm not. I'm just stating facts." Nathan smirked. "I mean, I'd be devastated if that happened to me, but hey, I'm not you."

Merlin gave him a flat look. "I'll remember this the next time you need saving."

"That's if you can save me," Nathan shot back, grinning.

Before Merlin could retort, Sophia clapped her hands, silencing the room. "Alright, settle down."

The students quickly turned their attention to the front. Merlin straightened, shoving everything else to the back of his mind.

Sophia gestured to the diagrams behind her. "Today, we'll be covering advanced rune structures and their applications in arcane reinforcement. For those of you who actually read the assigned material—" her eyes flicked toward a few students who immediately looked away, "—you'll already know the fundamental differences between fixed and dynamic runes."

A few students nodded.

Sophia continued, tapping the board. "Fixed runes are inscribed onto surfaces, meant for long-term enchantments. Dynamic runes, on the other hand, are woven into mana itself, allowing for real-time modification."

Merlin's gaze traced the diagrams. Runes were complex, structured magic—different from raw spellcasting. It required precision.

Sophia turned, scanning the room. "Who can tell me one of the main weaknesses of dynamic runes?"

A few hands went up.

'Gods, make her not pick me..'

Sophia pointed to Elara, who sat a few seats ahead of them. Merlin exhaled relaxing in his chair.

Elara answered smoothly, "They're unstable. Because they rely on continuous mana input, they can degrade or collapse if the caster loses focus."

"Correct," Sophia nodded. "That's why dynamic runes are mostly used in short-term reinforcement rather than permanent enchantments."

She paced slowly, then glanced at the class again. "Now, let's test your comprehension. Suppose you're in battle and need to reinforce your weapon mid-fight. Would a fixed or dynamic rune be the better choice?"

Merlin knew the answer.

So did Nathan, apparently, because he whispered, "A dynamic rune, obviously."

Sophia's gaze snapped toward them. "Nathaniel."

Nathan immediately sat up straight, clearing his throat. "Uh. A dynamic rune, Professor."

Sophia gave him a long look before sighing. "At least pretend to pay attention."

Nathan grinned. "I'm always paying attention. Just in my own way."

Sophia didn't look impressed. "Right. Then you won't have any issues demonstrating for the class, will you?"

Nathan's grin faltered. "…Wait, what?"

A few students snickered. Merlin just exhaled, shaking his head.

Sophia waved toward the front. "Come on. Show us a proper dynamic rune reinforcement."

Nathan hesitated, then muttered, "…I should've kept my mouth shut."

Merlin smirked slightly as Nathan dragged himself to the front, already mentally preparing for whatever disaster was about to unfold.