Chapter 384: Ghost Ship
Hearing those voices, Nivis was startled. She recognized them—it was Monica and Liora.
"What’s going on? Why are they coming to my room in the middle of the night?" she wondered.
She glanced at the clock and saw that it was already midnight. The girls should have been asleep by now.
Yet Monica and Liora were at her door, pounding on it, leaving her both confused and curious.
Nivis walked over and opened it.
Before she could say a word, Monica and Liora rushed inside and shut the door tightly behind them.
"Hah... hah... hah..." They were both panting, then exchanged relieved glances.
"What happened to you two? Why do you look so scared?" Nivis asked.
They didn’t answer right away. Instead, they pulled Nivis toward the bed and made her sit on the edge of the mattress.
"Nivis, I have bad news!" Monica said, still trying to catch her breath. "Just now... just now we heard a mysterious sound!"
"A mysterious sound?" Nivis blinked in confusion. "What kind of sound?"
"It was a trumpet!" Liora replied, her face pale with fear. "Remember Margaret’s story? She said a ghost ship often appears on certain nights, and its arrival is marked by a strange trumpet sound. And earlier... we heard it clearly!"
Nivis’s eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
She wanted to say it dismissively, but quickly held back. Judging by their expressions, they didn’t seem to be joking at all.
"Did you see the ghost ship?"
"No." Both of them shook their heads. Liora then explained, "We ran off immediately after hearing the sound."
Monica nodded in agreement.
Nivis was at a loss for words. She still had her doubts, but she knew the two of them wouldn’t lie.
That could only mean one thing—the ghost ship was real.
"How about you two sleep with me?" Nivis offered. She quickly adjusted her expression and cleared her throat. "You must be scared and probably can’t sleep in your own rooms. It’s better if we sleep together, right?"
Both of them nodded without hesitation.
"We’ll sleep together!"
Nivis smiled, feeling slightly relieved. To be honest, she was terrified too, but she was too embarrassed to admit it in front of them.
With two more people in her room, she wouldn’t have to be afraid.
But suddenly, her face went pale. Monica and Liora noticed immediately and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Nivis took a deep breath and looked at them in panic.
"Y-You two..." she said, trembling. "You mentioned a ghost ship, didn’t you?"
"Yes!" they both nodded. "What’s the matter?"
Nivis swallowed hard and glanced toward the balcony.
"A-Actually... I just saw a strange ship earlier. It was green, and it looked like it was sailing not far from here. Could that be the ghost ship you were talking about?"
Hearing that, both girls’ eyes widened in shock.
"Y-You... are you serious?"
"I am!" Nivis insisted. She stood up and grabbed both of their arms, pulling them toward the balcony. "Look over there!"
She pointed into the distance. Monica and Liora followed her gaze and froze.
A ship was anchored at the far end of the island.
It didn’t look like a normal ship. It was large and long—far bigger than the one they had arrived on.
Even more surprising, the hull was green, and a black flag flew above it.
The flag bore the image of a straw hat and two crossed swords.
"That’s definitely the ghost ship!" Monica exclaimed in fear. She took a few steps back and stammered, "W-What should we do?"
Nivis and Liora exchanged glances, seeing the same terror in each other’s eyes.
"L-Let’s go find Luna and the others!" Nivis urged.
This was serious—at least to them.
Both girls nodded without hesitation. Without wasting another second, the three of them rushed out of the room.
***
"Hmmm... your service is very satisfying, Margaret."
Merlin lay back on the bed with his eyes closed, enjoying the moment as Margaret gently massaged his feet beside him.
"Thank you. But this is quite embarrassing," Margaret whispered, her face red as a tomato.
She never expected she would end up doing something like this.
She had never served anyone before—not even her own father. After all, she was the daughter of the wealthiest family on the continent.
And yet, here she was. It made her feel ashamed, but for some reason, she also felt a strange excitement.
"If you’re uncomfortable, it’s okay. You can stop."
Merlin opened his eyes and looked at her with a hint of sympathy.
His original intention had only been to tease her. Who would have thought Margaret would actually come and fulfill his request?
Although he was pleased, Merlin didn’t want to pressure her.
"It’s okay." Margaret shook her head. "I’m doing this because I want to."
She was embarrassed, but she still wanted to do it for Merlin—and that alone showed how deep her feelings were.
Merlin was deeply moved. It hadn’t been in vain that he had raised her affection level to a hundred. Margaret was truly devoted.
’Damn... Abel in the novel is really lucky!’
Thinking about Abel, Merlin gritted his teeth in frustration.
That damn boy had managed to win over countless heroines and build himself a harem.
Fortunately, Merlin had been reincarnated into this world and seized every opportunity for himself.
His frustration quickly faded, replaced by satisfaction and comfort, until a smile finally formed on his lips.
There was no Abel—there was only Merlin Clay.
Just as the two of them were engrossed in playing the roles of servant and king, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.
A moment later, a loud knock echoed through the room.
"Merlin, are you in there!? There’s something I need to talk to you about!"
Merlin and Margaret froze. It was Luna’s voice.
The two exchanged panicked glances.
"Quick, hide in the wardrobe!" Merlin whispered urgently.
Margaret nodded and rushed toward it, slipping inside and closing the door behind her.
"Merlin? Wake up! This is important!"
Knock! Knock!
The knocking and shouting came again and again, as if Luna wouldn’t stop until Merlin answered.
"I’m awake! Just a moment!"
Merlin quickly straightened the bed, coughed a few times, and put on a tired, sleepy expression.
Then he walked over and opened the door. The moment it swung open, he saw everyone standing there—including Lisa.
His fake sleepy look immediately shifted into surprise and confusion.
"What’s going on? Why are you all gathered here?" Merlin asked.
The girls exchanged glances, then stepped inside without waiting for his permission.
Lisa closed the door behind them and let out a long sigh.
Seeing their strange behavior, Merlin’s confusion only grew.
But before he could ask again, Luna spoke in a serious tone.
"Merlin, we have bad news."
"Bad news?" Merlin blinked. "What is it?"
"There’s a ghost ship out there," Luna replied heavily.
Merlin: "..."
He had been expecting something like an enemy attack or a natural disaster. Who would have thought they were here to talk about a ghost ship?
Merlin took a deep breath and asked helplessly, "Are you kidding me? If you are, this isn’t funny at all."
"No, Merlin, we’re not kidding!" Nivis said with a serious expression. "I swear I saw it!"
"Me too!" Monica added.
"Me too!" Liora raised her hand.
Merlin’s expression turned serious. If it had been just one person, he could’ve dismissed it as a hallucination.
But if several people had seen it, then it couldn’t possibly be a hallucination.
He looked at Nysera, Catrine, and Lisa. All three of them nodded slightly.
’So they saw it too, huh?’ Merlin narrowed his eyes.
He quickly spoke to the system.
"System, can you scan the entire island?"
"[Ding! Sure, Master! But there’s a cost,]" the system replied.
Merlin rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue, and waved his left hand.
"I don’t care. Start searching immediately," he ordered.
"[Ding! 10,000 system points have been deducted! Initiating search...]"
Even as his system point balance decreased, Merlin’s expression stayed calm. But his thoughts were already spinning around the ghost ship the girls had mentioned.
"[Ding! Found! There’s a mysterious fluctuation on the southern side of the island, Master!]"
Merlin’s face changed instantly. If he had been skeptical before, now he fully believed everything they had said.
"I understand," Merlin said, steadying his breathing. "For now, don’t go anywhere. Stay in your rooms. If you’re scared, you can sleep together. Tomorrow, if that ship appears, we’ll go check it out. Understand?"
Now wasn’t the right time to act, let alone fight. Earlier that afternoon, they had played too much, and their stamina had dropped to its lowest point.
Merlin could see the exhaustion on their faces, barely hidden behind their fear.
"I understand." Luna nodded. "I’ll sleep with Catrine. Do you mind?"
She glanced at Catrine, and the girl shook her head.
"I don’t mind."
"I’ll sleep with Lisa!" Nivis said without hesitation.
"Me too!" Monica and Liora quickly chimed in.
Merlin simply nodded, then glanced at Nysera.
"What about you?"
Nysera’s expression remained as flat as ever. She shook her head and replied calmly, "I’ll sleep alone. Don’t worry—if any ghosts come, I’ll punch them."
She raised her fists, which somehow made her look a little adorable.
"In that case, go back to your rooms for now. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss this matter," Merlin said.
Everyone nodded in agreement. After that, they turned around and left.
But suddenly, Lisa stopped in her tracks and turned back.
"By the way, I didn’t see the young lady in her room. Did you see her, Young Master Merlin?"
Merlin suppressed the panic rising inside him and shook his head.
"No. Maybe she changed rooms."
"Heh..." Lisa suddenly grinned. Her meaningful gaze drifted toward the wardrobe on the right side of the room.
