The Extra Villain: I Made a Contract With The Dragon Empress!-Chapter 311: Catrine’s Firm Rejection

"What do you want, Luvis?" Merlin asked coldly.

Ever since he found out that Jared had been hurt by this boy, he had become wary and no longer dared to underestimate him.

Despite his handsome and harmless appearance, the boy harbored complex and malicious thoughts.

Merlin disliked dealing with people like Luvis the most.

Luvis stopped two meters away from him, his right hand tucked into his pocket.

"Sorry, Merlin Clay. I’m not talking to you, but to Catrine Clay. So, can you step aside?"

His words infuriated Catrine. She tightened her grip on her brother’s right hand and said coldly, "If you ask him to leave, then I’ll leave too."

Luvis’s smile stiffened, and blue veins bulged on his forehead. But he quickly regained his composure.

Girls like Catrine were stubborn, arrogant, and unwilling to back down.

Dealing with someone like her required a careful and measured approach. Otherwise, it would backfire on him.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand in surrender.

"All right, I’m sorry. But I do want to talk to Catrine Clay privately. I hope you don’t interfere, Merlin Clay," he said, glancing coldly at Merlin as if threatening him.

Merlin wasn’t afraid, but he was curious about what this boy wanted to discuss with Catrine.

"I don’t mind, but I want to hear what you want to talk to my sister about," Merlin replied indifferently.

Luvis frowned in displeasure. But before he could say a word, Catrine cut him off.

"My brother’s orders are my wishes. If he’s not involved, I don’t want to talk to you."

Luvis fell silent, feeling angry and annoyed, but he managed to restrain himself.

"Fine," he said with a long sigh. "But I ask that you don’t interfere. Let your sister decide. Can you keep that promise?"

Merlin smiled, gave a slight nod, and folded his arms across his chest.

"All right. I won’t interfere."

He wanted to see why this boy was approaching his sister. To be honest, he already had a guess, but he wasn’t completely certain.

Luvis smiled faintly, then turned to Catrine.

"I won’t beat around the bush. I want you to join me and become my subordinate in the battle for the title of ring bearer. What do you think?"

He extended his hand, his expression filled with enthusiasm.

With his talent, Luvis was confident he could become a great leader to his subordinates.

However, he needed people who were truly talented and strong to achieve his goals. Catrine was the best candidate he could find at the moment.

If this girl agreed, then he would have laid the foundation for his future faction.

’Just as I thought,’ Merlin chuckled inwardly. ’This kid really wants to become one of the seven ring bearers.’

The ring bearers were second- and third-year seniors. They were exceptionally strong and held extraordinary status within the academy.

Of course, that status came with its advantages. Ring bearers were allowed to have their own headquarters in the academy.

They were also permitted to build businesses, form social connections, and so on, as long as it did not harm the academy.

Merlin had once considered becoming one of the ring bearers himself, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Leading people was troublesome and exhausting. He didn’t want to shoulder that burden.

Wouldn’t it be better to relax and think of ways to make the heroines fall for him even more?

However, Merlin said nothing. He simply looked at Catrine calmly, as if leaving the decision entirely in her hands.

Luvis was delighted to see Merlin keeping his word and not interfering.

He watched Catrine’s reaction with a confident expression.

He was certain she would accept his offer. After all, he was one of the top students in the first wave.

But then, Catrine’s cold voice made his expression stiffen.

"I’m sorry. I can’t accept it. So don’t bother me."

Without another word, Catrine grabbed Merlin’s right hand and pulled him away.

Luvis snapped out of his daze and quickly moved to stop them.

"Wait! Don’t go yet!"

He and the two boys behind him rushed forward and blocked their path.

"Why did you reject me without a second thought?" he asked, his tone filled with dissatisfaction.

Catrine furrowed her brows, too lazy to argue with him. But she knew that if she didn’t give him a clear answer, this pest would keep clinging to her.

"First," she said, raising her index finger, "I don’t know you. Accepting an offer from someone I don’t even know isn’t my style. Second..."

She lifted her middle finger. "Honestly, you’re too weak. There’s no way I’d join, let alone become a subordinate to someone weaker than me. At the very least, your strength must be on par with my brother’s."

Even if Luvis met both conditions, Catrine would still never want to become anyone’s subordinate.

Her goal in life was to catch up to her brother and become just as strong as him. She wanted to stand by his side and help him overcome every obstacle.

Luvis froze at her words. Then, a surge of rage erupted inside him.

"What did you say? Do you think I’m weak!?" he shouted.

Catrine showed no fear. She looked him up and down before replying, "Yes, you’re weak. You’re only at the fifth awakening, right? Even if you’re slightly stronger than Caldor, it’s barely by a margin. So sorry, I can’t accept it."

Luvis’ anger flared even more. But before he could make a move, Merlin stepped in front of Catrine, the aura of the Fourth Spirit Core bursting from his body.

"Leave. Otherwise, don’t blame me for taking action you won’t like," he said coldly.

"Ugh..." Luvis and his two subordinates felt their knees weaken.

The pressure emanating from Merlin was overwhelming. It felt as if a monster stood before them.

Realizing they stood no chance against him, Luvis gritted his teeth and turned away.

His two subordinates quickly followed behind.

Merlin withdrew his aura and let out a small sigh.

"I’m sorry, brother. I caused you trouble," Catrine said guiltily.

Merlin smiled and gently rubbed her head.

"It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Let’s go."

Catrine smiled in relief and nodded softly. Then the two of them held hands and walked away. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

...

Bang!

Luvis slammed his fist into the tree in front of him, leaving a hole nearly ten centimeters deep.

White smoke rose from the impact, showing the sheer force behind his punch.

"Merlin Clay and Catrine Clay... how dare you humiliate me? I’ll repay this a hundredfold!" he growled.

He hadn’t expected to be humiliated like that. He had thought he could bring Catrine Clay to his side.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The girl was arrogant and infuriating.

She didn’t just reject him—she humiliated him and made him lose face in front of his two subordinates.

Meanwhile, the two boys behind him exchanged confused glances.

They had no idea how to calm him down.

After a moment, Luvis took a deep breath, regained his composure, and turned to them.

"Let’s go."

Even though he had failed to recruit Catrine Clay, he still had several promising candidates—Caldor, Liora, Nysera, Caelith, and Elmyra.

Their potential was no less than Catrine’s, and he needed to bring them to his side as soon as possible.

Otherwise, Crystal or someone else might snatch them away first.

...

The next day...

The final battle was about to begin. Students gathered around the arena, excitement written across their faces.

There were nearly twice as many as before, all because of yesterday’s unexpected results.

Those who hadn’t been interested before were now curious and eager to watch.

"Who do you think will win?"

"I’m sure it’ll be Catrine Clay. That girl is far too strong for us. I’m one hundred percent certain she’ll win."

"Tsk! I agree. Yes, she’ll definitely win."

"I’m leaning more toward Nysera. She’s very strong too and can’t be underestimated—especially with her transformation technique."

A lively discussion broke out among the students. Each of them had a favorite and argued over who would come out on top.

Just then, Ronald and the professors stepped onto the stage. Standing at the front, Ronald said, "Thank you all for coming. Now, let’s begin the next match. Nysera and Caelith, please come onto the stage."

The two figures immediately leaped up. Caelith smiled and said, "Finally, we get to fight, Nysera. I hope you don’t disappoint me."

But Nysera wasn’t provoked as usual. Her face remained expressionless as she replied, "You too."

Caelith was slightly surprised. As a hot-tempered person, Nysera would normally never ignore her opponent’s provocation.

Yet this time, she seemed calm and completely unaffected, which left Caelith puzzled.

’Could it be because of what happened yesterday?’ she wondered.

"The battle begins!"

As soon as Ronald’s voice rang out, Nysera vanished from her spot and reappeared in front of Caelith.

She raised her fist and swung it toward her.

Caelith didn’t dare lower her guard. She teleported and reappeared midair.

Raising her right hand, she shouted, "Advanced Magic: Fire Spears!"

Two magic circles materialized, and dozens of flaming spears shot out, streaking toward Nysera.

Sensing the danger, Nysera leaped aside to dodge them. But the fire spears didn’t stop. They adjusted their trajectory and continued chasing her, as if guided by an invisible radar.

"Who do you think will win?" Catrine asked.

Merlin watched the two of them in the arena before replying, "Isn’t it obvious?"

He glanced at her meaningfully. Catrine smiled faintly and said nothing more.