Chapter 196
Chapter 196: Absolutely Incredible
Delin Manor.
A haze of white mist rose from the bathroom. Gwen soaked in the bath, her entire body submerged in the warm water.
Arms wrapped around her knees, only her nose and above breaking the surface.
Her mouth sunk below the water, blowing a steady stream of bubbles, brows furrowed low, a cloud of worry across her face.
She had only returned from the south a few days ago, yet Gwen's mind was almost entirely filled with the image of a golden-haired figure.
Erika du Chloe.
Gwen knew her, of course.
The 2 of them had crossed paths on quite a few occasions by now.
Gwen hadn't expected that she would ever care about this matter as much as she did now.
That incident—the one lodged in everyone's memory, yet almost entirely forgotten—why had it been surfacing in her mind so frequently lately?
Viktor had once confessed his feelings to the Duke's daughter.
How annoying. Why had she suddenly started caring about that?
Gwen drew in a large breath and sank back into the bathtub, blowing bubbles again.
Viktor had said he would take care of it, though she didn't know how he'd gone about it.
But after a long stretch of time, that unpleasant incident had indeed gradually faded from people's minds.
And now, across the Empire—whether commoner or noble—
When people spoke of Viktor, every single one of them thought of that elegant Count, that formidable Council Member.
It seemed like no one remembered anymore what Viktor had done back then.
Even Gwen had nearly forgotten.
Until the last time she'd seen the golden-haired girl—she had been walking out of Viktor's room.
As though she had no control over it, Gwen had been reminded of that incident all over again.
Before that moment—even right when it had happened—she hadn't paid it much mind.
Gwen found herself unable to make sense of it. She sat motionless in the bathtub, her mind refusing to stop.
"What exactly is the relationship between her and Viktor?"
Then a knock at the door cut through Gwen's thoughts.
It was a Maidservant's voice.
"Miss Gwen."
Hearing someone call her name, Gwen finally snapped back to herself. She lifted her head from the water, tilted it back, and rested it against the rim of the bathtub.
Fair skin dotted with clear droplets of water, trickling slowly down, shimmering in the misty air—a remarkably vivid sight.
"What is it?"
She furrowed her brow slightly, asking in an offhand tone.
Then the Maidservant's voice came again.
"Miss Kavra has returned."
Gwen wrapped herself in a thick white bath towel, hair pinned high, droplets of water falling steadily to the floor with each step.
She had barely opened the door and taken a single step out when she walked straight into Kavra.
Gwen was just about to take a step back when Kavra threw an arm around her and pulled her into a firm embrace.
"So fragrant, so fragrant~ Where is Little Gwen going, fresh out of the bath?"
Teasing and playful, Kavra's voice drifted soft and warm against Gwen's ear.
Gwen's face flushed immediately. She wriggled free of Kavra's hold and clutched her bathrobe tight, standing before her.
"Sister, why are you back at this hour?"
"Is everything alright back home?"
Kavra gave a confident wave of her hand:
"Things are fine on that end—I've sorted it all out for you."
Using her own methods, she had reestablished rules and a new order for the Northern Frontier Knights, and had fully opened the Iron Fortress of the North so that anyone could pass through freely.
As long as they followed the rules in scheduling their movements, they wouldn't cause the Delin Family any trouble.
Seeing her sister return so unexpectedly, Gwen was genuinely glad.
After all, the entire Delin Family now had only the 2 of them left as direct kin.
"I came back this time because there's something I need to take care of."
The smile on Kavra's face faded somewhat. She spoke slowly.
"It concerns you as well."
Gwen blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing her face as she pointed at herself.
"Me?"
Kavra gave a nod.
Her expression grew solemn almost immediately, her eyes dropping, her tone turning completely serious—as though what she was about to say was of the gravest importance:
"Hypothetically speaking—I'm just saying, hypothetically."
"If I were to go on a date with Viktor—you wouldn't mind, would you?"
"?"
***
Viktor Manor—
"Slowly. Right here—insert it."
"Don't let it move too forcefully."
A cool voice gave the instruction. Erika, golden-haired, suddenly flushed scarlet.
Then the tension went out of her body all at once.
"It worked!"
Her face broke into a look of pure, boundless delight. Before her, the Magic Formation flickered with green and white Runes.
Right before Erika's eyes, a foundational 3rd-Tier spell was gradually constructing itself into a completed Formation.
The elements of Wind and Wood, 2 distinct colors, fused together and flowed freely through the Formation.
Several rune-lines intertwined with one another, weaving and crossing around the perimeter of the Formation.
【3rd-Tier Magic: Gale Verdant Leaf】
This was the most foundational 3rd-Tier elemental attack spell—in terms of difficulty within the 3rd-Tier Mage tier, it was roughly as simple as stuffing an elephant into a refrigerator.
Unlike any Magic Erika had learned before, its offensive power was enough to level an entire forest.
The intricate Formation was still trembling faintly, waves of Magic Power emanating from it in steady pulses.
Her father wasn't home, so in the days since returning to the Royal Capital, Erika had been coming to Viktor's place almost daily.
Her purpose was simple—to ask for guidance on how to use 3rd-Tier Magic.
For a 2nd-Tier Mage like her, casting 3rd-Tier Magic was likewise about as difficult as stuffing an elephant into a refrigerator.
And so this asking for guidance had continued for close to half a month.
Until today—she had finally succeeded.
Viktor watched Erika's excitement from the side and gave a nod of quiet satisfaction.
"Not bad. This is the first foundational 3rd-Tier Magic you've managed to cast."
Strictly speaking, as long as one could produce a 3rd-Tier spell, it meant that Mage had already stepped into the ranks of the 3rd Tier.
Though Erika hadn't reached anywhere near that outrageous a level yet.
Viktor looked at the number above Erika's head—her Level materialized there.
LV29.
Her Wind and Wood elemental Magic Power came from the Calamities, so she couldn't be judged by the standard of an ordinary 2nd-Tier Mage.
Those 2 special natural forces allowed Erika—close to the 3rd-Tier threshold as she was—to emulate a 3rd-Tier Mage's Magic Power to a certain extent.
Of course, she was nearly a 3rd-Tier Mage in her own right anyway.
That rocket-speed rate of leveling up—Viktor had only ever seen it in Heni.
Viktor wasn't surprised.
Even within the game's backstory, not long after Viktor's death route had been triggered, an adult Erika had become a 3rd-Tier Mage—breaking Viktor's record as the youngest 3rd-Tier Mage.
Now, she was simply accelerating that by nearly 2 years.
Erika, having cast a 3rd-Tier spell for the first time, was visibly elated.
She bowed to Viktor repeatedly to express her gratitude.
"Professor! Thank you so very much!"
Her face was radiant with pride and joy—brilliant as sunlight.
Viktor responded calmly, with a nod, and said:
"This is the result of your own efforts. There's no need to thank me."
"Perhaps I should offer my congratulations in advance—for the emergence of the youngest 3rd-Tier Mage."
Still, Erika's Level genuinely was close enough.
But she wasn't a Player, after all.
There were many who reached the pinnacle of the 2nd Tier yet remained stuck there, unable to break through to the 3rd.
That short gap of a single Level was enough to strand countless Mages.
To keep them from ever breaking through to the 3rd Tier in their entire lifetimes.
For game Players, it wasn't much of a hurdle—reach the required Experience Points, Level up, and one simply advanced to 3rd Tier.
But a real Mage had to put in far, far more effort than that.
Erika understood this deeply. Being able to cast a 3rd-Tier spell didn't mean she had already become a 3rd-Tier Mage.
A true 3rd-Tier Mage, naturally, was one who could produce 3rd-Tier Magic freely, effortlessly, at will.
Though for now, it was more than enough to make Erika happy.
After succeeding, she gave Viktor one final bow of thanks, then left Viktor Manor.
While the feeling was still fresh, she wanted to go home and practice repeatedly—to lock the sensation into her body.
Once Erika had gone, Leah, who had apparently been watching from the sidelines for quite some time, slowly emerged from the edge of the Training Ground.
She stood there with one hand on her hip, glanced back in the direction Erika had gone, gave a little shrug of her lips, and said to Viktor in a tone laced with gentle ribbing:
"Well, well—the little girl you once confessed to is back again."
"Our dear Mage lord is really quite the charmer, isn't he. Is the dream finally about to come true?"
Viktor didn't answer. He simply glanced at Leah with an even, unhurried look.
That single gesture only made Leah more certain that Viktor had tacitly admitted it.
She crossed her arms and spoke with a note of disdain:
"Don't forget—you still have a Fiancée."
Viktor turned to leave.
The Crow, in a rather convenient bit of timing, flew up and settled on his shoulder.
"Where is Heni? Where is she now?"
"Oh? That little girl's gotten a fire burning in you, and now you're looking for just anyone to let it out on?"
Leah looked at Viktor with what seemed like a hint of dissatisfaction, muttering under her breath:
"Messy private life—rotten Mage."
Having gotten that off her chest, she left the Training Ground.
Leaving Viktor standing there alone, genuinely puzzled.
He really couldn't figure out what she was even upset about.
***
At this moment, Heni was at the Academy.
The new term was almost upon them. As an Associate Professor, she needed to arrive at the school ahead of time to take care of all the preparations for the start of term.
This included the work of welcoming new students.
The thing new students dreaded most of all was the pre-enrollment examination.
Naturally, that task too had been entrusted to Heni.
She was currently seated at the Academy's entrance, dressed in a thick black robe.
Under the summer sun, squinting.
Sweat had plastered her fringe against her forehead, and her clothes were soaked through.
Though she had cooled herself down with Magic, a full day of work had left her body exhausted, and she couldn't stop perspiring.
Shoulders aching, spine giving the occasional crack.
Heni slumped in her chair and let out a long breath.
So tired. So incredibly tired.
Only by sitting outside the Academy could she escape the work for a moment and steal a bit of rest.
"It doesn't feel like becoming an Associate Professor is all that great."
If anything, it felt like far more work than before.
She really wanted to go home and take a bath.
If she could share that bath with the Professor, even better.
Ehehe...
Heni sat there daydreaming, a blush slowly creeping across her cheeks.
Eyes closed, she leaned back in the chair, lost in the fantasy in her head—nearly drifting off to sleep.
Until a shadow fell over her.
Sensitive as she was, she registered that someone had approached. She snapped her eyes open immediately and sat up straight.
"Welcome—are you here to visit the Academy...?"
She blinked, looking at the cloaked figure before her.
The person slowly tilted their head up. Those green eyes—like a serpent's pupils—fixed on Heni.
"Excuse me..."