Chapter 199
Chapter 199: A Sister's Betrayal
Even as she said all that, Leah still wore an expression of absolute seriousness.
The words themselves weren't unreasonable, but Viktor still found something faintly odd about it.
He sat in front of the writing desk, watching Leah quietly.
"So then—the reason you came to find me."
It was already this late. If there was nothing to discuss, Leah wouldn't be seeking him out.
Viktor knew her habits well enough, and asked directly.
"Mm, right, right."
"I nearly forgot the whole point."
Leah seemed to have just remembered something, and reached behind her waist.
"Here—take this first."
She produced a small pendant.
The pendant's exterior was shaped like a black sword blade—compact and delicate, like a gemstone.
The interior was clear and transparent, with decorations on both sides resembling bat wings.
"This is from Gwen's sister, Kavra. She asked me to give it to you—said it's to thank you specially for what you did in the Northern Frontier."
Viktor raised a finger, and a thread of white Magic came from his fingertip.
The Magic curled around the pendant and floated it into his hand.
Viktor looked it over casually.
Then, all at once, as though he had spotted something in it, he narrowed his eyes slightly—and set the pendant back down on the writing desk.
"And then?"
"Sending me this—it can't be just to say thank you."
Leah looked at Viktor, seeming somewhat surprised:
"How did you know? She does have something she wants to ask of you."
"She hopes you'll spend a day with her tomorrow."
***
Early the next morning, Viktor saw Heni off after breakfast as she hurried out of the estate.
With the new term approaching, the Academy had assigned a great many tasks to Heni, and she could feel the weight of them.
But as an Associate Professor, Heni knew these things were simply part of what she was supposed to do.
Still—it really was a lot.
Although Viktor had specifically reminded Heni that she could just sleep at the nearby house for a few days during the busiest stretch before term began.
It would save her the time of commuting back and forth, and she would get more rest.
Using a Teleportation Formation was still somewhat awkward for a 2nd-Tier Mage, and even Heni couldn't use it frequently.
But Heni was completely unmovable on the matter—she insisted on commuting to work and back every single day, and wouldn't even take a Carriage.
Pure leg power.
In Heni's own words: it was exercise.
But Viktor could see it clearly—Heni was stuck in her own stubborn little way, not wanting to add any extra trouble for anyone.
Not long after Heni left, Kavra arrived at precisely the right moment.
The instant she walked in, she greeted Viktor with warm enthusiasm.
"Yah-hoo, yah-hoo~"
"Long time no see, Viktor."
Viktor gave a light raise of his hand. Behind Kavra, a flash of light blinked.
A chair materialized from the floor out of thin air.
But that wasn't all—on the table before her, a teacup and teapot seemed to be lifted by some invisible hand, and automatically poured her a full cup of tea.
This whole sequence left Kavra blinking in astonishment.
"Sit."
Viktor extended a hand, gesturing for Kavra to take a seat.
Kavra wasn't one to stand on ceremony, and sat herself down across from Viktor, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
The power of Magic is truly magnificent.
Sipping her tea, Kavra mused quietly to herself.
As a Demon Hunter, she had probably made her peace with the fact that Magic would play no role in her life.
Kavra set down her teacup and smiled as she spoke to Viktor:
"Viktor, we're practically family—no need to hide anything from each other. And you should already know what my profession is."
A Demon Hunter—a profession that exists to hunt and slay Demons.
Viktor's expression remained unchanged. He simply picked up a bit of birdseed and held it out for the Crow on his shoulder.
"And so—you said you want me to spend a day with you. What specifically did you have in mind?"
Leah had already told him that Kavra had obtained Gwen's permission.
That was precisely why he was curious about Kavra's request for him to accompany her.
Though......
Viktor glanced down at the pendant hanging around his neck, and a few ideas had already begun to take shape.
Kavra also noticed the black pendant Viktor was wearing, and seemed quite pleased as she said:
"It looks like you don't dislike the gift."
"That is the Demon Hunter's token—equivalent to a kind of proof of identity."
"Every Demon Hunter possesses 1, and can only ever possess this 1."
Kavra straightened herself in her seat and smiled.
"If the owner of this token dies, the power of that Demon Hunter does not disperse—instead, it condenses within the pendant, waiting for the next person to inherit its strength."
"I am its 2nd owner."
Viktor picked up the pendant and looked it over from top to bottom.
Looking carefully into the clear black pendant, patterns seemed to shift and shimmer faintly within it under the light.
"In that case, why not give it to Gwen?"
Viktor knew that this object could be called the most precious possession a Demon Hunter could own.
It was also one of the major reasons the Demon Hunter lineage had remained few in number yet continued to be passed down to this day.
"This token can only be given to the most deserving person."
Kavra kept her smile, her eyes on his as she continued:
"I trust you—because you are Gwen's fiancé."
"And beyond that, you are more deserving of this token than she is."
Viktor listened quietly to Kavra's words, then tucked the pendant away beneath his clothing.
What Kavra had said was still too understated.
Viktor still remembered that in the game, this item had a special name—1 that only Players could see.
【Demon Hunter's Lifeblood】
It was a quest item—an indispensable piece for any Player wishing to change Class and become a Demon Hunter.
And throughout the entire quest series, a Player could only ever obtain this single Demon Hunter's Lifeblood.
It represented a Demon Hunter's complete and total trust—and the power over life and death.
When a Demon Hunter handed the pendant to someone, it meant that person now held the power to decide the Demon Hunter's fate.
As for why Viktor would know this—it was because:
When Players undertook the Class-change quest series, 2 choices would appear.
The 1st: after receiving the pendant, choose to kill the Demon Hunter instructor.
Obtain the residual power of the Demon Hunter instructor and become a Demon Hunter.
And the 2nd choice was to keep the pendant......
Viktor stopped dwelling on the Storyline details. He looked at the expectation in Kavra's eyes, and something in his gaze sharpened with focus.
"Since you've handed this to me."
"Then I'll accept your trust."
***
After Heni arrived at the Academy, Safirose was standing at the Academy gates—there was no telling how long she had been waiting.
She was still in the same simple attire—a plain wide Cloak draped over her shoulders, with something bulging underneath it at her back, as though she were carrying 2 things there.
When she caught sight of Safirose, Heni seemed delighted.
"You're here so early!"
Hearing Heni's voice, Safirose slowly turned her head and saw her. Her voice came out with a mechanical-sounding pause, slowly drawing out a sentence.
"This is......a promise."
That's right—yesterday, Heni had made a small promise with Safirose.
Because when the 2 of them had first met, the day was already well along.
Although they had taken a brief walk around the Academy, there were still many places Heni hadn't had time to show Safirose.
So the 2 of them had made a promise.
Today, Heni would take Safirose on a proper tour to get a full picture of the Academy.
"Let's go in."
Heni said with a cheerful smile.
Noticing that Safirose was still rooted to the spot, seeming not yet to have grasped what she meant, she stood there.
Heni reached out a hand and took hold of Safirose's hand hidden beneath the Cloak.
"Come on—let's go together!"
The 2 of them walked through the Academy gates together, and a dense wave of magical atmosphere suddenly washed over both of them.
Heni explained:
"The concentration of Magic Power inside the Royal Magic Academy is approximately 3 to 5 times that of the outside world. The Magic Power here is extremely rich—very well suited for us Mages to practice."
Although Safirose sometimes looked as though she couldn't understand a word of it, Heni always explained tirelessly and patiently.
"It's still early today—not many people yet. Let's go have a look around some of the spots that are usually busier."
After the 2 of them had gone, up in the sky, a transparent 【Natural Sparrow】 had already witnessed everything.
At that moment, Rashel Azure-Blue was standing at the highest floor of the Mage Tower.
He looked down through the window, gazing across the whole Academy, feeling the harmony and beauty of the place that existed under his management.
It always gave him a sense of pride that welled up from deep within.
After all, the entire Royal Magic Academy was the lifework of Rashel Azure-Blue.
Then, all at once, the Natural Sparrow seemed to sense something—its Magic Power gave a small tremor.
Feeling that tremor, Rashel gave a sharp shudder as well.
"What's going on?"
Just now, for the briefest of moments, he had seemed to feel a powerful Magical Creature walk straight in through the Academy gates.
At that moment, on the table behind him, a long green watermelon opened 2 deep, solemn eyes.
"Azure-Blue—you saw it, didn't you."
The watermelon's low voice sounded, as Rashel looked through the Natural Sparrow at the departing figures of Heni and Safirose.
Then, with a grave nod, he said:
"Ah......that's truly no ordinary presence. I caught a familiar scent."
A faint light flickered in Rashel's eyes.
His gaze had locked entirely onto the figure of Safirose wrapped in her wide Cloak, as though he could see straight through her.
"That little girl who resembles a Magical Creature."
"She can only be the handiwork of......that person—that 【Defector】."
The long watermelon slowly propped itself up and spoke.
"If there's trouble, go find Viktor for help."
"As a member of the Council, he likewise has an obligation to eliminate the Council's 【Defectors】."
With that said, the long watermelon closed its eyes once more and fell silent.
It seemed to revert back to what looked like an utterly harmless watermelon.
Rashel Azure-Blue continued looking down, watching through the Natural Sparrow.
The next moment, as though he had sensed another aura, he raised his head and looked over.
"The Empire's Second Prince? Owaise Sorel?"
"Why has he come?"
***
At that moment, the Second Prince had just passed through the gates, and likewise sensed surveillance from Rashel Azure-Blue.
Among the upper echelons of the Empire, the Natural Sparrow of Rashel Azure-Blue had long since ceased to be any kind of secret.
But even being watched—it didn't matter much.
He had come here to confirm a particular thing.
"Greed—you're certain you sensed one of our kind here. Is that right."
"Of course, my friend."
Yem's voice began to drift slowly into the Second Prince's ear—like gas bubbles rising through a swamp.
"When I'm not hungry, I never lie."