Chapter 242
Chapter 242: Where's My Husband?
The Elves, accustomed as they were to living entirely as they pleased, found it somewhat difficult to accept all of this at once.
Of course, what they felt even more than anything else was sheer bewilderment.
A lake had materialized from thin air, and from that same thin air, a mirror had emerged.
Was that really all it would take to put them through Special Training?
They simply didn't understand.
Only Cocotte stared at the mirror with a measure of focused attention, her shapely brows arching faintly upward.
From this mirror, she had sensed something distinctly out of the ordinary.
Viktor gave a casual wave of his hand. The mirror as a whole began to tremble faintly.
Then the surface cracked open in a fissure, and the broken shards floated free from the mirror's face, drifting in the air around its frame.
The Elves watched the center of the mirror. Within the hollow frame, what seemed like a swirl of purple void-mist was churning—deeply, uncannily strange.
They clustered together, staring at the endlessly churning mist before them, brimming with curiosity.
Viktor's voice rose from behind them:
"Starting today, you can use this mirror continuously to train yourselves."
"Trust me—it will not put you in any danger."
Hearing Viktor's words, 1 Elf couldn't help but feel curious.
She extended her hand and reached out tentatively to touch the vortex of swirling void.
Instantly, a tremendous suction force surged forth from the mirror's surface.
As though drawn in by a curl of current, 1 entire Elf was swallowed into the purple void and vanished from the real world.
Vinia, standing nearby, witnessed the whole thing and froze—her voice stumbling, her body trembling as she asked:
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-where... where did she go?!"
Viktor looked at the mirror and said with calm indifference:
"Don't panic. She simply entered the world inside this mirror."
In order to make better use of the Mirror Demon, Viktor had made a small modification to the mirror.
People who entered it would no longer be forgotten by everyone else.
It was now nothing more than a simple tool.
Cocotte, watching the scene unfold, was also somewhat taken aback.
She floated over on her cloud, drifting closer to the mirror for a thorough up-and-down inspection.
"Huh? How did that happen?"
Viktor glanced at Cocotte but offered no elaborate explanation, saying only with cool detachment:
"You'll find out in a moment."
At those words, a faint shudder ran through Cocotte's body.
She had a nagging sense that something deeply unpleasant was heading straight for the top of her head.
Viktor paid Cocotte no further attention and simply snapped his fingers in an offhand manner.
As though responding to some signal, the Elf who had been swallowed by the mirror out of sheer curiosity was promptly spat back out.
She landed flat on her bottom in the grass, and as she looked up to find the worried gazes of her fellow Elves converging on her from all sides, she stuck out her tongue and scratched the back of her head with a sheepish grin.
In an instant, a swarm of Elves surged forward and encircled her.
A cacophony of chattering voices rose and fell in rapid succession.
Nearly all of them were questions about what it had felt like inside.
Viktor paid no mind to the restless Elves and simply spoke:
"From here on, Leon will lead you through your training."
"Once you start growing stronger and can use your natural energy freely, you'll be able to do what your Queen does."
At that, Viktor reached out one hand and plucked Cocotte off her cloud.
"Hm? Wha??"
Cocotte felt herself separated from the cloud beneath her and began squirming involuntarily:
"Hey, Viktor, what are you doing!"
"If you have something to say, just say it—why are you grabbing me!"
Viktor paid her struggling absolutely no heed, holding her body steadily in one hand.
The other Elves, however, lit up at Viktor's words.
The Elves held their Queen in deep reverence.
In the Elves' world, only the Queen had ever been capable of bringing new Elves into existence—so the Elves worshipped her with unquestioning devotion.
Though times had changed and now any Elf could bear children, the Queen's standing in their hearts remained undiminished.
To become as powerful as the Elven Queen?
They were immediately seized with excitement, their eyes brimming with eager anticipation.
Viktor observed the Elves' reactions with satisfaction.
This was a good start.
Using Cocotte to ignite the Elves' fighting spirit—it was proving quite effective.
The Elves' innate talent was nothing to scoff at. It was simply that a life of excessive ease had made them forget they possessed power within themselves that was capable of combat.
At this point, Vinia pointed at herself and looked toward Viktor with a question:
"Am I... am I also included?"
Viktor glanced back at her and said with unhurried calm:
"No. You don't need to be."
As the Elven High Priestess—and one of the rare clear-headed Elves among their kind—Vinia was needed to lead her fellow Elves back in the Elven Forest.
More importantly, she needed to handle the trade exchanges between the Elven Forest and the Empire.
Since Cocotte refused to do any work, everything fell squarely on Vinia's shoulders.
This included the goods the Elves intended to trade—which hadn't even been properly prepared yet.
They had taken an interest in export trade and establishing diplomatic ties with nations, finding it all a remarkably novel affair.
And so, the enthusiastic Elves had quite a lot of things they wanted to export.
Not just Fruit Wine and jade dew—but also fruits native to the Elven Forest.
Some Elves even wanted to sell the leaf-sewn undergarments they made themselves.
But in any case, if the Elves' thinking was to be broadened, exposure to the human world was essential.
"Get your goods ready for your first trade exchange with the Empire. Before long, I'll be returning to the Royal Capital."
Viktor made this announcement to the Elves at large—which served simultaneously as a prompt to Vinia.
Time was short. The goods needed to be prepared without delay.
Vinia gave a serious nod and replied:
"Understood."
Meanwhile, dangling in midair in Viktor's grasp and swaying back and forth, Cocotte had something she wanted to say.
"Look, can you please stop holding me by my clothes? I feel ridiculous."
Viktor spared her a brief sidelong glance and said flatly:
"It's to stop you from running away."
"...?"
That single sentence left Cocotte completely dumbstruck.
Running away? Why would she need to run away?
Viktor continued holding her without releasing his grip and extended his other hand, palm facing forward.
A gust of fierce wind erupted from the center, sweeping up the surrounding weeds.
Blue luminescence gradually seeped forth, and Formation patterns began spreading outward through the air around them.
An enormous blue stone gate materialized from the Formation out of thin air, swaying in place, suffused with a glimmering emerald-tinged aura.
Immense Magic Power surged outward alongside the gale, whipping directly against Viktor's black Coat.
Cocotte stared at the gate and blinked in bewilderment.
Through the other side of the Teleportation Formation, Cocotte sensed a familiar feeling.
It felt like—a direct path to the interior of the Divine Tree Yadh.
Viktor hauled her along and walked slowly toward the Teleportation Formation, speaking to Cocotte in a calm, measured tone:
"Tomorrow is the Academy's opening day."
"As the Teaching Assistant I put in a request to have assigned, you should know what you need to do."
Cocotte blinked with a completely blank expression—and then her eyes went wide, and she let out a shriek.
"Nooooo!"
She flailed her arms and became frantic, her eyes filled with despair.
But being held in Viktor's grip, she had not a shred of ability to break free.
All she could do was listen as Viktor spoke his devastating words with unhurried calm.
"Get ready."
"It's time for you to work overtime."
Viktor hauled Cocotte along and forced his way through the gate.
The cloud, watching its owner being carried away, scrambled to chase after Cocotte and slipped into the blue Teleportation Formation behind her.
The gate then shut again, and the fierce wind gradually died down.
All that remained was a group of Elves standing in place, staring at each other.
At that moment, a pair of purple eyes on the mirror's surface blinked open once more, shooting 2 beams of otherworldly light outward.
The mirror yawned wide—like another gate to the underworld—waiting for them to enter.
Leon looked at the Elves and issued her command in a grave, level tone:
"Today's training begins now."
"Elves."
***
In the Clavena Manor's spacious sitting room, the Maidservants had long since prepared tea and brought it in.
Gwen sat on the sofa, clad in full armor, red longsword at her side.
After the Maidservant poured the tea, Gwen gave her a polite nod of thanks.
A few minutes passed, and Leah came walking downstairs step by step. The pink nightgown she'd been wearing had long since been exchanged for her usual attire, and a light layer of makeup had been applied to her face.
Every inch of her carried an air of crisp composure.
After coming downstairs, Leah spotted Gwen sitting on the sofa.
She made her way over and settled down across from her.
Gwen happened to look up at the same moment.
Leah spoke first:
"How did you get here?"
"I rode through the night. Got on my horse yesterday evening and rode straight here to Blairstone."
Hearing Gwen's answer, Leah only now noticed it.
Gwen's face bore clear signs of fatigue and haggardness—the unmistakable result of a sleepless night.
She looked at Leah and continued:
"I was worried about you both, so..."
Leah let out a quiet sigh:
"Even so, there was no need to ride through the night to get here."
She understood Gwen's urgency.
After all, she had been through it herself.
After forgetting Viktor, the anxious unease that came from sensing the gap in one's memory was unavoidable.
Leah spread her hands and said:
"Tomorrow is Monday."
Her meaning was simple—if she wanted to see Viktor, there was no need to come all the way to Blairstone for it.
Viktor would be returning to the Royal Capital tomorrow, after all.
But Gwen lifted her head with unmistakable gravity and straightened her back:
"I couldn't sit and wait calmly for news."
"Without seeing it with my own eyes first, I can't be at ease."
Leah exhaled softly, understanding what Gwen meant, and called up toward the upper floor:
"Heni!"
A set of rapid, urgent footsteps sounded from upstairs.
Thump thump thump—
Heni came trotting down in quick, light steps to the top of the staircase.
She leaned her head out from the upper floor and looked down at Leah:
"Miss Leah, is there something you need?"
Leah looked up at Heni, spread her hands, and said with an air that was almost teasing:
"Take our Knight here."
"And let her go see that all-important fiancé of hers."