Chapter 258
Chapter 258: Don't Worry, Old Man
Sparse dark clouds drifted across an ink-splattered sky. The moon floated upon the night, carried along by the gentle breeze, gradually shifting and turning.
The Royal Capital had been draped beneath a thick veil of deep black.
Mottled candlelight bloomed from the silence, countless amber-yellow flickers like stars scattered across the earth.
On the deserted streets, a Carriage rolled over the cobblestone road, the clatter and creak of wheels stretching forward into the distance.
Beneath the lamplight, the great Carriage flashed past the amber-lit road and gradually came to a stop before the Du Chloe Family Manor.
The Carriage seemed somewhat strange in the night—perhaps because it moved on its own, which left one rather astonished.
The Manor gate slowly swung open. Maidservants on either side stood with great reverence, stepping forward to receive the arriving guests.
The carriage door opened. Viktor stepped down slowly, giving his Coat a casual shake.
After he descended, the door did not close. Heni followed after Viktor and stepped down from the Carriage as well.
Heni stood before the Manor gate and could not help but look around with curious eyes. It was her first time visiting the Duke's home, and she found the surroundings wonderfully astonishing.
Beyond the gate, the courtyard was extraordinarily spacious. Rows of lantern posts were fastened densely along both sides of the path.
The amber glow gathered together, making the entire courtyard feel remarkably bright.
At the very center of the courtyard stood a fountain, glittering with flecks of starlight beneath the lamps.
Light from somewhere above fell upon the Family Crest banners on the Manor walls, lending them an air of exceptional grandeur.
Led by the Maidservants, Viktor and Heni entered the Manor.
The two were brought into a large Meeting Room.
Heni and Viktor sat side by side on a sofa, taking in their surroundings.
The spacious room was laid with thick carpet, its softness permeating through the soles of their shoes and spreading through their entire bodies.
The fireplace burned fragrant wood, and its refined, gentle scent filled both their nostrils.
No Magic-powered lamps had been lit in the room—only simple candlelight and the fireplace illuminated the dim interior.
A Maidservant bowed slightly to the two of them and said with elegant grace:
"Please wait a moment. The Duke will be down shortly."
Viktor gave a small nod. The Maidservant withdrew.
Barely a minute later, Duke Livi entered the Meeting Room, greeting Viktor with a smile:
"Welcome, Council Member Viktor."
The Duke's private invitation at night carried a tone completely unlike that of the daytime. He addressed Viktor as Council Member, deliberately omitting his title.
Viktor gave a nod in return, his expression as calm as ever.
Livi settled into the seat directly across from Viktor and glanced curiously at Heni beside him, a hint of uncertainty in his gaze:
"You look somewhat familiar. Who might this be?"
"My former Teaching Assistant, now an Associate Professor at the Academy."
"You can think of her as my aide."
Livi immediately understood, recalling the identity of the young woman before him.
During the Demon battle, at the very end, Viktor had carried this girl in his arms and left the crater that had been blown open.
Livi still remembered—Viktor's Teaching Assistant possessed remarkably uncommon knowledge.
The Demon had used her knowledge to construct an enormous barrier capable of enveloping the entire Academy, surrounding countless people within it.
With so many Lecturers and Professors at the Academy, none had been able to break it.
That alone spoke to Heni's ability.
Seeing Livi, Heni quickly rose to her feet and bowed toward him:
"Good day, Duke Livi."
There was no timidity in her manner—nothing like before.
Heni kept reminding herself.
Out here, she had to carry herself with composure and propriety.
She absolutely could not embarrass Professor Viktor.
Livi smiled and gave Heni a nod of acknowledgment.
He was just about to say something polite when, as his gaze settled on Heni, his eyes subtly sharpened.
He sensed a concentrated surge of Magic Power from her.
A 2nd-Tier Mage?
Livi was thoroughly puzzled. He still remembered that the last time he had seen Heni, she had been nothing more than an ordinary person with no Magic Power whatsoever.
And yet now...
How much time had even passed?
If Heni was not deliberately concealing her Magic Power, then she must have encountered something exceptionally extraordinary that had awakened the Magic Power within her.
Livi glanced at Viktor beside her.
Between his two theories about Heni, he leaned heavily toward the latter.
At that moment, Viktor spoke:
"Duke Livi, what is Erika up to at the moment?"
"Heni once tutored her for a few days, so she would very much like to see her."
Livi understood the intent behind Viktor's words and promptly called for a Maidservant:
"Escort this young lady to Erika's room. She should be studying in her room right now."
The Maidservant acknowledged the instruction, bowed to Heni, and extended a hand to gesture for her to follow.
Heni then followed the Maidservant up to the second floor.
In the Meeting Room, only Livi and Viktor remained—along with a one-eyed Crow.
With no one else around, Livi spoke:
"I don't recall having invited anyone else, so..."
You owe me a reason.
The Crow on Viktor's shoulder pecked at its wing. Viktor stroked its head and explained to Livi:
"She is a key part of what I do."
Livi furrowed his brow, puzzled.
He was already surprised to see that the ordinary person from before had become a 2nd-Tier Mage, but Heni was still just an ordinary 2nd-Tier Mage.
What help could a 2nd-Tier Mage possibly offer?
Viktor did not answer the question. He simply continued:
"Your 【Blessing of Water】—it was granted by Dozarel, wasn't it."
The moment Livi heard Dozarel's name, his expression turned serious at once.
This confirmed that his own suspicions had been correct.
Ordinary people knew nothing of the Calamities' existence, let alone their names.
Yet Viktor knew it clearly.
The only explanation was that he had had his eye on the Calamities long ago.
"How much do you know?"
Viktor looked at Livi and said evenly:
"The Sea Folk."
Beyond the Empire's borders existed an extraordinarily unique community.
They dwelt upon the sea and called themselves the Sea Folk.
Through offerings, they had received the blessing of the ocean.
This blessing granted those who worshipped the deep sea the ability to breathe underwater, as well as a powerful affinity for the Water element.
This allowed them not only to live upon the ocean's surface but to venture into far deeper waters beneath.
However, Viktor understood it perfectly well.
What they worshipped was not the pure and primal ocean itself—but the terrifying existence that dwelt within the world's deepest seas.
Dozarel.
The Calamity of Water.
Unlike the other Calamities, Dozarel was the only one that had been enshrined and worshipped.
Unlike its counterparts, it ate well, drank well, and lived in immortal comfort.
Because the Sea Folk needed Dozarel's blessing.
Through Dozarel's blessing, the Sea Folk had in turn secured a free life beneath the sea.
The vast ocean was filled with treasures at every turn—simply claiming even a small portion of it was enough for them to live well.
The Sea Folk were, therefore, the most unique group among humanity.
For they were the only people who had made contact with a Calamity and been granted power through it.
Yet...
"The Sea Folk are, after all, isolationist."
Hearing Viktor say that, Livi was somewhat taken aback.
He had already been somewhat surprised when Viktor mentioned the Sea Folk—but to think that Viktor knew even this much.
It was almost as if... he had been there himself.
Livi was silent for a moment, then gave a nod.
"Indeed, as you say—the Sea Folk are deeply isolationist."
They bore a strong aversion to outsiders, to those who did not belong to their kind.
Yet they did not reject all outsiders wholesale.
Those who possessed Magic Power over the Water element were met with a somewhat warmer reception.
In their understanding, water was the final destination of all the world.
So long as one commanded the Water element—however little—it would be taken by them as a gesture of goodwill.
Livi had been away for 2 months precisely because he had gone there.
Through an exceptionally enticing arrangement, he had obtained the Blessing of Water from the Sea Folk.
And secured a spot prepared for his daughter.
Combined with his prior visit to the Ocean Temple, the Sea Folk had, grudgingly, made a few concessions.
But neither the Blessing of Water nor the Temple Inheritance could compare to a true Calamity's Core of Origin.
Yet to defeat Dozarel and claim its Core of Origin was equally no simple matter.
With so many of the Sea Folk, they would never agree to it.
Viktor smiled and said:
"I won't be negotiating with them."
He still remembered what the Sea Folk offered as tribute.
What the Sea Folk presented as offerings—Dozarel did not actually need any of it.
"But, at the outset, one must still get close to them."
So for this visit, Viktor planned to bring Heni along.
Any creature possessed of intelligence would find it difficult to resist Heni's charm.
Including the Sea Folk, who were still human.
Livi listened to Viktor's plan, grasped the general shape of it, and leaned back against the sofa:
"I understand. What do you need me to do?"
"Just bring your daughter."
Viktor said plainly:
"She is the key to drawing the Calamity out."
Livi narrowed his eyes.
"Of course, I will guarantee her safety."
Hearing Viktor say that, Livi lifted his teacup:
"It seems, beyond that, there is nothing else required of me."
"The influence of an Imperial Duke—your presence itself is still very much necessary."
Viktor likewise lifted the teacup set before him:
"Then—a pleasant cooperation?"
"A pleasant cooperation."
***
Upstairs, Erika was studying in her room.
A sense of urgency was driving her desire to learn.
It had taken hold of her the moment she watched Auréliane training at the Academy.
Auréliane's progress was simply too fast.
Though she herself couldn't quite explain why she felt such anxiety, she simply refused to lose to Auréliane.
"Let me see—this spell..."
The stiff, dense writing in the book made everything feel tangled and difficult to understand.
Because of that, she didn't notice when, at some point, her door had been opened.
Light footsteps sounded softly behind her, and a slender, rose-tinted finger came to rest upon the page.
"Here—the Rune needs to be inverted."
"If you use the Rune directly without adjustment, the entire Formation becomes extremely unstable, preventing the elements from harmonizing."
At the sound of that familiar voice, Erika raised her head.
Her gaze met a pair of amber-yellow eyes.
Heni looked at her with a gentle smile.
"It's been a while, Erika."