Chapter 292
Gwen and Leah sat in the room, facing each other in silence.
Gwen still wore that same expressionless look. She stared straight at Leah, not a single emotion stirring behind her eyes.
Leah, on the other hand, had been studying Gwen again and again.
Her gaze was fixed on Gwen as well, but hers carried a scrutinizing weight.
Because... how could Gwen possibly sleep in the same room as Viktor?
That kind of absurd request—never mind Viktor—at the very least, Leah herself would never agree to it!
And yet, Gwen's current state left Leah at a loss for words.
Anyone who knew Gwen well enough could see it on her.
It was the kind of wrongness that was obvious to anyone with eyes.
The Gwen of before had been quiet, yes—but never like this.
The Gwen of now was like a block of deep-frozen ice.
Forget warming her up—just spending a little while in her presence, and you might freeze to death yourself.
At this moment, Gwen sat vacantly on the bed, having long since shifted her gaze away from Leah.
Both eyes were trained in a dead stare at the gap beneath the door below, both hands resting on her pale, bare thighs, her body rigid.
Her armor had already been removed, replaced by a light, breezy set of clothes—beautiful ones, at that.
Yet her expression was cold and set, surpassing even Viktor's stone-face.
It left anyone who looked at her with an uncomfortable sense of unease.
Exactly when had Gwen changed like this?
Leah still remembered.
Back then, almost everyone had lost their memories of Viktor because of that mirror.
And once their memories returned, Gwen had set off from the Royal Capital immediately—riding through the night to reach Blairstone.
Without stopping, from night into day, all just to see Viktor as quickly as possible.
And yet... what had happened in between?
All Leah knew was that Gwen had fallen unconscious.
She had naively assumed Gwen had simply pushed herself too hard riding through the night.
But Gwen had been unconscious for more than a day.
After Gwen woke up, Leah had still been a little worried and had intended to go check on her.
But she truly couldn't find the time.
Viktor had yet to return, which meant she had to shoulder more and more of the household affairs herself.
Leah fell into a quiet silence, drew a slow breath, and turned a heavy gaze on Gwen, sitting upright on the bed. She opened her mouth softly:
"Gwen, you..."
Hearing Leah's voice, Gwen slowly raised her head, her gaze settling back on Leah's eyes—eyes tinged with worry.
But she remained as flat and cold as ice, without the faintest ripple.
The more Leah looked at Gwen like this, the heavier her heart became.
The words that had risen to her throat were swallowed back down before they could leave her lips.
Seeing Gwen reduced to this state made her friend's heart ache with a pang of sorrow.
At that moment, Gwen finally spoke.
She stared blankly at Leah and said in a mechanical tone:
"Leah."
"Go ahead."
Leah watched Gwen with full attention.
The fact that she was speaking up on her own was a good thing.
So Leah was willing to listen to whatever Gwen had to say.
Gwen looked at Leah, blinked with an almost innocent air, and said:
"When will I be allowed to go find Viktor?"
"..."
Leah immediately felt a storm of exasperation, and suppressed the fire rising inside her as she said in a low, warning tone:
"Today you're staying in my room and not moving an inch!"
"Okay."
Gwen nodded obediently, body still rigid.
At the very least, in front of Leah, she was still capable of being well-behaved.
***
Viktor sat in his study, back resting against the chair.
A letter lay quietly on the desk before him.
The envelope had already been opened by Viktor, revealing nothing inside but blank white paper.
He took one glance at it, then set it down on the desk.
Immediately after, a surging wave of Magic Power began to rise from the blank letter.
Heim Horn's flickering phantom figure appeared before him.
Same as always—no face, only a silhouette that could be recognized at a glance as vaguely Mage-like in shape.
The moment it appeared, a voice rose from within the letter:
"Council Member Clavena, your request has been relayed to us by Council Member Azure-Blue."
Rashel had taken Viktor's request seriously, so after Viktor's departure, he had sent a message to the Council using the Natural Sparrow.
Upon receiving the message, Heim Horn had chosen to deliver a letter and communicate with Viktor face to face.
As far as the Council was concerned, while the Staff Viktor wished to have crafted came with extremely demanding requirements—
Taking into account the contributions Viktor had made to the Mage Council as a whole, as well as his own formidable personal capabilities, the Council was fully capable of meeting those requirements.
Out on the Padalenbu Sea, the staggering battle against the Calamities had stirred an enormous impact, prompting Mages from across the world to entertain thoughts of joining the Mage Council.
So much so that in the days since, the Council had received a flood of membership applications.
They had come drawn by a name.
Whose name?
Viktor's, naturally.
Many combat-oriented Mages had, for the first time, seen through Viktor what it truly meant to fight as a Mage.
The seamless fusion of violent Magic with elegant composure.
In the eyes of those Mages, Viktor amidst that terrifying battle was like a dancer moving across a knife's edge—a bard singing on even as the world collapsed around him.
At this point, Heim Horn's flickering phantom continued:
"Council Member Ryan Kent has been notified. At the latest, within two days, he can make his way from Miti City in the Siminis Mountain Range to the Mage Council."
"He has agreed to your request to craft the Staff. However, he has some conditions of his own that he hopes you'll be willing to accept."
Viktor thought it over for a moment.
The Siminis Mountain Range.
This was a high-level map accessible in the mid-to-late game period. Among its most noteworthy features was the fact that this region was home to a wide variety of different races.
Among them, the rare Dwarf clan made their home here.
They lived in a place called Miti City.
Within the game's lore, it was the kingdom where Dwarves gathered.
Dwarves possessed the most advanced technological prowess of any race, so Miti City—built by them—was likewise the place in this world with the most sophisticated craftsmanship.
Magic and machinery were perfectly united here, forming a near-complete technological civilization.
The Rether Family's territory, Tieyebo, was called the City of the Vanguard within the Empire.
But placed before Miti City, its advancement couldn't even match half of what Miti City had to offer.
Because Council Member Ryan Kent was there.
A 4th-Tier Mage, and the finest among 4th-Tier Mages at that—Ryan Kent was the most renowned magical artisan in the Dwarf clan.
The Magic Train that connected destinations across the world was one of his proudest masterworks.
Viktor thought it over carefully.
If he could cultivate a good relationship with a Council Member like this, the benefits were plentiful.
Viktor nodded:
"If the conditions are reasonable, I can agree."
Heim Horn let out a quiet breath of relief, and the pressure on his shoulders eased considerably.
Once Viktor agreed on his end, there would be no friction between the two parties.
After all, Viktor was a Council Member who had only joined the Council not long ago—naturally, he was unfamiliar with the other Council Members and their temperaments.
What Heim Horn had feared most was Viktor refusing to agree, but then forcibly demanding that the Dwarf Council Member craft him a Staff regardless.
Because, judging by Viktor's reputation up until now, he was genuinely the kind of person capable of doing something like that.
His moral character could not withstand the slightest scrutiny.
Still, that Dwarf Council Member did admire Viktor quite a bit.
Because he was deeply fond of Viktor's large-scale, explosive area-of-effect Magic.
At this moment, Viktor looked at Heim Horn and continued:
"However, on that day, I'll likely be bringing two people along."
Hearing that, Heim Horn looked slightly puzzled.
"One of them is Cocotte—you're already well acquainted with her."
"The other has recently become a 3rd-Tier Mage. I intend to have her join the Council."
Hearing Viktor say this, Heim Horn understood.
Viktor wanted to insert someone into the Council?
That was no issue at all.
After all, the minimum requirement to join the Council was being a 3rd-Tier Mage.
Because only a 3rd-Tier Mage could endure an extended stay within Endymion's chaotic Magic Power environment.
For any low-tier Mage placed in that turbulent environment, the Magic Power within their body would become disordered—Magic use would be impaired.
Given enough time, the stored Magic Power within the Mage's body would enter a frenzied state, rampaging violently through them from the inside.
And ultimately, with nowhere for that surging Magic Power to go, it would tear the Mage's body apart from within.
Considering who might be both close to Viktor and a 3rd-Tier Mage—
A flash of insight struck Heim Horn's mind, and a single figure surfaced in his thoughts.
The daughter of an Imperial Duke.
She was one of Viktor's students—and the golden-haired young woman who had appeared alongside him during the Calamity War.
Erika du Chloe.
Because Erika had demonstrated 3rd-Tier Magic ability within the Academy, the news had spread rapidly through the noble circles of the Royal Capital.
Rashel, as the Academy's Principal, had received word of this at the first possible moment.
It was simply too astounding not to.
A 3rd-Tier Mage at seventeen—breaking Viktor's own record as the youngest 3rd-Tier Mage.
So much so that Heim Horn had long since wanted to send Erika an invitation.
But Erika was different from Viktor.
She was Duke Livi's daughter, and by standing, she ought to belong to the Imperial Mages.
Unless the Duke gave his blessing, Erika joining the Council was out of the question.
Viktor was different—he was an adult.
An adult capable of making independent decisions.
Though in truth, it was also because Viktor had become a Council Member himself.
An Imperial Count holding the status of Council Member.
And a Duke's daughter joining the Council.
The identities and implications of the two were, after all, different.
Still, hearing Viktor put it that way, he was genuinely pleased.
After all, that was still the youngest 3rd-Tier Mage around.
But before Heim Horn could finish thinking it through, Viktor had already spoken:
"She is my Retainer—and my former Teaching Assistant."
Teaching Assistant?
Heim Horn paused, visibly disappointed, his tone wavering with hesitation:
"Ah... ah... I see."
Well, it would still do.
A 3rd-Tier Mage was a 3rd-Tier Mage, regardless.
Heim Horn nodded and agreed:
"No problem, Council Member Clavena—I can accept that request on behalf of the Council."
Viktor nodded, then continued:
"However, she is somewhat... unusual."
Heim Horn was not particularly concerned.
Unusual?
How unusual could she be?
Could she possibly surpass that Duke's daughter?
At the thought, Heim Horn felt a flicker of helplessness.
How could there be such a vast difference in the degree of genius between people?
But then Viktor's flat, indifferent voice continued.
Like a great hammer, it struck squarely against Heim Horn's chest.
"This Teaching Assistant of mine has been a formal Mage for only three months."
"How much did you say?"