Cocotte sat to the side, resting her chin on her hand as she thought.
Based on what Erica had said, combined with the elemental upheaval Cocotte had felt inside the rift, it wasn't hard to see that Viktor had definitely gone to challenge another Calamity.
Although the probability of the Calamity of Wind actively seeking out a human girl was very low, the probability was not zero.
And this clearly wasn't a coincidence.
Back in the Mage City, Viktor had also challenged the Calamity of Wood.
Before that, Erica had shown abnormalities as well.
Her entire body blooming with fresh flowers wasn't an illness at all, but a manifestation of dense wood-element energy.
Thinking about it this way, Cocotte couldn't help but feel how outrageous Viktor was.
The fact that this girl could be taken directly from the Northern Territory all the way across the entire empire to the south by the Calamity of Wind meant that Viktor definitely knew something.
Perhaps Viktor had done it deliberately.
By now, Cocotte was certain.
This blonde girl definitely had some kind of connection to the Calamities.
Cocotte propped her chin up and squinted at the weakened Erica.
At that moment, Aurelian rose gracefully to her feet.
"I understand now."
She looked at Erica.
"Erica du Croy."
"First, I owe you an apology. I misunderstood the relationship between you and my teacher."
"And I must also thank you for the sacrifice you made. It was your presence that saved tens of thousands of residents in the Northern Territory."
Aurelian bowed slightly toward Erica.
Erica felt flustered and uneasy. After all, the one apologizing to her and thanking her was the empire's princess.
And she herself didn't even fully understand what had happened.
She wanted to stand up and return the courtesy, but her body was weak and her legs gave out, so she failed to get up.
But there was no need for her to continue. Aurelian straightened up again.
This time, however, there was a subtle hint of hostility in her gaze.
That made Erica freeze, unable to understand why.
"The fact that the teacher went to save you shows that you hold an important place in his heart."
"But I won't lose."
Aurelian looked seriously at Erica, her tone filled with confidence.
"Before long, the Royal Magic Academy will begin the new term. When that happens, the academy will accept new students."
"I will enroll then and join the teacher's class."
Under Erica's stunned gaze, Aurelian lifted her chin proudly.
"I will prove it to the teacher."
"Who truly is his most outstanding student."
With that, she turned gracefully and left at an unhurried pace.
"Councilor Yard, if the teacher comes back, please pass on my message."
"I'll be going back to rest first."
Cocotte lay sprawled over her cloud, let out a yawn, buried her face into it, and gave a low "Mm."
Gwen also glanced at Erica with a conflicted look, then followed behind Aurelian to escort her away.
The Crown Prince had already prepared a residence for Aurelian.
And as Aurelian's personal knight, Gwen had to remain by her side at all times, protecting her closely.
As the two of them left, Erica still looked a little dazed.
She had just woken up, and encountering a situation like this left her completely confused.
In the large room, only she and Cocotte remained.
The former elven councilor still looked half-asleep.
Seeing how drowsy Cocotte was made Erica's own head feel heavy as well.
She really wanted to go back to bed and lie down for a while.
Just as she struggled to stand up, the drowsy Cocotte suddenly muttered in a hazy voice, "Mm… that power inside your body, you'd better make good use of it."
"Maybe before long, I'll get to see the youngest Tier Three mage appear."
Hearing Cocotte's words, Erica froze in place, stunned for a second.
'The youngest… Tier Three mage?'
That title, in the empire, had originally belonged exclusively to Viktor.
Achieving Tier Three at the age of twenty, his genius had become famous throughout the empire.
And her, did she really have a chance to break Professor Viktor's record?
Erica's heart began pounding wildly.
If that were the case, wouldn't she be able to close some of the gap between herself and Professor Viktor?
"..."
No, that still wasn't enough.
Erica recalled the godlike power Viktor had displayed in the illusion.
The strength Viktor had shown when going all out back then was not inferior even compared to the massive black dragon that appeared in the far north.
And besides, they had said it themselves.
Professor Viktor had saved her from the hands of that monster…
At that moment, Erica clutched her chest.
Her disobedient heart beat even faster.
She didn't know whether it was because of Cocotte's words that made her so happy and excited, or because of some other reason.
Suddenly, the deeply sleeping Cocotte jolted awake, as if she had thought of something.
She lifted her head and looked at Erica.
"Wait a second, are you a student at the Royal Magic Academy?"
Seeing Cocotte's overly intense reaction, Erica looked completely baffled.
But she still nodded slowly.
"Uh… yes, that's right."
"The academy opened by Rachel Azure?"
"Mr. Rachel is indeed the headmaster of our academy."
Cocotte blinked, then grabbed her head as if she couldn't accept it, her face looking like she was about to cry.
"Wait, so that means… when the academy starts, Viktor will go back to work again?"
Erica was even more confused now, tilting her head as she looked at the despairing Cocotte.
"Isn't… that common sense?"
"..."
Cocotte shoved her head straight into the cloud, looking utterly defeated.
Because she had suddenly remembered that she had agreed to become Viktor's teaching assistant.
Viktor had only told her that the academy would be on break in a few days, and she wouldn't have to work then.
But Viktor had never told her… That the academy would start again.
"…Maybe I should think of a way to blow up your academy."
"Please, absolutely do not do that."
———
Viktor stood atop a tall tower, gazing into the distance.
The howling wind whipped his black coat, patterned with white markings, making it flap loudly.
This was the first front line of the monster rift, at the empire's border wall.
He had passed over the guarding soldiers and climbed this tower.
With his hands in his pockets, he looked out at the desolate land beyond.
After a long while, the sound of wings beating the air fluttered into Viktor's ears.
A black crow slowly descended from the gloomy sky. After circling twice in the air, it naturally landed on Viktor's shoulder.
"I'm exhausted."
The moment it landed, Vega started complaining.
It had never expected the monster rift to be so far from the first front line.
And since it had to return as an inconspicuous crow, the only way back was to fly the entire distance on its own wings.
"But I did get some good stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
Viktor didn't look at it, only asked calmly.
Vega grinned and chuckled.
"How about growing a pair of wings or a tail or something? Trust me, my surgery would be a success. I've never failed once."
"Because I've never tried it before."
A cool breeze swept through the area, and before anyone noticed, even the distant border soldiers shivered.
Clearly, this cold joke wasn't funny at all.
Even soldiers who couldn't hear Vega felt a chill.
Viktor said nothing, turned around, and left with Vega.
The crow perched on his shoulder, laughing softly.
"Sometimes I really think you're quite warm-hearted."
Hearing what sounded like praise, Viktor remained expressionless as he walked down the stairs.
"How so?"
"After all, you came all this way just to pick me up."
His footsteps didn't stop, only slowed slightly.
"I was afraid some birds might fly around and lose their way back."
"You're right, but I'm not a crow."
A strong wind roared through the high air, stirring the dark, gloomy sky into rolling waves of clouds.
———
A few days later, news spread throughout the empire.
The powerful monster that had appeared in the empire's Northern Territory was a creature suspected to be related to the dragon race.
It had flown to the southern regions of the empire and was slain by the empire's Tier Four mage, the current councilor of the Mage City, Viktor Clavenna.
Effortlessly, he resolved a major crisis in the south.
Throughout the entire incident, only a single army unit brought by the Second Prince was wiped out.
The Second Prince himself was seriously injured and was recuperating.
As for Viktor Clavenna, the person at the center of the event, he was currently in the southern part of the empire.
Here, there were major news stories related to Viktor every single day.
The demi-human squad led by Princess Aurelian entered the monster rift, performed exceptionally among adventurer teams, and achieved outstanding merits.
They even eliminated the boss monster of the thirtieth layer of the abyss.
For a time, discussions about the demi-human squad remained extremely popular.
Within the empire, demi-humans held a status as low as slaves.
Yet the princess had managed to cultivate such a powerful team using demi-humans, inevitably stirring a wave of public debate.
At the same time, the strongest Beast Guild in the southern empire publicly announced that it would officially join the Clavenna family.
For a while, the Clavenna family was once again pushed to the forefront of public attention.
———
[In the North, the Delin family]
The Second Prince lay quietly on a wooden bed, his body wrapped in bandages.
The crackling fireplace nearby brought him a bit of warmth.
He propped himself up with difficulty, holding a white sheet of paper covered in black print.
That monster had left him severely injured, forcing him to recuperate within the Delin family.
They called it recovery, but in truth, it was no different from being controlled and confined.
He read the newspaper, his gaze slowly scanning across it.
When he saw the report about Viktor slaying the black dragon, the Second Prince's pupils suddenly contracted.
As if he had seen something utterly unbelievable.
"Oh? Reading the paper?"
A voice reached his ears.
The Second Prince looked toward the source of the sound.
Kefra was leaning against the doorway, tilting her head and smiling at him.
"There's nothing impossible about it. After all, that's my brother-in-law."
The Second Prince chuckled softly, set the newspaper aside, then let out a long sigh.
"Miss Delin, what exactly will it take for you to let me return to the capital?"
"That's simple."
Kefra narrowed her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of danger.
"Tell me,"
"Why is there a demonic aura on your body?"