[Delin Estate]
A hazy white mist rose from the bathroom. Gwen was soaking in the bathtub, her entire body submerged in the warm water.
She hugged her knees with both arms, only the part above her nose exposed.
Her mouth was underwater, constantly blowing bubbles. Her brows were lowered, her expression full of worry.
It had only been a few days since she returned from the south, yet Gwen's mind was almost completely filled with that golden-haired figure.
Erica du Croy.
Of course, Gwen knew her.
The two of them had met quite a few times.
Gwen had never thought that one day she would care so much about this matter.
That thing which existed in everyone's memories, yet was almost forgotten by now, why did it keep resurfacing in her mind recently?
Viktor had once confessed to the duke's daughter.
'So annoying. Why did she suddenly start caring about this?'
Gwen took a deep breath again, sank back into the bathtub, and resumed blowing bubbles.
Viktor had said he would handle this matter, though she didn't know how he handled it.
But after a long period of time, that unpleasant incident really had gradually faded away.
And now, when the people of the Empire, whether commoners or nobles, mentioned Viktor, everyone thought of that elegant count, that powerful councilor.
It seemed no one remembered what Viktor had done back then anymore.
Even Gwen herself had gradually forgotten.
But until the last time she saw that blonde girl, she had walked out of Viktor's room.
As if she couldn't control it, Gwen remembered that matter again.
Before this, even when that incident had just happened, she hadn't cared much about it.
Gwen couldn't quite understand it. She stayed soaking in the bathtub, not moving at all, while her thoughts never stopped.
"What exactly is the relationship between her and Viktor?"
Then, a knock on the door interrupted Gwen's thoughts.
It was the voice of a servant.
"Miss Gwen."
Hearing someone call her, Gwen finally reacted. She lifted her head out of the bathtub, leaned back, and rested against the edge.
Her fair skin was dotted with clear droplets of water that slowly slid down. In the hazy steam, she looked especially fresh and delicate.
"What is it?"
She frowned slightly and asked casually.
Then the servant's voice sounded again.
"Miss Kefra has returned."
———
Gwen was wrapped in a thick, white bath towel, her hair tied up high. Water droplets kept falling to the floor under gravity.
But the moment she opened the door and took a step out, she collided straight into Kefra.
Gwen was just about to step back when Kefra pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly.
"So fragrant, so fragrant~ Where is freshly bathed little Gwen planning to go?"
Kefra's playful, teasing voice sounded gently by Gwen's ear.
Gwen's face immediately flushed red. She struggled free from Kefra's embrace, tightly clutching her bath towel as she stood in front of her.
"Sister, why did you come back at this time?"
"Is everything on the family's side settled?"
Kefra waved her hand confidently.
"There's basically no problem over there anymore. I've arranged everything for you."
Using her own methods, she reestablished rules and a new order for the Northern Knights.
And she completely opened up the Steel Fortress, allowing free entry.
As long as they arranged their schedules according to the rules, they wouldn't bring trouble to the Delin family.
Seeing her sister suddenly return, Gwen was also very happy.
After all, in the entire Delin family, only the two of them remained as direct relatives.
"I came back this time because I have something to deal with."
The smile on Kefra's face faded a little as she spoke slowly.
"And this matter is somewhat related to you."
Gwen blinked, puzzled, and pointed at herself.
"Me?"
Kefra nodded.
Soon, her gaze sank, her expression turning extremely serious as she spoke solemnly,"If, just saying, if."
"If I were to take the initiative to ask Viktor out on a date, you wouldn't mind, right?"
"?"
———
[Viktor's Estate]
"Slowly, insert it here."
"Don't let it move too violently."
A cold voice sounded, and Erica, with her golden hair, suddenly flushed red.
Then her tense body abruptly relaxed.
"It worked!"
Her face lit up with extreme excitement. In front of her, green and white runes flickered on the magic array.
Before Erica's eyes, a basic third-tier magic gradually formed into a complete array.
Wind and wood elements merged together, flowing within the formation.
Several lines intertwined, crossing around the array.
[Third-Tier Magic: Gale Greenleaf]
This was the most basic third-tier elemental attack magic. Among third-tier spells, its difficulty was about as simple as figuring out how to put an elephant into a refrigerator.
Completely different from all the magic Erica had learned before, its attack power was enough to destroy an entire forest.
The exquisite magic array continued to tremble as streams of magic power overflowed from it.
With her father not at home, during these days after returning to the royal capital, Erica had basically been coming to Viktor's place.
The purpose was simple, to ask for guidance on how to use third-tier magic.
For someone like her, a second-tier mage, using third-tier magic was just as difficult as figuring out how to put an elephant into a refrigerator.
And so, this "seeking guidance" lasted for nearly half a month.
Until today, she finally succeeded.
Viktor watched the excited Erica from the side and nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. This is the first third-tier basic magic you've used."
Strictly speaking, as long as one could use third-tier magic, it meant that mage had stepped into the ranks of third-tier mages.
Of course, Erica hadn't reached that level in an outrageous way.
Viktor looked above Erica's head, where her level number appeared.
[Lv29]
Her wind and wood elemental magic came from calamity, so she couldn't be judged by the standards of an ordinary second-tier mage.
These two special natural powers allowed Erica, who was close to the third tier, to imitate third-tier mage-level magic to a certain extent.
Of course, she herself was also close to becoming a third-tier mage.
This rocket-like leveling speed, Viktor had only ever seen it on Henny.
Viktor didn't feel surprised.
Even in the game's background story, shortly after Viktor reached his death ending, the already grown-up Erica became a third-tier mage, breaking Viktor's record as the youngest third-tier mage.
Now, she had simply advanced that achievement by nearly two years.
Erica, having cast third-tier magic for the first time, was extremely excited.
She busily bowed to Viktor again and again to express her gratitude.
"Professor! Thank you very much!"
Her face was filled with pride and joy, radiant and bright.
Viktor responded calmly, nodded, and said, "This is the result of your own hard work. There's no need to thank me."
"Perhaps I should congratulate the appearance of the youngest third-tier mage in advance."
Still, Erica's level was indeed almost there.
But she wasn't a player, after all.
There were many peak second-tier mages who remained unable to become third-tier mages for a long time.
That single level gap was enough to trap countless mages.
Making it impossible for them to ever break through to the third tier.
For game players, there was no difficulty, once experience was sufficient, leveling up alone allowed advancement to the third tier.
But for real mages, the effort required was far more than that.
Erica deeply understood this as well. Being able to cast third-tier magic didn't mean she had already become a third-tier mage.
A true third-tier mage could naturally cast third-tier magic freely, as easily as breathing.
Still, it was more than enough to make Erica happy for now.
After succeeding, she gave Viktor one last bow to express her thanks, then left Viktor's estate.
While the feeling was still fresh, she needed to go home and train repeatedly to remember it.
After Erica left, Liya, who had been secretly watching for who knows how long, slowly walked out from the side of the training ground.
She placed one hand on her hip, glanced in the direction Erica had left, curled her lips, and teased Viktor, "Oh my, isn't that the little girl you confessed to last time?"
"Our great mage really is overflowing with charm. Is your dream about to come true?"
Viktor didn't answer. He only glanced at Liya calmly.
That action made Liya feel even more convinced that Viktor had tacitly admitted it.
She crossed her arms over her chest and said with a hint of disdain, "Don't forget, you still have a fiancée."
Viktor turned around, intending to leave.
The crow also flew over at just the right moment and landed on his shoulder.
"Where's Henny? Where is she now?"
"What, got stirred up by that little girl and now want to find someone to vent on?"
Liya looked somewhat displeased as she muttered, "Scumbag mage with a messy private life."
After complaining, she left the training ground.
Only Viktor was left behind, utterly confused.
He had no idea what she was angry about.
———
At this moment, Henny was inside the academy.
The academy was about to begin the new term, and as an associate professor, she needed to come early to prepare various opening matters.
Including welcoming new students.
The most painful thing for new students was, of course, the entrance exam.
Naturally, this heavy responsibility was also entrusted to Henny.
At the moment, she was sitting at the academy gate, wearing a thick black robe.
Under the summer sun, she could barely open her eyes.
Sweat soaked her bangs and plastered them to her forehead. Her whole body was drenched.
Even though she had used magic to cool herself down, after working all day, her body was still extremely tired, sweat flowing unconsciously.
Her shoulders ached, her spine cracking.
Henny slumped into the chair and let out a breath.
'So tired, so tired.'
Only by sitting outside the academy could she get away from the work and steal a moment to relax.
"Being an associate professor doesn't seem that great."
It felt like she was even more tired than before.
She really wanted to go back and take a bath.
If she could be with the professor, that would be even better.
'Ehehe...'
As she thought about it, her cheeks flushed.
She sat there with her eyes closed, immersed in her fantasies, almost falling asleep.
Until a shadow suddenly fell over her.
Sensitive, she realized someone had arrived, quickly opened her eyes, and sat up straight.
"Welcome. Are you here to visit the academy…?"
She blinked and looked at the person in front of her, whose body was hidden under a cloak.
The person slowly raised their head, those green eyes like snake pupils staring at Henny.
"May I ask…"