Bright sunlight pierced through the thick white clouds, warmth spreading across the land along with its glow.
Outside the manor, birds sang happily on the treetops, and bees followed the fragrance, landing on flower petals to gather nectar.
Viktor sat on a stone bench in the garden, breathing in the clear air.
He held a thick magic book in his hands, reading it carefully under the sunlight.
Yesterday, the royal city of the Kante Kingdom suffered an unprecedented blow.
The demi-humans broke through the city walls and destroyed the magnificent royal city, leaving behind nothing but ruins and ashes.
This brought extremely heavy losses to the entire Kante Kingdom.
Every household within the royal city suffered looting, although what was mainly lost were the imprisoned demi-human slaves.
Aside from that, most people simply had their homes torn apart.
But the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce was clearly the unluckiest.
The kingdom's commercial district suffered extremely severe damage during Viktor's battle with the demi-humans.
That once-thriving commercial district had now been flattened to the ground.
Countless buildings and shops turned to dust, and the economic losses were beyond words.
And in that massive commercial district of the royal city, nearly half of it belonged to the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce.
Even though this chamber of commerce was powerful enough to rival a nation in wealth, it still couldn't withstand such losses.
So today, the kingdom and the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce would discuss compensation regarding the destruction of the commercial district.
As a duke, Duke Barlow had already taken a carriage to the royal city early in the morning.
After all, he was the strongest in the entire kingdom.
In the coming days, he would probably have to travel frequently between the royal city and his territory.
With the duke gone, Aurelian finally had some free time.
Otherwise, whenever the duke was available, Aurelian had to follow him to study magic.
Just at this moment, Aurelian slowly walked over along the garden path.
She was holding two items in her hands.
One was a piece of silver-white steel that clearly wasn't ordinary at a glance.
The other looked like a tail shed from some kind of magical beast, covered in sharp spikes and looking especially dangerous.
"Teacher, the items you bought at the auction yesterday have arrived."
Hearing Aurelian's voice, Viktor closed the book and looked at the two items in her hands.
The names of the items quietly appeared before Viktor.
[Gaia's Fine Steel]
[Mahazark's Tail Spike]
Immediately after, a flash of white magic passed through Viktor's eyes.
Two streams of wind slowly rose from Aurelian's hands, lifting the items and bringing them into Viktor's palm.
Once they were in his hands, information about the two materials appeared in Viktor's vision,
[Gaia's Fine Steel: Originating from the deepest underground, it is said to be fragments of ore that fell from the mountain ranges carried on the back of the ancient giant god Gaia. Its toughness can even surpass diamond-like stone and withstand extremely powerful magical attacks.]
[Mahazark's Tail Spike: Taken from the vicious beast "Mahazark" active in the world. The deadly spike at the end of its tail can pierce into mountains and penetrate giant serpents.]
Clearly, they were genuine.
Viktor weighed the piece of shimmering steel in his hand and fell into thought.
The amount of Gaia's Fine Steel wasn't large, so making a full-body armor set was definitely not possible.
Besides, Gwen already had a powerful armor that had been enhanced multiple times. She didn't need another one.
Maybe it could be made into a weapon.
Shifting his gaze to the "Mahazark's Tail Spike," Viktor couldn't help but think of Erica.
Because Aurelian possessed the abnormal buff [Eternal Furnace], during teaching, Viktor hadn't treated her as a pure mage.
She trained both close combat and ranged combat, making full use of her [Eternal Furnace].
But Erica was a pure mage.
Having reached the third tier, she should have a staff of her own.
Thinking back to how she bravely held off two calamities during the battle in the Padarenbu Sea, Viktor felt he should personally craft a staff for her as a token of thanks.
But then Viktor glanced at Aurelian again.
The young princess was lowering her head, looking somewhat puzzled at the materials in his hands.
Viktor sighed.
In two days, it would be Aurelian's birthday.
Forget it, he'd think about it later.
The two materials in his hand gradually emitted a faint glow, like stardust in the night sky, slowly dispersing.
Then he lifted his head again and looked at Aurelian.
"How's your learning going?"
Hearing Viktor's question, Aurelian wasn't surprised.
She knew he was asking about her progress in necromancy.
Normally, every time she finished learning a new spell, Viktor would patiently ask about her understanding.
He paid close attention to her learning.
And every time she mastered a spell, he would reproduce it perfectly, as if correcting her mistakes.
This time was no exception.
Usually, Aurelian would confidently tell Viktor that she had mastered it.
But this time was different. A hint of gloom appeared on her face.
Like a child who had done something wrong, she had lost her usual confidence.
"Sorry, teacher, I can't quite grasp it."
Necromancy was strange and profound, completely different from ordinary magic.
It didn't require mobilizing much magic power, but instead required establishing a connection with the domain of the dead, truly understanding the meaning of "death."
Moreover, she was somewhat afraid of the souls living in that domain.
That made it impossible for her to truly understand them.
Viktor remained calm, as if he had expected this.
"I see."
He slowly closed his eyes and placed the book on the seat.
Aurelian watched his actions, feeling a bit curious.
At that moment, a cold aura rose from the ground, slowly climbing up her legs.
Feeling this familiar sensation, Aurelian couldn't help but look down.
The bright ground that had been illuminated by sunlight was now gradually covered by a thick, dark green mist.
She looked around, her heart slightly startled.
'This power… could it be…', She already had the answer in her heart.
Because this was something her grandfather had shown her many times before.
The sign of entering the domain of the dead.
Gradually, even the originally brilliant starlike light was swallowed by the mist, leaving only faint glimmers within it.
The surrounding space began to distort, and even the ground beneath her feet slowly started to crack.
A nauseating stench of decay rose from the soft soil, rushing into Aurelian's nose.
The sky, covered by green mist, gradually became chaotic and dim.
Above her head, the gloomy sky seemed like it would never brighten, always shrouded in thick clouds.
But the land before her was completely different from what she had seen before.
Originally, the land of the dead should have been lifeless, filled with dampness and decay on dark scorched soil.
But here, the domain of the dead was covered in a vast field of golden wheat.
Even though the rotten smell still lingered in the air, the endless vitality brought her a strange sense of comfort.
Like a warm spring breeze brushing over winter soil.
Clearly a land of the dead, yet this vitality made it feel completely out of place.
She seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "Th-this… aren't these the wheat ears of the Goddess of Abundance?"
"That's right."
Suddenly, Viktor's voice sounded beside her ear.
"The divine power of the Goddess of Abundance can grant life to any land."
"Even this domain of the dead."
At some point, Viktor was already standing beside Aurelian.
"Necromancy is magic that governs death."
"But life and death have always been intertwined.", As Viktor spoke, a breeze swept across the land.
The endless golden wheat fields rippled like waves.
Shimmering golden light flowed gently, and a surge of life energy burst forth.
"Just like this land. Even in the most lifeless space, life still exists."
Aurelian felt the abundant vitality, her body seeming to be drawn in.
A warm feeling flowed through her, as if she were in her mother's embrace.
She stared at the golden wheat fields, lost in a daze.
Her body trembled slightly, as if she wanted to merge with this land.
But the dark green gloom in the sky clashed sharply with the golden fields.
Like day and night overlapping, utterly absurd.
"What matters is what you see."
Viktor looked ahead as the golden color of the wheat fields slowly rose, illuminating the dark green sky.
In the blink of an eye, the entire domain of the dead seemed purified.
The thick green mist was gradually dispelled by golden light, revealing a clear, dim yellow sky.
"Do you see ghosts? Restless spirits that cannot find peace in death?"
As Viktor's voice echoed, the fiery orange sky seemed to ignite.
It was the most perfect blaze of clouds before the sky fell into silence.
"Or the final song of the living before death."
The vast clouds were completely set ablaze, spreading endlessly.
The golden wheat and the crimson sky seemed to merge in the distance, making it hard for Aurelian to distinguish between earth and sky.
She widened her eyes, her silver hair lifted by the breeze behind her.
Under the golden light, her silver hair looked noble and flawless.
At that moment, the scene of red and gold reflected in Aurelian's eyes.
A sense of realization and hope quietly lit up within her heart.
———
Inside a towering steel castle, black iron towers rose from the ground, supporting a grand palace.
The beautiful auctioneer sat inside the palace, calm and composed.
Behind her stood four or five burly guards.
With just one glance, one could feel the heavy pressure emanating from them, like beasts standing guard.
Around them stood a row of noble lords who had attended the auction the previous night, all wearing various swords at their waists.
Seated directly in front of the nobles was King August.
Duke Barlow sat on a seat slightly lower than the king's.
August smiled and nodded to the auctioneer from the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce.
"The exact compensation still needs to be assessed by our kingdom."
"Please rest assured, we will provide the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce with a reasonable compensation that we can also accept."
The female auctioneer responded with a smile and nodded lightly, "Our chamber has always trusted the kingdom's credibility. Since you've said so, we're willing to wait for some time."
"After all, no one wants to encounter such a 'natural disaster.' We understand."
After exchanging a few polite words, the auctioneer stood up and bowed slightly to August.
"Then, Your Majesty, we'll take our leave."
"As for Mr. Viktor Clavenna's compensation, we still need to calculate it carefully."
August nodded in understanding.
The auctioneer then left with her guards.
After she left, the king spoke again.
"Lords, you may also leave now. Wait for further updates."
Hearing this, the lords stood up one after another, exchanging no words. Some even let out cold snorts.
As they walked out the door, a few lords glanced back at August, dissatisfaction visible in their eyes.
After all the nobles had left, August sighed and relaxed his shoulders.
He rubbed his temples, clearly troubled.
"Sigh."
After yesterday's incident, the losses suffered by the nobles and wealthy families were immense.
Anyone who owned demi-human slaves basically had their homes torn apart.
Even the citizens of the royal city were thrown into panic.
On top of that, the compensation demanded by the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce followed closely behind.
Naturally, the kingdom couldn't bear all of it alone. The lords present would also have to share the burden.
This incident had greatly affected August's authority.
If those two tiger-men had been captured and paraded through the streets, it might have reduced some of the negative impact.
But now, those two tiger-men were Viktor's spoils of war. He didn't dare to personally ask Viktor for them.
Right now, he urgently needed a way to consolidate his rule.
At this moment, Duke Barlow, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
His murky gaze turned toward August.
A low voice sounded in the king's ears, "Your Majesty, I believe I need to give you a piece of advice."
August froze for a moment, then quickly asked, "Please speak, Duke."
"When trying to take shortcuts, think carefully before you act."
"Behind the mountain, whether it is a wild beast or a hidden paradise, no one can know."
After saying this, he closed his eyes again and tapped his cane on the floor.
"Princess Aurelian is still waiting for me at home. I won't stay any longer."
A cloud of green mist suddenly emerged from nowhere, instantly wrapping around Duke Barlow.
In the next second, his slightly hunched figure in a gray robe disappeared along with the fading green smoke.
August remained seated, stunned by the duke's words.
He couldn't quite understand and kept turning them over in his mind.
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.
"In the end, do I still have to rely on a political marriage…"
"Sorry, Hilda."
"I don't think I can keep my promise to you."