Early in the morning, Viktor was taking a walk around the manor.
He had just unlocked the Heart of the Sage, so now he didn't need to keep reading books just to kill time.
A level-one Heart of the Sage was completely sufficient for the moment.
To reach the next level, he'd have to read for three hundred hours, that was way too torturous.
And since the academy had been blown up, he didn't have to go to work there for now, leaving him feeling somewhat bored.
Although, to be fair, he used to slack off pretty often even when he was there.
With Vega perched on his shoulder, he walked along the garden path of his estate, stepping over a trail covered with pink petals and heading toward the inner part of the garden.
As he passed by, his peripheral vision caught a familiar, petite figure.
It was Henny.
She was almost swallowed by the sea of flowers, her head buried among the blossoms. Every now and then, she'd pop her little head up, like a lively, beautiful flower spirit.
Focused as she was, she clearly hadn't noticed Viktor's presence.
Viktor didn't call out to her either. He just gave her a glance in passing and was about to leave.
But Vega called out to stop him, "Hey! Don't go yet, look at her."
Viktor followed the raven's advice and turned back, studying Henny more closely.
And that's when he noticed something that wasn't ordinary at all.
A small blue magic circle had formed in Henny's palm.
Water trickled from it, a gentle stream conjured from thin air, as she quietly used magic to water the flowers.
Viktor, "?"
Vega blinked in confusion, and then muttered something strange to Viktor, "Hey, uh… do you have a male servant in your house?"
Obviously not. Viktor liked peace and quiet, so he'd only brought a few maids from his territory. His residence in the capital didn't even have a butler.
Viktor understood what Vega meant, succubi couldn't generate magic power on their own.
But it had only been a single day since he'd seen her last. How could Henny possibly have found someone to… do that with so fast?
And more importantly, she wasn't that kind of person.
Confused, Viktor walked closer.
Henny was still experimenting with her magic, forming one small spell circle after another in her hands, like a child who'd just gotten a new toy, playing around with pure joy.
"What's going on?"
Hearing the question from behind her, Henny jumped in fright, causing the magic circle to disperse.
Viktor, standing right behind her, caught the entire scene.
He could tell that Henny's magic reserves were very low, like a metal bucket with only a thin layer of water inside.
Startled, Henny turned around, and when she saw who it was, her face lit up with happiness.
Eager to share her joy, she quickly said, "Professor! I have magic now! I can use magic!"
It was obvious how excited she was, clearly waiting for Viktor to praise her.
But that only made Viktor even more puzzled.
Henny went on talking nonstop, "I don't even know what happened! After you left yesterday, I just… suddenly felt magic flowing inside me!"
Viktor fell into deep thought. He'd never seen such a situation before.
Even in the game, there had never been a character named Henny, so he couldn't explain this anomaly.
'Could it be that your judgment was wrong?'
That was the only possibility Viktor could think of, but Vega quickly shot back, 'I can't possibly be wrong.'
Stubborn as ever, after all, gods are never wrong.
Viktor decided not to dwell on it. He looked down at Henny, nodded slightly, and praised her, "Not bad."
He subconsciously lifted his hand to pat her shoulder, but when he saw the expectant look in her eyes, he hesitated, and instead, rested his hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair.
A rush of happiness surged up through her body. Henny once again felt a warm current spreading from within.
But at that moment, Vega's sharp eyes stayed fixed on her.
Being extremely sensitive to magical energy, it could feel Henny's magic power increasing.
'What just happened?'
Viktor just patted her head, and that made her magic stronger? Then why didn't he feel anything after Viktor patted his bird head so often?
Vega wanted to look deeper into this mystery, but Viktor had already turned away and was leaving with it.
Before he went, Henny cheerfully waved goodbye.
A bit farther down the path, Vega leaned closer to Viktor and said, "She's not normal."
"You don't say?" Viktor replied dryly.
From a player's perspective, when a player touches an NPC, or engages in combat, they can see the NPC's level.
Since Henny had no magic, her level had always been zero.
But today, the instant Viktor touched her head, her level showed as Lv.1.
And when he withdrew his hand...
Pop. She leveled up.
Viktor recalled that before leaving yesterday, he'd also hugged her once. That counted as physical contact too.
Could Henny's level-ups actually be tied to physical contact with him?
Vega suggested from the side, "Could be coincidence. Still, I'd recommend testing it again next time."
'Test it again?'
Thinking about how, from now on, Henny might come find him every day asking for hugs or head pats, and remembering that she was a succubus, he couldn't help but feel that something about it all was… off.
"A pure succubus, huh?" Viktor muttered under his breath, then stopped thinking about it and left the garden.
———
When he passed by Liya's room on the way back to the mansion, he noticed her door was slightly open. Curious, he glanced inside, just in time to see Liya holding a dress up against herself, comparing it in front of the mirror.
A voice suddenly came from the doorway, "Next time you're changing clothes, remember to close the door."
Liya, "…"
"Don't have work today, so you decided to come bother me? What's wrong with you, Viktor!?"
Her angry shout came from inside the room. Liya tossed the dress onto the bed and marched to the door, fuming.
"I was picking a dress, picking! I hadn't even started changing!"
"And you, why are you still wearing that same old black trench coat? Don't you know what's happening today!?"
Of course, Viktor knew.
To celebrate the Viktory in the Demon War, the Emperor was hosting tonight's grand banquet.
It was going to be a spectacular event, the kind usually reserved for major holidays or the emperor's birthday.
Naturally, every titled noble was required to attend.
Viktor wasn't exactly thrilled; he'd never been fond of banquets.
And the thought of them brought back memories of the day before he transmigrated, how he'd confessed to Erica. Whether it was a misunderstanding or someone's deliberate scheme was still a mystery.
Though, to be fair, it was also possible that the original Viktor had just been a flirt.
So he said, "Why can't you go by yourself?"
"No way! Viktor, let me remind you, you're representing the Clavena family!"
Liya jabbed her finger into his chest in warning.
"Besides, you're the main guest tonight! How could the main guest not show up?"
She was right. Every noble in the capital knew it.
While the banquet was officially a celebration of Viktory, it was really a gesture from the royal family to draw Viktor closer.
The youngest fourth-tier mage, someone capable of calling down a meteor from the heavens, someone who singlehandedly held off demons.
His overwhelming power had stunned the entire capital.
Naturally, the emperor had noticed his value.
Viktor also understood that while he'd managed to decline the emperor's previous reward, this time there would be no escaping it.
The emperor wanted a public occasion to bestow honors upon him and to show everyone that Viktor and the royal family were on friendly terms.
Not that it was a bad thing. Getting closer to the royal family could be useful later on.
He knew the old emperor didn't have many years left, but until then, the Emperor was still valuable.
"Hurry up and get changed. The banquet's in the palace. We need to leave by this afternoon," Liya urged impatiently.
"What's the rush? The banquet's not till evening."
Seeing how relaxed he looked, Liya was about ready to lose it.
"I still have to pick a dress, do my makeup, meet the emperor early with you as your family representative, and process this month's financial report from the territory!"
All of it fell on her shoulders, while Viktor had absolutely nothing to worry about, free and easy every day.
The comparison made her feel hopeless, and seeing him just standing there drove her mad.
"Hurry up and get cha..."
Before she could finish, bright red flames flared up around Viktor's trench coat, swirling once around his body.
When the flames faded, the coat had transformed into a sleek black tuxedo.
Tiny crimson fragments shimmered along the seams, glowing faintly with fiery red patterns.
On his right shoulder, a light chain of red crystals hung gracefully, and faint sparks of fire seemed to drift around him.
Liya froze. Staring at Viktor in his new attire, she found herself momentarily dazed.
"...You look good."
As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and Viktor had always been easy on the eyes. Now, dressed formally, he exuded the elegance of true nobility.
Viktor, calm as ever, simply replied, "Thanks for the compliment."
Liya's face flushed a little. She rolled her eyes and stammered, "I meant your magic! It's cool and convenient, that's all!"
Viktor agreed.
A spell that could automatically change clothes was pretty cool.
The Flame Core of Guldon could solidify fire elements into any form, so naturally, this suit was made entirely of condensed flame.
With the Flame Core, Viktor never had to worry about trivial things like changing clothes again.
Whatever he wanted to wear, he could just will it into existence.
After that, Liya physically pushed him out of her room.
"All right, all right, go away! You're ready, I'm not!"
Bang!
The door slammed shut, making Vega fluff up in alarm, every feather standing on end.
Standing outside, Viktor shrugged, adjusted his suit, and glanced at Vega on his shoulder.
"Stylish?"
"The way you changed clothes was definitely stylish," Vega replied.
———
That afternoon, Viktor stood in the training yard.
He held an ordinary iron sword, swinging it with practiced ease.
Each stroke was light yet precise, an elegant rhythm that could have fooled anyone into thinking he was a seasoned swordsman.
That's right, Viktor had started practicing swordsmanship.
With no more books to read and nothing else to do, he figured he might as well train some other class skills.
While he was practicing, Liya came running toward him in a hurry.
"Finally found you," she said, letting out a breath of relief before asking blankly, "Why are you holding a sword? Aren't you a mage?"
Viktor didn't bother explaining. He simply sheathed the blade, hung it back on the wall, and turned toward her.
"What is it?"
Liya looked uneasy as she spoke quickly, "You'll have to go to the banquet alone. I need to return to the territory ahead of time."
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