[Royal Capital, Clavenna Mansion, Training Ground.]
It was already early morning.
A blue light slowly descended over the training ground. As the magic circle beneath it gradually lit up, Viktor stood up from within.
He looked around, everything was familiar.
The maids had already begun their morning work. When they saw Viktor appear on the training ground, they all nodded respectfully from a distance, and Viktor returned each gesture one by one.
No one knew that Viktor had been gone the entire night.
After he left, a few maids gathered together and began whispering among themselves in secret, "Don't you think the master is really handsome and young?"
"Yeah, yeah, and his skin is so good too."
They chattered on and on, their cheeks faintly blushing as they spoke.
"And Mr. Viktor is already a count now!"
"That news came out just yesterday, right? I only heard about it recently too!"
Everyone cared a lot about Viktor's promotion in rank. The maids even felt proud just to be working in a count's household.
A count and a viscount, those are not the same level.
Now, Viktor could even raise his own private army.
Although there were already some forces in the Clavenna territory, those were strictly for maintaining the territory's safety.
Viktor now had the right to recruit a group of family knights directly in his mansion in the capital.
If it weren't for the fact that it might interfere with Halnarsen's work, he would have wanted to bring Halnarsen to the capital with him right away.
A subordinate that powerful, who wouldn't envy that?
But there were many affairs in the territory that needed Halnarsen's attention. After all, he was the steward of Clavenna. Having him manage just a small mansion in the capital would've been a waste.
Vega yawned on Viktor's shoulder. It hadn't slept all night either, and was feeling very tired.
"I gotta ask," Vega said, "where on earth did you get all that bizarre combat experience from?"
Vega knew that the soul inside Viktor's body had been switched, but his familiarity and skill in using magic always made Vega believe that the original Viktor must've been a truly powerful and terrifying mage.
And yet, once again, Viktor had shattered that assumption.
How was Vega supposed to explain such refined close-combat techniques?
Viktor ignored him.
If circumstances allowed, he could've demonstrated to Vega how to play every single class there was.
When Viktor reached the entrance, the waiting maid hurried up to him, respectfully offering a letter with both hands.
"Master, your letter."
The envelope radiated with a clear magical aura. Viktor glanced at it, took it, and nodded slightly.
He returned to his study first. Once he closed the door, he examined it carefully.
The magic's complexity and power level were both extremely high.
Even an ordinary third-circle mage, while perhaps capable of solving the magical puzzle, would lack the magical strength to actually open it.
This was a spell puzzle set by a genuine fourth-circle archmage.
"Vega."
Hearing Viktor call, Vega rolled his eyes.
"Seriously? Don't you know I'm exhausted?"
Complaining aside, Vega still pointed out the weak spots in the spell for him.
"See this rune here? Right, that section's missing a few fragments, fill those in."
"And this line, the direction and flow are completely wrong. Fix that."
"And this part here…"
Under Vega's detailed guidance, the complex magical puzzle was soon undone.
When Viktor fitted in the final rune, the letter glowed with a blue light.
At the same time, Viktor's magical energy dropped drastically, nearly drained him dry.
He didn't mind much, opened the envelope, and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.
He turned it over and over, but there was nothing written on it.
Just as he was about to activate it with magic, a phantom image appeared above the paper and spoke, "Remarkable. Lord Viktor, your magical proficiency fills me with deep admiration."
"This spell puzzle was designed by several fourth-circle mages of the Council. You've proven that your strength is truly deserving of your reputation."
Despite his words, there was a faint trace of disbelief in the phantom mage's tone.
They had expected Viktor might be able to solve it, but not in under five minutes.
Even Rachel Azure herself would've needed half a day to work through such a challenge.
"That's enough," Viktor interrupted coolly, cutting the flattery short. "State your business."
The mage's phantom froze for a moment, perhaps not expecting Viktor to be so blunt. He cleared his throat lightly.
No wonder so many said Viktor's reputation for arrogance was well-earned.
The old mage's image spoke again, explaining his purpose, "On behalf of the Mage Council, I am here to invite you, Lord Viktor, to join us."
"As a fourth-circle mage, you are worthy of our personal invitation."
Viktor tapped a finger on the desk, ignoring the invitation entirely, and asked mildly, "What's in it for me?"
"Of course, you will receive all the benefits due to a mage of the fourth circle."
The phantom replied with a polite smile, but Viktor only gave a cold, mocking laugh.
"Empty promises."
That left the phantom awkwardly silent, unsure how to respond.
Viktor calmly stated his demands, "I want unrestricted access to the magic library."
The phantom paused, clearly stunned by the audacity of that request.
He was deeply curious, how did Viktor even know about the library's existence?
But Viktor wasn't done.
"I want a staff made from a unicorn's horn, the tail of a fourth-circle dragon, and the branch of a hundred-year-old locust tree."
"A robe crafted with the scales of a fourth-circle Goldjade Dragon, the webbing of a Doom Spider, and powdered magistone."
The mage fell silent, at a loss for words.
Everything Viktor demanded was top-tier gear, rare, precious, and incredibly difficult to obtain.
Dragons were not exactly common commodities.
Even though the phantom had no face, Viktor could still sense his speechless hesitation.
"Lord Viktor, with all due respect, your requests are rather…"
"If you won't agree, then I see no reason to join your Council."
With that, flames flared up in Viktor's hand.
The mage phantom was taken aback. He stared at the fire and continued, "This letter has been specially enchanted. Ordinary flames cannot burn..."
But Viktor quickly showed him what a real surprise meant.
The edge of the letter caught fire, the blaze crawling steadily upward.
Watching the thick flames consume the paper, the phantom mage froze in disbelief.
He could only stare dumbly as Viktor's voice rang out once more, "One day. I expect a reply."
"Remember, my conditions stay the same."
Soon, the letter was completely reduced to ashes, and the phantom's voice vanished abruptly.
With that annoying voice gone, Viktor sat calmly in his chair.
Vega, watching his relaxed demeanor, finally asked the question in its mind.
"What kind of place is the 'City of Mages'?"
That name, it had first heard it from Rachel, in the Sea of Knowledge. It had always meant to ask about it, since it sounded like such an interesting place.
Hearing Vega's question, Viktor recalled some memories.
The City of Mages, also known as the "Sky City, Endymion."
It was the paradise every mage dreamed of reaching.
There, an enormous magic library existed, its size unknown, but labyrinthine, filled with countless kinds of spells.
Only mages with sufficient contribution points could study there, learning powerful true magic that ordinary mages could never touch.
Even spells of the fifth circle and above could be learned there.
Endymion didn't belong to any kingdom.
It was a land of mages, independent of all nations.
There, one could meet powerful mages from all regions, races, and ages.
Every mage capable of entering Endymion was, somewhere in the world, considered top-tier.
Of course, though there was no national rule, Endymion had its own strict laws.
As long as you obeyed the laws, even if you ignored morality, you could still live quite comfortably there.
But once you left Endymion… things might not end well for you.
Many despicable degenerates had been erased from existence by mages acting in unison.
Hence, Endymion was also called The Last Bastion of Morality.
By the way, only mages of the third circle and above could enter the City of Mages, and they needed official recognition from the Mage Council.
Viktor, in the past, had been strong enough, but his reputation was too terrible, so he hadn't been allowed in.
But now…
His public feat of defeating a demon was enough for the Council to overlook his morality and extend an invitation.
As for whether they would meet his demands?
Of course they would. Those old mages would never pass up the chance to recruit a young, powerful talent.
Once his recollection ended, Viktor briefly explained to Vega, "It's a city that floats in the sky."
Vega's eyes lit up, it sounded fascinating.
But right now, it was drowsy. Yawning, it only wanted to sleep.
Feeling its eyelids grow heavier, it muttered weakly to Viktor, "I'm serious, you know how important sleep is for a crow, right?"
Viktor glanced at Vega, replying dryly, "So the great Evil God finally admits he's just a crow?"
Vega didn't bother responding. It flew to its perch and prepared to fall asleep.
Seeing this, Viktor stood up slowly and pulled out his pocket watch.
It was still early, he could use some sleep himself.
He walked toward his bedroom. Passing by Hennie's room, he paused and glanced at it.
Golden light seeped from within, but he couldn't sense any life inside.
"Awake already?"
He paid it no further mind and continued on with Vega back to his own room.
Viktor's chamber was large, so large that an ordinary person might feel uneasy spending the night alone in such a vast space.
Some plants had crept onto the floor, but there was still plenty of open area.
Vega spotted its beloved perch, flew up, and began nodding off.
But just before it fell asleep, it sensed something odd. Glancing at Viktor's bed, the little bird suddenly perked up.
Its eyes gleamed with mischief as it said, "Why aren't you sleeping, Viktor?"
Viktor was silent for a while. Then, looking at the lump under his blanket, he reached out and pulled it back.
A soft succubus rolled out from beneath it, still sweetly asleep.
From time to time, she even muttered in her dreams.
"Hehe… Viktor… Professor… hehe…"