"You… this is…"
Jace Lesser stared at the strange emblem on Viktor's chest, eyes wide open.
Viktor was showing off to him, showing off his identity, status, and power.
Jace felt he couldn't do anything at all. In Viktor's eyes, he was nothing more than a delusional failure.
The other people in the imperial palace saw the badge on Viktor's chest and couldn't help rubbing their eyes.
All the nobles present recognized this mark, rather, it would be strange if they didn't recognize it.
"This is… the symbol of the Mage Council!"
"Viktor actually has something like that? Don't tell me he's already become a councilor of the Mage Capital!?"
The Mage Council was an organization with tremendous international influence.
Any councilor of the Mage Council would be treated as an honored guest of a nation.
They represented not only unparalleled power but also extremely righteous moral values, things that people naturally admired and submitted to.
At the same time, the Mage Capital monopolized a massive amount of powerful magical knowledge, and even had members dedicated to magical scientific research.
The magic-powered glow lamps commonly used throughout the empire nowadays were all results created through the research of those mages from the Mage Capital.
Although… Viktor's moral values really made it hard not to be suspicious.
But the fact that he had become a councilor of the Mage Council was already nailed down.
Before Viktor, there had been one other councilor in the empire, Rachel, the dean of the Royal Magic Academy.
Yet everyone present was frowning. Dean Rachel becoming a councilor of the Mage Council made perfect sense.
He was long already a fourth-tier mage, highly respected.
He had dedicated his entire life's effort to the Royal Magic Academy. Everyone here knew it.
There were plenty of fourth-tier mages in the empire, but only Rachel could become a councilor of the Mage Council.
That was because the Council's strict filters eliminated many mages who wanted to join.
But Viktor, what did he count as?
He certainly had powerful strength, but his morals… in this regard, nearly all the nobles present had the same thought,
Pretty much zero.
Was it just because he was the youngest fourth-tier mage in history?
"Damn it! Why should Viktor be able to become a councilor!?"
"Even a guy with morals like his gets recognized by the Mage Council?"
Many mages present hated the fact that Viktor had become a councilor, but the reality that he had joined could not be changed.
The most important thing was that many people suddenly realized something.
Viktor had become a councilor of the Mage Capital, his status was no longer limited to his current noble title.
Which meant...
The identity and status between Viktor and Jace Lesser… were no longer equal.
Jace Lesser froze in place. Under Viktor's cold aura, he opened his mouth and barely managed to ask, "Vik… Councilor Clavenna, what exactly do you want? I only made a suggestion."
"Are you trying to make the First Prince's situation difficult?"
Viktor gave him a contemptuous glance.
"Difficult? Then don't bother handling it."
"I don't care what you're trying to do, nor do I want to know what kind of orders the people behind you gave. Remember this."
"Don't mess with me."
He stared into Jace Lesser's eyes and constructed a small green array reflected within Jace's pupils.
In an instant, several wild bushes sprung up from the golden floor of the palace out of thin air. Twisted branches hooked Jace up and flung him out of the palace.
The people in the hall froze in place at the sudden scene.
This was definitely Viktor's magic, but they hadn't seen Viktor draw any formation in the air.
But that no longer mattered.
At this moment, everyone present was left with only one thought.
Viktor had flipped the table.
He even dared, inside the imperial palace, right in front of everyone, even His Majesty, to fling Jace out of the palace.
How did he have the nerve to be so arrogant? Just because he became a councilor of the Mage Council?
Even though this was what everyone thought in their hearts, not a single person dared to step forward and speak a word against Viktor.
Facing their shock and doubt, Viktor patted the faint dust on his clothes as if he had casually done something trivial.
Only then did he turn toward Emperor Aubrey and respectfully bow.
"I was discourteous, Your Majesty."
Duke Levi gave Viktor an appreciative look.
Emperor Aubrey snorted a laugh, nodded, and replied, "No harm."
———
The morning assembly ended hastily because of Viktor's sudden interruption.
Liya stood outside the palace gates. On the pole beside her rested the crow Viktor kept.
Even now, Liya still felt a little dazed.
She had originally prepared everything, even throwing out Chur as a move ahead of time.
Yet Viktor had suddenly returned.
And used thunderous force to warn Jace Lesser.
("Stay away from the people by my side.")
Thinking of the words Viktor had said when he returned, Liya's thoughts were in slight chaos.
'Why?'
Viktor shouldn't have been this kind of person. His actions were no different from openly flipping the table, putting everyone except the emperor himself on the opposing side.
Whether it was the Second Prince or the still-unseen First Prince, after Viktor's outburst in the hall today, they absolutely would not try to rope him in again.
'One move to settle everything.'
But this method was perhaps too decisive.
In Liya's view, she didn't want the Clavenna family to fall out with both princes.
After all, no one knew who the final victor would be.
Just as Viktor said, if the emperor only had two years left…
Then in two years, no matter who took the throne,
Viktor would face retaliation for what he had done today.
But on the other hand…
Liya placed a hand on her chest.
For some reason, there was a warm feeling there.
Perhaps years of waiting and hoping were finally being answered in this moment.
Just when she thought she wouldn't expect anything from anyone anymore, Viktor had once again solved everything for her.
Liya turned her head and saw Viktor coming out of the palace at last.
Following at his side was Gwen.
Finally, after everyone else had left, Viktor stayed in the palace, seemingly discussing something with His Majesty.
Thus, he became the last one to leave.
Watching Viktor, Liya felt a subtly complicated feeling in her heart.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to thank him, but the words that came out were, "Why did you take so long to come back?"
Her tone even seemed to carry a trace of complaint.
Viktor had his hands in his coat pockets. He lowered his head and glanced at Liya.
"Helped someone deal with some things."
"And while I was at it, taught the princess her magic lessons."
Hearing Viktor say it as casually as breathing, Liya wanted to say something to tell him how angry she had been. But before she could speak, Viktor suddenly said, "Remember, you have your own freedom."
"No one can force you to do anything."
The abrupt sentence cut off all of Liya's complaining emotion.
She stared blankly at the tall figure in front of her.
For some reason, an inexplicable feeling rose in her heart.
She really wanted to say something to vent herself. She really wanted to act spoiled toward him.
As if she believed Viktor could tolerate all her unreasonable behavior.
This sentence was far too distant for Liya.
After her father died, no one could protect or look after her the way she wished anymore.
But now, Liya felt a sudden impulse.
"Broth…"
She tried to utter the ending of that word, but it got stuck in her throat and she simply couldn't say it.
In the end, she never said it, because a fantastical, luxurious carriage slowly approached from the dark corner of the street, glowing with warm light.
The carriage was extremely peculiar, for a carriage, it had no horses pulling it in front. Naturally, there was no coachman with a whip either. It was simply being driven forward by pure magic powering its axle.
Liya blinked as she looked at Viktor's exclusive carriage, the one he often used for travel.
The door opened automatically. Viktor said calmly, "Come."
"It's time to go home."
———
The carriage stopped before the gates of the Delin residence.
Liya watched Gwen get off the carriage. Kevra at the door had already come out to welcome them.
Before leaving, Gwen didn't forget to glance back at Viktor and ask, "This time, you won't disappear for several days again, right?"
Viktor nodded.
"Then don't forget to come tomorrow morning."
After saying that, as if she realized there might be some misunderstanding, she quickly added, "I mean tomorrow's sword practice, you better not forget!"
After that, Gwen hurriedly turned and rushed into the residence, not daring to look at Viktor again.
Seeing Gwen completely gone, Liya sat inside the carriage and looked at Viktor, teasing, "Oh? My esteemed mage lord actually knows how to talk about feelings with his fiancée?"
Viktor didn't answer Liya's words. He casually fed Vika a mouthful of bird seed and then looked back at Liya.
"Before you got on the carriage, what did you want to say?"
Liya froze for a moment, coughed lightly twice, and pretended to sound normal.
"Nothing. I just wanted to ask you something, but since we hadn't left the palace yet, it wasn't convenient to say."
She definitely wasn't that sentimental. She was already this grown, how could she possibly say something like calling someone "big brother"?
And indeed, she had something important to ask Viktor.
Now that they were in her family's carriage, she could ask whatever she wanted.
"You really plan… to support the princess?"
Viktor nodded.
Liya was confused.
"Why? The princess doesn't have any faction at all. And besides, there has never been a female emperor in the empire."
"Then she'll be the first."
Viktor's voice sounded faint and calm, but his unquestionable tone left Liya dumbfounded.
She couldn't understand why Viktor was so confident, but she didn't impulsively ask further.
The two remained silent in the carriage.
Soon, the carriage slowed to a stop. Viktor opened the door and let Liya get off first.
The large group of guards at the courtyard gate had already left, and there was no one around now.
The princess had long been sent back to the palace by Viktor, so of course the guards had no reason to stay.
A servant saw the master and young miss returning and opened the gate.
Upon entering the estate, Liya seemed to suddenly remember something and began, "Right, the duke came yesterday. His daughter seems to have some kind of illness. Did you..."
As she spoke, her voice grew lighter and lighter.
While passing by the garden, did a soft, fluffy cloud float by?
Liya blinked and looked toward the cloud.
On that cloud lay a sleeping shut-in elf, dressed rather lightly.
"?"
A big question mark rose over Liya's head.
'What… is that thing?'