"It was me who did it."

Gwen turned her head to look, and the person was Victor.

Hearing Victor say that it was him, she naturally believed it.

After all, Victor's reputation as a third-rank mage was quite renowned, dealing with these bandits was child's play for him.

"What are you doing here?"

Gwen turned back, curious that since Victor was here, why did Leah still call her over.

She activated a crystal shard glowing with multicolored light, leaning against Leah.

The colors on the crystal gradually faded, and Victor noticed that Leah also had one at her waist.

The two of them were communicating through these magic crystals, similar to a dual-line telephone.

Victor maintained his stoic poker face as he calmly explained,

"My merchant caravan was passing near the capital and came to provide assistance, while also dealing with this group of bandits."

Hearing his explanation, Gwen had no doubt and turned to the knights, ordering,

"Check the bodies, see if you can identify any faces, and conduct an identity investigation, then report back to me."

"Yes, my lady!"

The knights sprang into action after receiving the order.

"Leah, be careful, contact me right away if you're in danger next time."

After giving the instructions, Gwen led the knights in preparation to depart.

After she left, Leah puffed up her cheeks angrily.

These bandits were actually taken care of by her, and she had wanted to take the credit in front of Gwen, but Victor suddenly came and snatched away her glory.

"The principle of not revealing one's wealth, you understand it better than I do."

Victor said this calmly, and Leah immediately calmed down.

The caravan was filled with her own people, so it didn't matter if they saw it.

But if someone else knew that her magic was released through an artifact, she would be in grave danger.

As a merchant, she never underestimated human greed.

"Mm... I understand."

Victor was satisfied, for he had successfully educated Leah, and a sense of achievement as an elder brother welled up within him.

He walked up to Leah and extended a finger.

The dull, lifeless gem flashed with a red glow as the magic was replenished by him.

After doing this, he prepared to leave.

But Leah asked him hesitantly,

"How did you get here? I don't believe what you told Gwen."

"I felt you activate your magic, so I came to take a look out of curiosity."

Victor turned back and answered her vaguely, his eyes devoid of any emotion, still with that icy expression.

Hearing Victor's words, Leah's mood became rather complex.

In all her life, she had never been cared for by Victor before.

But what happened today?

Did this person's brain get twisted?

Suddenly had a pang of conscience and enlightenment?

Leah's inner monologue quickly found an explanation.

Victor quietly looked at her and continued,

"The attack on the caravan may be related to some of my enemies, but I've lost count of how many enemies I have, and I'm not sure who exactly it is, so you need to be more careful."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Leah finally found an opportunity to retort him, sneering mockingly,

"Hmph, so you know you're not liked by people."

She did have some guesses about the origin of these bandits, but she didn't tell Victor.

"Have you tried the potion yet?"

"All the mages who used it said it was good."

Victor suddenly threw out this sentence, and Leah nodded, her tone full of unspeakable surprise.

Those exhausted mages just drank a bottle and instantly became full of vigor.

Even though she was not a mage, she could understand how astonishing this effect was.

"This trip with the caravan is not just for mineral trading, I've already found a shop in the capital."

"There are many adventurers, especially mages, and this kind of item will definitely sell like hot cakes in the bustling commercial district."

Listening to Leah's description, Victor inwardly admired Leah's execution ability.

He didn't show it, because Victor never praised anyone.

"In the capital, if you have any difficulties, I may not be able to help much, so you should contact Gwen more."

Leah tilted her head and drawled a long "Oh~?"

She looked at Victor with suspicious eyes.

"You didn't know?"

Victor frowned and told Leah not to be cryptic.

"In a few days, Gwen will be going on a mission, and she may not be back for half a month."

"And you're her fiancé, yet you don't even know this, I think it's better to let her prepare for remarriage soon."

While mocking Victor, Leah secretly observed his expression.

Of course, Victor didn't know about this, as he and Gwen really didn't have much connection, to be honest, he couldn't even figure out what their relationship was.

"Where is she going?"

Leah's hope of seeing a change in Victor's expression was dashed, as he asked it in the same casual tone as inquiring about a stranger's destination.

Leah found it uninteresting, lowered her head and fiddled with the mage's hand, answering casually.

"She said she's going to Mount Vesuvius."

"Although it's an extinct volcano, the locals say there are some strange sounds coming from the mountain, so the emperor sent her to investigate whether the volcano might erupt, and to prepare countermeasures in advance."

Hearing this name, Victor slightly tensed up.

The memories surfaced in my mind.

That place was not just a dormant volcano.

Beneath the volcano's crater, hidden by the layers of magma, lay a colossal monster - the first chapter's neutral world boss that would appear in the game.

Its might was not to be underestimated.

This world-class boss in the game was eligible for challenge by all the players on the server. Its level was exceptionally high, and its health was far more substantial than normal bosses.

After defeating it, a dungeon would be generated there for players to challenge repeatedly.

If Victor remembered correctly, that boss would awaken in about a year and a half.

At that time, the players would generally be at a low level, as the game had just been released half a year ago, and most were only around level 20.

Yet this boss was an astonishing level 50!

Players would have a hard time even breaking through its defenses.

He still remembered that when the boss awoke from the volcano, it had reduced the surrounding towns to ashes.

The Imperial army sent in their knight battalions to suppress it, but they were all easily crushed.

In this dire situation, the Empire had no choice but to seek help from adventurer "players."

It took the players countless deaths and a grueling three-day battle to finally deplete the last of the world-class boss's health.

Victor had the honor of participating in that campaign. He recalled staying up for three straight days, logging in every day just to chip away at the boss's health alongside the other players.

Reminiscing about it still filled him with a sense of excitement.

In the end, the devoted players were rewarded handsomely for their contributions to the battle.

Even though Victor later challenged the dungeon with different classes, he could never recapture the sense of despair he had experienced the first time.

However, he did want to see what the boss was like before it awoke.

The players had named it the "Furnace Monstrosity" - a fitting name for a colossal being that inspired dread and devastation, reducing the land to cinders in its wake.

Victor decided to visit Gwen tonight to gauge the situation. If he could tag along on her mission, that would be even better.

Seeing Victor lost in thought after she finished speaking, Gwen couldn't help but feel he was up to no good. She waved him off dismissively.

"Are you free? As a professor at the Magic Academy, shouldn't you be back at home instead of wandering around?"

Victor gave a slight nod without protest and disappeared in a flash of magical circles.

Leah sighed as she watched him leave, muttering, "This guy... just up and leaves, no hesitation at all."

Oh well, with him gone, she could focus on her own work. She began directing her subordinates to inventory the goods.

The huddled mages were left dumbfounded, watching Victor teleport in and out so effortlessly. Was he truly the master of the Klevena household, wielding teleportation magic more adeptly than their own boss?

Soon, the inventory was complete, and Leah breathed a sigh of relief. She then called over one of her subordinates and spoke softly in their ear.

"Contact those people below and investigate the recent activities of the Du Croix family. Our Klevena caravan will not be robbed on the road, not on my watch."

Her gaze had turned icy cold. She had long suspected the Duke, as the only one with a grudge against Victor recently was his young daughter.

As for Victor's other past enemies? The ones buried, exiled - the ones he couldn't dispose of simply wouldn't dare to touch her caravan, except for the Duke.

She trusted no one else would be so brazen as to disregard the rules - the Klevena family always collected protection fees, even in the capital city, and would not allow these locals to bully them.

...

Victor teleported back home and immediately began preparing a change of clothes. He instructed the servants to ready the carriage for a visit to the Derlin estate.

As the servants carried out his orders, Gwen had just finished her day's work. She hurried home, quickly removing her armor and cumbersome attire.

The maid had already prepared a hot bath for her. Gwen sank into the tub, luxuriating in the soothing water and stretching her limbs, relishing this rare moment of rest.

"Ahh~" she sighed contentedly, closing her eyes and letting the gentle currents envelop her.

At that moment, a knock came at the bathroom door.

"Milady, you have a visitor - it's Master Victor."

Gwen, who had been peacefully soaking, suddenly jolted upright, causing a splash.

"Wha-?" she uttered drowsily, her pale back grazing the edge of the tub as water droplets cascaded down her skin.