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The hall was in ruins, furniture completely destroyed, with a cloud of dust swirling in the spacious area, obscuring everything in a hazy veil.

The house had fallen into disrepair, several cracked boards barely clinging to their frames. The fireplace lay shattered, its pieces scattered across the floor, charcoal strewn about haphazardly.

Viktor adjusted his coat, standing before Angus, who had shed his armor.

Angus knelt on the ground, his eyes lifeless and clouded, as if he had witnessed something unspeakably terrifying. He seemed to have lost all sensation, his eyes sinking into darkness, deaf even to the howling wind and snow behind his ears.

The fierce blizzard lashed at his body, but even as the cold froze him stiff, he felt nothing at all.

Viktor stood silently beside him, the crow perched on his shoulder, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Hearing the enormous blast, people rushed to the scene. Viktor turned to see Kevla stumbling towards them.

Behind her trailed a frail young man.

And then, a group of knights arrived, their heavy armor clanking.

Everyone froze at the sight of the ruins and Angus kneeling on the ground, his eyes vacant.

What on earth had happened here?

Angus's body was covered in wounds, bright red blood not yet congealed in the severe cold, slowly trickling down from his injuries, mixing with melted snow.

It was clear he had just been through a fierce battle.

Kevla looked bewildered as she slowly raised her head to look at the expressionless Viktor.

"Is this what you meant by... having a good talk?"

At this point, she could hardly imagine what Viktor and her father had been through, or why they had come to blows.

And what was even harder for her to accept was...

Viktor had actually emerged unscathed?

Had he become so powerful that he could now face off against one of the empire's great knights?

At this moment, Kevla's emotions were incredibly complex.

No matter how dissatisfied she was with Angus's actions, he was still her father after all.

Jaxu, seeing his father kneeling on the ground in a daze, didn't seem particularly surprised.

He simply raised his head again, looking coldly at Viktor.

"Viktor Kravina is suspected of assaulting the head of the Delin family, Earl Angus."

"In the name of Jaxu Delin, son of Earl Angus, I demand the mobilization of all Northern knights to apprehend Viktor Kravina."

"This matter is to be reported to the royal capital immediately."

Hearing this, Kevla looked at Jaxu in disbelief.

"Jaxu, what are you do-"

"The facts are before your eyes. Regardless of Father's current state, Viktor attacked him."

Kevla knew very well that there were countless knights present who could testify.

Jaxu's gaze never left Viktor as he coldly stated:

"I know you're very powerful.

You could kill any of us."

"The strongest among us has already been defeated by you. Now, no one can stop you."

"But even if you kill all of us, you can't prevent this news from reaching the royal capital."

As Jaxu's words reached Kevla's ears, a bone-chilling coldness suddenly swept through her body.

At this moment, Kevla felt her relatives were utter strangers.

From the very beginning of the invitation to Viktor, they had been scheming.

Angus would certainly make a move against Viktor, and at that time, regardless of the outcome...

The battle between Viktor and Angus would definitely be reported back to the royal capital, to the emperor's ears.

But most importantly...

It would reach Gwen.

Hadn't Gwen lost her sense of justice?

Well then.

When Viktor, who had allegedly killed her family members, stood before her.

What would Gwen choose?

The answer was already obvious.

In her stubbornness, she would only see Viktor as a criminal.

Even if Viktor hadn't actually done it.

It would be impossible to defend against a hundred accusations—

Unless Gwen's sense of justice was restored, and her ability to discern good from evil, truth from falsehood, returned.

But if that happened.

Gwen would once again become that stubborn and righteous knight.

This, in turn, would align perfectly with Angus's plan.

In an instant, Kevla understood it all.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Jaxu wasn't giving Viktor a choice at all; he was only making Gwen choose.

Either Viktor would be found guilty.

Or Gwen's abilities would be restored.

Only one of the two could be true.

Kevla's voice trembled:

"Jaxu..."

"You... you've become a stranger to me."

Hearing Kevla's confusion, Jaxu paid her no mind, continuing to stare at Viktor.

He didn't even have any defenses up, just standing there.

Even if Viktor were to raise his hand in the next second, he could easily kill him.

He showed no fear of death; perhaps he believed his sacrifice would make this plan even more perfect.

And so, Viktor made a move.

"Not a bad bit of cleverness."

He looked straight at Jaxu, his eyes filled with his own unique arrogance.

"Perhaps I have to admit, your threat is indeed something I hadn't considered."

"But aren't you underestimating me a bit too much?"

A ball of flame suddenly ignited in front of Jaxu, and in the next moment, Viktor had transformed into an elemental flame, with only his head visible in the air as he looked at the frail young man.

The terrifying temperature made Jaxu feel short of breath, but he didn't panic at all, even though he was now facing death directly.

"Young Master Jaxu!"

Seeing this scene, the knights immediately brought out their silver shields and drew their long swords, shielding Jaxu.

But they could only protect Jaxu from the front, as the intense fear prevented them from taking a step forward.

The horrifying temperature continued to spread even under the heavy snowfall. Snow frantically poured into the house, turning into dissipating white smoke the moment it touched the ground.

Even though they were quite far away, the heat felt like facing a volcano, rushing towards them.

Kevla was equally shocked. Standing next to Viktor, she looked at him with an almost pleading expression.

"Viktor, don't..."

But Viktor paid no attention to Kevla's plea. He just coldly looked at Jaxu in his current form.

"What exactly gave you the illusion that you could manipulate me?"

"Do you really think you're qualified to threaten me?"

Behind Viktor's flame body, a giant hand that seemed to burn the sky instantly formed, gripping Jaxu's frail body.

The intense burning sensation invaded Jaxu, and the air around him was completely burned away. The extremely low oxygen content made his lungs crave desperately, but he was powerless to do anything.

The fear of death gradually spread to every part of his body.

In Viktor's eyes, Jaxu's health was almost at its limit.

Just a few more seconds.

He would become the experience points contributing to Viktor.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two silver daggers, as if cutting through magic, inserted themselves between the two, causing the magic to become slightly unstable.

Kevla's lightning-fast figure flashed by, snatching Jaxu away.

Viktor, who had transformed into a body of flame, didn't stop Kevla.

He just coldly watched everything, his icy gaze not even sparing a glance for Kevla.

Kevla had saved Jaxu, but under the scorching heat, Jaxu had already fallen unconscious, consumed by the flames.

She placed Jaxu on the ground, then turned to face her brother-in-law, who seemed to be engulfed in rage, and lowered her head.

"Viktor... I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me?"

The colder Viktor's voice became, the more intense the flames he emitted seemed to grow.

"Do you think their actions have angered me?"

Kevla remained silent, her head lowered, not knowing what expression to wear when facing Viktor.

Perhaps he had come to her home full of expectations, accepting the invitation.

But instead, he had been subjected to such scheming.

She dared not say what Viktor's emotions were now, but he would certainly be displeased.

The flames before her gradually extinguished, and the wind and snow lashed at Kevla's body like whips. The cold once again took over her entire body.

Viktor stood steadily in the snow, wearing that familiar coat.

The fierce wind and snow continued to roar, drowning out the sound of his fluttering coat.

The coat, flickering with red light, gradually dissipated into the deep snow, and a faint light slowly brightened.

"Tell Gwen to find me in the Far North."

Kevla watched Viktor's figure gradually disappear into the heavy snow.

Without realizing it, she seemed to notice the crow perched on his shoulder.

Its eyes seemed to be filled with a calculating light.

Finally, Viktor completely vanished in the wind and snow, leaving only a sentence floating, carried by the wind and snow.

"My feud with your Delin family, from now on."

"Has just begun."

Whoosh—

The huge and indifferent cold wind completely engulfed everything, burying it in the Far North.

Kevla let the cold wind rush into her clothes, kneeling powerlessly on the ground.

The dazed Angus and the unconscious Jaxu were on either side of her.

But she could only watch helplessly as this tragedy unfolded.

Powerless.

......

Royal Capital, Delin Mansion.

Gwen suddenly woke up with a start.

She felt the soft bed beneath her, clutching her head with a furrowed brow.

"That strange dream again."

In her dream, Gwen always saw a golden scale suspended in the air, while she stood at a distance, watching the peculiar balance.

A faint voice gradually reached her ears, always seeming to attract her to touch it.

What Gwen found strange was that whenever she couldn't resist the temptation and reached out to touch it, Viktor would always appear in her dream, taking her outstretched hand into his embrace.

Every time this happened, Gwen would wake up.

Her face reddened, feeling very confused.

Why did she keep dreaming about Viktor?

Perhaps it was because Viktor had been training with her in the mornings recently.

Or maybe it was because people often mentioned Viktor in front of her lately, along with comments about how well-suited they were for each other.

Shaking her head, Gwen tried her best not to think about these things anymore.

She wondered how Viktor was doing.

She had stubbornly refused to go home, but she knew Viktor had accepted her father's invitation to visit her family.

With her sister's support, surely nothing would go wrong.

Thinking this, Gwen threw back the covers and got out of bed.

Ten minutes later, a well-groomed Gwen stood in the training ground, ready to begin her morning practice.

Just as she drew her sword, she saw a servant running towards her with a very serious expression.

"Miss Gwen..."

"Hmm?"

Gwen was a bit surprised.

What could be so urgent this early in the morning?

The servant stammered as he delivered the message.

"Miss Kevla has sent a reply. She, she says..."

"Your father and brother were beaten by your fiancé."

Gwen: "?"

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To Be Continued..