The Delin Residence.

A faint mist wafted out from the bathroom. Gwen soaked in the bathtub, her entire body submerged in the warm water.

Hugging her knees with both arms, only the upper part of her face—her nose and above—was visible.

Her mouth was underwater, blowing bubbles continuously, her eyebrows drooping in a deeply troubled expression.

Having just returned from the south a few days ago, Gwen's mind was nearly consumed by the image of that golden-haired figure.

Erica du Cloye.

Gwen knew her, of course.

They had met several times before.

Gwen had never imagined that one day she would care so much about this matter.

That incident, existing in everyone's memory but almost forgotten, had recently resurfaced in her mind.

Viktor had once confessed to the duke's daughter.

How annoying. Why had she suddenly started caring about this?

Gwen took a deep breath, sank back into the bathtub, and resumed blowing bubbles.

Viktor had said he would resolve the matter, though she had no idea how he planned to do so.

But over time, that unpleasant incident had indeed faded from memory.

Now, when the people of the Empire—whether commoners or nobles—mentioned Viktor, all they thought of was the elegant count and the powerful councilman.

It seemed no one remembered what Viktor had done back then.

Even Gwen had gradually forgotten.

But the last time she saw the golden-haired girl, she had walked out of Viktor's room.

As if beyond her control, Gwen found herself recalling that incident.

Before this, even when the matter had just occurred, she hadn't paid it much attention.

Gwen couldn't understand herself. She remained motionless in the bathtub, her mind racing with thoughts.

"What kind of relationship do she and Viktor have, exactly?"

Then, a knock on the door interrupted Gwen's thoughts.

It was a servant's voice.

"Miss Gwen."

Hearing someone call her, Gwen finally snapped out of her thoughts. She lifted her head out of the bathtub, leaned back, and rested against the edge.

Her fair skin, glistening with transparent droplets of water, appeared especially radiant in the hazy mist.

"What is it?"

She frowned slightly, asking absentmindedly.

The servant's voice followed.

"Miss Kevla has returned."

...

Wrapped in a thick, white towel, Gwen had her hair pinned up high, water droplets falling to the floor due to gravity.

As soon as she opened the door and stepped out, she bumped straight into Kevla.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Gwen was about to take two steps back when Kevla pulled her into a tight embrace.

"So fragrant, so fragrant~ Where is my freshly bathed little Gwen planning to go?"

Kevla's teasing voice, filled with playful charm, gently reached Gwen's ears.

Gwen's face instantly turned red. She broke free from Kevla's embrace, clutching her bathrobe tightly, standing in front of her.

"Sister, why are you back at this hour?"

"Is everything fine back home?"

Kevla confidently waved her hand.

"Everything over there has been taken care of. It's all settled for you."

Using her own methods, she had reestablished rules and a new order for the Northern Knights.

She had also fully opened the Steel Fortress, allowing free entry.

As long as they followed the rules to arrange their schedules, it wouldn't cause trouble for the Delin family.

Seeing her sister suddenly return, Gwen was overjoyed.

After all, the entire Delin family now consisted of only the two of them as direct relatives.

"I came back this time because I have some business to attend to."

Kevla's smile slightly faded as she spoke slowly.

"This matter has something to do with you as well."

Gwen blinked, pointing to herself in confusion.

"Me?"

Kevla nodded.

Soon, her expression darkened, and her face turned unusually serious as she spoke in a grave tone:

"Suppose—just suppose—"

"If I were to ask Viktor out on a date, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"...?"

...

Viktor's Mansion—

"Slowly, insert it here."

"Don't let it move too violently."

A cold voice rang out, and Erica's golden hair suddenly flushed red.

Then, her tense body abruptly relaxed.

"I did it!"

Her face lit up with uncontainable joy as green and white runes shimmered on the magic circle before her.

In front of Erica, a basic third-tier spell began to form a structure.

Elements of wind and wood intertwined, flowing within the formation.

Several patterns intertwined, crossing around the edges of the formation.

[Third-Tier Spell: Gale Greenleaf]

This was one of the most basic third-tier elemental attack spells, its difficulty comparable to fitting an elephant into a refrigerator.

Unlike any spell Erica had learned before, its destructive power was enough to devastate an entire forest.

The intricate formation continued to tremble, emitting waves of magical energy.

With her father away, Erica had spent most of her days at Viktor's mansion since returning to the capital.

Her purpose was straightforward: to seek guidance on how to use third-tier spells.

For a second-tier mage like her, casting a third-tier spell was as challenging as fitting an elephant into a refrigerator.

Thus, this "guidance" had lasted nearly half a month.

Today, she finally succeeded.

Watching the excited Erica, Viktor nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. This is your first third-tier basic spell."

Strictly speaking, being able to cast a third-tier spell meant that a mage had stepped into the ranks of third-tier mages.

However, Erica hadn't reached that level yet.

Viktor glanced at the number hovering above Erica's head, indicating her level.

LV29.

Her wind and wood elemental magic stemmed from calamity, making her incomparable to ordinary second-tier mages.

These unique natural forces allowed Erica, who was nearing the third tier, to mimic the magical power of a third-tier mage to some extent.

Of course, she was on the verge of becoming a third-tier mage herself.

This rocket-like leveling speed was something Viktor had only seen before in Henie.

Viktor wasn't surprised.

Even in the game's lore, shortly after Viktor's death-ending, the now-adult Erica became a third-tier mage, breaking Viktor's record as the youngest third-tier mage.

Now, she had merely advanced this timeline by nearly two years.

Erica, thrilled with her first successful third-tier spell, couldn't contain her excitement.

She repeatedly bowed to Viktor to express her gratitude.

"Professor! Thank you so much!"

Her face beamed with pride and joy, radiating like sunshine.

Viktor responded calmly, nodding slightly as he said:

"This is the result of your own efforts. There's no need to thank me."

"Perhaps I should congratulate you in advance on becoming the youngest third-tier mage."

Indeed, Erica was close to the required level.

But she wasn't a player.

Many second-tier mages at the peak of their tier struggled for years without becoming third-tier mages.

That one-level gap was enough to halt countless mages, preventing them from ever advancing to the third tier.

For game players, it wasn't difficult—just accumulating enough experience points would suffice.

But real mages had to put in far more effort.

Erica understood this well. Casting a third-tier spell didn't mean she had become a third-tier mage.

A true third-tier mage could cast third-tier spells effortlessly, as if it were second nature.

Still, today's success was enough to make Erica ecstatic.

After expressing her thanks with one final bow, she left Viktor's mansion.

She wanted to return home and practice repeatedly while the sensation was still fresh.

After Erica left, Lia, who had been secretly watching for an unknown amount of time, slowly emerged from the side of the training ground.

Placing one hand on her hip, she looked back in the direction Erica had left, pouting slightly. With a hint of teasing in her tone, she said to Viktor:

"Well, well, the little girl you confessed to back then has come again."

"Our esteemed mage lord is as charming as ever. Are your dreams about to come true?"

Viktor didn't answer, merely casting a calm glance at Lia.

This gesture only made Lia more convinced that Viktor was tacitly agreeing.

She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression showing a hint of disdain as she said:

"Don't forget, you still have a fiancée."

Viktor turned away, intending to leave.

A crow conveniently perched on his shoulder.

"Where's Henie? Where is she now?"

"What, got all worked up by that little girl and now want to vent on someone else?"

Lia shot Viktor a dissatisfied look and muttered:

"Messy private life, you scoundrel mage."

After a sarcastic remark, she left the training ground.

Leaving Viktor alone, utterly puzzled.

He couldn't figure out what she was upset about.

...

At that moment, Henie was at the academy.

With the semester about to begin, as an assistant professor, she had to arrive early to prepare for various opening tasks.

Including welcoming new students.

The most dreaded task for freshmen was undoubtedly the pre-admission exam.

Naturally, this responsibility also fell to Henie.

She was currently sitting at the academy's entrance, dressed in a large black robe.

Under the summer sun, she squinted her eyes, struggling to keep them open.

Sweat on her forehead plastered her bangs against her skin, and her entire body was soaked in sweat.

Even though she had used magic to cool down, after a day's work, her body was still exhausted and sweating profusely.

Her shoulders ached, her spine creaked.

Henie slumped in her chair, exhaling deeply.

So tired, so tired.

Only by sitting outside the academy could she escape the workload for a moment and relax.

"Being an assistant professor doesn't seem all that great."

It felt like she was even more exhausted than before.

She really wanted to go home and take a bath.

It would be even better if she could share it with the professor.

Ehehe...

Henie's face flushed as she indulged in her fantasy.

She sat there with her eyes closed, nearly falling asleep.

Until a shadow suddenly loomed over her.

Sensitive as she was, she realized someone was approaching and quickly sat up straight.

"Welcome, are you here to tour the academy...?"

She blinked, looking at the cloaked figure before her.

The person before her slowly lifted their head, revealing a pair of green, snake-like eyes staring at Henie.

"May I ask..."

"""