An endless sea of fire spread all around. The scorching heat filled the air, sweeping over the remains of human bodies. Red-black hues began to flow between heaven and earth, as if forming a small mountain.
The way those people died was extremely horrific. In the flames, they didn't even have time to resist.
Even from far away, Aurelian could smell the scorched stench drifting from the corpses.
She stared blankly at the tragically miserable scene before her. Suddenly, she covered her mouth.
Her eyes widened, her body bending forward.
The cruel sight made it impossible for her to accept it for a moment.
At this instant, she didn't dare look at her teacher again.
That terrifying war magic had, in just an instant, burned all those soldiers into ashes.
Although Aurelian had personally killed monsters before, when faced with human corpses, appearing before her in such a grotesque and horrifying way, her heart still couldn't help but surge with nausea and fear.
Killing monsters and killing humans were simply not the same thing.
The discomfort gradually spread through her entire body, and her stomach began to cramp.
If not for forcing herself to stay rational, she might have already thrown up.
Why did she have to see such a disgusting and uncomfortable scene?
Why did Teacher Viktor have to kill them?
But Aurelian didn't ask this foolish question.
She had lived in the royal palace for over ten years.
In those years, she had seen far too much scheming and intrigue.
That taught her how to be a well-behaved child in others' eyes, how to act in ways that pleased people.
She wouldn't be foolish enough to criticize Viktor.
Those people had charged in without asking questions, firing blue projectiles from those mysterious, magic-driven weapons at her teacher.
Teacher was simply fighting back.
Aurelian understood this deeply.
She had no right to judge Viktor's actions.
'But…'
She felt so awful, she really wanted to throw up.
It was as if this was the first time Aurelian had seen Viktor like this.
Cruel. Ruthless.
This kind of teacher suddenly made her feel a little unfamiliar.
Suddenly, she heard Viktor's voice, coldly sounding from the side.
"Swear loyalty, or."
"Be buried with them."
Aurelian looked at that scene, finding it hard to accept.
Before this, that female guard had accompanied her all the way here from the capital.
She had always put on a cold, tough front.
But now...
Elsa raised her head, trembling as she looked at Viktor.
There was no longer any unwillingness left in her heart. Awe slowly turned into fear, burying all other emotions.
Before this, she had never seen such a terrifying existence.
A fourth-tier mage? No…
He couldn't be described as a fourth-tier mage.
Elsa had seen many mages.
Even back when she was still an adventurer, she had once had a fourth-tier mage as a teammate.
But there had never been a mage like Viktor.
He was like the embodiment of violence and destruction.
He wasn't a mage.
He was a monster wearing the outer shell of the mage profession.
Elsa's body trembled nonstop, her earlier courage long since exhausted.
Gradually, she lowered her head and knelt on the ground.
"…Yes."
When Elsa, kneeling on the ground, pledged her loyalty to Viktor, Viktor merely gave her a cold glance, then lifted his head again.
He didn't care in the slightest whether Elsa agreed or not.
To Viktor, this was just one of the few moments of amusement he could think of.
He didn't even bother to comfort Aurelian, only indifferently watching her force herself to endure the discomfort.
Although her current state was definitely not good.
'But…'
This was something she, as the "Eternal Witch," the future Saul IX, was bound to experience.
Viktor was merely fulfilling his duty.
Teaching.
"Game time is over, Lady Cassandra."
Viktor looked at Cassandra again, at this former princess who couldn't accept reality.
"You should wake up."
As the words fell, Cassandra slowly raised her head.
With her hair in disarray and her face deathly pale, she looked like a pitiful soul who had lost everything.
"Madam, anger can't solve anything."
"We could have handled this better."
Viktor raised his head, looking down at Cassandra from above.
"Unfortunately, this ending was the one you chose first."
Standing before her, Viktor slowly shifted his body to the side, seemingly on purpose, to let Cassandra clearly see the sea of fire behind him.
To see those terrifying, horrifying remains of corpses.
Cassandra's eyes widened. As if she had gone mad, she knelt on the ground and chuckled hollowly.
"Viktor, at a time like this, you still want to mock me?"
"Madam, I only want you to recognize the gap between us."
Viktor adjusted the collar of his coat with both hands, his tone utterly calm.
"Even if all the forces of your Lesser family were here today, it would still be useless."
"My power doesn't stop here."
As soon as the words fell, the raging sea of fire slowly calmed at that moment.
Tender green sprouts emerged from within it. Sparse greenery spread out, once again covering this miraculous indoor forest.
Those remains of corpses seemed to turn into fertilizer, buried and entwined by roots as thick branches burst up from the ground.
In an instant, wild grass grew lush and dense. The greenery seemed to wash away all the despair from moments before, filling the surroundings with the feeling of nature.
The elves who had been secretly watching were equally astonished at the forest that suddenly grew out.
Amazement, admiration… all kinds of emotions burst forth from them at once.
Dense natural energy rushed forward. Cassandra raised her head, gazing at the greenery that looked like a divine miracle.
The surrounding flames seemed to gradually fade beneath the green.
As if no battle had ever taken place here.
Viktor smiled faintly.
"Even if you could defeat me, so what?"
"Since I can enter this place, I can leave it at any time."
Cassandra didn't respond.
Because she knew that what Viktor said was absolute truth.
If Viktor hadn't deliberately revealed himself, she would never have been able to detect his presence.
A fourth-tier mage who could appear before her anytime, anywhere.
For the Lesser family, this was undoubtedly an extremely serious potential threat.
Cassandra's voice trembled slightly.
"What exactly is it that makes you so hostile toward the Lesser family?"
"Madam."
Viktor narrowed his eyes, looking at her coldly.
"Even you are willing to give everything for your family."
"…"
In an instant, Cassandra fell silent.
But Viktor's voice did not stop.
"My conditions haven't changed."
"Gather what I want, and I'll return your son to you."
Viktor slipped one hand into his pocket, lifted the dazed Aurelian beside him with the other, and turned around.
"Oh, and by the way, your guard is pretty good."
"She's mine now."
Elsa shakily stood up and threw Cassandra an extremely guilty look, then lowered her head and followed behind Viktor as they slowly left.
Cassandra weakly lifted her head, watching Viktor's back.
Suddenly, she noticed the crow perched on Viktor's shoulder.
It slowly turned around and stared at Cassandra with its single eye.
Within that eye, a flash of golden light flickered past.
For a brief moment, all she could see was a trace of mockery in the crow's gaze, as if it were giggling.
Just like…
A swindler who had stolen everything from her, and was now mocking her recklessly right in front of her.
The next second, a black wind rose without any warning.
Its color grew deeper and deeper, as if it were about to completely drown Viktor and his group as it surged upward.
Cassandra stared blankly at that black whirlwind.
Until it gradually disappeared and sunlight poured down once more.
And Viktor's figure seemed to vanish along with that black wind.
Gone without a trace.
Cassandra looked at the place where Viktor disappeared, recalling the faint glimmer in the crow's eyes before it left.
She stretched out a hand, trying to activate her power in the air.
However, no power responded to her call.
At this moment, Cassandra's emotions became incredibly complicated.
It felt like relief, yet also like loss.
Perhaps the curse engraved in her bloodline had finally been removed, and she would no longer be forced by that damned power to take part in wars she utterly despised.
Or perhaps the disappearance of that power made her nostalgic for the glory that had once belonged only to her.
It was as if a tangled web had wrapped around her, leaving her nowhere to go.
Cassandra lowered her head and sat on the ground.
Hugging her legs with both arms, utterly lonely.
The surrounding greenery continued to grow. Countless elves poked their heads out from the forests in all directions and walked toward Cassandra.
They gathered around her, quietly looking at her.
A sense of sorrow and loneliness gradually enveloped them.
Under the intertwining sunlight and greenery, it seemed to deepen even further.
———
"Teacher, I… feel really unwell."
Outside the Lesser family's gates, Aurelian finally couldn't endure her emotions anymore and said it to Viktor.
She had never been a cruel, heartless child.
When she saw that brutal scene, when she saw Aunt Cassandra's loneliness, her heart, aside from pain, could no longer form any words.
But Aurelian understood that the hatred between the Lesser family and her teacher could no longer be resolved.
Still…
"Teacher, why did it turn out like this?"
Aurelian lowered her head, her mood heavy.
"I originally thought that if I came back with Aunt, I could stop the conflict between you."
"In the end, I couldn't stop anything."
Suddenly, a strong hand rested on top of Aurelian's head.
A powerful sense of reassurance filled her heart, and her teacher's voice softly sounded by her ear.
"Because she's your family, you subconsciously want to side with her and protect her."
Viktor looked straight ahead, gazing at this advanced city that remained brightly lit even at night.
Even though the Lesser family had suffered casualties, it hadn't affected its operation.
Standing amid the surrounding lights, it felt as though he had returned to his former world.
"But I'm the same."
Liya was also his family in this world.
So, as long as it was within his power, Viktor would not allow anyone to make her suffer even the slightest grievance.
Aurelian slowly lifted her head, looking at Viktor's stern face.
Without realizing why herself, the words suddenly slipped out.
"Then… will you also protect me for my whole life?"
"..."
For some reason, the wind stirred again.
As if carrying a hint of melancholy.