Sparse dark clouds drifted across the ink-splashed sky. The moon floated in the night, slowly moving along with the breeze.
The royal capital was covered by a thick curtain of deep black.
Broken lights and candle flames lit up from the silence, dots of red and yellow like stars scattered upside down across the ground.
On the empty street, a carriage rolled over the bluestone road, the clattering sound stretching forward.
Under the lights, the huge carriage passed along the pale yellow road and slowly stopped in front of the Du Croy estate.
The carriage looked a little strange in the night, perhaps because it seemed to be moving without anything pulling it, which made it feel unsettling.
The gates of the Croy estate slowly opened. Servants on both sides stood respectfully and came forward to welcome the guests.
The carriage door opened. Viktor slowly stepped down, flicking his coat.
After he got down, the door did not close. Henny followed Viktor and slowly stepped out as well.
Standing at the front gate of the estate, Henny could not help but look around curiously.
It was her first time visiting a duke's home, and everything around her felt new and surprising.
The courtyard beyond the gate was extremely wide. Dense rows of street lamps were fixed along both sides of the road.
The dim yellow light gathered together, making the entire courtyard look especially bright.
At the very center of the courtyard stood a fountain, sparkling with little points of starlight under the lamps.
Light from an unknown source shone on the family banner hanging on the estate walls, making it look especially grand.
Led by the servants, Viktor and Henny entered the estate.
They were brought into a large meeting room.
Henny and Viktor sat on the same sofa, looking around at the surroundings.
The spacious room was covered with thick carpets. The soft feeling could be sensed through their shoes and spread through the body.
Scented wood burned in the fireplace, filling their noses with a calm and refined atmosphere.
The room had no magical lighting activated. It relied only on simple candles and the fireplace to light up the dim space.
The servant bowed slightly to them and said gracefully, "Please wait a moment. The duke will be down shortly."
Viktor nodded, and the servant slowly withdrew.
After only about a minute, Duke Levi entered the meeting room, smiling as he greeted Viktor, "Welcome, Councillor Viktor."
Inviting Viktor privately at night, the duke used a tone completely different from the daytime.
He addressed Viktor as a councillor, deliberately leaving out Viktor's noble title.
Viktor also nodded, his expression still calm.
Levi sat directly across from Viktor and looked curiously at Henny beside him, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"She looks a bit familiar. Who is this?"
"My former teaching assistant. She is now an associate professor at the academy."
"You can think of her as my assistant."
Levi suddenly understood and recalled the girl's identity.
'In the demon battle back then, Viktor had carried this girl away from the blasted crater at the end.'
Levi still remembered that Viktor's assistant possessed very impressive knowledge.
The demon had used her knowledge to construct a massive barrier that covered the entire academy, trapping countless people inside.
So many instructors and professors at the academy were unable to break it.
That alone showed Henny's ability.
Seeing Levi, Henny quickly stood up and bowed to him.
"Good evening, Duke."
She did not show any fear, no longer like when she had first arrived.
Henny kept reminding herself.
Outside, she had to remain calm and proper.
She absolutely could not embarrass Professor Viktor.
Levi smiled and nodded at Henny in return.
Just as he was about to say something polite, his gaze tightened slightly while looking at her.
From Henny, he sensed a strong flow of magical power.
'A second-rank mage?'
Levi was very puzzled, because he clearly remembered that the last time he saw Henny, she was just an ordinary person with no magic at all.
And now…
How long had it even been?
If it was not because Henny was deliberately hiding her magic, then she must have experienced something extremely special that awakened the magic within her.
Levi glanced at Viktor beside her.
Regarding Henny's situation, he leaned more toward the latter explanation.
At this moment, Viktor spoke, "Duke, may I ask what Erica is doing right now?"
"Henny taught her for a few days before, so she really wants to see her."
Levi understood the meaning behind Viktor's words and then called for a servant.
"Take this lady to Erica's room. She should be studying there right now."
The servant bowed to Henny and gestured for her to follow.
Soon after, Henny went upstairs under the servant's guidance.
Inside the meeting room, only Levi and Viktor were left, along with a one-eyed crow.
With no one else around, Levi spoke, "I don't remember inviting anyone else, so…"
"You should give me a reason."
The crow on Viktor's shoulder pecked at its wings. Viktor stroked the bird's head and explained to Levi, "She is a key part of my plan."
Levi frowned, somewhat confused.
Although he was surprised that someone who used to be ordinary had become a second-rank mage, Henny was still just a normal second-rank mage.
What help could a second-rank mage really provide?
Viktor did not answer that question and simply continued, "Your 'Blessing of Water' was granted by Dozale, right?"
Hearing the name Dozale, Levi immediately became serious.
This confirmed that his thoughts were correct.
Ordinary people did not even know about the existence of Calamities, let alone their names.
But Viktor knew very clearly.
That could only mean one thing. He had been watching the Calamities for a long time.
"How much do you know?" Levi asked.
Viktor looked at him and replied calmly, "The Sea Folk."
Beyond the empire, there existed a very special group of people.
They lived upon the sea and called themselves the "Sea Folk."
Through offerings, they received blessings from the ocean.
These blessings gave those who worshiped the deep sea the ability to breathe underwater and a strong affinity with water elements.
This allowed them not only to live on the sea's surface, but also to reach deeper parts of the ocean.
However, Viktor knew very well.
What they worshiped was not the pure and primitive ocean, but a terrifying existence that lived in the world's deep sea.
Dozale...
The Calamity of Water.
Unlike other Calamities, Dozale was the only one that was openly worshiped by people.
Unlike the others, it was well-fed, well-provided for, and effectively immortal.
Because the Sea Folk needed Dozale's blessings.
With Dozale's blessings, the Sea Folk lived freely beneath the sea.
The vast ocean was full of "treasures." Just occupying a small part of it was enough for them to live comfortably.
That was why the Sea Folk were the most special group of humans.
Because they were the only people who had come into contact with a Calamity and gained power through it.
But...
"The Sea Folk are extremely closed-off."
Hearing Viktor say this, Levi was somewhat surprised.
He had already been surprised when Viktor mentioned the Sea Folk.
He did not expect Viktor to know even this much.
It was as if… he had personally been there.
Levi was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Indeed, just as you said, the Sea Folk are very closed-off."
They strongly disliked outsiders, because those people were not of their kind.
However, they did not reject all outsiders.
Those who possessed water-element magic were treated a bit better by the Sea Folk.
In their beliefs, water was the end of the world itself.
As long as someone could control water, no matter how little, it would be seen as a sign of goodwill.
Levi had been gone for two months precisely because he had gone there.
Through an extremely tempting deal, he obtained the Blessing of Water from the Sea Folk.
And he also secured a spot prepared for his daughter.
Along with the fact that he had visited the Ocean Temple in the past, the Sea Folk had reluctantly made some concessions.
But whether it was the Blessing of Water or the inheritance of the temple, neither could compare to the true origin of a Calamity.
And defeating Dozale to take its origin was obviously no easy task.
With so many Sea Folk around, they would never agree to it.
Viktor smiled and said, "I won't negotiate with them."
He still remembered what the Sea Folk actually worshiped.
What they offered, in truth, was something Dozale did not even need.
"But at the beginning, I still need to get close to them."
That was why Viktor planned to bring Henny this time.
Any intelligent being found it hard to resist Henny's charm.
Including the Sea Folk, who were still human.
Listening to Viktor's plan, Levi understood part of it. Leaning back on the sofa, he asked, "I understand. What do you need me to do?"
"Just bring your daughter," Viktor said calmly.
"She is the key that will draw the Calamity out."
Levi narrowed his eyes.
"Of course, I will ensure her safety."
Hearing this, Levi lifted his teacup.
"It seems that aside from this, there isn't much else I need to do."
"The influence of an imperial duke is still very necessary for you," Viktor said as he also picked up his teacup.
"Then, a pleasant cooperation?"
"A pleasant cooperation."
———
Upstairs, Erica was studying in her room.
A sense of crisis pushed her desire to learn.
She had felt this when she saw Aurelian practicing at the academy.
Aurelian's improvement was simply too fast.
Although Erica herself did not fully understand why she felt so anxious, she just did not want to lose to Aurelian.
"Let me see… this spell…"
The stiff wording in the book made it hard for her to understand.
So she did not notice when the door was quietly opened.
Soft footsteps sounded behind her. A slender finger with a pink tint pointed at the page.
"Here, the rune needs to be reversed."
"If you directly use the Rune symbol, the entire formation will become extremely unstable, and the elements won't coordinate."
Hearing the familiar voice, Erica lifted her head.
She met a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
Henny looked at her and smiled gently.
"Long time no see, Erica."