At this point, Liya still had an extremely serious expression on her face.
Although there was nothing wrong with what she said, Viktor still felt that something was a bit strange.
He sat in front of the desk and quietly looked at Liya.
"So then, the reason you came to see me."
It was already so late. If there wasn't something important, Liya wouldn't have come looking for him.
Viktor knew her habits very well and asked directly.
"Uh, right, right."
"Almost forgot about the real business."
Liya seemed to suddenly remember something and reached behind her waist.
"Take this first."
She took out a small pendant.
The pendant looked like a black sword blade on the outside, small and exquisite, like a gemstone.
The inside was transparent and clear, with decorations on both sides resembling bat wings.
"This was given to you by Gwen's older sister, Kefra. She said it's a special thank-you for what you did in the North."
Viktor lifted a finger, and a stream of white magic emerged from his fingertip.
The magic wrapped around the pendant and floated it into his hand.
Viktor glanced at it casually.
Suddenly, as if he noticed something, he slightly narrowed his eyes and placed the pendant back on the desk.
"And then?"
"She didn't give this to me just to say thanks, right?"
Liya looked at Viktor, seemingly a bit surprised.
"How did you know? She really does have something to ask of you."
"She hopes that you can spend a whole day with her tomorrow."
———
Early in the morning, Viktor watched as Henny, after finishing breakfast, hurriedly left the estate.
With the school term approaching, the academy had assigned Henny many tasks, which made her feel somewhat burdened.
But as an associate professor, Henny knew that these were simply things she was supposed to do.
Still, it was really busy.
Viktor had specifically reminded Henny that during these busy days at the academy, she could stay in the house outside for a few nights.
That way, she could save time on commuting and get more rest.
Second-tier mages still used teleportation magic rather awkwardly. Even Henny couldn't use teleportation frequently.
But Henny was stubborn. No matter what, she insisted on commuting every day, not even taking a carriage.
Relying purely on her two legs.
In Henny's words, it was exercise.
But Viktor knew very well that this was just her own little stubbornness, she didn't want to trouble anyone.
Not long after Henny left, Kefra arrived right on time.
As soon as she entered, she greeted Viktor enthusiastically.
"Yoo-hoo, yoo-hoo~"
"Long time no see, Viktor."
Viktor lifted his hand slightly, and a flash of light appeared behind Kefra.
A chair materialized out of thin air.
But that wasn't all. On the table in front of her, the teacup and teapot seemed to be lifted by some invisible hands, automatically pouring her a full cup of tea.
This whole sequence left Kefra completely stunned.
"Sit," Viktor said, gesturing for her to sit down.
Kefra, of course, didn't stand on ceremony. She sat down opposite Viktor, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
The power of magic really was amazing.
As she drank the tea, Kefra sighed with emotion.
As a demon hunter, she was probably destined to have no connection with magic in this lifetime.
Kefra put down the teacup and smiled at Viktor.
"Viktor, we both know each other well. There's no need for me to hide anything from you."
"You should also know my profession."
Demon hunter, a profession that exists to hunt demons.
Viktor still showed no particular expression. He casually picked up some bird feed and fed it to the crow on his shoulder.
"So then, you said you want me to accompany you for a day. What exactly are we doing?"
Liya had already told him that Kefra had gotten Gwen's permission.
That was why he was curious about Kefra's request.
Although…
Viktor lowered his gaze and glanced at the pendant hanging around his neck. He already had some ideas in mind.
Kefra also noticed the black pendant around Viktor's neck and said cheerfully, "Looks like you don't dislike this gift."
"This is a token of our demon hunters, equivalent to a form of identification."
"Every demon hunter has one, and can only ever have this one."
Kefra straightened her posture and smiled.
"If the owner of this token dies, the demon hunter's power doesn't dissipate. Instead, it condenses inside this pendant, waiting for the next person to inherit its power."
"I am its second owner."
Viktor picked up the pendant and examined it carefully.
Within the crystal-clear black pendant, if you looked closely, there seemed to be flowing patterns that shimmered faintly under the sunlight.
"If that's the case, why didn't you give it to Gwen?" Viktor asked.
Viktor knew that this item could be considered the most precious possession of a demon hunter.
It was also one of the main reasons why the demon hunter system had remained small in numbers yet continued to be passed down to this day.
"This token can only be given to the person most worthy of it."
Kefra maintained her smile, looking directly at him as she continued, "I trust you, because you are Gwen's fiancé."
"And besides, compared to her, you are more worthy of this token."
Viktor quietly listened to Kefra's words, then tucked the pendant inside his clothes.
What Kefra said was still too indirect.
Viktor remembered clearly that in the game, this item had a special name that only players could see.
[Demon Hunter's Life Blood]
This was a quest item, an indispensable item for players who wanted to change their class to Demon Hunter.
And throughout the entire series of class-change quests, players could only ever obtain this one Demon Hunter's Life Blood.
It represented a demon hunter's absolute trust, as well as authority over life and death.
When a demon hunter handed this pendant to someone, it meant that the person holding it had the power to decide that demon hunter's life or death.
As for why Viktor knew this, that was because when players did the class-change quest line, two choices would appear.
The first was, after obtaining the pendant, to choose to kill the demon hunter mentor. Absorb the mentor's remaining power and become a demon hunter.
The second choice was to keep the pendant…
Viktor stopped thinking further about the storyline. Looking at the expectation in Kefra's eyes, he became more focused.
"Since you've given this thing to me, then."
"I'll accept your trust."
———
When Henny arrived at the academy, Safiroth was already standing at the academy gates, having waited who knows how long.
She was still dressed simply, wearing a plain, loose cloak. Her back looked oddly bulky, as if she were carrying two things behind her.
When she saw Safiroth, Henny seemed pleasantly surprised.
"You came so early!"
Hearing Henny's voice, Safiroth slowly turned her head. Seeing Henny, her voice came out with a mechanical pause, slowly forcing out a sentence.
"This is… a promise."
That's right. Yesterday, Henny and Safiroth had made a small promise.
When they first met, it had already been late.
Although they had taken a walk around the academy, there were still many places Henny hadn't had the chance to show Safiroth.
So the two of them made an agreement.
Today, Henny would take Safiroth to properly understand the academy as a whole.
"Let's go in," Henny said with a smile.
Seeing Safiroth standing there blankly, seemingly not yet understanding her meaning, frozen in place, Henny reached out and grabbed Safiroth's hand hidden beneath the cloak.
"Come on, let's go together!"
As the two passed through the academy gates, a dense wave of magical energy suddenly enveloped them.
Henny explained, "The magical power inside the Royal Magic Academy is about three to five times stronger than outside. The magic here is very dense, making it perfect for us mages to practice."
Even though Safiroth sometimes looked like she didn't understand anything at all, Henny patiently explained everything to her without complaint.
"It's still early today and there aren't many people yet. Let's go check out some places that are usually crowded."
After the two left, a transparent Natural Sparrow in the sky had already witnessed everything.
At this moment, Rachel Azure stood at the very top of the mage tower.
Through the window, he looked down at the entire academy, feeling the harmony and beauty of this place under his management.
This always filled him with a sense of pride rising from deep within his heart.
After all, the entire Royal Magic Academy was the life's work of Rachel Azure.
Suddenly, the Natural Sparrow seemed to sense something, and its magic fluctuated.
Feeling that fluctuation, Rachel shuddered violently.
"What's going on?"
For a brief moment just now, he seemed to feel a powerful monster walking straight in through the academy gates.
At that moment, on the desk behind him, a long, green watermelon opened two deep-set eyes.
"Azure, you saw it too, didn't you?"
The watermelon's deep voice sounded. Through the Natural Sparrow, Rachel watched Henny and Safiroth leave.
Then he nodded solemnly.
"Ah… that really is something special. I sensed a familiar scent."
A faint glimmer flashed in Rachel's eyes.
His gaze locked completely onto Safiroth's cloaked figure, as if he could see straight through her.
"That little girl who's like a magical beast."
"She can only be that person's… that 'Defector's' handiwork."
The long watermelon slowly propped itself up and spoke.
"If there's trouble, go ask Viktor for help."
"As a member of the council, he also has the obligation to eliminate the council's 'Defectors'."
After speaking, the long watermelon closed its eyes again and fell silent.
As if it had returned to being an ordinary, harmless watermelon.
Rachel Azure continued to look down through the Natural Sparrow.
The next second, as if sensing another presence, he raised his head.
"The empire's second prince? Owiser?"
"Why is he here?"
———
At this moment, the second prince had just passed through the gates and had also sensed Rachel Azure's surveillance.
Among the empire's upper ranks, Rachel Azure's Natural Sparrow was no longer a secret.
Even so, being watched didn't matter.
He had come here to confirm something in the first place.
"Greed, you're sure, right? You felt that our companion is here."
"Of course, my friend."
Yerm's bubbling voice, like swamp gas rising from mud, slowly sounded by the second prince's ear.
"When my stomach isn't hungry, I never lie."