Chapter 41: My Brother-in-law, Please Help a Little—!
The question from the purple-haired woman before her made Erika sowhat uncomfortable.
She didn't know who this person was. There was a mysterious air that radiated from her.
Instinctively, Erika didn't want to answer.
Besides, she couldn't let her father find out where she'd gone!
Noticing Erika avoiding Kavra's gaze, Duke Livi's expression hardened several degrees as he interrogated her:
"Erika, did you go to the Academy today?"
Hearing that her father had already guessed, she didn't dare lie. Her voice shrank to the tiniest whisper, like the buzzing of a mosquito in flight.
"Yes……"
"But I didn't go inside the Academy. I ran into soone I knew on the way, so we chatted for a bit, then I ca back."
Hearing that she hadn't ntioned Viktor's na, Duke Livi's expression eased sowhat.
Seeing this, Erika lowered her head and muttered quietly under her breath:
"He's a Duke, a grown man, and still so petty."
"If it weren't for soone bailing you out, you wouldn't still be a Duke right now."
Hearing Erika say this, Duke Livi's expression stiffened. He gave a light cough and pretended not to have heard.
To be frank, Duke Livi felt a little embarrassed himself. Whatever Viktor's motives were, the man had genuinely helped him inside the royal palace.
It was just that Viktor's parting words had truly left Duke Livi feeling extrely displeased.
Sothing about having no choice but to do certain things to Erika.
What did he intend to do? Excuse ?
As a father, his vigilance erupted in an instant. Duke Livi absolutely refused to allow Viktor to do anything improper to his daughter.
Kavra, standing to the side, covered her mouth and laughed softly:
"I've already heard from my sister what happened inside the royal palace."
"But since the Duke is still sitting in that seat, it really wouldn't reflect well to treat a favor owed as sothing deserved."
As for Viktor—whatever his character might actually be—he was still her sister's fiancé, which made him family in a sense.
Of course Kavra would lend him so support.
Caught between the two of them, the Duke turned a deep red, though fortunately the cover of nightfall kept it from being seen.
He closed his eyes, coughed lightly twice, and said offhandedly:
"I'll find a way to repay Viktor."
Only then did Erika lift her head, smiling brightly. She was clearly quite satisfied, and at the sa ti her impression of this elder sister Kavra had risen considerably.
But just who was this person?
Erika put on a curious expression. Duke Livi imdiately noticed his daughter's confusion and made the introduction:
"This is the eldest daughter of the Delin Family—Kavra Delin."
"Delin?"
Erika's mind turned quickly, and she imdiately thought of that beautiful older sister she'd t atop the volcano.
She seed to have the sa surna—Delin.
"So that ans Miss Gwen……"
"Is my little sister."
Kavra smiled, narrowing her eyes.
Erika's mouth fell open, sowhat taken aback.
In Erika's eyes, Gwen was a good person.
The Delin Family was a Knight family, and Knights had always stood for justice.
So this purple-haired older sister before her must also be a good person.
Even if she did seem a little mysterious.
Kavra looked at Erika's face full of sudden realization and asked:
"Erika, can you tell now exactly where you went?"
"And the person you ran into—who was it?"
Erika had no reservations left. She poured out everything that had happened to her that day in one go.
Kavra learned that Erika had gone to the Back Hill behind the Academy, where she'd run into Viktor's Teaching Assistant.
The rest was the sa as what Erika had said before.
"Oh? Viktor's Teaching Assistant?"
Kavra thought for a mont, then smiled warmly and patted Erika on the head, like a gentle older sister.
"Thank you, Erika. But for the next few days, don't go sneaking off to the Academy."
"Duke, you have a wonderful daughter."
Kavra offered Erika one last complint, then took her leave with a smile.
Her purple hair, veiled beneath the night sky, looked so bewitching—gradually swallowed by the darkness as she boarded her carriage and departed.
Erika was still a little puzzled.
Why had Gwen's older sister asked her all of those things?
And why wasn't she allowed to go to the Academy?
She very much wanted to ask more, but the mont she turned around she was t with the Duke's dark expression.
"Erika, co inside and explain to —what were you doing sneaking off to the Academy?"
Erika imdiately wilted.
***
Early the next morning, a gloomy atmosphere hung over the Royal Magic Academy.
The sky was overcast, the air heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.
Many people felt a flicker of fear when they saw Viktor walk into the Academy.
Viktor had made quite a na for himself yesterday.
Dragging Dewen Rether—a living, breathing person—on a tour of nearly the entire Academy had already spread like wildfire through noble circles.
Many nobles were intensely interested in the feud that had ford between Viktor and the Rether Family.
And the disappearance of Dewen Rether had sent the Rether Family into a fury overnight, loudly declaring they would co to Viktor for answers.
Then? That was the end of it.
The Rether Family acted as though they only dared to talk big—tossing out a few words to make their stance known.
Yet the very next morning, Viktor strode into the Academy without a care in the world.
He went back to the Mage Tower, dragged Professor Dewen out.
And tossed the half-dead Dewen Rether directly into the Academy plaza, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
The incident spread like wildfire among students and faculty alike.
Word passed from 1 to 10, from 10 to 100. Drawn by the news, no small number of people made their way to the plaza to see for themselves.
Before long, the plaza was packed so tightly not even water could have passed through.
After all, so hadn't witnessed it firsthand yesterday—they'd only heard the accounts.
As for the truth, it still needed to be verified. What if it had been exaggerated gossip?
Many hadn't taken it seriously.
But today was entirely different. Today, they were seeing it with their own eyes.
Those who had co to investigate after hearing the rumors were left frozen in shock on the spot.
To hell with rumors!
This was absolutely unbelievable!
No one knew how this poor Professor Dewen had managed to get on Viktor's bad side.
Beneath that overcast sky, the Academy plaza had taken on the feeling of an execution ground. Viktor kept Dewen strung up in the plaza for the entire morning.
Throughout, everyone simply watched.
No one dared say a word to Viktor—not even the handful of 3rd-Tier Mage professors from those few notable families.
Just as Dewen had done to Heni—a public humiliation.
In truth, after Viktor did this, once the Principal failed to appear for so ti, everyone understood what the Principal ant.
To let Viktor vent.
Besides, the cautionary example of Professor Dewen was still hanging right there in plain sight.
No one was willing to take Dewen's place and provoke Viktor into becoming the 2nd person strung up there.
Finally, noon arrived.
The sunlight had not broken through the clouds as everyone had hoped.
Clop—clop—clop—!
A crisp sound of hoofbeats drew slowly closer, drawing the attention of everyone present. Viktor lifted his head as well.
The Knight Company had arrived.
Led by Gwen at the front, the Knight Company commanded several hundred Knights, forming a periter around the Academy.
At this, the gathered crowd automatically parted to clear a path.
Gwen, clad in silver-white armor, led the column of Knights inside with an air of formidable composure.
She looked at Viktor, her eyes carrying a terrifying edge.
"Viktor Clavena, do you know what you're doing?"
"Deliberately injuring soone on Academy grounds—are you showing contempt for the Empire's laws!"
Gwen addressed Viktor with righteous conviction, her eyes carrying not even a trace of personal feeling.
As a Knight of justice, even if the one who had committed the offense was Viktor—her own fiancé—Gwen would absolutely not, and absolutely could not, turn a blind eye.
Viktor looked at Gwen quietly and asked:
"Did the Rether Family send you to rescue him?"
Hearing Viktor's challenge, Gwen replied calmly:
"The Knight Company answers only to His Majesty. We do not follow the orders of anyone else."
Viktor had already broken the law, and the repercussions were severe.
As a Knight, she had to uphold the nation's laws. She had to take Viktor away.
Yet her hands wouldn't stop trembling.
She had indeed received the call for help from the Rether Family, but in truth, this task didn't require her to personally lead the unit.
Yet she had co anyway, because the one who had committed the offense was Viktor.
Leah had told her—this ti, Viktor might have committed a grave cri.
Leah had many informants, and the mont Viktor provoked the Rether Family, she had found out imdiately.
Who was Dewen Rether? He was the Emperor's nephew.
And this matter—Leah had also inford Gwen, who had known nothing of it.
Even if Viktor had stopped the volcanic eruption not long ago and earned a great rit.
And even if Viktor was a 4th-Tier Mage.
Under normal circumstances, the Emperor would not casually deal with a powerful figure of the Empire like that.
But the person Viktor had laid his hands on was an imperial relative.
Gwen didn't dare gamble on whether the Emperor would punish Viktor severely. So she had co in advance to take Viktor away herself and lock in the charge of deliberate assault.
That was the only way to protect Viktor to the greatest possible extent.
"Viktor! Don't resist! Don't act impulsively!"
She used these words to try to hint to Viktor, trusting that with his level of intelligence he would surely understand.
Indeed, that final word—impulsively—caught Viktor's attention.
He looked at Gwen. There wasn't much of an expression on his face, yet Gwen still sensed that he had visibly relaxed.
Just as she was beginning to feel that Viktor would trust her and let himself be taken away without a fight.
Thoom—
A deep, pitch-black barrier rose suddenly from the ground, swiftly enveloping the entire Academy.
The already overcast sky turned even blacker—surpassing even the darkest night by half, as though ink had spilled from the heavens themselves.
Beneath the barrier, everyone was suddenly washed over by a wave of weakness and drowsiness.
Gwen felt it too. She even noticed that her own strength had diminished sowhat, and her heart felt a hollowness seeping through it.
Her Heart of Justice had lost its effect.
Those present assud it was Viktor who had deployed the Magic Formation, and when they looked up, Viktor himself seed to have lost so of his commanding presence.
If Viktor had truly done it, no one would have noticed when the Magic Formation had been laid.
This conspicuous.
It didn't make sense.
Viktor raised his head. As his eyes traced the barrier, a flicker of surprise and admiration appeared within them.
Weija, in particular, had its eyes wide open. Its voice sounded only in Viktor's ear:
"What an extraordinary compound Magic Formation."
"She, capable of using magic—perhaps she is a true genius."
Viktor replied to it in an equally quiet voice.
"Indeed."
"It seems the ti has co."
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