Chapter 70: The Princess Has Been Kidnapped!!!
Hearing Kavra's question, Gwen fell silent.
It seed that ever since Viktor's audience with His Majesty, Gwen's Heart of Justice had been flickering in and out—gradually losing its effect.
Although Gwen could still use the Heart of Justice from ti to ti to detect whether others were being truthful, the results were far less reliable than before.
She could still occasionally sense when soone was lying, for instance.
But the Heart of Justice that worked one mont and failed the next seed to be sending her a constant ssage.
Could it really be—just because she couldn't stand watching that group of Mages go after Viktor.
Because of the 1 lie she had told in front of His Majesty on Viktor's behalf.
That the Heart of Justice had decided she was no longer just?
Gwen was in quiet anguish, her expression on the verge of tears.
"This is actually fine."
Kavra reached out and patted Gwen on the head, smiling as she offered comfort.
"An ability like that—if it disappears, it disappears."
She looked at Gwen, a flicker of tenderness in her eyes.
Gwen was a child who didn't know how to be flexible.
Perhaps because the Heart of Justice had existed within her since she was small, Gwen had developed an extraordinarily powerful sense of justice.
She couldn't stand the sight of anyone using strength to bully the weak.
Yet in this era, people were sorted into rigid ranks and tiers.
Commoners, as the lowest rung of existence, were simply there to be squeezed and oppressed by nobles like leeks ready for harvest.
But Gwen—with a sense of justice like that—had been born a noble.
Everything she did was misunderstood by everyone around her and treated as the behavior of soone abnormal.
So Gwen had no friends, because no one had ever liked her since childhood.
Not even her own family.
Perhaps because of the Heart of Justice, she not only never lied herself—she would openly and directly point out everyone else's lies as well.
That kind of righteousness was admirable in its own way, but……
It still stood: Gwen was a noble.
Among nobles who thrived on pretense and half-truths, Gwen's behavior was simply wrong.
Even when nobles were exchanging pleasantries wrapped in layers of insincerity, she would call out whoever was lying.
That was never a welco thing among the nobility—especially given that their father held enormous military authority.
And for that reason, their father didn't like Gwen.
He deeply disliked her inability to lie, or perhaps it was her absolute sense of justice—rooted in her heart since childhood—that stood in the way of his own interests.
What he needed was an obedient, sensible heir, and on that front, Kavra's younger brother did a perfectly fine job.
Within the household, Gwen with her ability was like an eyesore nobody could get rid of. Conversations among the adults were always steered around her; everyone kept their distance. Even the servants had to tread carefully around Gwen whenever they chatted among themselves.
Only Kavra—as the eldest daughter of the family—cherished her and watched over her.
As ti passed, Gwen grew older.
A family had no use for a child who served no purpose. Gwen's absolute sense of justice couldn't generate any tangible benefit for the family.
And so, Gwen was sent by her father to train as a Knight.
As a girl, she could have lived a beautiful and graceful life—instead, she ended up becoming a Knight.
It was also because of this that Gwen ca to be engaged to Viktor.
Back then, the forr head of the Clavena Family and her father had been on excellent terms, and would often bring his children along when visiting. It was also around that ti that Kavra first laid eyes on Viktor.
The young Viktor had been insufferably full of himself—he always wore the sa cold, aloof expression, and wouldn't say a single word to anyone regardless of who they were.
And so, their father used the Arranged Marriage between families to bind Gwen to Viktor in an engagent.
That was the story of Gwen's childhood.
So in truth, the Heart of Justice had not brought Gwen a particularly pleasant experience.
Kavra felt that if this ability faded away, that would actually be better for Gwen.
She wouldn't have to be constantly attuned to everyone else's insincerity anymore.
Kavra offered comfort, but Gwen could only respond with a prolonged silence, whatever she was thinking locked away inside.
***
Viktor sat inside the Carriage, feeling the jolts as it rolled over the cobblestone road and passed one shopfront after another—he simply stared out blankly.
Weija lay sprawled across Viktor's lap, dozing. It was absolutely exhausted, always on the lookout for any opportunity to catch up on sleep.
"We're here."
Viktor gave a brief remark.
Weija roused itself and looked out the window.
This was the Imperial Palace.
The servant opened the carriage door. Viktor set Weija on his shoulder and stepped out.
The mont he stepped down, Viktor could already see a row of servants standing in front of the Carriage.
The Palace servants had co to receive him in advance.
Viktor gave them a nod and walked into the group.
The servants calmly escorted Viktor into the Palace, stopping before a small chamber and giving him a nod.
"Lord Viktor, please enter—His Majesty is waiting for you."
Viktor turned the golden handle on the door and slowly pushed open the gilded chamber door.
"Co in, Viktor."
Emperor Aubrey spotted Viktor's arrival and beckoned him over with a smile.
Viktor walked to the Emperor's side and gave a deep bow.
Behind the Emperor stood Auréliane.
"Today is your first day in your post."
"Viktor—don't disappoint ."
Viktor kept his head bowed and responded calmly:
"Your Majesty may rest assured."
Upon seeing Viktor, Auréliane also peeked out from behind Emperor Aubrey, offering Viktor a gentle smile—like a little sprite in the light of early morning.
After their exchange at the banquet the previous day, the 2 of them had grown considerably closer, and Auréliane was no longer as timid when facing Viktor.
Led by servants and guards, Viktor was brought to the Princess's private palace.
He took in the golden walls inlaid with jewels of every color, ice-crystal-like pendants hanging from the beams above, and all around—curtains woven from luxurious silk and silver cocoon thread.
Weija gazed around at the Princess's palace, clicking its tongue in wonder.
"So this is royalty? They're absolutely loaded!"
"Viktor, I'm serious—why not consider marrying this Princess? Then we'd never have to worry about money again!"
Viktor paid absolutely no attention to Weija's suggestion and walked into the palace alongside Auréliane.
The guards at the door stood at the ready, and the servants waited quietly to one side.
After all, the Emperor would naturally never allow Viktor and the Princess to be left alone in a room together.
"Teacher."
Auréliane looked at Viktor and spoke the title for the first ti.
"What are you going to teach ?"
Viktor looked down at her, reading boundless anticipation in her eyes.
Indeed—Auréliane was also very eager to see whether the Empire's youngest genius could offer her sothing different from the dull, diocre Mages who had co before.
A lesson that might actually light sothing up in her.
Viktor bent into a bow before the Princess and extended his hand toward her:
"Your Highness, please give your hand."
Auréliane was slightly puzzled, but she raised her arm regardless and placed her hand in Viktor's palm.
At that mont, a personal guard standing beside her turned a sharp, wary eye toward Viktor.
When Viktor closed his hand around Auréliane's small one, a soft, delicate sensation traveled from his fingertips.
The guard witnessed this and was instantly thrown into a frenzy—her hand actually moved to the hilt of her sword at her waist.
This is supposed to be a lesson—why is he grabbing her hand!?
She had long heard the rumors that Viktor had a thing for minors, but to think he'd dare do sothing like this to Her Highness the Princess!
Yet before she could say a word of warning, Viktor had already released the hand.
Making contact with an NPC allowed Viktor to see the other person's Level.
And Auréliane's Level was—
LV15
Low. Very low.
If Viktor hadn't known what would happen in the future, he would never in a thousand years have been able to connect the Princess standing before him—who looked like nothing more than a decorative vase—with the Eternal Witch she would one day beco.
And at this Level, it seed she could only learn 1st-Tier Magic.
Viktor said nothing. With a single flip of his hand, a gray Magic Formation slowly materialized in his palm.
It bore no overly complex patterns and no obscure Runes—this was simply a slightly uncomplicated spell.
A cloud of black smoke appeared instantly in the air, shrouding the surroundings.
Viktor gave a wave of his hand, dispersing the gray hallucinogenic smoke.
"What do you think—can you replicate it?"
Auréliane tilted her head and thought carefully:
"It's a very novel spell. My previous teachers never taught this one, but……"
She extended her own hand in the sa fashion and, drawing on the mory of what she had just witnessed, carefully traced out the Magic Formation.
After a short while, the Formation in her hand lit up with a hazy gray glow, and a small-ranged cloud of black smoke released itself from her palm into the air out of nothing.
Weija glanced at Auréliane's casting and watched as she seed to reproduce it like a direct copy.
"Interesting."
It was certain Auréliane hadn't known this spell before—the unsteadiness of soone casting for the first ti couldn't be faked.
Although her casting speed was nowhere near Viktor's, she had managed to release the spell after seeing it only once.
Was she genuinely a genius?
Viktor understood now. He switched to another, slightly more complex spell and released it in his hand once more.
This ti, 2 layered Magic Formations appeared in Viktor's hand—the patterns interlocking and intertwining with each other, more complex than before—though Viktor had really only added 1 or 2 extra Runes to the Formation.
"【2nd-Tier Magic: teorite Fragnt】"
A shard of purple rock gradually rose into the air and shot out with a whoosh, plunging hard into the palace floor.
The surrounding space twisted faintly for a brief instant—it only pulled the nearby silver curtains inward toward the center, pinning them to the floor with the fragnt.
The Princess watched, then slowly began replicating the Magic Formation Viktor had constructed.
This ti, it was considerably slower than before.
She tried painstakingly to build it out, and finally—she successfully reproduced the sa spell Viktor had cast, right there in her hands.
The mont the purple teorite erged, the ever-perceptive Weija narrowed its eyes.
A 1st-Tier Mage able to use 2nd-Tier Magic? There's sothing unusual about her Magic Power output.
Nothing strange about it.
Viktor replied to Weija internally.
The talent of the Eternal Witch had already begun to take shape in this mont.
In the ga, she would reproduce any Magic used by others with perfect fidelity, and the sheer scale of her own Magic Power would amplify the power of those spells far beyond their original output.
And the reason she was known as the Eternal Witch—
Was because Auréliane had an outrageously overpowered passive ability.
Eternal Furnace.
The Magic Power she consud when casting spells would be restored as HP at 80% of the amount spent. If her HP was already full, the overflow would convert back into recovered Magic Power.
By the sa logic, when she took damage, 80% of the HP lost would convert into recovered Magic Power. If her Magic Power was already full, the overflow would convert back into HP recovery.
In practical terms, when Auréliane was at full HP, this passive made her spell casting cost only 20% of the Magic Power other Mages would spend.
This outrageous talent made Auréliane extraordinarily resilient in battle, with a rate of recovery that was nothing short of terrifying.
On top of that, the power behind her spells was enough to send a chill through anyone.
In gaming terms: tanky as hell, and hits like a truck at the sa ti.
Although her Magic Power was still fairly limited at this stage, being a 1st-Tier body already capable of casting 2nd-Tier Magic was absolutely absurd.
But it wasn't hard to see—the Emperor had been telling the truth.
Auréliane was a genuinely terrifying genius. The reason those Mages could only last 3 days teaching her before giving up was now perfectly obvious.
She was too absurd. There was no continuing.
She could learn any spell after watching it just once—keep teaching her, and she'd end up walking away with every last trick they had.
Viktor applauded. Unlike the other Mages who feared Auréliane's terrifying talent and didn't dare continue teaching her, Viktor was rather fond of a student this effortlessly easy to work with.
He didn't even need Weija to explain the principles behind a spell and relay it to her.
Viktor asked:
"Auréliane—how many spells do you already know?"
Auréliane thought carefully for a mont and quickly gave Viktor her answer:
"Mm……roughly? I've lost count."
There had been quite a few Mages who had served as Auréliane's teachers over the years, and practically every spell they had taught her had been copied and retained by Auréliane.
Viktor gave a nod:
"In that case—when it cos to Magic itself, there's nothing left for to teach you."
Auréliane was taken aback. She looked up at Viktor in disbelief.
"But……Father said you are the Empire's youngest genius Mage. If even you can't teach ……"
She didn't finish the rest of that sentence.
Whenever she thought back on how those Mages had looked at her.
That expression of disbelief—as though they were looking at so kind of monster.
Auréliane always felt deeply upset.
And now, Viktor was also not planning to teach her?
A faint, stifling feeling settled in her chest.
But then, Viktor's voice followed:
"From here on, we skip straight to real combat training."
Auréliane raised her head in a daze, not quite grasping what Viktor ant yet.
But before she could think on it any further, a blue Magic Formation had already taken shape beneath her feet at so point without her noticing.
The terrifying surge of Magic Power caused the air all around to tremble and shudder ceaselessly, and howling gales filled every corner of the palace.
The pendants and curtains were thrown into a frenzied, wild dance by the wind.
The violent air pressure naturally sent Auréliane's hair whipping through the air as well—and the guard at Auréliane's side was blown out of the Magic Formation's range by a powerful gust, slamming hard into the golden wall.
"Your Highness!"
She had barely gotten those words out when the Magic Formation blazed to life and swallowed everything in light.
The next second—
Bwoomp!
When the light faded, the guards and servants scrambled to their feet and looked around. Not a trace of either figure remained anywhere in the palace.
What the—!?
Where was the Princess?
"The Princess! Viktor has kidnapped her!"
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