Those dark green snake eyes burst with two sharp and cold gazes like arrows, seeming to carry invisible chill and danger.
Erika felt the piercing sharpness from Sephiroth, as if she had been fixed in place.
She couldn't help swallowing, feeling her heart pound as blood rushed upward into her brain.
This was a kind of... indescribable pressure.
She was already a third-rank mage.
Even some veteran mages might not be at her current level.
But under the gaze of this unfamiliar woman before her, she didn't know how to respond.
It felt like being stared at by a venomous snake hidden in the forest.
Her body didn't dare move.
As long as she moved even slightly, this snake lying in wait would viciously strike a fatal spot.
There was absolutely no chance to resist.
Bang!
A sudden dull sound interrupted Erika's thoughts.
She abruptly came back to her senses. The cold wind lightly blew past, making Erika feel a little cold.
She took a hurried breath, feeling the damp chill on her body. She had already been soaked in cold sweat.
'What just happened?'
Erika quickly looked toward Viktor and Sephiroth.
She saw Sephiroth suddenly clutching her head with both hands, crouching down in pain.
Viktor stood behind her, one hand hanging over her head, his fist clenched tight.
The pressure that had wrapped around her earlier had completely disappeared, and even the piercing cold gradually faded away.
Erika finally recovered, her face turning slightly red as blood returned.
Looks like Professor Viktor had just punched her.
At this moment, Viktor withdrew his hand and looked at Sephiroth crouching from pain as he calmly said, "Apologize."
Along with that cold voice, the atmosphere around them gradually became even colder.
Feeling the atmosphere starting to turn wrong, the recovered Erika hurriedly spoke up, "N-no, it's fine."
But Viktor seemed not to hear Erika's words, still coldly staring at Sephiroth crouched down.
"Apologize."
Sephiroth also recovered and stood back up.
Although she had just taken a punch, looking at her expression that lacked emotion, it was as if nothing had happened just now.
Those dark green snake eyes had also returned to calmness.
She could freely control that aura, but the faint sense of danger was still there.
And she listened to Viktor's words, bowing to Erika in apology, "I'm very sorry, but that was a necessary protective measure."
"If it happened again, I would still do the same thing."
"Uh..."
Erika's voice paused slightly as she briefly examined Sephiroth before her.
This woman gave her a very strange feeling.
She clearly looked human, but the feeling she gave off was like a beast imitating a human.
But due to the current situation, Erika suppressed the doubts in her heart and didn't ask the question.
But while she was curious, Viktor coldly glanced at Sephiroth again and said coldly, "Remember this. I never need your protection."
"You don't need to do something like this again in the future."
Hearing Viktor's words, Erika felt even more... uncomfortable.
The previous Professor Viktor had also treated people coldly, but he would never give this kind of feeling.
It was like... he was ordering a tool, a machine.
Even more frightening was that after hearing those words, Sephiroth didn't say anything else.
She merely lowered her head and processed Viktor's information.
Then she calmly responded, "Understood."
Sephiroth's attitude made Erika widen her eyes.
She couldn't help beginning to think.
'What exactly... Is the relationship between these two!?'
'Wait, this kind of behavior, wasn't this...'
'Train...ing!?'
When this word uncontrollably jumped into Erika's mind, her cheeks instantly turned red.
Her hands trembled, her face burned hot, unable to suppress her absurd thoughts.
'Professor Viktor is this bold?'
'Doing traini... no, wait!'
Erika couldn't believe Professor Viktor could actually do something like this.
In another half year, Erika would become an adult.
Although she had never experienced this kind of thing, she had at least heard about it before.
But when she thought about Professor Viktor doing this kind of thing, she felt both curious and unable to suppress a faint anger.
'How could Professor Viktor do this! He already has a fiancee!'
'No, I have to ask clearly!'
Thinking this, Erika stuttered as she spoke to Viktor, "Pro-Professor Viktor, you..."
"It seems you have something you want to say to me."
Before Erika could finish speaking, Viktor had already interrupted what she was going to ask next.
He looked at the slightly stuttering Erika, and his tone seemed to carry some confusion.
Maybe because Viktor suddenly interrupted her, Erika paused slightly.
She suddenly felt asking so directly definitely wasn't good, so she quickly changed her words, "Ah, yes! I do have something I want to talk to you about."
Viktor nodded, turned to look at the towering mage tower, and calmly replied, "Then let's go inside and talk."
As soon as he finished speaking, Viktor stepped first into the teleportation array in front of the mage tower that had already been activated.
Sephiroth followed closely behind him like an attendant.
The blue magic array wrapped around the two of them as glowing blue ripples passed over their bodies.
Along with the activation of the array, Viktor and Sephiroth turned into two faint points of light and disappeared from where they stood.
The teleportation array still glowed, seemingly waiting for the next person to enter.
Watching the two disappear, Erika's head buzzed and her mind became a complete mess.
'Professor Viktor... actually brought an unfamiliar woman into his mage tower!?'
She didn't even dare imagine what they would do if she weren't here.
'And what did that woman just say...?'
"Professor Viktor... belongs to her?"
'This...'
Erika quickly shook her head, throwing all those subtle thoughts out of her mind.
No no, Professor Viktor couldn't possibly do that.
She must just be too sensitive because she hadn't seen Professor for so long.
She hurriedly approached the teleportation array leading into the mage tower, also turning into a blue point of light as her body slowly dispersed.
———
Click!
Erika pushed the door open and entered.
Stepping onto the soft fur carpet, a rustic and peaceful wooden scent drifted into Erika's nose.
She raised her head and saw Viktor sitting leisurely in a chair.
Sephiroth, wearing a robe, quietly stood behind Viktor, giving off a faint dangerous aura.
The moment Viktor saw Erika enter, he casually waved his hand.
A chair automatically floated over and settled behind Erika.
"Thank you, Professor."
After politely thanking him, Erika sat down in the chair.
Then the teapot on the table floated up, automatically poured a cup of water, and floated it before Erika.
She calmly accepted the cup, blew on it, and carefully took a sip.
She had run all the way here just now, so she really was somewhat thirsty.
Aside from inside the teaching building, teleportation magic was forbidden in other areas of the academy.
Otherwise, she could have directly teleported to Professor Viktor's location with one teleportation spell.
After taking a drink, she cleared her throat and faced Viktor with a serious expression as she said, "It's like this, Professor Viktor."
"You still remember the Lesser family, right?"
Viktor nodded.
Of course he remembered them. After all, the current influence of the Clavenna family was thanks to the Lesser family.
Reputation, elves, weapons, all of these more or less came from the Lesser family.
It could be said that the entire Lesser family were great benefactors.
At least to Viktor, that was true.
So when he heard the Lesser family name, Viktor thought this family had come to do charity work again.
But Erika looked extremely serious.
"If it were just other members of the Lesser family, I wouldn't have come to notify you."
"But this time, it's the head of the Lesser family who has returned."
Viktor narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned back a bit.
The Lesser family head, the father of Jess Lesser and Devon Lesser.
The husband of Lady Cassana, the old emperor's younger sister.
It was said this family head was a genius.
The City of Advancement, Tiepoh.
This technological city that appeared during the medieval age had been proposed by him and personally established by him in the end.
It was said this Lesser family head had originally just been an ordinary merchant.
Nobody knew how he managed to marry the emperor's sister and gain royal support.
From then on, he displayed endless talent.
Under his economic management, the Lesser family quickly became the wealthiest family in the Calencia Empire.
The economic lifeline of the entire southern empire was almost completely grasped in the Lesser family's hands.
It could be said the Lesser family head was like the god of commerce in the Calencia Empire.
Only later, he left the empire and went somewhere nobody knew.
And now, he had actually returned?
Viktor raised a brow, gaining some interest.
Although the Lesser family's influence had indeed declined quite a bit now, that was only compared to the Clavenna family.
They controlled the southern empire's economic lifeline and also had connections with the royal family.
No matter what, the Lesser family couldn't possibly have fallen that far.
"So?"
Viktor looked deeply at the serious-faced Erika.
And Erika continued, "My father said that some time ago, while you were away from the empire visiting the kingdom, the second prince went to Tiepoh."
"It seems he went to find the eldest prince."
The meaning Duke Levi wanted Erika to pass on to Viktor was very simple.
Simply put, the Lesser family supported the eldest prince, and the second prince had gone looking for the eldest prince.
And it just happened to be during the time when Aubrey personally said he wanted to pass the throne to Princess Aurelian.
Although it was only spoken verbally at the time, it was still something Aubrey personally announced in front of many nobles.
Even if it had been casually spoken, the impact was still enormous.
Although Viktor and Aurelian left after that matter was discussed.
The empire had not been peaceful during the month after they left.
There were definitely not few nobles supporting the eldest prince and second prince.
Some people had even gambled all their family's wealth on it.
If they really willingly watched Aubrey hand the throne over to the princess so easily, then all their efforts would end in complete failure.
So those nobles persuaded where they should persuade, spoke where they should speak.
Telling the emperor not to rush the matter of succession and wait a bit longer.
The emperor's health was still strong, so there was no need to hurry deciding on an heir.
Besides, how could the throne possibly be passed to a princess?
After so many years, the empire had never had an empress.
Some ministers had even started hunger strikes in protest.
And now, even this head of the Lesser family was about to return to the royal capital.
Clearly, everyone was resisting the matter of passing the throne to the princess.
After hearing all this, Viktor thought for a moment, then couldn't help finding it somewhat amusing as he said, "So the second prince went to seek cooperation with the eldest prince?"
"He doesn't want the throne anymore?"