Duke Levi glared at Viktor in silence and left without another word.
As for Viktor, from beginning to end, he never intended to explain anything.
Helping Duke Levi was just something he did conveniently along the way. Although he did indeed need the duke's family power for certain purposes, there was no need to tell Duke Levi about that.
Viktor already had someone better in mind.
He waited for a while outside the city gates, and before long, Gwen came running toward him.
She looked as if she'd been chasing someone, her expression flustered. When she saw Viktor, she finally stopped.
"I've been waiting for you."
He said it as though he had known all along that she would come looking for him.
But Gwen didn't have any pleasant expression to show him.
"Don't you have anything you want to explain to me?"
Viktor noticed that many mages nearby still hadn't left, and were all looking in their direction.
"I'll tell you later," he said.
He motioned toward her, hinting that this wasn't a good place for personal conversations, that it was better to talk in private.
Gwen understood his meaning and nodded.
"Come on my carriage then."
"Alright."
Without thinking much of it, Gwen agreed.
The two of them walked side by side to the carriage. Viktor reached out a hand toward her.
Gwen didn't understand what he meant and froze for a moment.
Seeing this, Viktor shook his head and explained, "When inviting a lady, this is a basic courtesy."
"What a troublesome courtesy," Gwen muttered in complaint.
Without even noticing the strange glances coming from the people around them, she placed her hand in Viktor's.
Under Viktor's guidance, the two of them boarded the carriage together. The door closed, and soon the carriage drove away.
Viktor looked out the window, watching all the complex expressions on the people's faces with great satisfaction.
Then, he drew the curtains shut.
No doubt, after this meeting, public opinion would once again shift in a certain direction.
He turned his gaze back toward Gwen.
But Gwen was the first to take something out from her waist, a small bag.
"This is what you wanted."
She handed the bag to Viktor. He looked confused but still took it.
Opening it, he saw all kinds of red crystals of varying shapes.
He suddenly remembered the reason he had once mentioned to Gwen.
Viktor was surprised, he hadn't expected her to actually remember those details.
He indeed needed these things to craft some special magical items, though that had only been a secondary concern.
When he'd left the volcano, he'd regretted not collecting more of them, but it hadn't really mattered.
Yet now, Gwen had actually gathered some for him.
A warmth rose in Viktor's heart, but since he wasn't a sentimental person, he simply placed the bag into his inventory.
"Thank you."
Gwen looked at him, amused, her tone a little teasing.
"Didn't expect you to actually know how to say thank you."
"Now then, it's your turn to explain."
Viktor nodded.
"I've already said everything before the emperor," he said. "You were there too. You should know whether I was telling the truth."
Gwen said coldly, "You should know I'm not asking about that."
She had grown up with Viktor. If he were truly kind enough to stop a volcanic eruption just to save everyone's lives, she would never believe it.
From childhood, Viktor had always shown his cold, calculating side.
When it came to necessary sacrifices, even if it meant an entire town perishing, he would still choose whatever brought him the most benefit.
"Then what was your goal in causing the volcano to erupt?"
"My goal…" Viktor thought for a moment.
Why had he gone along when he heard Gwen was heading for the volcano?
He could've gone by himself later.
Without the knights following, he could've acted more secretly, finished everything quietly.
By the time the capital found out, it would've all been over, without causing such an uproar, or dragging half the empire's third-tier mages into the mess.
But still…
"Maybe because of you."
"Because of me?" Gwen froze, even her Heart of Justice trembled slightly.
Under that heart's gaze, she could tell Viktor wasn't lying.
Which meant, he truly thought that.
'Wait, if it was because of me…'
He had gone alone to the mouth of the volcano just to challenge the beast within, for her?
Gwen couldn't make sense of it. Did Viktor think she might be in danger?
That Viktor, thinking like that…?
Her hand moved to her chest, feeling her heartbeat quicken.
Even with her emotional dullness, she couldn't help but start to guess.
Could Viktor possibly… like her?
Otherwise, how could any of this make sense!?
He'd heard she was going to a dangerous place, rushed there in the middle of the night just to go with her, stayed in the same room, fulfilled all her unreasonable requests, and to prevent danger atop the volcano, had gone ahead to subdue the beast below by himself,
"This, this…"
Her rational mind told her not to think like that, that it was impossible for Viktor to like her.
He was such a selfish man…
But her Heart of Justice never lied.
'If he really likes me… then what am I supposed to do?'
Gwen's heart was in chaos.
Meanwhile, Viktor was still lost in his own thoughts.
'Hmm… yes, I suppose it was because of her.'
On one hand, he had wanted to fight the Forge Beast, to test how long it would take to defeat such a creature with his current power.
On the other, Gwen's mission meant she'd be away from the capital for a long time, something dangerous for him.
If she were still within the capital, he could've kept track of her movements through Liya.
But with her heading to the volcano…
Who knew what kind of "opportunities" she might encounter?
Viktor's imagination went a bit wild, what if Gwen accidentally fell off a cliff, awakened the sleeping Forge Beast, fought it, and somehow absorbed some of its power?
That wasn't impossible.
Since Gwen in the game survived all the way to the end, that meant that without his interference, she would've come back safely.
But to prevent his own death ending, he needed to keep her in check.
At the very least, he needed to make sure she stayed under his watch, then he could feel at ease.
So yes, in a sense, he really had gone to the volcano for her.
The two of them each had their own thoughts.
Viktor didn't know what Gwen was thinking, but this explanation should convince her.
After all, it was true enough.
"Do you still have any questions?"
"No… wait, yes. Where have you been these past few days?" Gwen asked suddenly.
That was what she wanted to know most.
Since Viktor's disappearance, everyone had thought he'd fled in guilt. Some even spread rumors that he had died in the volcano.
During those days, the Clavenna family's situation had been terrible.
They were attacked in secret by rivals, and every day, people gathered outside their estate, throwing things into the courtyard.
You could imagine just how many people hated Viktor, so much that even after his "death," they still sought revenge.
It was tough on Liya to have endured it all alone.
"I was injured and went somewhere to heal," Viktor explained.
Technically, he wasn't lying. After three days and nights of battle with Guldon, he had indeed gotten hurt.
The wounds weren't serious, but it was a good excuse for why he'd been gone.
And after the fight, he really had been unconscious for three days and nights.
As long as it matched the truth, Gwen's Heart of Justice wouldn't detect a lie.
"That monster… was it really that strong?"
Gwen couldn't believe that even someone like Viktor could be so badly hurt.
For him to need so many days to recover, it meant the beast's power was truly terrifying.
Then, she suddenly remembered the old woman in Sanchel Town who had said, in the volcano, a god of fire is sealed.
It might just be a myth, but something called a god couldn't be weak.
Viktor closed his eyes and used magic to project the feeling for her.
Red magical energy began to swirl around Gwen.
She felt the world shift rapidly around her, the sky turning dark.
"It's strong," Viktor said.
He shared his experience with her mind.
The temperature in the carriage soared, Gwen could almost see the beast itself before her eyes.
Flames filled the heavens, like a demon god descending.
When Viktor dispelled the magic, Gwen was dazed.
Viktor had actually fought that, for her.
"I… I have no more questions," she said weakly.
"Then I'll take you home," Viktor said.
He cast a spell, first-tier magic, but in his hands it was as simple as a flick of the wrist.
A streak of green energy shot from his fingertips, wrapping around the wheels.
The carriage turned and began heading toward Gwen's home.
That was the privilege of being a mage, no need for a driver, even while riding.
The two of them sat in silence after that.
Before long, they arrived at Gwen's estate. Viktor watched as she got out.
"Oh, right," he called out just before she left.
"Thank you for covering for me before His Majesty."
Gwen turned back, just about to say something, but the carriage had already turned and left.
She stood at the gate, watching him go, her thoughts a tangled mess.
The maids, seeing Gwen step out of the Clavenna family's carriage, whispered among themselves in shock.
"Didn't the young lady hate Viktor the most?"
"She actually came back in his carriage?"
"Could it be…"
The more they whispered, the redder their faces grew,
until a sound of footsteps came from behind.
"What are you all chatting about? If there's something interesting, why don't you let me join?"
The maids turned and saw a smiling woman walking out of the house. They immediately bowed their heads.
"S-sorry, Miss."
The woman still had that same pleasant smile.
"Mhm. Don't slack off during work time."
"Well then, I'll go greet the sister I haven't seen in so long."
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