Inside the wide palace hall, glowing gold from wall to wall, flourishing hanging candles lit up the entire banquet hall.
Gemstones of different colors were embedded into the massive golden pillars. Under the candlelight, they shone with flowing, colorful luster.
Huge curtains fell down from both sides. Straight yet light red drapes stretched from the ceiling all the way down, dragging across the golden floor.
Dark green potted plants hung in midair. Lush branches and leaves spilled out from crystal-like containers, hanging on both sides of the raised platform in the banquet hall.
The vast dome poured the night sky into the hall. The cool evening breeze swayed together with the candle flames.
Soft, flowing music whispered from both sides like quiet angels murmuring nonstop.
In the center of the banquet hall stood an extremely massive nine-layer cake.
Its height almost reached the red drapes hanging down.
Bright candlelight illuminated smiles on every noble's face.
The nobles leaned on their luxurious canes, politely raised their glasses to greet one another, then continued toasting back and forth.
Everyone present knew that the real birthday of the princess was seven days later.
Yet His Majesty held such a grand and magnificent banquet tonight.
Especially at a time when undercurrents were quietly surging.
The Mage Council had always avoided forming ties with any nation.
But because of Viktor's astonishing performance last time, the entire world once again turned its attention to this unusual organization.
Under the gaze of the world, the councilor of the Mage Council, Haim Horn, actually stepped forward and publicly announced to all nations, they were the true orthodox of the Goddess of Justice.
Most countries did not act rashly because of this.
Not even stepping forward to openly support the Mage Council.
After all, the followers of the Goddess of Justice were simply too many.
Even if everyone in the City of Mages joined and became believers of the Goddess of Justice, it would not even create a ripple in that ocean-like base of followers.
The more people chose to stand and watch, the more cautious the nations that followed became.
After all, in this world, it had been a very, very long time since a true god had appeared.
The gods were only recorded in ancient history. Some were even impossible to trace.
Yet the followers of the gods still remained in this world.
For the supreme gods they worshiped, they gathered believers across the entire world.
The Church of the Goddess of Justice was one of them.
Except within the Empire.
The Church of the Goddess of Justice was spread across almost every nation, every corner, every piece of land in the world.
Like rats hiding in the dark corners of the world, they were almost everywhere.
In some places, their sect had even developed a pope to lead the people in following the Goddess of Justice.
After all, this Goddess of Justice was the last god left in the world.
And now, with the church already existing, the Mage Council still dared to step forward and proclaim to the entire world that their claim to orthodoxy was unquestionable.
It made people unsure whether this was taking over someone else's nest, or simply the Council standing with confidence.
In short, at this grand banquet, nearly all the nobles were discussing this matter.
Liya stood side by side with Henny, like two bright stars shining in the crowd.
Henny wore square-framed glasses that gave her a calm look, along with an exquisite black evening dress.
The long black dress was decorated with faint floral patterns, adding a touch of mystery to her appearance.
She wore lace gloves, and a black silk shawl draped over her shoulders. Surrounded by all of this, she looked even more delicate and moving.
Liya stood beside her, elegantly holding a wine glass.
She wore a long white evening dress, its hem slowly dragging across the floor, giving off a cool sheen.
A pair of earrings set with pure red rubies shone brightly, catching the eye.
The thick velvet texture on the shoulders of her dress gave Liya a unique sense of mature charm.
The two had completely different temperaments, yet each was beautiful in her own way.
Within the entire banquet, they were especially eye-catching.
Many nobles' gazes fell upon the two of them, all showing amazement.
Liya smiled and politely greeted the surrounding nobles, like a calm little fish swimming easily through the crowd.
Some nobles' eyes landed on Henny beside Liya and couldn't help staring blankly.
Even their minds seemed to grow dull. They curiously asked, "Who is the young lady beside Miss Liya?"
"Isn't she a bit too beautiful?"
"Hiss..."
When the nobles saw Henny, their cheeks slightly turned red.
When Henny's gaze swept toward them, they hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.
But some, faces flushed red, took a deep breath and suddenly raised their heads, gulping down the wine in their glasses.
They straightened their luxurious clothes, lifted their chests, and prepared to walk over to strike up a conversation with Henny.
Yet after taking just two steps, someone suddenly stopped him.
A middle-aged man rushed over, grabbed the young man's clothes, and scolded in a low voice, "Are you crazy?"
"Dad, don't stop me. No matter what, I'm getting myself a wife tonight…"
"That's a retainer of the Clavenna family. Didn't you see her walking side by side with Miss Liya?"
At that, the redness on the young man's face faded a little, though he still breathed heavily.
But his eyes remained fixed on Henny's charming figure.
"And besides, at her age she's already a vice professor at the Magic Academy. A third-tier mage! Do you think you're worthy?"
The young man froze, doubting he had heard correctly.
"W-what? Third-tier mage?"
"Forget whether she's third-tier or not. Listen carefully. She's from the Clavenna family. Don't you dare provoke them."
The older man glared at him, and the young man shuddered.
Cold sweat instantly ran down his back. He let out a heavy breath from his chest.
That reluctant gaze finally pulled away from Henny as he left.
Recently, Viktor's fame had soared, causing the Clavenna family's visibility to rise rapidly.
Many people even began paying attention to Viktor, who had once been a mere assistant instructor.
Without much investigation, they could easily discover that
this beautiful Miss Henny had only graduated from the Magic Academy a year ago.
At just twenty years old, she had already become a third-tier mage.
Her beauty and intelligence were like the enchanting demons in fairy tales, impossible to resist.
Many nobles kept their eyes on Henny, discussing her background.
"I heard she used to study at the Royal Magic Academy. After graduation, she stayed on as an assistant for a year."
"She studied there before? Why have I never seen her?"
"And she's a retainer of the Clavenna family. To put it bluntly, isn't that basically Viktor's…"
The more they stared at Henny in fascination, the more restless they felt.
'Where on earth did Viktor find so many treasures?'
Liya led Henny through the infatuated nobles, planning to find a quieter place to sit.
After sitting down, Liya secretly glanced at Henny.
More precisely, she lowered her head and stole a glance at Henny's upper body.
'Mm…'
'It really is a treasure.'
When choosing her dress, Henny had compared many styles before finally picking one that revealed less skin.
But this slightly tight dress on her… well… it seemed to be doing its best to show off her proud and graceful figure.
There was a beauty that seemed ready to burst out.
Without a doubt, it attracted even more attention from the nobles.
Not just the nobles. Even Liya felt a little jealous.
No wonder Viktor had always made Henny wear those large robes before. So that guy had been enjoying this view all by himself.
'So this is what Viktor likes?' Liya couldn't help thinking that, then gathered the courage to glance down at herself.
'No good. Can't compare…'
And so, the two sat quietly together.
Liya stubbornly continued comparing in other aspects.
The entire banquet hall felt somewhat quiet in their ears.
But soon, a beautiful figure broke that lonely silence.
Erica stepped into the banquet hall. Her black evening dress featured a thick white ruffled collar that blended perfectly with her golden long hair.
She held Duke Levi's arm as they entered the hall, shining with every step.
She walked with her head held high, her eyes revealing a confidence and nobility by nature.
Calmness and elegance bloomed at the same time, causing countless nobles to gasp.
Eyes followed the sound of admiration back to Erica, and naturally, respectful greetings toward Duke Levi followed.
"Good evening, Duke."
"Good evening, Your Grace."
"Duke."
Duke Levi wore a gentle smile, yet remained steady and dignified as he responded to each noble one by one.
Recently, the Du Croy family had been rising like the midday sun. Their reputation had grown stronger, and Duke Levi welcomed a brilliant period for his family.
Looking at the entire history of the world, the youngest third-tier mage was now Erica Du Croy.
In everyone's eyes, there was only one evaluation of Erica... limitless potential.
There was precedent for this.
Viktor, at twenty years old, had once broken the record as the youngest third-tier mage.
Now, he had also become the youngest fourth-tier mage.
Powerful and famous.
In the eyes of those who did not know the full story, seventeen-year-old Erica naturally would not fall far behind Viktor.
It was just that recently, there had been a few too many magical geniuses in the Empire.
Before, a Viktor suddenly appeared.
Today, a Henny emerged out of nowhere.
Now, there was also Erica Du Croy.
How were geniuses sprouting up like bamboo shoots after the rain?
But thinking carefully, they suddenly realized the most shocking fact.
Whether Henny or Erica, they were all connected to Viktor.
Henny had once been Viktor's assistant, and Erica had always been his student.
So…
Is it still in time to ask Viktor if he's accepting students?
As Erica enjoyed the many amazed gazes, the sound of a cane tapping against the floor gradually approached her father.
Mage Beck smiled and nodded slightly toward Duke Levi.
"Duke, we meet again."
Mage Beck smiled and nodded slightly toward Duke Levi.
Seeing this, Levi patted Erica's arm.
Erica, very sensible, gently stepped back and stood to the side of the Duke.
She bowed elegantly to the approaching Beck and greeted him.
"Mr. Beck."
"I won't disturb your conversation with Father."
After speaking, Erica did not linger and politely turned to leave.
Beck watched Erica walk away and generously praised the Duke.
"Duke, your daughter truly has limitless potential."
Honestly, Beck had never imagined it.
When he saw Erica a few months ago, she had still been a reckless little girl.
Though a second-tier mage, she could only be called talented.
And now, whether in maturity or strength, she had already reached a fitting stage.
Clearly the youngest genius in the Empire, yet still neither arrogant nor impatient.
"I've lived more than half my life and am still stuck at third-tier."
"I never thought your daughter would be just seventeen and already the same as this old man."
At that, Beck laughed loudly and coughed twice.
There seemed to be a hint of envy in his eyes.
"Not at all. She's just young.", Levi waved his hand, sighing slightly.
The two chatted casually for a while, exchanging polite words.
As if suddenly remembering something, Beck leaned closer to Duke Levi and asked softly, "Duke, what exactly is going on with this banquet tonight?"