The two of them walked along the cobblestone path, heading deeper into the manor.
All around them were lush, dense pine trees swaying gently in the breeze.
The rustling sound echoed through the air like a poet murmuring verses, brushing softly past their ears.
Liya followed behind Viktor. As she lightly swept her hand across the thick greenery along the roadside, she reported to him, "The batch of weapons mass-produced by our Braeston Armory has already been put into use after Congressman Ryan Kent helped us with the adjustments."
As she spoke, the servants on both sides, upon seeing Viktor, widened their eyes slightly in surprise.
They hurriedly bowed respectfully to the long-absent master of the house.
"Master."
Viktor passed by them calmly, without any reaction.
Liya casually waved at them.
Then she continued speaking to Viktor, "The elves' training has also passed the initial stage. We're having them do internships in our shops and projects in Braeston."
Elves were different from demi-humans. Although most humans looked down on demi-humans, their attitude toward elves was completely the opposite.
After all, this mysterious race mostly existed only in legends. To ordinary people, they were something extremely fantastical.
If someone was lucky enough to get to know an elf, it was something they could brag about for a lifetime.
Sending these elves from the Forest of Elves into the service industry in human society was Liya's strategy.
It would allow them to quickly understand human society in a short time and adapt to the pace of life in the empire.
Once the elves learned human service methods and became qualified employees, they would be able to officially work in Braeston's shops.
For ordinary customers, being served by elves felt extremely surreal.
Not only did it improve the customer experience, it also greatly reduced incidents of trouble in the shops.
After all, many people had heard since childhood from storybooks that you must not anger elves.
Otherwise, it would bring about disasters of nature.
As Viktor listened to Liya's report, he walked out through a small gate of the estate.
The two servants at the entrance opened the door for them and bowed together, "Master, Miss Liya."
Viktor still didn't react, looking straight ahead as he continued walking.
Liya followed behind him, again casually waving to the servants.
Only then did the two servants straighten up and exchange a glance.
After that, Liya continued her report from behind Viktor, "As for the diplomatic relations between the Forest of Elves and the empire we mentioned earlier, it can now be put on the schedule."
This matter had been prepared for a very, very long time, mostly handled independently by the Forest of Elves.
As for the trade goods with the empire, they had been fully prepared over the past few months.
Those free-spirited elves had to learn the etiquette of the empire.
They couldn't let the empire realize at a glance that the noble and mysterious elves in their minds were actually a bunch of beautiful savages who didn't even wear pants.
They absolutely couldn't slack off on this. Otherwise, it would be a slap in the elves' own face.
However, after everything was ready, the elven high priestess Vinea prepared to bring the goods and formally establish diplomatic ties.
In the end, she realized a problem, the Forest of Elves needed a queen to speak face to face with Oberly.
Originally, they did have a queen, as long as nothing unexpected happened.
But in the end, something unexpected did happen.
"Cocotte suddenly hid herself. She hid herself!!!"
When they reached the garden, Liya's voice suddenly rose several levels.
It was so loud that even the chirping birds on the branches were startled and scattered.
A nearby servant who had been watering plants stopped unconsciously at the sudden shout.
Turning toward Liya and Viktor, she bowed respectfully.
"Master, you've returned."
This time, Viktor still gave no response. Even Liya didn't react.
The servant looked at the two of them. It seemed there was nothing for her to do here, so she tiptoed away quietly.
After a while, Liya still didn't hear any response from Viktor.
The emotions she had built up suddenly burst out as she loudly questioned him from behind, "You! Are you even listening to me?!"
Viktor came back to his senses and turned to look at Liya.
"I heard you."
On his shoulder, Vega had been constantly sending him signals, saying there was a very foul stench lingering around.
The closer they got to the center of the garden, the stronger the smell became.
To the point that Viktor had ignored Liya's words.
For something to smell so foul to Vega, Viktor thought about it briefly. There was probably only one possibility.
Still, he needed to see it himself to be sure.
"Better go take a look first."
Hearing Viktor say this, Liya's anger subsided a little.
Viktor stepped on the fallen, colorful petals as he gradually went deeper into the garden.
The further in he went, the stranger the atmosphere became.
What should have been blooming flowers, green lawns bathed in sunlight, and fresh air filled with birdsong, was now completely buried under dense foliage and twisted, tangled thorns.
The surrounding plants were wildly overgrown, as if they had broken free from nature's restraints.
Thorns spread everywhere, their sharp spikes crossing over each other and blocking the path.
Thick walls of grass even blocked out all the sunlight, turning the once bright garden dark and menacing.
Seeing the garden like this, Viktor couldn't help but frown.
Liya glanced at his expression and explained helplessly, "It's been like this for half a month now."
"Every day, more thorns and plants grow. If we're not careful, it fills the whole garden."
"I can only have the servants water and trim the outer edges every day."
Her gaze shifted toward the pitch-black depths, where the thorns couldn't even be cut by human effort.
Even Henny couldn't get in.
She couldn't possibly call Helnarson over just to trim this, right?
Viktor frowned slightly, but his tone remained calm, "You go back first. I'll go in and see what's going on."
"Huh? How are you going to get in?"
Before she could finish, the coat behind Viktor was suddenly covered in a crimson glow.
Molten-like patterns surged across the back of the coat, and the hem seemed to ignite with blazing flames.
Fire burned across his body as he slowly walked into the thorns.
Wherever he passed, the thorns and vines blocking the way were burned away.
In the blink of an eye, they turned into scattered ashes.
After burning away the vines and thorns, the flames would extinguish themselves, not harming the surrounding plants at all.
With each step he took, a crimson footprint appeared, carrying heat and light.
The red and green colors reflected together in Liya's eyes.
She stared blankly at Viktor moving forward without any obstruction, then sensibly shut her mouth.
Right. If even Viktor couldn't get in, then no one in the household probably could.
As Viktor went deeper, the flames on the ground gradually died out.
A breeze rose, scattering the ashes completely.
Seeing this, Liya gathered some courage and cautiously tried stepping forward.
But the lingering heat from the ground rushed up at her. Startled, she quickly stepped back.
That was enough to make her give up on going in.
She could only stand there, watching Viktor's figure gradually disappear.
She couldn't help muttering softly, "Pretty cool…"
Looking into the darkness, where a few traces of firelight still lingered, she seemed a little dazed.
Liya stretched her neck slightly, pouted, and leaned forward to peek inside.
But the residual heat still felt too hot.
She quickly pulled back, shrugged, gave one last reluctant glance, and left.
———
The deeper into the garden, the denser the thorns became.
But none of that affected Viktor in the slightest.
Every place he stepped was covered in flames.
The growing thorns had no chance to survive.
Vega, perched on Viktor's shoulder, even spread its wings to cover its nose. A muffled voice came from its beak, "This smell… it's getting more disgusting."
"This is definitely the one I hate the most."
A demon.
For Vega to show such intense disgust, it could only be a demon.
"Demons attract each other."
"Maybe because of Leighton, another demon showed up."
With his hands in his pockets, Viktor continued calmly toward the depths of the maze.
The garden had become so dense it was like a forest labyrinth, making it hard to tell the path.
Sunlight couldn't reach inside. Only darkness grew freely among the thick leaves and thorns.
It was as if something terrifying was hidden in the deepest part.
But Viktor paid no attention to the walls of plants and thorns.
No path?
Then he would just make one.
Flames ignited in the middle of the plant wall and gradually spread.
When they expanded into a ring large enough for a person to pass through, the flames slowly died out.
Viktor easily walked through the ashes of the vines and continued inward.
This time, he stopped.
After passing through the plant wall, the space around him suddenly opened up.
Thick brown wooden vines twisted across the ground, writhing like living things, occasionally swelling.
The flames illuminated the darkness ahead, revealing the scene deep within the garden.
A massive flower bud was closed, trembling slightly, as if it were breathing.
Viktor stood there, looking up and down at the pink bud supported by huge green vines.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the bud snapped open with five enormous pink petals.
Inside, an elf lay.
Her limbs were bound by green branches. A thick branch passed through her thighs and arms, wrapping across her chest.
Suddenly, countless vines burst out of the ground, thrashing wildly in the air, chaotic and aggressive.
The ground began to tremble slightly. Thick vines emerging from the soil and man-eating flowers with gaping mouths turned toward Viktor.
Sharp teeth dripped with foul saliva, and long purple tongues slid across their massive petals.
Countless vines and carnivorous flowers intertwined, forming what looked like a massive plant army, waiting for its next feast.
Viktor's lips curled slightly as he muttered, "After becoming a fifth-tier mage, even in sleep you release magic unconsciously?"
The moment his words fell, the red patterns behind him solidified, and a surge of vibrant green replaced them.
In an instant, thick vines rose beneath Viktor's feet, like giant hands tearing open the heavy wall above.
Bright sunlight poured down through the opening, driving away the deep darkness.
As a strong wind blew, a powerful magic circle rose behind Viktor.
At that moment, the power of a fifth-tier mage was fully unleashed.
Viktor kept his eyes on the sleeping Cocotte and gave a faint smile, "But unfortunately."
"I'm fifth-tier too."
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