A faint glow suddenly lit up around Viktor. Thick vines beneath his feet grew at high speed, massive and solid branches bursting out of the ground.
The flower buds turned violently aggressive the instant they sensed danger.
They transformed into long whips, pouring down toward Viktor in overwhelming waves.
Sunlight had just begun to shine overhead, but in the next moment, vines surged upward again, blocking out the light once more.
Within this endless garden, Viktor darted and flashed about, nimble as the wind.
He avoided one solid vine after another as they crashed down and pierced into the earth.
[Wood Spike Prison]
As magic surged, the soil in the garden began to tremble.
From the ground beneath his feet, countless sharpened wooden spikes shot out, viciously piercing through the wildly thrashing vines.
The vines that were pierced instantly lost their connection to the dense magical energy.
They either sank into the ground or hung suspended in the air, completely motionless.
The moment Viktor stepped in, he had already noticed that Cocotte was now sunk in a deep, prolonged sleep.
She had only just become a fifth-tier mage not long ago, and while she slept, the natural magic within her body kept spilling outward.
But Cocotte herself was completely unaware.
Everything had happened in utter silence.
The garden, once wrapped in lush branches and leaves, had begun to grow at an extremely frenzied speed under Cocotte's magical influence.
They quickly covered the entire garden.
But what puzzled Viktor the most was that these thorns and vines seemed to possess consciousness.
They crazily climbed up from the ground, surrounding Cocotte as the center and forming a vast area.
And just like that, a dangerous and dark forest labyrinth stood within the garden of the Clavenna estate.
Viktor raised his gaze. What came at him head-on was a gaping, blood-filled mouth with a long tongue sticking out.
In the blink of an eye, that huge mouth hovered in midair, engulfing half of Viktor's body.
Crack!
The man-eating flower snapped its jaws shut, its sharp teeth slicing Viktor clean in half at the waist.
But what it bit into was a mouthful of petals.
[Blossom Body Illusion]
Viktor, who had been standing in place, shattered into scattered pink petals that drifted through the air.
In the next second, he appeared above the man-eating flower's head.
A cluster of glowing green light began to gather in his palm, [Wood Glowing Blade]
Whoosh!
The light rapidly extended, and the slender blade of magic pierced through the back of the man-eating flower's neck, stabbing out from its grotesque mouth.
Viktor swung it, and the blade sliced through half of the flower's body.
He turned, redirecting the blade, and cut another man-eating flower clean in half at the waist.
Countless wooden spikes burst out from the ground. The falling man-eating flowers were pierced through by more than a dozen spikes, their tongues nailed to the ground.
They struggled a few times before going still.
The glowing blade in Viktor's hand gradually faded. He passed through the vines pierced by the wooden spikes and stopped not far from Cocotte.
Looking at Cocotte, who was wrapped in vines yet still sleeping soundly, he felt a bit helpless. The soil beneath his feet trembled slightly.
If Cocotte's current condition really had something to do with that lazy dog demon, then it would probably be very hard for her to wake up now.
But for now...
Around him, several vines lashed out at high speed.
They quickly wrapped around the enormous flower bud, extending into it and climbing up Cocotte's body.
The coat on his back began to glow faintly. The dense natural aura around Viktor gradually started to disperse.
Countless thick vines rose from the ground, instantly sweeping across the entire center of the garden.
Vines burst from the surrounding soil, surging and spreading throughout the garden.
At that point, a calm voice slowly sounded. In his eyes flickered a glowing green light, sharp and threatening, "Can you return my employee first?"
———
Tap! Tap! Tap!
A light, rhythmic sound echoed along the stone path.
The girl walked forward in high heels, each step sounding like a graceful musical note.
She held a thick ancient book in her arms, and a pair of refined glasses reflected a scholarly air.
Sunlight fell over her, outlining her upright figure. Her eyes shone with anticipation.
The current Henny looked like a completely different person from before.
Now, she was full of confidence and charm.
The two maids at the entrance blushed when they saw Henny return.
They nervously brushed their cheeks, trying to hide their excitement.
"M-Miss Henny, why did you come back so early today?"
One of the maids gathered her courage and asked.
Hearing the question, Henny's lips curved upward, her eyes lighting up with eagerness.
"I heard at the academy that the professor came back, so I specially took leave and rushed back."
Then she asked another question.
"Where is Professor Viktor right now?"
"The master just went to the garden with Miss Liya."
The maid answered Henny, "You know, only the master can deal with the situation in the garden."
Henny nodded gently at their reply and gave them a kind smile.
"Thank you."
Even though she had now become a third-tier mage and her status was no longer the same as before, Henny still maintained her old manners.
After thanking them, she stepped inside with light footsteps.
The two maids followed the crisp sound of her steps, watching her back.
Their faces flushed, their breathing quickened, and their heartbeats sped up.
It felt like Miss Henny had become more and more beautiful.
Even though her clothes didn't reveal a bit of skin, her upright figure still gave off a strange, alluring charm.
Those bright yellow eyes were like stars, incredibly beautiful.
But it was still work hours. Thinking about such things probably wasn't appropriate…
Feeling the desire rising deep inside, they closed their eyes, hoping the feeling would pass quickly.
Henny walked leisurely along the path toward the garden, her heart full of anticipation.
Ever since she learned at the academy that the diplomatic delegation had returned and the princess had safely gone back to the palace,
she couldn't even focus on classes anymore. She took leave and immediately ran back to the Clavenna estate.
As she ran, a voice that didn't belong to her suddenly sounded in her mind, "Hey, tell me…"
"Do you think big bro will notice that lazy dog when he goes to the garden?"
A small crocodile lay on Henny's shoulder, opening its bloody mouth lazily as it muttered.
After all, that "god" had been following him all along.
Henny let out a soft "Hm?" and gradually slowed her steps.
"Of course he'll know."
She replied to Leighton in an extremely certain tone.
Henny trusted Viktor too much. She firmly believed in his knowledge and sharp perception.
The crocodile was about to say something, but suddenly sensed someone nearby. It turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared.
Feeling Leighton vanish, Henny slowed down even more.
She carefully leaned forward to peek toward the outer edge of the garden, and then she saw it.
A tiger standing upright, holding a watering can and watering flowers…
'A tiger!?'
Henny blinked, then rubbed her eyes seriously.
Looking carefully again, she hadn't seen wrong. It really was a genuine tiger.
This was bad. Had she studied magic so much that she'd gone a bit stupid?
How could a tiger suddenly appear at home, standing on two legs and even using a watering can to water plants?
Its thick fingers gripping the watering can's handle looked quite strained.
Its massive arms made the small watering can look tiny in its grasp.
Henny couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the poor watering can.
The tiger's senses were extremely sharp. The moment Henny carefully observed it, it had already noticed her.
Then the tiger-man turned its head and glanced at her.
In an instant, a sense of danger like being stared down by a top predator shot up Henny's spine, making her shiver slightly.
It was definitely very strong, at least far stronger than her.
But Henny knew this was Professor Viktor's home. There was no way this tiger could have appeared here out of nowhere.
Combined with the fact that Professor Viktor had just returned today, there was only one answer.
She had just been about to step out and greet the fierce-looking tiger.
But Liya hurried over from the other side, as if searching for someone.
At a glance, she locked onto the tiger.
"What are you doing? So you're here…"
Liya looked up at the tall tiger-man and said helplessly, "The flowers were already watered just now. No need to do it again."
"With that time, you might as well trim the extra branches in the flower beds."
The tiger looked down at Liya, carefully set down the watering can, picked up a pair of scissors nearby, and left.
It didn't even glance at Henny again.
Watching the tiger-man leave, Liya sighed.
Turning back, she spotted Henny hiding to the side and froze for a moment.
"Hm? Henny? Why did you come back so early?"
Before Henny could answer, Liya clapped her fist into her palm.
"Oh, right. Since Viktor came back today, it makes sense your side would've gotten the news too."
Quick-witted, Liya answered for her.
Henny looked at the tiger-man's back as he held the scissors, seemingly unsure which branch to trim, and said, "Um… did Professor Viktor bring that back?"
"Ah, right, right, I forgot to tell you."
Liya casually introduced, "It's called Vanilla, a demi-human Viktor brought back from the kingdom."
"Surprising, right? Demi-humans can be like this too."
Looking at Vanilla trimming the garden, Liya said helplessly, "Viktor told me that before sending it back to Braeston, we shouldn't let it stay idle. Just have it do whatever work we assign."
"But honestly, making it work just makes me more tired."
After all, this tiger-man from the forest only knew how to fight. It didn't know how to do anything else.
So whenever Liya assigned it work, she had to keep a constant eye on it to prevent any accidents.
Henny nodded in understanding.
But as she looked at the tiger-man's back, she felt something strange for no reason.
It just felt a bit off.
Liya looked at her and continued, "Oh right, you came back to find Viktor, didn't you?"
The moment she finished speaking, a loud rumble suddenly erupted, echoing throughout the garden.
Both Henny and Liya were startled, covering their ears as they looked toward the source of the sound.
It came from deep within the garden.
The tiger-man continued trimming branches, completely unaffected by the noise.
One hand was behind its back while the other carefully trimmed, like a master gardener shaping plants.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the garden, several thick vines suddenly surged upward, shooting straight into the sky.
The vines swayed and twisted in the air, like frenzied tentacles dancing high above.
The thick vines around the garden spread outward like waves, covering even the originally neat outer vegetation.
Only when the shaking gradually stopped did Liya spread her hands and sigh.
"As you can see."
"He's probably tearing down the garden right now."