NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55: Next Time You Change Clothes, Remember to Close the Door
Early in the morning, Viktor was taking a stroll around the estate.
Having unlocked the Heart of the Sage, he no longer needed to read books to pass the time.
Level one of the Heart of the Sage was now sufficient.
To upgrade to the next level would require reading for 300 hours, which seemed too torturous.
Similarly, with the school blown up, he didn't need to go to work at the academy, leaving him feeling somewhat bored.
Although he often slacked off at school anyway.
He walked through his garden with Vega, treading on a small path covered in pink petals, heading towards the depths of the garden.
As he passed by, he caught a glimpse of a familiar, petite figure from the corner of his eye.
It was Henie.
Henie was almost buried among the flowers, her head bowed beneath various blossoms, occasionally popping up like a lively and beautiful flower spirit.
Focused on her task, she clearly hadn't noticed Viktor.
Viktor didn't greet her either, just glancing at her as he passed by, ready to leave.
But Vega stopped him:
"Hey! Don't go yet, look at her."
Viktor followed the crow's advice, turning his head to look carefully at Henie.
What he saw was quite extraordinary.
In Henie's palm, a small blue magic array had formed.
Water flowed gently, small streams appearing out of thin air from Henie's hand as she used magic to water the flowers.
Viktor: "?"
Vega also blinked in confusion, saying something seemingly unrelated to Viktor:
"Do you... have any male servants in your house?"
Of course not. Viktor liked peace and quiet, so he only brought a few maids from his territory. The mansion in the capital didn't even have a butler.
Viktor understood Vega's implication; succubi couldn't cultivate magical power on their own.
But how could Henie have found someone to be intimate with after just one day?
More importantly, she wasn't that kind of person.
Puzzled, Viktor walked towards her.
Henie was still experimenting with her magic formations, small arrays forming in her hands one after another, like a child who had just received a new toy, joyfully trying out various things.
"What's going on?"
Startled by the question from behind, Henie's magic array dissipated uncontrollably.
Viktor stood behind her, just in time to witness this scene.
He could tell that Henie's magical reserves were very low, like a thin film of water at the bottom of an iron bucket.
Henie, startled at first, turned to see it was Viktor and became very happy.
Seemingly eager to share her current joy, she quickly said,
"Professor! I have magical power now! I can use magic!"
It was clear she was excited and wanted Viktor to praise her.
However, this made Viktor even more confused.
But Henie kept talking:
"I don't know what happened, but after you left yesterday, I felt magical power inside me."
Viktor fell into a strange state of contemplation. Where had he seen such a situation before?
Henie hadn't even appeared as a character in the game, so he naturally couldn't explain this anomaly.
'Could your judgment be wrong?'
This was the only thing Viktor could think of, but Vega just responded:
'I absolutely cannot be wrong.'
The stubborn Vega wouldn't admit to a mistake, because a deity is always right.
Viktor stopped considering it further. He looked down at Henie and nodded, praising her:
"Very good."
He instinctively reached out to pat Henie's shoulder, but seeing her expectant gaze, he hesitated for a moment and placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair.
An intense feeling of happiness surged to her head, and Henie once again felt a warm flow of energy from within.
At this moment, Vega stared intently at Henie.
Highly sensitive to magical power, it sensed an increase in magical energy from Henie's body.
What happened?
Could Viktor's touch on her head increase magical power? Why hadn't Vega felt anything when Viktor stroked its bird head every day?
Vega wanted to investigate this matter thoroughly, but Viktor had already left with it.
Before leaving, Henie happily waved goodbye to Viktor.
After walking some distance, Vega leaned down to Viktor and said:
"Something's not right with her."
"Did you need to tell me that?"
Viktor retorted sarcastically.
From a player's perspective, when a player makes physical contact with an NPC or enters combat, they can see the other's level.
Due to her lack of magical power, Henie's level had always been zero.
But today, the moment Viktor touched Henie, he saw her level was Lv1.
And when his hand left Henie's head.
Pop, she leveled up.
Viktor recalled that he had hugged Henie before leaving yesterday, which also counted as physical contact.
Could Henie's leveling up be related to his physical contact with her?
Vega suggested from the side:
"It might be a coincidence, but I still recommend you try again next time."
Try again?
Imagining Henie possibly coming to him every day for hugs and head pats in the future, and considering her succubus race.
Somehow, it felt a bit strange.
"An innocent succubus, huh?"
Viktor muttered, deciding not to think about it further as he left the garden.
Returning to the mansion, Viktor passed by Lia's room.
The door was slightly ajar, and he curiously peeked inside, just in time to see Lia holding up a gown against herself.
A voice suddenly sounded from the doorway:
"Next time you change clothes, remember to close the door."
Lia: "..."
"Not working so you come to harass me? Are you sick, Viktor!?"
An angry shout came from the room as Lia tossed the gown onto the bed and stomped to the door, fuming.
"I was trying on a gown, a gown! I wasn't changing clothes yet!"
"And why are you still wearing that old-fashioned black coat? Don't you know what we're doing today!?"
Viktor, of course, knew.
To celebrate the victory in the Demon War, Emperor Oberli had set up a banquet for today.
This banquet was unprecedentedly grand, only seen on important holidays or the emperor's birthday.
Nobles with titles, naturally, all had to attend.
Viktor didn't really want to go; he wasn't interested in banquets.
Moreover, thinking about banquets reminded him of the day before he transmigrated here.
Why did he confess to Erica? Was it just a coincidental misunderstanding, or was it deliberately orchestrated by someone? This remained an unsolved mystery.
Of course, there was also the possibility that the original Viktor was simply lecherous.
So, he spoke up.
"Why can't you go by yourself?"
"Don't even think about it, Viktor! Let me tell you, you represent the Kravina family!"
Lia warned, pointing her finger at Viktor's chest.
"Besides, you're the main character of today's banquet. How can the main character not show up?"
Indeed, all the nobles in the capital knew.
This banquet was said to celebrate the victory in the Demon War, but in reality, it was also a signal from the royal family to court Viktor.
The youngest fourth-tier mage, capable of summoning meteors from the sky, single-handedly containing the demons.
This made the entire capital recognize Viktor's powerful and astonishing combat ability.
The emperor would naturally notice Viktor's value as well.
Viktor also knew that although he had declined the emperor's reward last time, it wouldn't work this time.
The emperor's public banquet was meant to publicly reward Viktor and actively convey to the outside world the image of Viktor being on good terms with the royal family.
There was no harm in it anyway, and getting closer to the royal family in advance could be beneficial for Viktor.
He knew that the old emperor didn't have many years left, but before that, Emperor Oberli could still be useful.
"Hurry up and change your clothes. The banquet is at the palace, we need to go in the afternoon."
Lia urged Viktor, looking a bit impatient.
"Why go so early? The banquet doesn't start until evening."
Seeing Viktor still looking relaxed, Lia felt somewhat exasperated.
"I still need to choose a gown, put on makeup, and as your family member, I also need to have an audience with the emperor in advance. Plus, I haven't dealt with this month's financial report from the territory!"
All these things were waiting for Lia to handle, while Viktor didn't have to do anything, free to do as he pleased every day.
In comparison, Lia felt desperate, yet she saw Viktor still standing there, which made her even more frustrated.
"You go change your cloth—"
Before Lia could finish, a bright red flame ignited on Viktor's coat, gradually enveloping him in a circle.
As the flames dissipated, his coat transformed into a black suit.
Specks of red were embedded in the black suit, with crimson patterns tracing along the seams.
On his right shoulder, there were even a few light chains of red crystal, with what seemed like tiny flames floating around.
Lia was stunned for a moment, seeing Viktor in formal attire, and unconsciously started.
"So handsome..."
Lia murmured.
They say clothes make the man. Viktor was already good-looking, and now dressed in formal attire, he exuded an even more elegant noble aura.
Viktor replied without blushing or his heart racing:
"Thank you for the compliment."
Lia's face reddened a bit, and she rolled her eyes, defending herself:
"I meant your magic, it's indeed cool and convenient."
Viktor thought so too.
Magic that could automatically change clothes was indeed impressive.
Guledon's Fire Origin could solidify fire elements into various forms, and this suit was naturally formed from fire elements.
With the Fire Origin, Viktor no longer had to worry about the hassle of changing clothes.
Whatever he wanted to wear, he could wear.
After seeing all this, Lia pushed him out of her room.
"Alright, alright, get out of here. You're ready, but I'm not done yet!"
With a 'bang', the door slammed shut, startling Vega so much that its feathers stood on end.
Standing outside the door, Viktor shrugged, tugged at his suit, looked himself over, and asked Vega on his shoulder.
"Do I look good?"
"The way you change clothes is indeed cool."
...
In the afternoon, Viktor stood in the training ground.
He held an ordinary iron sword in his hand, wielding it with ease.
Each stroke seemed light and graceful; if one didn't know better, they might think he was an experienced swordsman.
That's right, Viktor had started practicing swordsmanship.
Having finished reading books and with nothing else to do, Viktor decided to practice skills from other professions.
As he practiced, Viktor saw Lia running towards him in a hurry.
"Finally found you."
Lia breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with a confused look:
"What are you doing with a sword? Aren't you a mage?"
Viktor didn't explain much, just sheathed the sword and hung it back on the wall, turning to face Lia:
"What's the matter?"
Lia's expression didn't look good as she quickly said:
"You'll have to go to the banquet alone."
"I need to return to the territory in advance."