Duke Reeves glared at Victor and left without saying a word.

As for Viktor

Throughout the entire process, he didn't try to explain anything.

Helping Duke Reeves was just a side effect; although he did need the Duke's power to do something, there was no need to tell Duke Reeves that.

Viktor has better options.

He waited outside the city gate for a while, and soon Gwen came running over.

Gwen was in such a hurry, as if she were chasing after someone, that she stopped when she saw Victor.

"I've been waiting for you."

He spoke to Gwen, who was rushing to him, as if he knew she would come looking for him.

But Gwen didn't give Viktor a friendly look.

"Don't you have anything to explain to me?"

Victor noticed that there were many mages around who had not yet left, and they were looking in their direction.

"We'll talk about it later."

Victor suggested that since Gwen was in a crowded and chaotic place, it would be better to tell her some things privately.

Gwen took his hint and nodded.

"Get into my carriage."

"good."

Gwen agreed without much thought.

The two walked side by side to the carriage, and Victor stretched out a hand to Gwen.

Gwen didn't understand what he meant and paused for a moment.

Seeing her like this, Victor shook his head and explained, "This is a necessary basic etiquette when inviting a woman out."

"Troublesome etiquette."

Gwen grumbled, oblivious to the strange looks around her, and placed her hand on Victor's.

Led by Victor, the two boarded the carriage together, the doors closed, and the carriage quickly drove away.

Viktor looked out the window, and he was quite satisfied with the various complex expressions on the faces of those people.

Only then did he close the curtains.

This meeting will likely give tomorrow's public opinion a new direction.

He turned and looked at Gwen again.

Gwen, however, was the first to take a bag out of her waist.

"Here's what you wanted."

She handed the bag to Viktor, who was a little puzzled, but took it nonetheless.

Upon opening it, one finds various kinds of red crystals of different shapes.

He suddenly remembered the reason he had given Gwen before.

Victor was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Gwen would still remember these things.

He does need this kind of thing to make some special magical items, but these are just side projects.

When he left the volcano, he felt a little regretful that he hadn't collected any more, but it didn't matter anymore.

Unexpectedly, Gwen actually collected some of them for him.

A warm feeling rose in Victor's heart, but he wasn't the type to be sentimental, so he put the bag into the player's backpack.

"Thanks."

Gwen glanced at Viktor with amusement, her tone laced with sarcasm.

"I didn't expect you to actually say thank you."

"Now, it's your turn to explain."

Viktor nodded and said:

“I have already said everything to the Emperor.”

“You were there too, so you should know whether what I’m saying is true or not.”

Gwen suddenly said to him coldly:

"You should understand that this is not what I want to ask."

She and Victor grew up together. If Victor was so kind that he wanted to stop the volcanic eruption to save everyone, then...

Gwen absolutely did not believe it.

Viktor displayed his cold-blooded side from a young age.

If he had to make a necessary choice, even if it meant sacrificing the lives of an entire town, he would choose to pursue his own interests.

"What is your purpose in triggering the volcanic eruption?"

"The purpose..."

Victor thought for a moment, wondering why he was prepared to go with Gwen when he heard that she was going to the volcano.

He could have gone alone later.

Without the Knights' assistance, Viktor could perhaps have accomplished all of this even more discreetly.

By the time the capital was discovered, everything was already over.

It wouldn't have caused such a huge uproar, even dragging all the third-tier mages in the capital into this mess.

but......

"Perhaps it's because of you."

"Because of me?"

Gwen was suddenly stunned, and even her sense of justice trembled slightly.

Under her watchful eye and with her sense of justice in mind, Gwen could tell that Victor was clearly not lying.

In other words, he did have this idea.

'Wait a minute, if it's because of me...'

He ventured alone to the crater of the volcano, solely to challenge the monstrous beast within.

It turns out it was all for her?

Gwen was a little confused. Did Victor think he was in some kind of danger?

'That Viktor, to think that way...?'

Gwen placed one hand on her chest and could clearly feel her heart beating much faster.

Even if she was emotionally oblivious, she had some guesses in her mind.

Could it be that Viktor likes her?

Otherwise, how can all of this be explained?

I heard she was going to such a dangerous place as a volcano, so I came here in the middle of the night just to go with her.

He lived in the same room with her and fulfilled so many of her unreasonable demands.

To prevent danger from occurring above the volcano, he personally went ahead and suppressed the monsters beneath it.

"This, this..."

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