The Goddess of Magic probably really would not be coming back.
Viktor jolted awake from deep meditation. Before him was the familiar Magic Laboratory, with open books and neatly sorted Rune Stones arranged on a nearby table. Faint lavender smoke drifted from a brass cauldron beside them, continuously releasing the scent of incense.
Some faint, muddled impressions still lingered in his mind. They were the "revelations" brought by deep meditation, perhaps mixed with a few "shadows" woven from dreams and illusions. He shook his head, casting those meaningless impressions from his thoughts: among them, there had been no response from the Goddess of Magic.
Viktor let out a quiet breath and felt that his mind had fully recovered. As an old mage who was no longer young, his stamina was far poorer than before. After conducting several magical experiments in succession or performing hours of intensive calculations, he had to recover through deep meditation. Yet he felt that retirement was still a long way off. Given the lifespan of a high-level Supernatural Being, he might yet serve the Verde Family for another half-century. The wisdom and experience he had accumulated over most of his life, along with his accurate judgment of matters and changing times, were the key to ensuring that he could continue serving.
The old mage, who served as a senior adviser at Winterkeep Castle, left his laboratory. Out in the corridor, servants were polishing the beautiful crystal windows. Beyond them, the snow-covered mountains appeared ever clearer and sharper beneath the bright sky. Soldiers and Battle Mages stood guard with meticulous seriousness at the corridor corners, looking alert and imposing.
The Mistress was not in the castle. Several days earlier, she had taken a passenger aircraft, modified from Dragon Rider technology, to the imperial capital as a member