Victoria

Olivier and the others followed the boy, Hank, toward his home.

Hank's home was an ancient residence that had weathered the passage of time; it looked very old, was not large in size, and contained nothing of any great value.

Hank's ancestors had been nobles of the Yulan Empire, enjoying a period of glory, but the family had gradually declined over the generations. By the time it reached Hank, only the old family home remained.

Three years ago, Hank's father had gone out on an adventure and never returned, leaving only his mother and younger sister to rely on one another; after his father's death, no property was left behind.

Hank's mother was a commoner who knew neither martial arts nor magic, so she supported the family of three by washing clothes for others, which was incredibly difficult. At only eight years old, Hank began working in the imperial capital to supplement the family income, doing simple chores or resorting to petty theft.

"I want to earn money to buy food for Mother and my sister," Hank said, being a very filial boy.

By a stroke of chance, Hank encountered an old man at a restaurant, and upon spotting the old man's coin purse, he decided to make a move.

The result, naturally, was that he was caught by the old man, who happened to be a Saint-level Magus. At the same time, the old man discovered Hank's top-tier aptitude for fire-style magic, as well as his top-tier spiritual energy.

"Little one, are you willing to learn magic from me? I can provide you, your mother, and your sister with good food," the old man told him.

Instead of blaming him, he wanted to take Hank on as a disciple.

"Really? I agree!"

Thus, Hank gained a teacher named Gandalf, who was none other than the restaurant owner.

Hank's sister, Victoria, was two years younger than him. Their mother did not allow her to go out, so she stayed at home. Half a month ago, they found Victoria collapsed in the house. Hank and the others hired several light-style magi to treat her, but it had no effect, and eventually, they gave up on the treatment.

Unexpectedly, after half a month had passed, she suddenly began to improve.

Her soul is growing rapidly. A soul mutation should be accompanied by corresponding fluctuations in magic elements. The light, water, and life elements in the room seem a bit more active, though it isn't obvious. Could it be because she hasn't started practicing magic yet?

Olivier felt somewhat puzzled.

A three-element soul mutation?

In truth, a soul mutation does cause fluctuations in the corresponding magic elements. Linley's mutation involved the four elements of earth, wind, water, and fire, while Olivier's soul mutation involved light and darkness.

This did not mean they could not practice other laws or rules. Both Olivier and Linley possessed a Sword-Shaped Soul and could practice the Rules of Destruction; it was just that they had not absorbed destruction elements, so when their souls mutated, the fluctuations of the Rules of Destruction were negligible and went unnoticed by anyone.

Victoria was only eight years old and had not practiced magic, so when her soul mutated, there were no very obvious fluctuations.

It took Linley over thirty years for his four-element soul mutation, while my two-element mutation took three months. I was already at the Saint-level when my soul mutated, and my soul was countless times stronger than this girl's. If it's a two-element mutation, it shouldn't take that long. It must be a three-element soul mutation, and it's actually succeeding—what a miracle.

Olivier looked at Victoria, thinking to himself.

Olivier estimated that Victoria's soul mutation would take about a month. The first half of a soul mutation involves the soul weakening until it reaches its limit; then, it begins to strengthen. The time it takes to strengthen is about the same as the time it took to weaken, but the speed of strengthening is many times faster than the speed of weakening, which is why the soul is countless times stronger after a successful mutation than it was before.

He did not tell the others, as a three-element soul mutation was extremely precious, and it was best if no one knew. He had already begun to think about how he could whisk Victoria away; the thought of being able to teach a super-expert with a three-element soul mutation gave Olivier a great sense of accomplishment.

"Olivier, do you know about this situation?"

Gandalf had helped check on Victoria and had also noticed her condition, but he did not understand it.

Victoria's mother and Hank also looked at Olivier with anticipation, hoping to get an answer from him.

"Rest assured, the most dangerous stage has already passed."

Olivier said with a smile.

Gandalf, Hank, and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately afterward, he made a shocking decision.

"I have discovered that Victoria's aptitude for light-style magic is excellent. Once she wakes up, I have decided to take her as my disciple."

"What?"

"Ah!"

Gandalf knew that Olivier's strength was formidable, but he had not expected him to suddenly take on a disciple.

Sophie and Jessica also wondered why Olivier would place such importance on this girl.

Hank and his mother felt it was too sudden, as he was offering to take her as a disciple upon their first meeting.

Meanwhile, in a luxurious noble mansion in the imperial capital.

"That girl is actually not dead yet, and she's starting to recover?"

A young noble said.

"Yes, Young Master."

A middle-aged man wearing black mage robes replied.

"You guaranteed at the time that even if that girl didn't die, she would become an idiot. How is she recovering?"

The young noble asked again.

"Young Master, you know the consequences of being struck by my Soul Spear. That girl's soul was already extremely weak, but for some reason, it suddenly started to grow stronger," the middle-aged magus said.

The young noble also knew the power of the Soul Spear. He thought for a moment and said, "Keep a close watch on that girl's condition. She has seen our faces, and if she wakes up, she might expose us, so we cannot leave any survivors."

"Also, you must not let Gandalf find out."

The middle-aged mage nodded; he understood the terrifying nature of Gandalf, for even his entire clan could not compare to Gandalf alone.

After the middle-aged mage departed.

"Where exactly is the treasure mentioned in the ancestral journals? I have searched everywhere and found nothing."

The young noble muttered to himself.

At the Victoria residence.

"Lady Mary, congratulations. This is Olivier, a Saint-level warrior from the O'Brien Empire."

Gandalf introduced him to Victoria's mother.

"Ah, a... a Saint-level warrior?" Lady Mary was stunned. "Greetings, Lord Olivier."

"Lady Mary, please, there is no need for such formalities. I feel a great affinity with Victoria and wish to take her as my disciple. Would you be agreeable to this?"

Olivier smiled.

"Ah, yes, of course!"

Lady Mary was momentarily dazed, but realizing this was a tremendous stroke of luck, she quickly replied.

"Good. Then once Victoria wakes up, she shall perform the apprenticeship," Olivier added.

"Understood, thank you, Lord Olivier!" Lady Mary replied.

Truly, misfortune is often the harbinger of good fortune.

Lady Mary looked at Olivier with a mix of fear, surprise, and adoration; this was, after all, a Saint-level warrior.

"Lady Mary, you really need not be like this. In the future, I will be Victoria's master, and you are her mother; we shall treat each other as equals. This old man Gandalf is also a Saint-level magus; you may simply view me the same way you view him." Olivier noticed her demeanor and smiled.

Upon hearing this, Lady Mary turned her gaze toward Gandalf, her expression filled with disbelief.

Clearly, she had been unaware of Gandalf's true status. Although Hank had apprenticed under Gandalf to study magic, Lady Mary had assumed that a mage who worked as a chef could not be all that formidable.

After the shock subsided, Lady Mary was overjoyed. To have both her son and daughter apprenticed under Saint-level experts—what a magnificent achievement.

Once Gandalf had been briefed on the situation, he took his leave and returned to his restaurant.

Sophie and Jessica, the sisters, returned to the academy, as they still had classes to attend.

Meanwhile, Olivier found an inn nearby to stay in.

Staying near the Victoria residence was a spur-of-the-moment decision for Olivier.

For Olivier, the current Yulan Continent held few secrets. There were only a handful of God-level powerhouses, and aside from Beirut, Olivier already stood at the very pinnacle.

Beirut was a high and mighty Sovereign; aside from those at Grand Perfection, peak Asuras like Azure Fire, or that God-Eater Rat Bebe, Beirut's personality was such that he would not care about anyone else.

He ignored them entirely.

Only the Graveyard of the Gods could still pique any of Olivier's interest.

On a whim, having encountered a talented individual like Victoria, Olivier was eager to see if he could mold a powerhouse who could rival Mos, or perhaps even surpass him.

The original story had never mentioned Victoria; either she had never embarked on the path of cultivation, or she had perished prematurely.

Furthermore!

Olivier had inadvertently discovered some suspicious individuals lurking near the Victoria residence, seemingly keeping the house under surveillance.

Therefore.

Olivier did not wish for any accidents to occur.