Chapter 17: Quarrel at the Head, Make Up at the Foot

Chapter 17: Quarrel at the Head, Make Up at the Foot

"Why?" Gwen asked, puzzled.

Viktor had come with the knight squadron, but now he was proposing to separate and act alone.

She didn't understand. If Viktor didn't need the protection of the knight squadron, why had he accompanied them in the first place?

Or rather, what was his real purpose for coming to Mount Vesuvius?

"I need to go to the volcano's crater first," Viktor said.

Under Gwen's sense of justice, all lies would be exposed. But he wasn't lying, which meant Viktor truly intended to go to the crater.

Gwen recalled Viktor's initial reason for accompanying them.

"Could it be that the magical creature you mentioned is at the crater?"

"Hmm..."

Viktor fell silent for a moment, the image of that colossal magical beast flashing through his mind.

So, he answered, "Something like that."

...What did he mean by "something like that"?

Yet he wasn't lying. Gwen was curious but wasn't the type to pry into others' privacy.

This was, after all, a dormant volcano, and Viktor had said he was very familiar with Mount Vesuvius's terrain.

There shouldn't be any problems.

Gwen nodded, agreeing to his request to leave the group.

"I'll come find you once I've finished my business," Viktor said.

As soon as he finished speaking, a blue magic array sparkling with tiny stars appeared beneath his feet.

With a flash of blue light, his figure vanished without a trace.

Seeing a living person disappear right before her eyes left Gwen feeling dazed.

A knight who had witnessed their entire exchange approached Gwen, who was still in a daze, and asked, "Knight Captain? Did you two... have a quarrel last night?"

Gwen turned her head, opening her mouth.

"No, it's not what you think..."

Before she could finish, the knight continued:

"Ah, it's normal for couples to have conflicts. I often argue with my wife too, but our son is already eight years old."

"Quarrel at the head of the bed, make up at the foot. How can there be overnight grudges between husband and wife?"

The more Gwen listened, the redder her face became.

"Stop talking nonsense! Let's move out!" she scolded the knight and hurriedly left.Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

"Huh? Knight Captain Gwen! I didn't say anything wrong... Sigh, young ladies these days are so sensitive. It's clear I hit the nail on the head."

Gwen couldn't hear clearly what the knight said afterwards.

Her face was slightly red, like a little girl whose secret had been exposed.

But in reality, she knew better than anyone.

There was no relationship between her and Viktor.

Just as she would never fall in love with Viktor, Viktor would never fall in love with her.

Gwen mounted her white horse, thinking somewhat gloomily.

If nothing unexpected happened, she might end up marrying Viktor after all.

After all, the engagement between their two families had been decided long ago.

Gwen was the second daughter of the family. She could only comply with the family's decisions, unable to change them.

Gwen didn't want to get married, let alone to the Viktor she knew before, who made her feel terrible.

'How could I possibly marry such a jerk?'

As this thought flashed through her mind, she suddenly recalled the events of last night.

He had been like an elegant nobleman, every action that of a gentleman.

He had even given her the only bed, though she didn't know when.

When she woke up, she found Viktor quietly sitting in the chair, reading that abstruse magic book, having sat there all night.

She felt guilty, but Viktor told her in return that mages had their own ways of resting, only needing quiet surroundings.

"To collect some interest in advance."

Viktor stood at the volcano's mouth, looking down from above.

It was so deep that the bottom couldn't be seen, making one wonder if anything existed down there at all.

Hot air shot out from the mountain's mouth, the astonishing heat hitting their faces.

His gaze suddenly became very determined.

The cold wind and scorching air intermingled, blowing his coat. At this moment, standing at the highest point of the volcano, even Vega's voice beside him was hard to hear clearly.

"Hey, hey, what are you standing here for? Don't tell me you're going to jump down from here?"

Viktor didn't respond. Vega fell silent for a moment.

"You're not really going to jump, are you?"

Its word-by-word inquiry had no effect whatsoever.

Because Viktor had already said to it:

"Hold on tight!"

With that, he leapt towards the hundred-meter-deep volcano.

"You could at least ask for my opinion!!!"

The scenery of red-hot rocks around them kept falling, and Vega used its beak to grip Viktor's clothes tightly.

At this moment, it even forgot that it was a bird with wings.

The scene before their eyes kept shaking, and finally...

After a flash of white light, the figures of the two disappeared in mid-air.

......

"Having been a god for so long, this is the first time I've felt so crazy."

When Vega opened its eyes, it seemed to have arrived in another space.

It was pitch black all around, with only the floor visible to the naked eye.

"It's so dark. Viktor? Viktor?"

Viktor was right behind it. Seeing that the crow had woken up, he picked it up and placed it on his shoulder.

Vega was about to ask Viktor to light a fire to illuminate the surroundings, but before it could speak, a huge snoring sound erupted from the darkness in front of it.

It almost deafened the crow's ears.

"Damn, who's snoring... uh..."

Vega stopped talking.

It saw the source of the snoring, or rather...

At this moment, it was right in front of Vega, eyes closed in deep sleep.

How should it be described?

Like a towering pillar reaching to the sky.

It was as tall as a mountain, inspiring awe and fear.

The Fire Calamity, Guledon, had appeared before them.

A cold sweat broke out on Vega's head, making its feathers seem to shine brighter.

"Kid, you're not thinking of challenging it, are you?"

"Don't joke around! I'm just an ordinary bird now, I can't help you with anything!"

Viktor didn't look at it. He conjured a flame at his fingertips, illuminating the path ahead.

It also illuminated the true form of this giant beast.

"Don't say that."

"You are my greatest asset in defeating it."

The next second, the wind-like snoring stopped.

Huge red eyes opened, like enormous lamps.

"ROOOOOAAAARRR!!!"

It looked down at the two ants from its towering height, its roar echoing throughout Mount Vesuvius.