Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

[lordanl]

The runic language was an ancient written language used by the Boreal League, though it has fallen into disuse in modern times. It was based on runes that were very similar to those used to create magical artifacts or spells. Although there were some differences, it was common for practitioners of the Aegis System, who were sorcerers, to have some knowledge of this language.

Suddenly finding himself the center of attention, Ethan pretended to cough a couple of times to clear his throat, straightened his posture slightly, and then took a step forward to speak with a serious expression.

"Indeed, it is the runic language. A well-thought-out choice for the test, as, although it is now a disused language, it was very popular in ancient times, and we may encounter it in the ruins. Fortunately, I have learned a bit and can translate it."

"Then we will rely on you, Disciple Williams." Zoe remarked in a calm tone, to which Ethan quickly nodded and focused his gaze on the holograms, adding.

"I will do my best."

With a serious and concentrated expression, Ethan reviewed the runes on the holographic screens, then brought his hand to his chin, thinking about how to adapt the meaning to the galactic language while preserving the nuances. After a few seconds, he nodded in satisfaction and began to speak again.

"...The written message goes something like this:

'In hands of sages, warriors bold, true power lies.
He who walks with wisdom, history as his guide,
The shrouded path shall rise, unveiled to wise eyes.
Reflect the past, wield the key, and knowledge gates swing wide.'

"It's a bit complicated to translate this kind of ancient poetry into the galactic language, but that's more or less what it says."

After reciting the poem, Ethan added in a pensive tone, which led everyone present to sink into their thoughts, pondering its meaning. After a few seconds, Elara was the first to speak, her tone thoughtful, her hand on her chin, deeply immersed in her thoughts.

"I suppose 'the key' refers to the staff..."

"That makes sense, but what does 'reflect the past' mean? Could it have something to do with the light affinity?" Zoe added shortly after, looking thoughtfully at Liliana.

"I doubt it. Although [Past's Reflection] is indeed a light affinity spell, it's something of a much higher level, something only possible for Arcane-level mages. I don't think they expect us to perform that spell. Besides, the light affinity is too rare for the riddle to be related to it." Liliana disagreed, convincing everyone, who quickly returned to their thoughts.

"Liliana is right. 'Reflect the past' must refer to something more metaphorical..." Elara murmured softly, still pensive, while Ethan continued to examine the runes carved into the door, trying to find any useful clues but finding nothing that particularly caught his attention.

After giving up on the door, Ethan turned his gaze to the staff at Zoe's waist. After examining each of its runes, he noticed something strange. Despite being slightly illuminated, the surface of the staff seemed to faintly reflect the image of the door. But what was truly odd was that, through the staff's reflection, a faint figure of what appeared to be a hand could be seen carved into the door.

Noticing this detail, Ethan's eyes lit up like lanterns, and he quickly turned to look at the door again, where he could see nothing resembling what the staff's reflection showed. This brought a huge smile to his face, and he soon announced, absolutely convinced, that this was the key to solving the riddle.

"It's the staff's reflection!! 'Reflect the past' refers to the staff's reflection!!"

Ethan's words caught the attention of everyone present, who looked at the staff with curiosity. Indeed, after staring at it for a while, they found the faint figure of an arm carved into the door reflected in it. Zoe quickly took the staff and began to move it, revealing that the figure was actually a mage fighting a knight.

"You're right. The door's reflection in the staff shows 'a scene from the past'." Elara commented delightedly, while Zoe, with a smile on her face, began to change the staff's position, trying to provoke some reaction, but nothing happened.

"Is it a matter of the angle or the distance?" Zoe asked, confused, as she stepped forward and backward. At that moment, Liliana softly commented after a moment of consideration.

"Maybe it's both. Try taking a few steps back and adjust the angle so that the images of the mage and the warrior appear simultaneously in the staff's reflection."

After nodding in agreement, Zoe took several steps back until she reached the perfect spot where the figures of the mage and the knight appeared together in the staff's reflection. This quickly confirmed that it was the correct answer, as both the staff and the door began to glow brightly.

"It seems that was the correct answer." Zoe commented with a charming smile, which spread to the other two girls, causing the men in the team to swallow heavily, mesmerized by the almost hypnotic beauty the young women exuded.

While the young men were nearly hypnotized by the beauty of the direct disciples, the massive wooden doors opened, revealing a descending spiral staircase of stone steps on the other side. At that moment, Zoe quickly ordered, placing her right hand on the hilt of her sheathed katana.

"Everyone, stay alert. We'll descend in defensive formation. Be ready for combat. Magni, with me."

"Understood."

Zoe's voice snapped the young men out of their trance, and they quickly formed up while Magni stepped forward, announcing firmly. At that moment, Zoe summoned the beautiful nine-tailed fox once more, which appeared in a trail of fire, then offered the staff while speaking in a tone full of respect.

"Hiyori-sama, I will be in your care once again."

"Trust me, little Zoe."

The beautiful fox responded in a sweet, melodious voice, taking the staff in its teeth, then positioning itself in the middle of the formation. Zoe turned to look at her companions and announced firmly.

"Let's go!"

Passing through the enormous doors, the group encountered a long spiral staircase illuminated by pale blue torches. They descended with their weapons ready and barriers up, prepared for any attack or trap. Soon, however, the group reached the bottom, where they found a massive cavern supported by gigantic pillars that made them feel like ants.

But even more impressive was the beautiful palace visible at the center, which seemed to have come straight out of a fairy tale. Seeing the palace in the distance, the group nearly jumped with excitement, but they managed to keep their emotions in check and approached the place cautiously, maintaining their formation.

The group continued their journey toward the palace, alert and increasingly excited to see their objective up close. Their steps grew lighter, but suddenly, a massive fireball struck the barriers protecting them from the side, causing the barriers to tremble violently and crack like glass, while the ground shook slightly.

"We're under attack! Reinforce the barriers and fall back!!!"

Zoe shouted quickly, extending her ethereal projection to its maximum to identify the attackers. This prompted the entire group to spring into action, with the mages rapidly conjuring new barriers at full speed while retreating in an organized manner, also extending their ethereal projections to the maximum in all directions.

Almost simultaneously, several spells came hurtling toward them, impacting the new barriers and unleashing furious explosions that released brutal shockwaves capable of destroying the barriers. The group had to rebuild them, consuming enormous amounts of mana while retreating hastily. Despite having fallen back quite a bit, the group continued to be attacked, so Zoe quickly turned and shouted.

"We need to change tactics. Disciple Williams, conceal us. Liliana, do your best to identify the enemy. In the meantime, let's keep moving."

Without saying a word, Ethan pulled out a beautifully crafted crystal vial containing a luxurious blue liquid—a mana recovery potion—but he didn't drink it. Instead, he held it between his teeth, then, with his staff in hand, conjured a large number of runes around the group.

"Cloak of Fog."

Quickly, the runes conjured vast amounts of whitish Fog that completely concealed the group, to which he added several illusions to make them harder to detect. Meanwhile, Liliana quickly deactivated the light barrier she had been maintaining to protect the team. Her staff began to glow softly, and a large, complex magical circle slowly formed in front of her.

While Liliana concentrated on the magical circle, Zoe guided the group to move erratically within the dense fog. The attacks kept coming, but thanks to the mist and the illusions, the enemy couldn't pinpoint their location and was essentially attacking blindly. This allowed the group to catch their breath, giving the mages a chance to drink mana recovery potions with a bit more calm.

Almost two minutes later, Liliana's magical circle was complete, and a holographic projection formed above it, depicting a group of ten people in an attack formation, with mages in the rear casting spells and drinking potions like water. But the girls' eyes focused on a beautiful young woman at the center of the group.

The young woman, with delicate and symmetrical features, pale skin, blue hair, and eyes of the same color, had an appearance that could only be described as seductive. Her voluptuous and curvaceous body was something she seemed unafraid to show off, wearing what appeared to be a modified version of the university uniform—a super short, tight dress that left her long, toned legs exposed and teased with a plunging neckline that emphasized her ample bust.

Meanwhile, in her right hand, the beautiful young woman held the tournament staff, while in her left she carried another staff, this one black as jet, with an elegant and stylish design adorned with golden metal decorations at the top—a clear indication that she was a mage.

"It's that bitch Christine! Damn it!!"

With Liliana's angry exclamation, the girls immediately raised their alert level to the maximum. Meanwhile, Zoe turned to look at the boys in the group and spoke with a dark expression, her tone laden with threat and murderous intent.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen very carefully. If any of you dare to betray us for that bitch, I swear I will hunt you down and make sure you regret it for the rest of your lives. You won't find a single place in the University where you can hide from us."

Along with Zoe's icy words came the murderous intent of Liliana and Elara, who scrutinized the faces of each of the men present, engraving their features into their minds. This sent a shiver down their spines, and they immediately nodded in understanding like frightened chickens, utterly terrified by the distorted expressions of the girls, who just moments ago had exuded a warm, hypnotic beauty.

"We need to make sure we enter the palace first, though, it would be best to eliminate that bitch here and now."

After glancing at the men in her own group, Liliana commented with visible resentment. Then she turned to look at the hologram, where she began to study the group composed exclusively of men, except for the beautiful lady with seductive features and a sensual body.

"Let's go with a full-power attack. Let's take advantage of the fact that we can see her, and she can't see us."

Elara quickly added with a Machiavellian smile, as a large magical circle began to form in front of her. Liliana quickly followed suit, and Zoe turned to look at Ethan, speaking in a cold tone.

"Disciple Williams, I expect you to do your best to keep us undetectable. The other side must have some method of staying hidden, and we'll be in trouble if we're discovered."

Seeing Zoe's aggressive expression, Ethan quickly swallowed the potion he had in his mouth and spat out the glass vial, then spoke with firmness and confidence.

"You can count on it, Disciple Laverne."

As if to demonstrate his intentions, the runes around the group increased in number, while Ethan quickly pulled out two recovery potions from his storage ring and placed them in his mouth. This made Zoe nod in satisfaction, and she quickly turned to the students, ordering with authority.

"Everyone, prepare to attack following Disciple Faye. Hiyori-sama, I beg for your assistance in the attack."

"Don't worry, little Zoe. I will coordinate perfectly with everyone." The fox responded in a calm voice, without moving its mouth, but without using telepathy. Zoe quickly bowed slightly in gratitude.

"That is a relief. Thank you very much, Hiyori-sama."

***

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"Everyone, get ready, we're going with a combined spell at maximum power."

While taking a mana recovery potion from her storage ring, Elara quickly gave the order, then drank the potion in one go and threw the crystal to the ground, at which point more magic circles formed in front of her. The young man with long black hair tipped in pale green, and the young man with dark skin and golden hair responded in unison.

""Understood.""

After speaking, the pair of young men took their recovery potions in one gulp, at which moment three magic circles began to form in front of the short-haired, golden-haired young man. They started to create small, yellowish points of light that clustered into what appeared to be three prisms of a brittle crystal.

Likewise, around the black-haired young man, different softly pulsing runes began to appear, while the air around him started to swirl, forming a greenish sphere in front of him. At that moment, Elara turned to Liliana and commented seriously.

"Liliana, for now, focus on keeping up the barriers. Your affinity isn't very good for combined attack spells."

"Though I would've liked to give that bitch a good thrashing, fine, leave defense to me. The enemy is about 850 meters northeast of our position."

Liliana answered quickly, with a hint of regret in her tone, but just as quickly canceled the magic circles before her. She then raised the staff in her hand, pointed it at the sky, and announced confidently, causing several magic circles to form around the group, surrounding them in all directions.

"Archangel's Hold!"

The magic circles swiftly conjured six beautiful angel wings made of light, which fluttered gently, then enveloped the group like a mother cradling her child. This caused a spherical barrier to form within the wings and protect them from any attack, while still allowing their own attacks to pass outward.

Meanwhile, small flames began to flicker from the jaws of the impressive nine-tailed fox, yet they didn't even graze the staff between its teeth. At the same time, its beautiful tails rose elegantly into the air, like those of a peacock. At that moment, large amounts of fire began to form in front of it, accompanied by strange currents of hot air, all of which gradually converged into a sphere that slowly turned white.

"Magni, stay alert for any enemy attack." At the same time, Zoe spoke in a serious tone as she took a stance ready to draw her katana at any moment, to which Magni responded sternly, gripping his huge two-handed mace firmly.

"Understood."

Though the barriers were excellent for defense against enemy spells, things were different against knights. Over time, knights had focused on discovering ways to deal with barriers. Methods existed to bypass or destroy them, and even Zoe and Magni knew various ways to attack a mage inside their own barriers. Staying on guard was therefore paramount.

"Attack! Flame Path!"

Once Elara saw that everything was ready, she quickly gave the command. At the same time, three powerful spheres of compressed fire shot into the sky, heading northeast. The two student mages pointed their staffs in the same direction and announced in unison.

""Shear Vortex / Prism Blast.""

Almost instantly, a large greenish sphere of wind and three yellowish crystal prisms soared upward, closely followed by a huge sphere of ominous white fire, and soon they managed to catch up to Elara's fire orbs. They then began to rotate in the air, accelerating further, but suddenly, the crystal prisms exploded unexpectedly, causing the combined spell to detonate prematurely.

The premature detonation triggered a massive explosion in the air that violently shook the huge cavern, sending brutal shock waves in all directions amid a thunderous roar and a blinding flash, momentarily incapacitating the mages. At that instant, the light barrier gleamed brightly.

Simultaneously, the six angelic wings covering them spread wide to meet the explosive shards head-on, creating a powerful air pressure that helped lessen the shock waves. However, the detonation of the crystal fragments, coupled with the small white flames shooting out in every direction, quickly destroyed the wings one by one.

Almost in unison, Magni gave a malicious grin as the runes tattooed on him glowed faintly. He then spun around in a swift motion, aiming a brutal blow with his mace at the head of the black-haired mage, who was caught off guard.

"Silent Tempest."

Just before Magni's attack could reach the young mage, a melodious voice resounded at his side, causing the warrior's face to flood with panic. At that moment, streaks of blood appeared all over his body, one particularly deep across his neck, slowing his perception of time almost to a standstill—long enough for him to turn his head and see the beautiful black-haired girl staring at him with a chill so piercing it could freeze flames. That sight etched itself in his mind as he was teleported to the space station.

Brimming with murderous intent, Zoe once again made three hand signs with her left hand, whereupon a layer of wind enveloped her. She vanished from sight, reappearing before the golden-haired mage with her katana embedded in his neck. The young man's face contorted in terror, but although he tried to lift his hands, he was abruptly teleported to the space station, thus being eliminated from the tournament.

After disposing of the two traitors in her team, Zoe briefly closed her eyes to burn those rats' faces into her memory, quickly turning over in her mind every possible means to make them wish for death. She took a deep breath and steadied herself; this wasn't the time. The situation was too dire to lose focus. Sure enough, the urgent voice of Disciple Williams reached them just then.

"A dozen spells have just entered the fog! They'll impact in a few seconds!"

"Run!"

Zoe quickly commanded in a solemn voice as she leapt onto the nine-tailed fox. Elara immediately drew out her flying carpet, while beautiful angelic wings formed behind Liliana, and a whitish cloud appeared beneath Ethan. The only remaining student produced a futuristic-looking hoverboard.

Once airborne, the mages on the team raised their staffs overhead, various magic circles and runes emerging around them, summoning different barriers as they declared in loud, reverent voices.

"Prism Aegis!"

Upon Liliana's declaration, a prismatic, semi-transparent barrier of light took shape around the group. At that moment, Elara spoke with blazing anger in her eyes, causing a large mass of flames to gather above them, dancing together in harmony to form a fiery barrier.

"Phoenix Veil!"

"Gale Bastion!"

Quickly, the last student announced in a firm voice, causing the runes around him to stir and create a swirling wall of wind to the left of Liliana's prismatic barrier. At that moment, Ethan finished drinking a new mana recovery potion and announced loudly, causing more runes to form around him. These runes lit up, conjuring a dark fog that shaped itself into a cyclone to the right of Liliana's barrier.

"Obscuring Shroud!"

Almost immediately, a barrage of spells slammed into the barriers, reacting differently to each one. Liliana's light barrier caused the spells to split into scattered beams of light striking far from the group, creating massive explosions.

Elara's fire barrier, by contrast, appeared to absorb the spells entirely, making them vanish before flaring even more intensely. Yet, she was guzzling mana potions at a frantic rate, plainly indicating the considerable cost of maintaining such a spell.

Meanwhile, Ethan's barrier functioned similarly to Elara's. The spells that reached the dark fog vanished into nothingness, as if they were mere illusions. However, since he was consuming mana recovery potions at an even faster rate than Elara, it was obvious that maintaining both the barrier and the surrounding fog required an enormous amount of mana. The fog itself was what prevented all the firepower from concentrating on a single point.

Lastly, the final student's wind barrier both deflected and weakened the incoming spells, though with every impact, the swirling wall shrank, forcing him to drink mana potions at a rate almost equal to Ethan's—evidence of just how formidable a disciple of a Master-level could be.

"Damn it!!! We didn't just have one, we had two traitors, and now we're screwed!!" Amid the furious onslaught, Elara shouted from atop her magic carpet, practically spitting flames and itching to skin someone alive with her own hands.

"Now's not the time to complain—we're in serious trouble. We only have five people left, and chances are we didn't do them any real damage." Zoe added with a dark and furious expression, clutching the fur of the beautiful fox beneath her tightly.

"Our advantage is that we're four direct disciples, and that bitch is alone. We could try overwhelming her with artifacts and potions, and we also have stealth on our side. Divine Resurgence!"

Quickly, Liliana added while casting healing spells on Ethan and the last student, both of whom had pale expressions due to the incredible exhaustion they were suffering. Moreover, drinking so many recovery potions in succession wasn't very healthy either.

"That's one plan, but that bitch is definitely surrounded by students pushing three hundred years, so it won't be easy. Still, if we use our stealth wisely, we can whittle down their numbers. But taking her out is another story—let's not forget her background. That bitch is bound to be loaded to the gills with magical artifacts, plus she's probably guessed you can now use [Light Echo], so she'll be on high alert." Elara remarked as she tried to rapidly strategize a workable plan.

Following Elara's words, Liliana quickly tried using Light Echo once more to pinpoint the enemy group. But merely seconds after the magic circle began to form, it burst in a flash of light, proving unable to locate them—something that everyone noticed, prompting bitter smiles all around.

"Certainly, she's taken precautions. But there's no need to worry. Her mother may be a famous artificer, but she's nowhere near my master's level. So if this becomes a battle of magical artifacts, I'm certain I'll take victory."

Liliana said this with confidence, which boosted everyone's spirits. Although they were aware of who Liliana's master was and how skilled she must be, they didn't really know the extent to which Master Silverwood spoiled her disciple, nor how lavishly equipped Liliana might be. But seeing her so self-assured made it evident she received plenty of special attention from the legendary Artificer.

"In that case, what we need is a swift, lethal strike—attack and then escape at top speed." Zoe suggested, newly motivated, and the other girls nodded as they downed more mana potions. Zoe then turned to Ethan and asked in a grave tone.

"Disciple Williams, how long can you keep us hidden?"

"Five minutes if I'm on my own, but if Disciple Faye helps, that time easily doubles." Ethan replied confidently, placing the empty glass bottle from his mouth into his storage ring. Zoe spoke next, in a contemplative voice.

"Then we won't have to worry about that. The issue is how to figure out their positions…"

Zoe's words made everyone think hard about how to solve that problem, even while they kept moving erratically in the fog, dodging the spells raining down like a storm. Some inevitably struck the barriers, but at that moment, the lone remaining student—who flew upon a futuristic hoverboard—cleared his throat and spoke up, visibly uncomfortable.

"Honored direct disciples, as a matter of fact, I might have a way to pinpoint them."

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"Frank, right?" Upon hearing the student's comment, Zoe turned to look at him and asked in a calm tone, gazing directly into the young man's brown eyes, who answered with evident nervousness.

"Yes, honorable direct disciple."

"Well, Frank, what is the method you're talking about?"

Zoe asked on behalf of the direct disciples, who looked at Frank with three parts doubt and one part suspicion. After all, not even Liliana could pinpoint the enemy group's location, so a mere student shouldn't stand a chance. Yet at the same time, the galaxy was vast, inhabited by all kinds of people and curious talents. Instead of rejecting him outright, they decided to listen. Maybe he could bring them a pleasant surprise.

Frank, a young man with an athletic build, tanned skin, kind features, and brown eyes, wore his black hair tied back in a short ponytail whose tips were decorated with a pale green color. He clenched his fists nervously under the scrutinizing gazes of the direct disciples, but after taking a couple of deep breaths, the young man extended his left hand in front of him. This caused a large amount of air to start swirling.

Soon, the swirling air began to take shape, turning into what looked like a small cloud, which fell gently onto the young man's hand. It then moved a bit, and out of nowhere a pair of large, beautiful eyes appeared on it, as though they had just opened. These eyes looked around briefly, then fixed on Frank.

Upon seeing Frank, the cloud's huge eyes gleamed with joy. Small arms and legs extended from it, which it used to stand on the student's hand and begin to jump around happily with its arms raised, while making cute little noises, almost as if it were cheering in its own way.

"This is Lirio, a newborn spirit. Although it can't do much yet, it's somehow able to 'smell' mana and follow it back to its source."

When the young student said those words, the direct disciples' eyes lit up like flashlights as they looked at the small spirit in the palm of his hand. The women, in particular, fought the urge that welled up inside them to smother the adorable creature with kisses. The tiny being watched them curiously with those big, bright eyes.

"… Are you sure it can 'smell' mana?" After a small, fake cough to hide her emotions, Elara asked with a look of intrigue on her face as she observed Frank, who quickly nodded seriously.

"Absolutely. Thanks to him, I've been able to find buried mana crystals and that sort of thing. And even once, when I was looking for the culprit of a 'prank' I was a victim of, he managed to follow the residual mana of a spell all the way back to whoever cast it. It's pretty impressive."

"That's an incredible ability… Remind me of your full name?" Liliana asked, looking at the young man with eyes shining, almost as if she were using her light affinity to make them glow.

"My name is Frank Svensson, honorable direct disciple." Frank replied, doing his best to remain calm. This prompted Liliana to tilt her head a bit and quickly ask with curiosity.

"'Svensson'? Like 'Svens Shoes'?"

"Yes, honorable direct disciple, that's the company my father founded. It's truly an honor that you know of it." Frank answered, somewhat surprised but evidently proud. Liliana then smiled and commented.

"Well, my older brother loves the boots they make, and even my silly younger brother likes them."

"My father will be thrilled when I tell him." Frank replied with a huge smile. At that moment, Zoe spoke up seriously.

"We can take care of that later. For now, let's focus. We need to attack, and we're counting on you, Frank."

"By the way, when we return to the space station, let's meet in the common area on the first floor. We have a proposal for you."

Elara added with a confident expression, causing Frank to tighten his grip around the staff in his right hand with joy. He fought with all his might to avoid shouting out loud, instead speaking quickly in a serious tone.

"Thank you so much for considering me, honorable direct disciple. For Lirio to do his job, we first need to have a sample of the mana for him to 'smell'. After that, he can follow the trail."

"Leave that to me. Prismatic Seal!"

Liliana spoke confidently, and a magic circle formed in front of her. A whitish beam of light shot from it, passing through her prismatic barrier and striking a meter-long icicle that was falling from the sky, covering it completely. The beam of light then turned into a prismatic barrier around the icicle, which flew swiftly toward Liliana.

"Will this work?" Liliana asked Frank with a smile, holding the prismatic barrier in front of her. Frank nodded seriously.

"Yes, that's more than enough." Quickly, Frank turned to look at the cute spirit in his left hand. He spoke gently to it, almost as if talking to a small child, while pointing at the chunk of ice with his staff.

"Lirio, see that piece of ice? We need to find whoever made it."

Upon hearing the instructions, the adorable spirit let out a few cute squeaks while waving its chubby arms. Frank nodded and turned to Liliana, speaking respectfully.

"Lirio says, please allow him inside the sphere of light. There's too much mana around here, and it's confusing for him."

"Absolutely."

After nodding, Liliana moved her staff slightly, which glimmered faintly and formed a small magic circle. This caused several light tentacles to appear inside the prismatic barrier, holding the icicle in place. Then a small opening formed in the barrier, through which the cute spirit leaped comically, propelled by currents of air.

Once inside the sphere of light, the newborn spirit began to fly around the large icicle, making adorable gestures as though sniffing at it, which melted the ladies' hearts. They quickly forced themselves to quell those feelings because it wasn't the right time for that.

A short while later, the newborn spirit squeaked sweetly, flying out of the barrier and landing back on Frank's left hand. It let out a couple of cute squeals while pointing in one direction, prompting Frank to nod in understanding before turning to the direct disciples and speaking seriously.

"According to Lirio, the owner of this mana is in that direction, about two kilometers away."

The moment Frank pointed north, Elara turned her head to look in that direction, eyes wide with surprise. She exclaimed urgently.

"Damn it, that bitch is just distracting us, she wants to get into the palace before we do!"

"And she also attacked us before entering. That bitch knows something! Bombard them with everything! Hiyori-sama, please."

Zoe quickly gave the order while assuming a crouched position, placing her hand on the hilt of her sheathed katana. The imposing fox once again formed a sphere of white fire, which shot into the air as a melodious feminine voice could be heard.

"Leave it to me."

Without wasting a single second, Elara, Liliana, and Frank took mana recovery potions. Then, Elara and Liliana conjured magical circles, while Frank surrounded himself with glowing runes. At that moment, they all pointed their staffs north and urgently announced.

"Dragon's Breath!!"

With several magic circles in front of her, Elara cast in haste, causing a burst of flames to appear before her. It quickly took the shape of a dragon's head several meters long, which opened its huge mouth and unleashed a cataclysmic torrent of fire at an absurd speed toward the north.

"Starfall Barrage!!!"

With that, Liliana made her move as massive magic circles formed in the sky above her, summoning hundreds of orbs of light that shot off at high velocity toward the north in parabolic arcs.

"Tempest Fang!"

Meanwhile, Frank spoke firmly, causing the runes around him to spin rapidly. They soon conjured a massive tornado of slicing wind, which merged with the dragon's breath of fire, vastly increasing its power.

A few seconds later, violent explosions echoed in the distance, causing the cave to tremble and sending overwhelming shockwaves that slammed into the barriers, swirling the surrounding mist. Frank shouted urgently after his spirit squeaked sweetly from his shoulder.

"They keep moving!! They're holding on!!!"

"Shit!!!"

After an exasperated cry, Liliana pulled several spheres from her storage ring, each radiating a strong light. They floated behind her in a perfect circle, spinning slowly around each other. Shortly after they appeared, the projectiles of light from her spell grew exponentially in both size and quantity, and even their temperature rose. They began leaving trails of plasma in the air.

"They've retreated!!! Now they're that way, in a straight line!" Frank shouted quickly, pointing northwest. Elara immediately gave a serious command.

"Attack!!!"

"Dragon's Breath/Tempest Fang/Starfall Barrage!"

Without delay, the trio of mages, along with the white fox, resumed their attacks, aiming to the northeast this time and causing more brutal explosions. The adorable Lirio once again let out a sweet squeak from Frank's shoulder, so the young man promptly said in a serious voice, pointing west.

"They backed off again; they're to the west now."

"Stop, don't attack. We need to keep our stealth. Liliana, help Disciple Williams recover. We need to expand the fog even more and trap them in it." Zoe gave a firm order, turning to Ethan, who looked extremely pale with slightly purple lips, and asked with a serious expression.

"Is that possible, Disciple Williams?"

"I'd need full support from Disciple Faye, but it's doable. Still, I'll only be able to maintain it for a maximum of one minute." Ethan replied with heavy breaths, as Liliana hastily cast a healing spell on him, covering him in a gentle light that improved his condition.

"Dawn's Embrace!"

"That's more than enough." Zoe spoke confidently and turned to Elara, asking seriously.

"Elara, do you have a plan for the attack?"

At the question, Elara brought a hand to her chin, thinking for a few moments before explaining her idea clearly.

"Our best bet is to use the element of surprise. Up until now, they've been cautious enough to stay away from the fog. They're probably afraid of Disciple Williams's illusionary fog array. It's very likely the traitors couldn't give them detailed info since we deliberately kept it hidden.

"So what we have to do is move as close to their position as possible without shifting the fog. When we're right on the edge, Disciple Williams will expand it. In the ensuing confusion, we can pick off several targets, and hopefully that bitch Christine, too. If we can take her down, her team will collapse, and we'll be able to enter the palace without too much trouble."

"I suppose that's our best option." Liliana commented in a slightly tired voice, at which point the orbs of light behind her began to dim one by one. They shattered like glass and fell to the ground.

"Then there's nothing more to think about. Let's get moving." Zoe nodded decisively, then turned to Frank and asked.

"Frank, where are they?"

Frank turned to look at Lirio on his shoulder, who, after sniffing the air a bit—making him look especially adorable—let out an excited squeak as he jumped. Frank nodded and then spoke while pointing southeast.

"They've moved around; they're further off in that direction."

"Understood." Zoe nodded and turned to the pensive Elara, asking.

"Elara, do you have the specific battle strategy thought out?"

The blonde-haired mage nodded quickly, then extended her hand in front of her. A gust of fire formed there, taking the shape of an uneven terrain with tall pillars. On one end were ten markers, and on the other, five. She began to explain, moving the pieces in line with her words:

"Yes, we'll launch a double surprise attack. As soon as the fog expands, you'll circle around them as fast as you can, while Liliana, Frank, and I launch a full-frontal assault. If that bitch manages to survive, you'll make an all-out attack in cooperation with your spirit."

***

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"Understood." Zoe nodded at Elara's strategy and turned to look at the others, at which point she asked seriously.

"Does anyone have any questions or suggestions?"

Seeing that everyone shook their heads, Zoe quickly nodded and continued speaking.

"Then we'll follow Elara's strategy. Although it's risky since you'll be left without protection, I believe it's our best chance. What we need now is the group's location, so Frank, we'll be counting on you."

"Don't worry, direct disciple, I'll do my best." Noticing all the direct disciples' gazes fixed on him once more, Frank quickly answered in a firm voice, prompting Zoe to speak in a grave tone.

"Then let's move out!"

At Zoe's command, the group of five rapidly advanced through the air toward the enemy group, stopping only upon reaching the edge of the fog. There, Zoe tightened her grip on the hilt of her katana and turned to Frank, asking seriously.

"Frank, how far away are they from us? The more precise you can be, the better."

"There's a way to be more accurate, but it drains Lirio quite a bit, and it can only be done a couple of times a day at most." Frank quickly answered with a serious expression, placing his left hand near his shoulder, where Lirio hopped gracefully. Zoe asked after thinking for a moment.

"If he only tries once, can he remain active?"

"Yes, although it'll be a little tiring for him. After a second attempt, he'd be out of commission, and a third would drastically reduce accuracy and force him to disappear and rest." Frank replied swiftly, causing Zoe to respond gravely.

"Let's do it. We have to take that risk."

"Give me a moment, direct disciple."

After speaking, Frank raised his left hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, at which moment the newborn spirit stretched out adorably to touch its contractor's head, causing a small light to flare. Shortly after, Lirio plopped into Frank's hand, moving oddly as though hyperventilating.

"Done, I've got the exact location. They're roughly 600 meters straight ahead, but keep in mind that's where they were at the moment Lirio sent me that information, and the group is on the move. We've only got one more shot at this." Frank explained, producing a rough mana-air construction shaped like a map in his hands, far more rudimentary than what Elara had conjured earlier.

Meanwhile, the direct disciples looked at Lirio in Frank's hands and confirmed he indeed appeared a bit tired and sleepy. Nonetheless, Zoe quickly spoke, showing gratitude.

"Don't worry, Frank, he's done more than enough. I have some things at home that'll be good for spirits, so rest assured this sacrifice won't go unrewarded, regardless of what happens." Zoe thanked Frank, who quickly bowed and commented seriously.

"It's a pleasure to help, and I'm truly grateful that the direct disciple considers me."

"Then everyone, I'll see you in the palace..."

After nodding at Frank, Zoe took a deep breath and spoke while closing her eyes, causing the air around her to stir slightly. A few moments later, she opened her eyes again, exclaiming with a piercing gaze.

"Attack!!"

At Zoe's command, a large number of runes filled the fog, and a magic circle formed over Ethan, who started sweating profusely while gulping down mana-recovery potions one after another. Meanwhile, Elara and Frank began readying their own spells.

"We've got them!"

Just as planned, the mist spread at incredible speed, catching the enemy off guard. Zoe dashed forward at full speed atop the fox spirit. Right then, Ethan cried out, his voice strained, and the dense fog before them lit up faintly, revealing the silhouettes of nine people. By estimating the figures' size, they quickly determined the exact distance, allowing Elara and Frank to unleash their mightiest spells.

"Sol Invictus!!!"

With at least a dozen magic circles around her, Elara proclaimed in a commanding tone, causing a colossal blaze of fire to appear. The flames swiftly gathered into a gigantic sphere—a kind of artificial sun—radiating tremendous heat as it began to grow at an accelerated pace.

"Óvindr's Wrath!!!"

With hundreds of runes whirling like a tornado, Frank shouted at the top of his lungs, summoning a massive tornado that rose into the air, crackling with ominous lightning. It rapidly ascended toward Elara's "artificial sun", devouring it like a snake swallowing a star. The slicing wind tornado transformed into a cataclysmic fiery tornado, seemingly able to destroy anything in its path.

But just then, Ethan opened his eyes wide in disbelief before looking off in another direction. His expression darkened drastically, yet he immediately shouted with urgency as the runes around him began to multiply rapidly.

"It's a trap!! There are two groups!! I need help distracting them with illusions; the second team is racing over here!!!"

"Damn it! Luminous Rebirth!!!"

Letting out an enraged cry, Liliana cast a powerful healing spell on Ethan and simultaneously messaged Zoe to pull back. At that moment, Elara shouted in equal fury, her magic circles suddenly shining like glaring spotlights.

"Disciple Williams, secure Zoe a way back! Frank! We're going all out; let's try to whittle them down!!!"

"Understood!"

Frank responded immediately as the runes spinning in a tornado grew brighter and sped up, making the fiery vortex intensify both in speed and power. At that same instant, Ethan spoke hurriedly.

"I'm on it, but we need to run. I can only hold them for another 20 seconds!!!"

Along with Ethan's shout, Elara and Frank's combined spell reached its destination, triggering a breathtaking explosion that shook the cave violently. Ferocious shockwaves crashed into their barriers, destroying them one by one. Meanwhile, Lirio, still perched on Frank's shoulder, let out a fatigued squeal, prompting the young man to shout gravely.

"The first group is retreating from the fog!!"

"Dammit, he's right! Somehow they're dealing with my illusions and getting away!" As soon as he heard Frank's words, Ethan quickly focused in that direction and spoke gravely, leading Elara to stomp on her magic carpet in frustration.

"Shit!"

Meanwhile, Liliana kept sending every kind of healing spell at Ethan, who was sweating profusely and looking pale. But just as Elara was gearing up for a suicidal charge, Zoe returned, riding the fox spirit, parts of her clothing burned and torn, and bearing some superficial wounds. She announced, visibly resigned.

"They completely outplayed us. Let's pull back. We've lost this round."

Zoe's defeated words brought weary, complicated looks to everyone's faces. The group let out exhausted sighs—everyone but Liliana, whose expression brimmed with resolve. She spoke with a firm tone.

"We haven't lost yet. Hurry to the palace; I'll buy us the time we need."

"Wait, Liliana. If we run now, we can still come back for another attempt. If that bitch is here, it's because as long as we still have the staff, we can try again. There's no need to do this." Elara quickly argued, but Liliana shook her head decisively.

"While that's true, you all know perfectly well that bitch won't let us leave so easily. Who knows how many of us will manage to get out of here—if any. Besides, where can we run? We're stuck in this cave, and though there must be a way out, none of us know it.

"Plus, you all know that bitch well: it's very likely she'll come at us with everything, aiming to score as many casualties as possible before going into the palace. She'll leave people behind to finish us off. Worst of all, if we lose, who knows how long we'll have to put up with her ridicule and that of her underlings. We won't have a moment's peace in the fraternity hall after this. So go on; I have my ways to keep her here long enough."

While she spoke, Liliana pulled a glass bottle from her storage ring. Inside it was a liquid that looked like a rainbow's very essence, vibrant with shifting colors, even causing the surrounding Myst to ripple slightly.

"""Is that?!"""

Zoe, Elara, and Ethan widened their eyes in astonishment at the sight of the bottle in Liliana's hands. Liliana smiled kindly, gazing at it.

"Exactly what you think. It's a magic-empowerment potion—though only a diluted version—it'll give me enough of a boost to keep that bitch here for a while."

"You don't have to waste such a valuable resource. We can still fall back to the chamber where we arrived and fight a last stand there, using the terrain to our advantage. And if it doesn't work out, so what? If that bitch taunts us a bit, we're not delicate flowers who can't handle a setback."

Staring at the unmistakable emblem on the bottle, Zoe spoke with a complicated tone, then looked into Liliana's blue eyes. Liliana beamed almost heroically and replied in a relaxed, cheerful voice.

"Hahaha, I know, but I still feel like I have to do this. Besides, it would be a waste if I didn't use the potion my master specifically gave me for the tournament, so go on—think of it as an older sister paying the debts of her foolish little brother."

Before anyone could say another word, Liliana downed the potion in one gulp, making her mana surge around her in an overwhelming wave. At the same time, a beautiful halo of light formed over her head, and coupled with the wings on her back, it granted her a holy, immaculate aura.

"Go!! Divine Pulse!"

As she cast one final healing spell on Ethan, Liliana shouted loudly and then turned her back on them. The group watched with conflicted expressions as new spheres of light appeared behind Liliana, forming a circle. Several magic circles manifested above her, unleashing all kinds of mana constructs—swords, spears, halberds, etc.—along with six prismatic shields that began rotating around her protectively.

"Let's go!!"

Seeing there was no turning back, Zoe gave a troubled command before racing off on the back of the magnificent white fox, leaving Elara, Ethan, and Frank to exchange uncertain looks. After a long sigh, they took to the air behind Zoe in silence.

Once the group departed and the mist dissipated, Liliana flew at full speed to intercept the attackers, clutching her staff tightly as she inwardly reveled in the incredible power coursing through her. Even so, thoughts of her master and her "younger brother" slipped into her mind.

Initially, Liliana felt her master was casting her aside—that now, with that monstrous fool around, all the affection her master had shown her would vanish. She grew deeply envious of Erik—of the special treatment he received—feeling he mattered more to her master than she did, or even more than Desmond, the first disciple.

Yet what truly tormented Liliana was fully realizing the fool's colossal talent. Not even Desmond—revered across the galaxy—could compare to him. That awareness placed her under tremendous pressure, day by day corroding her self-esteem as she confronted the fact that, no matter how hard she tried, Erik far surpassed her, and sooner or later, her master would discard her.

Those thoughts plunged Liliana into a spiral of hatred in which she viewed Erik as an adversary stealing away her once-happy life. Desperate to regain some peace of mind, she searched fanatically for any flaw in that "monster". While Desmond was undoubtedly a genius, Liliana knew that in the worst case, she could at least match him. But up against Erik, she felt like an ordinary person facing a legendary prodigy.

Time itself, however, proved Liliana wrong. Though she once struggled to see it, her perspective on the world—and on the bond between her beloved master and that foolish Erik—shifted drastically during their journey from the university. She realized that her master's affection for her hadn't diminished in the least, and a prime example was the potion she had just drunk. Even though it was merely a maximum Ascended-level potion, its value could rival that of an entire planet.

The exorbitant cost wasn't just due to the extremely rare and costly ingredients, nor the extraordinary skill required to craft it. What truly magnified its worth was the emblem on the bottle, proving it was crafted by possibly the Arcane Order's finest alchemist, Master Eldurdóttir—something possibly more valuable than the potion itself.

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The position of magical empowerment had a very simple effect: it allowed the one who took it to greatly increase their mana capacity for a limited time, granting access to power several ranks above their own. However, what made it so valuable and special wasn't just that, as there were quite a few items in the galaxy that could achieve something comparable.

What made this position so valuable was that the side effects of consuming it were minimal, and if it was crafted by a great alchemist, the side effects were almost nonexistent. This made it one of the few things in the galaxy capable of providing a momentary power boost safely and without consequences—a true treasure.

But at the same time, creating such a 'magical' potion was not something within the reach of just any alchemist. These kinds of potions were almost the holy grail of alchemy, known as 'intelligent potions', a type so complicated to make that they were used as exams to certify the highest levels of alchemy.

An exam in which, by the way, Master Eldurdóttir achieved a perfect score, creating a potion that not only had no side effects but even nourished the body and strengthened the mana circulatory system in the long term by a small margin. Therefore, a potion from her hands was nothing less than an invaluable treasure, though unfortunately, that miraculous effect only applied to the first few doses. After the fourth, it disappeared completely.

For this reason, for Liliana, receiving such a treasure from her master for a "simple" selection tournament was so significant that it nearly moved her to tears. After all, it demonstrated the love her master had for her. Although the tournament was important, as one of the youngest in her generation, losing and not securing a position was expected and wouldn't mean much to her record.

Moreover, even though Master Eldurdóttir was her master's sworn sister, it wasn't as if she could take advantage of her. As a disciple, Liliana understood her master's character well—she would never take advantage of anyone, especially someone close to her. Therefore, her master must have paid the full cost of that potion, a veritable fortune.

Such a display of love inevitably led Liliana to the realization that she could no longer continue as she had. She couldn't keep rejecting Erik, someone her master clearly saw as her future "partner", as that would inevitably lead to unnecessary friction that would sour her relationship with her beloved master.

But no matter how much she thought about how to do it, nothing came to mind. After all, she was a proud person, and the fact that that fool was better than her at practically everything was a bitter pill to swallow. So, she simply decided to go with the flow for the moment and try to accept that 'little brother' of hers little by little.

That annoying and very strange little brother, but one with talent capable of demoralizing even the greatest geniuses. Yet, just as her master had said, he was still her little brother and, given how things were going and though she didn't much like the idea, her future "father". After all, master for a day, mother for life.

…

After separating from her team, Liliana quickly reached the first enemy group, flying several times faster than her maximum speed before taking the potion. There, she saw the figures of several men holding all kinds of weapons, but among them, one figure stood out like a sore thumb—a beautiful woman with a seductive appearance, light blue hair, and eyes of the same color, exuding an aura of lust and eroticism.

"I suppose courtesy obliges me to greet you properly, hehe. Celestial Arsenal."

With a small chuckle, Liliana sent hundreds of light mana constructs shaped like various weapons toward the enemy group, who were trying to evade her and continue toward the palace. They were taken completely by surprise, only managing to hastily deploy barriers.

"Stone Bastion! / Gale Deflection! / Aqua Veil! / Molten Absorption! / Frozen Aegis!!"

From the air, Liliana watched with a smile as Christine's confident and seductive expression twisted into one of panic and rage. She hastily conjured an ice barrier, followed closely by her mage underlings, who respectively conjured barriers of Earth, Air, Water, and the rare Magma affinity, an uncommon combination of fire and earth.

Meanwhile, the knights, whom the mages didn't have time to cover with their barriers, tried to dodge hastily, but two were too slow and ended up being eliminated. The earth mage, the weakest of them all, couldn't keep up with the pace of her attacks and was also eliminated, which brought a beautiful smile to Liliana's face. She couldn't help but comment cheerfully.

"Three casualties for a greeting, not bad, hehe."

With no intention of letting them rest, Liliana quickly moved her staff through the air, creating two large sets of magical circles. One was aimed at Christine's group, while the other pointed directly at the second group, which was flying toward them at full speed. At that moment, she announced in a low, calm voice.

"Prismatic Spear, Solar Shards."

From the magical circles aimed at Christine's group, a gigantic prismatic spear made of light quickly formed and shot toward them at an astonishing speed, releasing a brutal sonic boom. Meanwhile, from the second group, dozens of light spheres formed and began firing enormous lasers consecutively, like some kind of machine guns.

Almost instantly, as the lasers melted the cavernous ground, creating hundreds of burned craters, the prismatic spear of light struck the ice, earth, and air barriers of Christine's group, shattering into thousands of pieces. It also released a massive wave of ultra-hot lasers that tore the barriers to shreds. At that moment, Liliana raised her staff, and all around the area, a large number of magical circles began to appear, almost as if they wanted to surround the place.

"Chilling Cyclone!!"

At that moment, a cold, almost murderous female voice suddenly announced, causing a whirlwind of ice dust to shoot toward Liliana. She quickly pointed her staff at the whirlwind, and a beautiful geometric magical circle formed in front of the staff as she announced.

"Prism Aegis!"

As the prismatic barrier formed in front of her, Liliana felt a quick attack coming from behind her. She swiftly flapped her beautiful wings, rising into the air, which allowed her to see a spinning sword surrounded by a ring of water rotating at a terrifying speed. The sword quickly flew back, so she promptly aimed her staff and conjured a new magical circle.

"Photon Burst."

The new magical circle released a massive laser beam that struck the area where the sword was heading. But even amidst all that, the magical circles continued to form around the zone, and a kind of gigantic barrier made of hexagonal light plates began to take shape. At that moment, a seductive female voice filled with dignity and authority was heard, commanding.

"She's trying to buy time. Mages, destabilize the barrier. Knights, keep her busy. We're breaking through."

After hearing the charming voice, all the men began to work with precision and order, almost like a well-oiled machine, following orders to the letter and completely focused on attacking the winged woman in the sky with everything they had. This inevitably caused Liliana to click her tongue in annoyance.

With a fluid motion, Liliana quickly waved her staff through the air, causing a dozen magical circles to form in front of her. But at that moment, she heard several explosions occurring simultaneously in various places, and almost instantly, she felt in her ethereal projection four knights arriving at her position at a terrifying speed, along with several spells.

"Photon Dash!"

Knowing her barriers couldn't withstand such a combined attack, Liliana quickly conjured a magical circle above herself, announcing with some haste. A powerful light enveloped her, and she shot forward like a beam of light, moving away almost instantly.

"Supernova Shards!!!!"

Upon reappearing, Liliana quickly swung her staff forcefully, causing a large number of magical circles to form in the air. From them, hundreds of light spheres appeared and began firing lasers in all directions indiscriminately, while Liliana herself began flying erratically in the air, dodging the multitude of spells and knights attacking 'without fear of death'.

But no matter how hard she tried to distract the enemy mages, they still managed to disrupt the generation of the gigantic hexagonal light barrier. This inevitably led Liliana to click her tongue again as she dodged through the air at high speed with the help of her wings, which were a degraded replica of the wings she usually used—an artifact specially made by her master that definitely made others green with envy.

Shortly after, as Liliana dodged and attacked with everything she had, the barrier finally failed, courtesy of the enemy mages, while the group of the beautiful blue-haired woman advanced at full speed toward the palace through Liliana's attacks. The group was back to ten people, thanks to men from the second team joining them to replenish their numbers.

"Damn, that bitch is too slippery. Celestial Comets!"

With an irritated exclamation, Liliana quickly conjured a huge magical circle in the sky, from which hundreds of 'comets' made of light began to fall indiscriminately on the ground. Along with the crazy barrage of lasers from her previous spell, this finally forced the blue-haired woman's team to form more powerful barriers, while powerful explosions occurred in all directions, ultimately halting their advance.

"You're really a nuisance, Liliana."

After the smoke from the attack's impact on the ground dissipated a bit, the beautiful blue-haired young woman could be seen with an irritated expression, standing in the middle of several barriers. She was surrounded by eight men, most of them holding staves to maintain the barriers. Three of them—one with a shield, the other two with swords—were in defensive positions.

"Hehe, you have no idea how refreshing it is to hear that." Liliana commented with an arrogant smile from the sky, surrounded by light shields, which, along with her halo and wings, made her look imposing and majestic.

"How sad your life must be for your mood to depend so much on me." Christine quickly retorted with a mischievous little smile on her face, making her look devilishly charming.

"You're as annoying as ever. Light Arrows!"

After exclaiming in annoyance, Liliana quickly created a magical circle in front of her, from which hundreds of light arrows shot out at high speed toward Christine. Seeing the attack, Christine smiled enchantingly as several runes formed around her, and a cold air began to emanate from her, condensing into various icicles that shot out to intercept the arrows.

"Frost Fang!"

"Hawksbill!"

"Whirling Flame!"

Alongside Christine's icicles, the two knights at her sides attacked simultaneously—one releasing a kind of flying slash made of silvery metallic energy, while the other sent a spinning wheel of fire. Meanwhile, the other mages also sent various spells with all their might, putting immense pressure on Liliana, who began flying erratically in the sky, dodging spells and slashes.

"Solar Flash!!"

Quickly, Liliana conjured a magical circle that caused a furious flash in an attempt to blind the enemy, while controlling the light spheres to concentrate their attack on them.

While Liliana was busy in the spell battle, Christine, using a magical artifact to avoid being blinded, quickly formed a team of five and flew at full speed toward the palace with a smug smile on her face. But that smile didn't last long, as it quickly turned into one of rage when, through her ethereal projection, she sensed an invisible barrier ahead of her.

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"Concentrated attack on the barrier, we're breaking through."

Upon sensing the barrier, Christine couldn't help but purse her beautiful lips in anger, but she quickly issued an icy command. This prompted the young people in her group to prepare their most powerful spells and attacks, all while she raised her staff, causing a great number of runes to form around her.

Swiftly, a colossal combined attack struck the barrier head-on, generating a monumental explosion that unleashed a gigantic shockwave, shaking everything in its path. The group promptly countered it with their own barriers, and they watched as a large section of the formerly invisible barrier materialized before their eyes, revealing a wall of light composed of hexagonal "plates".

"Tsk... useless…" To everyone's surprise—and Christine's annoyance—the barrier remained intact, prompting her to click her tongue in frustration before taking something out of her storage ring.

"Hehe."

Meanwhile, a mischievous smile found its way onto Liliana's face when she noticed Christine's assault on the barrier that Liliana had surreptitiously conjured from the very start. But knowing that this bitch was cunning and had hundreds of tricks up her sleeve, Liliana didn't let her guard down. She quickly pointed her left hand upward.

"Hex bound Prison."

Following her command, the orbs hovering behind her shot upward at high speed, arranging themselves into a horizontal ring and shining brightly as they spun slowly, only to then scatter in all directions, disappearing from sight as they became invisible.

Moments after the orbs vanished completely, the barrier stopped being invisible and materialized fully, emitting a beautiful whitish glow. This made Christine's expression turn grim. She hurriedly stored her magic staff in her storage ring and replaced it with an elegant golden rapier etched with an incredible number of runes across its surface.

Holding the rapier, Christine immediately began to release mana with all her might, causing the rapier to glow intensely. Then she let it go. Instead of falling to the ground, the rapier streaked into the sky, where it began to emit a powerful golden light.

Upon seeing the rapier in the sky, Liliana swiftly pulled a lovely silver amulet from her storage ring, then quickly filled it with mana as she flew erratically to dodge the rapidly incoming attacks. She then hurled it forcefully into the sky.

Once in the air, the amulet unleashed a potent silver light that clashed directly with the rapier's golden light, engaging in a fierce battle. Christine clicked her tongue again in exasperation, then remarked in a cold, yet undeniably seductive tone.

"We have no choice but to bring it down. Attack with everything you've got."

At Christine's words, everyone around her began relentlessly attacking Liliana. Liliana, in turn, had no option but to fly even more erratically. Still, she was hit several times by different attacks, causing the prismatic light shields around her to be destroyed one by one, leaving only two spinning around her.

"Radiant Nova!"

Finding herself in a desperate situation, Liliana hastily created a huge magic circle while dodging at top speed. Immediately after its formation, it gave off a powerful flash of light that filled the barrier, momentarily blinding her enemies.

Without wasting a second, Liliana instantly flew as high as she could, simultaneously conjuring a gigantic magic circle. At the same time, her staff began to glow so brightly that her figure was swallowed by the light.

"How is that prude even capable of casting so many advanced spells…?"

Meanwhile, Christine and her teammates—momentarily blinded by Liliana's advanced spell, which even bypassed Christine's defensive artifact and managed to harm their eyes—quickly took healing potions to recover from the damage, not forgetting to cast protective barriers and form up defensively.

"!!!"

When Christine opened her eyes, she saw Liliana transformed into a sun in the sky beneath a massive magic circle. With no time to react, a colossal ray of golden light blasted toward Christine, striking her instantly, shattering their barriers as if they were made of paper.

"Heaven's Wrath!"

Fortunately for Christine, the defensive magic artifacts shaped like earrings in her ears reacted on her behalf. Sensing the danger, they detached from her ears to float in front of her, merging and growing in size to form a beautiful black mirror. It looked as though it had been carved from a gigantic piece of pure obsidian, covered in thousands of finely engraved runes across its surface.

When the beam of light hit the mirror, it managed to absorb it completely. Christine, momentarily stunned, processed what had just happened, feeling a mixture of anger and apprehension. She clenched her fists hard but, unwilling to admit any weakness, she quickly gave a dazzling smile while directing her gaze toward the sun that was dimming in the sky.

"T—"

Just as Christine was about to make a snide remark to Liliana, her words caught in her throat and her expression turned to panic. She heard a sharp cracking sound and hurriedly looked at the mirror, realizing that small cracks had begun to form on it. She quickly waved her hand and channeled her mana into the mirror, which then returned the beam of light back at Liliana—but now it was bigger and hotter.

Seeing her own spell coming back at her, Liliana, instead of panicking, smiled elegantly—her already striking beauty ascending to yet another level. She swiftly unleashed the magic circle she had been preparing ever since she noticed her spell being stopped by a "mirror".

"Lumen Crucible."

The magic circle produced a flat circle of golden light in front of Liliana, which took the full brunt of the returning beam of light. It stretched like a slingshot, forming a vertical, bowl-like shape that held an immense amount of light mana within it. At that moment, Liliana extended her staff forward, conjuring another magic circle right in front of the "vertical bowl of light", all while commenting with a slight smile on her face.

"Hehe, returning my own spell to me? Sorry, but I have an annoying younger brother who's really good at that, and as the older sister, I can't allow myself to fall for something like that. Luminous Requiem."

The instant Liliana spoke those words, the stretched plane of light snapped back as if it were elastic, releasing large amounts of light through the magic circle in front. The light was amplified and somehow "compressed", resulting in a lethal beam at least three times hotter and more destructive. Liliana made sure to move it swiftly to attack all her enemies with it.

As for Christine, she could only stare wide-eyed as the massive beam of light reached them instantly, leaving no room to respond. Seizing that moment, Liliana quickly formed another magic circle amid the brilliant burst of her own attack, intending to seal the deal.

But right when she was about to unleash her spell, she was struck fiercely from behind, causing her to rocket toward the ground at high speed. She hit with such force that she kicked up a huge cloud of dust and left a massive crater.

Liliana felt slightly dizzy after the harsh, unexpected impact. The last two light shields around her dissolved into motes of light. Nevertheless, she recovered quickly and glanced around, spotting a handsome young man with a slender build and short, pale-purple hair crackling with arcs of electricity. He stood right in front of her, wielding a huge two-handed sword, about to cut her down after performing one final hand sign.

"Charge Strike!"

"Radiant Bulwark!"

Not giving Liliana time to react, the young man reached her at blinding speed and unleashed a powerful downward slash with his greatsword. Liliana could only defend herself with a hastily formed makeshift barrier, mitigating part of the damage. But as she was knocked back, a line of blood appeared across her chest, and a potent electric current coursed through her body, arcing outward ominously.

Wounded, Liliana quickly tried to stabilize herself in the air again, but before she could, an athletic-looking young man with long black hair streaked with red flame-like patterns caught up to her and delivered a heavy blow with his lance, on which a small, simplistic magic circle was visible.

"Rising Sun Thrust!"

To defend against the concentrated fire thrust, Liliana swiftly pulled a circular golden shield from her storage ring—elegant in appearance, looking more decorative than battle-ready—and held it up. It managed to block the strike, but ended up with an ugly burn mark on its surface, while the surroundings were engulfed by an orange sea of fire.

"Thunder God's Roar!"

Without giving Liliana a second's respite, the electricity-wreathed young man rapidly made six hand signs and let go of his greatsword, at the same time raising his sword toward the sky. Enormous arcs of electricity began to radiate from it, gathering around the blade. Then, with a swift downward motion, he sent a brutal, flying slash of electricity.

"Eternal Phoenix Seal!"

At the same time, the young man with the lance quickly conjured four small magic circles around the tip of his weapon while delivering rapid, precise thrusts into the air. This released a phoenix-shaped burst of flames aimed at Liliana, who could barely defend herself with her golden shield.

The lancer and the greatsword user kept up their onslaught against Liliana, who could only just manage to defend herself, let alone counterattack. Her expression darkened, worsening quickly as she retreated hastily, trying to regain her footing.

While Liliana fended off their assault, a powerful golden light shone in the sky. She hurriedly tried to take something out to counteract it, but before she could do anything, razor-sharp rocks rained down on her. They struck in perfect harmony with the young knights, inflicting multiple wounds on her and keeping her from neutralizing the golden light.

Just as Liliana feared, not long after the golden light burst forth, the barrier began to weaken and lose its glow at an alarming rate. With the barrier compromised, Christine and her group hurled everything they had at it, managing to create a massive hole that spread through the entire barrier as though it were made of glass.

"Damn it!"

Attacked at close range by two knights and a mage, Liliana could only watch helplessly as Christine and her group exited the barrier. Christine, for her part, emerged victorious and didn't forget to give Liliana a provocative smile, waving her right hand with a graceful motion.

"See you later, fufu."

After that brief remark, Christine felt all her pent-up frustration suddenly melt away, leaving a gorgeous and seductive smile on her face. But before she could turn her head to face forward again, a dense fog filled the area, and the electricity-clad young man vanished, transported back to the station—eliminated.

Liliana wore a somewhat complicated expression when she realized what the fog meant. But refusing to succumb to disappointment at her failure, she swiftly raised her staff toward the sky. Instantly, numerous magic circles formed out of thin air, each quickly conjuring hundreds of spheres of light.

"Supernova Shards!!"

At the same time, Liliana unleashed her spell and darted away at full speed, the place suddenly filled with multiple "Ethans", all of whom looked exactly alike, like clones. They raised their staves skyward in unison, then were surrounded by countless runes that began forming enormous spears of fog in the air.

"""Rain of Spears!"""

In chorus, the "Ethans" invoked spears of fog that rained down onto the battlefield. They were peculiar, as some merely phased through whatever they touched without causing any harm, while others were incredibly sharp and lethal, even managing to take down the earth mage who had been attacking Liliana just moments before. Meanwhile, certain spears melted everything they came into contact with, and others produced brutal explosions that shook the cavern.

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Seeing that the situation was turning in her favor, Liliana quickly began hurling her spells at full force and speed. Unfortunately, the enemy team had already withdrawn, and under Christine's direction, they no longer fell for Ethan's tricks. The remaining twelve stood together while Christine glared at Liliana, filled with rage.

Up in the air, Liliana let out a heavy breath as she looked at the enemy group. At that moment, Ethan's figure materialized beside her, looking quite pale and haggard, so she swiftly cast a healing spell while speaking rapidly and moving away, as Christine's group's barrage of attacks rained down once more.

"Luminous Rebirth. Why are you here? Did you fail to enter the palace?" Liliana asked anxiously as she dodged the spells together with Ethan, to which he responded with a small smile on his face—though, given his worn-out appearance, he looked quite pitiful.

"Not at all. The group is about to get into the palace. They just need a few more minutes to solve a small puzzle, but I couldn't live with myself if I let Disciple Faye stay here fighting alone, so I volunteered to buy some time."

"Hahaha, you're quite the fool, but I like you. And since you're here, let's teach those bastards a lesson."

After laughing genuinely in amusement, Liliana spoke with a charming smile on her face. At that moment, the halo above her head began to crack—a clear sign that the potion's effect was wearing off.

"Hahaha, absolutely."

With renewed enthusiasm, Ethan and Liliana split up and charged head-on at Christine's group with everything they had, ready to at least take down as many enemies as possible and finish off that blue-haired harlot. They pushed their exhausted bodies to the limit, unleashing a pandemonium of explosions and screams throughout the cave.

…

Some time later, in the middle of the now completely devastated cave—marked with massive craters and battle scars everywhere—Christine stood, utterly unscathed without a single wound on her body, panting heavily. She slowly turned her head to look at the eight people remaining beside her, an expression of rage and indignation twisting her beautiful face. Then she shouted in a hoarse voice.

"How is it possible that that damn prude bitch Liliana could've done so much damage?!!!"

The men, covered in wounds, dirty, battered, and practically drained of mana—a testament to the grueling fight they had just endured—remained silent with their heads bowed, silently enduring Christine's furious reprimand. This seemed to infuriate her even more, as the seductive woman began to scream even louder.

"Say something, you useless bastards!!!! Why do you think I keep you around? Why do I take care of a bunch of miserable assholes who can't even handle a measly 50-year-old prissy whore?!! Huh?!!! Speak!!!"

While screaming hysterically, Christine stomped the ground repeatedly, causing her massive, round breasts—barely covered by her modified version of the university uniform—to bounce enticingly. Inevitably, several men's eyes were drawn to those tempting "fruits", gazing upon them with longing in their eyes.

"YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE LOOKING AT?! YOU THINK YOU EVEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO LOOK AT ME?!! WHOEVER DARES TO LOOK AT ME AGAIN, I'LL TEAR OUT YOUR EYES WITH MY OWN HANDS!!"

Noticing their lecherous stares, Christine shouted at the top of her lungs, completely beside herself, which made her ample chest jiggle even more seductively. The men quickly averted their gazes, too terrified to ogle the captivating sight again.

After all, they knew who this woman was—and worse yet, who her mother was—so they understood that while mother and daughter wouldn't literally gouge their eyes out, in the Arcane Order no one was foolish enough to anger the Court. They still had many ways to make one wish for death, condemning them to a life where they wouldn't dare be more than a few blocks from a police station, especially considering who the seductive girl's master was.

"Hmph, damned cowards."

Seeing the men duck their heads like ostriches, Christine snorted with contempt, then took several deep breaths, which caused her voluptuous, tempting bosom to rise and fall alluringly. She was trying to calm her erratic emotions and recover a bit of her nearly depleted stamina and mana. She felt too nauseous from all the potions used to take yet another one and recover quickly.

After a few deep breaths, Christine managed to calm down enough for her expression to return to normal: one naturally filled with seduction and flirtation. At that moment, with a slight smile on her lips, she spoke sweetly, as though her earlier outburst had never happened.

"Well, my boys, let's recover from our wounds. It's very likely that those prudes' group can't get past the palace, so we'll have to wait five hours until it reopens. The best we can do is set up a makeshift camp and prepare defenses in case any other straggling team enters this area."

Christine's sweet voice echoed through the cave, prompting sighs of relief from the injured men. They lifted their heads to watch the blue-haired beauty, only to see her heading toward a spot a bit farther from the palace.

The way she walked could only be described as a dance of seduction—her hips swaying gracefully and sensually, making the miniskirt covering her plump rear flutter in the air and evoking a provocative, erotic sensation, almost like some kind of invitation.

…

…

…

In the middle of a beautiful private room with white walls and a marble floor, adorned with elegant furniture and shelves full of books—oozing a feeling of both luxury and comfort—there was a huge bed draped in silk sheets. Out of nowhere, a gorgeous young woman with wavy brown hair and mesmerizing blue eyes materialized on it.

Appearing on the bed, Liliana took a moment to glance around, then began to check her condition. She realized she was fully healed and brimming with energy, as if her desperate battle had been nothing more than a dream. This made her sigh a bit in disappointment before murmuring to herself in a complicated tone.

"It's a shame that bitch is still 'alive'. But oh well, at least we took out a good number of those lapdogs, so it wasn't a total loss…"

Stretching a little, savoring a pleasant feeling of comfort as though she had just woken from a cozy sleep, Liliana got out of bed and walked to the beautiful mahogany door of the room. She opened it to reveal a lovely living area with a rug on the floor, elegant black leather sofas, and a black wooden dining set.

But to Liliana's surprise, seated on one of the sofas was Eleonora, who was elegantly sipping tea from a white porcelain cup adorned with silver designs while reading a book in silence. She exuded an almost aristocratic aura, full of elegance and authority.

"Master!!!"

Liliana exclaimed happily at the sight of her master and ran over to greet her, but upon reaching her, she stopped short as her expression changed drastically. Doubt and guilt overwhelmed her, after all, during the tournament she hadn't accomplished anything and instead had left through the back door upon being disqualified—a complete embarrassment for her master.

Seeing Liliana so filled with doubts and sadness, Eleonora set down her teacup on a small table beside her and lifted her gaze from her book. A maternal smile full of pride for her young disciple's growth graced her beautiful face. Speaking in a cheerful voice, she said while placing the book aside.

"Come, Liliana, sit with your master."

Hearing her master's words, Liliana hesitated for a moment as she watched Eleonora pat the spot next to her on the sofa. But after seeing the lovely smile on her face, Liliana slowly walked over and sat down. Then she began to apologize with her head lowered and a voice laden with genuine remorse and shame.

"I'm sorry, Master. I failed you. I couldn't secure a slot for the ruins' exploration…"

"Fufufu, don't be silly."

Seeing how her disciple was acting, Eleonora let out a pleasant laugh and commented as she placed one hand on the sad girl's shoulder, gently pulling her so she could rest her head on her lap. At that moment, Eleonora began to lovingly stroke Liliana's long, wavy hair, resembling a caring mother comforting her little daughter, all while speaking in a soft and affectionate voice.

"You did a magnificent job—no less than I'd expect from my disciple."

Eleonora's warm caresses and tender words filled Liliana's heart with a profound feeling of care, affection, and peace, which inevitably caused her face to flood with tears. She began explaining through her sobs, filled with sorrow and regret.

"I wanted to win, master. I wanted to go on that exploration and achieve something great, to make you proud of me, to prove that choosing me as your disciple wasn't a mistake. But I failed you, master. I was wrong to become your disciple. I'm just a useless failure, a stain on your reputation as a Master. You made a mistake choosing me…

"Desmond is already a famous artificer and mage, publicly regarded as the best of his generation. Even Erik is stronger than me now; he has dazzling academic achievements, and I'm sure he secured a spot on the exploration. I'm the only one who failed. I'm a failure. I don't deserve to be your disciple, Master. Please forgive me. I don't deserve to be called a genius. I've brought you nothing but shame, master. I'm just a pathetic loser who tarnished your reputation…"

Liliana poured out her grief and frustrations on her master's lap, crying inconsolably. Eleonora simply let her vent while gently stroking her hair with motherly affection, lovingly and carefully, until Liliana's voice gradually subsided into tearful sobs.

"You know, Liliana, Desmond couldn't become an artificer until he was 150 years old, and he even failed the exam twice. He was so sad and disheartened after failing the first time that he cried like a little kid for an entire afternoon…"

With Liliana's sorrowful sobs as a sort of backdrop, Eleonora spoke in a soft, calm voice, accompanied by a small, nostalgic smile on her face. She began to wipe the tears from her little disciple's face with a white handkerchief she drew from her storage ring, and, without pausing, continued.

"But that was nothing compared to when he failed the second time. Back then, he wanted to give it all up and return home in defeat, calling himself a fraud and a disgrace to his family. But in the end, he didn't give up. He carried on, refining his technique, his mana control, his theory—everything he could, for nearly fifty years—so he could try a third time. And he finally passed the exam with the highest grade possible."

Eleonora's voice revealed the pride she felt for her first disciple, while her mind wandered through memories of that time—something that seemed incredibly distant, yet at the same time felt like it had happened only yesterday. Quickly, though, her expression turned a bit complicated as she continued.

"But he was much better than me, you know? Back then, terrified of failing, I didn't dare to take the exam until I was two hundred years old. Just imagine that: a two-hundred-year-old Illuminated-Skilled, someone everyone praised as the greatest genius in history, completely petrified by a simple basic one-star artificer exam.

"The most embarrassing part was that even after studying so hard so I wouldn't look bad—practicing until exhaustion, over and over—I barely managed to pass the exam with the most mediocre grade possible. And honestly, I didn't even deserve that grade. They gave it to me to protect my reputation as a 'once-in-an-era genius'. If it weren't for that, maybe I wouldn't even be an artificer today."

Hearing her master's story, Liliana lifted her head, utterly astonished. She couldn't believe what Eleonora was telling her, with a loving smile on her face. After all, her master was the great Master Silverwood, one of the greatest geniuses in human history and, more importantly, one of the finest artificers in the entire galaxy.

She was someone who couldn't be left out when naming the best of the best—the mother of Runic-Geometric Refinement, the most revolutionary breakthrough in at least a million years in the field of artificery. But Eleonora went on, her soft smile never leaving her lips.

"No matter who you are, or how good you think you are, defeats and failures are a constant in life. Nobody is exempt from that, and therefore, it's not something you can run from—nor something to fear. For that very reason, you didn't do anything in the tournament to shame me or tarnish my reputation, as you say. On the contrary, in that tournament you showed me that I made the right choice in taking you on as my disciple.

"In the tournament, you demonstrated your intelligence, adaptability, your vast array of spells, and most importantly, your courage and guts. You fought till the very end like a lioness, paving the way, so your teammates could take the next step and repaying your 'younger brother's' debt. So if you did anything in that tournament, it was to make me feel immensely proud. You are everything I hoped for—and more—from someone I raised with my own hands."

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Eleonora's words caused Liliana to look at her master with eyes completely wide, brimming with a complicated tangle of love, hope, surprise, happiness, and countless other emotions. Tears began to flow like a waterfall, to the point where she had to press her hands against her chest, trying to calm the furious storm raging inside her.

"M-Master… did I make you proud…?" Liliana asked in a sobbing, trembling voice, laden with insecurity, to which Eleonora responded with a warm smile and an almost maternal tone.

"But of course. In the tournament, you proved yourself more than worthy of being my disciple. You did far more than I expected. You, Liliana, are undoubtedly a disciple I'm proud to have raised."

Eleonora's words were a critical blow to Liliana's fragile heart. She threw herself at her beautiful master and hugged her slender waist tightly, tears continuing to stream down her face. She felt so many things, but most of all, she felt an overwhelming happiness and relief. These were the words she had wanted to hear her entire life, and finally hearing them brought her a joy like no other.

Meanwhile, Eleonora smiled affectionately upon seeing her young disciple and then placed one of her hands on Liliana's back, gently caressing her brown hair. She comforted her disciple with warmth and care until Liliana gradually stopped crying and fell silent, shifting slightly with nervousness, as if she hesitated to do something.

Without pressuring her young disciple, Eleonora continued to gently stroke her soft hair, waiting for Liliana to clear her mind. After a while, Liliana, having thought long and hard, mustered her resolve and got up from her master's lap, then sat on the sofa. She looked at her master with a tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes.

"Master… I… I'm not a good older sister… I don't deserve for you to be proud of me. I'm a terrible person…"

Liliana began to speak, but as she continued, her voice began to break and grow softer. At the same time, the tears that had finally stopped began flowing again, yet the beautiful girl bit her lips firmly and continued talking while Eleonora listened in silence.

"I hated Erik. I saw him as useless, arrogant, pretentious—one of the worst cowards—and I wished with all my might for him to fail and for you to abandon him. Just seeing him disgusted me, and I fantasized daily about leaving him on some remote planet where no one could find him, so he would disappear from my life forever. I cursed the day Master Eldurdóttir found him."

The more she spoke, the more tears filled Liliana's face, and her heart was overtaken by fear and despair. Mentally preparing herself for her master to reject her for being such a terrible person and for thinking those things about the person her master loved.

But she could no longer remain silent; her conscience wouldn't allow it. She couldn't happily accept her master's praise and congratulations while harboring those thoughts about her younger brother—especially now that she knew how special Erik was to her master.

She wasn't the good person her master believed her to be; thus, she didn't deserve so much love and affection from her. Even so, Liliana genuinely loved her master, who had been like a mother to her for almost her entire life. And although the outcome would be devastating for her, Liliana no longer had the courage to keep lying to her. So she kept talking.

"I was filled with envy for how you treated him, for everything you gave him. I felt like he was displacing me and that you no longer loved me, that at any moment you'd abandon me. That's why I left him alone the day you asked me to go with him to enroll in his first class. I even thought of doing many worse things… Forgive me, Master. I'm a terrible person; I don't deserve your love or your care. I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Tears of bitterness and pain flooded Liliana's face. She pulled her feet up onto the sofa and hugged her knees, burying her face in them, almost as though she were trying to find a tiny refuge to calm her heart, which was filled with sorrow, loneliness, and despair. She was certain of what her master would do after hearing her confession.

When Liliana was at her lowest, drowning in a well of sadness and solitude, overwhelmed by her master's silence—she didn't dare look at her for fear of seeing anger and disappointment—she suddenly felt a tender kiss on the top of her head. Completely taken aback, she then heard her master's voice, which sounded somewhat amused.

"You're a very sweet girl, you know that? Fufufu."

Utterly stunned, Liliana turned to look at her master. Rather than seeing disappointment or anger, she found a loving and cheerful expression, and Eleonora opened her arms to embrace her once again, pressing Liliana's head against her generous chest. Liliana heard her master's warm voice again.

"Did you think I didn't know? Even Erik was well aware of it, not to mention Sig or me. And you're not a terrible person, nor any of those things you said. You're just a spoiled little girl who felt her new younger brother would take her place.

"What you felt and thought is quite normal. And it's precisely there where you showed the kind of person you really are. Because although in your heart you 'hated' Erik, you always respected him as your brother, and aside from that little incident when Erik entered the university, you never openly antagonized him. You always treated him properly in public.

"Moreover, your younger brother isn't just anyone. He's a monstrous talent on Sig's level—maybe even superior. Most people in your position couldn't handle that, and they'd lose all confidence and motivation, eventually going down a dark path of hatred, regret, and apathy.

"But you didn't go down that path. You worked harder than anyone else. Even when Erik surpassed you, you never wavered. On the contrary, you trained even more intensely, achieving feats that undoubtedly make you the best of the current generation below Erik—someone most people don't even count because he's too far off the charts.

"That's why you are not only fully deserving of all my affection, but I'm proud to have you as my disciple—an unwavering, fearless warrior of a woman who also happens to be incredibly gifted and hardworking. As your master, I feel blessed to have you. Besides, you're too adorable for your own good. Fufufu."

Hearing her master's soft laugh at the end, Liliana felt overwhelmed by happiness, tenderness, love, and pride, leading her to hug Eleonora even more tightly. But soon enough, confusion surfaced, so with a hint of nervousness, Liliana raised her head slightly to ask a question.

"But Master, I thought terribly of Erik and wished him all sorts of misfortune. Why aren't you angry? Don't you hate me for thinking those things about your…?"

Liliana's voice died out at the last moment, unsure about openly discussing her conjectures regarding her Master's feelings for Erik. But Eleonora chuckled pleasantly as she took out another handkerchief from her storage ring and began wiping Liliana's tear-stained face once more. Then she answered in a cheerful tone.

"Fufu, you don't have to be afraid to say it. Erik is the man I love, and he'll be my future husband. I wanted to show you that during the trip, since you're my beloved disciple and you deserve to know. Though it's a family matter, so let's not say it too loudly outside the house." Eleonora said with a small smile, watching her now clean-faced disciple, who nodded enthusiastically, like a little chick.

"Turn around. I'm going to comb your hair."

Seeing her disciple's face free of tears again, Eleonora spoke gently, and Liliana promptly obeyed. She turned on the sofa, giving her back to her master, who then, with a beautiful comb that looked like it was made of obsidian, began to gently and lovingly smooth Liliana's long, wavy hair. At the same time, Eleonora spoke in a calm, warm voice.

"Even though I love Erik from the bottom of my heart and want to spend the rest of eternity by his side, that doesn't mean I don't love you too. It's just a different kind of love. You are my beloved disciple, you're like a daughter to me, whereas Erik is the man of my life. So I can't be mad at my daughter for being upset with her 'dad', can I? Fufu."

"…" Liliana didn't know how to respond to that, so she chose to remain silent and enjoy her master's care. Eleonora continued speaking unhurriedly.

"The same goes for Desmond, who also knows about it. You're my children, my little babies, and I love you all from the bottom of my heart. But I also understand how hard it can be for anyone to be so close to someone like Erik, who has such ridiculous talent that it can be disheartening to others. So there's no reason to be angry if you couldn't get along at first. With time, that will improve, and we'll be a happy family…"

"…M-Master, can I ask why you fell in love with him?"

After a few moments, Liliana bit her lip and asked in a slightly choked voice, feeling she was crossing a line but determined to take that risk to better understand the situation. Eleonora just smiled and answered cheerfully as she continued combing Liliana's hair with delicate care.

"That's a tricky question. I truly love everything about him, but if I had to say something, it's that he's not only handsome and incredibly talented, but also hardworking, clever, and filled with crazy, creative ideas—definitely someone destined for great things, exactly the kind of man I want to spend the rest of my life with.

"But what really made me fall in love with him was his personality—his confidence, his calm, his honesty. How he treats me like a normal person, still with affection and respect, but without pointless flattery or excessive reverence, as if I were some kind of deity. From the very beginning, he treated me like a woman—like Eleonora—and not as Master Silverwood.

"I also adore his steady way of doing things, always so sure of himself, always step by step, keeping his own pace, almost as if he were constructing a solid building with each thing he does. It fills me with an incredible sense of peace and tranquility, like if I'm by his side, things will naturally turn out perfectly because every little step he takes is a perfect one, building an unshakable foundation.

"He's also very sweet and adorable when he's surprised or discovers something new, and how he eats his cookies like a little mouse, or how he somehow always manages to get his way… fufu, it seems I've gone on and on, yet I still haven't said a quarter of what I love about him."

"You really do love him, Master…"

Liliana remarked with a smile on her face, feeling somewhat amazed at the lively tone in her master's voice—perfectly fitting a maiden in love, something she had never heard from Eleonora before. At that moment, Eleonora responded with a big smile and visible delight.

"Of course I do. He's the love of my life. Fufu."

Upon hearing her master's voice so filled with love and happiness, Liliana hesitated a bit but gathered her courage to ask something slightly over the line. If her master loved this man so deeply, Liliana would do all she could to support her happiness, so she needed to understand the situation better—and there was a massive elephant she couldn't ignore.

"...And does Master Eldurdóttir feel the same way about him…?"

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"Of course, in the future we'll be together—even with Seraphina. We already have everything planned and even bought our family planet, so the three of us will be even closer in the future than sworn sisters, fufu."

In response to her disciple's question, Eleonora answered quickly, filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for the future, which inevitably put a smile on Liliana's face. After all, it was truly a joy to hear her master so happy and full of energy. However, the girl's expression quickly turned resolute, and she asked in a serious tone.

"Master, doesn't it bother you to share the love of your life with other women?"

"If it were any other woman, maybe it would. But with Sig and Seraphina, honestly, no. They are my sisters, and I love them from the depths of my heart. Besides, the fact that we fell in love with the same man almost feels like it was destined.

"Instead of being something bad, it's something that fills the three of us with happiness. My sisters—the people who have spent the most time with me and who are an irreplaceable part of my life—will continue to be by my side as we share a deep love for the same man. If that's not happiness, then I don't know what is, fufufu."

Wearing a huge smile on her face, Eleonora answered in a sing-song voice as she gently combed her disciple's silky hair. Liliana couldn't help but laugh a little, feeling incredibly happy because even though she had spent most of her life by her master's side, they had never had such an intimate and jovial conversation. As if they were friends of the same age—a clear sign that she was getting closer to her master more than ever.

"It seems like that's a big relief for you, master." Liliana soon commented in a lilting tone, to which Eleonora responded with enthusiasm and a hint of mischief in her voice.

"Of course! I'll even tell you a secret—though I'm only telling you because it's something that will never happen, and you're my disciple. But keep it a secret, okay?"

"Of course, Master." Liliana nodded quickly and answered in a serious but cheerful tone, prompting Eleonora to smile softly before she began to speak.

"Well, you see, finding a partner or falling in love has always been a dreaded topic for us sisters because we got tired of seeing how, when a woman truly fell in love from the bottom of her heart, she almost always ended up giving herself completely to that love, which inevitably led to her family relationships drifting apart—something we didn't want to happen to us.

"This fear reached the point that Seraphina even announced that no matter whom Sig married, she would serve as his maid—even if it meant offering herself as his concubine—something that, to be honest, I couldn't accept. Even though I really love Sig and Seraphina, I couldn't see myself giving myself to a man I didn't love.

"After all, a long time ago, I decided that there would only ever be one man in my life—whether it turned out well or badly, there could only be one—so I had to choose very carefully. Therefore, I couldn't risk being with someone I didn't love. Luckily, Erik appeared in our lives and stole all three of our hearts, solving the problem without even knowing it. Now Sig and I will be the official wives, and Seraphina the concubine, fufufu."

Although a bit surprised by the story, especially by her master's strange decision to have only one man in her life—something incredibly unusual for beings who lived as long as they did—Liliana chose not to ask. She could sense there was something very profound behind that decision, and asking about it might ruin her master's happy moment. Instead, she asked about the second thing that caught her attention, somewhat confused.

"… Master, but why will Lady Seraphina be the concubine if you're all sisters?"

The reason Liliana found it strange was very simple. Although she knew that Seraphina pretended to be a maid, she was not only incredibly powerful but also extremely close to her master—something Liliana learned after the little altercation they had when she scolded Erik.

"Well, that's because of Seraphina's strange fetishes… preferences. Though she's a bit of an odd person, she's a wonderful sister and more loyal than anyone."

Eleonora answered calmly as she took a jar of hair cream from her storage ring, a cream with a soft floral scent, and began to apply it gently to Liliana's hair. At that moment, Liliana couldn't help but ask something she had wanted to know for years.

"I see… though you know, Master, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. Now that I understand how difficult it is to be around someone like Erik or Master Eldurdóttir, I find it hard to understand—how could you bear it and even come to consider her your sister?"

Faced with Liliana's uncertain question, Eleonora smiled understandingly and replied in a calm tone while carefully combing her disciple's beautiful chocolate-colored hair.

"You know, many people praised me for being able to have such a close relationship with Sig, who took my place as the greatest genius in history and ended up surpassing me by a wide margin. But the truth is, although it did hurt a little and wasn't so easy to accept, in the end, I couldn't be more grateful for it.

"The pressure and loneliness of being so far above everyone else is indescribable—something that, although I can't say I wasn't proud of, the truth is that it was more terrifying than anything else. Having such high expectations placed on me made me terrified of failure. And although I learned to live with it over the years, those were four thousand very difficult years for me.

"But everything changed when Sigrún appeared. In just fifty years, that girl who came out of nowhere became the talk of the galaxy. For the first time in my life, I knew what true peace and tranquility were. I no longer had to worry about being alone; finally, there was someone who could understand my fears and worries…"

The master and disciple pair continued talking about random things, as if they were truly mother and daughter, sharing stories, experiences, difficulties, and more—all the while with big smiles on their faces, letting time pass without either noticing.

In the end, it was quite late when Liliana fell asleep on the sofa, totally exhausted from the hectic day full of events and emotions she had experienced. Eleonora carried her to the bed with a smile, then kissed her lovingly on the forehead.

"You really made me feel very proud. Rest; you worked hard, my little one…"

…

…

…

The next day, Liliana woke up in her bed and looked around a bit confused, but the memories of the previous day quickly returned to her. A beautiful smile spread across her face, which soon became serious and determined.

With firm steps, Liliana headed to the bathroom and, after a relaxing bubble bath, proceeded to do something she had been doing for years, something she thought she would no longer need: using healing spells and a potion to erase any traces of the previous day's crying from her face, which inevitably brought a wry smile to her lovely features.

Truly, these last years had been a literal hell for her—always on edge, terrified of losing everything she loved. But in the end, the only one to blame for her suffering was herself. Erik had really never done anything to her; she was the one who got scared for no reason and ended up hating him for it, like a little girl. But that had to change. So, after adjusting her appearance, Liliana took her crystal card and called her master.

"Good morning, Master." The call soon connected, and Liliana greeted in a serious tone. In response came Eleonora's calm voice through the crystal card's hologram.

[Good morning, Liliana. Did you rest well?]

"Very well, thank you for your concern, Master." Liliana quickly replied, causing Eleonora to giggle a bit before she commented.

[That's good to hear. Make sure you rest these days; you worked quite hard in the tournament and need to recover.]

"I understand, but Master, the reason I'm calling is to see if there's a chance I can meet with Erik today. I want to talk to him and clear everything up so I can move on and start over." Liliana commented briefly, her tone full of resolve, which made Eleonora laugh happily once again. She then spoke with a slightly playful tone.

[Fufu, then come to my private lounge.]

"I'll head over right away."

After hanging up, Liliana checked her appearance one last time, then left her private room and headed toward her master's private lounge. Determined to ask her for help in arranging a meeting with Erik so she could be honest with him—something she felt necessary in order to face the future with a new perspective.

…

Shortly after, Liliana arrived at an exclusive, secluded area that boasted exquisite decor, several levels above the zone where her own private lounge was located. The place was a spacious circular hall filled with Myst, vegetation, subtly beautiful decorations, and a lovely fountain in the center that emitted a pale golden liquid. The wide hall was surrounded by different sets of double doors, all with distinctive seals carved into them.

Liliana walked quickly through the hall until she reached a matte black door with a seal depicting a spear surrounded by lightning. She knocked on it softly. Moments later, the door opened by itself, revealing a large marble-floored hall with an elegant wooden staircase up ahead.

Walking calmly, Liliana took the path to the left of the staircase, quickly arriving at a beautiful sitting room furnished with various sofas and a gorgeous dining area at the back. There she found Eleonora, Sigrún, and—much to her surprise—Erik, all chatting casually, while Seraphina stood behind Erik like a loyal shadow.

Noticing her disciple's arrival, Eleonora turned to her with a small smile, which turned playful when she saw the slightly surprised look on Liliana's face. Then, she extended her hand to point to one of the chairs at the dining table and spoke softly.

"Come in. We've been waiting for you."

"Good morning, master, Master Eldurdóttir, Lady Seraphina, Erik."

""Good morning.""

Liliana quickly composed herself and approached the dining table, greeting everyone with a respectful bow. They all responded in unison before she took her seat. At that moment, plates loaded with sumptuous food appeared on the table, drawing a happy smile from Erik, while two cute wolf pups appeared at his sides from his shadow with expectant looks.

"Let's have breakfast first."

With the arrival of the food, Eleonora spoke with a cheerful smile as she picked up the beautiful silverware on the table. At the same time, it was like a starting signal for Erik, who immediately began to devour his meal as if he hadn't eaten in years—though he didn't forget to share a bit with the wolves, since they started performing a theatrical display of hunger the moment he began to eat.

After breakfast, Eleonora and Sigrún stood up from the table while the dishes vanished. They walked over to Erik, kissing him lovingly on the cheeks before bidding him a cheerful farewell.

"See you later, Erik." After kissing him, Sigrún spoke with a small smile on her face and left the salon, followed by Eleonora, who also said her goodbye affectionately.

"Don't spend too long on your projects today; we'll be back early."

"Hehe, alright." Erik replied with a relaxed smile, then turned to look curiously at Liliana, who wore a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face.

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A while later, Erik and Liliana sat facing each other on the beautiful sofas in the living room, while they received cups of tea from Seraphina, who, after serving them, stood behind Erik with a professional smile on her face.

"My master told me you wanted to talk to me about something."

Seeing the nervous Liliana, Erik commented with a smile, wondering what the girl wanted to discuss, which led Liliana to take a couple of deep breaths to gather her courage. Then she looked Erik directly in the eyes, at which point she began to speak in a serious and almost formal tone.

"Erik, the truth is that I've realized my mistakes and I want to move on, so I want to talk to you seriously to apologize for my previous behavior and, if possible, to start over."

Liliana's words caused a confused expression on Erik's face, who turned to look at Seraphina as if asking for explanations, but the beautiful, perfect maid simply smiled elegantly without saying anything. Seeing that Seraphina didn't want to explain anything, Erik had no choice but to sigh in defeat and ask the chocolate-haired girl.

"Liliana, honestly, I don't understand why you want to apologize to me. Did you do something?"

The question caused a confused expression to form on Liliana's face, who looked at Erik, not very sure if he was serious or just making fun of her. But as always, that fool seemed unable to lie even if his life depended on it, which brought a small smile to her face and gave her enough courage to start explaining.

"Yes, I did quite a bit, and I know you're aware of it: how I treated you with indifference, what I thought of you, and that I didn't behave like a proper older sister."

A bit surprised, Erik looked Liliana up and down, but upon noticing her expression and realizing that she really meant what she said, the star-haired boy couldn't help bursting into laughter. Meanwhile, the teacup he was holding began to float in the air thanks to a phantom hand.

After laughing heartily, Erik wiped a few small tears from his eyes and spoke as he tried to calm down. Then he began to talk, still looking genuinely amused, while Seraphina, with swift and practiced movements, began to tidy up the clothes and the beautiful starry hair of her young master.

"Hahaha, you're really very sweet, Liliana, haha, and that's not something to apologize for…" Erik had no choice but to take a couple of deep breaths to avoid laughing again, and shortly afterward, he continued speaking.

"I already told you before that not even money is liked by everyone, much less a person. And if I may add, much less someone like me—so as not to make myself look too bad, let's say I'm a bit peculiar. So, whether you like me or not is irrelevant. Whatever happens, you're still my master's disciple and therefore my older sister, so it's unimportant—don't try to make it bigger than it really is."

Somewhere between astonished and confused, Liliana watched Erik rubbing his stomach, trying not to keep laughing, but the star-haired boy quickly continued in a calmer tone, taking back his floating teacup.

"Besides, you talk about treating me with indifference, but can I ask you when you did that? Because honestly, I never noticed until now, and in my opinion, apart from a couple of times so many years ago, you've always treated me with respect. At this point, I really have no complaints about you."

"… But I never treated you like a sister. I always ignored you and pushed you aside. Also, there was that time when I insulted you, and that other time when I left you to your fate on the street when master asked me to guide you…" Liliana couldn't help retorting with a strange expression, feeling incredibly uncomfortable because of Erik's words and calm demeanor. He simply smiled serenely and started speaking.

"You ignored me? Honestly, I never noticed. And if by insulting me you mean that time you called me a coward and such, well, that's not an insult—or at least not to me. You even helped me a lot that time because if it hadn't been for you, I really might have affected my masters' reputation. So before you apologize, I should be thanking you."

"But, but, I hated you. I wanted to see you fail. I thought you were nothing more than a useless lucky fool, a coward, a stinky hermit terrified of the outside world, and I wanted my master to abandon you…" Liliana spoke almost in a panic upon seeing how all the things she considered great offenses were nothing but trivialities to Erik, but the star-haired boy spoke again calmly after sipping his tea.

"And what's wrong with that? After all, you're not entirely wrong. I really am a lucky fool; I'm also a bit of a hermit, I don't like socializing much, and to be honest, I'm also somewhat cowardly—I don't want to die too soon. So getting angry over the truth makes no sense, no matter how uncomfortable it is.

"Besides, I think it's pretty normal for you to hate me. After all, I came out of nowhere, and Master Eleonora almost focused all her attention on me, so in my opinion, you handled it quite well since that 'hate' stayed only in your thoughts. You know, at first, I thought you and Desmond would make my life impossible, but that never happened, which was a big relief for me, and honestly, I'm grateful for that."

As Erik's words echoed in her mind, Liliana raised her head toward the ceiling with a distant look, almost experiencing an existential crisis. She felt that all the courage she had gathered and her realization about her relationship with Erik had been a waste of time. The fool didn't even think she had done anything wrong—he really was a hopeless idiot.

Although things were better in the Arcane Order, the pride, or even the arrogance, of mana users was no joke. So a normal one would hate her, curse her, and some of the most extreme and crazy ones would want to take cruel revenge on her, "repaying the grudge ten thousand times". But that star-haired fool had actually thanked her for not making his life difficult—it was truly a mystery how his foolish head worked.

"Don't be like that. If you really feel you want to reconcile with me, how about collaborating on a project?"

While Liliana was lost in her little existential crisis, Erik spoke with a predatory smile on his face, almost as if he were carefully sizing up the prey he was about to devour—something Liliana did not notice and simply asked as she looked at him again.

"Collaborate? In what do you want us to collaborate?"

Liliana asked with mixed feelings in her heart, to which Erik replied with a calm and friendly smile on his face, having completely erased the predatory expression from just a moment before.

"Actually, there's a project I'm working on where a light mage would be very helpful…"

As he spoke, Erik took from his storage ring a beautiful black-covered notebook with golden edges, which he placed on the coffee table between them, then slid it over to Liliana with a smile.

"..."

Upon seeing the notebook, Liliana picked it up and opened it. On the first page was a detailed introduction to what the notebook contained, and when she read it, Liliana couldn't help but open her eyes wide in surprise. She quickly began flipping through the pages, finding notes, explanations, and all kinds of magical spell prototypes.

The more she read, the wider the eyes of the beautiful girl became, rapidly shifting from surprise to disbelief, realizing the absolute madness her younger brother was working on. The guy really wasn't a genius—he was a damn monster so strange that she really wanted to open his head to see what he had inside, even doubting that he was human like her.

"Is this real…?"

With a voice that sounded almost like a gasp, Liliana asked with an expression that showed disbelief and astonishment at the same time. So Erik smiled confidently and stretched out his hand, where a beautiful magic circle with runes around it formed out of nowhere. He quickly conjured a beautiful torch made of solidified Myst, which had runes all over its surface. Soon after, it began to emit a pale blue flame, at which point Erik's calm voice resonated.

"Very real."

"…This is research worthy of an Auric Award… I can't accept it; my pride won't allow me to take advantage of you like that." Liliana spoke somewhat in a panic, surprised and a bit frightened by how absurd her younger brother was. He simply smiled calmly, then began to speak.

"You're exaggerating. Although it really is something that could be considered revolutionary, as it stands now, it's nothing more than an academic curiosity. Only useful for me because, as far as we know, no one else can move solidified Myst constructs the way I do.

"But if we manage to make it work with magical affinities, the story changes, and then we really could be talking about Auric Awards. And since light constructs are the most compatible with my Myst constructs, that's the best route to start with, don't you think?"

Erik spoke, trying to sound calm, but around him emanated the aura of a dishonest merchant looking to take advantage of a poor, innocent soul that had accidentally fallen into his hands.

Which, by the way, is not as if he had been thinking of ways to trick his poor older sister into helping him with his project, nor had he almost jumped for joy when he heard that she "wanted to make peace with him." Of course not; nothing of the sort happened.

"Do you really want me to take part in this project…?" Liliana asked, half-convinced and half-doubtful, to which Erik nodded confidently, then extended his hand toward her in a handshake gesture, speaking calmly.

"Of course, you're exactly what this project needs to go a step further."

"…Then I'll be in your care." After looking at Erik's outstretched hand for a few seconds, Liliana extended her own hand, initiating the handshake, speaking with traces of disbelief in her voice.

"Hehe, it'll be a pleasure working with you."

After the handshake, Erik commented happily while Seraphina placed an opulent tray filled with special cookies on the table, which doubled the happiness of the star-haired boy. He began eating with enthusiasm and even shared with the wolves that appeared beside him without them having to start their usual dramatic show. After all, happiness has to be shared.

(Hehe, what good luck! I finally have a "work partner" with the rare light affinity. If I manage to convince her to collaborate long-term, many of my stalled projects can move forward at an accelerated pace. But for now, let's take it step by step—let's not scare the little fawn that fell into the net. Everything in due time…)

With a mischievous smile on his face, Erik thought as he watched Liliana study the impressive agenda attentively. Meanwhile, Seraphina began to massage her young master's shoulders with an incredibly refined technique, discreetly picking up the orbs that hovered in stealth around the room at the same time.

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[lordanl]

It's the same note I posted publicly on Patreon—if you've already read it, you can ignore this one; it basically says the same thing.

***

Hello everyone! With this chapter, the second volume of Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst comes to an end. In this volume, I allowed myself to explore more of the world, introduce new characters, and so on. And although several people didn't like that I left Erik aside for so many consecutive chapters, the truth is that after thinking about it a lot, I decided to do it this way to create a parallel with the next volume—about how things work with Erik and without him—a volume that, in my opinion, will be much more interesting than this one.

But anyway, leaving that aside, I'd like to know your thoughts on this volume, what you thought of it, if you have any complaints or suggestions, or anything else. I really appreciate all the support you've given me, and although several people have left over the course of this volume, if you ever come back and read this message, I want you to know that I'm still grateful for the support you gave me. Knowing there are people who enjoy my work never stops being a great motivation.

On another note, a little while ago, an option appeared on Patreon to sell specific posts. Although I originally didn't plan to do anything with it, lately I've received an endless wave of emails and private messages about art commissions, and although from reading forums I discovered that most of them are scammers, it occurred to me to look for a real artist, commission some artwork for the cover and for the main characters, then assemble an EPUB of the volumes and sell it using this new option, at least to recoup my investment.

However, I'm really not sure if you'd be interested in something like that, and I've heard that art commissions can be quite expensive, so let me know if you'd be interested or if you know a serious artist so I could at least request a quote and mentally plan a budget. I do have to warn you that if it's too expensive, I'll likely opt not to do it, since I have very few readers and doubt I'd recoup the investment if it's very costly.

In any case, thank you so much for all the support so far—I truly hope you're still enjoying my work. There's still a lot of story left to tell, and this has only been the beginning, which, to be honest, I didn't expect would take so many chapters to introduce.

But setting that aside, Volume 3 will begin with the next chapter and will be published without any breaks.

 

[lordanl]

In a spacious Victorian-style hall, with a vaulted ceiling, towering bookshelves filled with books that reached all the way up, and wide windows letting in the light, Erik was seated behind a beautiful black wooden desk adorned with golden details. All around him, a large number of holographic screens displayed all kinds of information, which he glanced at from time to time before returning to scribble rapidly in the notebook on the desk.

On Erik's shoulders were Ebonique, a jet black serpent-dragon spirit, and Ignis, a phoenix spirit made of blue fire, both measuring a bit more than 30 centimeters in length. They watched with focused expressions as Erik wrote in his notebook, occasionally offering a piece of advice or an opinion, prompting Erik to make quick corrections.

Meanwhile, to one side of Erik's desk, behind another black desk, sat a beautiful young woman who appeared to be about 18 years old. She had long, wavy hair of a lovely chocolate color and hypnotically deep blue eyes and seemed lost in thought, reflecting deeply as she read a beautiful black-covered notebook on her desk.

At the same time she was reflecting, the beautiful young woman would sporadically attempt to create a magic circle with her mana. Without fail, it would always end in failure; yet, she was not too discouraged by this and would simply pick up a crystal card from her desk and take some notes.

After a while, Erik looked up and stretched comfortably, while Ebonique and Ignis landed on the desk. At that moment, the star-haired young man let out a comfortable sigh before adjusting his posture and turning to look at the girl at the nearby desk, speaking calmly as he picked up the notebook on the desk.

"Well, Liliana, the corrections you asked for are ready."

Upon hearing her 'younger brother's' voice, Liliana turned to him, somewhat surprised at first, but her expression quickly shifted to acceptance, with faint traces of a strange feeling of defeat—though well concealed—before responding as she took the notebook.

"You're really a monster. How do you manage to redesign a spell in just a couple of days?"

"Is it that strange? The spell itself didn't change much; I just had to adjust a few things and recalculate a couple of parameters. Besides, Ebonique and Ignis helped me a lot…"

Erik remarked somewhat incredulously while looking at Liliana with an innocent expression, causing her to roll her eyes in exasperation. She could feel the urge to punch someone in the face surge within her, but after a few moments, the beautiful chocolate-haired girl simply sighed and took the notebook, then focused on reading the large amount of information in it, completely ignoring her irritating 'younger brother.'

Seeing Liliana's response, Erik simply let her be and sat comfortably in his cushy chair, his hands behind his head and his feet on the desk, ready for a moment of rest and relaxation. Ignis and Ebonique landed on his chest, ready to claim their well-deserved payment for all the effort they had put in. After all, 'employees' like them would never let their 'miserly boss' get away with not paying them.

Liliana, for her part, became more and more surprised the more she read the notebook Erik had handed her. Even though they had been working together for almost a month since they returned from the space station, she still couldn't help but be stunned at how ridiculous Erik was. After all, creating a spell was delicate and complex work that depended largely on trial and error—something known to take years, if not decades, or even centuries, to complete.

But the most terrifying part was not that Erik could develop corrections for a spell in just a couple of days. What truly made Liliana think of him as a monster was that he wasn't developing just any spell; what they were working on was something never seen before, and they were doing it through runic-geomantic refinement—something never before used to cast a combat spell.

Developing something like what they were working on would already be a task on "hell" difficulty, but doing it through runic-geomantic refinement elevated it to a level infinitely close to impossible. After all, there was almost no literature on it, and even fewer references to go by. Though it was true that many researchers across the galaxy were studying how to use runic-geomantic refinement to cast combat spells, no one had succeeded so far, and all existing literature was basically a compendium of documents on what did not work.

But true to form for a monster, Erik had not only discovered how to cast combat spells using runic-geomantic refinement, he was even creating the necessary reference literature on his own—the very same that she was using to advance their joint research project.

Truly, that guy was ridiculous, and there was no doubt he would cause a huge stir in the galaxy once he deigned to publish his new achievements—so absurd that Liliana already felt a bit numb about it all. Let the monster do his thing; she would focus on her own progress step by step.

…

Time passed slowly while Erik gently stroked the pampered spirits and the pair of wolves that leapt from his shadow and brazenly sprawled across his legs, demanding attention. The room filled with a symphony of comfortable growls and cute low barks, which were abruptly cut off when a melodious female voice exclaimed, tinged with disbelief.

"This is amazing…"

"Shall we try it then?"

Upon hearing Liliana's astonished exclamation, Erik quickly turned to look at her, asking with a note of excitement in his voice. The beautiful chocolate-haired girl nodded in response before commenting while crossing her arms.

"But you'll be the one drawing the circle."

"Of course."

After responding with a small chuckle, Erik swiftly stood up from his chair. Ebonique, Ignis, and the wolves complained, glaring at Liliana in annoyance, but she paid them no mind and simply focused on Erik, who walked to the center of the hall with a piece of chalk in his hand. He began drawing the circle on the glossy black marble floor in a special area at the center where there were no carved runes.

The reason Erik had to draw the circle was that no one could just conjure a magic circle with the technique of magical formation out of the blue. It required a great deal of practice and training even to conjure the circle correctly, never mind doing so fluently and quickly, which typically involved mental triggers, like the spell's name or something similar.

Moreover, Liliana was a practitioner of Sacred Geometry, so rune conjuration was far outside her field of expertise. Although she had been secretly practicing to avoid the embarrassment of completing the spell only to be unable to cast it, she still had a long way to go in that regard. The difficulty of conjuring a runic-geomantic circle proved to be quite challenging—so much so that it remained a mystery to her how Erik managed to make it look so easy.

After a while, and under Liliana's slightly surprised gaze, Erik finished drawing the runic-geomantic circle on the floor with the special chalk without making a single mistake. He left behind firm, precise lines, demonstrating not only that his hand was steady as a rock, but also that he had complete confidence in drawing it—even though, technically, it was a spell he had just created, given that the modifications now made it quite different from the original.

Following a thorough review of the runic-geomantic circle by both Erik and Liliana, the latter took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, circulating her mana throughout her body in a slow, methodical way, putting herself in top form, and keeping her mana as steady and stable as possible.

"All right, I'm going to try it. Stay on your toes." With a firm, nearly solemn voice, Liliana looked at Erik and spoke, meeting his gaze. The star-haired boy nodded calmly, though he was clearly more serious now.

"Of course."

With Liliana's words, Erik quickly pulled a notebook and pen from his storage ring, at the same time closing his eyes and moving the surrounding Myst, being careful not to interfere with Liliana. She focused at once and kneeled on one knee, extending her hand toward the drawn spell. At that moment, she channeled her mana with precision and control.

With Liliana's mana, the magic circle began to come alive, glowing faintly with a soft golden color. Soon after, a construction of light began to form slowly above the circle, taking the shape of a torch with runes inscribed on its surface. But then, the magic circle started to flash in different colors, and the mana construct ended up cracking like glass until it completely shattered, vanishing in tiny particles of light.

"Failed again…"

With a disappointed sigh, Liliana got up from the floor and turned to look at Erik, who still had his eyes closed. She chose to remain silent and wait patiently for him to finish whatever he was doing—something she was already used to, given how common it was.

A couple of minutes later, Erik managed to organize in his mind all the information he had gathered. He opened his eyes wide and immediately began writing at high speed in his notebook, making sure not to miss a single detail. After all, success and failure often lay in the smallest of details—the ones so easily forgotten.

Once he finished jotting everything down, Erik reviewed his notes seriously, then handed the notebook to Liliana, who accepted it with a calm gesture. But instead of reading it, the beautiful young woman asked curiously,

"What do you think?"

"Mmm, honestly, it's a bit complicated. The spell is technically correct, and everything works fine until the runes in the mana construction start to kick in. That's when the mana construction collapses in on itself, but I still don't understand why…" Erik answered in a thoughtful tone, bringing his right hand to his chin, prompting Liliana to nod quickly in agreement before commenting, equally pensive,

"Yes, I felt the same. The spell works perfectly fine at first, but soon afterward, the mana in the magic circle starts to become erratic, and even though I managed to keep it under control, the spell fails anyway. Could my lack of experience with runes be one of the causes?"

"That shouldn't be the case. Even if it were, it would still be a failure. After all, what we want is to replicate magical artifacts through mana constructions, and to use a magical artifact, you don't need to know anything about runes." Erik commented calmly as he studied every line of the circle on the floor, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

"You're right about that…" Liliana acknowledged Erik's words with understanding, momentarily losing herself in her thoughts. She quickly regained her composure, shook her head, and asked in a calm tone.

"Then, shall we move on to the next thing?"

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[lordanl]

With a calm step, Erik approached the circle and made a few modifications to it with the special chalk—changes necessary to convert his "neutral" mana into elemental light mana. At that point, he placed his hand on the ground and began sending his mana into the magical circle, which quickly started to illuminate. But unlike when Liliana had done it, this time the magical circle barely began forming the mana construction before it went out completely without emitting any colored light.

"Well, that's another failure, and this time there wasn't even any progress…"

Erik commented with an ironic smile on his face; after all, that was precisely the reason he had become stalled. Although Erik could create a mana construction of any element if he was willing to spend a good amount of mana on it and had the necessary spell, the same did not apply to his "Manafexio" project—the name he had given his project to create magical artifacts through mana constructions.

The inspiration to start the Manafexio project was actually something very simple. The artifacts had millions of years of tireless development by Artificers throughout the galaxy, which had made them very efficient and reliable for creating elemental mana from mana crystals or the user's mana. And although this had a limit, they were more efficient than any spell, so they were still very useful and widely used in the galaxy, especially when it came to light constructions.

The problem was that the rune arrangements of the artifacts work in tandem with the intrinsic properties of the materials on which they were carved to produce their effects. So, they did not work well with spells cast using the technique of mana formation. For that reason, over time, they had diverged into two almost completely different branches within the Aegis system.

But due to his extensive research on mana constructions—something necessary to improve his Myst constructions, his only efficient means of ranged combat—Erik discovered that the potential of these was infinite, since, in theory, mana constructions could come to imitate any physical property with a relatively low-energy expenditure.

From that point on, Erik only had to add two plus two to arrive at a rather strange idea, born mainly out of his particular need: Would it be possible to use mana constructions to imitate specific materials and make them work with the rune arrangements of magical artifacts? And if it were possible, would this be more efficient than the traditional method or runic-geometric refinement?

With that idea in mind, Erik began his Manafexio project. Standing on the shoulders of giants—the mountains of literature that both the development of magical artifacts and the exploration of the possibilities of mana constructions represented—after many failed prototypes, he succeeded in creating a Myst construction capable of imitating the physical properties necessary to activate the fire conversion runes.

The success of the prototype filled Erik with great excitement, not only because his idea was feasible, but because the prototype allowed him to break through the 45% improved efficiency barrier offered by runic-geometric refinement alone, reaching an efficiency close to 55%—a significant breakthrough. But his joy did not last long, and he soon discovered a problem.

Due to his previous experience with the rune circle—his project to unify the three magical systems of humanity, which had remained completely stalled—Erik decided not to develop further on his own. He first focused on making it useful and accessible to the public in an attempt to get "free" researchers to "help" him improve his project. Their research to apply the Manafexio project to their needs would create a solid mountain of literature on which he could later work.

But that's where his problems began. After all, the functional prototype depended entirely on Erik's solidified Myst constructions, and as far as anyone knew, no one but him could control solidified Myst at will. So the real problem was that when Erik tried to adapt his spell to work based on light mana constructions—which were the closest to his Myst constructions—the spell didn't even activate.

Although Erik tried many ideas and different perspectives—different mana conversion methods, structures, traditional magical systems instead of runic-geometric refinement, and so on—it didn't matter what he did; he couldn't even activate the spells he developed, and since mana-neutral constructs couldn't be created, the entire project inevitably reached a dead end.

After that, Erik put his project on hold and only worked on it occasionally, applying ideas as they came to him, but nothing worked. He even tried to create neutral mana constructions, something that made no sense because no matter how much he tried or how much literature he read, the conclusion was the same.

The only way to solidify neutral mana was by creating something akin to a magical core—something that was not only difficult and expensive, but also, creating a second magical core for a mage was foolish, since these interfere with each other due to their special properties.

But everything changed when Liliana joined the project because the first test Erik conducted to confirm his theory—that natural affinities affect the result—turned out to be true. The moment Liliana put her mana into the magical circle that Erik had failed to activate, the basic structure of the mana construction was formed before the spell failed. This practically injected steroids into Erik, who then began working like crazy to improve the spell.

After working non-stop like mad, Erik and Liliana had reached the point where they had hit a new wall—and that was that the runes which changed the nature of the mana to a different affinity interfered with the very structure of the mana construction, which affected its imitation of the necessary physical properties and ended up entering a self-destructive spiral that collapsed the spell.

…

While Erik was deep in thought with his hand on his chin, Liliana took a couple of notes on her crystal tablet, then snapped some photos with a small crystal orb. At that moment, she turned to look at the star-haired boy and commented in a calm tone.

"Well, it's what we expected. Don't waste your time lamenting and move on to the next test."

"You're right—step aside a bit." Upon hearing Liliana's voice, Erik snapped back to reality and responded in a calm tone while picking up the special chalk once again.

After Liliana stepped aside and activated a barrier of light around herself, Erik erased the changes he had previously made to the spell, returning it to its original state. At that moment, he conjured various runes around his right wrist, which began to slowly rotate around it as if they were some sort of magical bracelet.

With the runes ready, Erik injected mana into the magical circle on the ground once again, and this time, the spell began to work similarly to how it did when Liliana had tried it—illuminating softly and forming the mana construction. But quickly, the magical circle and the runes on Erik's wrist spiraled out of control and lit up erratically.

At the obvious warning signs, Erik remained completely calm and forced them to keep functioning, but after a few seconds, they started trembling violently, only to soon produce a strong explosion right in Erik's face.

After the smoke from the explosion cleared a bit, Erik could be seen in perfect condition behind a shield of solidified Myst composed of small hexagons that were slowly disappearing. Ebonique and Ignis, who were levitating around him, scolded and complained in annoyed and worried tones.

"Why do you have to keep trying such dangerous things all the time?" Ignis complained while using one of her wings to fix Erik's hair, which hadn't even moved from its place.

"Dangerous? I didn't even mess up my hair."

Seeing the pair of pampered spirits wanting to make a big drama out of nothing again, Erik replied while rolling his eyes. At which point, Ebonique quickly "reprimanded" him while using her claws to adjust the collar of Erik's shirt, even though it was perfectly in place.

"You're not allowed any smart remarks, young man—constantly making us worry with your reckless acts."

"Worry? Reckless acts? But it was just a minor mishap—a single Myst barrier was enough to neutralize it." Erik commented between laughter and disbelief, completely unable to understand why those two spirits loved to make such a fuss.

"Hmph, you have no idea how worried we were about your recklessness." Ignis completely ignored Erik's words as she inspected him from head to toe, flying around him.

"Is it just my impression, or have you two been exaggerating a bit lately with your 'worry'?" Erik asked with eyes full of suspicion as he looked at Ignis and Ebonique, who elegantly replied as they perched once again on his shoulders.

"It's just your impression." Ignis replied in a calm tone as she landed softly on Erik's right shoulder, to which Ebonique added in a similarly refined tone, befitting high-born ladies.

"Ignis is right; it's just your imagination."

"Yeah, sure…" Erik just sighed in defeat, deciding to ignore the pair of dramatic spirits on his shoulders, so he quickly turned to look at Liliana before continuing.

"And it seems that this time we made a good breakthrough, even though it ended up exploding in the end."

"Yeah, although it was to be expected—you always push it to the limit while maintaining firm control over the mana, leaving it no other option but to burst out violently."

"Yeah, but that's a minor problem; I'll think of a way to solve it. The good news is that now I have a way to activate the circle." As Erik spoke, a genuine smile spread across his face while he retrieved from his storage ring a plate with super special cookies.

"Thanks; without you, I'd still be stuck, unable to activate my own spell."

Erik thanked her sincerely as he offered Liliana the plate full of cookies, which surprised her to the point that her eyes widened in disbelief. After all, although offering a plate of cookies might seem like something a child would do, in her short time interacting with her foolish little brother, Liliana was fully aware of how special those cookies were to him. This led her to ask in a voice full of surprise.

"Are you serious?"

"Very serious." Erik replied in a calm tone, while subtly nodding his head, which led Liliana to comment in an insecure voice.

"But I only helped you test the spells and gave you my impressions and ideas—I didn't do anything extraordinary; you practically did all the important work…"

"And that was exactly what I needed. Look, it's already starting to show results." With a smile, Erik placed the plate of cookies into Liliana's hands, who still looked confused and uncertain, at which moment the beautiful girl whispered in a complicated tone,

"I don't know what to say…"

"Hahaha, you don't have to say anything—just eat some cookies; they're pretty good."

Erik commented with a pleasant laugh as he headed toward the site of the explosion to clean everything up and redraw the magical circle, leaving Liliana speechless with a plate of cookies in her hands. After a while, Liliana took one of the cookies and ate it slowly while watching Erik work, and for some reason, that cookie tasted especially sweet at that moment.

"Really, it's not so bad working with you…"

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In the middle of the main hall of Sigrún's mansion, Erik was sitting on one of the beautiful sofas, calmly drinking tea and occasionally eating cookies at a leisurely pace as he read a book. Seraphina stood behind him with a beautiful smile on her face and an elegant bearing, almost like his loyal shadow.

Soon after, guided by one of the mansion's employees, a young man entered the hall with a firm, upright stride, giving off an impression of strict rectitude and discipline. The young man wore the university's uniform, which contrasted with his smooth, black skin, highlighting his well-defined features—especially his pronounced jaw and his thick, well-shaped eyebrows over his large, grayish eyes.

"Long time no see, Desmond."

Upon seeing Desmond arrive, Erik put his book away into his storage ring and stood up from his chair, then walked up to him and extended his right hand for a handshake. Desmond responded by firmly shaking Erik's hand, then greeted him with a serious expression and his characteristic dignified, elegant tone.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, fellow disciple Erik. I apologize for my prolonged absence; I've had to deal with several pressing matters."

"Don't worry about that. I heard it was family business, so there's nothing to apologize for. Come in and have something to drink."

Speaking cordially, Erik let go of Desmond's hand and pointed to the sofa across from the one he had been sitting on, then walked back to his own sofa and sat down while Desmond took the seat Erik had indicated. This initiated a somewhat informal conversation about current events and minor topics, almost like an extended greeting.

Meanwhile, Seraphina moved quickly with a refined and measured style, serving them tea and placing delicious pastries on the table. Both Erik and Desmond took one while they chatted about random things. But shortly afterward, Erik suddenly commented with a calm smile while looking Desmond in the eyes.

"But I have to say it truly was a surprise when my master told me you wanted to meet with me. It inevitably makes me wonder: why the sudden interest? What could have attracted my distant 'older brother'?"

Erik's remark brought a small, almost imperceptible ironic smile to Desmond's face, but he quickly concealed it and prepared to speak about the main matter at hand in a serious tone, also finding the pointless small talk a bit tedious.

"Although I really did want to see how you were doing, given that I haven't been at the university much these past years, the main reason I came to see you so urgently is because of an errand my family entrusted to me. They want to know if you'd be willing to make a deal regarding your patents."

At Desmond's question, Erik took a sip of his tea with calm movements, studying the young man in front of him a bit without showing any emotion beyond tranquility. He then set his cup on the table and replied in a cordial tone.

"Since it's for my 'older brother's' family, of course I couldn't say no, although unfortunately, I also can't unconditionally say yes. I still have plans for some of them, so I have to ask: which patent are we talking about?"

Erik's response eased Desmond's mind a bit, since at first, he hadn't been entirely sure what answer his "younger, star-haired brother" might give. After all, Erik's patents had already become known throughout the galaxy, astonishing scholars and businesspeople everywhere, so there were countless people and companies willing to pay exorbitant prices for them.

But despite all the interest, no one had yet been known to acquire any of them—not even a single license—which inevitably led everyone to speculate about the young genius's true intentions. Was he even willing to talk business? Or was he planning to monopolize his technology by taking advantage of his masters' resources? However, it now seemed that Erik was willing to have a conversation, which was a significant step forward.

"In reality, my family is very interested in versions number 3 and 4 of Manalite, as well as the production methods. The family elders are convinced that these two versions of Manalite have countless civilian and military applications, so they want to start working with them as soon as possible—whether by purchasing the patents or through licensing under certain special concessions."

With a firm tone, Desmond laid out his intentions while looking into Erik's calm green eyes. Erik calmly met his gaze, which, for some reason, made Desmond, the first disciple of the great Master Silverwood, feel as if he were facing an old, cunning merchant fox, full of tricks and shrewdness—a rather unsettling feeling, given it was impossible for someone more than four centuries younger than him to surpass him in wisdom and business acumen.

"Your elders have good eyes; they really could do interesting things with those two versions. But there's a problem." Erik commented with a smile while discreetly observing Desmond's expression, which did not change in the slightest. So, he simply went on speaking calmly.

"I no longer own the patents for version 4 of Manalite, although we can still reach a licensing agreement for version 3."

"You've already sold them? Why wasn't there any news?" Although Desmond's expression didn't change, his tone betrayed a slight trace of surprise as he asked, to which Erik responded without giving the matter much importance.

"Well, you could say I sold them, though that's not entirely accurate."

"Who bought them?"

Desmond asked, trying to gather information for his family. After all, if a competitor had acquired them, it would be necessary to make the proper preparations. Erik responded casually, taking a cookie from the plate offered by his beautiful personal maid.

"The Arcane Order."

For the first time since the conversation started, Desmond's expression changed, if only slightly, his eyes widening just a bit from sheer surprise. After all, aside from the university run directly by the director, the Arcane Order had no commercial companies or anything of the sort, so there were very few possible reasons why they would buy something like that—and none of them were simple.

"In that case, there's nothing to be done. What a pity—that was the version the elders saw the most potential in…" Though surprised, Desmond quickly remarked with a sigh, then recovered his serious expression and continued speaking.

"Then let's talk about version 3."

"You say they saw more potential in version 4?" Ignoring Desmond's last words, Erik asked, a bit confused. Desmond nodded slightly and answered seriously.

"Yes, it's the one that most aligns with our main business—though by your question, I assume you don't know much about my family."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I did, but I've heard that the Atticus family is very famous in artifact production, especially specialized artifacts."

At Erik's words, Desmond smiled slightly and calmly explained, though there was a faint hint of pride in his expression.

"Well, indeed, my family holds a certain reputation for crafting artifacts, but our main business actually lies in military contracts. You could say we're among the biggest military contractors of the Order."

"Ohh, now it all makes sense…" Erik commented with a look of realization on his face, understanding why the Atticus family was after version 4 of Manalite. They truly had a discerning eye.

(It seems my masters were right—I underestimated the foresight of the Order's powers far too much...)

"So I suppose you're also aware of how crucial version 4 of Manalite can be. If handled properly, it's a material that will bring about a complete revolution in the military industry."

Listening to Erik, Desmond spoke with a serious expression, hiding the immense impact he felt each time he processed that his "younger brother" had created such a breakthrough—one that would surely earn him a place in the history books. It was something that he himself, among the best Artificers of his generation, felt would be impossible for him to achieve in at least five or ten thousand years.

Erik, for his part, nodded and took a sip of his tea, using the moment to do mental calculations about the profit he could gain from this approach. He also estimated how he'd have to adjust his original plans depending on the outcome. Then he set his cup on the table and commented in a calm tone.

"Well, somewhat. The truth is, I only created version 4, thinking it would be useful to make armor and some kinds of weapons more easily and cheaply. As for whether or not it'll spark a revolution, that remains to be seen—though I honestly see more potential in other versions."

"Other versions?"

Desmond asked, a little confused. After all, although the other versions were cheaper to produce, their resistance, hardness, and ability to withstand mana were significantly inferior to version 4, which greatly reduced their potential usefulness.

"Yes, in my opinion, the other versions have far greater potential to bring about a revolution. Because, while they're inferior in almost every aspect to version 4, mass-producing them costs only a fraction of what it costs to produce version 4, and they're also much easier to work with. That makes them a great option for largely replacing things like Mithral or Silva wood."

Erik commented with a smile as he drank from his freshly refilled cup of tea, courtesy of Seraphina, who wore a faint smile on her face—one that couldn't hide the immense pride she felt for the unparalleled genius of her young master. After all, Mithral metal and Silva wood were two of the most widely used raw materials in the large-scale production of civilian or common-use magical artifacts. They had been used for millions of years, and until now, no one had even come close to developing a new material capable of replacing them.

Meanwhile, Desmond stood there with his mouth agape in surprise, completely shattering his normally serious and proper demeanor. After all, although his family had seen some promise in version 3 of Manalite, that was mainly for producing specialized low-performance, low-cost magical artifacts; they had never considered going so far as to replace materials as entrenched as Mithral or Silva wood. So, if what Erik said came to pass, it would undoubtedly cause an absolute revolution in the galaxy—in other words, enormous profit and renown.

"Are you being serious? Do you really think your Manalite can replace the two most widely used resources in the entire galaxy?"

Still, a bit stunned, Desmond asked while looking Erik in the eye, hoping to find anything that might help him better understand his younger brother. Erik responded with a faint smile on his face, somewhat amused to see how his older brother's facade had crumbled.

"Well, it won't be easy, and it would be impossible to replace them in each one of their applications. Not to mention that habit is a truly frightening thing, so price alone won't be enough for massive public adoption. But I have my ideas about that. For now, however, I'd like to give you a small glimpse of the infinite possibilities of Manalite."

While he spoke, Erik waved his hand over the table in front of him, and four different objects appeared on it. On the left was a small piece of simple-looking white cloth that seemed to glow faintly.

Next to the cloth, there was a white recorder flute, followed by a small transparent bottle containing a dark caramel-colored liquid, and finally, a simple little scepter engraved with several runes, which looked like a magic scepter.

Desmond, with a bit of surprise, looked at the four objects on the table and asked in a slightly expectant tone.

"What are these...?"

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"These are the results of my latest work with Manalite." Erik replied in a calm tone as he discreetly observed Desmond's curious expression. Then, pointing to the cloth, he added in the same composed manner.

"Try the fabric."

At Erik's words, Desmond took the cloth in his hands with curiosity, feeling its texture, softness, and resistance with his fingers. Once satisfied, he moved on to the next test, channeling his mana into the cloth and circulating it briefly. This caused the cloth to glow softly with an iridescent light before returning to normal.

"Its resistance is good, but its texture is a bit rough, and while its magic capacity is decent, it's still slightly lower than high-quality magical fabric." Desmond voiced his opinion, to which Erik nodded understandingly and then commented with a smile.

"Yes, I'm still working on it, but even so, as it is now, it has plenty of potential to find a place in the market and could even become a major player in a few decades."

"Really? With this level of quality?" Desmond asked, looking at Erik with a hint of surprise, prompting the star-haired youth to smile confidently and explain in a calm tone.

"And what if I told you that manufacturing it costs only one-third of the price of common magical fabric? Would you still think the same?"

"One-third…?"

Upon hearing Erik's words, Desmond couldn't help muttering softly in mild astonishment, then took another close look at the cloth, realizing that indeed, the price context changed his perception. He no longer viewed it as a high-quality fabric for mana users but rather an economical cloth for decoration or industrial purposes. Furthermore, such a fabric would have a huge market in less affluent factions, where magical cloth was a luxury few could afford.

Observing his "older brother's" expression, Erik opted for a brief silence, taking a sip of his tea and nibbling on a cookie, giving Desmond enough time to visualize what his words really meant. But without delaying too long, he quickly announced in a calm voice, delivering another blow to his fellow disciple's commercial ambitions.

"Actually, it's less than a third. I'm rounding that figure up because, in large-scale production, various factors like the production method, manufacturing efficiency, and transportation can slightly influence the final price. Even so, it would still be considerably cheaper than common magical fabric, and its production wouldn't rely on fluctuating harvests and other uncertain factors."

"This is impressive…"

Desmond commented quietly, genuinely moved. The more he thought about it, the more viable and profitable it seemed. Even in the three great factions, only a minority could afford magical fabric; only the Arcane Order was rich enough that anyone could have a couple of high-quality magical fabric outfits. In reality, they were talking about a colossal market of trillions upon trillions of potential buyers.

Moreover, although his family wasn't in the textile business, they did have the contacts and logistical means to distribute it throughout the galaxy. And they didn't need much—just securing the production resources to maintain stock and a bit of marketing, which would be easy. Simply announcing that they had magical fabric at half the price would make any clothing company go crazy for it, even if the quality was slightly lower.

Knowing they were facing an incredibly massive business opportunity, Desmond couldn't help but start making mental calculations about how to carry it out and how much profit it would generate—definitely more than just economic gain. At that moment, he heard Erik's calm voice once again, which for some reason amplified Desmond's strange feeling that he was actually dealing with an old fox bristling with cunning tricks.

"But let's not focus only on the fabric—this is just one of the possibilities; there's more to see."

Noticing Erik's faint smile, Desmond set the cloth on the table and picked up the recorder. After examining it a bit and comparing it to a traditional one made of wood or metal, he played it for a moment. Noting that although its sound was slightly inferior to that of a traditional instrument, it wasn't too far off. It would definitely go unnoticed by an untrained ear.

"Like the fabric, it's a bit worse than what's currently on the market, but I guess the price makes up for it."

Visibly calmer, Desmond remarked seriously, having regained his usual serious and strict manner. Yet, as if Erik was determined to toy with him, he once again said something shocking in a casual, collected tone.

"Actually, the recorder is merely a proof of concept: a resistant material that's easy to work with, featuring decent magical conductivity at an irresistible price. In other words, a substitute for Silva wood."

"I see. That makes much more sense…" Desmond replied, a bit uncomfortable as he placed the recorder back on the table and picked up the transparent bottle, at which point he casually added.

"Then I suppose this is a proof of concept for using Manalite as a substitute for Etherglass."

"You're correct." Erik said with a smile as he watched Desmond unscrew the cap on the bottle, releasing a distinctive sound that made Erik feel thirsty.

"What is this liquid?" Desmond asked, puzzled by the suspicious-looking liquid inside the bottle.

"It's a soda. Go ahead, try it." Erik answered, watching the bubbles dance in the liquid.

Curious, Desmond took a sip after giving Erik a quick glance. But upon tasting it, he couldn't help widening his eyes in mild surprise and commenting with a slight interest.

"This tastes somewhat like FizzWizz, but much better. Where can I get one of these?"

"For now, nowhere. It's something I've been working on in my spare time, though if all goes well, I'll put it up for sale soon."

"You also know how to make soda…?" Desmond asked, at a loss for words, almost doubting his own sanity. Erik simply smiled faintly while munching on a cookie.

"It's just a soft drink. Broadly speaking, it's not that different from making a potion."

"…"

Desmond fought the urge to roll his eyes at Erik's condescending tone. Instead, he took the last object on the table under Seraphina's amused gaze. She was placing more cookies on Erik's plate while secretly plotting a satisfying "late-night snack" with today's videos of her young master.

With the staff in hand, Desmond began circulating his mana through it, causing the runes carved into it to glow slightly. A magic circle formed in front of him, from which an intricate silver-colored metal spear emerged and hovered in the air. Unable to resist, he commented with a hint of admiration—after all, it was insane that someone who hadn't even lived half a century could have created something like this. Truly monstrous geniuses could be disheartening.

"The performance is really impressive for the cost mentioned in that academic paper…"

"Hehe, it was a surprise for me too. When I started working on Manalite, I never even imagined you could create magical artifacts with it. Let's just say it was a pleasant surprise."

Erik commented with a cheerful smile while eating a special cookie—courtesy of his satisfied personal maid—and recalling how astonished he'd been when he casually began experimenting with the magical plastic, only to discover by chance that carved runes worked quite well. Although the first version couldn't handle many runes, he improved that in subsequent iterations.

"You really have some fascinating things here, Erik…" Desmond remarked thoughtfully, finding that Erik's earlier words about seeing more potential for a revolution in other versions of Manalite now made sense. Even he was now thinking along those lines.

"I'm glad you like them. So, shall we move on to negotiating a license for Version 3?" Erik asked with a small, calculating smile on his face, to which Desmond responded in a serious, resolute tone.

"Actually, I'd like to talk about the possibility of purchasing or obtaining an exclusive 100-year license for all three available versions of Manalite and their respective production methods."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. I'm not selling any exclusivity, and Version 1 isn't for sale right now, but I think we can reach an agreement for Versions 2 and 3." Erik quickly stated with a calm but firm demeanor, making it clear there was nothing more to discuss on that point. Desmond immediately understood and responded with a formal tone.

"That's unfortunate, but in that case, the Atticus family would like…"

…

…

…

Several hours later, Desmond and Erik shook hands at the entrance to the mansion, both smiling contentedly, having reached an agreement satisfactory to both parties. Desmond commented with a small smile on his lips.

"In that case, we'll see each other on the agreed date to sign the contract and finalize the details of the licenses."

"Of course." Erik answered with a similar smile. As they released their handshake, Desmond added.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, fellow disciple Erik."

"The feeling is mutual. I have a hunch this cooperation will be advantageous for both of us." Erik responded politely, and Desmond nodded kindly.

"I have the same feeling."

Shortly thereafter, Erik finally said goodbye to his "older brother" and went back inside the mansion, with Seraphina following closely behind. Once they were in the privacy of their home, she couldn't help but ask respectfully and professionally.

"Don't you think you sold the licenses too cheaply, young master?"

"Honestly, no. They weren't exclusivities, and I plan to sell more licenses to other potential partners in the near future. Although Manalite indeed has limitless potential and will generate literal mountains of money, from my perspective, it's not that valuable. It's much better to sell it quickly to gather decent base capital and to establish connections for the future.

"Besides, I still get a small royalty commission, so in reality, I don't lose out, no matter what happens. Not to mention that a 'revolution' isn't achieved by just one or two people; the more who buy it, the better. Offering it at an affordable price is a good way to do that."

Upon hearing the question from his reliable personal maid, Erik answered casually, at the same time making a few notes in a planner he retrieved from his storage ring. This prompted the perfect maid to comment proudly, her eyes shining with a tender, almost obsessive gleam as she looked at her beloved young master leading the way.

"So for my young master, a genius, something as revolutionary as Manalite is nothing but a tool to build up your reputation and spread your name throughout the galaxy, paving the way for future endeavors…"

"Hahaha, it's not that it's nothing. It was just a fortunate discovery, so I'll make what profit I can from it, but I won't dwell on it more than necessary. I'll keep working on my other projects. After all, I refuse to be a one-trick pony; I've at least got to have a couple of tricks if I'm going to show off a little, hehehe."

Putting his planner away, Erik remarked with an amused laugh, though the absolute confidence in his abilities was evident. This made Seraphina's cheeks flush faintly with a soft pink hue, her breathing growing a little heavier and slower, though she quickly composed herself and praised him sincerely.

"That's a wonderful outlook, young master."

While Seraphina spoke, Erik made his way back to the sofa and collapsed onto it in a relaxed, casual manner, prompting Seraphina to start massaging his shoulders attentively after handing him a cup of hot tea.

Receiving Seraphina's caring and devoted attention, Erik settled comfortably into the sofa, enjoying the moment. At that point, the two wolves came running in from the garden and jumped on him, barking adorably, which seemed to remind Erik of something. He promptly asked his beloved personal maid.

"Oh, by the way, Seraphina, do you know of any good lawyers? I'll need one for the contract signing, and I also need a good accountant for the taxes…"

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Upon hearing her young master's question, Seraphina smiled charmingly and quickly produced from her storage ring a beautiful black crystal card with golden details at the corners and a multitude of carved runes. On one of its faces, it bore an engraving of an ancient golden scale holding a simple-looking spear, which she showed to her young master as she spoke in a calm, professional tone.

"There's no need for you to worry about that, young master. Your personal maid is not only a certified lawyer, but also, the young miss and Master Silverwood foresaw the situation and have already contacted the best law firm at the university, which will be entirely at your disposal and will support you in everything you need."

"So you're also a lawyer…"

Erik commented, a bit surprised, as he looked at the card Seraphina had placed in his hands before resuming her massage of his shoulders. He especially noticed the strange spear in the engraving, which, for some reason he couldn't understand, gave him an odd sensation, as if he were somehow before an immemorial relic that had witnessed history itself. But he quickly shook his head gently to dismiss the strange thought and then said in a somewhat agitated voice.

"Seraphina… you're definitely the best personal maid in existence…"

His young master's words set butterflies fluttering in Seraphina's stomach, while a charming blush took over her beautiful face and an enchanted smile appeared on her lips. At that moment, she spoke in a soft, tender voice, worlds away from her usual serious, professional tone.

"Fufu, thank you very much for the compliment, young master. This Seraphina exists only to serve and care for you, and rest assured that I will do everything in my power to continue being the maid worthy of your praise and affection…"

Hearing his reliable personal maid, Erik couldn't help but take the small hands on his shoulders—causing them to pause—then raise his head to look into his maid's beautiful gray eyes. At that moment, he spoke in a calm yet sincere voice.

"You really don't have to do so much, Seraphina. You're already perfect—maybe even more than that—so you can relax a little. I don't appreciate you because you're perfect; I appreciate you for who you are: for all the effort you put into taking care of me, for how mischievous you are, for how jealous, for how playful, for how fun. In short, you're an irreplaceable part of my everyday life, to the point that I don't know what I'd do if one day you decided to leave. So don't overexert yourself; I don't want you to end up burned out and tired of me, hehe."

Upon hearing her young master's sincere words, Seraphina's entire persona of the perfect maid crumbled as her expression melted into one of pure ecstasy and almost obsessive love. She lifted her hands from her young master's shoulders and, with extreme care—like handling the finest, most delicate porcelain—took his face, then tenderly kissed his forehead.

"Erik… I could never tire of you. I am your personal maid and will remain so for all eternity; rest assured. So never say that again. In all my long, dark, and lonely existence, the only bright spots have been these last centuries alongside Sigrún and Eleonora. But that brightness is a mere firefly compared to the sun these last few years by your side have been. These years have been the happiest I've ever had…"

"I don't think I'm that special… but I feel the same. I also feel incredibly lucky to have you in my life. You're exactly what my life needed, yet it seemed so out of reach that I never even dared to dream of it…"

Though somewhat surprised by both Seraphina's change in demeanor and her calling him by name, Erik still spoke in a warm voice, looking directly into the gray eyes of his beautiful maid to convey his sincerity. Her eyes widened with delight and happiness. At that moment, Seraphina spoke in a low, visibly enchanted voice.

"Thank you for allowing your humble maid to occupy a place in your heart, young master. I swear on my life that I will never let you regret it."

Hearing Seraphina, Erik couldn't help but smile with a hint of irony while shaking his head slightly. Then he spoke in a somewhat defeated tone, feeling the hands of his strange but adorable personal maid return to his shoulders to massage them diligently.

"You really love drama, Seraphina…"

"I'm completely serious, young master. This Seraphina lives and breathes for your sake. Without my young master, life has no meaning…"

Seraphina responded with a bright smile, reverting to her serious, professional demeanor. At that moment, Erik quickly stood and, with a fluid motion, turned to bring his face right in front of Seraphina's, who couldn't help but look at him, blushing—three parts nervousness and one part anticipation.

In that instant, the star-haired young man leaned in slightly and gently kissed the corner of his maid's tempting cherry-colored lips, then sat back down and spoke in a calm, carefree voice.

"Stop spouting nonsense, or I'll have to punish you."

"…Thank you for the sweet reward, young master."

Blushing so hard it seemed steam might billow from her head, Seraphina could only manage to speak in a heavy tone after several seconds. Erik chuckled in amusement as he settled back in his seat and took up the book he had been reading earlier, then commented in a calm voice.

"It's not a reward; it's a warning."

"I understand, young master…"

Seraphina replied in a breathless voice, pressing her hands tightly against her chest, afraid it might explode at any moment, as it was beating more powerfully and erratically than ever. Meanwhile, her mind wandered through ideas on how to get more of those incredibly delicious warnings.

But knowing that a perfect maid like herself couldn't afford to waste time like that, Seraphina quickly shook her head, brushing away all unnecessary thoughts. She then returned to tending to her young master with all her heart, massaging his shoulders with a technique she was still refining to this day in pursuit of the epitome of perfection.

…

Time passed slowly as Erik enjoyed the care of his beloved personal maid, eating delicious cookies and reading his book with full concentration, determined to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. But suddenly, a bright flash of light filled the parlor, which quickly faded, leaving two women of almost ethereal beauty in the center of the room. The star-haired boy promptly put his book away and rose from his seat.

"Mas… ugh—"

Before Erik could greet the lovely newcomers, a golden-haired missile slammed squarely into his stomach, causing him to flop back down onto the couch. Somewhat bewildered, he glanced down to see Sigrún, who had buried her face against his stomach, hugging his waist and kicking her feet against the couch to vent her obvious frustration.

"Are you alright, Master?"

Seeing Sigrún's state, Erik could only stroke her silky golden hair gently as he asked in a warm voice. The beautiful master responded with an annoyed huff, hugging his waist more tightly and kicking the couch even more erratically.

"Leave her be; she's just frustrated because she lost a bet and now has to make some potions for free, fufu." Eleonora commented playfully as she walked calmly toward the couch, to which Erik nodded in realization.

"Ohhh…"

With an amused smile on her face, Eleonora soon reached Erik and, after giving him a fond kiss on the forehead, sat beside him. She took his arm in her hands, then let her head rest on his shoulder as she asked in a curious, cheerful voice.

"And how did my brilliant businessman do at his meeting?"

"Pretty well. I reached an agreement with Desmond, and the Atticus family will purchase the licenses for versions 2 and 3 of Manalite, along with their respective production methods. We even reached an agreement for a license of the magic fabric's production method as soon as the patent is released."

"We have to celebrate!!!"

Sigrún, who seemed to revive at Erik's words, leapt up and shouted excitedly as she hugged him, causing her beloved disciple's head to be buried deep in her voluptuous bosom. Eleonora, seeing Sigrún's childish behavior, commented with a lighthearted laugh.

"In that, you're right, Sig. We have to celebrate our brilliant businessman's first commercial success, fufu."

"That sounds like you're making fun of me…"

Freed from the soft, smothering sensation of Sigrún's embrace, Erik spoke skeptically as he looked at his masters, who immediately smiled warmly and clung to his arms while speaking in unison.

"Of course not." / "I would never make fun of my beloved disciple."

"Mmm…"

Not at all convinced, Erik eyed his masters suspiciously while they adorably nuzzled their heads against his shoulders like helpless kittens. In the end, he could only give in with a sigh, then put an arm around each of their waists as he said.

"Then I guess we should celebrate."

"Fufu/Hehe." In response, Eleonora and Sigrún smiled triumphantly, acting like little girls, to which Erik could only shake his head before changing the subject in a calm tone.

"By the way, you were right about my underestimating the powers of the Arcane Order. The Atticus family had a good idea of what Manalite version 4 means for the militia and came specifically for the related patents."

"See?! I told you—the Manalite you invented can shine on its own. Handing over the patents to the Order just to gain reputation and expand its use was silly. Good thing that old man had enough decency to buy them from you at a decent price." Sigrún quickly retorted, somewhat annoyed by her beloved disciple's foolish actions. Erik could only respond with an ironic smile.

"Hey, don't put it like that. I really wanted to donate the patents to show my support for the Order. Gaining reputation and expanding the use of Manalite is just a secondary benefit."

(Plus, you can't blame me. In my previous life, it took decades for plastic to start being used industrially, and if it hadn't been for the war that forced governments to look for cheap materials easy to produce on a massive scale, who knows how much longer it would've taken. So here, with no major wars on the horizon and such absurdly long lifespans, it was logical to assume that the widespread adoption of Manalite would be a super long-term project…)

Erik added inwardly, while Eleonora—smiling—kissed his cheek and spoke in a teasing tone.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetheart."

"I'm serious… Besides, even if the big players see the value of Manalite, it's hardly going to be obvious to the general public, who will ultimately be the end buyers. Their opinion matters a lot, so it's still necessary to build trust…"

Erik quickly replied in a serious tone, completely confident in his words. At that moment, Sigrún mimicked Eleonora and kissed his other cheek, then spoke in an equally playful and teasing tone.

"Hehe, wasn't it just to show support for the Order…?"

"…"

Finding himself outnumbered and cornered, Erik chose to remain silent and simply let his head fall back against the couch. There, Seraphina, wearing an amused smile, began gently wiping his face with a beautiful, fine-looking white cloth before cheerfully starting to feed him special cookies.

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In the development of Manalite, Erik discovered that this new material exhibited very interesting properties. Firstly, Manalite, unlike the common plastic that Erik had grown accustomed to in his past life, was almost immune to ultraviolet rays; its structure was so stable that even when exposed to considerable stress along with one hundred times the amount of ultraviolet radiation of a common sun, it was not affected in the slightest.

On the other hand, Erik also discovered, after having successfully created his healing pills, that magical artifacts could be crafted out of Manalite. Obviously, they couldn't sustain a very high mana load, and the runes that could be carved into it were limited; nevertheless, this discovery left Erik astonished, making him aware of the treasure he had created.

With this unexpected discovery, Erik knew it was only a matter of time before he received a nomination for the Auric Awards. After all, although the galaxy was not yet fully aware of the absurd potential of Manalite, he certainly was—no wonder he had once lived in the "plastic era."

But although his discovery was destined to take the world by storm, Erik knew that it would be an incredibly slow and gradual process that might take millennia or even longer. So, to shorten the time as much as possible, he had devised a little strategy to secure his nomination for the Auric Award in under a thousand years; after all, the cash prize was attractive and the reputation it would bring him would be very useful, especially for his brand.

With that in mind, Erik quickly developed three other versions of Manalite and presented them as a set along with the patent package, all with the intention of sending a message: "Manalite has infinite potential", demonstrating firsthand the "ease" with which variations could be developed for specific purposes.

Secondly, Erik made his "donation" to the university, and, although he truly did it because he wanted to support—in his own way—the paradise that was the Arcane Order, he was also seeking some publicity for his invention. After all, the adoption of a new material for mass production would encounter countless obstacles, whether from the large industries whose profits would be affected. Or from the natural resistance of the market to change, not to mention the issue of perceived quality and a whole host of other problematic matters.

To avoid having to deal with that cauldron of problems himself, Erik specifically designed version 4 of Manalite with outstanding characteristics in terms of hardness and durability. He improved its thermal adaptability and corrosion resistance, along with providing it with superior mana conductivity. Moreover, he ensured that it had a sufficiently high maximum mana capacity to create specialized artifacts of decent quality, among other enhancements.

All this was aimed at developing a material highly suitable for creating armor; after all, this was the most eye-catching and expensive element for the university guards, the police, the order's army, and others—and what better warhorse than the militia? If the weapons and armor created with version 4 performed well enough, they would be employed on a massive scale, and the public would gradually come to see Manalite as something trustworthy and safe, which would greatly accelerate its widespread adoption.

…

"—And who did you lose the bet against, Master?"

After a few moments—wanting both to return the favor and to satisfy his curiosity about who had been responsible for his beautiful master's anger—Erik asked with a slight smile as he looked at Sigrún. This caused the cheerful expression of the beautiful blonde to change to one of anger, and she replied while simultaneously pinching Erik's waist to sour his mood.

"Hmph, with that idiot, Albert— that son of a bitch set a trap for me..."

"Master Taylor?" Erik asked with a hint of curiosity, since, although he did not personally know that Master-level individual from the Order, he was relatively well-known and Erik had read some of his books.

"Yes, that idiot lured me into a bet for an entire branch of Auramandra in exchange for me making three potions for him in case I lost. In the end, the idiot had insider information and won..." Sigrún commented somewhat annoyed, to which Eleonora added playfully.

"Only you would fall for such an obvious trick, Sig..."

"I already suspected it was a trick, but it was worth the risk. Besides, don't act so wise—you were just as surprised by the outcome." Sigrún replied with an annoyed snort at Eleonora's condescending words, to which the latter couldn't help but nod and comment.

"Well, in that, you're right; it was indeed a bit surprising."

"What happened?" Erik asked, curious about the cryptic words of his masters, to which Eleonora replied as she settled comfortably on the shoulder of her future husband.

"Something rather curious, really. Do you remember that little altercation you had at the space station?"

"Yes, with the guy who wanted to kidnap the twins." Erik quickly nodded and responded, a slight confusion in his tone as he looked at his beautiful master with golden eyes.

"Well, it turns out that today the master of that boy showed up." The one who answered was Sigrún, speaking as she rested her head on Erik's lap, which prompted the star-haired young man to remark in surprise.

"The new Master-level?"

"The same one." Eleonora nodded and commented while looking at the relaxed Sigrún, at which point Erik, full of curiosity, asked.

"And what does that have to do with the 'surprising bet'?"

"Everything, really. The bet was about the attitude of the new Master-level, and the result was a bit off from what we expected."

Sigrún replied after playfully sticking her tongue out at the envious Eleonora, prompting Erik to calmly ask while watching Eleonora push Sigrún's head with one of her fingers in retaliation.

"Was he more arrogant and crazy than you expected?"

Removing Eleonora's finger from her head, Sigrún quickly turned toward Erik and hugged his waist, burying her snout into the well-defined abdomen of her beloved disciple, then commented in a cheerful and playful voice—as if she were a little girl up to mischief—practically forgetting her earlier frustration.

"On the contrary, he was suspiciously humble and level-headed; he apologized for his disciple's behavior and assumed full responsibility for the incident without offering any excuses. He even declared that he would cooperate with the court so that his disciple received an exemplary sentence, and on top of that, he calmly agreed to pay the fine, take the courses, and even declare that he would attend private therapy."

"Fine, courses, therapy?" Upon hearing several unexpected terms, Erik asked, somewhat confused, to which Eleonora replied with a resigned smile at Sigrún's childish behavior.

"Yes—fine, courses, and therapy. By law, in the Arcane Order, when a disciple—especially the direct ones—commits an offense, their masters assume a certain responsibility depending on the severity and circumstances of the misdeed. This generally translates into fines and mandatory courses on pedagogy and psychology; in exceptional cases, the master is even required to attend therapy to address issues that may have influenced the disciple's behavior."

"Wow, I had no idea that could happen. I'll have to be more careful so as not to get into trouble..." Erik commented pensively, which brought a cheerful smile to the beautiful faces of Eleonora and Sigrún, who immediately understood the concerns of their beloved disciple.

"Fufu, you're such a darling, did you know?" Eleonora kissed Erik's cheek excitedly and tightly embraced his arm, causing it to sink completely into her cleavage, then continued speaking with evident joy.

"But you don't have to worry about that; the master's shared responsibility only occurs when a criminal offense is committed, and, even then, it must first be determined whether the offense was due to irresponsible upbringing on the master's part—so it isn't very common."

While affectionately hugging her disciple's waist and rubbing his cheek like a cat, Sigrún added in a cheerful tone.

"Hehe, Eli is right. Besides, we fully trust your judgment, so if you end up getting into trouble in any way, we know perfectly well that it was something you deemed necessary. It's not a problem for us to share that responsibility with you."

"Thank you for the trust..."

Erik commented with a small smile on his face while hugging Eleonora's waist a little tighter and caressing Sigrún's hair. They smiled happily as they embraced their beloved disciple even more tightly.

"Fufu/Hehe"

At that moment, Erik felt a timid, quick kiss on his head, given in a hurried manner, which inevitably made him smile amusedly, as he could easily imagine the blushing expression of his beautiful personal maid.

But since she had dared to step out of her role as the perfect maid for a moment, he decided not to embarrass her any further and acted as if nothing had happened. This brought a huge smile to Seraphina's face as she looked at her young master with love—he truly understood her perfectly.

…

After a moment of silence, during which Erik simply took the time to gently care for his adorable masters while Seraphina, having returned to her professional and calm demeanor, served tea in three cups on the table—still with a happy smile on her face. Erik continued speaking as he received his cup from Seraphina.

"But getting back to the topic, it is truly a surprise that the master of that idiot behaved so well."

"We were also quite surprised—and it was even more so when he offered to issue a public apology and to compensate the siblings for the emotional and reputational damages they might have suffered." Eleonora commented calmly while thanking Seraphina with a smile as she handed over a cup of tea, to which Erik couldn't help but remark in a slightly skeptical voice.

"That sounds really hard to believe..."

"We think the same; it's very strange. Usually, those who reach Master-level act all high and mighty for a while. Although obviously that is not the case with this Master-level, known for behaving simply and humbly since her ascension, hehe." Sigrún commented cheerfully with a cheeky smile on her face as she sat down again on the sofa and accepted the cup of tea offered by Seraphina.

At Sigrún's brazen words, Eleonora and Erik simply rolled their eyes, while Seraphina maintained a professional, unwavering smile as she once again stood behind Erik like his faithful shadow.

"Getting back to the topic, did all the Master-level individuals believe his performance?" Erik asked with interest, to which Eleonora replied.

"I highly doubt it. Like us, everyone else must have suspected something was off, but the report presented at the meeting regarding his behavior over the past years lends a certain credibility to it."

"Report?"

At Erik's inquiry, Sigrún commented while enjoying her tea.

"Yes, at the meeting an intelligence report was presented about the conduct of the new Master-level in the Order, and what the report contained made the whole situation somewhat more credible—although only just a little."

After savoring a sip of her delicious tea, Eleonora continued Sigrún's words in a calm tone.

"According to the report, the new Master-level was born into the Order just under 100,000 years ago, and although he cannot be called an exceptionally striking genius, he undoubtedly has a talent for researching bio-mystical techniques. In addition, he is quite asocial and has few friends, so his relationships are rather scarce."

Removing the cup of tea from her beautiful cherry-colored lips, Sigrún nodded at Eleonora's words and continued.

"Furthermore, the kid from the station is actually the old man's third disciple, and the other two are already Sages with a certain reputation within the Order and have no disciplinary or criminal records of any kind. This makes it even more believable that the behavior of his third disciple is due to being neglected while the elder focused his efforts on reaching Master-level over the past century—apparently, my own ascension pushed him a bit too far."

"Mmm, that information really lends a bit more credibility to his attitude..." Erik commented with understanding as he nodded, to which Eleonora added with a smile.

"But that isn't the most important part. What really changed the opinion of the Master-levels—and even that of the director—about him was that he handed over, in exchange for merits, the bio-mystical technique he had been working on for the last 20,000 years.

"A technique that allowed him to consummate his ascension. It's a pretty crazy thing, really, since those techniques are very important and are kept as state secrets by all factions; they are neither patented nor licensed—they are too precious for that."

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"Don't tell me that was his excuse for not appearing before the director sooner?" Upon hearing Eleonora, Erik asked somewhat surprised, to which Sigrún responded with a proud smile.

"Hehe, my Erik is the smartest… and yes, according to him, he hadn't shown up because he was stabilizing his progress to the Master level, and while he was advancing, he got a big burst of inspiration to perfect the technique, so he was working on it almost compulsively as if it were his masterpiece. He himself described that as a serious offense and wanted to hand over the technique as a show of his remorse, only asking, in return, that he be allowed to teach it to his disciples."

"That sounds too good to be true…" Erik commented a bit suspiciously, to which Eleonora nodded and added.

"Yes, it really does, but the Director studied the technique and found nothing strange. Plus, the fact that he's given a few Sage-level and Arcane-level bio-mystic techniques to the Order in exchange for merits throughout his life—merits he generally uses to obtain high-level potions, books, or artifacts—makes it more believable.

"Also, he has licensed a good number of Illuminated-level and lower bio-mystic techniques, earning a significant sum over the millennia. Some of his senior disciples have done the same, registering a few bio-mystic technique licenses from the Initiate-level all the way up to the Revealed-level."

"So he's clean… Though it's odd that he'd hand over bio-mystic techniques for merits, since those techniques have considerable strategic value and go for quite a sum at auctions…" Erik commented with some skepticism, to which Sigrún cheerfully responded.

"The truth is, it's not that unusual—in certain cases, the Order's merits are more valuable than money, like when you need high-value items. And as a perfect example, there's us—Eli and I only make potions and artifacts in exchange for merits, since that way we can get interesting things from the Order's cache that aren't available on the open market, like super rare ingredients, books, or specialized commissions for a Master-level artisan.

"That's why those who sell strategically valuable stuff like bio-mystic techniques at auctions are either from another faction or are lower-level and still don't understand the value of merits, since they can get everything they need on the open market. It's very common for people to buy those items, keep a copy, and then hand over the original to the Order in exchange for merits."

"So that means I can earn merits if I hand over the Arcane-level techniques I bought at the auction?" Erik asked, a businesslike smile appearing on his face, which spread to Sigrún and Eleonora, who answered in unison.

""Of course, fufu/hehe.""

"So basically, we can greatly offset the cost of my research…" Erik said with an intriguing smile, clearly pleased, as a couple of ideas came to mind. Eleonora, wearing a mischievous grin, then added.

"More than offset it, we can actually make a good profit. Although they're just Arcane-level techniques, they're still useful, and the university's library is a bit lacking in Zazen-discipline techniques compared to other systems, so they'll pay a bit more."

"Whenever you're done playing around with those techniques, let us know. We can go scam… I mean, negotiate with the old man to get something good from the vault in return." Sigrún quickly added with an evil smile, prompting Erik to look at her and ask, somewhat confused.

"Wasn't that supposed to be for merits?"

"We already earn merits from the classes we teach at the university and from the potions and artifacts we make from time to time. It's much better to ask for something directly from the vault. That old man has a great nose for treasures, so the Order's vault is always well-stocked. And don't be fooled by his old face—he's great at swindling other Legendary-level, and apparently not long ago, he managed to scam one, so he's loaded and he 'needs' someone to go and fleece him a bit, hehe."

Sigrún replied with a mischievous smile, full of ill intentions, causing Erik to nod and then comment as he took a small notebook from his storage ring to write a reminder.

"Ohh, then I'll make a copy as soon as I can."

"You don't have to rush—recently we got a good haul out of the director, so there's no hurry. You can take your time and think carefully about what you want. And don't hold back; the Order's treasure vault is quite impressive, fufu." Eleonora quickly added with a mischievous giggle, which led Erik to cross something off in his notebook and jot down a note beside it, all while speaking in a calm tone.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Though I've had some interesting results regarding that, I'll show them to you as soon as they're ready."

"Again, playing the mysterious one?" Sigrún asked teasingly, watching Erik put away his notebook, prompting the star-haired boy to comment with a small smile.

"Just a little."

Seeing Erik's roguish smile, Sigrún, Eleonora, and Seraphina's hearts skipped a beat and their cheeks warmed slightly, all while the same thought appeared in their minds.

(How can he be so handsome?… Silly Erik.)

After a moment, Eleonora recovered and spoke with a big smile, trying to hide her embarrassment and slight blush.

"Let's talk about what's really important—how are we celebrating tonight…?"

…

…

…

In a room with white walls and a wooden floor, furnished in a discreet yet elegant style that matched perfectly with the dark wood, a beautiful young woman with light-brown hair slept peacefully on a large black wooden bed, which seemed equally luxurious and comfortable.

In the middle of the night, before the first rays of sunlight appeared, the tranquil silence of the darkened room was interrupted by several muffled knocks on the wood coming from the closed door. A melodious female voice called out seriously.

"Sofía, are you ready…?"

When no answer came, more knocks sounded on the door along with louder and visibly angry calls, causing the beautiful young woman on the bed to roll around several times and then cover her head with one of the fluffy pillows surrounding her.

"Sofía!!! Are you still sleeping?! It's already so late!!"

The knocks and calls rapidly grew faster and angrier, making The Sleeping Beauty kick out in frustration, unwilling to end her pleasant slumber. Just then, the wooden door swung open with a bang, revealing a beautiful young woman dressed in an elegant black uniform. She was incredibly similar to the sleeping girl—almost like two drops of water.

Using the key to unlock the door, Clara stomped into the room with heavy steps, her face twisted in sheer anger. She then walked over to one of the walls, where she found a small panel, which she quickly operated with one hand to turn the room's light up to full intensity—allowing her to see her sister sleeping peacefully in bed, a sight that made a vein throb on her forehead.

Showing no mercy, Clara ran to the bed and yanked off the blanket Sofia was wrapped in, dragging her and causing her to fall to the floor with a loud thud—Clara raging at the same time Sofia cried out in pain.

"How can you still be sleeping?!!!!! Do you know what time it is?!!!"

"Ouch!!"

"Get in the shower now!!! I'll count to three, and I'm already at two!!!"

Ignoring her sister's pain entirely, Clara issued her order, absolutely furious. At that point, Sofia, who'd been wanting to protest the inhumane treatment, took one look at her sister's livid face and bloodshot eyes and swallowed her words. Instead, she jumped up from the floor and dashed to the bathroom in a panic.

Clara was not the least bit calmed by seeing her twin sister pathetically running off to the bathroom; she kept on scolding her in a rage while she began to straighten the bed with quick, practiced motions.

"For heaven's sake, Sofia!! How is it possible that I have to come here every day to make sure you wake up on time?! You're not a little girl anymore; you have to be aware of your responsibilities. We can't disappoint Young Master Erik after everything he's done for us!"

"Sorry, this will be the last time!!!" Sofia shouted from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of running water, which only angered Clara more. She yelled loudly as she continued to make the bed.

"Every day you say the same thing, and we're still in the same place!!! Are you even aware of how lucky we are? There are people out there who would kill to have the opportunity we do, and you want to throw it all away!!! Where's that promise to work hard to repay Young Master Erik's kindness?! Do you want him to get tired of us?!!! Do you want him to kick us out for being lazy bums who can't even get there on time?!!! Huh?!!!"

"I'm sorry… I promise I'll do better…" came Sofia's sorrowful voice from the bathroom, prompting Clara to reply, still angry but a bit calmer now that she could hear her sister's genuine guilt.

"Well, I'm not seeing it. It's the same thing every single day. You have to snap out of it, Sofia. You can't go on like this. What happens when I'm not here anymore? Are you going to stay asleep and disappoint Young Master Erik, who's given us so much? Is that what you want?"

"No, ma'am…"

Sofia came out of the bathroom naked and dripping wet, drying herself in a hurry with a towel, speaking in a tone full of remorse. Clara, finishing up making the bed, spoke sternly.

"Then wake up because, at this rate, you won't keep your word, and you'll just be a burden to Young Master Erik."

"I'm sorry…"

Sofía apologized once again as she put on all her white satin underwear and took from the closet a black uniform with a mark on the left side of the chest—two machetes that looked like they were made of interlocking gears wrapped in vines—identical to the one her sister was wearing.

"By the way, where's your alarm clock?"

While her sister was getting dressed, Clara finished making the bed, leaving it perfectly smooth and spotless, then asked. Sofia looked around in surprise since she couldn't recall hearing the alarm, only to find it on the floor beside a pillow, near a beautiful wooden nightstand. Clara's gaze landed in the same direction.

Catching sight of the alarm clock and the pillow on the floor told Clara everything she needed to know about what had happened. Her anger flared up again, and she turned to Sofia with eyes that practically spat fire.

"Sorry, I think I did it in my sleep…" Sofia quickly apologized, nervous, as she hurriedly fixed her hair in the mirror, avoiding her sister's rage-filled glare.

"For God's sake, Sofia!!! Do you think money grows on trees or what?!!! How could you do something like that? How can you not take care of things?!"

"I'm sorry…" Sofia apologized again, feeling guilty as she made the last touches to her appearance in front of the mirror.

"I've told you a million times! Saying you're sorry all the time doesn't fix anything!!!" Clara scolded her while picking up the alarm clock off the floor and examining it carefully for any damage. Then she added with visible relief.

"Luckily, it's really good quality, so it's not broken. But you have to take care of your stuff, Sofia; you can't keep going on like this; you have to grow up. You're not a little kid anymore."

"Yes, ma'am…"

Sofia spoke with a guilty tone as she took one last look in the mirror, making sure everything was in perfect order. Clara placed the alarm clock back where it belonged and then commented angrily.

"I sure hope so!"

…

Moments later, an angry Clara left the room, followed by a guilty Sofia. They walked down the hallway of the five-story building where they were until they reached the end, where they found Martin—already dressed and waiting, wearing the same style of black uniform as his sisters.

"Good morning, Martin. Did you sleep well?" Clara greeted her brother with a smile, proud to see him looking so sharp in his uniform.

" Good morning, and yes. Honestly, sleeping in a bed this comfortable makes it hard to wake up early, hehe."

Martin spoke with a grin as he walked beside his sisters, which made Sofia want to nod in agreement, but, seeing Clara's piercing stare, she didn't dare. She only managed a quiet greeting to her brother.

"Good morning, Martin."

"Good morning."

Seeing his sister's state, Martin simply returned her greeting without further comment, already guessing what must have happened when he saw Sofia hanging her head—after all, waking up at the crack of dawn was one of his older sister's biggest weaknesses.

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Upon leaving the building where only the three of them had been living, the siblings found themselves in a beautiful garden that surrounded two other buildings. Several attendants dressed in uniforms similar to theirs—though bearing a different insignia, that of a tree entwined with flames—were coming and going, while others wore uniforms akin to Victorian butlers and maids.

"You can really feel the pressure in their gazes…"

Walking in the firmest and most elegant manner she knew, Sofia couldn't help but comment in a soft voice as she looked at the people around them. Some of those people were observing them scrutinizingly, others with displeasure, and still others with envy.

"Well, it's to be expected. After all, we have nothing to back up all the favor the young master Erik has shown us. From what I've heard from the other attendants, he's an unparalleled genius who made a splash throughout the galaxy with incredible inventions, and his name is known in all factions." Clara commented with understanding and a bit of insecurity in her voice. She didn't really need others to tell or hint at it; she was fully aware that she was unworthy of everything she was receiving.

"It's really a bit scary if you think about how lucky we are to be taught directly by him…" Martin commented in a serious tone, his expression full of apprehension and respect, also trying to walk straight and steady.

"Yes, the boss really is insane…"

Sofia commented, feeling dismayed, still having difficulty rationalizing her luck. She had stumbled upon an absolute powerhouse of the galaxy in the midst of her work—one kind enough not only to save their lives but also to bring them along, give her and her siblings jobs, along with a life filled with more luxuries than she had seen in her entire life, asking only for loyal, hard-working assistants in return.

But as if that weren't enough, he was using his valuable time to educate them personally, basically granting poor ignoramuses like them infinite possibilities—a favor and grace so great that, in Sofia's eyes, there was no better man in the entire universe than her boss. And she was more than willing to become his most loyal follower, ally, and accomplice. No matter what he might ask of her, she would be more than willing to give it.

While Sofia lost herself in her thoughts and fantasies, the trio of siblings soon arrived in front of a three-story building with marble pillars and large arched windows filtering a warm light. Runes carved throughout its surface glowed slightly, and together with the well-kept garden featuring outdoor tables and chairs, it exuded an air of elegance and sophistication worthy of a high-end restaurant.

With a firm and elegant step—especially taught by the young master's personal maid, who wanted to ensure they would never disgrace him—the three siblings entered the building. They soon arrived at a large hall richly decorated with moldings, columns, and ornamental details on the walls and ceiling. It was filled with elegant, long wooden tables set with dishes, glassware, and floral centerpieces. Several people were seated, eating.

The siblings sat down at one of the somewhat distant tables, at which point a young woman with pale blue hair whose tips were a faint purple approached them, dressed in a black maid's uniform. With fluid movements, she handed them a small folio with a black cover.

"What would the esteemed attendants like for breakfast?"

When she finished handing out the menu, the young woman asked in a formal, respectful tone, though it did not entirely hide the slight annoyance she felt toward the siblings. They had appeared out of nowhere and earned the privilege of serving the young master Erik, the dream of many in that place. After all, he was not only handsome, considerate, and generous but also had infinite potential—even greater than that of Master Eldurdóttir.

Earning a place beside such a prominent figure would be enough to live an entire life filled with luxury, wealth, and respect—and the only way to achieve something like that was to serve him sincerely and wholeheartedly during his youth, in hopes of earning a small portion of his affection, just enough for him not to forget them once he rose to prominence. Unfortunately, Lady Ravenspell was far too possessive when it came to the care of the young master and allowed no one to get close—except for that trio of siblings.

For their part, upon noticing the envy and anger in the waitress's eyes, the three siblings could only give an ironic smile. While they felt a bit uncomfortable, they could understand the girl's feelings, so rather than causing a fuss, they simply placed their orders, which the young woman noted in her notebook before heading to the kitchen.

"They really don't like us…" Sofia commented with a concerned tone as she watched the young woman's back. Clara responded in a calm voice.

"Rather than saying they don't like us, it would be more accurate to say they don't respect us."

"I get that, but it still feels a little bad… plus, I still haven't gotten used to all this luxury." Sofia said as she looked up at the intricate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the floating lights scattered around the hall.

"Yes… it's truly insane. Just a few months ago, we were struggling to have some reheated beans for lunch, and look at us now…" Martin remarked, looking a bit lost in his memories.

"That's why we have to do our best to repay the young master Erik for everything he's done for us. We can't disappoint him." Clara spoke in a serious, determined tone, to which her siblings quickly nodded with conviction.

"Yes, we can't disappoint the boss. He's given us so much." Sofia said seriously, and Martin added in a similar tone.

"I'll work until my bones break—I won't let the boss regret taking us in."

Seeing her siblings' expressions, Clara smiled proudly and added.

"I'm counting on you. We must do everything possible."

""Yes.""

…

…

…

After a while, the siblings finished breakfast and left the building in a hurry. In the way, Clara slipped her hand into a small leather pouch with several embroidered runes tied at her waist, from which she took a long glass vial containing a slightly glowing green liquid. She quickly opened it and brought it to her lips, drinking the strange liquid in one gulp.

"How much longer do you have to take that medicine?" Sofia asked her sister as they walked briskly. Clara responded in a calm voice while putting the empty glass vial back into the small pouch at her waist.

"According to the young master Erik, I'll have to take it for a few more years after every meal. Apparently, my body needs a lot of nourishment to adapt to my affinity."

"Those potions must be pretty expensive…"

Martin couldn't help but comment, a bit worried since the debt of gratitude he owed to his boss kept growing, and he saw no way to repay it. At that, Clara could only nod heavily and explain.

"Yes… I don't know the exact cost, but they can't be cheap. Although when I asked the young master Erik, he told me they weren't as expensive as they seem because he bought the ingredients in bulk and made them himself…"

"…"

The siblings fell silent, feeling almost suffocated by the immense kindness they had been shown—something they hadn't experienced since their parents passed away, the only people who had genuinely loved and cared for them. Their passing had forced the siblings to experience firsthand the cruelty of the world and the indifference of people.

A bit lost in their thoughts, the siblings soon arrived at an impressive Victorian-style mansion, where a woman of ethereal beauty awaited them. She was dressed in an elegant Victorian maid uniform in black and dark blue, featuring a distinctive buckle at her neck. Her jet-black hair was pulled up in a high bun that contrasted with her pale skin and beautiful gray eyes, giving her an aura of elegance and professionalism.

"""Good morning, Lady Seraphina."""

Upon reaching the beautiful woman, the trio of siblings bowed respectfully in unison, greeting her in a serious, formal tone. Seraphina nodded and then spoke in a calm, professional voice.

"Good morning. Follow me."

With Seraphina leading the way, the group entered the beautiful mansion and soon arrived at a softly lit, classically styled room with wooden floors and large windows. Shelves filled with books lined the walls, and there was a lectern and several elegant dark wooden desks carved with runes, giving it the appearance of a reserved, elegant classroom, exclusive to high society.

Once inside, the siblings took seats at the three front desks, while Seraphina walked behind the lectern, in front of a large board that covered the entire wall. She then began writing on the board with swift movements as she spoke.

"Well, as you know, my young master intends to make you his trusted confidants to serve in various areas. As his personal maid and most trusted servant, he has entrusted me with the duty of educating you properly in the languages, norms, and customs of the Arcane Order."

When she finished writing on the board, Seraphina turned to look at the siblings, who nodded seriously as they placed black-covered notebooks and several pens on their desks, ready to learn. At that moment, the beautiful maid continued speaking in a clear, elegant tone.

"In these months of study, although I can't call you exceptional students by any means, you have worked hard enough to acquire a basic command of the Galactic language and a general idea of the civil code, the criminal code, and the basic customs of the Order. But that's not enough."

Seraphina's words elicited uncomfortable smiles from the siblings, something the perfect maid ignored as she went on.

"Although my young master is an unparalleled genius in many respects, one of his flaws is that he tends to underestimate his talent, status, and importance. Because of that, he makes small mistakes—such as dismissing the importance of properly educating you in the etiquette and demeanor you must present to the world. After all, as his first attendants, you are the public face of my young master, and any mistake on your part will undoubtedly tarnish his reputation."

The siblings straightened up in their seats, their faces solemn. They clearly took the beautiful maid's words very seriously. Seraphina continued speaking, her gaze moving over each of them.

"Therefore, as his personal maid, it is my duty to correct those small flaws, and in this case, I must educate you so that you are worthy of serving someone of my young master's stature—a genius who will be recorded in history. And since you have already mastered the basics, it is time to raise the level.

"From now on, our curriculum will include the subjects of history, politics, and hand-to-hand combat. In addition, I will personally train you to refine your etiquette down to the finest detail. I expect from you the same commitment you have shown so far, and that you rise to meet the expectations of my young master. I will tolerate neither failure nor complaints. Understood?"

"""UNDERSTOOD, LADY SERAPHINA!!!"""

Without a second thought, the siblings responded in unison, loudly and full of determination. Satisfied, Seraphina nodded, a small smile forming on her cherry-colored lips as she retrieved a good number of books from her storage ring, arranging them in three separate rows.

Quickly, the books began to float magically toward the siblings' desks, which they promptly received with serious expressions, at which point Seraphina calmly explained.

"I like that enthusiasm. The books you just received are supplemental to the topics we will cover in the coming months, so be sure to read them diligently. If you have any questions, you may ask them at the end of each class. But for now, let us begin our first lesson on politics."

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After lunch, the trio of siblings, Sofía, Clara, and Martín, followed Seraphina to Erik's private study, where they found him seated behind his imposing wooden desk. There he was writing on magical scrolls with a concentrated expression on his face, surrounded by books and holographic displays, while a beautiful blue phoenix and a black dragon watched from the sides atop the desk, and two wolf cubs—one white and the other black—slept in a corner.

Without making a sound, the group of four entered the study. The three siblings stood by the door, while Seraphina moved to Erik's side and served a cup of tea, which she placed on the desk alongside a plate of freshly baked cookies, then stood silently behind him like a faithful shadow.

After nearly ten almost suffocating minutes of silence, during which the only sound was that of the quill stroking the paper, Erik lifted his gaze to meet the siblings. At that moment, he set his quill beside the magical scroll, then picked up the still-steaming cup of tea from the desk while greeting them with a smile.

"Good afternoon, and my apologies—I was about to finish and did not want to lose my train of thought."

"Good afternoon, boss, and don't worry, we understand perfectly."

Sofía quickly stepped forward and spoke in a respectful tone as she executed a courteous bow, then turned her gaze toward the majestic spirits and greeted them equally respectfully.

"Good afternoon, Your Excellency Caelestis and Your Excellency Nox."

Along with Sofía's words, Clara and Martín stepped forward and bowed respectfully before simultaneously greeting with seriousness.

"Good afternoon, Boss, Your Excellency Caelestis, Your Excellency Nox."

"Good afternoon, little ones."

Ignis greeted in a warm and cordial tone, then rose into the air to perch on the back of Erik's chair, which looked like a minimalist throne made of black wood adorned with gold decorations—a move mirrored by Ebonique, who also greeted in kind.

"Good afternoon."

"Well then, tell me, have you encountered any difficulties these days?" After taking a sip of his tea, Erik asked while picking up one of the cookies from the plate.

"A little, boss; mana control is really complicated..." Sofía replied, a bit embarrassed, which caused her siblings to lower their heads slightly. After all, mana control had been the greatest obstacle they had encountered.

"I see…" Erik commented as he brought his right hand to his chin and began to think deeply, which made the siblings uneasy. However, Erik quickly snapped back to himself and added with a reassuring smile.

"Well, that is a problem we must tackle gradually. For now, please take a seat; we'll do a little test to see how you did with your studies this week."

"""Yes, boss"""
After they responded in unison, the siblings quickly sat behind three black wooden desks carved with different runes all over their surfaces, specially aligned to face Erik. Erik then handed Seraphina three packets of sheets, which she placed on the siblings' desks.

"Okay, then you have one hour to answer. Try to respond with what you know; don't just make things up at random."

Once Seraphina placed the sheets onto the siblings' desks with her own hands, Erik announced in a calm tone, prompting the siblings to nod with incredibly serious expressions as they responded in unison with a certain solemnity.

"""Yes, boss"""

After speaking, the siblings quickly turned over the sheets and took their pens, then began reading the questions with complete concentration. This made Erik smile in satisfaction as, after finishing his tea, he resumed writing on the magical scroll, causing the room to once again be engulfed by a deafening silence in which only the sound of pens against paper and the sporadic interventions of Ignis and Ebonique—who offered Erik advice and ideas—were heard.

Exactly one hour later, Seraphina, who remained behind her young master like the perfect maid she was, stepped forward and went to the siblings' desks in complete silence. At the same time, the sheets on the siblings' desks turned completely black, preventing them from writing further and indicating that their time was up.

Setting her pen aside, feeling slightly confident, Martín turned to look at his sisters, noticing that Clara was quite calm, while Sofía, on the contrary, was a bundle of nerves and appeared on the verge of tears—a fact that inevitably caused his heart to tighten with concern. At that moment, Seraphina collected the respective packets of sheets and then placed them neatly on Erik's desk, who continued writing, deeply focused.

A few minutes later, Erik finished writing and lifted his gaze, finding Clara calmly drinking her tea, while Sofía and Martín shifted uncomfortably, visibly nervous. So, he set his pen aside, took the freshly refilled cup from Seraphina, and then began reviewing each packet of papers attentively.

After some time, Erik laid the papers with the siblings' answers on the desk, then scanned the three faces, realizing that now even Clara looked slightly nervous. At that moment, he spoke in a clear voice.

"Well, I can see that you have been studying diligently; especially Clara, in the free-response section on alchemy, you proposed interesting ideas. Not only have you studied hard, but you are even beginning to master the knowledge little by little—congratulations."

Seeing Erik congratulating her with a charming smile on his face, Clara blushed a little, but she quickly composed herself and rose from her chair before bowing respectfully and thanking him with a joyous tone.

"Thank you very much, Young… Boss."

Erik smiled wryly as he saw how she was about to call him Clara, but simply shook his head at Seraphina's slightly proud smile and continued listening to Clara, who continued speaking in a serious tone.

"But it's all thanks to the advice you gave me to see alchemy as if it were a cooking recipe; looking at things from that perspective has helped me a lot."

Upon hearing Clara's words, Erik smiled with satisfaction and brought a cookie to his mouth before speaking in an upbeat tone.

"I'm glad it was helpful. If you continue improving at this rate, you should be able to take the Alchemy Assistant exam before the call for my assistants at the Regulation Institute comes out. So get ready. I'll soon take you to see someone who will help you polish all the details necessary to pass the exam."

"I will do my best, boss." Clara responded enthusiastically, bringing a smile to Erik's face again, as he spoke in an encouraging voice.

"Then I count on you."

"I won't disappoint you, boss."

After Clara sat down with an expression that fluctuated between determination and happiness, Erik turned to look at Martín and took his exam before commenting in a calm tone.

"The second-best performer in this test was Martin. While you struggle a bit with making complex logical inferences, you have a good memory and managed to answer most of the questions correctly. And although math didn't go particularly well for you, you've shown considerable talent with runes, so from now on, we'll focus on that. You've worked hard."

Upon hearing the evaluation, Martin smiled with joy, but quickly stood up and bowed respectfully as he spoke in a courteous tone.

"Thank you very much, boss. It's all thanks to your constant guidance, and I'll make sure to work even harder so as not to disappoint your expectations."

"It's nothing—you've all put in enough effort. Just be careful not to overdo it; that would be counterproductive." Erik commented with a smile as he took another cookie, to which Martin quickly nodded.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, boss."

As Martin returned to his seat, Erik turned to look at Sofía, who had her head down and was trembling slightly, trying to hold back the tears that were on the verge of bursting. At that moment, the star-haired young man began to speak in a calm tone.

"As for Sofía… Hmm… how should I put this? If I had to grade your exam, I'd have to say you passed with the minimum required score. While I can tell you studied diligently, you made a lot of mistakes and fell into several traps I placed in the questions."

Erik's words struck Sofía like lightning through the heart, leaving her devastated. Having her suspicions confirmed was far more painful than she had expected. During the exam, Sofía had struggled immensely—many of the questions were hard to understand, and she couldn't recall things she was certain she had studied.

But no matter how much she tried, once again, she had ended up being the worst. Even though she had worked harder than anyone else, studying tirelessly night after night until the early hours of the morning, it hadn't been enough. She was hopelessly foolish, and by now, her boss was probably regretting ever bringing her along.

A deep pain began to fill Sofía's heart. She felt stupid and useless—a complete waste of her boss's efforts, who had given her nothing but the best and treated her with such care and kindness, the kind she hadn't believed even existed in the world. And yet, she had failed to do her part and ended up disappointing the one person she never wanted to disappoint under any circumstances.

Tears full of pain and guilt began to fall from Sofía's eyes, bringing looks of panic and sorrow to Clara's and Martin's faces as they desperately tried to think of a way to fix the situation—though without much success. But their minds came to a sudden stop when they heard Erik's calm voice.

"But that's only regarding the basic exam that Clara and Martin answered."

Erik looked at Sofía with a smile, and she raised her head to reveal her tear-stained face; her expression caught somewhere between surprise and confusion.

"I don't know if you noticed, but your exam was longer than your siblings'." Erik paused to give Sofía a moment to process his words, and seeing her shake her head, he continued.

"For the past couple of weeks, thanks to the general knowledge questions in the exams, I noticed that you had a talent—or rather, a strong intuition—for business. For that reason, I decided to pay a little more attention to that side of things, and today I designed a more specific test just for you. The results pleasantly surprised me."

Erik's words brought wide smiles to Clara's and Martin's faces, while Sofía just stared at him in astonishment, unsure whether to believe what she was hearing—wondering if it was just a joke or a cruel trick her mind was playing on her. But without paying any attention to her swirling thoughts, Erik continued explaining in a soft and calm tone.

"This time, I decided to evaluate you in eight areas that I consider important for business: Business Case Analysis, Problem-Solving, Creativity and Innovation, Communication Skills, Decision-Making, Market Knowledge, and Ethics and Responsibility. And although you failed quite spectacularly in the ethics and responsibility section, in all the others, you demonstrated great talent and sharp intuition, giving creative and logical answers.

"I especially liked your responses in communication skills—though your style still needs some polishing, it was quite appealing and interesting. And honestly, it's truly impressive how you managed to understand the university market so well, considering you've barely even left the mansion. How did you do it?"

Seeing the genuine curiosity on Erik's face, Sofía took a deep breath, still feeling a bit flustered and confused, but quickly wiped her tears with her forearm and responded in a slightly nasal and awkward voice.

"B-boss, it's nothing impressive... I'm just a little curious, so I simply listened to the other workers around the mansion talking and ended up learning more or less how things worked here. It's kind of a habit, really—I used to do it all the time in Aranta to find out which places were best to work at, where to get good deals, and the best ways to guide tourists, things like that…"

Upon hearing her explanation, Erik nodded thoughtfully, then took a small notebook from his storage ring and jotted down a few notes. After that, he looked back at Sofía and spoke with a slightly excited tone that not only surprised her but also caught Clara and Martin off guard, while Seraphina smiled warmly as she looked at her young master's back.

"It really is something impressive, you know? You're incredibly talented when it comes to business, and people like you are exactly what I need—just as much, if not more, than my assistants in alchemy and artificery. Honestly, I feel like I hit the jackpot by bringing you here."

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[lordanl]

Hearing her boss—especially the genuine joy in his tone—an expression of absolute astonishment inevitably formed on Sofia's face, and she quickly asked, a bit fearfully.

"B-boss… Are you serious? You're not playing a prank on me, are you?"

Seeing Sofia's expression, Erik looked her directly in the eyes and replied with a confident tone and a reassuring smile.

"I'm absolutely serious. From now on, we'll be dropping all the alchemy and artificery from your curriculum. Instead, I'll personally be teaching you the general concepts of economics, marketing, project management, finance, risk management, and a bunch of other things—so get ready. From now on, you'll be accompanying me more often, and we'll have more classes."

Tears of happiness began to well up in Clara's eyes as she looked at her sister, filled with pride. Sofia, meanwhile, was stunned, completely unable to believe what she was hearing, until Martin gently shook her shoulder with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"T-thank you so much, boss. I'll give it my all, so I won't let you down." Sofia quickly stood from her seat and said in a grateful voice that was on the verge of tears, bowing deeply as she did so.

"Don't worry—I know you won't." Erik replied cheerfully. But to his surprise, Sofia didn't sit back down. Instead, after a few seconds, she straightened up and asked with visible uncertainty.

"B-boss, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." Erik nodded, slightly curious, which prompted Sofia to ask, visibly confused.

"Boss… why did you say I failed the ethics exam?"

"That's a great question. So, to answer it, I'll read one of the questions and your answer. I think that'll make it easier for you to understand the mistake." Erik picked up Sofia's packet of papers once again, randomly selected a question from the ethics section, and began to read aloud.

"Alright, here's one. The question said, If a company discovers that its products are defective and could potentially cause problems for customers, what do you think they should do to fix it?"

As he read the question, Erik glanced at Sofia, who looked even more confused, as if she couldn't understand what had been wrong. So, he looked back down at the paper and continued reading with a smile.

"To which you responded, 'If possible, the company should definitely hide the issues with their products, either by paying off anyone who complains so they'll stay quiet, or by threatening them or something like that to save money. At the same time, the company should look for someone in the government who can help cover up the whole matter and, if necessary, come up with some excuse to avoid blame in case things get out of hand.'"

Erik turned to look at Sofia again and asked with a smile.

"What do you think is wrong with this answer?"

Sofia looked at Erik in confusion, trying to figure out where she had gone wrong, but unable to come up with anything, she replied.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with my answer, boss. That's what merchants do—especially the big ones."

"That's exactly where you're mistaken. That's what they do on your planet, which is full of prebendary dinosaurs who are incapable of competing in an open market and instead hunt inside a zoo. But here, in the Arcane Order, things work very differently. If someone dared to do something like that here, I assure you they wouldn't last more than a year before declaring bankruptcy—and depending on the situation, they could even end up in prison… or executed."

Erik paused to take a sip of his tea, watching Sofia's expression, which showed only confusion and surprise. So he continued.

"Unlike your planet, the Arcane Order operates under a very simple market logic: open and savage competition. That means people have almost unlimited options and are free to spend their money wherever they want. So if someone dared to do even a tenth of what you wrote, they'd lose their customers' trust in an instant—and at that point, their competition would devour them alive.

"Also, even though there aren't many market regulations, fraud and similar acts are crimes here. And depending on the amount involved, they're even considered major crimes—with significant prison sentences. Not to mention bribery, which could escalate all the way to the death penalty for everyone involved. So trying to bribe someone in the government here is… literally something that could cost you your life."

"Wow… The Arcane Order is really impressive… In Aranta, merchants are practically untouchable… They have enough money to buy everyone off, and they always get away with everything…" Sofia said, clearly surprised. To that, Erik shook his head and explained in a calm tone while picking up a cookie.

"While corruption plays an important role, the reason what you described is possible on your planet is very simple. Tell me—how many options did you really have to acquire a product? Maybe two or three if you were lucky… and in many cases, probably only one. And that's where the problem lies. They don't get away with it because they have money—they get away with it because no matter what they do, people have no choice but to keep buying from them.

"That's why their position at the top of the pyramid seems so secure and unreachable—because they enslave the rest of the population by stripping away their options and their freedom to choose. If it weren't for that, even if they never ended up in jail because they've bought off every judge, people could simply decide to buy from someone else, which would eventually lead to their downfall.

"And they know that better than anyone. That's why it's so common for them to come up with nonsense like nationalism, claiming that foreign products take jobs away from the population, and a bunch of other ridiculous excuses—all to justify the mountains of regulations and barriers they impose on the market, which ultimately ensure their dominant position within it.

"After all, only they have the capital and the connections necessary to comply with those regulations—or to bypass them without consequence. They can even adapt them so that only they are able to meet the requirements—something they do in complicity with the government, which is usually made up of their friends and relatives, who in the end also get their slice of the pie."

Erik finished his words with a calm smile, though visibly disdainful, while Clara, Sofia, and Martin looked at him in shock, their minds short-circuiting a little. After all, they had never seen things from that perspective before—and in a way, their boss was right. If money came from their customers, then if those customers stopped buying, they'd have no way to bribe anyone. But at that moment, he continued speaking.

"But don't worry about that—you'll learn all of this with time. For now, let's continue with the lesson. I have a few announcements to make."

Seeing that Sofia nodded and sat back in her chair, Erik stood up and began writing on a board that appeared behind him, speaking in a calm tone as he did so.

"As you can probably imagine, over the past few months I've gotten a general idea of each of your individual talents. So from now on, we'll be having classes on different days—and very soon, you might meet new instructors. That's why I want to show you the new schedules we'll be using, although they'll be temporary…"

...

...

...

Several hours later, Erik stretched, a bit tired, as he watched the siblings leave the study with wide grins on their faces. Before stepping out, they bowed one last time to him and then closed the door. That's when Ignis's voice echoed through the room.

"So, what did you think of the kids?"

"Honestly? Better than I expected. They're dedicated and have quite a bit of talent in various areas… though I am concerned about their mana control. Calling it mediocre would be generous…" Erik replied in a thoughtful tone as Seraphina removed his shirt and helped him lie down on a massage table that glowed faintly.

"That's to be expected, young master. Mana control is one of the most difficult areas to master. It's no coincidence that it's one of the biggest bottlenecks in the alchemy and artificery exams."

Seraphina commented in her usual professional tone as she spread massage cream across her young master's back—a cream developed by Sigrún, who had recently improved it even further using some excellent ingredients she had managed to acquire.

"Really? But it's so simple…"

Erik couldn't help but say, a bit confused, as all around him, all kinds of crystallized Myst figures began to appear—ranging from hyperrealistic phoenixes to wolves and dragons, all the way to perfectly scaled figures of Seraphina, Eleonora, and Sigrún.

"Erik, I've told you to stop comparing yourself to humans. You're far beyond them." Ebonique, who floated near Erik's head, said in a tone full of pride as she watched Seraphina's massage technique intently, almost as if afraid to miss a single detail.

"Ebonique's right, Erik. Your talents are not something an ordinary human could compare to, so you shouldn't use yourself carelessly as a benchmark for judging others." Ignis added in agreement, also staring unblinkingly at Seraphina's hands.

"I don't think it's that much of an exaggeration… is it?" Erik asked in a low voice, clearly not fully convinced. To that, Seraphina responded with a radiant smile, her hands gliding masterfully across her young master's back.

"Yes, it really is that much of an exaggeration, young master. Take the young miss, for example—she's one of the people who comes closest to you in terms of raw talent. And even though she shot up the levels like a rocket, just like you, it still took her nearly a century to reach the mana control standard required to pass the alchemy exam."

"A century? Seriously?"

Erik turned to look at Seraphina, visibly surprised, but she gently pushed him back down onto the massage table and answered as she began to strategically press on Erik's Lifepoints—the points from which mana could exit the body.

"Yes, I'm very serious. Though there are several reasons for it. First of all, fine control over mana doesn't just require talent—it also takes a great deal of experience and training. Think of mana like the body: any healthy person can move an arm at will, but hardly anyone could perform a complex and ever-changing choreography with millimetric precision on the first try. To do that would take years, even decades, of rigorous training.

"But the challenge with fine mana control goes far beyond that. If we stick with the analogy, it would be something like trying to control every single fiber of your muscles to achieve a single outcome with nanometric precision, all while being unaffected by changes in the environment. That alone is quite the feat—and it could take a person an entire lifetime to master.

"And it gets more complicated with every level-up because not only does the amount of mana available increase, but so does its quality. And the change is usually abrupt. So, you more or less have to walk the same path all over again each time. And while it does get easier over time, for someone young, it's still a long and difficult journey."

Erik was left a bit stunned by Seraphina's explanation, realizing just how strange he really was. For him, controlling mana felt as natural as breathing—he'd even dare to say it was easier than controlling his own body. Which inevitably led him to mutter softly.

"I didn't know that… I really am a freak…"

"Fufu, you're not a freak, Erik—you're just very talented." Ignis said with a small smile as she used one of her wings to gently stroke Erik's hair.

"Ignis is right. You're simply special—and far superior to everyone else. You don't need to overthink it. After all, you are the chosen partner of this Ebonique Nox—and I would never choose some random mediocre person, hehe." Ebonique added with vanity as she playfully poked Erik's nose from under the table.

The wolves, who had woken up at some point and were now lying under the table in their puppy forms, barked adorably in unison, fully agreeing as they wagged their tiny tails. At that moment, Erik couldn't help but mutter softly as he looked at Ebonique.

"That sounds wrong in quite a few ways, Ebonique…"

"Fufu, don't worry about that, young master. It's simply reality. In time, you'll learn to handle it without letting it go to your head."

While Ebonique giggled mischievously, Seraphina spoke with a serious and professional tone as she rubbed a different lotion between her hands and resumed the massage.

"Your maid is right, Erik. You don't need to overthink it. I, too, was born a unique and special being, and just look at me—so amazing and powerful. And it never went to my head or anything. I'm super humble."

Ebonique added boastfully while floating in front of Erik beneath the table, her claws resting on her "hips" as she struck a pose that looked quite comical—prompting Erik to roll his eyes and murmur softly.

"Now I'm even more concerned…"

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[lordanl]

"Now I'm even more concerned…"

"Hey!! What's that supposed to mean?!!!"

Ebonique's indignant retort to Erik's words provoked uncontrolled laughter from Ignis, who ended up falling to the ground, along with a small giggle from Seraphina.

"I mean, I could never be as good as you, Ebonique, which makes me worry if I'll be able to pull it off the same way." Erik quickly responded with a slightly comical smile from being face-down, to which Ebonique replied with a bit of a pout, looking away.

"Hmph, look at you trying to act all clever with me; I don't buy it."

"I'm serious, I could never be as special as you, Ebonique. Just look at those beautiful obsidian scales of yours, that powerful presence, that overwhelming charisma—you're a unique and enchanting spirit that no one could ever ignore. How could someone as plain as me compare to you?" Erik kept up the act with a small smile while Seraphina resumed massaging him after her laughter had settled.

"Mmm, I don't know; it doesn't sound sincere enough..."

Ebonique commented, trying to sound indifferent and annoyed, but a slight, delighted smile was visible at the corner of her dragon lips—something that made Ignis frown, annoyed by her clever ploy to fish for compliments from Erik, who quickly replied with seriousness.

"It's completely sincere. You're without a doubt a powerful and charming spirit who—"

Just as Erik was about to unleash another wave of compliments on the pampered spirit, Ignis suddenly cut him off, speaking in an offended tone, full of jealousy and envy.

"So only Ebonique is charming, huh? I see, I see..."

"Of course, because you are fascinating. Just look at those beautiful and delicate feathers made of fire, that elegant and refined bearing, that aristocratic aura. You inspire respect and submission with your mere presence."

Without missing a beat, Erik turned to look at the sulking blue fire phoenix on the ground and spoke in a natural and fluid tone, as if stating an undeniable fact—causing Ignis to lower her head in embarrassment and giggle softly.

"Fufufu"

"Stop interrupting me, Ignis. Erik was talking to me." At that moment, Ebonique, clearly displeased by the interruption, commented with annoyance as she floated in front of Ignis, squinting at her.

"Interrupting? Who? Me?" Ignis asked with an innocent tone, blinking her big eyes with fake confusion, which only made Ebonique even more irritated. She quickly replied in a cold tone.

"Yes, you, you damn phoenix Burglar."

"I have no idea what you're talking about…"

Ignis replied with elegance as she looked away, and immediately after, she shrank down and flew to land near Erik's head on the massage table, settling comfortably by his ear, where she whispered in a calm, almost seductive tone.

"You're fascinating too, Erik. Fufu."

"Hmph." Ebonique, upon seeing the shameless Ignis, immediately shrank as well and landed by Erik's other ear, where she whispered in a similar tone.

"You're also really handsome and powerful, Erik. Don't pay attention to that home-wrecking phoenix."

"Hehe, thanks for the compliments." Erik briefly commented in a calm tone, at the same time giving them a good amount of mana through the Lifepoints in his ears, which caused giggles and delighted purrs from the pair of spirits.

"Fufu / Hehe"

Having satisfied the pampered spirits, Erik spoke again while Seraphina was removing his pants, leaving him only in his underwear.

"But getting back on topic, how long do you think it'll take the siblings to gain decent mana control, Seraphina? Especially Clara—her talent for alchemy will be a huge asset."

"It's a bit difficult to say, young master. Mana control is highly individual and varies from person to person. But I'd say for her to qualify as a 1-star alchemy assistant, it might take several years—perhaps even a decade." Seraphina replied professionally, although the seductive way she licked her lips while eyeing her young master's well-defined body told a different story.

"So the idea of making her the lead of the alchemy assistant group is off the table then..."

Erik sighed, a little disappointed, to which Seraphina responded while carefully massaging his legs—taking her time to trace each of his muscles, almost as if trying to memorize them.

"That was to be expected, young master. Even though the standard required to be an alchemy assistant is much lower than that of a full-fledged alchemist, it's still not something easily achieved. After all, assistants are expected to at least understand what the alchemist is doing and be an active part of the process—so a minimum level of skill is required."

"Well, yeah, I knew that. But originally, I thought the bottleneck would be in recognizing ingredients, their age, and their possible reactions. Even now, that's something I can only manage thanks to the interaction patterns they display with the Myst—patterns that are predictable and easier for me to notice. So when I saw Clara's incredible talent in that area, I couldn't help but get a little hopeful."

Erik replied in a calm voice as he looked at the rune-carved floor, thinking about what he should do next. At that moment, Seraphina spoke in a calm and deliberately slow tone, not wanting her slight unease to show.

"Well, that's largely due to Clara's wood affinity, young master. As you know, affinities—especially complex ones like wood—somehow grant their users a natural instinct for anything related to them. And since a large portion of alchemy involves plants, it's only natural that young Clara achieves such good results. It's no coincidence that those born with a wood affinity are called natural-born alchemists—achieving triple the results with a third of the effort."

"…"

Erik sighed, a little disappointed, without saying a word. But Seraphina, being the exceptional maid she was, immediately understood her young master's concerns. She let her body fall gently against his bare back, pressing her voluptuous chest firmly against him, slightly deforming with the contact, as she spoke in a voice full of affection and care.

"You don't have to worry about your lack of affinities, young master. Your talents surpass anything ever seen in human history. And who knows… maybe your lack of affinities is actually a blessing in disguise."

Seraphina's words made Ebonique and Ignis slightly open their eyes from their cozy spots at either side of Erik's head and glance discreetly in her direction, while also establishing a telepathic connection between them.

[That maid has sharp intuition...] Ebonique's voice echoed in Ignis's mind, to which the phoenix replied with a serious tone.

[Yes, though she might just be saying that to comfort Erik, something tells me she senses something. Still, I highly doubt she knows what she's talking about.]

[Maybe we should start taking her a little more seriously, even if she has that unpleasant habit of playing the pig to eat the tiger...] Ebonique said with a tone that barely masked her distaste, to which Ignis responded with amusement.

[Fufufu, I think that's what makes her so interesting. It's really fun to watch the faces of her enemies when they realize they're doomed. Besides, she genuinely loves Erik and takes good care of him.]

[Maybe... though it's kind of annoying that she gets to spend all day with MY Erik…] Ebonique replied with an obviously jealous tone, which Ignis couldn't resist teasing her about, quickly responding in a mocking, haughty voice.

[Fufufu, are you jealous?]

[Yes. So what? Got a problem with that?] Ebonique answered bluntly, visibly annoyed, which only increased Ignis's amusement. She quickly added, teasingly.

[Fufu, who would've thought the great Ebonique would be jealous of a mere human? Living for so long really does have its perks.]

[Shut up, or I won't let you get near Erik anymore.] Ebonique replied angrily, her tone sharp enough to wipe the smugness right off Ignis's face. She immediately responded with a more serious voice.

[Are you planning to go back on your word?]

Tired of Ignis's constant teasing, Ebonique decided it was time for payback. She replied with a voice full of mockery and arrogance as she shifted slightly to get more comfortable beside her beloved contractor.

[Break my word? Never. It's just that, if I remember correctly, our agreement was to let you receive part of Erik's mana—and for that, you don't need to be this close to him. I can always give you your share in a different way, without you even seeing him directly…]

[...]

Seeing Ignis fall silent, a mischievous smile spread across Ebonique's face, and a moment later she spoke again, full of satisfaction.

[Cat got your tongue or what?]

[Weren't you the one who told me to shut up?]

Ignis replied with a serious tone, hiding a trace of indignation, defeat, and regret—something that made Ebonique's smile grow noticeably wider as she commented in a condescending tone.

[That's more like it—obedient. If you keep behaving like this, I might even let you be with Erik from time to time, so you don't feel so miserable…]

[Don't push it, Ebonique! I can always tell Erik you're bullying me, and you know what'll happen.]

Ignis quickly snapped back, angered by Ebonique's condescending tone. Her response made Ebonique fall silent, and with that, the two came to an unspoken agreement to drop the subject.

…

"Thanks for the comfort, Seraphina." After a few moments, Erik spoke in a warm, calm voice, feeling somehow soothed by Seraphina's body heat.

"It's not just comfort, young master. It's truly what I believe."

Seraphina responded softly, her voice nearly a whisper in his ear. At the same time, she secretly delighted in her young master's scent—one that filled her with countless impure desires, unworthy of a perfect maid like herself. She was supposed to fulfill her young master's desires, not be consumed by her own. Internally, she scolded herself for her behavior, though she still didn't move away.

"Then maybe you're right…" Erik said with a warm voice, to which Seraphina replied with affection and sweetness.

"Of course I'm right. My young master is the most special being in existence, fufu."

After speaking, Seraphina finally lifted herself off Erik's back, slightly afraid of being overtaken by her desires. She was immediately wrapped in darkness, changing clothes at an astonishing speed—not only because her dress had cream stains from Erik's back, but also due to the overwhelming moisture in a certain area that she feared might become visible.

Moments later, the darkness surrounding her vanished, revealing her figure once more—dressed in an outfit identical to the one before, with hair that looked freshly styled and gleaming. A flawless appearance, truly worthy of a perfect maid.

"But then, the idea of making Clara the leader of my alchemy assistants is off the table—for who knows how long..." Erik, unaware of Seraphina's swift outfit change, commented with a sigh of mild fatigue before adding in a low voice.

"Just one more problem..."

"Young master, while it may indeed take some time for young Clara to reach the necessary standard to be the leader of your assistants, you could always seek external guidance or hire a tutor to speed up the process. Besides, who knows—you might end up meeting someone even more suited for the role during the recruitment."

Seraphina spoke with a professional smile as she resumed massaging Erik's body, now using a different lotion, while the runes on the table lit up in a slightly different pattern.

"Do you really think someone as good as—or better than—Clara would show up to be my assistant?" Erik asked after letting out a satisfied sound from Seraphina's massage. She answered.

"It's quite unlikely. After all, wood affinity is very rare, and when someone is born with it, they're quickly sponsored either by the Order or a private patron. They're usually fast-tracked to become full-fledged alchemists or assistants to renowned high-level alchemists. But then again, young master, you are now a well-known figure in the world of alchemy, and your future is limitless—so it's not impossible."

"I may be promising, but I doubt people with a guaranteed future—like those with wood affinity—would take the risk of applying. I could be a one-trick pony, or worse, I might not even grow at all and just die in some random ditch. Who knows? It's a gamble very few would be willing to take."

Erik spoke in a calm, slightly joking tone—but the moment he finished, his field of vision spun violently. When he managed to process what had happened, he found himself lying on his back, staring into the serious gaze of Seraphina. She cupped his face in her hands, looking him straight in the eyes, so close their noses touched.

"Young master, please don't say things like that. Something like that is impossible. I swear, no matter what happens, I—as your personal maid—would give my life without hesitation for your well-being, young master." Seraphina spoke in an incredibly serious and solemn voice, her beautiful gray eyes shining faintly, entirely focused on her young master's green ones.

"It was just a joke, Seraphina... You don't have to take it so seriously."

Erik replied with a slightly awkward smile on his face, feeling the weight of Seraphina's intense seriousness. At the same time, he tried his hardest to ignore the piercing stares he could sense from the corners of his vision—courtesy of two spirits, one surrounded by blue flames and the other by black lightning. That's when Seraphina spoke again, her tone unwaveringly stern.

"Young master, I beg you not to say such things, even as a joke. That's something that must never happen."

"I understand. I won't do it again…"

Accepting his defeat, Erik replied with resignation, which brought a small smile to Seraphina's lips. She kissed his forehead lovingly before gently lowering his head back onto the massage table. Her tone then shifted into a cheerful, melodic one as she spoke.

"That's a huge relief, young master."

Right after speaking, Seraphina began massaging the front of her young master's chest with a wide smile on her face. Meanwhile, Erik was doing his best to endure the pain caused by the two spirits nibbling on his ears in protest.

"Ignis, Ebonique, could you stop biting me? It really hurts…"

"It's your punishment for saying nonsense—so deal with it." Ebonique replied irritably, though she unintentionally loosened her bite, and her tongue began gently trailing over the small marks her teeth had left on Erik's ear.

"Yes, Erik, you've been a bad boy who needs to be punished."

Ignis added, clearly offended—though her actions betrayed her words. Instead of biting again, she began massaging Erik's ear with her head, causing small blue flames to heal the almost nonexistent damage from her bite. At that point, the star-haired boy apologized in a resigned tone.

"Alright, I'm sorry. I won't joke like that again…"

""You'd better not.""

Ignis and Ebonique spoke at the same time. Maintaining their 'dignified' attitudes, they laid back down beside Erik's ears, gently caressing them—tinged with a bit of guilt. At that moment, Erik looked over at his personal maid and asked in a calm voice.

"Seraphina, you mentioned something about a tutor for mana control earlier. Do you have someone in mind?"

"Of course, young master. I have a couple of options, so I'll give you a full list later." Seraphina turned to look at Erik, responding with a charming smile as she continued to massage his well-defined chest with utmost care and attention.

"Thank you, Seraphina. You're the best maid in the world."

"Fufufu, it's an honor to serve you, young master."

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