Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

[lordanl]

Time passed, and the day finally arrived when Erik and Ignis were supposed to meet. Eleonora and Sigrún were in the garden of the latter's mansion, sipping tea around a beautifully carved glass table, while Erik ate his cookies without a care in the world.

"Well, Erik, do you have everything ready?" Sigrún asked calmly, looking at her disciple who seemed completely relaxed, even though he was about to find out if he could secure a contract with a spirit or not.

"Yes, master."

"Fufufu, I never expected an ancestral spirit to want a leather bag," Eleonora commented with a cheerful smile, finding the situation incredibly amusing.

"Now that you mention it, master, I've been wondering lately, are there other types of spirits besides the ancestral ones?" Erik asked curiously, to which Eleonora responded with a smile.

"Yes, there are several types of spirits. In fact, spirits are entities that exist in a parallel dimension to ours. They are not only incredibly skilled in using magic and connecting with the Myst, but they also usually possess unique, strange abilities.

Their strength and status levels depend largely on their age. The most powerful and respected are known as ancestral spirits, like Sig's contracted spirit, but there are also newborn spirits, which are very young spirits just beginning to understand their existence and power.

Next are the juvenile spirits, who already understand their power a bit and can control it to some extent. After them are the mature spirits, who have gained a solid understanding of their abilities and have amassed considerable knowledge.

The next in line are the ancient spirits, which have lived for hundreds of thousands of years. They not only possess an impressive level of power but have also acquired a vast amount of knowledge, which they use to improve their own powers and affinities, refining and enhancing their special abilities.

Lastly, there are the ancestral spirits, which are incredibly ancient. No one knows exactly how long they've lived, but what sets them apart from all others is that they not only have an incomparable amount of power but have also taken their innate special abilities beyond comprehension.

For example, Sig's contracted spirit, the phoenix of mystical fire, Ignis Caelestis, has, as you might imagine, blue flames as her special ability. These flames are not only terribly destructive, but also make her practically immortal. There is no wound or curse that her blue flames cannot heal, something Sig, as her contractor, can also use."

Eleonora's explanation left Erik utterly astounded. After all, that was real immortality, which inevitably led him to look at Sigrún with surprise, who was elegantly and calmly sipping her tea, as if they weren't talking about her. However, the slight smile on her lips revealed how pleased she felt.

"Are you immortal, master?" Erik asked Sigrún with evident surprise.

"It's not that I'm exactly immortal. I can still die when my lifespan ends. Moreover, that power entirely depends on my mana, so if I run out of energy, there's nothing I can do. Therefore, it's more accurate to say that I'm immortal in battle, as long as I have mana to use."

"That's impressive…"

Erik commented in a voice full of awe, looking at Sigrún as if she were a superstar, which greatly boosted Sigrún's ego, making her smile smugly. But the starry-haired young man quickly turned to Eleonora and asked with anticipation.

"And do you have a contracted spirit, master?"

Erik's question brought a bitter smile to Eleonora's beautiful cherry-colored lips, who gently shook her head as she explained.

"No, I don't have one. Contracting a spirit is quite rare. If you don't belong to special clans that have ancient pacts with spirits, it basically depends on luck. So, even though at the university you can find people who have a contract with a spirit without belonging to one of those clans.

The vast majority are newborn or juvenile spirits, and only a minimal number of people in the order have contracts with a mature spirit without belonging to a clan. Beyond that, it's directly improbable. Sig was practically a statistical anomaly."

"I understand… I was really lucky that Ignis was willing to introduce me to a spirit…"

"You have no idea how much. Many people will go crazy when they find out and will ask anyone with a contracted spirit to speak on their behalf to get at least a chance," Eleonora nodded with satisfaction, seeing that her disciple was now beginning to understand the importance of the opportunity he had obtained.

"Well, enough complicated talk. It's time to call Ignis, what do you think, Erik?"

Sigrún spoke a bit hurriedly, as Erik seemed to be lost in thought, and that was not good, since she could more or less guess what might come to the star-haired boy's mind. It had already been an incredible stroke of luck that Ignis wanted to introduce him to a spirit; asking for more could offend her.

"Okay, master."

Erik snapped out of his thoughts and nodded to his master, who immediately summoned Ignis, causing a flare of blue fire to appear out of nowhere near the table, a flare that soon took the form of a beautiful phoenix.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Erik."

It seemed Ignis greeted warmly in her characteristic elegant and sophisticated style, to which Erik responded with a smile as he stood up from his chair.

"The feeling is mutual, Ignis, and look what I made."

Erik immediately took out from his storage ring a beautiful bag of sophisticated elegance and intricate bird accents, sculpted in soft, durable leather of a medium blue hue reminiscent of phoenix feathers.

"What do you think? In the end, I decided not to use the black bison leather I told you about and instead bought some leather with this beautiful blue shade that resembles your flames. Moreover, I made it so it has two modes of use. You can hang it on your back..."

Erik took out two beautifully decorated straps made from the same type of leather and showed the back of the bag, which had two blue metal hooks, cleverly hidden in the bag's design, and continued.

"...you just have to attach these straps to these hooks, and it's ready. You can carry it on your back, or you can cross it over your body using just one of them and attaching it to these hooks on the sides. And look at the interior."

Erik quickly opened the bag to reveal a cream-colored satin lining, dotted with delicate gold and silver bird embroidery, evoking a starry sky in broad daylight. This caused Ignis to come closer and look at it from all sides, feeling pleased. Then she spoke in a satisfied tone.

"It's beautiful, I love it. Can you cross it over my body?"

"Of course."

With fluid movements, Erik quickly attached the strap to the side hooks of the bag and hung it over Ignis's body. The bag looked exquisite on Ignis, gently contrasting with her flames and feathers, appearing as an emblem of sophistication and seeming to echo her graceful movements.

"It looks great on you, Ignis. I didn't know Erik had such a talent for this; maybe I should ask for one," Sigrún commented gracefully, while looking at the bag with some envy.

"Don't worry, master. I made one for each of you as well."

(Hehe, I saw this coming from miles away...)

Without wasting a second, Erik quickly took out two more bags from his ring, which were no less impressive than Ignis's. One was made of tanned leather in a rich honey color, with bright blue embroidery resembling flames dancing over a log. The other was made of metallic gray leather, embroidered with pure silver threads forming complex, stylized patterns resembling lightning bolts.

With a swift motion, Erik handed his masters their bags, which they received delightedly. They quickly hung them up and started posing with them in front of large floating mirrors they had summoned from their storage rings.

"Hey Erik, it's not fair that you make more bags. Mine was supposed to be a thank you for introducing you to a spirit," Ignis protested, slightly dissatisfied, seeing the whole scene. To which Erik quickly responded in a calm tone with a warm smile on his face.

"I know, Ignis, and I'm truly grateful to you for that. But I'm equally grateful to my masters. They've given me everything, taught me many things over the years, and treat me very well. They've literally given me a dream life. I can't just make you a bag and give them nothing."

"Well, you have a point there..." Ignis commented in understanding, though still a bit dissatisfied. But She quickly recovered and added, "But let me introduce you to the spirit who will form a contract with you."

With Ignis's words, a large black lightning bolt manifested out of nowhere not far from her. It soon took the shape of a black snake about a meter long, with a powerful appearance, a large, sleek jaw, and big, robust scales.

"This is Ebonique, a lightning spirit."

With this brief introduction, Erik looked at Ignis with incredibly grateful eyes and quickly ran towards the snake Ebonique, asking in an excited voice.

"Hello, Ebonique, I'm Erik. Would you like to form a contract with me?"

The snake looked at Erik for a while, almost as if analyzing him carefully, then quickly glanced at Ignis, who discreetly nodded.

"Hello, disciple Erik. As you have been told, I am Ebonique and I am already informed of everything, so it would be a pleasure for me to form a contract with you."

The snake spirit spoke with a magnetic female voice, something that excited Erik immensely, who quickly asked with bright eyes.

"That's great! I just need to give you a drop of my blood, right?"

"Yes, that's correct, disciple Erik."

The group of two spirits and the young man moved a bit further away on Ignis's recommendation. Erik quickly bit his index finger and then let a drop of blood fall onto Ebonique's head, who bowed respectfully.

The moment the drop of blood touched Ebonique's head, a powerful black light enveloped both Erik and her, then began to expand rapidly. This phenomenon was immediately contained by Sigrún and Eleonora, preventing it from being seen from outside.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"With this, we officially have a contract."

After a while, the black light began to fade, just as Ebonique's voice was heard, to which Erik responded.

"That's great. Do you want some Myst with mana? Ignis really liked it, and just call me Erik; it feels better."

"Alright, Erik, I'd love some."

With a smile, Erik quickly placed his hand on Ebonique's head and began to transfer the mixture of mana and Myst that always flowed through his body. In recent years, Erik's ability to control Myst has improved on several levels, allowing him to maintain the mixture of Myst and mana running through his body, which made him feel more comfortable. He could now share it with his wolves and, at this moment, with Ebonique without any problem, whenever he wished.

The moment Ebonique felt Erik's mana combined with Myst, she closed her eyes in pleasure and began to emit sounds very similar to contented purring. This made Ignis smile with amusement, though a hint of envy was visible in her eyes until Erik eventually lifted his hand.

"That was incredibly delicious, Erik," Ebonique commented with pleasure, to which Erik responded with a smile.

"Hahaha, I'm glad you liked it."

Noticing the strange look Ignis was giving him, Erik quickly understood the message and asked with a smile.

"Do you want some too, Ignis?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all."

Erik quickly approached Ignis and shared a good amount of the mixture with her, and she, like Ebonique, closed her eyes and emitted content and satisfied sounds for a while until the transfer was complete.

"That was delicious; thank you, Erik." Ignis thanked him with an obviously satisfied tone, as she seemed to savor the taste.

"Don't worry, it's no problem. By the way, Ignis," Erik's face showed an awkward and embarrassed expression, but he continued, "I was wondering if you might have another spirit friend who doesn't have a contract and would like to make one with a great master-level genius, hehe."

Erik's words greatly surprised Sigrún and Eleonora, who were enjoying tea at their glass table, so much so that their hands froze in midair, apprehensive about what Erik's question might provoke.

A similar feeling arose in the heart of Seraphina, the Victorian maid who had just served tea to the beautiful Masters. She quickly focused all her senses on her young lady's first disciple, preparing to react immediately if the worst happened.

"Are you referring to the woman over there?" Ignis pointed with one of her wings toward Eleonora, who inevitably turned to look at her, then added, "Although she is talented, it won't be easy to convince someone to contract with her. But maybe if someone were to feed me for, I don't know, a century, I might..."

"Deal."

Ignis's words were quickly cut off by Erik, causing Ignis to tilt her head slightly, but Erik quickly continued, fearing the beautiful blue phoenix might change her mind.

"It's a deal. I'll give you mana for a century if you manage to secure a contract for my master. How does that sound?" Erik asked, a big mischievous grin on his face.

For their part, Ignis and Ebonique stared for a moment at Erik's wide grin until, after a moment, Ignis gave in and, after a long sigh, replied.

"Alright, I'll look for someone then."

"I'd appreciate it if it were someone powerful. My master Eleonora has been very good to me and is very powerful. And if you want, I can extend the time, since, for now, according to my masters, I'll live about 600 years. Or you can ask for anything else. As long as it's something I can do, I'll do it."

Erik's smile grew even larger as he spoke, which brought a sort of ironic smile to the blue phoenix's face. Even though she really wanted to ask for more, she felt that doing so would somehow make her look bad. Besides, there was competition for the job right next to her, so if she raised the price, she might end up with nothing. In the end, she could only give in and respond.

"I'll see what I can do then."

"Hehehe, thanks, Ignis. If you want anything from me, just ask. I'm truly grateful to you."

"Well, then give me more mana, a good amount."

"Of course."

Meanwhile, Eleonora, Sigrún, and Seraphina exchanged utterly astonished looks, doubting whether what had just happened was real. Sigrún couldn't help but pinch Eleonora, who, instead of getting angry, simply looked at her arm with a dazed expression, confirming she wasn't dreaming.

For her part, a beautiful smile formed on Seraphina's face as she couldn't help but look at her young lady's first disciple—her new young master—with eyes full of interest and approval, pleased with the gesture of the star-haired young man. At the same time, she felt that the young man seemed increasingly likeable in her eyes.

...

...

...

In the ethereal unreality of a different dimension stood a majestic mansion, which appeared to be an exquisite display of sophisticated and ancient architecture. The curved roofs spread out like bird wings, covered with tiles that shimmered under the glow of a spectral sun, while the immaculate white walls emitted a soft luminosity, beautifully contrasting with the dark wood-framed doors and windows.

The gardens flowed around the house like rivers of greenery, with crystal-clear ponds reflecting the mansion's celestial elegance, adorned by stone bridges arching over them, connecting islands of blooming lilies and lotuses.

Inside, the corridors and halls had their walls adorned with scrolls depicting delicate natural scenes and supernatural creatures, while carved wooden columns rose from the floor to the ceiling. The polished wooden floors gleamed under the light filtering through the intricate lattice windows, and silk cushions and straw futons offered rest in every room.

In the middle of the main hall of the imposing mansion, bathed in the filtered light from wooden lattices. Two women of supernatural beauty sat on a woven straw tatami in what seemed to be a serene tea ceremony of Asian tradition.

One of the women had blue hair that seemed sculpted from azurite, with skin as pale as shining mother-of-pearl with an ethereal glow and eyes of deep blue. These harmonized wonderfully with her pale blue dress, adorned with stylized birds in a range of darker blue tones.

Opposite the beautiful blue-haired woman was a black-haired woman radiating equally impressive beauty, with her hair cascading around her shoulders, as dark as the abyss, a color shared by her eyes, and her Chinese-style outfit with dragon motifs. It consisted of a silk blouse with a high collar and long sleeves, contrasting with the softness of her white pants.

Both women held ceramic teacups in their hands, savoring with careful attention to detail, but suddenly, the voice of the gorgeous black-haired woman echoed in the room.

"Who would have thought that your desire to play in the mortal dimension would bring about something so good, Ignis."

"Fufufu, I told you, Ebonique, miracles happen all the time in the mortal dimension," the beautiful blue-haired woman replied with an elegant smile on her lips, which also seemed to contain a hint of smugness.

"I really have to apologize to you. Everyone, including myself, thought it was complete madness for one of the eternal spirits to lower herself to pose as a mere ancestral to accompany a weak human.

Even I thought you had lost a couple of screws, but who would have believed you'd find a true miracle? Did you have some prophecy or something, Ignis?" Ignoring the blue-haired woman's smile, the black-haired woman responded in an elegant tone, full of majesty and authority.

"Fufu, not at all. That was a beautiful coincidence. It's just that you don't understand the beauty of the mortal world, but I think you'll begin to understand it little by little alongside young Erik."

"But there's something I don't understand. Why didn't you stay with Erik yourself and instead take the trouble to come find me and convince me to do it?"

"It's actually very simple. I'm very fond of my little Sig. Besides, Erik is her disciple, and he would never have accepted me. And since he also seemed truly interested in lightning, I decided to come to you and give you the opportunity."

"Thank you very much, Ignis." Ebonique licked her lips in an incredibly seductive manner and added in a tone full of delight, "His mana is truly the most delicious thing I've tasted in eons."

"Without a doubt, it's a real delicacy..." Remembering that exquisite flavor, Ignis couldn't help but lick her lips in a similar way while placing a hand on her cheek, trying to hide the slight blush coloring her cheeks.

Recovering from the memory of that exquisite taste, Ebonique recalled Erik's request, so she quickly asked Ignis, pulling her out of her thoughts as well.

"And what spirit will you give the girl? Do you need me to send one of my boys? The girl has a good affinity for lightning, after all."

"Not really; I'm thinking of sending a little boy who was causing trouble in my territory some time ago and whom I had to discipline," Ignis replied with an elegant smile on her face as she took another sip of her tea.

"Tsch..."

At Ignis's response, Ebonique could only click her tongue in annoyance while glancing at the bag Erik had given to that annoying phoenix. Something that provoked a beautiful smile from the blue-haired woman, who began to put things into it while speaking.

"Fufufu, you don't have to be so envious of my bag. Maybe one day Erik will make one for you too..."

"Hmph."

At Ignis's obvious gloating, Ebonique could only snort in irritation before taking another sip of her tea. She then began planning how to get one for herself and where in her mansion she should display it so that all her visitors would die of envy.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

A couple of months later, Erik could be seen in Eleonora's mansion studio, where they held their lessons. At first glance, the studio seemed more like a workshop than a traditional study. It was filled with countless metal objects of intricate and complex shapes, with solid stone desks and worktables covered in tools of all kinds, from hammers and pliers to magical artifacts whose purpose only she knew.

"Well, Erik, now that you've mastered the basic techniques, how about we move on to the intermediate and advanced ones?"

Eleonora looked over at Erik, who was sitting at a desk forged in something like bronze that shone with a rich, deep patina, almost organic in appearance, with its legs and edges adorned with a series of runes precisely engraved.

"Of course, master," Erik nodded enthusiastically as he grabbed his notebook and prepared his pen.

"Then let's start with the first one," Eleonora extended her right hand, and a sphere of mana appeared above it, which then moved towards Erik and started to circle around him. "This is called emission, and as you can see, it's the ability to send your mana outside your body."

Erik watched the small mana sphere in surprise, quickly jotting something down in his notebook as the sphere disappeared, and then he asked, "Master, is it like my flying slashes?"

Eleonora smiled slightly and quickly corrected him, "Not exactly. While it's true that your flying slashes use this technique, they do much more. But I suppose you had to discover emission when you created them, and since it didn't give you the results you wanted, you added more things to it."

"Yes, master, that's what happened at the beginning. I wanted to mimic the void blades of the mystical wolves, but what I initially created was very weak and didn't resemble the power of the originals at all, so I tried many things until I got them to what they are today, which are pretty close."

"Yes, we'll talk in depth about your flying slashes later. For now, let's continue with the techniques, though the next one is something you're also familiar with. It's called reinforcement, which allows you to enhance the physical or magical properties of an object or being through mana."

"Isn't that a basic property of mana, master?"

Eleonora smiled bitterly at Erik's sincere confusion as he looked at her with doubts. After shaking her head slightly, she responded.

"No, it's not. Mana users generally have to train for several years to do it. While it's true that some can do it instinctively in their own bodies, not many can, and it's not so easy to do with external objects."

"I see..."

Erik commented, starting to reflect while jotting things down in his notebook occasionally. But shortly after, Eleonora spoke again, redirecting the star-haired boy's attention back to her.

"Well, let's move on to the intermediate techniques. Thirdly, we have shape control, and it's basically this." Eleonora extended her hand, and using only her mana, she created a beautiful bird that flew toward Erik and perched on his head before continuing. "It's essentially controlling the shape and movement of your mana. You also use this in your flying slash, by the way, but it's something we need to work on much more, as it's the foundation for the next technique."

Seeing Erik focused and looking at her with great joy, Eleonora smiled with satisfaction and continued explaining with a cheerful voice.

"Now comes what is possibly the most important technique for practitioners of the Aegis system and sacred geometry."

Eleonora extended her hand, and a beautiful, simple magic circle appeared from it, essentially a mixture of different interconnected geometric figures within a circle that began to spin as she continued explaining.

"This technique is known as Mana Formation, which involves creating complex and very precise formations with your mana, such as magic circles or runes."

With a small smile on her face, Eleonora extended her hand and gently stroked Erik's starry hair, who had run over as soon as he saw the magic circle and was looking at it in great detail.

"So, I can finally cast spells, master?"

As he asked, Erik looked up and gazed at Eleonora with bright eyes, while holding back with all his might the incredible urge that arose within him to celebrate at the top of his lungs.

"Fufufu, yes Erik, you will finally be able to cast spells." Eleonora's words almost made Erik jump with joy, but the star-haired boy restrained himself and began to clench his fists tightly, celebrating inwardly.

For her part, Eleonora couldn't find her disciple's expression any more endearing, so she simply hugged him. Since Erik was now almost as tall as she was, she began to spin gently with him, as if they were dancing to an elegant piece of ballroom music.

"Congratulations, Erik, you will now finally embark on the path of magic."

"Thank you, master."

Eleonora and Erik 'danced' around the studio for a while, as Eleonora felt very comfortable and completely at peace, enjoying the warmth of Erik. While Erik, for his part, was thinking and fantasizing about all the things he would do with his new spells.

After a while, Eleonora stopped the little improvised dance, and after adjusting her robe slightly, she commented with a beautiful smile on her face.

"Well, let's continue with the lesson."

"..."

At Eleonora's words, Erik nodded, then quickly sat down in his chair again, after which Eleonora resumed the lesson.

"Well, picking up where we left off, now we only have the last of the intermediate techniques, which is one you know very well: ethereal projection. It's very useful for training and combat, so don't forget to keep practicing it."

"Of course, master." Erik nodded and wrote something down in a new notebook with a blue cover that appeared out of nowhere for a moment, then he stored it back in his storage ring.

"Let's continue then. Next are the advanced techniques, some of which you already use. The first one is Essence Transformation."

Eleonora raised her hand with her index and middle fingers extended, somehow mimicking a blade, while a metal rod appeared in her hand. Using only her fingers, she began slicing it into small pieces as if it were an onion, something that surprised Erik a bit, but the beautiful woman with golden eyes continued explaining with a smile.

"Essence Transformation is basically changing the properties of your mana, and although most people use it to convert their mana into their aligned elements because it's easier, you can also make your mana have properties like sharpness, solidity, or things like that."

"Like my arrows and the edges of my machetes..." Erik muttered under his breath, though his tone was full of realization, as he jotted down different notes in his notebook.

"Exactly," Eleonora casually waved her hand, causing the sliced metal pieces to disappear, then continued speaking, "This ability is very useful for things like your slashes or preparing a spell. Additionally, if combined with the next technique, it can increase the power of spells."

"The next one?"

"Yes, the next advanced technique is known as Mystic Confluence, and it's basically the ability to influence Myst using mana, which is super useful for enhancing spells and, in your case, creating solidified Myst arrows."

"I see…"

"But this technique has a significant complication, one you already know from experience, which is that to use Mystic Confluence, you need to have a deep connection with Myst. Additionally, you must adapt to its concentration in the surroundings, or you won't be able to mobilize Myst properly.

To overcome that problem, there's the next advanced technique, known as Mystic Adaptation. Although it's considered an advanced technique, the truth is it's more a set of tricks that help you quickly familiarize yourself with the Myst in a specific area."

"That's great! When I first arrived, it took me a while to get used to the high concentration of Myst, so that's a technique I need to learn by all means."

Erik commented with a smile as he nodded in understanding, something that made Eleonora smile bitterly. After all, a normal mana user would take days, if not weeks, to fully adapt to a place with a different concentration of Myst, even with the tricks of Mystic Adaptation.

Therefore, it was common for a mana user to try to avoid conflicts when they had just arrived in an area with a Myst concentration very different from what they were accustomed to. That was nothing like the couple of hours it took Erik to adapt to the impressive abundance of Myst at the university, compared to his planet or Sigrún's ship, allowing him to send his flying slashes with ease.

But due to the immense smile on the boy's lips, Eleonora didn't have the heart to be upset with him. Besides, it wasn't as if Erik was trying to pull off Sigrún's typical 'humblebrag.' So, Eleonora just held back her annoyance and continued with her lesson, all while starting to plan how to prevent her Erik from picking up that annoying habit from her sworn sister.

"Yes… You need to learn it, but for now, let's continue with the explanation. The next technique is a bit problematic in your special case, Erik, as it's known as Elemental Synchronization. This involves synchronizing the elemental affinity with natural elements through Myst, to enhance magical abilities, and it's what most mages use to improve their spells. But we're still researching how to adapt it to your case."

Eleonora commented, feeling a bit uncertain about what to do with this particular technique, since people without elemental affinity were extremely rare. Almost all of them, except for a few, were knights, which made obtaining reliable information even more challenging.

"It's certainly problematic. During my time on the island, I could never come up with even a small lightning bolt, no matter how much I tried." Erik couldn't help but reflectively comment, to which Eleonora responded with a small smile.

"Are you interested in lightning, Erik?"

"Of course! They're super cool and useful."

"Fufufufufu."

Hearing Erik's enthusiastic response, Eleonora covered herself completely in lightning, causing Erik's mouth to drop open in awe as he stared at her with bright, excited eyes.

"My affinities are lightning and metal. What do you think?"

Erik ran towards his master and began to excitedly examine her lightning-covered figure from all angles, so Eleonora, a bit amused and at the same time satisfied, struck a few poses for him.

"YOU'RE SUPER COOL, MASTER! TEACH ME!!!"

"Of course, I'll teach you. Although at first, you'll have to rely on a spell, over time we'll figure out a way for you to do it naturally." Eleonora commented affectionately as the lightning cloak disappeared from her body.

Upon hearing his master, Erik couldn't contain his excitement and hugged Eleonora tightly, who returned the embrace with a big smile, while the star-haired boy expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you, master, you're the best."

"Fufufu, of course, I am—after all, I'm your master."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

Several years have passed since Erik began learning magic, and during this time, he has made remarkable progress. He is now proficient in using both the Aegis system and sacred geometry, and has learned various spells, including the lightning spell that Eleonora promised to teach him.

Although he can use elemental spells, since he doesn't have an affinity, Erik uses almost twice the mana that a normal mana user would spend when casting a spell of their elemental affinity. Even though Eleonora and Sigrún have searched through all the faction's records and various other sources, they haven't found a viable solution to this problem.

Because of this, Erik decided to use the Aegis system for any elemental spell, as it is the most efficient at converting pure mana into elemental form. In the same way, He uses sacred geometry for his solid Myst constructions, as it provides the best structural strength.

On the other hand, his progress in Alchemy and Artificery has been spectacular, much to the delight of both Sigrún and Eleonora. Although, he initially encountered some difficulties due to his limitations with elemental spells, after Eleonora prepared some magical artifacts to assist him. He made significant strides, absorbing knowledge like a sponge and refining his already skilled hands to a level that continues to impress his masters.

…

In the middle of a beautiful room with high ceilings and majestic arches, accented by the golden and coppery tones of carved wood and the dancing flames in the fireplace. Eleonora, Sigrún, Erik, and Liliana were gathered around an elegantly carved and polished table, drinking tea while Erik ate cookies.

"Well, Erik, today we want to inform you that you'll be starting your studies at the Arcane University," Eleonora announced in her soft, elegant voice as she looked at her dear disciple and placed her beautiful porcelain cup on the table.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

Upon hearing his master's announcement, Erik put down his cookies and asked, confused. He really didn't understand the need to attend the university since he felt he had more than enough learning directly from his masters, and, honestly, the idea of attending an educational institution didn't appeal to him.

"Hahaha, no, you didn't do anything wrong, nor is this some kind of punishment. It's just that it's an important part of your education to see other perspectives and familiarize yourself with more people," Sigrún said, affectionately ruffling Erik's hair while laughing at his words.

"But, Master, I can learn about other perspectives from books, and honestly, I've been very fortunate so far to have met you, so I don't want to push my luck meeting more people. After all, when things are going well, that's when disaster strikes."

Erik quickly gave his sincere opinion, hoping to change his masters' decision. However, contrary to his intentions, Sigrún and Eleonora felt their hearts tighten with pain upon hearing his pessimistic view.

What hurt them most was that they understood where Erik's pessimism came from. Despite ensuring that the bastards who hurt their sweet Erik got what they deserved, they were fully aware that the damage was already done, and Erik's outlook on the world was irrefutable proof of that.

Erik's life hadn't been easy before meeting them. He always worked hard to get ahead, but "misfortune" always seemed to strike when things were at their best. When he was in the orphanage and had a difficult but peaceful life, the director died and was replaced by someone who hated him for his appearance, giving him a terrible life until they finally kicked him out—a cycle that repeated from then on.

When he first managed to save some money, it was stolen, and he was beaten. When he began to grow attached to that old blacksmith, the man abandoned him. When he thought he could finally fulfill his dream of getting an education, he got caught up in a plot that, if not for that Kraken, would have killed him.

For these reasons, Erik's pessimistic view, in which he was convinced that simply meeting someone new was a risk to his happiness, was understandable. Although it wasn't very apparent at first, probably because, consciously or unconsciously, he believed things couldn't get worse than being stranded on a deserted island. As his life improved and his happiness increased, it became more and more obvious, and truly concerning.

In these more than 7 years that Erik had been with them. You could easily count the times he interacted with someone other than themselves, the spirits, with whom he was now very close, the wolves, or Seraphina, who loved to annoy him. With others, whether assistants, workers, or even Liliana and Desmond, he barely exchanged greetings, and it's possible they never had a real conversation.

But that was something they could not allow to continue happening because, even though cases of people choosing to isolate themselves were relatively common in the galaxy. One thing they all had in common was that they ended up with their mental state shattered, filled with regrets, depression, and paranoia. It wasn't uncommon for them to end up committing suicide or descending into madness—something they could never forgive themselves for if it happened to Erik.

"Erik, that's not always the case. While it's true that life doesn't always go well, there are times when you find beautiful things while living. For example, look at us. It was going out and living life that allowed us to meet," Sigrún said, with an expression trying to hide her sadness and pain, as she approached Erik and gently hugged him while speaking lovingly to him.

"Yes, Erik, humans are social by nature. Depriving yourself of that is like depriving yourself of eating or sleeping. Sooner or later, it will start causing you problems," Eleonora added in a soft voice as she stroked Erik's starry hair.

On the other hand, Liliana, who was drinking tea nearby, watched the entire scene with eyes full of disdain and some resentment. During all the time Erik had been at the university, she increasingly felt abandoned by her master. Although nothing had really changed, and her master still had her monthly classes with her as always, the preferential treatment Erik received was horrendously evident.

The little bastard had classes every single day with two of the most powerful and prestigious Masters in the entire galaxy. A privilege so great that Liliana was certain that no one in the galaxy was as fortunate as that idiot.

At first, when the great Master Silverwood, the Empress of Lightning, the honorable Auric award, the mother of runic-geometric refinement theory, chose her as her youngest disciple. Liliana felt she was the most special person in the universe, believing the world was hers for the taking.

And as the cherry on top, her master valued her immensely and gave her classes every month, something only dreamed of by other disciples, who, if they were very lucky, could have a class once a year at best. Those less fortunate had to wait decades or even centuries for a simple Q&A session.

Best of all, she lived up to the expectations surrounding her, reaching the ascended-level at 30, widely recognized as a super genius and a candidate for the best of her generation. But then that little bastard appeared out of nowhere, stealing her master's affection, breaking her record by reaching the ascended-level at 18, and shattering her confidence by mastering everything given to him with irritating ease.

But something that comforted her was knowing that the little bastard was a useless without an affinity, so he wasted large amounts of mana just to perform a single elemental spell. Although she couldn't deny that his solid Myst constructions were very impressive, she was sure he would never go too far with them.

After all, the best and most powerful spells of humanity were elemental spells, so he would never become a powerful mage. If he wanted to go further, the only path left for him was that of a knight, which meant that sooner or later, he would have to leave her master. Returning the peace and happiness that he had stolen from her.

But as if the universe were on her side, now she had something more on that lucky idiot. At first, Liliana believed he was just an arrogant bastard who didn't want to waste time talking to her or Desmond, considering them inferior.

But the reality was something much juicier—this little shit was nothing more than a coward terrified of leaving his little lair. Truly pathetic, but at the same time, very promising. Since he was so spineless, it was only a matter of time before her master became disappointed in that useless boy and handed him over to Master Eldurdóttir.

Since she had taken him in, it should be her burden to bear with that freak of nature. Thankfully, that rat was officially Master Eldurdóttir's disciple, so her respected master didn't have to endure the shame of teaching such a piece of trash—a worry less on her mind.

"That's great, Erik. I'm glad you agreed to start university. Liliana, Erik will be joining from now on. Erik will attend university, and I'd like you to guide and help him so that he can get accustomed to it quickly as possible."

While Liliana got lost in her thoughts and fantasies, the group of masters and disciple had a three-way conversation that ended with Erik finally accepting his fate and agreeing to attend university.

At the same time, Eleonora's words snapped Liliana back to reality. She quickly stood up from her chair, bowed politely to her master, and responded with an elegant, well-mannered voice.

"Of course, Master, it will be my pleasure to guide fellow disciple Erik."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

At the same time that Eleonora nodded in satisfaction at Liliana's response, Sigrún took out an elegant white outfit from her storage ring, adorned with the emblem of Arcane University embroidered on the left side—a set very similar to the one she was wearing. With a smile on her beautiful face, she explained.

"Well, Erik, this will be your uniform from now on. All the paperwork is done, and the entry points have been credited to your account."

This time, Sigrún took from her storage ring a crystal card with several miniature runes engraved all over its surface, which she extended to Erik as she explained.

"This will be your student card, and with it, you can use your points. Liliana will explain how to use it."

Erik took the uniform and the card, then stored them in his storage ring while commenting in a somewhat resigned voice.

"Alright, master. When do I start?"

"Today," Eleonora replied in an animated voice, looking at Erik with playful eyes, who couldn't help but exclaim loudly.

"Today?!!!"

"Hehe, yes, today. After all, it's best to strike while the iron is hot. Change quickly and go out with Liliana so she can explain how the university works. In the meantime, we have a meeting with the director, so we'll be back tonight."

At Sigrún's cheerful comment, Erik could only let out a tired sigh before speaking in a defeated tone.

"Alright, masters, I'll go change. I hope to see you tonight."

"Fufufu" Eleonora laughed cheerfully, then gave Erik a kiss on the cheek. "See you tonight, Erik."

"I'll see you tonight as well, Erik."

With a smile similar to Eleonora's, Sigrún kissed Erik on the other cheek before saying goodbye. Then, they quickly moved away as a large number of runes formed around them.

"I hope to see you tonight in uniform, Erik"

Eleonora said as a beautiful and intricate geometric magic circle slowly rotated beneath her feet. Moments later, the two stunningly beautiful women disappeared in a flash of light.

"Young master Erik, would you like me to help you put on your uniform?"

The moment Sigrún and Eleonora vanished, Seraphina approached Erik, dressed in an elegant Victorian maid's outfit. She asked with a small smile on her face, as the diligent maid she was.

"Seraphina, I've already told you that 'young master' sounds awful. Just call me Erik, and I can change by myself."

Erik replied, followed by a small sigh at the awful title. Seraphina, however, added with an elegant smile on her delicate face, though the playful glint in her eyes revealed her true intentions.

"There is no need to be so shy, young master Erik. It's my duty as the young lady's head maid to help you with 'anything' you might need."

Opting to ignore Seraphina's suggestive tone, as it seemed she greatly enjoyed teasing him, Erik turned to Liliana and commented with a cordial smile.

"Disciple companion Liliana, I won't take long. I'll be right back."

"…"

In response to Erik's words, Liliana simply nodded slightly, not bothering to speak as she sipped her tea, something the star-haired boy paid no mind to. He simply headed upstairs to his room, though Seraphina couldn't help but narrow her beautiful eyes at the young woman's disrespectful behavior towards her young master.

A couple of minutes later, Erik, fully ready and accompanied by his two wolves, stood before Liliana once again. She simply nodded, then walked out of the mansion without saying a word, followed closely by the star-haired boy, all under the watchful and dangerous gaze of Seraphina, who observed the scene intently.

As he followed Liliana, Erik began to look around somewhat curiously, but not long after, she stopped abruptly and turned to him with an amused smile on her lips.

"Sorry, Erik, I just remembered I have something very important to do. I have to go."

Without another word, Liliana quickly went in another direction, leaving the annoyed, star-haired boy standing in the middle of the street, staring after her with an expressionless face.

(Hehe, just as I imagined, he's a complete country bumpkin. He can't stop looking around with that stupid look of surprise on his face, and bringing along those two mutts... I can't wait to see how he'll manage to do anything at the university. Hehe, though I suppose for now I'd better think of a good excuse for my master...)

Meanwhile, Erik continued watching in Liliana's direction until she disappeared from view. He then simply smiled ironically, shaking his head, before continuing to walk with his wolves by his side.

"She really hates me... but what a childish 'revenge' she came up with. And she's supposed to be 40 already? How immature, hahaha."

With a relaxed pace, Erik kept walking down the street, looking around with some interest, as the place was indeed curious, appearing to be a mix of modern cities from his past life, with magical and old-fashioned aspects.

The place had imposing highways that seemed to be made of cement, covered with different types of runes along their surface. On both sides of the road, imposing buildings with various designs could be seen, ranging from simple and minimalist to intricate and detailed in a Victorian style. There were even buildings with Asian, Arabic, and Mesoamerican styles—something quite curious indeed.

But one thing all the buildings had in common was that, without fail, they all had runes in different parts of them. Which seemed to give them various functions, like dimming or brightening windows, opening and closing doors, and things like that. Making everything look more 'technological' than magical in some way.

As he walked through the area, Erik soon saw a man on a corner who appeared to be around 30 years old and seemed to be waiting for something, dressed in the university uniform. So, Erik quickly approached him and spoke.

"Hello, would it be too much trouble to ask you a few questions?"

"Yes, I'm very busy."

The man only glanced at Erik and replied in a curt and annoyed voice, which didn't bother Erik in the slightest. Instead, he pulled out a dazzling piece of pure beauty and latent energy with iridescent tones swirling within—a mana crystal.

With a small smile on his face, Erik began to play with the beautiful intermediate mana crystal while looking at the man, whom he soon asked cheerfully.

"No need to be like that; why not answer a couple of questions?"

"Mmmm, I suppose I could. What do you want to know?"

Seeing the desire in the man's eyes, Erik carelessly tossed the crystal, which the man quickly caught and tucked into his robes. This surprised Erik a bit, but without wasting time, the star-haired boy quickly pulled out a similar crystal and started playing with it while asking.

"I'd like to know where I can find information about the university. I just enrolled and don't know anything."

"Just go straight down this street, and you'll reach a large building with a sign that says 'Admissions and Registry Tower'" the man said, pointing to a street while keeping his eyes on the crystal.

"That was very helpful, thanks."

Right after thanking him, Erik put back in his storage ring the magic crystal he was playing with and continued walking. Leaving the man behind, who seemed to want to say something but remained silent after seeing the wolves accompanying Erik, he continued waiting.

After a while, Erik found the enormous building, over 100 stories high, adorned with beautiful runes all over its facade, which softly glowed. At the front, there was a beautiful sign that read 'Admissions and Registry Tower' in Galactic language.

After ordering the wolves to wait at the door, who began to 'whine' pitifully before lying down near the entrance, Erik passed through the automatic doors and arrived at the reception area. It was a spacious, light-filled lobby with high ceilings and polished columns that seemed to stretch up to the sky.

A magically illuminated glass desk extended along the center of the hall, flanked by elegantly dressed assistants ready to help newcomers, while enormous holographic screens displayed dynamic information and maps of the building, guiding students to their destinations. Modern-style chairs and sofas were scattered throughout the space, providing a comfortable waiting area.

Unhurriedly, Erik approached the beautiful glass desk, where a lovely young woman with blonde hair and soft violet eyes greeted him politely, a small smile gracing her delicate pink lips.

"Good afternoon, young student. How may I assist you today?"

"Hello, good afternoon. I'd like to get some information about how things work here. I just arrived, and I don't know anything."

The beautiful receptionist looked at the handsome young man with some doubt. He possessed an almost otherworldly beauty, with sharp, symmetrical features and black hair that resembled a piece of the universe, adorned with stars and galaxies. This contrasted wonderfully with his emerald green eyes and the elegant white clothes adorned with golden and silver threads.

The receptionist's doubts were reasonable, after all. The university intake had occurred some time ago—two years, to be exact. Arcane University only accepted students every ten years, and these were always the best of the best in the galaxy, coming from various places and factions, gathered not just to learn but also to enhance their status and reputation.

But due to her years of experience and training, the receptionist, instead of dismissing the young man, thought of something that might explain the curious situation, inevitably arriving at a single possibility. This led her to lean forward slightly over the desk and ask in a low voice, though her tone was a bit more respectful.

"Is the young student, by any chance, a direct disciple of a distinguished Master?"

"Oh yes, my master is Sigrún Eldurdóttir."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Ah yes, my master is Sigrún Eldurdóttir."

Imitating the woman, Erik approached and responded in a soft voice, but his words almost made the receptionist jump in surprise. Although she looked at him as if he were a celebrity or something of the sort for a moment, there was still a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"I apologize to the disciple for the lack of respect. I hope you can forgive me, but could you please show me your identification?" The receptionist bowed respectfully before speaking to Erik in a professional tone. Erik responded with a smile.

"That's no problem at all; don't worry."

After replying, Erik was about to materialize the rune his master had left him when she accepted him as a disciple, but he quickly remembered the student card, which led him to think that she might be referring to that. So, with a thought, the card appeared in his hand, and he showed it to the woman in front of him.

A big smile blossomed on the receptionist's face as soon as she saw Erik's beautiful crystal card. After all, crystal cards were exclusive to the direct disciples of the honorable masters of the faction and were incredibly difficult to counterfeit, with hundreds of different verification systems.

Firstly, to make a functional crystal card, it required an artificer of at least arcane level—people of high status, reputation, and income who wouldn't stoop to producing counterfeits, much less to deceive the order. That wouldn't just be humiliating; it could even be considered a suicidal act.

Not to mention that merely possessing a fake crystal card was considered a capital crime, and in the arcane order, no one was foolish enough to anger the court, let alone pose as a direct disciple. The real benefits they received from the order and the university weren't too enticing compared to those of a good student.

"I apologize for my earlier discourtesy towards the direct disciple. I hope you can forgive my mistakes and allow me to serve you in whatever you need," the receptionist said in a tone full of respect and apology as she bowed deeply.

"You don't need to do that. Instead, could you please tell me a bit about how the university works? I don't know anything." Erik commented with a smile and a respectful tone, which surprised the receptionist a bit.

"Of course, please follow me."

The receptionist bowed once more with respect before guiding Erik down a hallway, while the other receptionists watched the scene with envy written all over their faces. After all, having the chance to attend to a direct disciple was quite rare and, if handled well, could be incredibly profitable.

Not long after, the receptionist opened a door, and they entered an elegant room with a large chandelier on the ceiling and a panoramic window that allowed a view of the bustling street outside. In the center of the room were a beautiful coffee table and several very beautiful leather armchairs.

With evident familiarity, the receptionist touched a button on the wall, and the window dimmed slightly to a pale white shade. She then courteously indicated to Erik to sit, while she placed a beautiful porcelain teapot on the table in an elegant manner, almost as if it were a practiced ritual.

"It's a pleasure to serve you, direct disciple. What would you like to know about the university?" After serving the tea, the receptionist sat down in front of Erik and asked in a respectful tone, to which Erik casually responded as he picked up the cup in front of him.

"Just Erik is fine, and honestly, whatever you can explain, I only know that the university is called the Arcane University, but not much more."

Erik's words caused the receptionist's smile to widen, and she then responded in an evidently cheerful and pleased tone, though without losing her elegance and respect.

"Then I'll start from the beginning, Direct Disciple Erik. As you must know, the Arcane University is the most important educational center in the galaxy, where people from all over the galaxy and all kinds of backgrounds gather. The university only admits students every 10 years through a difficult exam, and only the best can enter. The last admission was 2 years ago, although, of course, the direct disciples of the honorable Masters of the faction are an exception to this."

"I see... I understand. How do the classes work?"

Erik asked after tasting his tea, noticing that it was quite inferior to the one Seraphina usually served him, but since it was still decent, he continued drinking it slowly, not giving too much importance to the flavor.

"The classes are all optional; anyone can take any class and graduate whenever they deem it appropriate. However, classes cost points—the more advanced the knowledge covered, the more points they cost. These points can be earned by completing various tasks or missions for the university.

They can also be obtained by achieving excellent performance in the classes, as the professors in charge have the authority to distribute a certain amount among their students. It's also important to note that classes have a maximum quorum, so it's essential to register early. There are no exceptions to this, so you need to sign up early.

You should also remember that reselling your class entry is strictly prohibited. If you do so, you could face expulsion. Additionally, registration for a class must be done in person here at the tower, and depending on how advanced the class is, the higher the floor you need to go to. Lastly, all students must be registered for at least one class at all times, unless they are on a mission off-planet, or they will lose their student status and be expelled."

The receptionist spoke in a slow and eloquent tone, to which Erik nodded in satisfaction before asking with interest.

"Where can I find the list of classes and prices?"

"You can view it at any time on your student card. You just need to put mana into it and say, 'Reveal my academic path.' It also works if you just think it, though it's better to say it out loud the first time."

Erik quickly followed the instructions, and before him appeared a vivid, colorful hologram displaying all the classes and their respective prices. Along with a brief explanation of each class, the name, and title of the professor in charge, and the floor where he needed to go to register.

After browsing the list a bit, Erik put his card away and continued speaking.

"I see, this is very interesting."

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Direct Disciple Erik?"

"Yes, what exactly is a direct disciple? I've heard it mentioned a couple of times."

"Certainly, Direct Disciple Erik. Those who hold the title of Master within the faction are known as the pillars of the faction, and their disciples are considered direct disciples of the faction's orthodoxy, hence the title."

"I see. One last thing—how do I get to the 15th floor?"

"If it's to register for a class, allow me to accompany you, Direct Disciple Erik."

"Thank you, then."

The beautiful receptionist guided Erik with a smile to a stunning glass elevator, which quickly took them up to the 15th floor, where they found a reception area filled with students. They were assisted by several workers dressed in uniforms similar to the receptionist's.

After inspecting the area a bit, Erik noticed there was a kind of turnstile on a wall and many students sitting in a large waiting room full of holographic screens. This quickly gave him an idea of how the place worked. So Erik tried to take a number, but the receptionist stopped him.

"You don't need to wait, Direct Disciple Erik. Please follow me to the VIP area."

"Really? Awesome, let's go."

The receptionist led Erik to a very elegant waiting area filled with comfortable sofas, chairs, meeting tables, and all kinds of food. There were also numerous people wearing uniforms similar to those worn by the workers in Eleonora and Sigrún's mansions. In the back, there were a few reception areas, though these had a more refined and luxurious style than the previous ones.

(This looks a lot like airport VIP lounges...)

In the beautiful room, Erik saw a few students chatting with each other while waiting, but the receptionist led him to a slightly secluded area that seemed very special. It was deserted, and there was a woman behind a very elegant desk, a couple of levels above the previous ones, who smiled as soon as she saw them.

"Good afternoon, Direct Disciple. If you'd like, you can sit down and tell me what you need."

The woman at the desk stood up from her chair, greeted only Erik, and bowed courteously before respectfully pointing to a chair. At the same time, the receptionist who had guided him bowed slightly to the woman and then left the area.

"Good afternoon. I would like to enroll in the class on the theory of magical unification by the Grand Aconte."

Erik sat down in the chair and told the woman about the class he wanted to join. She immediately pulled out a crystal tablet, about 20 inches (ca. 51 cm) in size, which also had several runes engraved on it. After murmuring a few words, the tablet activated, and a beautiful and very detailed hologram appeared on it, displaying a pictogram in the shape of a student card next to all the class information.

"Please place your student card here, Direct Disciple."

The woman pointed to the pictogram with a big smile, so Erik followed the instructions. He took his crystal card from his storage ring and brought it close to the pictogram, somewhat curious. As soon as his card aligned with the pictogram, it began to levitate, remaining in place.

As Erik watched with some curiosity as the card stayed suspended in the air, a hologram appeared above it, showing the class information, along with the cost and options to accept or decline.

The class seemed to be about theories left long ago by a great wizard with the title of legend, revolving around the unification of humanity's magical systems into one. This immediately caught Erik's attention, and he wanted to enroll right away.

After touching the accept option, the holograms disappeared, and the woman spoke in a courteous tone.

"You may now retrieve your card, Direct Disciple."

"Thank you very much." Curious, Erik took the card that was floating in the air, which, after he touched it, fell effortlessly into his hand, while the hologram vanished.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" After Erik put away his card, the woman asked with a polite smile and a professional tone, to which the young man with starry hair nodded.

"Just a couple more questions."

"No problem at all; go ahead," the receptionist replied courteously, so Erik quickly asked, full of curiosity.

"Alright, then. Why are there different VIP waiting rooms?"

"They are for the use of the disciples of those who belong to the faction—one for those who are disciples of mana users of the Sage and Arcane realms, and this one is exclusively for the use of direct disciples like yourself."

"You knew I was a direct disciple because I came here?" Erik asked, realizing why he received several strange looks when he approached this place, as well as the reason for the excessively respectful tone of the woman in front of him.

"Exactly, and also because the crystal card is only for direct disciples."

"I see... What other types of cards are there?"

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"I see… what other types of cards are there?"

In response to Erik's question, the woman began to explain as a hyperrealistic holographic image of different cards appeared on the table.

"There are five types of student cards besides the crystal one. The most common is the Obsidian card, which is given to all students who are not part of the faction."

The woman pointed to the first image on the desk, which was a black card similar to Erik's, though clearly much less refined, before continuing her explanation and pointing out the different cards.

"There's also the Ruby card, which is for disciples of mana users who are part of the faction and have some achievements but are below the title of Sage. Next is the Sapphire card, held by disciples of mana users at the Sage and Arcane levels.

Additionally, there are two special cards: the Diamond card, for those who have shown great excellence at the university, and the Black Diamond card, which is for representatives of other important factions."

The woman pointed to the last two card images, which had much finer details and were clearly crafted by superior artisans, though they were still slightly inferior to Erik's, one almost transparent and the other of crystalline black.

Erik looked at the cards with interest as he listened to the explanation, then nodded in satisfaction and asked.

"Alright, I understand… But isn't it unsafe that the card just needs to be placed to register? What happens if I lose it and someone else uses it?"

"You don't need to worry about that, direct disciple. The faction's disciple cards are special and are made based on your identification as a disciple, so they only work for you. If someone else tries to use it, it will self-destruct. The other cards have different security measures." the woman explained with a smile, while wondering why an honorable direct disciple didn't know something like that.

"That's very interesting... and lastly, where will my class be?" Erik asked as he took his schedule from his storage ring, to which the beautiful woman replied with an amused smile that she tried to pass off as professional.

"You can check that at any time on your card. You just need to give it mana and say, 'Reveal my academic schedule.' It also works if you think about it, and it will show you."

Erik put his notebook in his storage ring again, then confirmed the woman's words, realizing that the function indeed existed. He quickly put it away once more as he stood up and thanked the courteous woman.

"I see. This information will be very helpful. Thank you very much."

"It's a pleasure to serve you."

Satisfied with the results, Erik left the room and found the receptionist standing with a smile, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable, as he could guess what she had in mind. But he had to disappoint her this time, so he just smiled awkwardly and greeted her.

"Hello, miss. Thank you very much for your help."

"Is there anything else I can 'help' you with, direct disciple Erik?"

The woman asked with a smile, putting a strange emphasis on the word 'help,' which Erik wisely chose to ignore with a smile before courteously replying.

"That would be all for today. I'll just look around a bit before heading home. Thank you for the help."

"I see."

Upon hearing the response from the star-haired young man, a slightly disappointed expression appeared on the beautiful receptionist's face, but she quickly composed herself and continued.

"Then I hope you have a productive day, direct disciple Erik. By the way, my name is Vivian. If you need anything from the tower in the future, I'll be at your complete disposal and service."

A seductive smile graced the woman's delicate lips, something Erik again chose to completely ignore, before thanking her one last time and confidently walking out.

"Thank you, Vivian."

After leaving the building, Erik reunited with the wolves, who, upon seeing him, began to 'cry with happiness' and lick him all over almost desperately, as if they hadn't seen him for years instead of just a few minutes.

"Stop being dramatic; let's just go."

The wolves happily followed him, wagging their tails as Erik walked around, curiously taking in his surroundings while slowly heading towards the city center. After some time, the star-haired boy came across a striking skyscraper.

The building appeared to be a perfect blend of futuristic design with Gothic details, covered in marble-like white stone with sky-blue veins that shimmered in the sunlight. Its vaulted roof was inlaid with crystal gems that reflected starlight, while at its center stood a gigantic ancient oak tree, its branches spreading throughout the area, adorned with crystal leaves that refracted light into a spectacular array of colors.

Driven by curiosity, Erik approached the place, noticing that various students were constantly entering and leaving the building. This led him to spot a beautiful sign nearby that read "Arcane Library" in Galactic language.

Erik's eyes almost sparkled at the sight of the sign, and he immediately entered without much thought. He instructed the wolves to wait at the door, which they did, though not without first putting on their usual dramatic, almost comical show.

Inside the building, Erik found a beautiful reception area similar to the one in the previous tower, with several receptionists as well. He approached one of them and asked.

"Hello, I'd like to know how this library works." Erik took out his student card and showed it to the receptionist before quietly adding, "I'm new here."

The receptionist looked at the card with a bit of surprise but quickly reacted, standing up from her chair and bowing deeply to Erik, while speaking in a tone full of respect.

"It's a pleasure to serve you, direct disciple. What would you like to know?"

Erik could only smile wryly at the receptionist's attitude as he put his card away and replied.

"There's no need for that. I just want to know how the library works, if there's any cost, and things like that. Also…" Erik pointed towards the door where the two wolves looked like abandoned stars on an altar and added, "Can those two come in?"

Hearing Erik's words, the woman's smile widened a bit as she straightened her posture before speaking in a tone full of professionalism.

"Understood, direct disciple. For direct disciples, the library is completely free and open to any student, although there is a cost for them beyond a certain floor. The higher you go, the more advanced the information. As for the mystical wolves, considering it's you, of course they can come in."

"Thank you very much."

After thanking her with a smile, Erik gestured to his wolves, causing the pair of drama queens to rush into the library and leap onto him, prompting him to pet them for a moment as he asked.

"Is the payment made with points?"

The receptionist smiled slightly at the wolves' behavior, but quickly responded in a professional and respectful tone.

"Exactly, and the books can only be used within the library; it's forbidden to take them out."

"I understand. Do I need to do anything special to read something?" Erik nodded in understanding before asking out of curiosity.

"You just need to register, and you can go to any floor to get the books you want and read them in the private room exclusively for direct disciples." The woman shook her head politely before responding, to which Erik exclaimed happily.

"That's great! Do you need my card to register?"

"That's correct, direct disciple." The receptionist quickly took out a crystal tablet similar to the one the woman used to register him for class and continued, "You just have to place your card here, and a room will be assigned for your use."

Erik followed the process, which was exactly the same as before: he simply placed his card on the hologram, and that was it. He now had a private room to read whatever he wanted. Additionally, the receptionist explained that to reach his room, he only needed to go to the elevator after selecting the books he needed, place his card, and it would automatically take him there.

Upon finally entering the library, Erik was quite surprised by the beauty of the place. The shelves were made of dark ebony wood, extending all the way to the ceiling, finely carved with all sorts of runes, and filled to the brim with books and scrolls of all kinds.

On the ground floor, there were study tables made of fine wood, with comfortable leather chairs scattered around, and magical lights floating above, providing soft illumination, where a few students were reading.

Erik spent some time walking around the library with the wolves following him, which inevitably earned him several glances from the others in the room—something he also ignored as he focused solely on finding interesting things to read.

After wandering around for a while, with a literal mountain of books in his hands. Since he occasionally picked up some that seemed interesting, Erik could not help but notice that each floor seemed much larger than the last, something that piqued his interest and made him eager to seek out information about it. However, he couldn't find anything, so he just made a note on his agenda to investigate it later.

After some time, Erik felt that he already had too many books, so he headed toward the elevator. However, something curious he noticed was that each time he took a book from the shelf, the empty space quickly filled with a new one that was exactly the same—another event he noted in his agenda to investigate later.

(How magical everything is…)

When the elevator opened, Erik found himself in a beautiful room with what appeared to be velvet carpet and walls lined with cherry wood panels. Their shiny surfaces were illuminated by the soft, warm light of lamps that floated magically around the room. On one side, there was a large window replacing one of the walls.

In the room, besides several chairs, tables, and desks, there were a couple of cream-colored leather sofas situated near a magical fireplace, whose flames danced in blue and green colors, providing both warmth and a fascinating light source.

Erik walked around the room, somewhat surprised, but after a while, he sat down on one of the sofas as he unloaded his enormous stack of books onto the floor. Then he picked one up, settled into the comfortable sofa, and began to read with a smile, while the wolves lay down in front of the fireplace.

"This is the life. I need to do something nice for my masters to thank them…"

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

At the top of the tallest skyscraper on the planet Universidad, which seemed to have been carved from a single titanic piece of obsidian, was the most important meeting room in the entire university and possibly the entire faction. It was the place where the honorable Master-level met with the director and head of the faction.

The room was elegant and minimalist, with a perfectly polished black floor without a single imperfection, engraved with intricate runes that emitted a soft glow, and huge glass windows instead of walls, offering a panoramic view of the entire city.

In the center of the room was a large glass meeting table that appeared almost ethereal, floating in the air without any apparent support, its surface also engraved with runes, surrounded by comfortable and elegant chairs.

On the table, an incredibly detailed holographic map of the galaxy could be seen, capable of displaying every star system, every planet, every fortress, and even every star fleet that the faction controlled. All highlighted with different lights identifying their type.

"What do you want from us, old man?"

Sitting in one of the beautiful chairs, Sigrún asked disinterestedly, looking at a man seated at the head of the table. Despite having the patience of someone in their 50s, his figure was imposing and vital, with eyes that shone with sharp intelligence and an aura that seemed to pulse with pure power, a testament to his legendary-level power.

"Show more respect for the director, Sigrún." A man with long silver hair reprimanded Sigrún in an annoyed voice, to which she immediately responded with even more irritation and evident disdain.

"Shut up, Varrick. No one cares about your shitty opinion."

Upon hearing Sigrún's words, the air around the man began to vibrate terrifyingly as he looked at the blonde-haired Master with rage. She responded in kind, releasing her blue flames that seemed to warp space itself, ready to tear apart the nuisance in front of her.

"Calm down, we're not here to fight."

The ancient voice of the man at the head of the table made the two 'combatants' break their staring contest and calm their mana. They then turned their attention back to the director, though not without first huffing at each other in annoyance.

"Today, I summoned you because things have become somewhat dangerous on the front lines, more specifically, at the Zephyria Border."

"What happened, Director?" Eleonora, who was seated next to Sigrún, asked calmly and elegantly as she looked at the Zephyria Border on the map. The man at the head of the table explained.

"There was an attack by the Virelian, led by a new young general, who managed to damage several fortress planets and left the border in a critical state. However, thanks to the swift reaction of the coalition's army, the advance was halted, and they are now being forced to retreat.

But the damage is quite significant, so to stabilize things, it was agreed that each faction should send three Master-levels to the border to deal with the situation. In our case, we were asked to send the best artisans to the Zephyria Border to repair and build new fortresses as soon as possible, as well as to treat the wounded."

"I'm sorry, but I'm very busy teaching my disciple at the moment. You'll have to settle for the second best." Sigrún replied as she looked with an arrogant smile at Varrick, who just clenched his teeth, refusing to respond to the provocation.

"It's a shame, but I'm afraid this time you'll have to go, Sigrún. Nixor Vrost participated in the attack." the director said, looking at Sigrún with a smile.

"Old man, I already said I'm not going. I have a disciple to teach, I don't care that Nixor is there, there are other fire-affinity Masters, let them handle it." Sigrún stared directly at the director as a suffocating pressure began to fill the room.

"Little Erik, right? Maybe he has a different opinion," the director commented with a somewhat playful tone as he looked at the troublemaker with golden hair.

As soon as the director finished speaking, Sigrún and Eleonora rose from their chairs, releasing a terrifying killing intent as they were enveloped in blue flames and golden lightning respectively. At the same time, terrifying figures began to form behind them.

Behind Sigrún, an incredibly beautiful blue phoenix appeared, exuding a horrifying bloodlust that far surpassed Sigrún's. As for Eleonora, a mighty white tiger with golden stripes appeared behind her, seemingly ready to start a massacre.

Before the spectacle they witnessed, the eight Masters present in the room stood up from their chairs and unleashed their mana at full power. Causing the air and floor to tremble incessantly, as if a terrible apocalyptic calamity was about to unfold.

"I will only say this once, Director: leave Erik out of those deceitful plans you're so fond of, or I assure you, you won't like the consequences."

Ignoring the other Master-levels who seemed ready to attack, Eleonora spoke in a voice that sounded like a call from beyond the grave. Warning the poor souls who dared to offend her that the fate awaiting them was worse than death itself.

"You can be all the legendary-level you want, but I guarantee you won't come out unscathed if we do all possible, so don't even think about messing with my disciple, old man," Sigrún commented solemnly, her tone laden with murderous intent.

"Sigrún, Eleonora, you damn bitches, are you rebelling?!" Varrick exclaimed, full of fury, as he glared at the pair of women before him.

As a contest of stares and murderous intentions ensued, which the eight Masters seemed to be losing, the director silently observed the bird behind Sigrún, which was the main reason the eight Master-levels were losing the battle of willpower. After all, that single bird exuded such an overwhelming and terrifying bloodlust that it overshadowed everyone present while staring directly at the director.

Under the weight of such a titanic pressure, the director's back was drenched in cold sweat. After all, he could genuinely feel death emanating from that bird and knew that the only reason he was still alive was because it didn't want to reveal its true identity without a good reason. However, he was also completely certain that it would kill him without hesitation the moment he threatened that boy, Erik.

(What could that boy have to make such a monstrosity back him?)

"Calm down, I don't know what you mean by my deceitful plans, but rest assured it was just a random comment; I have no intention of interacting with little Erik." the director said in a calm tone, while, as always, trying to play innocent with a jovial smile on his face.

Although the director's words made Sigrún and Eleonora roll their eyes, they also caused the tension in the room to ease, as the spirits began to dissipate. However, just before Ignis disappeared entirely, she gave the director one last look that almost made him jump, though he restrained himself to avoid losing his prestige and making a fool of himself.

"Director, something like this cannot be allowed; this is a clear act of insubordination." A beautiful woman with a fiery appearance, with deep red hair and amber eyes, commented angrily as she looked at the director, who nodded in agreement before responding with a smile.

"You're right, Thalia, and as punishment, Sigrún and Eleonora will be fined one million max-purity magic crystals, and I sentence them to go to the Zephyria Border with Thalia as commander."

Eleonora and Sigrún's gazes turned dangerous again at the director's announcement, but his next words significantly calmed them.

"You will be at the border for only five years, after which you will be replaced by the next group. During that time, I forbid anyone present from interacting with or conflicting with the disciple Erik."

Seeing that the pair of troublemakers didn't seem inclined to cause any more commotion and were sitting back down, everyone else did the same, as Eleonora once again addressed the director.

"Director, I request that at least one of us stay behind. In return, we can trade places every five years until the problem is resolved, and we can even accept up to three commissions from the Order without charging."

"That would be another viable option, Eleonora, but you're both really needed there. Most of the communication and alert systems were destroyed, so we urgently need to redeploy our surveillance system. Additionally, the Virelian attacked using a deadly poison that is unknown to us until now, so we need a field agent capable of creating an antidote as soon as possible."

"So, you wanted us from the start, didn't you, old man?" Sigrún remarked irritably, crossing her arms, to which the director nodded while responding in a somewhat more serious tone.

"The truth is, yes, you two are the best for the job, and it's a really complicated situation. That new Virelian general is cunning and ruthless, with no qualms about using anything that gives him an advantage, so we need to take him down as soon as possible. But since he has Nixor Vrost as a bodyguard, it will be difficult. That's why I hope, with Thalia's help, you can corner him and clear the way to deal with that general."

"I'll agree on one condition: if we finish the task early, we'll be replaced and allowed to return." Eleonora added after letting out a defeated sigh, to which the director nodded after thinking it over for a moment.

"Hmmm, that doesn't sound bad. I agree with that."

…

…

…

Already late at night, Sigrún and Eleonora left the meeting after organizing the minor details of their deployment to the border. They quickly teleported to Sigrún's mansion to meet with Erik, but when they arrived, they found something strange—Erik wasn't at the mansion. This alarmed them a bit, as it was the first time it had happened. Without wasting any time, Eleonora pulled out a crystal tablet and quickly called Erik.

Not long after, a hologram with the call icon and an audio visualizer in the form of bars appeared from Eleonora's tablet, followed by Erik's confused voice.

"... Hello?"

"Erik, it's Eleonora. Where are you?" Although somewhat relieved to hear Erik's voice, Eleonora quickly asked, to which the boy responded in a cheerful and somewhat curious tone.

"Oh, hi, Master! I'm glad you're out early, and these cards are amazing—they even work for calls. Oh, and I'm in the arcane library."

"Erik, we didn't get out early; it's already nighttime," Eleonora replied with an ironic smile on her face, which caused Erik to respond in slight surprise.

"Really? But it looks like the sun is out."

"If you're in the VIP room, what you see through the window is just an image. If you want to see the real outside, you need to press the button near the entrance," Eleonora explained, amused, as the image of the starry-haired young man looking around in surprise formed in her mind.

"Wow, you're right, Master! These artifacts are awesome. Do you know how to make them?" Erik's response came soon after, sounding curious and interested, to which Eleonora quickly replied.

"Yes, I know how to make them. There are also a couple of classes that teach how to do it, but let's talk about that later. Stay there; we're arriving now."

"Alright."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

A few moments later, Sigrún and Eleonora appeared in the private room of the library where Erik was, with the help of his wolves, gathering several books and stacking them into a large tower. Sensing the arrival of his masters with his mystical awareness, he turned to look at them with a smile.

"Hello, masters, how did the meeting go?"

"Not well, but we can talk about it at the mansion. First, return the books." Sigrún replied, a bit irritated, her arms crossed, to which Erik quickly nodded.

"Alright, but how do I do that? When I took them out, the shelves filled up again with more books."

"See that compartment over there?" Eleonora pointed to a small hatch visible on a wall and continued, "You just need to put them in there and insert your card into the slot."

"I understand."

Erik quickly opened the hatch and saw what seemed to be a dumbwaiter, so he swiftly placed all the books inside, then closed the hatch and inserted his card into a slot similar to an ATM. This caused a hologram to appear in front of him, listing the books he had returned.

"By the way, Erik, where is Liliana?" While Erik confirmed the book return on the hologram, Eleonora asked with a tone that sounded quite angry.

"I don't know, master. She said she was busy and left, but more importantly, what's the name of the class to learn how to make one of these cards? They're so cool." Erik asked with a smile, causing Eleonora's frown to deepen visibly as she inquired.

"Liliana left and left you here alone?"

"Something like that," Erik replied casually as he retrieved his card from the slot.

Meanwhile, Eleonora felt a vein begin to throb on her forehead in anger. It was the first time one of her disciples treated her words as if they were nothing, and from the way Erik was trying to avoid the topic, it was obvious that Liliana had not left him in the library.

"Let's go, Erik."

Equally annoyed, Sigrún spoke as she placed one of her hands on Erik's shoulder. At the same time, a multitude of runes appeared in the air around them, surrounding them before they vanished from the spot in a flash, leaving Eleonora behind. She quickly took out her crystal tablet and called her disciple.

"Hello, master; it's a pleasure to receive a call from you." Liliana's voice, full of respect and admiration, was heard from the call hologram, to which Eleonora coldly asked.

"I'm going to ask you this only once, Liliana. Did you accompany Erik today, as I told you?"

"…"

Hearing her master's tone, Liliana completely panicked; after all, it was the first time she had spoken to her that way, causing her mind to go blank, which seemed to worsen Eleonora's already terrible mood as she shouted loudly, making the whole room shake.

"ANSWER ME!!!"

"N-no master, I thought it would be better for his development if he discovered things on his own, the path of the ma…"

With a voice filled with terror, Liliana quickly tried to give the excuse she had been thinking about all day, only to be cut off halfway by Eleonora's cold and emotionless voice.

"Liliana, do you think my words are just air?"

"Of course not, master; your words are full…" Liliana responded in a tone that seemed on the verge of tears, only to be interrupted again by Eleonora, who ordered coldly.

"It doesn't seem like it. I want you at the mansion first thing tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes, mas…" Liliana replied in a clearly tearful tone, but Eleonora cut the call without letting her finish.

After furiously ending the call, a magic circle appeared beneath Eleonora's feet, and she vanished in a burst of light, reappearing in Sigrún's mansion. There, she found the beautiful golden-haired master sitting on a sofa, gently stroking Erik's hair as he rested his head on his master's lap, while showing her an informative hologram of the student card.

As she let out a tired and annoyed sigh, Eleonora sat down on the sofa across from the master and disciple pair, then spoke as Seraphina handed her a freshly made cup of tea.

"Erik, forgive Liliana for leaving you alone today. It must have been difficult for you."

"Don't worry about it, master. It was actually very easy. I just had to ask for a few directions to get to the Registration Tower, and there everyone treated me very well and explained everything I needed to know."

Erik replied, not giving much importance to the matter, and instead, he turned his card to show the hologram to Eleonora and continued.

"Besides, look, I even enrolled in a class."

"That may be true, but I've lived millennia in this city, and I know how the students here are. They're not exactly known for being particularly cooperative, especially with new students," Eleonora responded as she received her cup of tea and gave Seraphina a somewhat tired smile, to which Seraphina nodded with a smile.

"Really? I didn't notice. Everyone was actually very kind," Erik commented casually, to which Eleonora responded after tasting her tea.

"But don't worry, I'll punish Liliana for her little game tomorrow."

"You don't have to do that, master. It's not like it's her obligation to take care of me or anything like that. She probably had something to do, or maybe she just doesn't like me and doesn't want to be with me, which is perfectly understandable and normal. Besides, even though it may not seem like it, I lived on the streets for a long time; I know how to take care of myself."

Erik commented calmly as he waved his hand, causing the beautiful, golden-eyed master to lean in and lovingly kiss Erik's cheek. Then she lifted his legs a little and sat down on the sofa, resting the star-haired youth's legs on her own.

"Better show me which class you enrolled in."

Eleonora gently stroked Erik's legs and looked at the hologram displaying his schedule. At the same time, she felt her bad mood dissipate, and a warm and peaceful sensation enveloped her as she added with a beautiful smile.

"Fufufu, a good class."

Meanwhile, Sigrún watched the whole event in silence, as she was a bit upset with Liliana for leaving Erik alone, but since she was Eleonora's disciple, it was a bit complicated to intervene. However, her beloved disciple's words made her relax enough to join the conversation.

"Indeed, he's my disciple after all. That was the first class I enrolled in too; we're master and disciple, after all," Sigrún commented proudly, then lovingly kissed Erik's forehead.

"Really, Master?" Erik asked Sigrún with a smile, who responded with an even bigger smile.

"Of course, I still remember it: Introduction to the Unification Theories of the Grand Aconte. I must say that unifying the three magical systems has been something many have attempted throughout human history, but so far, no one has succeeded."

"Is it that complicated?" Erik asked, intrigued, to which Eleonora commented as she recalled with nostalgia.

"Yes, the main problem is that, although very similar results can be achieved with any of the three systems, they are all based on concepts that are very different from each other. So, although many have tried to unify them in different ways, myself included, nothing has been achieved, with runic-geometric refinement being the only thing I could accomplish in over a millennium of research."

"Runic-geometric refinement? Did you create that, master?" Erik asked, a bit surprised, to which Sigrún responded with a chuckle.

"Hehehe, Eli won the Auric Award for that, and it was quite a revolution—a new refinement method for raw materials and artifact creation that reduces production costs by about 50%. It turned the galaxy upside down for quite a while."

"That's impressive, master."

Erik looked at Eleonora with bright eyes, who elegantly smiled in response while Seraphina handed her a new cup of tea. But Erik thought of something and looked at Sigrún as he asked.

"Master, how did you win the award?"

"Hehe, not much; I just developed artificial mana crystallization." Sigrún commented casually as she stroked Erik's hair, who opened his eyes wide in shock and exclaimed.

"What?!!!"

"Hehe, that's right! Thanks to me, humanity can now store large amounts of mana to power all our technology." Sigrún added with a tone that was both proud and cheerful, to which Erik quickly asked.

"That's crazy, but master, why are mana crystals still used as currency if they can now be produced in large quantities?"

"Well, for the same reason I said 'technology' and not 'mana users,' Erik. While my method certainly allows for mana crystallization—a process that humanity couldn't reproduce before—it still has its limitations, and they aren't exactly the same as natural ones.

First, their energy density is less than one-third of that of natural crystals, which means you need an artificial crystal three times larger to achieve the same results as a natural one. Moreover, they offer virtually no benefit for training like natural ones do, though the reason for this is still being studied with no results so far.

But they're very useful for magical artifacts, matrix arrangements, and things like that, which is why they're mass-produced for that purpose. This has significantly reduced the cost of creating fortresses and planetary barriers, and many even list my artificial crystals as one of the main reasons for the significant increase in economic growth in recent times."

With a beautiful smile on her face, Sigrún explained, full of pride, which brought warm smiles to the faces of Seraphina and Eleonora, who looked at the beautiful golden-haired master with affection and pride.

"You two are really amazing; now I'm scared to say loud you're my masters." Erik couldn't help but comment, a bit awed, while making a mental note to study the economy and social environment of the Arcane Order in depth.

"Hahaha, don't be silly, Erik. You're the best disciple I could wish for, and even if you never win an Auric Award or something like that, that will never change." With a loving smile on her face, Sigrún hugged Erik's head tightly against her chest, speaking to him with affection.

"Sig is right, Erik. You're our disciple, no matter what happens. Besides, don't underestimate yourself—you have a lot of talent, and I know you'll achieve great things." Eleonora added with a big smile as she placed a hand on Sigrún's shoulder, making her release Erik since she was suffocating him with her impressive chest.

"Hehe, I hope to achieve that, and thank you so much, masters. You're the best thing that's happened to me in this life; you have no idea how much I love you and how grateful I am to you."

Eleonora couldn't resist and pulled Erik, leaving him sitting on the sofa between the two of them, where each of them hugged one of his arms, resting their heads on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Seraphina approached with a huge plate of cookies that made the star-haired young man's eyes light up.

"You don't have to thank us for anything, Erik. I love you, too, from the bottom of my heart, and these years with you by my side have been the best I've had in my entire life." Sigrún spoke in a soft and loving voice as she closed her eyes and rested her head on Erik's right shoulder, feeling her heart fill with warmth and love.

"Yes, Erik, you've truly changed the way I see life. When you came into my life, I learned what true happiness is. You're a fundamental part of my heart, and now I can't imagine a future without you by my side. Everything I do is because I love you and want you to be as happy as I am."

Eleonora whispered soft words that only the four people in the room could hear as her head rested on Erik's left shoulder, feeling her heart fill with happiness and joy.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"I love you too, Masters, and I swear I'll do the impossible to never let you down," Erik said with a smile and a serious tone, nestled in the warm embrace of his Masters.

Upon hearing her beloved disciple's words, Sigrún tightened her grip on Erik's arm and whispered sweetly in his ear, her voice full of love.

"You don't have to do that, Erik. You don't need to fulfill anything; I just want you by my side."

"You're the most precious thing in my life, Erik. You don't have to be a genius; you don't have to do anything special. Just smile at me every day like you always do; that's all I need to be happy and feel encouraged," Eleonora also whispered lovingly in Erik's ear, her eyes misting over as she squeezed his arm even tighter.

Meanwhile, Seraphina approached Erik with a huge plate full of cookies, which greatly excited the star-haired boy. However, upon realizing that his arms were 'sealed' by his masters, he could only look at the cookies with sadness.

Noticing Erik's predicament, Seraphina smiled a little amusedly, but quickly took a cookie and brought it to the young man's lips, who bit into it joyfully, then looked at the beautiful Victorian maid with gratitude. She responded with a lovely smile.

…

…

…

A few days later, in front of an elegant building with opalescent glass walls that captured the sunlight and reflected it in multicolored flashes, a beautiful sign could be seen above the entrance that read in Galactic language, "Learning Tower 253". Erik stood there, accompanied by Eleonora and Sigrún.

"Fufufu, aren't you excited about your first class, Erik?" Eleonora smiled a little excitedly as she looked at the star-haired boy beside her.

"Not much, master. I've already had plenty of classes at home, so this won't be much different. What worries me more are the looks I'm getting from everyone around us. You two are too famous; if looks could kill, I'd have died a couple of times already." Erik replied with an ironic smile as he observed the gazes of the people around them, who seemed ready to devour him alive.

"Hehehe, you'll have to get used to that. Those are the consequences of having the two most beautiful and prestigious women in the entire galaxy by your side." Sigrún commented with a mischievous laugh as she looked at Erik, who responded after rolling his eyes.

"And that's exactly why I wanted to come alone. Having such a high profile will get me into trouble."

"Fufufu, you can't deny us the joy of seeing our cute Erik attend his first university class. Besides, sooner or later, you'll end up with a high profile; it's better to start getting used to it." Eleonora said happily as she adjusted Erik's hair and tunic one last time, causing the people around them to freeze in place at the sight.

"You're making it worse, Master. Look at them; they've even stopped moving." Erik commented with a slightly defeated smile, which only made Eleonora laugh, continuing to adjust his tunic.

"Fufufufu."

"Eli, stop teasing Erik, hehe." Sigrún, despite saying that, also joined Eleonora and began checking Erik's face and brushing his tunic with a brush Erik had never seen before.

"You planned this, didn't you? You even bought a brush for this, Master Sigrún," Erik remarked in an accusatory tone, which only made the women of unmatched beauty and prestige smile mischievously.

"Hehehe/Fufufu."

After Sigrún and Eleonora released Erik from the torture of the massive attention he was receiving, they all entered the building together. They made their way to an elevator inside, which took them to the 20th floor. They walked to a classroom where a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her 30s, with white hair and violet eyes, sat behind a beautiful and elegant black wooden desk.

"Hello, Professor Sunflare; long time no see."

The moment the three of them entered the classroom, Sigrún greeted the beautiful woman behind the desk, who looked up and opened her eyes in slight surprise. She quickly composed herself, then elegantly stood up and spoke.

"It certainly has been quite some time, Master Eldurdóttir and Master Silverwood. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"It's a pleasure to see you as well, Sage Sunflare." Eleonora responded elegantly as the beautiful white-haired woman bowed respectfully and asked.

"May I inquire about the reason for this unexpected visit?"

"Not much, just that my disciple is enrolling in your class." Sigrún replied with a smile as she placed one of her hands on Erik's shoulder. He simply nodded while looking at the woman, who then turned her gaze to the boy and smiled kindly.

"So, you are Master Eldurdóttir's disciple. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to my class."

"Hello, my name is Erik. Nice to meet you," Erik greeted with a smile, bowing slightly, following the etiquette lessons he had been taught.

"Well, Professor Sunflare, I entrust my disciple to your care," Sigrún said with a smile, to which Sage Sunflare responded with a respectful bow.

"Of course, Master Eldurdóttir, it will be my pleasure."

After bidding farewell, Eleonora and Sigrún left the classroom while Erik walked in, finding eight other students already seated in front of elegant white wooden desks with various runes carved into them.

The surrounding students gave him different kinds of looks—reverence, curiosity, jealousy, envy, and even hatred—something that made Erik sigh as he ignored them and made his way to the only empty desk, which was the last one in the row near the wall.

"Well, now that everyone is here, let's begin the class. My name is Lyra Sunflare; I am a peak sage, and today I will be teaching you an introduction to the unification theories of the Great Event..."

…

…

…

A few days later, in the middle of the night at Sigrún's mansion, Eleonora, Sigrún, and Erik were eating a delicious meal. They were seated at a wooden dining table with intricate details, while Seraphina stood in a corner with a professional smile on her face, like a loyal shadow.

"It's going to be sad not seeing you for five years, masters." Erik commented somewhat despondently while eating a juicy chicken leg.

"Yes, it's really something horrible for us too, and although we tried to stop it, they really need us at the Zephyria Border Front." Sigrún replied, downcast, not wanting to touch her food, to which the star-haired young man remarked.

"But I never really imagined there would be a war against another galaxy. It's surreal."

"It's not that strange; it's just that you still don't know much about the world. The universe is infinite, and there are all kinds of intelligent species, most of which aren't particularly peaceful." Eleonora spoke with visibly low spirits as she stared blankly, lost in her thoughts.

The room fell silent again, the only sounds being Erik eating slowly while thinking about various things, until, after a moment, the boy spoke once more.

"Well, since there's no other option, I can only wish you good luck, masters."

"Ahhhh," Sigrún exclaimed exasperatedly as she stood up from her chair, and at the same time, Erik was lifted into the air, surprised.

"It's decided. Tonight, you'll sleep in my room. I won't let you go until it's time for me to leave." Sigrún said, smiling at the boy floating in the air, to which Eleonora commented with a smile,

"Fufufufu, it's an interesting plan. I'll join in."

With that said, Eleonora and Sigrún began walking toward the bedroom with smiles on their lips, while Erik floated helplessly in the air. Seraphina, in a corner, covered her lips with one of her delicate hands, trying to hide her smile.

When they reached the bedroom, Sigrún set Erik down in the bathroom and then spoke with a small smile.

"Get ready for bed."

Erik, accepting his fate, simply nodded, took a good, relaxing bath, and put on a pair of shorts he had made himself for sleeping. Then, he stepped out of the bathroom, but what he found left him stunned.

On the large bed in the room were the two women of celestial beauty, bathed in the soft, dim light of the stars that filtered through the nearby window. Their smooth, delicate skin glowed slightly under the starlight, adding an ethereal touch to their already stunning beauty.

On the left, Sigrún looked almost like a creature of light. Her golden hair cascaded over the pillow in soft curls, while her white, nearly translucent pajamas provided a simple yet elegant contrast to her fair complexion. She gazed at him with half-closed eyes, though there was a playful and mysterious spark hidden in her gaze.

On the right, Eleonora seemed to be the embodiment of the starry night. Her straight, silky brown hair spread around her head like a river, interrupted by flashes of starlight that highlighted her golden eyes, which almost glowed in the dark, filled with wisdom and an almost mystical serenity. Her black satin pajamas, like her sister's, wonderfully contrasted with her skin and clung delicately to her slender figure.

The two women smiled cheerfully when they noticed Erik's gaze wandering over them, as he seemed to get lost in contemplation. But after enjoying the moment, Eleonora lifted Erik into the air and placed him between the two, where each of them embraced one of his arms, then rested their heads on his shoulders.

"I'm really going to miss you, Erik. Even though I haven't left yet, I feel like the next few years will be the longest I'll ever experience in my life." Sigrún kissed Erik's cheek and commented with a bit of melancholy as she rested her head on the boy's shoulder again.

"But you're a thousand-year-old baby, master; time will pass in the blink of an eye for you," Erik commented playfully, while Sigrún refused to look at him and simply rested peacefully in her position.

"You know, Erik, I used to think the same thing at one point. But even though a year used to pass by without me noticing, that changed when you came into my life. Now I'm aware of every day I spend by your side and the joy that brings me.

So, even though we have long lives, it will still feel like a long time for us—maybe even more so than for you, who hasn't even lived a century yet." Eleonora spoke with melancholy as she hugged Erik's arm and traced small circles on his chest with her index finger.

"It's definitely going to be a challenging time, but I think we'll be okay. Time will eventually pass, and I'll make sure to have some nice surprises for you both when you return," Erik replied softly, then kissed each of them on the forehead.

"Then I'll look forward to it," Sigrún responded with a gentle smile.

"But don't do anything crazy," Eleonora added with a smile as well, and silence fell over the room as they simply enjoyed their time together.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

The next day, at the boarding station of the space elevator, Liliana and Erik were sitting around a table in a beautiful, elegant, and minimalist café in a VIP area. They had come to bid farewell to Eleonora and Sigrún, while Seraphina stood behind Erik with a professional smile on her face.

"Liliana, as always, I'm leaving you the notes and tasks you need to complete during this time. I hope you're diligent and finish them properly," Eleonora spoke to her disciple with her characteristic elegance.

"Of course, Master, I'll make sure to finish them all"

Liliana responded, smiling widely. After all, she was really happy that the punishment for leaving that useless bastard to his fate a few days ago wasn't too severe. In the end, she only got a mild scolding and was given several tasks, but nothing too harsh, which made her feel her importance in her master's heart.

"Well, now that everyone's here, it's time for us to leave."

Suddenly, a magnetic voice interrupted the conversation between the masters and their disciples, causing Erik to turn around to look at the source. He found a beautiful woman with fiery red hair and amber eyes, possessing an incredibly voluptuous and sexy body, with large breasts and hips. This was complemented by a tiny waist framed by the fitted white robe she was wearing, which resembled a gala dress.

Upon seeing the fiery woman, Sigrún commented with a slightly mocking smile while sitting in a chair next to Erik, who had resumed eating his cookies.

"It's the first time I see you arriving last, Thalia."

"Well, it wasn't intentional. I received a last-minute summons for an update on the situation in the field," Thalia replied confidently as she placed a hand on her waist.

"Did something happen?" Eleonora asked calmly and elegantly while sipping her tea, although her expression couldn't help but become a bit more serious.

"Yes, it was reported that Nixor Vrost was seen again near the area."

"That's problematic," Sigrún commented with annoyance as she crossed her arms beneath her voluptuous chest.

"Nixor Vrost?" Erik asked curiously, looking at Sigrún while holding a cookie, to which she quickly responded.

"Nixor Vrost is a master-level mage with ice affinity from the Virelian species, and a very annoying one at that. It's suspected that, like Eli and me, he has two perfectly synergistic affinities, which not only makes him quite powerful, but also makes his spells very dangerous. So, it's almost suicide for any master-level mage to face him unless they have a strong fire affinity."

"So that's why you have to go, Master."

Erik commented with understanding. Since he found out that his masters were going to the border, he had started researching and discovered that humanity had several enemies, including the Virelians, another species surprisingly similar to humans that dominated a nearby galaxy. They had a long-standing conflict with humanity.

"Yes, that's why, and because I'm the best alchemist in the faction," Sigrún replied proudly, but she was quickly interrupted by Thalia, who commented in a somewhat strict tone.

"Enough, Sigrún. We have to go. Things will be more complicated now."

"Hmph," Sigrún huffed in annoyance, but still got up from her chair, something everyone else quickly imitated.

"Well, Erik, take care of yourself. Remember not to pay attention to the director. If he tries to talk to you, just ignore him. He's a dirty old man who likes to deceive people," Sigrún took Erik by the shoulders and spoke to him very seriously in a solemn voice, to which Erik nodded with seriousness.

"Okay, Master, although I don't think he'd be interested in talking to me. I'm not that interesting."

"Don't underestimate him, Erik. That old bastard is very good at planning insidious schemes and loves to take advantage of people. So, be very careful with him, and don't accept any gifts from him. That's his most used tactic to gain trust and exploit others," Sigrún shook her head before commenting in a serious voice.

"I understand, Master. He's a dangerous man," Erik replied solemnly and began to consider several things while bringing his right hand to his chin.

Meanwhile, Thalia watched in silence as Sigrún instilled a clear sense of insubordination and rejection towards the faction leader into her disciple with a serious expression. This was something Thalia could not allow, so she quickly interrupted the conversation.

"Sigrún's first disciple, don't take those words seriously. Your Master is just joking. The director is one of the most powerful, wise, and recognized mana users in the galaxy. His advice would be extremely beneficial for anyone, even for your Master."

Thalia spoke in a serious and straightforward tone, expressing her true thoughts about the director. However, she quickly realized that Erik wasn't even looking at her. Instead, he was whispering to his Master.

"Master, is that woman okay? She seems a bit unstable, don't you think?"

"Haha, you're right, Erik. That poor woman is the granddaughter of that old fossil, and she's a bit crazy, so don't associate with her either. Who knows what kind of madness someone like that might do."

Sigrún spoke loudly while mockingly looking at Thalia, who clenched her teeth in anger as her hair began to move and flames formed at the tips. But she froze when she heard Erik whisper to his Master.

"You're right, Master, she seems dangerous…"

"Hmph."

Hearing the comment from the star-haired boy, Thalia merely huffed in anger and then walked ahead towards the boarding platform, causing Eleonora to chuckle amusedly as she approached Erik to say goodbye.

"Well, Erik, we have to go. Do you remember how to use the long-distance communicator I gave you?"

"Yes, Master, I remember perfectly," Erik quickly replied with a smile, to which Eleonora responded by gently stroking her disciple's starry hair.

"That's good. We'll stay in touch, and don't get into trouble."

Eleonora restrained her strong desire to hug Erik before leaving and instead said goodbye to Liliana, while Sigrún had no such restraint and hugged Erik tightly as she bid him farewell.

"Erik, I'll call you whenever I can. Remember to eat properly. You can neglect your studies a little, but not too much, or you'll get rusty. Furthermore, remember to go to bed early every night. You're still just an ascended, and you need to take care of yourself. And…"

Sigrún continued giving Erik a bunch of reminders with a serious expression until she was stopped by Eleonora, who gently placed her hand on Sigrún's shoulder.

"Come on, Sig, it's time to go."

After one more tight hug, Sigrún said goodbye to Seraphina along with Eleonora, then walked away with Thalia to take the VIP corridor of the boarding station—the same one Erik had passed through when he arrived on the planet. The star-haired boy watched from the entrance until the three beautiful women disappeared from view.

"Shall we go, Young Master?" A moment later, Seraphina asked with a smile, to which Erik nodded as he replied.

"Yes, let's go, although it's just Erik, not Young Master."

"Of course, Young Master," Seraphina replied with a somewhat amused smile, causing Erik to roll his eyes in annoyance before looking at Liliana and asking.

"Do you want to come with us?"

"No need, I have some things to do, so I'll be going another way," Liliana replied, trying to sound elegant, though her tone couldn't entirely mask a strong sense of disdain, which caused Seraphina to frown slightly.

"Alright, then let's go, Seraphina."

Erik casually responded and then spoke to Seraphina with a smile, to which she responded with a small smile as a deep darkness began to rise in the air around them.

"At your service, Young Master."

With Seraphina's words, the pair—maid and young master—were enveloped in a deep darkness, then vanished from the spot, leaving Liliana behind. She merely shrugged in annoyance before taking out her crystal card to make a call. …

…

…

A couple of weeks later, Erik arrived at his class, where he found a few students already there. He simply nodded slightly towards them, then sat down in his seat and took out a book, one from Sigrún's personal library—a library which, according to Sigrún herself, was now his to use as he pleased.

While ignoring everything around him, Erik read his book with interest, occasionally taking out his notebook to jot down some notes. But his pleasant moment was interrupted by a male voice calling out to him.

"Excuse me, fellow student, may I ask you a question?"

Curious, Erik looked up and found a young man with an Asian appearance, black hair, and dark eyes who was smiling at him politely.

"What do you want to ask?"

"Fellow student, it's just that there's something I can't quite grasp about the geometric interpretation of runes, and since you're the best in the class, I was wondering if you could help me out a bit."

"Aren't those kinds of questions supposed to be asked in class?" Erik asked, looking expressionlessly at the young man smiling in front of him, who responded with a somewhat awkward expression.

"Don't be like that, fellow student. It's an unwritten rule not to ask simple questions in class, and if I do, I'll be the laughingstock of my family."

"And your best option is to ask a complete stranger?" Erik rolled his eyes and commented sarcastically, to which the young man responded with a sly and somewhat cheeky expression.

"Not just any stranger, but the first disciple of the great Master Eldurdóttir, which, instead of making me look bad, will actually make me look pretty good, hehe."

"And why reveal your true intentions?" Hearing the young man's response, Erik couldn't help but ask with a bit of surprise and amusement in his tone.

"Hehe, well, if the subtle approach doesn't work, it's better to be honest," the young man replied with a cheerful smile, which intrigued Erik enough to continue the conversation with the curious young man.

"I suppose you're right. Nice to meet you, then. I'm Erik."

"Hehe, nice to meet you, fellow student Erik," the young man spoke with a pleased tone before introducing himself, sounding somewhat proud. "I'm Chen Ming, from the Ming family of the Jade Lotus Union."

"The Ming family?" Erik asked with a confused expression, which brought an ironic smile to Chen's face, who quickly explained.

"Yes, we're part of the 18 Generals."

"18 Generals?"

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"18 Generals?"

Seeing Erik's confused expression, Chen could only sigh in defeat before asking, albeit somewhat surprised.

"Fellow student Erik, is it possible that you know nothing about the Jade Lotus Union?"

"No, I have no idea how the factions work aside from the Arcane Order." Erik shook his head and responded, as he really hadn't paid special attention to any of the other factions in the galaxy.

"I see. If you want, I can explain how the different factions operate," Chen offered kindly, to which Erik agreed with a nod.

"That would be nice."

After Erik's words, the chair where Chen had been sitting before approaching suddenly lifted into the air, which startled Chen quite a bit. He quickly activated his ethereal projection, allowing him to sense some sort of invisible 'arm' that gently grabbed the chair and placed it near Erik's desk.

"Was that solidified Myst?" Chen asked in astonishment, to which Erik casually replied, motioning for him to sit.

"Yes, a very useful trick."

"How can you do something like that?"

"With a lot of effort."

Faced with Erik's nonchalant response, who was looking at him with a small smile as if nothing had happened, Chen couldn't help but force a smile. He began pondering how the star-haired boy could accomplish something like that, especially since he never sensed Erik's mana—in fact, he hadn't even felt the Myst move, even though he was widely known in his clan as the genius with the best connection to Myst.

The truth was that as Erik's power level increased, he realized something interesting: his ability to control the Myst around him improved by leaps and bounds. Now, he didn't need to use his mana to solidify the Myst around him; a single thought was enough.

Although the structure was rather poor and could only support a couple of tons before breaking, it was very useful for making airborne platforms or the ghostly hands. As he liked to call what he had just done with the chair.

"You truly are worthy of being Master Eldurdóttir's first disciple, fellow student Erik; this is the first time I've seen something like this," Chen remarked with mixed feelings as he sat down in the chair, to which Erik responded casually.

"Well, thanks for the compliment, and drop the 'fellow student' thing; it's annoying to hear it all the time."

"Hehe, alright, classmate Erik"

Upon hearing how Chen addressed him now, Erik could only roll his eyes, but the boy quickly began explaining, so he said nothing and instead listened to the young man.

"Let's get started. First of all, let me tell you a bit about the Jade Lotus Union. As you must know, we primarily use the Zazen Discipline as a magical system, although there are a few minor systems that could be considered applications of the same system. Besides, the faction is led by the Xiao family and the six noble clans."

Erik quickly interrupted Chen's explanation to ask with some interest.

"Why is the Xiao clan the leader?"

"Because it's the clan of the great legendary cultivator, Xiao Xiuwen. All the other powerful factions in the galaxy have a legendary-level leader. How do you not know something like that?" Chen looked at Erik with surprise as he asked, to which he simply responded indifferently.

"It never interested me. After all, I don't plan on leaving the university anytime soon."

"Do you know you're in one of the most important education and trade centers in the galaxy?" Chen asked somewhat incredulously, to which Erik replied without much concern.

"Yes, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is that you're destined to meet all sorts of people from all kinds of places. It's important to at least know the basics about the other major factions. Who knows when you might end up offending someone you shouldn't."

Chen commented, stupefied, as he wondered how Master Eldurdóttir hadn't told him something so basic before. For example, his clan hadn't let him leave his planet until he had memorized the faces and emblems of all those he should not offend—a very common practice in the galaxy.

"Offend? What do you mean by that?" Erik asked, confused, to which Chen could only smack his forehead as he began to doubt the education the boy was receiving at home.

"Look, your status in society depends on two things. First, your power: the one with the biggest fist is always right. So, if you offend someone stronger than you, you automatically become the bad guy, and no one will come to your defense. Second, your skills: even if someone isn't very strong, if they have special abilities, they're also highly respected, like the Auric Awards. Every faction wants as many of them in their ranks as possible, so if an Auric Award demands someone they dislike be removed, they'll do it if it's profitable."

"Do the others really operate like that?"

Erik looked at Chen in surprise. After all, the Arcane Order wasn't like that. Here, there were very strict laws, and from what he had read, they were enforced to the letter, to the point that most within the Order feared facing the court and avoided breaking the law as much as possible.

"Yes, that's how things work. The galaxy is a jungle of stars; it's not a kind place for the weak." Chen repeated with a serious expression, echoing the words he had grown tired of hearing in his clan, leading Erik to comment with evident disdain and contempt.

"What a stupid and backward system. I can only imagine the immense amount of talent that must have been lost because of that mindset. No wonder the Arcane Order easily cornered them."

Hearing Erik's words filled with disdain, an unpleasant expression formed on Chen's face, but he couldn't say anything because, after all, Erik was right. It wasn't uncommon for a talented young person in other factions to be killed for offending someone they shouldn't.

This made it very common for them to defect to the Arcane Order, where they grew to become powerful on their own merits, turning the Arcane Order into a gigantic and untouchable power. Despite being a little over two hundred thousand years old.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you're part of one of those factions," Erik apologized half-heartedly, as if wanting to rub salt in the wound, to which Chen could only respond after a small sigh.

"It's okay. It's well known across the galaxy that if a genius isn't born into a powerful family within one of the three great factions, it's better to go to the Arcane Order. This has caused a massive talent drain from the other factions. But still, they refuse to change their ways. After all, it's difficult for the old to adopt new ways."

"Well, violence is a great way to maintain power, so they're not going to change. The most they'll do is use more violence to keep talent from leaving, which will only increase their losses. In any case, they're doomed, as far as I can see."

Chen could only remain silent with a bitter smile, as once again, Erik had hit the nail on the head. In the three great factions, desertion had started to be punished with death, and the birth of new powers was becoming less and less frequent, to the point where it was already being treated as a top-priority issue.

Only a few powers within the factions, like his own Ming family, had considered changing their ways and taking a path similar to the Arcane Order, where murder was a serious crime. Besides, reason could only be won through solid arguments, evidence, and replicable experiments, in addition to having a clear set of rules that allowed for defense.

"But go on, tell me about these noble families…"

Wanting to continue the conversation that had piqued his interest a bit, Erik commented with a small smile but quickly sensed Professor Sunflare approaching, so he quickly corrected himself.

"We better talk later; class is about to start."

After saying that, Erik used his ghostly hand to send Chen back to his seat, who looked at him with a forced smile as he was carried through the air. Shortly after, the beautiful woman with white hair and violet eyes entered the room, greeting them with an elegant, serious tone before beginning the class.

Classes at the university were very different from what Erik had imagined. In reality, they were very free and short, and quite spaced out in time, giving him a lot of time to work on his own projects, which made the idea of returning to 'university' more acceptable.

For example, the class he was attending consisted of a two-hour lecture followed by a one-hour Q&A session, held once a month. And this was considered a basic class with a high frequency. At the Arcane University, it wasn't uncommon to find classes that were held only once a year or even once a decade.

….

A few hours later, when the class was over, Erik approached Chen, greeted him, and then asked with a smile.

"Do you want to finish telling me how the factions work?"

"Sure."

"Let's go to the library then."

Soon after, Erik took Chen to his private room in the library, which had been assigned to him thanks to Sigrún and Eleonora, who had requested it for him since he spent most of his 'free time' there. Now, he didn't have to worry about not finding a good place to read, as the room was his to use.

With great familiarity, Erik settled into an elegant sofa while Chen watched in surprise as two impressive mystical wolves emerged from the star-haired boy's shadow, one with silver fur and the other jet black.

"Well, we left off with the noble houses."

Erik commented as he activated the automatic teapot in the room, which released a pleasant aroma moments later. The star-haired youth then proceeded to pour a cup for Chen and one for himself, before pulling out some cookies. He only shared them with the wolves that sat at his sides, leaving Chen with nothing but an ironic smile on his face.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

After sampling the high-quality tea, which was even slightly better than what he could drink in his own clan, Chen, feeling much more comfortable, thanks to the tea, began to explain.

"Yes, regarding the noble clans, they are just below the Xiao clan and are characterized by having Master-level members among their ranks, along with a great heritage and resources, which gives them a voice and vote in faction decisions. These include the Rong clan, the Yuan clan, the Hua clan, the Long clan, the Xin clan, and the He clan."

"So few? Are Master-levels that rare?"

Somewhat intrigued, Erik asked after biting into a cookie, to which Chen nodded with an ironic smile. After all, this was common knowledge, and considering how absurdly good Erik was in classes, Chen couldn't understand how he didn't know this.

"Quite rare. Noble clans barely have one or two active Master-levels among their ranks, and the Xiao family has the most, with four."

"How many Master-levels are there in the entire galaxy?" Erik asked, a bit surprised. Chen responded somewhat uncertainly.

"It's not exactly known, as many are not active and remain in seclusion, but there are known to be just over 100 active Master-levels across the galaxy."

"I'm luckier than I thought, then," Erik couldn't help but comment in a strange tone under his breath, something Chen seemed not to notice as he quickly replied.

"You have no idea how much. Master Eldurdóttir is on a different level from the other Master-levels. Although she may not be the most powerful, she is undoubtedly the most talented, and along with Master Silverwood, they are the most likely to ascend to the legendary level."

"Because they're young?" Erik asked curiously. Chen nodded, satisfied, before replying.

"Exactly. Do you know what the youngest record for reaching the Master level was before Master Silverwood?"

"No idea... 6,000 years?"

While pulling out a couple more cookies and sharing them with the wolves, who wagged their tails softly, Erik gave a random answer, causing Chen to laugh heartily. However, he quickly calmed down and continued while wiping the moisture that had accumulated in his eyes from laughing.

"Hahaha, it was 9,000 years, and before that, it was 27,000, but do you know what's the funniest part of the whole thing?"

"That all the records were set in the Arcane Order?" Erik asked, guessing while stroking Kaiser's silky fur.

"So you knew." Chen gave Erik a skeptical look, but Erik responded indifferently as he began to pet Tiberius, who was touching his leg with a paw, evidently jealous.

"No, I just guessed. After all, I recently discovered that a certain master from the Order managed to reach the Master level at 9,000 years old."

Chen nodded in understanding at Erik's response, then commented in a serious tone, though a certain light full of ambition could be seen in his eyes, something the star-haired boy quickly noticed. After all, he had met many young entrepreneurs full of ambition in his long life as a businessman, and Chen now looked very similar.

"That's what makes the Arcane faction terrifying. It's full of talent, and they keep breaking their own records that were once thought impossible, which has led to serious internal disagreements in the other factions, as several powers within them have proposed implementing the same methods as the Order, something many, especially the old ones, are reluctant to do."

"Well, it's a natural and inevitable conflict. Young people generally lack fear of consequences, so they yearn for change, while the old are usually terrified of the unknown and seek to maintain the status quo that they know and control. But what was that about the 18 generals?"

Erik asked while jotting something down in his notebook. What Chen was telling him was worth noting; it not only represented a risk but also an opportunity Erik could potentially exploit depending on the situation.

"Well, the 18 general clans are those directly under the noble clans, characterized by having Arcane levels among their ranks. They have a voice but no vote in faction decisions, although they are free to impose their own rules within the clan, and among them is my Ming clan. Also, it's not uncommon for a general clan to be subordinated to a noble clan," Chen explained in a calm tone, leading Erik to ask with a bit of curiosity.

"Is your family subordinated to another?"

"Well, technically, we are subordinated to the He Family, but it's something that hasn't been enforced for a long time, so we're only their subordinates formally, and in reality, we've been on our own for quite some time." Chen explained while refilling his cup from the teapot, to which Erik asked.

"And is the He family one of those wanting change?"

"Not really, and that's caused a few problems, but since we have more Arcane-levels than they do, and they only have one Master who is in seclusion, there's not much they can do about it," Chen explained with a somewhat confident and proud tone, which made Erik nod and take a few more notes in his notebook before asking.

"And do you know how things work in the other factions?"

"Yes, but don't you think I should get something for giving you all this information?" Chen asked jokingly, without giving it much importance.

"What do you want?" Erik studied Chen a bit while asking, to which the young man casually responded.

"Not much; just help me with the geometric interpretation of runes. I really can't handle it."

"Were you serious?" Erik opened his eyes a little in surprise, which caused a small chuckle from Chen, who then responded.

"Hehe, yes, I'm really bad at it, and you're the best in class. Besides, I need to keep up appearances."

"Okay, I'll help you with that then. Now finish telling me about the other factions." After studying Chen for a moment, Erik agreed, so Chen began to explain with a bit more energy.

"Alright, let's move on to the Boreal League, which works very similarly to our Jade Lotus Union. They also have a ruling family known as the Sigvald House, with their legendary sorceress, Eirnara Sigvaldottir, at the head, and they have eight noble families.

These are: the Bjornsson Family, the Thormund House, the Jarnhjarta House, the Hrafnsson Lineage, the Ulfgar Family, the Skaldheim House, the Falkenrath Lineage, and the Drakengard Family. Also, just like in our Jade Lotus Union, they are the ones with Master-levels among their ranks, with about 15 active ones publicly."

"And do they have anything like the general clans?" Erik nodded at the explanation before asking. Chen shook his head.

"No, that's something exclusive to our Jade Lotus Union. The others don't have the voice-but-no-vote system, as they consider it useless, something I disagree with, but oh well."

"And is it the same in the Meridian faction?"

"It's actually a bit more complex in that faction, since there are two ruling families."

"Do they have two legends among their ranks?" Erik asked, surprised, as he hadn't heard of such a thing, although, to be fair, he hadn't inquired much about it either.

"Actually, no. Like the others, they only have one, but the problem is that in the galaxy, there are five legendary levels, and the fifth comes from the Solaris House. Although, publicly, he's said he has nothing to do with the family, he also hasn't formed any faction and spends his time experimenting on his planet.

Because of that, no one wants to get on the wrong side of a legendary's family, so they have similar respect to the Fulgur dynasty, which is the empire of the current ruler of the Meridian faction and its only legendary level, Aelric Fulgur, making the power struggles in that faction a real mess."

With Chen's explanation, Erik quickly took even more notes in his notebook, realizing that things in the galaxy were much more interesting than he had imagined. Then again, his mind had been filled with magic, alchemy, and artificery, so he hadn't been genuinely interested in the topic. But now that he knew, it was better to study the subject a bit, as it could be useful for his future plans.

After a few more questions from Erik, which Chen answered as best as he could, the star-haired boy quickly wanted to fulfill his end of the deal, so he started an impromptu lesson on the geometric interpretation of runes. Although he didn't consider himself a good teacher, Chen finally seemed to grasp the topic, so Erik considered it a good result.

...

...

...

In an opulent meeting room in a beautiful castle that seemed to have been carved from a giant piece of obsidian, adorned with beautiful gardens and lush forests, there were three mature men who appeared to be in their forties. All gathered around a thick, imposing round table made of black wood, beautifully decorated with intricate details.

In the largest chair, which resembled a throne, sat a man with blond hair and crimson-red eyes, exuding a serious and imposing presence. He had a sleek and elegant physique, dressed in a tailored suit in khaki tones, adorned with patches and emblems over a high-collared shirt and a narrow tie. His belt had a striking buckle that appeared to be a magical circle.

To his right stood a man with black hair, dark eyes, and Asian features, with a slim and agile body. He had a serious and mysterious aura, dressed in a navy-blue Tang jacket adorned with intricate dragon embroidery, paired with straight black trousers that seemed designed for elegance without sacrificing ease of movement.

Lastly, on the left, there was a bald man with blue eyes and a thick, golden beard, giving him a barbaric and powerful appearance. His broad, muscular body was clad in a long, sturdy wool tunic in earthy tones, decorated with runic details and rustic embroidery, making him look elegant yet ready for battle.

"Ragnar, it's been 10 years, and your daughter still hasn't deigned to present herself to my son to formalize the engagement." The man in the center spoke with a powerful voice full of authority, staring directly into the bearded man's eyes.

"I know, and I've already ordered her to present herself immediately, but she's the height of disloyalty. She won't even face me, and since she took on that disciple of hers, her behavior has only gotten worse." Ragnar responded angrily, slamming the table, clearly indignant.

"Hehehe, Ragnar, what a father you are, having such an unfilial daughter." The Asian man commented mockingly as he looked at Ragnar with condescension, which made Ragnar want to start a fight on the spot. However, this was quickly stopped by the blond man, who spoke in a commanding voice.

"We're not here to play games. This is a grave matter. I've kept the new status of my eldest daughter a secret for too long to give you both the opportunity to become leaders in this new faction and strengthen our alliance through marriage. This can't continue."

"Don't drag me into this, William. My daughters have already presented themselves and are willing to marry." The Asian man responded in a serious tone while looking at William in the center, causing Ragnar to snort irritably before commenting.

"Hmph, how can a mere pair of Arcane and Sage compare to my daughter, the greatest genius in the galaxy and the youngest Master-level in history, Li Wei?"

"Precisely why it was decided she would be the official wife, Ragnar, and why we're still stuck in this stalemate after all this time, unable to move forward." William, the blond man, remarked with displeasure as he stared at Ragnar with a piercing gaze.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"I know, and I didn't come empty-handed. I've confirmed that the new disciple is her weak point. If we manage to get him under our control, she'll do whatever we say." Ragnar spoke in a grave tone, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under William's gaze.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that? Are you seriously suggesting that we make enemies of the Arcane Order? Think before you spout such nonsense, Ragnar." Li Wei retorted dismissively, looking at Ragnar with disdain.

"Li Wei is right. That's not even a viable idea. We're already going to have a complicated relationship with the Arcane Order once we take their most talented member. If we dare touch one of their own, they won't hesitate to unleash their full military power on us. And at that point, not even Lord Solaris could save us." William commented in a serious tone while looking at Ragnar with accusing and disappointed eyes.

"Calm down. I have it all planned out. I've already sent a mole to keep an eye on him. The idea is to use the student life-and-death duels. Since my daughter is now at the Zephyria Border, she won't be able to protect him. We just need to arrange a duel with him and send the most talented of the young generation to face him. That way, we can threaten her to meet our demands."

Feeling the sting of the other two men's stares, Ragnar quickly responded with a serious expression, trying to hide his irritation at the obvious disdain he was receiving—all because of that ungrateful wretch.

"That won't work. For starters, life-and-death duels are incredibly rare in the Arcane Order these days. It's been centuries since one was held. Moreover, both parties have to agree to the duel, and in the case of someone under 300 years old, their tutor also has to consent.

So, it's still a stupid idea. You really did come empty-handed, Ragnar. Even if your foolish plan somehow succeeded, all we'd achieve is painting a massive target on ourselves, and without a doubt, the Arcane Order would tear us apart." Li Wei said, looking at Ragnar as if he were an idiot, explaining with an obviously superior, annoyed tone.

"You bastard, Li Wei! Do you think I'm so stupid that I wouldn't know something so basic? What I'm proposing is—" Ragnar, seething with rage, spoke through gritted teeth, but Li Wei cut him off, replying with a sarcastic and aggressive tone.

"Yes, you're stupid. Because doing it privately or using it as an excuse to get him off the planet is absolute stupidity. Do you think Master Eldurdóttir is so foolish as to leave her disciple unprotected? Do you think the Arcane Order is that easy to play with?!"

"IT'S SIGRÚN LEIFSDOTTIR!!"

Ragnar exploded with fury, standing up and slamming the table hard enough to cause a small tremor, ready to start a deadly fight. But at that moment, William unleashed his mana, simultaneously releasing a crazed killing intent, creating great pressure in the room as he spoke in a grave tone filled with authority.

"This is the last time I'll tolerate such an outburst."

At William's words, the two men bowed their heads respectfully, then sat back down in their respective seats in silence, not daring to even look at each other. William nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"Although Ragnar's methodology is indeed unworkable, the idea itself is not without merit. Getting rid of her disciple could create an emotional impact on her strong enough to make her cling to my son if we handle things right."

After a brief pause, William observed the two men beside him, quickly noticing their serious, focused expressions, so he promptly continued.

"Although the boy has no special achievements so far, there's no doubt he must have great talent for Master Sigrún to have taken him on as her first disciple, especially after rejecting so many other extraordinary geniuses.

But even so, I'm sure my son's talents are at least on par, if not superior. Not only does he rival his older sister, who was accepted as a disciple by Lord Solaris, but he's also had access to the best resources from my Blackthorn family and those provided by my eldest daughter since his childhood.

Therefore, if we eliminate him, there's a chance that Master Sigrún might turn her attention to my son to cope with the loss of her disciple. And once she acknowledges his talents, it'll only be a matter of time before my son can forge a connection with her that leads to the expected marriage."

After William's brief speech, Ragnar and Li Wei nodded seriously before starting to discuss the details of the plan and their next steps. After all, with the protection of the fifth legendary-level and the inclusion of the most talented Master in history, forming their own power capable of extending their influence across the galaxy was no longer just a dream.

...

...

...

In an alchemy workshop within Sigrún's mansion, Erik found himself surrounded by piles of ingredients, books, tools, journals, and scrolls, apparently experimenting with different things—boiling ingredients, drawing magical circles and runes all over the place, all while diligently taking notes in his journal.

As Erik seriously examined what was happening in a volumetric flask he had ordered from a specialized workshop some time ago, he suddenly felt his identification card vibrate inside his storage ring. He quickly took it out, causing a holographic call display to appear over it, showing the name "Chen Ming."

Nearly two years had passed since the class with Professor Sunflare, which had only lasted six months. During this time, Erik had been enrolling in various classes on topics like alchemy, artificery, and other interesting subjects such as blacksmithing and the development of artifacts focused on daily life.

But even though they hadn't crossed paths in any other classes, Chen would occasionally seek him out for help with geometry and the calculations required for different tasks, as he was really terrible at those. Now, every time Erik helped him, Chen would give him interesting books and scrolls on Zazen Discipline—nothing too advanced, but still very useful for Erik, since his masters' libraries had a noticeable lack of information on this magical system.

"And what part can't you understand now?" Erik answered the call with a sarcastic tone, which made Chen laugh on the other end, though he quickly adopted a more serious tone.

"Haha, this time it's not that. I'm actually calling to tell you some news that's going to spread like wildfire in the coming days. It's said that the heir of the Blackthorn family is coming back to the university after completing his military service."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Erik rolled his eyes, holding the card in the air with a ghostly hand while continuing to work on his small project. But Chen quickly explained in a serious tone.

"I knew you'd say that, but it really does have a lot to do with you. According to reliable sources, the Blackthorn heir wants to test the skills that made Master Eldurdóttir choose her first disciple. The problem is that the guy is very talented and wealthy, so he has a legion of idiots who will constantly try to challenge you to win his favor."

"Aren't duels supposed to be agreed upon by both parties?" Erik asked, not giving much importance to the matter, clearly more interested in what was happening inside the volumetric flask.

"Yes, both parties have to agree to a duel, but that doesn't stop people from parading around you, trying to get under your skin, so you'll accept. I can assure you that from now on, you won't have a single moment of peace in public spaces. So get ready; it's going to be a real pain in the ass for you," Chen quickly explained, catching Erik's attention.

"Is it possible to cancel the classes I'm enrolled in?" Erik stopped what he was doing, rubbing his chin as he considered the implications.

"Yes, you can, but you have to leave at least one. They won't let you cancel more, and you know that more than two absences will get you kicked out of the class. Although direct disciples like you don't lose their student status, they do have to go through a very annoying disciplinary process where they force you to take ethics and faction history classes. I've heard they're a real nightmare." Chen quickly explained, already used to Erik's lack of interest in certain topics.

"What a pain in the ass. What level is that bastard?" Erik asked, a bit annoyed by the problems falling into his lap just as he was making interesting progress on his project. Chen responded in a grave tone.

"He's a peak Revealed."

"So I can't even kick his ass..."

Erik commented, somewhat frustrated because although his rise in power levels was considered meteoric by his masters, he was only a 4th-rank Ascended, also known as a Skilled Ascended, which put him at an absolute disadvantage against a Revealed. If he was, for example, a conventional explosive warhead, a peak Revealed was an atomic bomb.

"Do I have to go to the tower to cancel the classes?" Erik asked as he stored his notes and organized the workshop, ready to take action before being forced to delay his project.

"Yes, you have to go. Ask at the reception; they'll tell you where you can do it," Chen quickly responded seriously, to which Erik replied in a more serious tone.

"Alright, and thanks for the info. I owe you one."

After ending the call, Erik quickly finished organizing everything and left his workshop, only to find Seraphina seemingly waiting for him at the door with a professional smile on her face.

"Heading out, young master?" Seraphina asked with a slight smile, to which Erik quickly nodded as he hurriedly said goodbye.

"Yes, Seraphina. Something came up, and I need to take care of it as soon as possible."

"Do you need any help, young master?" Seraphina inquired in a polite tone, but Erik shook his head as he exited the mansion.

"No need. Although it's annoying, I know how to handle it. But you could make me some good cookies, hehe."

"Of course, young master. I hope you manage to resolve the issue, and when you return, I'll have a special tea and a nice batch of cookies ready for you." Seraphina replied with a small smile, visibly improving Erik's mood, as he quickly thanked her with a grin.

"Hehe, thanks, Seraphina. I'll be back soon."

"I'll be waiting for your return."

As Erik walked out onto the street, Seraphina bowed respectfully, concealing the sharp look in her eyes that no one could see. She quickly hid it as she straightened up and returned inside the house, where she picked up a beautiful crystal tablet and made a call.

"Investigate the Blackthorn heir," Seraphina ordered in a cold, emotionless tone once the call connected. She then ended the call and headed to the kitchen to prepare a good batch of cookies for her young master.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

On a cobblestone street lined with ancient trees and charming shops, there is a hidden gem: "Café Épure." This café is reserved exclusively for distinguished individuals with a certain status at the university, to the point that merely entering the establishment was an act worth bragging about for those just starting to climb the social ladder.

The beautiful café boasted a polished glass facade, while the interior featured white walls that reflected the warm light of geometric pendant lamps. This harmonized perfectly with the tables and chairs, which seemed to be a blend of natural wood and black metal. They were arranged in a meticulously calculated layout to create a harmonious flow.

In an elegant private room of the café, accessible only to the upper echelon of the order, three young women, appearing to be around 18 years old, were gathered around a sleek rectangular table. They sipped from their cups and conversed with distinguished manners, occasionally letting out small giggles.

"By the way, have you heard the latest news about Master Eldurdóttir's first disciple?" In the midst of the harmonious conversation, a stunning young woman with black hair and blue eyes asked with amusement as she looked at her two companions.

"No, what happened? Although the news that Master Eldurdóttir had taken on her first disciple spread like wildfire, very few people have actually seen him in person. I've heard rumors that he's very handsome." A beautiful, energetic-looking young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, commented showing interest as she looked into her blue-eyed companion's eyes.

"Well, there's actually a photo of him circulating because the heir of the Blackthorn family wants to test his skills, and many have tried to challenge him. But it seems he's a coward who doesn't dare accept a duel. It's a shame because he really is handsome."

As she responded, the black-haired young woman took out a crystal card from her storage ring, which projected a hologram of an elegant-looking, handsome young man with green eyes and starry black hair.

"Wow, he's really handsome," the blonde-haired young woman's eyes sparkled as she looked at Erik's image, but they quickly dimmed as she added with regret, "What a shame that he's actually too cowardly to accept a duel. It's a real pity."

After nodding in agreement with a slightly disappointed expression, the black-haired young woman turned to look at Liliana, who was sitting in her place drinking tea and had not commented since they began discussing Master Eldurdóttir's disciple. She then asked curiously.

"Liliana, do you know him? Your Master is the sworn sister of Master Eldurdóttir, so you should know something."

"I've seen him a couple of times, but I haven't spoken much with him, so I didn't know he was such a coward. I'm surprised too," Liliana responded with a similar expression to her companions, to which the other two young women nodded in understanding.

"I see, it's a shame. Who would have thought that the great first disciple of the incredible Master Eldurdóttir would be such a coward? Maybe Master Eldurdóttir doesn't have a good eye for choosing disciples after all; she rejected the best geniuses in the galaxy and ended up choosing a coward," the black-haired young woman commented with regret as she sipped from her porcelain cup.

"Well, Master Eldurdóttir is still very young; possibly she's lacking experience. But at the same time, it's a revealing experience—being the greatest genius in history doesn't make you good at everything," the blonde-haired young woman also expressed her opinion with some regret that turned into a reflective tone.

"Maybe you're right."

Liliana, for her part, commented softly and calmly, then elegantly resumed sipping her tea as if it had nothing to do with her. But inside, she was absolutely furious. She already knew that Erik was a damn coward, but she never imagined it would reach this point, where he was practically throwing mud on Master Eldurdóttir's face.

But that wasn't the worst of it. The truly bad thing was that if it came to light that her own Master had also accepted him as a disciple, part of that shame would pass on to her and, consequently, to Liliana herself—something she couldn't allow under any circumstances. After all, she didn't want to bear the stigma of being the elder sister of a coward.

Although she managed to maintain appearances, after a brief further conversation with her friends, Liliana made up a random excuse to leave, then headed directly to Master Eldurdóttir's mansion, fuming with rage. There, Seraphina greeted her with a smile and a courteous bow.

"Good afternoon, young Lady Liliana. How may I assist you?" Seraphina spoke in a polite and professional tone as she analyzed the young woman before her, whom she did not particularly like and only tolerated because she was Eleonora's disciple.

"Where is that coward?" Liliana asked in a dark tone while directing a piercing glare at Seraphina, her face red with anger.

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I don't understand what you mean by 'coward.' I truly don't know anyone in the residence who fits that description," Seraphina responded elegantly and respectfully, her expression flat—a look that Liliana could only perceive as mockingly 'confused.'

"I'M TALKING ABOUT ERIK! That coward has refused to accept a duel, and now the entire university is talking about it!" Liliana shouted, her eyes nearly bloodshot as she glared at the annoying woman in front of her.

"Oh, I see, you're referring to young master Erik. Although I strongly disagree with you that he's a coward, and it's best you don't refer to the young master in those terms, Miss Liliana, for your own sake," Seraphina said with a piercing look that chilled the young woman to the bone. But the professional maid quickly resumed her elegant smile and added courteously, "The young master is in the garden; please follow me."

"Hmph," Liliana huffed in annoyance, but fear was evident in her gaze as she silently followed Seraphina with her head bowed.

With a firm and elegant step, worthy of the professional maid that she was, Seraphina led Liliana to the garden. There Erik was playing with two giant wolves, one silver and one black, along with a large serpent with beautiful black scales that was 10 meters long. The creature had powerful limbs ending in three claws, making it resemble a dragon.

"ERIK!!!!"

Seeing the ridiculous scene, the fear Liliana felt vanished instantly, replaced by a rage that soared to its peak, forcing her to shout at the top of her lungs while she stomped toward him.

Hearing the shout, Erik took the Frisbee that Kaiser happily handed him, then turned in Liliana's direction while petting the head of the quasi-dragon serpent. He found the girl glaring at him indignantly, directing all the 'murderous intent' she could muster.

"Hello, Liliana. Why so angry? What do you need from me?" Erik greeted casually, which seemed to infuriate the chocolate-haired girl even more, who couldn't help but scream at the top of her lungs.

"ERIK, YOU DAMN COWARD! YOU'RE DRAGGING YOUR MASTER'S REPUTATION THROUGH THE MUD, AND YOU COULD ALSO TARNISH MY MASTER'S REPUTATION!"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Erik asked, genuinely confused, while the wolves and the quasi-dragon serpent looked at Liliana with confusion, tilting their heads.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN'?! OF COURSE, I'M TALKING ABOUT YOUR COWARDLY ATTITUDE IN REFUSING DUELS!!!!"

Liliana shouted furiously, panting like a bull, utterly exasperated by the useless person in front of her, while Erik and his group looked at her like she was crazy, which only further frayed the nerves of the agitated young woman.

"I don't understand what one thing has to do with the other," Erik commented, genuinely perplexed as he looked at the young woman, who responded angrily.

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT! A COUNTRY BUMPKIN, AFTER ALL! YOU'RE A DAMN DISGRACE TO MASTER ELDURDÓTTIR AND TO MY MAST—"

Liliana's shout was cut off abruptly as she suddenly began to feel terrifying murderous intent accompanied by a suffocating pressure emanating from the wolves, the serpent, and another from behind her. Where Seraphina could be seen elegantly smiling while the air around her seemed to bend on itself, creating a terrifying scene.

"Human girl, this is the last time I allow you to speak to Erik in those terms. Next time, you will pay with your life," Ebonique spoke in a cold, emotionless voice as she glared dangerously at Liliana, who was visibly trembling but dared not move.

"Calm down, Ebonique. Liliana is just a little upset; it's not worth losing your temper." Erik spoke calmly as he petted Ebonique's head, since there was no reason to get worked up over the outbursts of a child. This caused the serpent to lovingly wrap its tail around his waist, while the wolves shrank in size and began rubbing their heads against Erik's body.

"Alright, alright, I'll spoil you guys too. Don't be jealous," Erik said as he used his free hand to pet the wolves' heads while smiling amusedly, causing them to bark excitedly as they wagged their tails vigorously.

"Well, Liliana..."

After a moment, Erik looked back at Liliana and spoke as he made a table and two chairs appear from his storage ring, which he arranged in the garden with the help of his phantom hands. At the same time, he added.

"You'd better sit down and explain to me how refusing to accept duels is damaging my Master's reputation because I don't understand."

As Erik sat down in his chair and gestured to the other, Liliana could only nod robotically before sitting down, clearly terrified. Seeing this, the star-haired boy gave Seraphina a smile.

"Seraphina, could you bring us some tea to calm the nerves, please?" Erik requested in a calm voice as he looked at his reliable and playful maid.

"Of course, young master."

After bowing respectfully, Seraphina smiled cheerfully and left, her hips swaying seductively with great enthusiasm. Erik could only smile wryly and shake his head slightly before turning to Liliana and asking.

"So, how is it that not accepting duels is bad for my Master's reputation?"

Not wanting to lose what little remained of her good image, Liliana took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, then spoke, trying to sound strong and composed.

"It's very simple. Cowards are looked down upon, and if you don't accept a duel, you'll be seen as nothing more than a coward. This, in turn, will reflect poorly on your Master, as it indicates either that she didn't educate you properly or that she doesn't have a good eye for choosing disciples, which is just as bad, if not worse."

As Liliana spoke, Seraphina returned, holding a beautiful porcelain teapot with a lovely design. She poured a cup for Liliana and placed a plate of cookies in front of Erik, who looked at her with delight and gratitude, before eating one with satisfaction.

"I see. I just wanted to avoid something as stupid as a duel to prove my skills because some egocentric idiot wants to see them, but who would have thought humans would still be so idiotic even after conquering the galaxy…"

After finishing his cookie, Erik commented before reflecting a bit, his hand on his chin. A few moments later, he turned his gaze to Seraphina and asked.

"Seraphina, do you think I should accept a duel?"

"Young master, I doubt that would change anything. Even if you win, they'll just keep challenging you over and over, which will waste your valuable time—exactly what you want to avoid." Seraphina responded elegantly and servilely, something with which Liliana couldn't help but agree.

"That's true as well," Erik sighed wearily, then asked casually, "How do people here react to displays of power?"

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"How do people here react to displays of power?"

"Fufu, it works very well, young master. The preferred tactic at the university is to kill the chicken to scare the monkey." Seraphina said with a mischievous smile, her eyes gleaming with interest as she looked at Erik, who nodded in understanding before asking,

"I see. So, where can I announce that I will face anyone at the ascended level, but only one?"

Hearing Erik's question, Seraphina's smile grew wider, filled with delight. Immediately understanding her young master's intentions, she quickly responded, feeling increasingly satisfied with the young man her young lady had brought.

"That's an excellent tactic, young master. It will make them fight among themselves, and you'll demonstrate your power by defeating the strongest one so they leave you alone. Fufufufu, such an insidious plan—I love it. Leave the announcement to me; I'll make sure everything is organized perfectly."

While Seraphina and Erik discussed their plan, Liliana felt incredibly uncomfortable with everything that was happening. Not only had she just experienced death for the first time in her life, but Erik, rather than being afraid of the duels as she had thought, found them merely annoying.

As if that weren't enough, Erik also had that terrifying serpent spirit coiled around his neck, which was very likely a mature spirit. It was not only powerful, but it could even speak. Not to mention, it looked like a dragon. But even more unsettling than the spirit itself was how Erik treated it like a small pet, and the worst part was that the spirit seemed to enjoy that treatment.

At first, due to her anger, Liliana hadn't paid much attention to the impressive serpent and simply began fighting with Erik. But the moment she felt its terrifying killing intent and pressure, she realized she had angered someone she shouldn't have.

This not only frightened her but also surprised her greatly. After calming down a bit, she wanted to gauge Erik's level of strength, only to discover that he was already stronger than she was, leaving her absolutely shocked.

As for Erik, he found himself in a predicament. Under normal circumstances, he would seek advice from his masters on how to handle such a situation. But the problem was that, although communication with his masters had been continuous over the past few years. Talking more than once a day via 'video call,' as Erik liked to call the long-distance magical communication artifact, that had changed about three months ago.

According to Eleonora and Sigrún, they were entering into direct conflict with the Virelian. Due to this, they would not be able to communicate for a while, as it would reveal their location to the enemy, which was not ideal. Therefore, they recommended that Erik trust Seraphina for anything he needed.

...

...

...

In the elegant and imposing meeting room of the Arcane Order, the director sat at the head of the table, accompanied by an elegant man with black hair and tanned skin, who wore the white robes representative of the faction.

"Director, are you sure we shouldn't intervene? Sigrún and Eleonora won't be pleased when they hear about what's happening with their disciple." The man asked with a bit of concern in his voice as he looked at the director, who responded in his calm and wise voice.

"Don't worry, Adrian. It's not like his life is in danger because of this. Besides, it's good for young people to have situations like these from time to time to develop their skills."

"If you say so, Director, but how will we deal with those two when they come running to demand explanations?"

Hearing the typical irresponsible comment from the director, who tried to sound wise, the man touched his forehead as he recalled the past with a bit of 'pain,' adding in a constrained voice.

"I still remember all the resources they swindled from us the last time, when the problem with Sigrún's chief assistant's husband occurred. I really don't want to go through that again anytime soon..."

Hearing his right-hand man's pained words, the director laughed heartily before commenting in a jovial and animated tone, dropping the wise and calm facade from a moment ago.

"Hahahahaha, those girls really are a headache, but don't worry. Understanding the boy's mentality will be worth the cost. Besides, I recently acquired something quite interesting that those two will love, and since I already planned on giving it to them, it'll just be an extra benefit. But more importantly, what do you think of the tactic the boy used to deal with the massive wave of duels?"

"It's most likely Seraphina's doing. Organizing an impromptu tournament to challenge him with a bet of 1,000 intermediate crystals is very much her style." Adrian commented after letting out a sigh, which caused a mischievous smile from the director as he responded.

"Hehehe, while you're right that something like that is very much in Seraphina's style. If it were really her doing, she wouldn't stop at just a 1,000 crystal bet for the final battle. Instead, she would set a higher prize and even charge for participation in the tournament. So, it's more likely that it was the boy's idea."

"Are you sure, Director? The boy isn't even 30 years old. I don't think he could come up with a plan like that." Adrian remarked, somewhat surprised by the director's deductions, who responded in a slightly more serious tone.

"You shouldn't underestimate the boy so much. Have you ever seen a Skilled-Ascended under 30 years old?"

"While it's true that his speed in increasing his power levels is even more terrifying than Sigrún's, that doesn't necessarily translate into a tactical mind, Director." Adrian responded calmly as he looked at the director, who casually replied while gazing out of one of the room's windows.

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that..."

(Seriously, where did Sigrún find that monster?)

The director couldn't help but ask himself as he looked in the direction where Erik was playing with an imposing serpent that looked more like a dragon than anything else.

...

...

...

In the main hall of Sigrún's mansion, Erik was reviewing some notes from his recent research, which was progressing even better than he expected, while Seraphina stood by his side, informing him.

"Well, young master, the challenger's tournament is about to end. The final is today, and your duel will take place in a month. Here is the information on the two finalists."

With her typical elegant and servile manner, Seraphina handed Erik a crystal tablet that projected a holographic screen with information about the two finalists, which the star-haired boy quickly analyzed before commenting,

"Two Peak-Ascended with several centuries behind them? They've really thrown any notion of honor out the window. But well, at least it will be a good demonstration of power."

Not giving much importance to the matter, Erik only glanced at the contenders' information for a moment before returning to his notes, to which Seraphina smiled, somewhat amused, and then commented.

"Fufufu, you're right, young master. They're probably justifying it by saying they're teaching you a lesson for your arrogance or some nonsense like that. But, young master, do the young lady and Master Silverwood know about this?"

"Not really. I haven't been able to contact them for a while, though in our last call, they told me it might take about eight months. So, if things go well, I should be able to inform them shortly before the duel." Erik replied as he stopped reading his notes, feeling that he missed his masters a bit, to which Seraphina commented with a beautiful smile on her face.

"That's good, young master. For now, how about we do some training? I'll serve as your opponent and use the spells and techniques of the two finalists."

"Mmm, that's a good idea. Better safe than sorry, though it would be interesting if the knight wins. I've never seen one fighting; I only read about them." Erik commented with some interest as he got up from his chair, to which Seraphina suggested as she guided her young master to the garden.

"Well, young master, you've never enrolled in a practical or combat class. Maybe you should consider it once this is over."

"You're right, it could be a good idea," Erik nodded in agreement, quickly taking out his planner from his storage ring and jotting it down to keep it in mind for later.

...

...

...

In a beautiful Roman-style house with large concrete pillars decorated with intricate sculptures of all kinds—men, women, dragons, wolves, and more—there was a study with large bookshelves filled with books, floating light orbs, and a beautifully carved wooden desk with a large, sturdy appearance.

Behind the elegant desk sat a young man with blonde hair and crimson eyes, with defined features and possessing great beauty and elegance. He was accompanied by two beautiful women with black hair and dark eyes, both with slender, stylized bodies that still retained their voluptuousness. Which were seated on his lap.

The group was intently watching an elegant mirror adorned with numerous runes carved into its surface, embedded in the wall opposite the desk. Reflected in the mirror was the figure of a man with blonde hair and crimson eyes, who bore a certain resemblance to the young man.

"Father, everything is ready. The duel will take place next month, and he'll be facing a very talented knight seasoned in war, whom I hired some time ago. That boy is already on the chopping block and hasn't even realized it." The young man commented disdainfully, while the two women on his lap let out low, mocking giggles, elegantly covering their mouths with their hands.

"That's a relief, son, but remember, don't overdo it. This is only the first step of the plan and the most important one, so you need to be very careful. Don't underestimate anyone, especially that boy. There's a reason Master Eldurdóttir took him as a disciple, and he could give us an unpleasant surprise."

The man on the other side of the mirror, known as William Blackthorn, spoke with a serious and solemn tone, looking at his proud heir with affection. The young man quickly responded in a proud voice, eager to clear up the 'misunderstanding.'

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Of course, Father, I would never dare underestimate anyone, but there's something you don't know yet, which is the reason for my confidence in this matter. The boy is literally a country bumpkin; most of the time, he has no idea where he's standing.

On top of that, he's extremely arrogant. After the news spread that he was a coward, he set up an improvised tournament to 'select' the person he'd duel with. He even dared to bet 1,000 intermediate mana crystals on the fight, since, according to him, he didn't want to waste his time. The only restriction he put in place for participants was that they had to be at the Ascended-level.

Obviously, I couldn't let such an opportunity pass, so I entered my guy into the tournament. Not only is he a Peak-Ascended, but he also has extensive combat experience, whereas the idiot is just at the adept stage and hasn't even enrolled in a combat class. We could potentially even kill him outright instead of just humiliating him and ruining his reputation, as you asked."

The young man laughed disdainfully while wrapping his arms around the waists of the two women on his lap, which seemed to please them greatly. With evident happiness on their faces, they rested gently against his chest. Meanwhile, William's expression grew even more serious as he commented.

"Alden, your information not only doesn't reassure me, but it actually makes me more worried and cautious. Organizing the improvised tournament was an excellent way to handle the massive wave of duels we had planned, and the bet confirms that the one behind this strategy is none other than Seraphina Ravenspell.

That woman is extremely dangerous, to the point that she's considered Sigrún's most valuable asset, a tactical and military genius like few others. She's also a peak arcane, one even I would have trouble dealing with despite being a Master."

"Why have I never heard that name if she's so amazing, Father?" Upon hearing his father, the young man asked as he straightened up in his chair alongside the two women, all of them looking at William in surprise.

"Because she's insane. That woman doesn't want fame, money, or power. The only thing she wants is to be Sigrún's personal maid, and she never takes credit for the battles she directs or fights in. Moreover, it's well known that she'll make life difficult for anyone who dares to talk too much about her. On one occasion, she even beat Emperor Firestone half to death because he was obsessed with her and wanted to give her credit as a way of courting her.

But that's not the significant part. What truly matters is that if she's at the Arcane University, it can only mean the boy is more important to Sigrún than we anticipated. The whole plan was based on the assumption that she was on the Zephyria Edge, but now things have changed, so it's best to abort the plan and come up with something else."

With a dark expression and a grave tone, William explained as he tried to think of possible ways to carry out the plan. But with that demon dressed as a maid behind the boy, it was, if not impossible, far too complicated—especially if they wanted to appear innocent afterward.

"But Father, everything is already set, and there's less than a month left until the duel. Besides, the man I chose is extremely talented. He's been a mercenary for over two centuries and is a survivor of the Battle of the Argéntea Edge, so he shouldn't have any problem humiliating the boy and completely destroying his reputation. He might even end up paralyzing him."

Feeling angered by his father's sudden change and cowardly attitude, Alden quickly retorted, to which William could only shake his head before responding in a more understanding tone, as if trying to teach his heir the complexities of the galaxy.

"Believe me, son, you don't know the terror that woman inspires. She's not called a tactical genius for nothing, and it's very likely that she already knows our intentions. It's even possible she's aware of a good part of the plan, which means it's impossible to play the role of the 'innocent and repentant culprit' we initially planned.

Moreover, that woman is extremely insidious, so if she's allowing the boy to participate in a duel with your man, it can only be because she's completely sure he can crush the opponent and tear our plan to shreds. It's best if you get rid of your man quickly to prevent her from gathering evidence against us."

"Alright, Father, I'll do that." Hearing his father sound so pathetic, Alden could only respond in a serious tone, trying to hide the disdain and shame he felt at being the son of someone like that.

"Good. I'm very proud of your cautious and intelligent attitude, worthy of being my heir." William commented with a hint of pride and affection in his voice as he looked at his son with approval. But shortly after, he added in a more serious tone.

"Though, don't forget to be extremely cautious from now on. That woman will have her eye on you, and she won't let you go easily if she gets solid evidence against you, so keep a low profile for a while."

"Yes, Father, I will." Alden nodded seriously at his father's words, which made the man nod in satisfaction before bidding farewell with a smile.

"Alright, I'll contact you as soon as we have a new plan."

After their farewell, William's figure disappeared from the mirror, which once again reflected Alden. The two women on his lap had shock written all over their faces, still struggling to process what they had just heard.

"Husband, should I contact the mercenary?" Soon after, the beautiful woman on his right spoke in a servile and affectionate voice as she looked at Alden, who responded with a small smile on his face.

"Yes, Yue, contact him and tell him there's been a change of plans. Now, the goal is to kill that bastard."

Alden's words surprised the woman on his right a little, and she couldn't help but ask while covering her mouth elegantly with her hands, a mannerism befitting a young lady of her status and education.

"Are you going to disobey the father-in-law, husband?"

"Yes, Jia, my old man has become a coward over the years. This is an opportunity that won't come around again for a long time. Besides..."

Alden replied while looking at his wife, but midway through his words, his expression transformed into one filled with anger and ill intentions, as he added in a dark tone, laden with hatred, jealousy, and vengeance.

"I've heard rumors that bastard and Sigrún are very close, to the point where she treats him with far too much affection in public, and that's something I cannot allow. She is my rightful wife, and I am the only one worthy of that treatment. Therefore, that bastard has to die at any cost."

Upon hearing Alden's words, the expressions of the two beautiful women shifted to ones filled with love and desire. They then embraced their man tightly and whispered in his ears with seductive voices.

"Husband, would you do the same for Yue/Jia?"

"Of course, you are my wives and will be mine for all eternity. I'd kill anyone who dared to overstep with either of you." Alden smiled gracefully and grabbed the women's large, round backsides as he declared with arrogance and authority.

Hearing their 'husband's' words, the women's eyes filled with love, obsession, and endless desire. Without another word, they began kissing Alden passionately, to which he eagerly responded. But just as they were about to remove their beautiful robes, Alden stopped them.

"Wait a moment."

"What's the matter, husband?" Jia asked, a little dazed, as she looked at Alden with clouded eyes, filled with deep desire. He quickly replied.

"First, I need to talk to my sister. Even though the old man has become a coward over the years, thoroughly ignoring his words would be foolish. So, I want to ask for reinforcements to ensure the success of the mission."

Though slightly annoyed, the pair of beautiful women understood the necessity. After a passionate kiss, they adjusted their clothing while summoning two beautiful, identical chairs from their storage rings. The chairs, carved from white wood with a magical, mysterious appearance, were placed on either side of Alden's, and the women took one last look at themselves before speaking.

"We're ready, husband."

In a serious and much calmer voice, Yue informed him as she settled into her seat, prompting Alden to quickly call his sister through the same mirror. After a moment, a reflection appeared of a beautiful, elegant woman with blonde hair and crimson eyes, dressed in a tight, black gown that made her look very seductive.

"My little Alden, what a surprise! Did something happen?" The woman on the other side of the mirror asked, with a mix of surprise and affection, as she looked at her younger brother.

"Hello, sister, how's everything?" Alden asked with a big smile, not getting straight to the point, as he knew his sister well and understood how to approach her to get what he wanted.

"Fine, a bit busy with the tasks my master left me, but nothing out of the ordinary. And how have you been?"

The woman in the mirror smiled warmly and began speaking with enthusiasm to her little brother, who responded with a smile that seemed to be trying to conceal pain and sorrow.

"I'm glad you're doing well, sister. As for me, I've had a couple of problems lately, but nothing to worry you about."

"What do you mean? Does someone have the nerve to bother my little Alden?"

Upon hearing her brother and seeing his expression, the seductive woman's face shifted from a broad smile to one filled with anger. She spoke in a chilling voice, loaded with murderous intent.

"Something like that, sister. There's a bastard who showed up out of nowhere and has been trying to get too close to my wife. The problem is, there's a very powerful Peak-Arcane protecting him, and I'm a bit tied up. On top of that, I've heard he's an important asset of the Arcane Order, so I can't move easily. It's been a bit tough for me lately."

Holding back the smug smile he wanted to flash for steering the conversation as he intended, Alden replied, putting on a slightly defeated expression and shaking his head, which only fueled the indignation of the woman in the mirror.

"What a slippery son of a bitch!" the woman spat angrily, her eyes practically bloodshot. But she quickly seemed to calm herself, and after taking a deep breath, she added in a cold and calm voice—one somehow even more terrifying than before.

"Don't worry, my little Alden. Your sister will take care of that bastard for you. Just give me his name, and I'll hunt him down."

Hearing his sister's offer, Alden could barely contain the smile creeping onto his face, but he managed to keep a pitiful expression as he shook his head and responded in a sad, defeated tone.

"It's not that easy, sister. The guy is the first disciple of Master Sigrún, and apparently, a certain 'Seraphina Ravenspell' is protecting him. Even Father told me to leave it alone and not do anything."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"THAT COWARDLY OLD MAN, HOW DARE HE LEAVE MY LITTLE ALDEN WITH THIS OUTRAGE!!!"

Upon hearing her beloved little brother's sorrowful words, the woman burst into a fit of anger and indignation, shouting aloud, her murderous intentions seemingly causing the world around her to tremble violently. However, she quickly calmed herself, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Don't worry, my little Alden. Your sister will take care of this. Although it's true that Seraphina is a tough nut to crack, and it's not easy to mess with the Arcane Order, it's not like nothing can be done. It'll just be costly and complicated, but allow me a year to organize everything. For now, if you'd like, you can take a mission from the university and leave the planet, we'll come back to settle the score later."

"Sister, actually, I originally wanted to take care of that bastard by using a duel. I hired a mercenary to get rid of him, and everything was going well. I even managed to set the duel for next month. But when Father found out, he forbade me from doing anything and told me I had to endure the humiliation because that 'Seraphina' was protecting the bastard."

Upon hearing his sister's response, Alden panicked a little but quickly regained his composure and commented, his voice sad and disappointed. Meanwhile, the women by his side felt increasingly uncomfortable seeing their "husband" behave in such a way. Although they had seen it a few times, it was still hard for them to accept this kind of demeanor.

"Mmm, that's a bit complicated, my little Alden. Seraphina is not someone easy to deal with, and the Arcane Order is even less so. In less than a month, it's practically impossible to do anything that could catch her by surprise, not to mention the Order..."

The woman brought her hand to her jaw as she spoke, thinking at the same time. But when she noticed her brother's expression becoming sadder, melancholic, and defeated the more she talked, her heart clenched with pain. She threw caution to the wind and declared loudly.

"Don't worry, your sister will take care of it!!!"

"Thank you so much, sister; I knew I could count on you!!!" Alden jumped with joy, looking at his sister with gratitude, which melted the heart of the beautiful woman reflected in the mirror, who quickly replied lovingly.

"Of course, my little Alden. Your sister will always be here for you. Leave it all to me..."

...

...

...

Around a public square with a beautiful platform at its center, made of intricately carved marble slabs glowing softly with runes, a large crowd had gathered, nearly blocking any passage through. Several bleachers and preferential seating areas could be seen throughout the square, offering prime views of the event about to unfold.

At the center of the platform stood two young men in stark contrast to one another. One had an elegant and refined bearing, wearing a white, sporty-looking robe embroidered with gold and silver threads and adorned with an emblem on the left side of his chest. The design allowed for great freedom of movement.

This young man possessed a breathtaking beauty, with jet-black hair speckled with what appeared to be stars and galaxies, giving the impression that a piece of the starry sky adorned his head. His fair, porcelain-like skin highlighted his mesmerizing green eyes, which resembled a calm, tranquil sea of emeralds.

In contrast, the other young man wore a set of leather armor over black clothing, giving him a heroic and battle-ready appearance. His brown hair, dark eyes, and healthy bronzed skin harmonized perfectly, making him look striking. Though his face was unremarkable, he exuded a confident and rebellious aura that attracted several women in the crowd.

A little later, a man with black hair and gray eyes, appearing to be in his 30s, stepped onto the platform. He wore the typical white robe of the university, and as he stood on the edge of the platform, he spoke in a calm and measured tone. Somehow, his voice reached the ears of everyone present.

"Today, the official duel between the direct disciple Erik and the student Percival will take place."

Upon hearing the man, all the spectators exclaimed with excitement as the two young men on the platform moved to opposite ends. At that moment, the man continued.

"I, Gareth Everglow, will be the judge of this match. The rules will be as usual: no lethal attacks are allowed, and the duel will be stopped when one of the contestants runs out of mana, sustains a serious injury, or surrenders. Any questions?"

Gareth looked at the two young men on the platform, who quickly shook their heads, prompting him to nod in satisfaction before continuing.

"Perfect, then let the duel begin!"

After Gareth's words, an imposing black spear appeared in Percival's hands, seemingly made entirely of metal, with several runes engraved on its surface that glowed softly. At the same time, the young warrior took his battle stance.

Meanwhile, two beautiful golden-bladed machetes appeared in Erik's hands. Although they seemed finely crafted, unlike the spear, they had no engraved runes, making them appear not only like ordinary tools but also far inferior to Percival's spear.

"Isn't it a bit sad for the great first disciple of Master Eldurdóttir to have such poor-quality machetes? They're not even magical artifacts. Maybe your master doesn't value you much? Or could it be she can't afford anything better?"

Seeing Erik's machetes, Percival couldn't help but mock him derisively. However, the young man with starry hair only smiled gently and spoke in a calm, measured tone, which somehow gave the impression of a debate between a scholar and a soldier.

"And I'm supposed to be the country bumpkin? This is called humility, and it's to let you show what you've got. If I went all out from the start, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Hearing Erik's words, Percival's expression visibly twisted, and he shouted angrily with murderous intent.

"You'll regret this, you bastard!"

With a powerful stomp, Percival shot towards Erik with his spear raised, almost instantly arriving in front of him and launching a powerful thrust. Erik managed to deflect it with one of his machetes without much difficulty, standing firm in place.

Erik's deflection seemed to anger Percival, who began delivering a series of rapid strikes. The starry-haired boy responded in kind, starting a furious exchange of blows at great speed. While dodging and blocking, both studied their opponent.

Outside the platform, the crowd roared with excitement as they watched the thrilling exchange. Meanwhile, Seraphina, who was near the dueling platform in a cordoned-off area, made a few subtle gestures to what seemed to be mansion workers, who quickly and discreetly left the area.

...

In one of the bleachers around the platform, there was an exclusive section where Alden sat, accompanied by his two wives seated on either side of him. Several young men dressed in university robes surrounded him like a small entourage.

"Sir Blackthorn, what do you think of the boy's skills?" one of the young men, with brown hair and lavender-colored eyes, asked respectfully, to which Alden replied with little interest.

"I don't see anything extraordinary for now, though it is a bit surprising that he chose to engage in close combat against a knight."

"Hahaha, maybe he still doesn't know how a mage is supposed to fight," another young man with black hair and a chubby body commented disdainfully, his eyes filled with sarcasm as he watched the fight on the platform.

Not far from there was a section that could only be described as VIP, separated from the rest by beautiful ornamental fences. These guarded what appeared to be a large tent in the center. Although it seemed to be made of some type of fabric, it looked incredibly sturdy, not even fluttering in the wind, resembling an immovable fortress.

Inside the tent was a spacious, well-decorated area with beautiful tables and chairs, almost like a café or a social lounge, where several students were seated, served by elegant waiters dressed in the typical black uniform of the university staff.

At a particularly special table sat three beautiful young ladies, one with black hair, another with blonde hair, and the last with brown hair. They were all sipping tea from intricately designed porcelain cups while watching the fight on the platform, as the view from inside the tent allowed them to see the outside as if the fences and the tent didn't exist.

"He's really handsome and monstrously talented too... Is he really only 25 years old?"

With a dreamy look and her pupils almost turning into hearts. The black-haired, blue-eyed young woman commented as she gazed at the starry-haired boy, who seemed to handle his opponent with ease, even though the opponent was not only stronger but also older and more experienced.

"Yes... he truly is an impressive genius, definitely worthy of being Master Eldurdóttir's disciple." The usual energetic attitude of the blonde girl was nowhere to be seen as she spoke, almost hypnotized, watching the fight.

"Please, stop exaggerating. It's just starting, and the knight is barely testing him. It's not that big of a deal." Liliana couldn't help but softly interject, occasionally glancing at the fight, though it was clear she was far more focused on her tea than anything else.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Come on, Liliana, you know that knight is a Peak-Ascended, which makes him at least four times stronger and probably over 300 years old. Being able to match him in hand-to-hand combat is an impressive achievement," the blonde woman replied, glancing at Liliana, who responded indifferently.

"Please, Elara, this is just getting started, and you're all already making a fuss. It's not that big of a deal."

"It's not just us. Look around; everyone is amazed by Disciple Erik's skills." The dark-haired woman chimed in, prompting the other two women to look around and see faces full of surprise or even infatuation everywhere.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're overreacting just because he's a bit handsome. Also, Zoe, since when do you call him Disciple Erik?"

"Well, he's the first disciple of Master Eldurdóttir, so it's necessary to show him the proper respect." Zoe replied with a soft smile, her tone calm and elegant in response to Liliana's words.

"Hmph, you two are just smitten. You'll see it's not that big of a deal. Besides, where did all that disdain go when you were calling him a coward?" Liliana retorted irritably, watching the fight more closely to see what all the fuss was about.

"Well, while it's true I got carried away by first impressions and spoke out of turn, it's also well known that wise people correct themselves. Disciple Erik has shown he's not a coward in the slightest. Not only does my attitude need to change, but a direct apology is also important. So, if you could introduce us, I'd appreciate it."

Zoe spoke elegantly as she sipped her tea, her gaze fixed on the young man with starry hair fighting with incomparable grace, making Elara, who was in a similar position, nod in agreement.

"That's a good point. It would really be nice if you could introduce us, Liliana, so we can apologize properly."

"Hmph, as if I have time to waste on such things. If you want to meet him, do it yourselves; I'm not getting involved in those silly matters." Hearing her friends' words, Liliana could only huff in annoyance, bringing smiles to the two women, who couldn't help but speak in unison.

""Stingy.""

...

In the center of the platform, the intense exchange of blows, which had only resulted in minor scratches on Percival's leather armor, paused as the young knight took a step back, then mockingly commented with disdain.

"You're pretty decent for a privileged kid."

"Privileged?" Hearing the curious term, Erik couldn't help but ask, confused, as he looked at Percival, who had a scornful smile.

"What else could you be? Enjoying since childhood the fruits of countless people's sacrifices, like me, who struggle every day to survive, while you privileged ones take the best for yourselves."

Hearing the young man's words, Erik's eyes widened slightly, genuinely surprised to hear such a speech in his new life. This inevitably led him to ask, part curious and part disdainful.

"Let me guess, do you find the arcane order system terribly unfair and want to change it to distribute resources equally or something like that?"

"Hahahahahaha."

Upon hearing the question, Percival couldn't help but laugh loudly, genuinely pleased, before adding in a serious tone, as if he were discussing a matter of great importance.

"It seems you're not so dumb. You're right, that's exactly what should happen. We're all human, and it's terribly unfair that only a few have all the resources while real talent is lost because they can't level up as fast as you privileged ones."

As the nearby spectators heard the brief argument between the opponents on the platform, their gazes couldn't help but change slightly, especially toward Percival. Some looked at him with disdain, others with confusion, and a few even seemed to sink into thought, something that pleased the mercenary deeply, as he began to smile arrogantly.

For his part, Erik, confirming his suspicions, could only sigh softly while shaking his head, genuinely disappointed that even in a new life, with magic and intergalactic travel, he couldn't escape encountering people like that.

"The human struggle to try to live off others really has no end…" Erik remarked, his tone full of disappointment and disdain, which immediately enraged Percival, who quickly retorted loudly.

"Hmph, only a privileged person would say something like that. It's not about living off others; it's justice!"

"Well, super genius, enlighten me then. How do you plan to distribute limited resources among an ever-growing population?" Erik asked, looking at the fool in front of him with disdain. Percival proudly responded right away.

"Hehehe, of course, the truly talented will receive a special allocation that allows them to level up quickly, so they can then secure better resources for everyone."

"And let me guess, you're one of those 'truly talented' ones?" Erik asked, full of contempt, already knowing the answer to his question.

"Of course! I've fought on countless battlefronts and returned undefeated!" Percival declared loudly and with great pride, to which Erik could only sigh tiredly before adding.

"And you dare say you don't want to live off others? You're nothing more than a jealous thief who wants to steal from others to improve your own life, hiding behind cheap rhetoric of 'justice' and 'equality' to try to boost your image. You're trying to fool the naive and gather rats like yourself for support.

If the arcane order system is so unjust, why do legions of people flee from other factions to join it? Because they flee from that so-called 'equality' you crave. In the other factions, they have the very 'equality' you dream of—80% of the population is trapped in poverty, living practically with chains around their necks.

What makes the arcane order so successful is that it offers the only two things needed for prosperity: equality before the law and freedom. This is what deeply bothers envious rats like you because it makes it harder for you to steal on a massive scale. And let me tell you something: that mindset you proudly flaunt is something only the mediocre and cowardly would seek. True warriors only seek freedom; it's the only thing we need to achieve our dreams or die trying."

Erik's words seemed to awaken the crowd of spectators who had been reflecting on Percival's statements. They began to cheer loudly in support of Erik, as, after all, it was true, and many of them were living proof. They were real warriors who had changed their destinies.

The most appealing aspect of the Arcane Order to the world was the incredible freedom it offered its members, along with, of course, its legal system. This has proven to bring great prosperity and unlimited opportunities for those willing to work for it.

Many of the people present had fled from other parts of the galaxy with nothing, hoping for a better future, and the arcane order did not disappoint. Not only was there more than enough work, but most people found jobs on their first day, with wages that would have been impossible back home.

Additionally, if they worked hard enough, they could even enroll in the arcane university, the most important in the galaxy, and change their lives forever. Even though not everyone succeeded, the arcane order also had other universities, which, while not as prestigious, were still infinitely better than what other factions had to offer.

"You son of a bitch, you're just a privileged bastard defending your privileges!"

Realizing that his little plot to confuse his opponent had not only failed but left him humiliated, with everyone around looking at him like he was trash, Percival screamed furiously as he charged toward Erik at blinding speed. A geometric magic circle appeared on the tip of his spear.

For his part, Erik calmly observed the situation, noting that the magic circle was much smaller and 'simpler'—nothing like what he was used to—making a mental note to investigate it further later.

When the small magic circle disappeared, the tip of Percival's spear became engulfed in powerful orange flames, leaving a brilliant, beautiful trail in its wake. At the same time, not only did the spear become more dangerous, but Percival's appearance also became much more 'heroic' and appealing to the spectators.

At that very moment, as the fire appeared, several runes formed in the air around Erik, and soon after, he was entirely surrounded by black lightning. This caused his starry hair to rise, making him appear almost like a lightning god, an image that awed the audience and filled them with excitement, completely overshadowing Percival's little display.

Without waiting a second longer, the two opponents charged at each other with great speed, meeting almost in the center of the platform. But something had changed—Erik was now much faster than his opponent, and his movements had evolved from simple and basic to a rapid, aggressive flurry of blows, precisely targeting his opponent's weak and vital points.

Despite the rage consuming him, Percival demonstrated his extensive battlefield experience, keeping a clear mind. This allowed him to recognize the disadvantageous position he was in and act accordingly.

In response, Percival shifted his stance into a defensive mode, enabling him to block Erik's attacks with minimal movement while delivering several counterattacks that grazed the star-haired young man. These counterattacks left trails of fire that resembled serpents.

The exchange of attack and defense continued for a while until Percival abruptly changed the fight's rhythm, sending Erik flying back with a clash of their weapons. He then raised his spear, where another magic circle appeared at its tip—this time, a bit more complex, though still not overly so.

Moments later, Percival swung his spear downward with force, unleashing a powerful blaze that caught Erik by surprise. Erik quickly reacted, forming a beautiful and intricate geometric magic circle in front of him, conjuring a barrier of solidified Myst to shield him from the attack.

"That was close, hahaha," Erik commented with amusement as the attack faded. He was starting to really enjoy the thrill of combat.

"You son of a bitch!!!"

Furious, Percival charged toward Erik again, a new magic circle forming at the tip of his spear. Erik merely smiled softly and dismissed his barrier, while another, even more intricate magic circle appeared above him. From it, multiple crystal-like arrows materialized and shot toward Percival from different directions at high speed.

...

...

...

"Impressive..."

In the meeting room of the arcane order, several individuals gathered around the conference table, watching a hologram that displayed the battle between Erik and Percival in real-time.

"Is that solidified Myst? How is he able to control it so freely?" A man with long silver hair asked, somewhat surprised as he observed the scene. Another man, with short black hair, chimed in.

"Sigrún and Eleonora have taught him well. He's excellent at switching between magical systems, though eventually, he'll have to commit to one. The way he leverages the strengths of each system is quite fascinating."

"Indeed, but what impresses me the most is that he has a contract with a mature spirit at his age." A stunning woman with radiant ebony skin and long, intricately braided silver hair remarked with interest, drawing the attention of several others present.

"That black lightning is really from a spirit, Ngozi?" A tan-skinned man with brown hair asked curiously, looking at the woman, who nodded calmly.

"Yes, it's a spirit, and most likely a mature one. I had already been wondering for some time where Eleonora got the contracted spirit she now has, but for the boy to have one as well leaves no doubt that they know something we don't. Should we inquire about it, Director?" Ngozi turned her gaze toward the director, seated at the head of the table, watching the hologram with interest.

"It would be good to know how they accomplished it, but first, we need to prepare a tempting reward for them to be willing to share the information. Let's wait a while before asking, though, because if we do it now, they'll demand something ridiculous for letting their disciple engage in a duel without their consent."

"The director is right. Those women will give us a headache in the near future." Adrian, seated beside the director, remarked wearily, prompting everyone present to sigh. However, the moment of melancholy was abruptly cut short when the director commented.

"But that boy Erik most likely has a super rare affinity that allows him to manipulate solidified Myst with such ease. The problem, though, is that he's using up too much mana for elemental spells—he's consuming about twice the amount of mana a person with affinity would, and that's even with using the most efficient runes for it."

"If that's the case, the boy is going to have a tough future ahead. What a shame..." Ngozi murmured softly, with a hint of regret, but then the director said something that surprised everyone.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"If that's the case, the boy is going to have a tough future ahead. What a shame..." Ngozi murmured softly, with a hint of regret, but then the director said something that surprised everyone.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. While it's true that he's using more mana, he's following a path similar to that of a certain Master that everyone knows, and let me tell you, she started using at least twice as much mana as the boy when she began as a mage."

Upon hearing the director's words, everyone present couldn't help but look at him in surprise. After all, they knew of that woman and how powerful she was, to the point that she could face a couple of them at the same time and come out unscathed. This led a man with short black hair to ask, filled with curiosity.

"Is it possible that the boy could surpass that woman, Director?"

At the question, the director nodded seriously as he looked at the young man on the holographic screen, who moved with incredible grace and skill. It was hard to believe that he was being raised by two mages and not a knight.

"It's a possibility. After all, he has a better starting point than she did, and someone has already walked that path, which is an advantage she didn't have at the time. Moreover, his incredible talent is evident, which is undoubtedly even more terrifying than Sigrún's." The director turned his gaze towards Adrian and continued in a more serious tone. "Adrian, arrange a meeting with that woman. It's time to bring her to our side."

Upon hearing the director's order, the Masters present couldn't help but glance at each other in disbelief. Bringing that woman into the order would not be easy—not only because of the difficulty of convincing her, but it would also stir up waves across the galaxy, which led Ngozi to comment, full of doubt.

"Director, is it really necessary? While it's true that his power level is impressive for his age, even surpassing Sigrún at that age, his achievements are still not at the level of what Sigrún accomplished in her time. The fact that he does not have an elemental affinity limits him greatly. Besides, the cost of bringing that woman will undoubtedly be difficult to pay."

"Your doubts are understandable, Ngozi, but there's more you don't know. The boy arrived here as an Advanced-Apprentice at just 15 years old and had already mastered communion with the Myst, all without even knowing what a spell was. He came from an underdeveloped planet and reached that level on his own, on a deserted island, without a single resource or proper tutor."

With a solemn expression, Adrian responded in place of the director, revealing shocking information that caused everyone present to gasp in surprise, inevitably leading them to look at the star-haired boy in the hologram in a new light.

"Damn monster..."

The silver-haired man couldn't help but gasp, revealing his astonishment, something the others could only silently nod in agreement with as Ngozi added, still surprised.

"If it's as you say, then it's really worth the effort. This boy could be a force capable of surpassing Sigrún..."

…

…

…

The battle on the platform, more than a fight, seemed more like a choreographed dance of fire, black lightning, and all kinds of 'crystal' constructs—arrows, spears, halberds, and even knives and swords. Many of these ended up flying out of the combat zone, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier surrounding the area, mesmerizing the spectators with the incredible spectacle.

Meanwhile, the two opponents moved back and forth across the platform, clashing at high speed, especially Erik, whose speed increased as time passed, along with his precision and skill. Combined with the solidified Myst constructs attacking from all directions, he cornered Percival to the point where his defeat was clearly imminent.

Barely dodging a slash from Erik's right machete, Percival grinned wickedly as a small cut appeared on his cheek. Immediately after, he slammed the base of his spear against the ground. A magic circle formed at the tip, causing a sea of flames to surround him, forcing Erik to leap back.

In the midst of the fire, Percival's spear suddenly changed color, leaving behind its jet-black hue and transforming into a deep crimson, as if it were shedding its 'skin'. Meanwhile, the runes on the platform glowed brightly with a sinister dark color, strengthening the barrier, while black chains materialized out of nowhere, immobilizing the referee.

Amid the commotion and as several powerful presences rose, Percival shot out from the sea of flames to intercept Erik, who was still in the air. Percival moved at a speed far superior to what one could achieve at the Ascended level, directly entering the Revealed level, greatly surprising the spectators who could keep up with such speed.

Filled with murderous intent, Percival sent a powerful strike in Erik's direction, cutting through his machetes as if they were butter, the blade reaching the boy's neck at terrifying speed while a smug grin distorted Percival's face.

For his part, Erik, instead of showing fear or anything of the sort, simply observed the situation with extreme calm, as if time around him had slowed down, allowing him to notice several strange things and quickly analyze the situation, forming a plan in his mind for what was to come.

With a single thought, Erik created a small platform of solidified Myst near his foot, allowing him to push off and change direction mid-movement, spinning with fluid and ethereal motions. At the same time, two beautiful silver machetes, adorned with intricate runes, appeared in his hands.

Moments later, Erik landed softly on the ground without a single scratch, while Percival was still flying through the air. At that moment, the barrier around the platform cracked, and several humanoid figures appeared in the sky, descending as the spectators felt a horrifying pressure weighing down on them.

But just before the barrier shattered completely, the chains around the referee disintegrated like shards of glass. At the same time, the referee shouted madly as he conjured an intricate magic circle from which a powerful beam of light shot toward Erik.

"DIE!!!"

With the referee's scream, the barrier broke like glass, releasing a sharp cracking sound and a powerful gust of wind. Moments later, when the light from the referee's attack dissipated, it revealed a shocking scene on the platform.

On the ground lay the headless body of Percival, surrounded by a large pool of blood, while the referee still stood in his place, but now two beautiful silver machetes, engraved with countless runes, protruded from his chest. They were held by Erik, who stood behind the referee, accompanied by his wolves, and Ebonique, who surrounded him protectively.

By the time the spectators were able to process everything that had just happened, the five people who had been in the meeting room moments earlier were now on the platform. Outside the platform, the figure of Seraphina could be seen, shrouded in thick darkness that obscured her form, making her appear more like a humanoid shadow than anything else.

With clear disdain, Seraphina held the unconscious Alden, Yue, and Jia by their necks with what appeared to be tendrils made of the same darkness that surrounded her. Around her, different individuals in the uniforms of Sigrún's mansion workers could be seen, subduing several men and women of various ages, their expressions ranging from disbelief to fear, and ending in tragic acceptance.

"All are under arrest for charges of conspiracy against the faction, attempted murder, and terrorism. Take them away."

Adrian spoke in a commanding voice as several individuals dressed in futuristic armor engraved with various runes descended from the sky. They swiftly took custody of the people being restrained by the mansion workers and the three youths held by Seraphina.

After the guards apprehended the suspects, Adrian gave the judge a cold glare. Despite his appearance, with machetes protruding from his body, he was still alive and unharmed. It was, in fact, the enchantment on the machetes that kept him immobilized, unable to do anything.

"As for you, Gareth Everglow, you are under arrest for high treason, terrorism, conspiracy, and attempted murder."

Without another word, Adrian rose into the air, followed closely by the other four Masters, with Gareth floating alongside them. At the same time, Erik's machetes flew back into his hands, which he calmly stored in his storage ring.

Shortly after, Seraphina approached Erik, and the darkness surrounding her spread across the ground, enveloping them all in a sphere. Then they vanished from the scene, leaving the spectators filled with doubt and shock at the inconceivable resolution of the duel.

In a matter of seconds, what had been an exciting duel where Master Eldurdóttir's first disciple was showcasing his exceptional talent to the world turned into a full-blown assassination attempt, ending with a mass arrest by the faction. On the ground still lay Percival's headless body, an arrogant smile still frozen on his face, with his crimson spear broken in two beside him.

Not long after, more guards in futuristic armor landed at the scene and began guiding all the spectators out while cordoning off the section around Percival's body. Everyone present felt a slight pressure on their chests, a clear indication that this had been nothing more than a deadly game of cat and mouse—where one believed they were the hunter, only to be hunted seconds later.

But what left the strongest impression on the spectators was Erik himself—his calm and serene expression as he executed Percival, then dodged an attack that could have killed most of the onlookers, and, even more astonishingly, managed to incapacitate a Sage, all within mere seconds.

(Damn monster...)

That was the thought shared by everyone as they left the area, especially Liliana, who couldn't help but glance back at the spot where Erik had disappeared. Her expression was conflicted, unsure of what to think about everything that had happened and how the star-haired boy had handled the entire situation.

In contrast, Elara and Zoe walked out with complex expressions, a mixture of admiration and intrigue toward the striking boy with the starry hair, though a slight discomfort lingered in their hearts. After all, the Arcane University had once again witnessed a murder on its grounds—something that hadn't happened in who knows how long—an event that would undoubtedly send ripples across the galaxy.

Similarly, many of those present, including some of the guards, couldn't help but mentally send their condolences to the fools who dared to anger the court, known for showing no mercy or compassion to anyone. The court would impose the harshest punishment allowed and use them as an example of what happens when some idiot dares to break the law and disrupt order.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

In the middle of the main hall of Sigrún's mansion, Erik could be seen sitting at the head table, accompanied by his wolves. They lay on either side of his chair, each over a meter tall, while Ebonique, measuring just over 30 cm, rested on the boy's head.

With a calm and casual attitude, Erik reviewed notes in his planner while eating cookies and sipping tea, as if just moments ago he hadn't faced an assassination attempt, much less killed someone in cold blood.

"Are you sure you don't need to talk about what happened, young master?"

A worried Seraphina sat near Erik, placing a beautiful porcelain teapot with gold decorations on the table. Despite everything going according to plan—even with the addition of several last-minute complications and the betrayal of the judge—Seraphina was a bit anxious about how Erik would react to the situation. However, the outcome was very unexpected for her.

From the start, the whole duel situation made Seraphina suspect that something else was happening behind the scenes. After a bit of espionage and investigation, she connected the dots and uncovered the entire plot, which she thought was quite foolish. Even without her at the university, it would never have worked.

The original plot, though it might have worked with a lot of luck on a regular disciple, was doomed to fail against her young master. After all, the 'great plan' those fools had devised was to humiliate him, break his image, and destroy his mentality, making him more easily manipulated. They believed this would create a need in him to prove his worth, something they could exploit to get rid of him more easily.

But her young master wasn't just anyone. He was a super-genius, at least comparable to her young lady, if not superior. This meant that in a one-on-one battle, he was unbeatable by anyone at the Ascended level, making it impossible to humiliate him. Moreover, unlike other young men, he wasn't so easily manipulated, rendering the rest of their 'great plan' impractical.

Even more inconceivable was the sudden shift to try to assassinate him at the university—something no one in their right mind would have considered. Even in the most unlikely scenario where it succeeded, there wasn't a single being in the galaxy who could protect the culprits from the retaliation of the Arcane Order.

Not to mention that Eleonora and Sigrún loved Erik more than anyone could imagine, to the point that they had spent obscene amounts of resources—so much that a similar expense would bankrupt many empires—along with years of research and work. They had pushed the youngest Masters in history beyond their limits to create a set of near-divine defensive artifacts to protect their beloved. This meant that Erik could stand still and let a Master-level attack him for an hour without suffering a scratch.

Because of this, Seraphina wanted to kill several birds with one stone: catch the pathetic plotters in one fell swoop, and send a strong message about daring to target Erik. Most importantly, she wanted to give her young master valuable experience in a controlled environment where he would not be hurt but could mature and better understand the world he was facing.

But the results weren't what she expected. While the first part went perfectly, the second turned out entirely different from her expectations. She imagined many possible outcomes—that Erik would freeze in shock at the sudden change in situation, that he would flee in terror, or that he would explode in rage. However, what happened was completely unexpected.

When his life was 'threatened,' Erik didn't panic. On the contrary, he behaved like an experienced warrior, calmly resolving the situation. He quickly took down the weakest and closest enemy, reducing the variables at play while setting up a situation that allowed him to surprise the strongest enemy, a Sage-level mage.

By giving a false impression of weakness, Erik provoked an attack from the traitorous mage, which he masterfully handled. He made the most of his wolves' strengths, his spirit, his near-divine artifacts, and the pressure from the Masters in the sky, all to confuse the enemy and land a decisive blow that immobilized him.

...

Since Erik's contract with Ebonique began, the wolves have undergone several changes. The most significant was that they somehow gained an additional magical affinity, besides the wind affinity they inherited from their mother. While this phenomenon has happened a few times before and is well-documented, it is quite rare, so Erik couldn't help but feel envious of the wolves for a time, though he would never admit it.

In the case of Kaiser, the silver wolf, he gained an affinity for lightning, which he could control naturally, as if he had been born with it. Tiberius, on the other hand, developed an affinity for darkness, making him stealthy and lethal. This prompted Ebonique to praise them and decide to train them, teaching them several interesting skills.

When the traitorous referee fired the laser in an attempt to kill him, Erik quickly used the [Sphere of Life], the most powerful defensive artifact created by his Masters. This protected him and gave him the precious seconds needed for Tiberius to act.

One of the skills Tiberius learned from his training with Ebonique was how to "Elementalize" itself and hide in shadows. Since mastering this ability, Erik's shadow has become his favorite hiding place, and he often brings Kaiser with him.

One of the most interesting things Tiberius could now do was create shadow portals, allowing a kind of teleportation between shadows. With the help of one of these portals, Erik entered and instantly appeared behind the judge's back, taking him by surprise.

Additionally, with Kaiser's lightning elementalization, another skill he learned from Ebonique, and spiritual empowerment—one of the special abilities granted by a spirit contract—Erik was able to launch an effective attack with his machetes. These blades were the second most prized creation of his Masters, allowing him to push his magical edge to extreme levels and giving him the ability to cut through almost anything, including the body of a Sage.

However, if Erik were to be honest, he'd admit that he was only able to pull off such a feat thanks to the presence of the Masters and the director. Their presence immobilized the referee and left him with almost no options. Otherwise, such a feat would have been impossible, as the difference in power between a Sage and an Ascended was insurmountable.

Seraphina was deeply surprised by Erik's quick, precise, and ruthless reaction. But his coldness in handling the situation was unexpected. Even after returning to the mansion, Erik acted as if nothing had happened, going back to working on his notes as if he had just come back from a stroll. Despite her being sure that he had never killed another human being before, he showed no negative reaction, which concerned her a bit.

"You mean how you used me as bait? Hehe," Erik looked up from his notes and gave Seraphina a playful, teasing glance.

"I apologize for acting that way, young master. You have every right to be angry with me, and if you believe it necessary, I could resign from my service if I am no longer to your liking." Seraphina felt a little guilty and lowered her head as she apologized, but Erik just laughed joyfully before responding.

"Hahaha, don't worry about it, Seraphina. I don't know if you noticed, but even though you never explicitly said it, you've been giving me plenty of hints about the plan you were going to execute this whole time. So I knew what was going to happen from the start. Rather than being angry or anything like that, I actually want to thank you. Now I'll be free from trouble for a while, giving me time to focus on my projects and, hopefully, finish them before my Masters return."

Hearing Erik's words, Seraphina looked up in surprise, only to find him smiling warmly at her while offering one of his special cookies made by Eleonora—his most treasured possession, as he wouldn't be able to replace them for some time and hardly dared eat them himself.

That small gesture from Erik, something that might seem simple or trivial to others, was so special and significant to Seraphina that she felt her heart skip a beat. A lump formed in her throat, and she had to summon all her strength to hold back the tears.

With extreme care, Seraphina took the cookie with trembling hands, as if receiving the most precious treasure existing. She then ate it slowly, as if she didn't want it to end, savoring an exquisite taste that was far more than just the delicious flavor of the cookie.

"They're good, aren't they?" Erik asked with a smile, watching Seraphina eat the cookie like a little mouse, which made the beautiful maid look up at him before shyly and softly thanking him.

"Exquisite, young master."

"Hehe, I know. My Master makes the best cookies in the world."

With her gaze distant and a slight blush on her cheeks, Seraphina enjoyed her cookie slowly while watching Erik's focused face. He had gone back to reviewing his planner, writing things down or drawing circles and diagrams. But soon, something clicked in her mind. She cleared her throat, took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and then asked.

"Young master, may I ask you a question that might be uncomfortable?"

When Erik heard the question, he looked up and found Seraphina giving him a serious look, which surprised him a bit. He set down his notebook and pen on the table and gave her his full attention.

"Of course, ask away."

"Young master, today you killed a human being. How do you feel about that?" Seraphina asked in a serious tone, watching Erik's expression closely. He responded casually, seeming even more relaxed.

"Not much, really. He wanted to kill me, so I killed him. It's as simple as that."

(I was worried for nothing…)

For Erik, killing another human wasn't any different from killing an animal for its hide. He didn't see it as something special or even inherently good or bad. It was just part of life. The very act of breathing killed things, so apart from those close to him, life itself didn't hold much value to him. For some reason, though, this had deeply concerned his adoptive parents in his past life.

Through various methods, his parents from his past life had taught him that killing another human was wrong and should only be done in self-defense when his life or his family's was at risk. And to a degree, their teachings had worked—he had only killed about four people in his past life, all in self-defense. Although, only one of those cases had made it to court and he had been acquitted.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Don't you feel anything about it, young master?"

Upon hearing Erik's indifferent response, Seraphina couldn't help but ask, a bit concerned, as she attentively watched her young master, who casually replied while continuing to review his notes.

"Not really; I've never thought it was anything special. I also killed many animals on the island for food and leather; it's more or less the same."

"I see..." Seraphina murmured softly, a meaningful look in her eyes. But at that moment, Erik turned to her and asked with a smile.

"Do you have another question?"

"A couple more, young master. But first, I'd like to know: for what reason would you kill another human being?" After nodding her head, Seraphina asked seriously, staring directly into Erik's eyes.

"You can only kill another human in self-defense. In any other way, it's immoral and, in the long run, will harm your mind," Erik responded with a proud and slightly amused expression, almost like a child correctly repeating a lesson they'd learned.

"That's a relief, young master."

Seraphina smiled a little at Erik's answer, mentally noting that she would delve deeper into it at a later date. But first, she decided to ask one more thing. If it were as she imagined, she would need to take immediate action.

"One last thing, young master. How did you manage to avoid the knight's final attack?"

"I was able to do it thanks to a trick I've been working on recently. I call it 'overdrive,'" Erik responded with a smile, while Ebonique, who had been watching Seraphina closely from the start, closed her eyes and rested on the starry-haired contractor's head.

"Overdrive?"

Upon hearing the explanation, Seraphina couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion as she asked, to which Erik responded with an amused smile at the adorable behavior of the curious maid, who now followed him everywhere.

"Yes, the idea comes from the fact that, in theory, communing with the Myst gives me an unlimited amount of mana, so I wanted to release all the mana in my body at once, either for a spell or to strengthen myself. The problem is that while that sounds good, in reality it puts an incredible strain on my body, so I can only do it for a couple of seconds before the pain becomes too much to handle."

After hearing the explanation, Seraphina couldn't help but look at her young master with evident surprise on her face. After all, that 'overdrive' he mentioned was something that, despite there being considerable information about it, was a rare occurrence that only happened in life-or-death situations with mana users who had an incredible mastery of their mana.

A mana user, under normal conditions, could never release all their mana at once. After all, the pressure it places on the body is so immense that it's a suicidal act, and the body itself inhibits any possibility of doing so. In the same way that an ordinary human can lift tons in an extreme life-or-death situation at the cost of severe injuries, the same happens with the sudden release of all mana. So the fact that Erik could do something like that at will was absolute madness.

"That's impressive, young master..." Seraphina exclaimed, genuinely astonished by the starry-haired young man in front of her, who could only laugh amused before commenting.

"Haha, well, yes, as you can see, it yields good results, though it's quite painful. But luckily, I didn't have to use it much."

Seraphina smiled a little and served a cup of tea as Erik returned to his notes, pulling out a plate of plain cookies and starting to eat while reviewing his agenda and making corrections.

...

...

...

"It was determined that the attack on the disciple Erik was orchestrated by the Blackthorn, Xuanling, and Leifs families, under the assumption that eliminating him would give them a window of opportunity to marry Sigrún to the youngest son of the Blackthorn family."

In the middle of the prestigious meeting room of the Arcane University, Adrian reported to the director at the head of the table in a serious and professional manner. Shortly afterward, the director, somewhat puzzled, asked.

"What gave them such a stupid idea? What were they trying to achieve?"

"We actually discovered something interesting. It appears that a few years ago, Oberon Solaris took Aurora Blackthorn, William Blackthorn's eldest daughter, as his disciple, and she was the one who contacted Gareth to attack Erik, instigated by her younger brother.

Additionally, we were able to determine that Gareth is a loyal follower of Oberon Solaris because apparently, Solaris cured his daughter of a terminal illness several millennia ago, and ever since then, he has followed him unconditionally."

While reviewing a holographic screen in front of him, Adrian explained in a serious tone before showing the director the profile of the traitorous referee's daughter. The director couldn't help but ask, both confused and incredulous, as he casually browsed through the information.

"Don't tell me those fools think they can form a new faction with Oberon's 'support'?"

"That's exactly what they believe, Director," Adrian replied, a wry smile on his face, which caused the director to burst out laughing, entirely ruining his wise and elder image.

"Hahahaha!!!"

After calming down a bit, the director looked at Adrian, who had a forced smile on his face, and then commented, still clearly amused, in between laughs.

"I already knew that William was a bit stupid, but this? He's outdone himself! It's possibly the funniest thing I've heard in the last century, hahaha."

"Well, William Blackthorn is known for not having a good head on his shoulders and being more ambitious than is good for him, but it is certainly beyond comprehension how he could have thought of wanting to bring trouble to the man who hates it most in the galaxy." Adrian nodded, feeling truly amazed that someone with such limited mental capabilities could reach the Master-level—a true mystery worthy of study.

"Hehe, truly foolish, but that old bastard took on a disciple. How strange. Oh well, I suppose it's time to go steal some resources—I mean, to collect fair compensation for the damages caused by that relic's disciple." The director commented playfully, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Adrian could only sigh tiredly before asking, returning to the original topic.

"How should we handle this matter with the Blackthorn, Xuanling, and Leifs families, Director?"

"As for the Blackthorn and Xuanling, make sure to take a good chunk from them and leave them to the court. If they dare refuse, eliminate them. We need to send a strong and clear message about what happens when you mess with the Arcane order. As for the Leifs, leave them to Sigrún. She'll know how to handle the situation," the director quickly responded in a serious tone, to which Adrian swiftly nodded before asking with a concerned expression.

"Understood, Director. And how should we handle the disciple Erik?"

"Hmm, that's a great question, but first, I want to speak with the boy personally before making a decision." After pondering for a moment, the director commented, which couldn't help but surprise Adrian, who quickly asked.

"Are you sure, Director? Didn't you commit to not interacting with him?"

"Hehe, this is an extraordinary situation. It's necessary to talk to him to determine the emotional impact he suffered from the attack."

With a playful tone and a smile on his face, the director replied, to which Adrian could only sigh in defeat, imagining the massive scandal Eleonora and Sigrún would cause when they found out. Even worse, he dreaded the amount of resources they would extort from the faction's coffers.

"Well, it's best to get it over with quickly. See you!"

Suddenly, the director got up from his chair and commented cheerfully. Adrian wanted to stop him, but the director was quicker and disappeared from view in an instant.

(They really don't pay me enough…)

A tired thought crossed Adrian's mind as he stared at the now-empty meeting room. After a weary sigh, he left the room to carry out the instructions of his faction leader, who always loved creating problems that he had to solve.

...

Moments later, the director appeared in the sky, several kilometers from the garden of Sigrún's mansion. From there, he could see Erik arranging various magical devices and equipment while seriously reviewing his notes. He was accompanied by his wolves, Ebonique and Seraphina, who were watching him attentively from a distance.

After observing curiously for a moment what Erik was doing, the director blinked again, this time reappearing about 100 meters from Erik in stealth mode. But something surprising happened.

The moment he appeared, he noticed that Ebonique had increased her size and was now surrounding Erik, while two silver machetes materialized in the boy's hands. At the same time, a terrifying killing intent filled the air, making it almost thick and heavy.

Realizing he had been discovered so easily, the director could only smile bitterly. He dropped his stealth mode, now smiling cheerfully, and commented with interest as he looked at the curious, star-haired boy who, somehow, had a monster like that dragon as a personal bodyguard—a luxury no one should be able to enjoy.

"Haha, you've got sharp senses."

"Who are you?"

Erik asked cautiously, while Tiberius appeared as a shadow on one side and Kaiser as a lightning bolt on the other, both ready for battle. But at that moment, the man in front of him spoke with a relaxed smile and a casual tone, leaving Erik perplexed.

"Well, everyone calls me the director."

Doubting what he had just heard, Erik glanced at Seraphina, who nodded affirmatively while crossing her arms and glaring at the director, clearly offended by his sudden appearance.

"So, you're the leader of the faction. I apologize, but appearing in the sky and then next to me gave me a very bad feeling."

A bit more relaxed, Erik spoke in a formal tone as the machetes disappeared from his hands and the wolves returned to their normal forms, along with Ebonique, who shrank back down, resting on his head. Though, she didn't forget to give the director a warning look, which sent a cold sweat down his spine. Quickly recovering, the director responded in a casual tone.

"Haha, don't worry. I just wanted to talk to you a bit about the recent incident and ask what you'd like as compensation."

"You're offering me compensation? What can I ask for?" Erik's eyes lit up like flashlights at the director's words, and he asked excitedly. The renowned faction leader smiled brightly in response.

"Hehe, just tell me what you want, and we'll see if it's possible."

"How about a couple of things from this list?" With a quick motion, Erik tore a page from his notebook and sent it over to the director with one of his ghostly hands. The director couldn't help but ask, intrigued.

"Do those solidified Myst hands have a name?"

"Oh yeah, I call them ghostly hands. After seeing how useful telekinesis was, I wanted to create something similar and ended up with this," Erik replied as he made the ghost hands visible. The director, clearly interested, commented.

"You're very creative."

"Haha, thanks."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

The director shifted his gaze to the list Erik had handed him. The list was filled with a bunch of resource names, none too expensive, though a couple were quite useless and, therefore, hard to come by in the university market, especially one in particular. Out of curiosity, he decided to ask the star-haired young man.

"Mmmm, I could get you everything on the list, they're fairly easy to find. Just, why do you need the petroleum?"

"A little idea I have. If it works, I'll show you." Erik smiled mysteriously, giving a vague response, clearly not willing to talk much about his research.

"You remind me a lot of your Master." With an ironic smile, the director shook his head at Erik's answer, who only offered a diplomatic smile, unwilling to delve further into the matter.

"Are you sure this is all you want?" After a moment, the director confirmed as he looked at the boy in front of him, who had clearly been influenced by those two troublemakers.

"Mmmm."

For his part, Erik thought for a bit as he looked at everything he had in the garden, soon focusing on a curious artifact he had made himself. This led him to comment in a thoughtful tone.

"An industrial mana condenser would be nice. The one I made is pretty basic."

"You made a mana condenser on your own?"

A little surprised, the director asked curiously as he looked at Erik, who nodded and then pointed to one of the artifacts in the garden. It had a spherical shape and appeared to be made from a black metal, adorned with various carved runes all over its surface.

"Yeah, that one. And although it's quite basic, it works. The problem is that it's very slow and leaves a lot of impurities, so I waste a lot of time and effort working with it."

"Can I take a closer look?" Full of curiosity, the director asked while looking at Erik, who nodded casually.

"Sure."

With Erik's approval, the mana condenser floated into the director's hands, and he began examining it with curiosity and some surprise. Though it was very basic and had several design flaws, something deeply caught his attention: it was made from very common and cheap materials, easily obtainable at the university. Nothing like what you'd expect from specialized equipment of this kind.

But the most surprising thing about it was the runes on the artifact. They were incredibly well simplified and structured, to the point where even he could only see a couple of areas for improvement. If the process were refined a bit, the cost of the equipment could be significantly reduced, which would allow for an increase in the production of many things by a large margin, having a positive economic impact on the faction.

"How long did it take you to develop this mana condenser?" After a moment, the director asked while looking into Erik's green eyes, who responded after thinking for a bit.

"Mmm, about a year, more or less. It was quite complicated to find substitutes for the materials, since I couldn't afford the more commonly used ones."

(Sure, like your Masters or that demon in a maid outfit lack the resources and influence to acquire one... Definitely Sigrún's disciple, even boasts in the same way...)

Hearing Erik's comment, the director thought to himself while resisting the urge to roll his eyes, then asked with a business smile, sharpening Seraphina's gaze from a corner.

"Would you be interested in working on a project to improve this mana condenser to industrial levels?"

Though a bit surprised by the sudden offer, Erik thought for a moment before asking out of curiosity, while Ebonique above his head opened her eyes again to watch the annoying insect testing its luck.

"How much are we talking?"

"How does a salary of 5 million high-purity mana crystals and a 50 million research budget per year sound?"

Noticing the young man's curiosity, the director spoke confidently, showcasing his majesty as the leader of the faction. He looked directly at the star-haired boy while pretending not to notice the glances Seraphina and the dragon spirit were sending his way.

For his part, Erik, although he truly wanted to accept the deal immediately, held back because he still had things to do. He also remembered his master's words, so after calming down a bit, he spoke in a serious tone.

"It's a very tempting offer, but I can't accept it at the moment. I'll be busy for at least two more years, so if the proposal still stands by then, I wouldn't mind considering it with my masters."

"I'll be waiting, then. By the way, how did you manage to simplify the runes?" The director nodded at Erik's response and then asked curiously, relaxing a bit now that the terrifying spirit and the demon in a maid's outfit had stopped eyeing him like prey.

"With a lot of effort," Erik, as usual, wanted to leave it at that, but after thinking for a moment, he decided to truly explain this time and avoid problems with the faction's LEADER.

"But to be honest, I'd say I have good intuition. I'm good at these things; even my masters ask me for help with that from time to time."

"I see. You're truly talented, and it was a pleasure talking to you, Erik. In the coming weeks, you'll receive everything on the list and an industrial mana condenser," the director commented, secretly surprised to have confirmed his suspicions, to which Erik responded with a cheerful laugh.

"Hahaha, thanks in advance then, director."

"Don't worry, it's the Arcane Order's duty to compensate you for the security failure."

After a few more words, the director disappeared and reappeared in front of a cabin in the middle of a beautiful, lush forest. He entered slowly and then calmly sat on a small cushion, the only thing in the cabin.

Once seated and comfortable, the director sighed deeply and murmured to himself in a voice filled with meaning.

"That boy is definitely a child of the Myst. To be able to simplify runes purely by intuition… Also, the feeling I got from him was very similar to what I felt back then, so much so that I almost had visions of that massacre..."

The director's mind submerged in memories of an ancient war—or rather, a massacre—from a distant galaxy in which he had participated in his youth. There, he learned what the children of the Myst were, individuals born with the ability to connect instinctively to the Myst at levels a normal mana user could never reach in their lifetime. He had experienced firsthand the terror that title embodied.

After a while, the director returned to reality, letting out a complex sigh, before whispering to himself.

"But just as I thought, although Erik gives me a similar feeling to Tal'veren, it's still different. Also..." The director stared into the void for a moment before adding, "The Myst behaves strangely with Erik, almost as if it's alive, to the point that it seemed to get 'angry' when I scared him. And during the duel, I definitely felt murderous intent coming from the Myst itself when Gareth attacked—something unheard of…"

The main reason the director wanted to interact with Erik, despite having to ignore his promise to Eleonora and Sigrún, was precisely that. When referee Gareth attacked Erik on the duel platform, the director thought about stopping the attack but hesitated when he felt the Myst around him spiral out of control. At the same time, it began emitting terrifying murderous intent, almost threatening a Myst calamity.

The whole situation left the director stunned. He was undoubtedly one of the humans with the strongest connection with the Myst, even standing out among other legendary-level humans in this regard. And although his incredible connection with the Myst made him aware that there was a certain spirituality within it, it never reached the extremes he felt that day, almost as if it were an intelligent, living entity.

Moreover, it was something he had never heard of—not even as a rumor. Even at the moment of Tal'veren's death, something like that hadn't happened. Although, back then, the director was still young, and his connection to the Myst wasn't as strong as it is now. So, perhaps something similar did happen, and he just didn't notice it, much like how no one at the university planet realized what was happening with the Myst around Erik, except for him.

"I need to find more information on this..." the director whispered to himself, deciding as he stared into the void with a contemplative expression.

...

...

...

On a cruise ship of impeccable majesty, pure white in color, with a design reminiscent of the graceful curves of a swan and wide, wraparound windows offering unparalleled views of the stars. With delicate runes intricately engraved across its entire surface. Three divinely beautiful women stood, each with a different expression.

"THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!!! I'M GOING TO KILL THEM ALL!!!"

A furious Sigrún, surrounded by blue flames, screamed into the void with a voice full of hatred and murderous intent. Meanwhile, Eleonora, sitting on a chair made from the same wood as the ship's upper deck, kept her head down, hiding her expression. She held in her hand a beautiful mirror covered in runes, with golden lightning occasionally flashing around her body.

"Calm down, your disciple is fine. Didn't you see how happy he was with the compensation the director gave him?"

Thalia, who was standing near the railing with her arms crossed, commented in exasperation as she looked at the pair of exaggerated women in front of her. All she got were powerful looks full of murderous intent coming from the two women.

"What did you just say, Thalia?" Eleonora asked in a cold, emotionless voice, her piercing gaze directed at Thalia, who felt a slight chill down her spine. But unwilling to back down, Thalia quickly retorted, irritated.

"Hmph, stop overreacting. The boy is fine. It was just a small event that could help toughen his character."

"It seems you want to make your way back to the university on your own, Thalia," Sigrún glared at her with utter disdain and rage, speaking through gritted teeth as she stared at the red-haired woman.

"Oh? So, you're going to throw me out? Go ahead, I'd like to see you try," Thalia grinned defiantly as deep orange flames surrounded her, ready for a few rounds with the troublesome woman standing before her.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

Without saying a word, Sigrún stepped toward Thalia as blue fire crackled violently around her. But just as she was about to reach the annoying red-haired woman, Eleonora's voice resonated in the air, sounding with a tone laden with anger and murderous intent.

"Don't play Thalia's game, Sigrún. Let's focus on what's important: the Leifs are yours, I'll take the Xuanling, and together we'll take down the Blackthorn."

Upon hearing Eleonora's words, Sigrún looked at her for a moment, almost as if to confirm they were really going to do it. Shortly after, the blue fire disappeared from her body as she approached her sworn sister to start planning their revenge. But this was interrupted again by Thalia, who asked in an exasperated voice.

"Are you really thinking of attacking the three great factions without consulting the director first?"

"Hmph, don't talk to me about that old bastard; I already have scores to settle with him." Sigrún commented with disdain and continued with her planning, which caused a vein to throb on Thalia's forehead. She added angrily.

"Stop being fools! You know perfectly well that the director's solution was the best. You already took a gigantic slice out of the Xuanling and the Blackthorn, and they will be dealt with by the court. Besides, the director left you the Leifs to deal with. Be content with that and stop creating problems for the faction."

Like lionesses ready for battle, Eleonora and Sigrún turned their gazes full of ill intent toward Thalia, who smiled slyly before commenting in a haughty tone.

"Otherwise, I'll be forced to tell Erik what you're doing."

Upon hearing the threat from the irritating redhead, Sigrún and Eleonora couldn't help but widen their eyes in surprise. They glared at Thalia with hatred for a while longer but eventually stopped looking at her. A beautiful teapot and a pair of elegantly decorated teacups appeared on the table. They poured some tea and sipped with elegance and delicacy, as if nothing were happening.

"Hehehe, who would have thought that the pair of wild beasts of the faction would be so easy to tame." Thalia commented with a disdainful expression toward the famous troublemakers.

"Shut up, Thalia, or I'll seriously throw you out," Sigrún said with disgust, continuing to sip from her cup without even turning to look at Thalia.

"Hehehe, alright, alright, don't be like that. I already know you chose the path of the lecherous old man and took an innocent youngster as a disciple to turn him into a lover." Thalia laughed arrogantly and commented with disdain. But Eleonora responded in her characteristic elegant voice, though it was evident she was truly offended by the comment.

"Don't talk about what you don't know, Thalia. If you dare to denigrate Erik's status that way again, I won't be responsible for my actions."

Hearing Eleonora and seeing the expressions of the pair of troublemakers from the arcane order—who were practically warning her with their gaze to watch her words, even more seriously than when they wanted to attack the three great factions head-on—Thalia couldn't help but widen her eyes in astonishment. She then reflexively asked, with evident shock in her tone.

"Don't tell me you're serious about that kid...?"

For their part, Sigrún and Eleonora chose to ignore Thalia, who stood there with her mouth open, unable to believe what was happening. She wanted to ask more but realized that now the pair of lionesses were truly offended, so she decided on a tactical retreat while curiosity about that young boy consumed her.

"For now, adjust the course toward the territory of the Leifs, Sig. It doesn't feel right to return to the university, leaving that unaddressed."

"I had exactly the same idea, so I've already changed it. It's time to return 'home,'" Sigrún said, a smile full of ill intentions appearing on her face, while Eleonora returned a small 'friendly' smile.

...

...

...

Above a building that evoked the shape of an ancient Viking longhouse—with steep roofs, an elongated structure, and large glass panels reflecting the surrounding landscape, as well as steel structures interwoven with robust wooden beams engraved with all kinds of incredibly detailed runes—Sigrún's cruiser hovered majestically, exerting great pressure on those who saw it from below.

From the impressive ship, Sigrún descended with an imposing aura, surrounded by blue fire that radiated power. She gently floated down until she reached ground level, at which point all those present knelt respectfully as an old man approached her and exclaimed with evident joy.

"It's a pleasure to see you again after so long, young miss."

Seeing the trash in front of her, who now pretended to play the good guy, Sigrún couldn't help but smile full of disdain. She then spoke calmly, ignoring everyone present. Although contrary to what one might expect from her tone, her voice resonated powerfully in the place, to the point that it made the very ground tremble as if from an earthquake.

"Ragnar, come out and accept your death."

From inside the building, a powerful male voice responded, evidently containing equal parts anger and shame—a voice that brought Sigrún countless unpleasant memories, only serving to heighten her already terrifying murderous intent.

"Damned disloyal disgrace, come and pay your respects to your father and prepare to meet your future husband!"

Filled with rage and murderous intent, Sigrún raised her right hand, where a single beautiful and intricate rune formed. It instantly conjured a gigantic blue fireball that flew toward the building at blinding speed.

As the fireball approached dangerously, the building lit up brightly from the runes that began to glow. At the same time, a luminescent barrier completely covered it, and the Myst in the surroundings stirred violently.

After a brief resistance by the barrier, it shattered like a pile of crystals, allowing the fireball to hit the top of the building squarely, evaporating it completely. A terrifying pressure filled with murderous intent saturated the air, causing everyone present to fall unconscious on the ground.

"If you won't come out to receive death with honor, then let me come and find you."

With a voice that seemed to come from a ruthless demon, Sigrún commented, making her voice thunder through the area. Simultaneously, she rose into the air toward an upper room, which had now lost its roof. There, a large, muscular man—bald with a bushy golden beard—was seen looking with terror at the approaching woman.

"Sigrún, damn traitor, what is the meaning of this? Dare you attack your own father?!" Upon seeing his daughter in front of him after centuries, Ragnar could only exclaim loudly, trying to sound strong, although his voice was filled with the deepest terror.

Sigrún ignored the terrified man and simply landed on the ground near the beautiful black wooden desk adorned with various carved runes. She then spoke in a calm voice, which could only sound grim in Ragnar's ears.

"You know, Ragnar, although you must be aware, I hated you even more than you despised me when I was young. I hated you more than anyone in the world because, thanks to you, I came into this world being hated by my mother, who couldn't bear the idea of having the daughter of her damned rapist."

"THAT WOMAN WAS CRAZY!! SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRATEFUL TO RECEIVE MY GRACE—I DID HER A FAVOR!!!"

Ragnar exclaimed hysterically, but Sigrún simply looked at him calmly, something that, for some reason, made the muscular man's heart tighten even more. When he tried to speak again, he realized he couldn't; his voice seemed trapped in his throat with no way out, which sent him into even more of a panic. He tried to run, but again he realized, to his horror, that his body no longer responded to him.

"You're nothing but narcissistic trash, and let me tell you, absolutely no one respects you, and no one ever has. You're one of the biggest jokes in the galaxy and a genuine disgrace to the Boreal League because you're the perfect representation of a stupid berserker who only knows how to swing his axe around like an idiot.

"Moreover, you're so repulsive that the only way you can have offspring is through rape, as no woman in her right mind could spend a minute by your side without feeling the need to vomit. Your pathetic victims lived their short lives with the stigma of having been harmed by trash like you, which is why they all ended up committing suicide.

"But the point is that despite always knowing this, for some stupid reason I couldn't understand at the time, I never had the courage to kill you and only fled when my mother died, vowing never to return. But over time, I understood that deep inside me, a small part wanted to have a father, wanted to have a family, and that understanding led me to my current state—the youngest Master in history.

"So at that moment, I decided to leave you in peace, forget you existed, and not stain my hands with trash of your kind. But now I realize that was a terrible mistake. You're like a plague and will never stop trying to harm those around me, to the point that you even had plans to get rid of my Erik—something unforgivable. Therefore, in his honor and for his safety, today I will dispose of the trash."

With an expression filled with an infinity of feelings, especially shame and disgust, Sigrún delivered a monologue that had been circling her mind for centuries. Meanwhile, Ragnar, gripped by panic, tried to beg for his life, but all he encountered was an imposing bird made of flames that surrounded him. His vision darkened, and he disappeared from this world forever.

With a deep gaze, Sigrún observed the place where her 'father' had been just moments ago, with mixed feelings in her heart. But at that moment, the image of Erik smiling at her and eating cookies came to mind, causing a pleasant smile to form on her lips.

"Thank you, Ignis," Sigrún said gratefully to her reliable companion, who responded in a voice that held a slight feeling of nostalgia.

"Don't worry about it, Sig. We'd better hurry back to the university—I miss Erik."

"Haha, you're right. Let's go quickly—I can't wait to hug my Erik!"

With a liberated smile on her face, Sigrún exclaimed joyfully before flying to her cruiser, where she was greeted by Eleonora, who gave her a comforting hug. She then made a call to Erik through the long-distance communication artifact, handed it to Sigrún, and left her alone.

Smiling, Sigrún spoke warmly with her proud disciple as the cruiser rapidly approached the Arcane University, leaving behind centuries of regret, pain, and shame. Somehow, this made the world seem to have millions of new colors for the youngest Master in history.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

In Erik's alchemy workshop within the mansion, a scene quite different from when Sigrún had handed it over could now be observed. On the long, polished white marble benches arranged in orderly rows—each illuminated from above by ethereal lights floating without visible support—the cauldrons that were once there had vanished, now replaced by glass flasks bubbling with vibrantly colored liquids.

Beside the flasks stood volumetric flasks with precise measurement lines, which filled and emptied automatically through fine threads of light connecting them to various instruments and containers. These were guided by different runes engraved on the tables, which glowed faintly.

In a corner of the workshop, a series of distillation columns rose toward the ceiling, having at their base magical devices similar to Bunsen burners. These heated the columns and could control the temperature with incredible precision, intelligently. As vapors ascended, they passed through a series of rings engraved with intricate runes before condensing and being collected in receivers at the end.

The receivers were housed in transparent cabinets along the walls, displaying jars labeled with clear nomenclature. Inside were all sorts of liquids, plants, powders, minerals, and various resources necessary for alchemy, arranged in a specific order.

In the midst of this "alchemical laboratory," as Erik now liked to call it, he was intently observing the drip of a viscous, glowing liquid falling into a flask. Simultaneously, he took notes in an elegant notebook and occasionally extracted samples for more exhaustive tests.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the laboratory, two beautiful wolves—one silver and the other jet-black—lay peacefully. Measuring just under a meter, they seemed to sleep soundly, adding a touch of tranquil serenity to the place.

Suddenly, two beautiful women appeared in the middle of the laboratory: one with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other with lovely brown hair and golden eyes. They looked around, a bit surprised, until their gazes settled on Erik, who was completely engrossed in his task, so much so that he was oblivious to the appearance of the two women.

The two women, Sigrún and Eleonora, gazed at Erik with overwhelming longing. Suppressing their desire to embrace him, they approached quietly to see what he was doing. Soon after, they were quite surprised and, filled with curiosity, began to silently analyze the product and the process underway.

After some time, Erik finished testing one of the samples he had taken from the liquid in the flask. He smiled with satisfaction and cheerfully commented to himself, entirely unaware of the pair of divinely beautiful women standing behind him.

"Hehehe, I'm a damn genius—I did it!"

"And what has my little Erik achieved?"

With a cheerful and somewhat mischievous voice, Sigrún asked her adorable disciple. He couldn't help but jump in alarm, then looked around with eyes wide open in surprise. The moment his gaze met that of Eleonora and Sigrún, he beamed with happiness and ran to embrace them.

"MASTERS!"

Erik's shout awakened the wolves, who jumped up, ready for battle. But upon seeing the scene in the laboratory, they quickly approached the group of masters and disciple, wagging their tails and jumping about happily.

With smiles full of joy and affection, Eleonora and Sigrún hugged Erik back tightly, holding him for a while. Their silent warmth filled their hearts with infinite peace and tranquility, making them feel they had truly returned home.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" After some time, Erik released his masters from the embrace and asked with a smile.

"Fufufufu, we didn't want to spoil the surprise," Eleonora said, stroking the wolves' heads as they wagged their tails and barked happily. She then kissed Erik on the cheek and affectionately hugged his right arm.

"But I wanted to prepare a surprise for you; now it's ruined," Erik replied, pouting a little, which made the pair of beautiful masters laugh.

"Hehehe, don't be like that," Sigrún said after greeting the lovely wolves. She then kissed Erik's other cheek and hugged his left arm before continuing, "Better yet, tell us what the surprise is about. Does it have to do with that?" Sigrún pointed to the flask Erik had been examining earlier.

"Hehehe, yes, it's something that will make us very rich," Erik commented smugly, his face filled with pride, which greatly piqued the girls' curiosity. They quickly asked, intrigued.

"Then show us the new source of our wealth, fufufu," Eleonora said with a happy smile on her face. Sigrún quickly added, feeling proud that the surprise her Erik had prepared had to do with alchemy.

"Hehehe, I can't wait to see what you'll do with that super-concentrated version of the healing potion."

"Hehehe, so you noticed, Master, but I'm sure you won't see what I've done coming."

After commenting with a mysterious smile, Erik stepped out of his masters' embrace and went to a corner of the laboratory. There stood a kind of black metal refrigerator with glass doors engraved with various runes, containing several trays of what appeared to be pills.

With familiar movements, Erik took one of the trays from the "fridge" and showed it to his masters, who looked at the creation a bit confused and curious. This made Erik laugh joyfully, and he enthusiastically explained:

"Masters, allow me to present the revolutionary product that will mark an era, hehe"

"With all that presentation, now I'm excited to know what these little things are," Eleonora said eagerly as she examined the pills with curiosity.

"You seem really confident in your creation, Erik," Sigrún commented with a proud smile, inspecting the pills.

"Of course! I call these little ones 'healing pills,' and they will be the new way humanity consumes healing potions from now on."

Upon hearing their beloved disciple, Eleonora and Sigrún each took a pill, examining them with curiosity, especially intrigued by the thin and flexible material they were made of, which deformed slightly between their fingers.

"If you like, try them, and you'll see what I mean. You can just swallow them, or if you prefer, you can bite them and swallow them for an immediate effect like that of potions," Erik said with a smile upon seeing the curiosity on his masters' faces. They nodded eagerly.

Following Erik's instructions, Sigrún and Eleonora placed the capsules in their mouths, then bit into them, releasing a tasteless liquid, which they swallowed along with the capsule. At that moment, Sigrún commented, somewhat surprised.

"This is impressive, Erik! It really is a healing potion, and it has about 80% the effectiveness of a normal one."

"Hehehe, yes, those are some old prototypes, so they still need improvements." Erik pointed to the flask he had been observing earlier and continued, "Like my new version of the concentrated potion, which, if my calculations are correct, should retain 98% effectiveness of a potion in just a couple of milliliters."

"This is truly revolutionary and will be especially useful on the battlefields. The only problem would be the production cost."

Hearing this, Eleonora pondered how to promote the product developed by her beloved disciple. But a cheerful laugh from the spiky-haired boy pulled her out of her thoughts, and he briefly explained with a smile.

"Hehehe, I wouldn't dare call it a revolution just because of its size; the real revolution lies elsewhere."

Filled with genuine curiosity, Eleonora and Sigrún looked intently at Erik. After setting down the tray he was holding, he went to one of the cabinets lining the walls and took out a blister pack containing ten beautifully packaged pills.

"In this presentation, the healing pills should, in principle, last as long as a pill from the Zazen discipline. Although for now, these are just calculations and need testing. Additionally, they can be mass-produced easily, so according to my calculations, producing a package like this"—Erik waved the package in his hand and continued—"should cost about the same as making around five current potions. So we only have advantages, hahaha!"

With astonished expressions, Sigrún and Eleonora looked at Erik. Immediately afterward, Sigrún took the blister pack from his hand and examined it carefully. What she discovered left her utterly surprised.

"Erik, is this crystallized mana? How is it so soft and flexible?" Sigrún asked in amazement as she bent the blister pack in her hands and looked at Erik.

"Hehehe, more or less. I actually call it magic plastic or 'Manalite' to make it sound better. It's the result of combining the studies on petroleum and plastic by the Sage Theodore Wells with your research on mana crystallization, Master. This resulted in a very useful material for various purposes, besides being quite cheap and relatively easy to produce."

"How did you come up with something like this, Erik?" With an expression full of surprise and pride at the achievements of her beloved disciple, Eleonora asked with a huge smile on her face, to which Erik quickly explained.

"Well, basically because I was thinking of ideas to make a living, since I can't be living off my masters forever—"

"Don't be silly, you're not living off us; everything I have is yours, I've told you many times."

With an annoyed expression, Sigrún interrupted Erik while crossing her arms. Eleonora quickly joined in with an equally angry and offended look, adding in a tone that seemed almost like scolding her dear disciple, who, no matter how many times they explained it to him, didn't seem to understand.

"Yes, Erik, we've talked about this many times. You don't have to worry about things like that. We are very rich and have more than enough for us to live a life of luxury without worrying about anything, so stop saying things like that, or we'll really get angry."

"Hehehe, alright, sorry, I'll try not to do it anymore. It's just that it's a bit uncomfortable for me not to earn my own money."

With a visibly uncomfortable smile on his face, Erik responded while looking away, which made the pair of beautiful masters sigh. Although they could understand his position and feelings, they really wanted him to leave the past behind and live happily without any worries, although it seemed that would take much more work. So Sigrún decided to drop the subject for the moment and commented with a smile.

"Alright, don't forget, and better yet, keep telling us how you came up with all this."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Alright, don't forget, and better yet, keep telling us how you came up with all this."

Also wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible, Erik smiled cheerfully and began to recount a brief summary of what he had done in recent years.

"Okay, so as I was telling you, I was thinking about business ideas. I was looking around shopping centers and student markets and realized that what sold the most were potions, even more than food, and they were quite expensive. So I decided to get into the business.

"But as Arcane Mikels said in his book on commerce, you can only be successful in the market by offering higher-quality goods at a better price. So I needed something that made me stand out not just in price; I had to offer extra added value to capture market share, or I'd eventually lose to the competition.

"So I started looking for ideas and noticed that the pills of the Zazen discipline were also selling quite well. I asked those who bought them why they did so, even though they were more expensive than a potion and had other limitations.

"The most common answer they gave me was 'practicality.' A potion had a glass bottle that could break, and if that happened in an emergency situation, it could be fatal. Additionally, the gradual way in which the pills delivered their effects was very useful in combat and similar moments. That's when I knew that was what I needed.

"After thinking it over, I decided to integrate those 'advantages' into a potion, making it durable, small, and with the option to deliver effects immediately or gradually. I also improved the process as much as possible to reduce costs while maintaining quality, which would give me an advantageous position against the competition. That resulted in the healing pills."

"As expected of my Erik, but what's the coating of these capsules made of?" Eleonora asked with a tone full of pride, while squeezing one of the capsules with curiosity.

"It's gelatin—one I made with the tissues of a Luzlago and Vigía Leaves," Erik replied with a slight smile, which greatly surprised Eleonora, who asked while looking at the capsule.

"Did you get the idea from my stuffed gelatin dessert?"

"Hehehe, yes. After several tests, I settled on gelatin because when swallowed without biting, the effect is delivered gradually as the gelatin is digested in the stomach. Although it's faster than a pill of the Zazen discipline, the difference isn't that big."

"Erik, but how did you come up with using plastic? This material will undoubtedly be an even bigger revolution than the pills," Sigrún commented with surprise while carefully studying the blister pack, pride and admiration for her disciple filling her heart.

"Well, that was because although the gelatin keeps the concentrated potion inside protected, it's still not enough. Plus, the gelatin itself is delicate and decomposes easily. So I started looking for substitutes for the glass commonly used for potion bottles, and that's how I came across Sage Theodore Wells's research on oil and the interesting material he discovered—plastic.

Just by reading about it, I knew this material had infinite possibilities. But first, I needed to solve the problem of its zero mana conductivity, which was why it was never used and remained just a curious result of a strange investigation. So I set out to find ways to fix that.

Following the logic of how potion bottle glass is created—by adding mana crystal fragments to the mixture before melting—it occurred to me to use mana crystallization, which didn't exist in Sage Wells's time. After many tests, it worked. I have the whole process documented, so I can start writing the academic paper at any time."

While listening to Erik, Eleonora and Sigrún continued studying the pills and the magical plastic with big smiles on their faces. As soon as Erik finished explaining, they jumped excitedly and hugged him, then began kissing him all over his face, filled with pride and happiness.

"You're a genius, Erik! You don't know how proud I feel," Eleonora hugged Erik tightly while exclaiming like an excited girl.

"Hahaha, as expected of my disciple. Your name will resonate throughout the galaxy, Erik," Sigrún kissed Erik's cheek firmly and commented while laughing with pride, absolutely delighted that the first achievement of her beloved disciple was in alchemy.

"Hehehe, well, the healing pills aren't the only thing I developed during this time. Although I couldn't make much progress, since the pills consumed most of my time, I was able to have a small success in another of my investigations," Erik smiled cheerfully and commented in a mysterious voice while hugging his beautiful masters.

"What is it?" Eleonora asked, full of curiosity with shining eyes, almost like a little girl about to receive a gift.

"Show us, show us!" Acting similarly to her sworn sister, Sigrún exclaimed full of excitement, which made Erik laugh in amusement.

"Haha, all right."

With a slight smile on his face, Erik extended his right hand forward, and a beautiful geometric magic circle formed above it, which caused Sigrún and Eleonora to open their mouths completely dumbfounded by what they were seeing.

The circle was different from a normal one; it seemed like a beautifully orchestrated blend of runes and geometric figures that gave an incredible sense of unity and balance, almost as if they resonated with the Myst itself. It formed a beautiful and hypnotic dance, which, moments later, conjured a lovely orange flame.

"Impossible..." Sigrún let out her voice as if it were a sigh, her eyes completely wide, not believing what was happening in front of her.

"How?..."

For her part, Eleonora asked while the world around her seemed to be spinning; she understood very well the impossibility of what she was seeing, to the point that she thought she was in the middle of a dream, feeling somewhat dizzy from the astonishment.

"Hehehe, I called this baby the 'Runic Circle,' which combines the great precision and structural solidity of sacred geometry, the great efficiency and flexibility of runes, and the effect multiplier of the matrix arrays of the Zazen discipline—in other words, the first step in unifying humanity's magical systems."

With a proud smile on his face, Erik explained his creation, while Eleonora and Sigrún gazed wordlessly at the beautiful runic circle that spun slowly, appreciating its incredible beauty and intricate details for a long time, almost lost in its beauty and complexity.

The first to come out of the reverie caused by witnessing a historical milestone that was believed impossible was Sigrún. She commented ecstatically while looking full of desire at the enchanting young man with starry hair beside her.

"Erik, you are the greatest genius of all time."

With her heart pounding powerfully, Sigrún hugged Erik tightly, almost as if trying to merge her body with his, her body, and mind trying to assimilate all that she was feeling. Eleonora, on the other hand, kept staring at the runic circle almost hypnotized for a while longer, until Erik made it disappear and asked.

"Are you okay, Master?"

Still a bit lost in her thoughts, Eleonora turned to look at Erik. Waves of fascination and tenderness grow exponentially within her as she gazed into Erik's green eyes, almost as if her consciousness were lost in those emerald pupils. So, in an attempt to calm her agitated mind, she hugged him tightly and with great effort managed to whisper in his ear.

"Yes, I'm fine, it's just that I'm a little lost in my thoughts... You are truly an incomparable genius, Erik."

As she clung tightly to Erik, Eleonora was feeling things she had never experienced before; her throat felt dry, as if she hadn't tasted water in centuries. Her heart was also beating faster and more powerfully, making her feel it resound throughout her body with each pulse, while at the same time she felt her body warming up and her vision blurring.

Still a bit lost in the new feelings and emotions coursing through her, Eleonora lifted her gaze slightly and met the beautiful blue eyes of Sigrún, her beloved sworn sister. They looked glassy and unfocused, almost as if she were in a state of ecstasy or reverie—something she had never seen before.

Sigrún, in turn, smiled understandingly upon seeing her sworn sister looking at her with a face that evidenced her feelings, her beautiful golden eyes shining energetically and her pupils completely dilated. An almost crimson blush adorned her nearly divine features.

As for Erik, he decided to remain silent and served as support to his masters in what he believed was an emotional release due to what they had to go through at the border. He lovingly embraces their sculpted bodies while closing his eyes, creating an idyllic scene witnessed only by the pair of wolves. The wolves lay down near them and remained silent, allowing the trio of masters and disciple to have the tranquility they needed.

The silence continued for a considerable time, with the three of them hugging and feeling each other's warmth, which eventually calmed the furious storm of feelings and desire in the hearts of the pair of beautiful Masters. At that moment, Eleonora and Sigrún calmed down and loosened their embrace of their beloved disciple a bit, who asked them with a slight smile.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, we're feeling calmer now," Sigrún smiled charmingly and replied in a cheerful voice, then gave a warm kiss on the cheek to her beloved disciple.

"That's good," Erik smiled equally at his masters, who looked at him affectionately.

"Fufufu, thank you, Erik, I really needed that."

While elegantly touching her cheek with a bit of embarrassment, Eleonora commented in a warm and heartfelt tone. She then quickly changed the subject after looking at Sigrún and noticing in her sworn sister's gaze the same resolve she had—something they needed to discuss later.

"But better yet, tell us, how did you come up with the runic circle? It's truly amazing."

"I can do it as many times as you like," Erik commented with a loving smile on his face, which made the pair of masters smile happily. He then began to explain what led to the runic circle.

"As for the runic circles, actually the idea was born from a scroll of matrix arrangements of the Zazen discipline that was given to me some time ago—"

"They gave you?" Sigrún interrupted, a bit surprised. After all, if there was something that worried them about Erik, it was that he lived in his own world and didn't have anyone he could call a friend, which was undoubtedly a happy change. Erik responded casually, not giving it much importance.

"Yes, a guy named Chen Ming. He's an idiot whom I help from time to time with some calculations and things like that, so he gives me books or scrolls in gratitude."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Fufu, so you've already made your first friend," Eleonora commented with a smile on her face, but Erik shook his head and replied in a casual tone.

"I wouldn't say we're really friends—more like acquaintances."

"You should bring him home one day; I'd like to meet him and chat a bit with him, hehe," Sigrún said playfully, then softly laughed at Erik's attitude.

"Maybe someday I'll do that..."

Looking away, Erik responded with no intention whatsoever of inviting Chen, something that Sigrún and Eleonora quickly noticed. They exchanged mischievous smiles that they couldn't help but form on their faces, but swiftly returned to normal as if nothing had happened and turned back to their beloved disciple.

"You could invite him over next week; what do you think, Erik?" Sigrún asked with an innocent smile, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"…"

Erik remained silent while observing the 'wicked' expressions of his masters. After a small sigh, he continued speaking, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, maybe I'll do that, but let's get back to the rune circle."

A playful smile appeared on the faces of Sigrún and Eleonora upon hearing Erik attempt to shift the topic. However, genuinely interested in the subject, they let him have his way and instead focused their attention on their beloved disciple's explanation of the historical milestone he had created on his own.

"Well, the idea to create it came when I studied the matrix arrangement on a scroll. I couldn't help but notice that they were practically runes, just of a different style, organized in a rhomboidal scheme. According to the scroll, this specific structure allowed for what they called the 'effect multiplier,' which, in practical terms, was a way to improve efficiency."

"I started from the same idea myself, but it was a dead end. The matrix arrangements of the Zazen discipline, although they might seem similar to a set of runes, are entirely different and repel each other. Moreover, matrix arrangements are highly dependent on the materials in which these 'runes' are inscribed and don't function using mana formation."

Eleonora shared her experience, somewhat pleased that Erik had begun from the same point as she did, yet intrigued by how he achieved in a couple of years what she couldn't in an entire millennium. The star-haired young man responded with a slight smile.

"Hehe, yes, I encountered the same problem. But that's when I came across your paper on runic-geometric refinement, which can be considered the foundation of rune circles."

A bit surprised by Erik's words, Eleonora and Sigrún looked at him wide-eyed. After all, they knew the content of that paper perfectly and couldn't understand what he was referring to. That paper only explained how, with the help of certain runes combined externally with specific magic circles, one could improve efficiency and reduce mana consumption and material loss in refinement—using runes as a controller to regulate and micromanage the functioning of the magic circle, as well as recycle a portion of the mana.

But that was all, and Sigrún and Eleonora were entirely sure there wasn't the slightest hint in that paper to achieve what Erik had done. Noticing the surprise and confusion on his masters' beautiful faces, Erik continued explaining with a smile.

"Although the runic-geometric refinement method is relatively complex and its potential application in other areas is still being studied, it demonstrates that runes can influence a magic circle. If you think about it, it's somewhat similar to what matrix arrangements do. So, starting from there, I decided to focus solely on the effect multiplication aspect.

"Therefore, I concentrated on designing a magic circle that used runes not externally but as a fundamental part of its structure, and that collectively achieved the effect multiplication—almost as if it were a single complex rune. After all, if you think about it, magic circles are, in a way, a type of rune.

"But while creating the rune circle, I noticed something curious: the normal runes of the Aegis system are incompatible with the structured arrangement of the geometric circles and tend to repel each other. So after trying different possibilities, I came up with this..."

Extending his hand, Erik formed the rune circle again, only now a bit larger. He then pointed to a small rune surrounded by a circle, which connected it with the rest of the arrangement, catching his masters' attention, and continued.

"Making slight modifications to the runes so they wouldn't repel each other was quite complicated, but after many tests, I realized the necessary changes were quite small—so if you don't look closely, you wouldn't notice."

Eleonora and Sigrún looked at the smiling Erik with undisguised surprise, then examined the rune he was pointing at. To their disbelief, they noticed slight differences compared to the original rune, causing them to alternate their gazes between the monstrous star-haired boy and the result of his research, which should have been impossible for him to achieve.

Unlike the magic circles of sacred geometry, which depend on mathematical calculations allowing them to be altered based on circumstances, the individual runes of the Aegis system were fixed and "immutable"—something many of humanity's great sages had perfected over millions of years to bring them as close to perfection as possible.

Altering even a single rune slightly was a monumental task and not something just anyone could do; therefore, it wasn't an idea that would easily occur to someone. After all, the most common occurrence when starting on the path of the Aegis system was that spells would not work correctly or would go out of control. Leading to unexpected results due to slight changes in the runes that caused instability.

But after thinking about it, Eleonora and Sigrún could understand why Erik was capable of such an idea. From the beginning, mastering the runes had been incredibly easy for him—to the point that they couldn't recall a single time he had issues with unstable runes. Coupled with his absurd intuition in everything related to mana, whether runes or magic circles, he had an unparalleled advantage and perspective to accomplish something like this.

Erik's intuition was truly terrifying, even for Masters like them. Their disciple somehow always seemed to know the best way to simplify a set of runes or the optimal geometric scheme for a magic circle in a specific situation, and his margin of error was generally very small.

His ability was so exaggerated that it seemed more like a sixth sense than anything else—even to the point where he himself struggled to explain why he reached certain conclusions. On more than a few occasions, these conclusions even contradicted his own calculations and knowledge about what he was doing, and often, he didn't even realize it.

These situations, where Erik searched everywhere for the reason behind his success despite everything he knew telling him he was wrong, were quite common. To the point that much of the latest classes taught by Sigrún and Eleonora focused on advanced theories and knowledge that explained the logic behind his achievements.

The problem now was that Erik was venturing into unknown territory, leaving them completely baffled. In all the knowledge they possessed, nothing came close to explaining the logic behind the functioning of his rune circles, or even why those slight changes in the runes—which in any other context would make them unstable and useless—were the key necessary for their operation.

The first to return to reality was Eleonora, who looked intently into her beloved disciple's green eyes before asking in a serious tone, though she sincerely already knew the answer and was only asking to dismiss that slight hope.

"Have you worked on the theory behind how your rune circles function?"

"Honestly, no. I have some formulas that more or less work with what I've already created, but for some reason, they fail spectacularly when I make a different one, hehe," Erik replied, a bit embarrassed after making the rune circle floating in the air disappear. Sigrún added somewhat amused.

"Hehe, it seems you have a lot of work ahead."

"Yes, quite a bit..." Erik nodded with a small sigh. After all, creating the rune circle had been the easy part for him; now came the hard part of explaining why it worked.

After that, Erik took out the notebook where he had recorded all the details of his research over the past few years and began explaining them to his masters. But despite his detailed explanation of each step he took to reach the "rune circle," they couldn't understand how it worked. The "rune circle" defied or directly contradicted everything they knew about magic, leading Erik to categorize it as a long-term effort in which his masters agreed to assist him.

After setting the topic aside, Erik moved on to his notes about the healing pills, an area where his masters could help. They happily provided comments and ideas to improve the magical artifacts he developed for producing the healing pills, ways to enhance the quality of the concentrated potion, and several ideas to increase the efficiency of his new alchemy method.

"This new alchemy method you've developed is quite interesting. You should write a comprehensive academic paper on it and publish it—you'll turn the entire world of Alchemy upside down, hehe," Sigrún commented proudly and playfully as she examined the test tubes and other gadgets Erik had created to produce the healing pills.

"Yes, you should also write a couple of academic papers and register patents on several of these artifacts. They will be highly coveted by many industries and will give you a great reputation in the world of artificing." Eleonora added, equally happy about her disciple's achievements, while carefully examining the different artifacts Erik had created.

"Alright, I'll get to it," Erik replied with a smile, making room in his schedule to write them.

...

Some time later, Erik left his laboratory accompanied by his wolves, Eleonora, and Sigrún. They all walked together toward the main hall, where they found Seraphina, who was bowing respectfully, dressed in her beautiful Victorian maid outfit, and then spoke with her natural elegance.

"Welcome back, young miss, Master Silverwood."

"A pleasure to see you again, Seraphina," Eleonora greeted her with an elegant smile.

"Hello, Sera, how has everything been?" Sigrún greeted Seraphina casually as she sat at the main table, followed by Erik and Eleonora.

"Everything has been perfect, young miss. Additionally, the promised compensation has been delivered by the faction and is perfectly organized in the treasury."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Everything has been perfect, young miss. Additionally, the promised compensation has been delivered by the faction and is perfectly organized in the treasury."

"Hehehe, does that old bastard think he can save himself by sending the compensation before we arrive? Age has made him naive." Sigrún commented as a mischievous smile appeared on her face, which was contagious to Eleonora, who smiled similarly.

"Fufufu, most likely he has something good up his sleeve. We need to gather good intelligence this time before we go to swindle..." Eleonora pretended to cough a little and continued as if nothing had happened. "Negotiate with the director."

At the same time, Eleonora placed a plate full of cookies on the table, which she brought closer to Erik. He could only roll his eyes at the brazenness of his beautiful masters, though not without accepting the 'bribe.' After all, the cookies were innocent and were better with him than in his master's ring.

On one side of the table, Seraphina stood professionally, smiling elegantly at the scene. Though her eyes revealed the amusement the whole situation brought her, her attitude quickly changed a bit when she heard Sigrún's voice.

"And Sera, have you made the preparations for Erik's license applications?"

Upon hearing her master's question, Erik couldn't help but look at her confused; after all, he had no idea what she was talking about. Seraphina responded calmly while bowing respectfully.

"Of course, young miss. The young master reached the minimum standard to request it several years ago, so everything is ready and waiting for your approval."

"That's great, as efficient as always, and I think it's better to finish this before the end of the month," Sigrún commented, pleased, then turned to look at her beloved disciple and asked with a smile.

"What do you think, Erik?"

"What licenses are you talking about, master?" Erik asked, genuinely confused, to which Eleonora commented with a slight smile.

"Fufu, your licenses as an alchemist and artificer, of course."

"Eh? Why would I have to get those licenses? I'm fine as I am," Erik asked with an expression of pain and rejection on his face, to which Sigrún responded with a big smile.

"Hehehe, because they are mandatory to register patents in your name. Since you've developed several interesting things worth patenting, you need to get both licenses—as an artificer and as an alchemist. Moreover, they are a requirement to publish in the university's journal."

"So I need two groups of assistants?" Erik looked in horror at the women, who smiled cheerfully at his 'misfortune.'

"That depends. If you manage to demonstrate that your assistants are equally skilled in both artificing and alchemy, a single group is fine," Eleonora responded with a hand on her cheek, resting on the table, while looking with undisguised affection at Erik's 'adorable' expressions.

"So either I hire two groups of assistants or train one to be good at both things; neither sounds like an easy job..." Erik exhaled with tiredness and started to eat his cookies with evident reluctance, while all the women present laughed softly at him.

"Calm down; it's not like you need to have them before applying for the license. Actually, they give you a period of up to five years to register your assistants before your license is revoked," Sigrún commented, a bit amused as she looked at her disciple.

"I see... at least I have time. But what a bother; now I have to find a place to live while I look for assistants. Getting a license is such a hassle; they should make it easier..."

Erik commented, full of reluctance, then ate his cookies again, seeking comfort. But his words left the women present confused and deeply worried, so Eleonora asked hurriedly, with a bit of panic in her expression:

"What do you mean by a place to live, Erik?"

"Well, some time ago, I read that when a student gets licensed, he must become independent from his master."

Upon hearing Erik's response, all the women present let out a sigh of relief, which soon transformed into melodious laughter that filled the room, greatly confusing Erik. Not long after, Sigrún commented with evident relief in her voice.

"Hahaha, so that's what you meant. You really scared me for a moment. And although it's true that a disciple must become independent from their master when they obtain their license, that doesn't mean you have to go live somewhere else. That only applies to the profession, so you just need a separate workshop, which you already have."

After explaining the important point, Sigrún's expression changed to a much more serious one, which surprised Erik a little. She then spoke in an almost solemn tone.

"Besides, don't talk about going to live somewhere else or things like that. This is your home, and we are your family."

Seeing Erik's expression, Sigrún moved closer to him and hugged him affectionately, then continued with a soft, warm voice filled with love.

"You are my dear disciple, and you're stuck with me for at least a million years. So you can't even think about leaving my side; your master forbids it."

Eleonora also approached Erik and hugged him from the other side, then added in a soft and loving voice.

"Sig is right, Erik. Now you're ours; you can't leave. You're stuck with us until the end of time, fufufu."

Meanwhile, Seraphina watched the scene with a bit of amusement on her face at Erik's somewhat worried look. At the same time, she felt the urgent need to join the group hug, but that wasn't appropriate behavior for a great maid like her. After all, she couldn't disturb her lady's moment.

...

...

...

A month later, Erik was standing alongside Sigrún and Eleonora in front of a tall and beautiful skyscraper of dark glass similar to obsidian, with a modern and minimalist style. It emitted a slight ethereal glow and a delicate aroma of herbs and flowers.

"Well, Erik, this is the Alchemical Regulation Institute. This is where you'll take your exams to obtain your one-star alchemist license." Sigrún commented with a smile while looking at Erik, who seemed quite disheartened as he asked.

"Does every profession have its own regulation institute?"

"Not really; it's something done as needed. For example, professions related to technological development are regulated to prevent the loss of knowledge. But then there's law, for instance, where they need to be able to demonstrate in a simple and reliable way that they possess the necessary knowledge to practice their profession. So they have their own regulation institute that takes care of that."

Beside Erik, Eleonora answered the question with a smile, greatly surprising the star-haired boy, who quickly asked.

"So they are private?"

"Yes, except for alchemy and artificery, which are hybrids managed by private entities together with the faction. All the others are managed privately only." Sigrún answered cheerfully, which brought a small smile to Erik's face. He commented in a pleased tone.

"Hehehe, I really like the director—a wise man."

"Why do you say that, Erik?" Eleonora asked curiously while looking at him. Erik responded with a slight smile.

"Because he's a really wise man, and the way he manages the faction is irrefutable proof of it. For example, a foolish or ambitious leader wouldn't hesitate to put the regulation institutes under his administration, since not only would it be very profitable, but it would also improve his control over his faction. The problem is that, in the long run, that would end up destroying any possibility of progress or innovation."

"Oh? Why do you think that?" Filled with interest in her disciple's comment, Sigrún asked with a small smile, to which he responded cheerfully.

"Well, it was actually something postulated by Arcane Mikels in his book 'Principles of Market and Trade.' In it, he explains that if the market is understood as a process of social cooperation where titles of value are exchanged voluntarily, then any violent intervention over it ends up leading to a self-destructive spiral. That is, let people do things by themselves; anything else is destined to fail."

"Fufufu, you've been mentioning Arcane Mikels a lot lately. You really liked his theories," Eleonora commented cheerfully, to which Erik casually nodded.

"Yes, I think they're the best way to explain the success of the Arcane Order—a case of overwhelming success."

"Really?" Sigrún commented, surprised, and turned to look at Eleonora with an inquisitive glance and asked, "Does it really talk about that, Eli?"

"Fufufufu, you really should read something other than novels and alchemy, Sig. But actually, I'm also a bit confused about it, Erik. Arcane Mikels's book doesn't even mention the Arcane Order. After all, at the time it was written, the order was just in its initial phases and wasn't very well known, far from its current success."

"Well, we can read it together, and I'll explain why I think it accounts for the success of the Arcane Order's model."

Erik commented with a small smile on his face, which greatly delighted Eleonora and Sigrún. Their favorite plan lately was spending time with their dear disciple, as those five years away had left them with a serious deficiency of 'Erikium.'

"Hahaha, that sounds like a good plan for later. For now, you have an exam to take, so let's go," Sigrún added with a smile while looking at Erik, who nodded unenthusiastically, then began to walk like a prisoner going to his execution, greatly amusing the pair of Masters.

The group of three entered the beautiful building, and the first thing Erik noticed was the pleasant aroma of herbs that permeated the place. It gave a sense of calm and somewhat mimicked the fresh scent of a spring forest. Additionally, it had a much more elegant and 'magical' design than its minimalist facade.

The floor was a mosaic of black and shiny tiles that seemed to be made of the same magical crystal as the exterior, where light reflected, creating brilliant patterns that moved gracefully as they walked. A gigantic chandelier suspended high above filled the space with a soft and mysterious light.

In the center of the hall, a circular fountain of intricate design bubbled with a liquid that seemed to change color with each blink. It was surrounded by benches and chairs of elegant design, forged in magical metals and upholstered with sumptuous velvet. But since Eleonora and Sigrún knew the place perfectly, they overlooked all that and soon reached a beautiful glass elevator, where they entered accompanied by Erik.

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

The beautiful glass elevator swiftly took the group up to the 30th floor, where the exams would be conducted. When the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a long and majestic hallway with walls decorated with intricate engravings detailing the fundamental principles of alchemy, while the floor reflected a soft glow, as if imbued with mana.

As they walked down the hallway, the group arrived at a beautiful, elegant-looking waiting room filled with shelves, books, and desks scattered around. Various people of all kinds could be seen doing last-minute reviews, their expressions ranging from confidence to terror.

"Well, now we just have to wait for them to call you, and you should head to the door with the indicated number." Sigrún commented as she pointed to some doors visible a bit beyond the waiting room. Erik nodded while looking around with a calm expression on his face.

"Alright, I'll be waiting here then."

"Well, Erik, we have to go. We'll try to come back before your exam ends, but if we can't, we'll see you at home, okay?" Eleonora said with a slight smile, causing Erik to turn to his masters and bid them farewell with a smile.

"Alright, see you later then."

With a smile on her face, Sigrún gave her disciple a big farewell hug, while Eleonora bit her lips, a bit mortified, as she also wanted to give him a small farewell hug. But after glancing around a bit, she shook her head and then left the building, where they disappeared in bursts of light, reappearing in the faction's meeting room.

…

"It's a pleasure to see you again."

Sitting at the head of the table, the director, who was the only one in the meeting room, greeted the women who had suddenly appeared. They took their respective seats and responded with different expressions on their beautiful faces.

"What do you need now, old man? We've already done even more than what was asked of us, and I'm not willing to leave the planet for at least 20 years." Sigrún commented, a bit annoyed with her arms crossed. Eleonora slightly nodded in agreement, a serious expression on her face.

"Hahaha, don't worry; I didn't call you to do anything. And regarding those 20 years, I agree. News of your achievements is circulating throughout the galaxy and surprising everyone; it's only fair that you have a well-deserved rest." The director replied with a casual smile, prompting Eleonora to ask curiously.

"So, what's the reason for this call, Director? Did something happen?"

"Rather than something happening, I mainly called you to talk about something."

The director responded with a casual attitude, but suddenly, his expression changed, becoming serious and solemn. He then asked while looking directly into the eyes of the youngest masters in history.

"How much do you know about the Children of the Myst? Or better yet, how much do you know about Erik?"

Upon hearing the director's question, Sigrún and Eleonora's expressions immediately turned serious. They sat up straight in their chairs and looked at the faction leader with solemnity.

"So you already know, Director." Eleonora commented in a somewhat solemn tone, to which the director nodded and continued speaking gravely.

"Yes, although it may not be easy for others to notice, that's not the case with me. I personally met a Child of the Myst; moreover, I was present in the crusade carried out against him, where we managed to kill him."

When they heard the director, the mana of Sigrún and Eleonora burst wildly from their bodies, ready for battle. But at that moment, the director continued speaking seriously.

"Calm down; I have nothing against Erik; that case was very special."

As the mana of Eleonora and Sigrún calmed down—since they knew the decrepit old man, and he didn't seem to be joking—the director leaned back in his chair. His gaze became deep and melancholic, as if recalling a crucial moment of his life. He then continued speaking in a serious tone, far removed from his typical playful attitude; after all, what he was about to tell them was an event that changed the universe forever.

"In the universe, the birth of a Child of the Myst is seen as the greatest blessing for a civilization and is said to mark the ascent of their species to new heights, but there was an exception to this, and that was the case of the Silvari..."

...

...

...

In the middle of the waiting room, Erik sat at one of the available desks and took out some notebooks, where he began scribbling mathematical calculations, magic circles, and runes. He continued doing this, completely focused, until a melodious and elegant voice sounded nearby.

"Excuse me for the interruption, direct disciple Erik, but it's time for your exam."

Hearing the voice, Erik looked up and found a beautiful red-haired woman gazing at him with a professional smile. She was dressed in a tight black dress, similar to what Sigrún and Eleonora's assistants wore. He simply nodded, stored all his things in his storage ring, then stood up and asked with a smile.

"Thank you for informing me. Where should I go?"

"It's my duty, and please follow me; I'll guide you to the examination room." The woman replied in a formal tone while bowing respectfully. She then began to walk once Erik nodded to her.

"Alright."

With a calm stride, Erik followed the woman to one of the doors. Upon passing through it, he could see the so-called examination room, which was a large hall with a gleaming marble floor and several individual workstations, each properly equipped with all kinds of ingredients, tools, and cauldrons.

Meanwhile, at the upper part of the room, standing on elevated platforms, were several people dressed in the typical university uniform. Noticing Erik's arrival, they turned to look at him, analyzing him carefully with sharp eyes.

"Am I the first? I don't see anyone else." Erik asked curiously as he looked around.

"Actually, Direct Disciple Erik is a special case and will be the only one evaluated in this round; that's why you're the only one in this room." The woman responded politely before bowing and speaking one last time.

"Direct Disciple Erik, if you would, please proceed to the center of the room, and once there, they'll inform you about the exam. If you'll excuse me, I can only accompany you up to this point."

"Alright, thank you anyway."

After bidding farewell to the woman, Erik approached the center of the room, where there was an individual workstation larger than the others. Although it was equipped similarly, it had more ingredients. At that moment, one of the people on the elevated platforms spoke in a grave and solemn voice, catching his attention.

"Direct Disciple Erik, today you will be evaluated on your knowledge in the area of alchemy. The exam will be divided into five parts: Material Selection, Mixing and Proportions, Reaction and Transformation, Ethics and Safety, and finally, the Oral Defense Exam. Any questions?"

Curiously, Erik studied the person who spoke—a man who appeared to be around 40 years old, with olive skin and black hair, sporting a serious and unyielding gaze. He then shook his head and replied loudly.

"No, we can proceed."

"Then let's begin. In the first test, you must differentiate and categorize all the ingredients found at your workstation. You have one hour to complete it and can make up to three mistakes. If you make more or fail to finish in time, you will be disqualified and won't be able to take the exam for 10 years. You may start." The man spoke in a serious tone as he looked at the young man with starry hair, who nodded casually.

Erik looked at the large pile of ingredients on the workstation, sighing a bit at the vast amount of mixed items there. Without saying anything, he summoned dozens of ghostly hands. At the same time, a stack of blank sheets and dozens of pens appeared over his hand, which he tossed into the air to be caught by the ghostly hands.

Simultaneously, behind Erik, an elegant and comfortable chair made of solidified Myst formed, where he sat casually. At that moment, his ghostly hands picked up the ingredients and sorted them, while other phantom hands wrote their names on the sheets and arranged them in alphabetical order.

At the top of the room, the examiners watched the spectacle in surprise—not only because it was a never-before-seen way of controlling solidified Myst, but also because the boy only occasionally glanced at some ingredients himself, and everything else was done almost automatically by the solidified Myst hands. This led some to think he was cheating, but no matter how much they checked, the boy was doing nothing more than controlling the Myst around him.

Initially, the examiners wanted to deliberately increase the difficulty of the exam by increasing the number of ingredients, their rarity, similarity, and so on. This was mainly due to the young man's age; after all, it was uncommon for someone under 200 years old to take the exam. They wanted to be sure if the boy was truly that capable or just being arrogant, but the spectacle he was giving them was beyond anything they expected.

Time passed in silence, with the only sounds being the movement of ingredients and the pens writing on the sheets. This lasted about 20 minutes, at which point the star-haired boy looked up and spoke calmly and neutrally, surrounded by different piles of well-labeled ingredients.

"I'm finished."

The man who had spoken earlier nodded his head, and immediately all the ingredients, along with the accompanying sheets, flew into the air and were divided equally so that each examiner could review a portion. After a couple of minutes, the man spoke again.

"No errors here."

"None here either."

"Same here."

...

One by one, all the examiners said the same until it reached the last of them. At that point, the man who seemed to be the leader of the group of examiners nodded and spoke again, looking at Erik.

"You have passed the first exam, Direct Disciple Erik. Next is the second one; you have 30 minutes to prepare."

"Ah, that's not necessary; I can do it immediately."

Erik responded casually, as it hadn't been complicated at all, and he had been sitting the whole time, which caused a slight smile on the man on the platform. He nodded before speaking again.

"Then let's continue."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

Hours later, near dusk, Erik left the examination room calmly and with a light step, greatly contrasting with the tense atmosphere that seemed to fill the place. He quickly reached the waiting room, at which point he smiled happily upon seeing Eleonora and Sigrún sitting in a secluded corner.

The pair of beautiful Masters were waiting quietly while chatting among themselves and drinking tea, which seemed to turn that small corner into an exclusive spot, as everyone present avoided even looking in that direction, much less approaching.

"How did it go, Erik?" Noticing that Erik was approaching, Eleonora asked with a small smile on her face, to which Erik replied cheerfully as he sat down in a chair next to them.

"Quite well; they already gave me my card."

After sitting down, a beautiful card appeared in Erik's right hand that seemed to have been carved from a huge emerald, which had delicate engravings and runes carved all over its surface. Additionally, an imposing emblem—a cauldron and a book surrounded by threads of fire—was engraved in relief in the center, occupying almost the entire card.

"Hehe, my Erik is now a full-fledged alchemist."

Upon seeing the card, Sigrún smiled broadly and approached Erik, trying to hug him tightly, but at that moment she was stopped by Eleonora, who held her arm and smiled elegantly at her, which made Sigrún pout. Immediately afterward, they were surrounded by runes and disappeared in a burst of light.

In the middle of the garden of Sigrún's mansion, a sudden burst of light erased the tranquility of the place. In the garden appeared the figures of Sigrún, who was tightly hugging Erik, and Eleonora, who looked at the situation with an ironic smile on her face.

"You really don't know how to restrain yourself, Sig." Eleonora commented while shaking her head at Sigrún's behavior, who, without stopping hugging Erik, gave her a mocking smile.

"My disciple became one of the youngest alchemists in history. Eli, I'm really happy." Sigrún spoke with satisfaction as she released her embrace of her beloved disciple, to which Eleonora only huffed in annoyance and approached Erik, then hugged him tightly.

"He is also my disciple and will soon be one of the youngest artificers in history. Hmph."

With a slightly jealous tone, Eleonora commented while feeling the warmth of her beloved disciple, and after a moment, she released her embrace with a bit of reluctance, at the same time that Sigrún looked at her mockingly. Meanwhile, Erik played dead, trying not to get involved in his masters' 'fights'.

With each Master taking hold of one of their disciple's arms, the group walked into the mansion, where Seraphina was standing, waiting for them with her elegant and professional demeanor. Upon seeing them, she bowed respectfully and greeted them in a polite voice.

"Welcome back, young master, young miss, Master Silverwood."

"""Hello, Sera/Seraphina."""

They all greeted Seraphina, who bowed slightly once more, then walked ahead of the group until they reached the main hall, where they separated—Seraphina continuing her way to the kitchen, while Erik sat on one of the large sofas in the middle of the room, and his masters sat beside him.

With familiarity and trust, Erik let his head fall onto Eleonora's lap, who smiled warmly and began to stroke the silky, starry hair of her beloved disciple. At the same time, Sigrún picked up Erik's legs and placed them over hers, proceeding to remove his shoes with practiced ease.

"What did you think of the exam, Erik?" Eleonora asked affectionately as she began to gently caress Erik's forehead, as if it were fine porcelain.

"It was quite easy, to be honest. Only the first part was annoying, since I had to categorize and separate a bunch of ingredients; the rest were much easier." Erik replied with his eyes closed, enjoying how his master's delicate hands caressed his face.

"Hehe, don't say that in public, or many people will want to hit you."

Upon hearing Erik, Sigrún couldn't help but comment with a mischievous giggle, while she began to gently play with Erik's perfectly groomed toes in what seemed like a delicate and affectionate massage, very much her style.

"Really?" Erik couldn't help but ask, somewhat surprised, which made the pair of beautiful masters smile softly.

"Yes, that exam is considered very difficult, so there will be no shortage of those who want to hit you out of frustration at their own inability," Eleonora commented with a slight mocking laugh on her lips, to which Erik responded in a low voice, making a mental note.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind..."

Amid the curious massage and casual conversation, the group of masters and disciple spent time with cheerful smiles on their faces, until, after a while, Seraphina returned to the main hall. Standing near the sofa with her hands crossed by her waist—a perfect pose for a perfect maid like her—she announced.

"Dinner is ready."

"Thank you, Seraphina."

Upon hearing Seraphina, Erik quickly opened his eyes and thanked her with a slight smile, and Seraphina responded in a professional tone with a small smile on her face.

"It is a pleasure to serve."

Knowing that her disciple must be starving, Sigrún quickly put his boots back on, then they all headed together toward the main dining room, where they saw two attendants finishing setting all the dishes before bowing respectfully and leaving.

Erik watched the two attendants leaving for a moment, realizing something, which quickly led him to ask with a bit of curiosity while looking at his masters.

"Now that I think about it, why are there so few attendants in the mansion now? Do we have financial problems?"

"""Hahaha!"""

Upon hearing Erik's question and seeing his slightly worried expression, all the women present couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even Seraphina was unable to maintain her professional facade. After all, it was too funny that someone could think that two Masters, who were among the best in their respective crafts, could have 'financial problems,' especially in the Arcane Order.

"What are you laughing at?" Erik asked, genuinely surprised, which only intensified the women's laughter.

The beautiful women clutched their stomachs and tried to calm down without success, until, after a while, Eleonora managed to compose herself enough to respond, though she still had sporadic giggles.

"Haha, you don't have to worry about that, Erik. We don't have financial problems of any kind; we have enough wealth for you to squander as much as you want without fear for several million years. Haha."

"Haha, you're really adorable, Erik. The reduction of attendants in the mansion is for security reasons, but we never imagined you'd think it was due to 'financial problems.' It's so funny. Haha," Sigrún added, genuinely amused. Erik asked curiously, trying to ignore how Seraphina and his masters were making fun of him.

"Security reasons? Did something happen?"

"Not really, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Before, I lived here alone and didn't have to worry too much about it, but since you arrived, that changed. So we decided to improve that aspect and reduce the number of attendants in the mansion to minimize variables, hehe," Sigrún commented, trying to contain her sporadic giggles.

"I understand... and sorry for the inconvenience," Erik said, a bit embarrassed, to which Sigrún affectionately ruffled his hair and warmly commented:

"I've told you hundreds of times that you don't need to apologize. Better eat before it gets cold."

"Hehehe."

Erik smiled a bit awkwardly and began to eat voraciously, completely forgetting the matter of the attendants, which brought charming smiles to the women present, who looked at each other conspiratorially.

The reduction of attendants in the mansion had begun several years ago, even before they went to the frontier. Eleonora and Sigrún were perfectly aware that their attachment to Erik was far from the normal feeling of a Master towards her disciple.

Moreover, scenes of intimate physical contact, like the one that occurred on the sofa, were too common. Despite knowing that this would undoubtedly cause unpleasant comments or rumors, they were not willing to stop, so they chose the second option: to hide it.

To achieve that goal, Seraphina gradually began changing the attendants' shifts and relocating them to other properties owned by Eleonora and Sigrún, leaving only the most loyal and tight-lipped in the mansion.

The reason they wanted to hide it and didn't dare to take a step further was that both Eleonora and Sigrún were unsure of what to do with their growing feelings. After all, it was the first time they felt something like this, and they were a bit confused about what to do. So they simply decided to go with the flow and enjoy their feelings, while avoiding affecting their reputation or harming Erik in any way.

Amid casual conversations, the group of three continued eating and talking about random things, laughing occasionally at unimportant silliness. Seraphina, who remained standing aside like the perfect maid she was, occasionally offered small comments or politely declined Erik's invitations to sit at the table. After all, such behavior was not befitting of a perfect maid.

"By the way, how have things been going with the rune circles?" Suddenly, Erik asked with curiosity, which inevitably put complicated smiles on the faces of Sigrún and Eleonora, who sighed with disappointment.

"Not well at all. Although we can cast the ones you've created, we have no idea why they work. Many parts seem to contradict all the magical theory we know; it's honestly a mystery how they're even possible," Sigrún commented, full of regret, to which Eleonora added in a similar tone.

"Yes, they're truly too strange. Not to mention that you need an extremely high level of mana control to cast them. The slightest error, no matter how small, makes it fail spectacularly; it's like a house of cards that can fall with the slightest gust of wind."

For some time, Erik had asked his masters to help him develop the theory behind his rune circles. He had given them all his notes on the rune circles he had developed and shown them how to cast them, but apparently there had been no luck.

"I see... that's a shame. I'll keep working on them to see if I can come up with something," Erik said, feeling a bit defeated, as he jotted down his masters' opinions in his notebook. But at that moment, Eleonora stealthily approached and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek, then cheerfully said.

"Don't worry about that. Your rune circles are an unprecedented historical milestone, so it's only expected that they're not easy to perfect. But you've already taken the first step that shows they're possible, and we'll continue helping you. Sooner or later, we'll understand how they work."

"Yes, there's no reason to be discouraged. We'll keep trying things until we figure out how they work, and we'll create the best and greatest magical system humanity has ever seen," Sigrún added with a huge smile on her face after imitating Eleonora and kissing Erik's other cheek, to which he responded with a small chuckle.

"Haha, that's true. We have extremely long lives to try everything until we can develop a viable theory; it's still too early to give up."

Spoiler: Patreon

If you like it, you can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.