Chapter 32

Upon seeing Zoe's arrival, Elara rose from her chair and introduced her with a small smile on her face, "Disciple Erik, let me introduce you to Disciple Zoe Laverne, a great friend of mine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Disciple Erik," Zoe bowed gracefully and elegantly before Erik, who stood up from his chair and greeted her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Disciple Laverne."

"Please call me Zoe, just like with Elara, Disciple Erik."

"Of course, Disciple Zoe."

"Please, let's sit down and chat for a bit."

With Zoe's words, everyone sat around the table, and some assistants served appealing multicolored cocktails, though only to Elara and Zoe, as Seraphina scared them off with a smile as soon as they tried to serve Erik.

"But it's really a pleasure to see Disciple Erik at this party, it was a very pleasant surprise," Zoe elegantly commented while attentively observing Erik's features.

"Is it so rare that I came?"

"It's not that it's rare, just that someone had mentioned to us that Disciple Erik isn't very sociable," Elara subtly pointed towards a corner of the room where one could see an angry Liliana drinking a cocktail alone, seated at a beautiful table of shiny jet-black color.

After seeing Liliana, Erik smiled softly, knowing that Liliana couldn't stand him, but it didn't really bother him much, after all, pleasing others was something that had never mattered to him in his two lives, and besides, Liliana was somewhat adorable, as even though she should be almost 50 years old, her attitudes were very childish, and she always tried to make it seem in public that there was no problem between them.

Liliana turned to look at the table where her 'friends' who had betrayed her to go to the side of her 'worst enemy' were sitting, only to find Erik looking at her and greeting her with an extended hand, something she could only respond to, after all, no matter what happens, he was her fellow disciple from the same master, and giving him such a snub wasn't something she could do, their problems were private, in public they are fellow disciples and that's not going to change, much less because of her.

Liliana had no choice but to approach Erik's table to greet him properly, though inside she was cursing him with everything she had. Upon reaching the table, Liliana put on a friendly expression and greeted cordially.

"It's a pleasure to see you at this party, Erik. I didn't think you'd attend such a crowded place."

With a smile, Erik gestured to Seraphina, who extended a chair for Liliana, who had no choice but to sit down with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

"You really know me well, Liliana. I'm not particularly enthusiastic about crowded places, but considering it's a good opportunity to meet potential competitors in the tournament, I decided to stop by for a look."

"Now I feel a bit bad, Disciple Erik only came to take a look," Elara commented with feigned sadness, which made Erik smile.

"Hahaha, that was before I came, Disciple Elara. Now, with such pleasant company, things are very different."

"Fufufufu, Disciple Erik knows how to flatter a lady," Zoe commented with a small smile.

"It's not flattery, it's simply the truth."

"Hehehe, you're going to make me blush, Disciple Erik."

"Disciple Elara is a shy lady, as I see."

"It's just that Disciple Erik says such nice things that I can't help it."

Elara commented a bit shyly, while Liliana and Seraphina looked at Erik with some surprise, especially Liliana, who had never seen Erik 'flirt' before, and it was something he had never done with her, despite her obvious beauty, which started to bother her a bit.

On the other hand, Seraphina was somewhat surprised by how well Erik was handling himself in his first social gathering, although she had suspected that would be the case. Erik, despite being an orphan and not having anyone to educate him, was very observant and absorbed knowledge like a sponge.

When Erik first arrived at the mansion, he had already learned from observing Sigrún's behavior on the ship and displayed excellent manners, to the point that he only needed a little guidance since they were somewhat feminine due to his reference.

On the other hand, Erik had always been able to speak eloquently and had a great ease in handling different situations. Since he began reading compulsively, this ability of his was only enhanced. For Seraphina, it was still a surprise and a delight to see his capabilities in action.

The group of young direct disciples continued to talk about random things, with Elara and Zoe very entertained by the conversation and Liliana making a couple of comments without much interest, though still making an effort not to show her discontent with Erik too much.

Meanwhile, Seraphina was having an incredibly pleasant time, watching her young master act like a distinguished man befitting his status, while all the other guests took Erik's table as the center of the room, casting looks full of interest and respect, and even some passed by trying to catch his attention.

But Seraphina's pleasant moment was interrupted when she felt a slight and almost undetectable amount of mental power reaching Elara. Although she was annoyed, imagining what was happening, a proud smile appeared on her face as she saw the confused expression of her young master who was discreetly looking around for the source of that mental power.

Elara was having a very pleasant time chatting with Disciple Erik, who seemed to know about everything. There wasn't a topic he wasn't familiar with, despite his youth and the seclusion he usually lived in, according to Liliana. It was impressive how he could switch from discussing ancient magical texts and the philosophy of arcane arts to explaining the intricate dance of the stars in the sky or the alchemical properties of the most complex potions. His voice was calm, his tone always kind, but behind that serenity was a certainty and a deep knowledge that continually amazed Elara.

But her pleasant moment was interrupted when the voice of her master sounded in her head, so with a slightly apologetic expression, she conveyed her message to Disciple Erik.

"Disciple Erik, if it's not too much trouble for you, my master would like to meet you."

"Your master?" Erik asked, confused, and Elara nodded in response.

"Yes, my master would like to meet you, if it's not too much trouble for you."

Erik quickly turned to look at Seraphina, pretending to remember something, though his acting skills, unfortunately, were never one of his strengths.

"That's right, we did have something to do, didn't we, Seraphina?"

"Yes, young master, you have a dinner appointment with your masters," Seraphina played along with Erik, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Yes, that's true. I'm really sorry, I would have liked to meet your master, Disciple Elara, but I can't stand up my masters. Maybe another time. Please send her my regards, and it was a pleasure chatting with all of you. I hope we can do it again."

Erik rose from his chair while all the ladies present rolled their eyes at his nonexistent acting skills and poor imagination in making up excuses. Ignoring the faces of the ladies present, Erik hurried off almost as if he was fleeing from something. But as he was about to reach the door, he stopped dead in his tracks, feeling an imposing and terrifying presence on the other side, only matched by that of his masters.