VOL 2 Chapter 31: Elara Belmonte.

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

Erik commented in a casual tone, a slight smile on his face, as he made a discreet gesture to Seraphina. She instantly understood and pulled out a chair for Liliana, who had no choice but to sit down with a slightly uncomfortable expression she tried her hardest to hide.

"Now I feel a bit bad—Disciple Erik only came to take a look." Elara remarked with feigned sadness, which made Erik smile as he cheerfully replied,

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

"Fufufu, Disciple Erik knows how to flatter a lady." Zoe added as she elegantly covered her mouth with one hand, to which Erik responded with a slight smile,

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

"Hehehe, you're going to make me blush, Disciple Erik." Elara said happily, a slight and attractive blush on her cheeks as she looked at Erik, who replied somewhat amused,

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

"It's just that Disciple Erik says such pleasant 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 before seen Erik 'flirt', and worse, it was something he had never done with her despite her evident beauty, which inevitably bothered her a little.

For her part, Seraphina was a bit surprised at how well Erik was handling himself in his first social gathering, although she already suspected that would be the case. After all, despite being an orphan and having no one to educate him, he was very observant and absorbed knowledge like a sponge.

When Erik first arrived at the mansion, he had already learned from Sigrún's behavior on the ship and displayed excellent manners to the point that they only had to guide him a little, since his references were a bit feminine.

Moreover, Erik had always had the ability to speak eloquently and was very adept at handling different situations. Since he began to read compulsively, that ability of his was only enhanced, although for Seraphina, it was still a surprise and a delight to see his skills in action.

The group of young direct disciples continued chatting about random things, with Elara and Zoe very entertained by the conversation, while Liliana occasionally made a couple of comments without much interest. She still made an effort not to show her discontent with Erik too much, which only increased with each passing minute. The fact that he was so good at'socializing' only showed that he had never really been interested in talking with her or with Desmond.

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

But Seraphina's pleasant moment was interrupted when she sensed a slight and almost undetectable amount of mental power directed at Elara. Although she was annoyed because she imagined what was happening, a proud smile couldn't help but appear on her face upon seeing her young master's confused expression as he began to look around discreetly, searching for the source of that mental power.

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Elara Belmonte, the first disciple of the great Master Sunforge—one of the most talented young women in the entire galaxy, above most and beneath none—was, for the first time in her life, seeing firsthand someone she could sincerely admire. For some reason, this brought her a strange sensation she had never experienced before.

The only reason she had originally even paid attention to the young man named Erik was because of his master, who was none other than the youngest Master-level in history—the woman who surpassed everything and everyone, standing untouchable at the summit and could only be admired but never challenged. She was Elara's greatest idol and role model, even more so than her own master.

She was dying to meet the young man that a woman of Master Eldurdóttir's caliber had chosen as her disciple after having rejected the most talented youths in the galaxy. What would he be like? Would he be a prodigy like her? Would he be able to at least approach the unbeatable legend of his master? Were they about to witness in their lifetime the birth of a new legend?

But in the end, it seemed true that the more expectations one has, the more disappointing reality is. After all, her first impression of the young man before her was disastrous. Although he was handsome and his strange starry hair and bright green eyes caught her attention a bit, the fact that he was a coward who couldn't even accept a duel was too much to process.

The universe was not a peaceful place, much less the galaxy that humanity had managed to conquer millions of years ago. Although, thanks to the Court, the Arcane Order was almost an oasis of peace and tranquility in the chaotic universe, things outside its borders were very different. Conflicts were unavoidable—from pirates to opposing factions or invading species—the life of a mana user was heavily marked by conflict and violence.

For that reason, cowardice was inadmissible for a mana user. After all, no one wanted to be near someone who would run and abandon their team in battle; no one wanted someone who might betray them out of fear; no one wanted someone who would freeze in fear during a battle and become a burden that could lead to their own death.

The shock of learning that the disciple of the great Master Eldurdóttir was such a coward was so great that she even began to doubt the abilities of the woman she had idolized all her life. But in the end, it turned out to be a big misunderstanding; the direct disciple Erik was anything but a coward, and he proved it amply in front of a large audience.

That duel was spectacular even before it began. The strategy of making the 'enemies' fight among themselves and then displaying power against the strongest was marvelous—to the point that she, who prided herself on being an intelligent woman with great strategic capacity, couldn't help but nod in admiration.

But the duel itself went even further. She witnessed firsthand how a mere Skilled-Ascended of less than 30 years old faced a Peak-Ascended—someone five ranks above—when it's believed that a difference of two ranks is insurmountable. As if that weren't enough, it was a battle against a knight with at least two more centuries of real combat experience.

When she heard that the first disciple of Master Eldurdóttir was facing a 300-year-old mercenary Peak-Ascended Knight, she initially refused to believe it; it was inconceivable. After all, Master Eldurdóttir was a mage, and therefore her disciple should also be one. Before reaching the Revealed level, a mage is at a brutal disadvantage against a knight.

That was because, before having a magical core, the distance at which a mage could attack was very limited. A well-trained knight could cover that distance in mere instants and end the mage's life, since a knight's training almost disregarded any conception of mana control and focused entirely on cultivating their strength—something that was not possible for a mage. In their initial stages, this made them much weaker, although later that disadvantage leveled off and could even be reversed.

Genuinely curious about what she might see, she went to the duel. But what she saw was beyond all her expectations. After all, reaching the Skilled-Ascended level before 30 was something only the great Master Eldurdóttir could achieve, but that was the least of the surprises she had that day.

In that duel, she watched in disbelief as the star-haired young man fought on equal footing in close combat against a knight, despite being a mage—a mage five ranks below and more than two centuries younger. As if that weren't enough, Erik was using a pair of common machetes as weapons, while his opponent wielded a specialized artifact of at least Illuminated-level.

But that wasn't all. As if the star-haired young man had decided to turn the galaxy upside down that day, he did something that dazzled all the mages who saw or heard about his feat: he used, in perfect harmony and with great effectiveness, two totally different magical systems—the Aegis system and Sacred Geometry—utilizing the best of each in his combat style.

Although technically, there was nothing preventing someone from doing something like that, the reality was that most mages wouldn't even consider it. She, as a mage, knew very well why. After all, mastering a magical system could take an entire lifetime. Even she, one of the most talented young people in the galaxy, still had problems with the stability of the more complex spells of her level. Attempting to venture into a different magical system was madness that very few would try and almost no one would achieve.

That day, just that demonstration of pure talent was more than enough for the entire galaxy to understand why he had been chosen by the great Master Eldurdóttir as her first disciple above all others. It even caused, when Master Silverwood announced that she was also the young man's master, no one to be too surprised.

But that wasn't what captivated her the most. What really made her admire the star-haired young man was what happened when he was about to win the duel. How he faced the evident assassination attempt, that calm and composure worthy of a great warrior. How he finished off his opponent with a single blow, then survived a point-blank attack from a Sage and counterattacked without changing his expression at any moment.

Was Direct Disciple Erik a coward? What a bunch of nonsense. He was a true warrior and strategist—a unique talent with great potential to surpass his master. But besides being strong, he was incredibly intelligent, and the little conversation they were having was proof of that. There was no subject he didn't know and understand to the point of reducing its complexity to simple, easy-to-understand allegories.

Whether ancient texts, philosophy, astronomy, alchemy, artificery, magic spells, bio-mystic techniques, the Myst, etc., he had his own perspective and understanding of each, which he explained calmly and kindly. But behind that serenity, there was a certainty and deep knowledge that never ceased to amaze her; it was almost like chatting with an ancient scholar.

Time passed without her even noticing, genuinely enjoying the conversation she was having. But suddenly, her pleasant moment was interrupted when her master's voice sounded in her head. With a slightly regretful expression, she conveyed the message to Disciple Erik.

"Disciple Erik, if it's not too much trouble, my master would like to meet you." Elara said while looking into Erik's captivating green eyes. He couldn't help but ask, confused.

"Your master?"

"That's right, my master would like to meet you, if it's not too much trouble for you." Elara replied with a smile on her face. But to her surprise, Erik quickly turned to look at his personal maid, pretending to remember something as he commented a bit hastily.

"It's true that we had something to do, isn't that right, Seraphina?"

"Yes, young master, you have a dinner appointment with your masters." Seraphina played along with Erik, a mischievous smile on her face. This made Erik nod in satisfaction before he commented while looking at Elara with an embarrassed expression.

"Yes, that's true. I'm really sorry; I'd really like to meet your master, Disciple Elara, but I really can't stand up my masters. But another time, perhaps. Send her my regards, and it was a pleasure chatting with all of you. I hope it can happen again."

As if he were fleeing, Erik quickly stood up from his chair, while all the young ladies present rolled their eyes at his nonexistent acting skills and poor imagination for inventing excuses. They felt both curious and amused by the abrupt change.

Without paying attention to the faces of the young ladies, Erik left in a hurried step while Seraphina closely followed him, holding back her laughter. But when he was about to reach the door, he stopped dead in his tracks, for on the other side he sensed an imposing and colossal presence—something that only his masters could match.

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