VOL 2 Chapter 32: Special needs.

Shortly after, the enormous mahogany doors opened, and into the hall entered a figure that stood out like a burning beacon. It was a woman with delicate and fine features, crimson hair, and eyes of a bright orange hue that contrasted greatly with her soft, alabaster-like skin. Her white tunic, typical of the university, clung to her sensual and curvy figure, giving her an air that was both elegant and alluring.

Upon seeing the woman entering the hall, Erik's expression visibly hardened. He quickly turned to look at Seraphina, trying to convey his desire to leave through her teleportation spell. But at that precise moment, the beautiful woman smiled softly as she spoke with grace and authority.

"But what a surprise to find the great disciple Erik in this humble abode."

"It is an honor for me to meet Master Sunforge."

Quickly, Erik greeted her in a courteous tone while bowing respectfully, though internally, he was desperately searching for an excuse to leave with Seraphina, wanting to teleport to his master's mansion as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, everyone present in the hall was almost stupefied to see Master Sunforge—the most important and powerful fire mage of the faction, surpassed only in reputation by Master Eldurdóttir—speaking directly to the disciple Erik and even calling him by his name. After all, although the young man was quite famous now and had two masters, his rank was too low to catch the eye of Master Sunforge, much less have her speak to him directly.

"Fufufu, well, it doesn't seem so, since you appeared to run away the moment you knew I wanted to see you." Upon seeing Erik's greeting, Thalia commented in a soft and elegant tone, having an ambiguous smile on her face.

Thalia's words resonated throughout the room, causing everyone present to feel as if lightning had struck them. They looked in unison at Erik as if he were some kind of two-headed monster, since it was inconceivable that anyone would even consider fleeing from a woman who was the epitome of beauty, power, and nobility.

For his part, Erik was experiencing a furious storm of ideas in his mind, searching for some excuse that could get him out of that hall and spare him the headache of dealing with that vindictive woman who was eyeing him sharply.

"Hahaha, there's no need for that face; I just want to meet the disciple of my friends." Thalia commented after laughing cheerfully at the impassive expression of the star-haired boy.

"Hahaha, of course, it's exactly what I was thinking, Master Sunforge. And right now, I'm going to meet with my masters. Why don't we get together later to have dinner and get to know each other a bit more?"

After a laugh similar to that of the redhead, Erik replied with a polite expression while trying to locate the nearest exits and cursing his darn mouth that had put him in the sights of such a woman. Thalia replied with a sarcastic and mocking tone.

"Fufu, there's no need to bother; after all, crazy women like me are very impatient."

"Hehehe, Master Sunforge has a curious sense of humor, but if it won't take long, I wouldn't mind accompanying you, as I have to meet with my masters after this." As a drop of sweat formed on his forehead, Erik commented uncomfortably, then sighed resignedly, accepting his fate.

The reason Erik didn't want to meet with Thalia was very simple. From the beginning, he had the horrible premonition that this woman could only mean trouble for him and a major headache—not to mention the matter of him calling her crazy, something that would surely come back to bite him at some point, and it seemed it finally had.

The first time Erik saw Thalia at the boarding station, he honestly didn't care much about the woman. He just felt that she was someone very beautiful, ridiculously powerful, and very possibly troublesome. So at that moment, it seemed easy to cheer up his masters a bit by calling her crazy, as it was evident to him that they were angry with the woman. Besides, at that moment she did seem a bit crazy with her hair rising and catching fire.

With a mysterious smile on her face, Thalia approached Erik and Seraphina. At that moment, a beautiful and intricate magic circle appeared on the floor beneath them, and after a flash, Erik found himself in a beautiful and elegant room that emitted an intriguing aroma. That seemed to be a heady blend of the finest teas mixed with notes of incense and fresh flowers—giving the whole place an atmosphere of great serenity and calm.

The polished marble floor softly reflected the lights of the oil lamps hanging from the ceiling, suspended by chains that seemed to be of silver and gold. In the heart of the room, an elevated tatami could be seen, upon which rested a low table of fine wood, surrounded by cushions embroidered in pastel tones.

The walls, covered with rice paper, were themselves works of art, adorned with delicate paintings of mountainous landscapes, cherry blossoms, and rivers. Rosewood shelves housed an impressive collection of teapots and cups of ceramic and porcelain. Through the open doors, a beautiful mountainous landscape could be seen, with small lakes and koi fish near the entrances.

Erik looked at the room with evident Asian inspiration, a bit confused. Although he knew that such culture existed in the galaxy—not only in the Jade Lotus Union but also in other small factions—it was the first time he had seen a place of this style in the Arcane Order. Then again, he didn't venture much outside his master's mansion in the first place, so he wasn't that knowledgeable.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable." As she walked toward the center of the room, Thalia commented calmly before seating herself on one of the cushions around the table.

"Thank you very much, Master Sunforge."

Erik replied wearily, then walked to the center of the room and sat on one of the beautiful cushions facing Thalia, while Seraphina sat elegantly and femininely behind him. At that moment, two cups appeared on the table—one in front of Thalia and another in front of Erik—as a beautiful teapot began to levitate gently in the air.

After filling Thalia's cup, the teapot headed toward Erik, but just as it was about to reach its destination, a beautiful and delicate hand caught it in midair. This brought an amused expression to Thalia's face, who commented cheerfully while looking at the maid who smiled at her professionally.

"You really haven't changed at all, Seraphina."

"I don't understand what you mean, Master Sunforge; it's my duty to serve my young master." Seraphina replied with an innocent expression while pouring tea for Erik, which made Thalia laugh again. She commented with a touch of nostalgia.

"Hehehe, you really haven't changed. I still remember when you used to follow Sigrún around all day."

"Of course, at that time I was the personal maid of my young lady, but now I've become the property of the young master." Seraphina stated professionally, although a smile full of happiness couldn't help but appear on her face when she mentioned her new status.

"Hahaha, I really can never understand that strange fetish of yours."

Thalia remarked amusedly after laughing heartily, but at that moment, a terrifying killing intent hit her like a truck, stopping her amusement in its tracks. Simultaneously, she heard a cold and emotionless voice resonate in the room.

"What do you mean, M.A.S.T.E.R. Sunforge?"

"Hahaha, I was just joking; it's just that I really envy how your beautiful dress looks—it's very lovely." Thalia cursed herself for her loose tongue and, as her back filled with cold sweat, replied in a casual tone, trying with all her might to keep her voice from trembling.

Upon hearing Thalia's words, Seraphina's murderous intent vanished as if it had never existed, replaced by a beautiful smile on her face. The perfect maid then commented with a cheerful and lilting voice.

"I see, it's understandable; after all, this is an outfit created by my young master, so of course, it's beautiful."

"I didn't know that Erik also had talent for creating clothes."

Having managed to dodge the bullet, Thalia commented with curiosity and a bit of relief while looking with some interest at Erik, who seemed to be making every effort to reduce his presence and go unnoticed while he sipped his tea in silence.

"Hehehe, it's nothing much, Master Sunforge." Erik replied with a small smile as he set his teacup on the table.

"Yes, my young master is skilled in too many things; designing clothes is just a minor ability." Seraphina added proudly, which earned her an angry look from Erik.

Seeing the annoyed expression of her young master, Seraphina immediately approached and bowed deeply, filled with guilt, her forehead touching the floor as she apologized in a depressed voice, oblivious to everything happening around her.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, young master. I got carried away. Please punish me until your heart is consoled."

Seeing Seraphina's behavior, Erik couldn't help but sigh wearily; sometimes it was really hard to understand his personal maid. It was beyond his comprehension why she was putting on that little act in front of the redhead, as his perfect maid would never make a mistake in public. Not knowing quite what to do, he gently stroked Seraphina's head and spoke warmly.

"It's not such a big deal anymore, Seraphina; there's no need for you to do something like that."

"Thank you very much for your mercy, young master."

After lifting her head from the floor, Seraphina replied softly. Despite her words, her expression conveyed nothing but disappointment, which only made Erik sigh again. Over the time they'd been together, he'd begun to 'discover' that his personal maid had 'special needs', although until now, she only did things like this in private, never in public.

Shaking his head slightly in defeat, Erik reached out and pinched one of Seraphina's beautiful and delicate cheeks. This allowed him to witness in real time how the eyes of the woman possessing divine beauty filled with satisfaction and pleasure, while her cheeks flushed with an attractive rosy hue.

Seeing her strong reaction—one that, although it didn't differ much from the usual 'naughty Seraphina', was still quite shocking to witness in public—Erik decided to go all out, which generally ensured him a meal fit for the gods at home. His demeanor changed, becoming dominant and aggressive as he spoke arrogantly.

"I will not allow any more mistakes. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing that arrogant and powerful voice, Seraphina's body trembled slightly as pleasure filled her to the point where she could feel a certain part of her becoming moist. But she quickly composed herself, regaining her elegant and professional demeanor, and responded with grace and professionalism.

"Thank you very much for your infinite mercy, young master; I will make sure to improve."

"I hope so." Erik replied firmly while looking at Seraphina one last time before releasing her cheek and resuming his tea in silence.

For her part, Seraphina returned to her position behind Erik, sitting femininely and elegantly with her legs together and hands on her thighs. Her face bore a calm expression with a professional smile, as if nothing had happened, though an aura of satisfaction seemed to surround her.

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