Chapter 73

"What's going on? Why that face?" Erik asked, a bit curious about the look of utter astonishment on Sofia's face.

"Boss, are you from the Arcane Order?"

"Yes, that's right, I even studied at the Arcane University."

Sofia felt dizzy with the new information and almost fell sitting on the Myst platform, but her brother managed to hold her in time. Although he didn't dare to say anything, the big smile on his lips hinted at what that news meant for them.

Martin had been listening to the conversation between his sister and that mysterious young man with starry hair, surrounded by goddesses, from the beginning, in silent, trying to glean as much information as possible about his sister's situation, filled with concern.

After all, Martin was full of panic and guilt, since the first thing he understood when he saw his sister in the tunnel surrounded by people who seemed important was that his sister agreed to work for a very powerful man, very likely in exchange for getting him out of the mine, something that was not very different from selling her soul to the devil in Aranta. But things were completely different if it was someone from the Arcane Order.

This was because, although the Arcane Order was known as the land of opportunities, if anyone were asked what the second most attractive aspect of the Arcane Order was, without a doubt, everyone would respond that it was its security.

In the Arcane Order, everyone was equal before the law, and those who broke the laws were pursued and mercilessly judged regardless of their position or power, to the point that there was a legend that several millennia ago, the order executed one of its Masters for going against the law, something that honestly no one believed. But the fact that the order did not deny it only meant that at the very least, it was much better than any other faction, where the Masters remained unpunished no matter what they did, unless they committed treason.

Therefore, the fact that his sister Sofia ended up working for someone from the Arcane Order was undoubtedly the greatest fortune they could have received, and it could only mean a better life for him and his sisters, since it was well known that if a family managed to send someone to the Arcane Order and they did not forget about them, they were assured of a great life ahead.

As an example, there were their neighbors, the Gaitáns, who had gathered all the savings from decades of the family's work to send their youngest son to the Arcane Order to look for opportunities. In less than five years, the boy not only managed to stabilize himself there but even gathered enough money to return and take his whole family back with him to the Order.

For her part, Sofia sincerely felt like she was dreaming, feeling like she had emerged from the depths of hell to touch the highest heavens. It turned out that from the beginning, she hadn't sold her soul to an heir of a famous house. Instead, by saving her brother, she had delivered herself on a silver platter to someone from the Arcane Order, someone who couldn't do anything too extreme to her due to the laws of their faction. And as if that wasn't enough, now she wouldn't have to be too far from her siblings, as everyone knew, the people of the Arcane Order were very wealthy, and now they would be too. So, it would be nothing for them to pay for flights to reunite within the Order.

"Are you okay? Do you really hate the Arcane Order that much?" Erik asked, a bit confused to see Sofia's reaction, who immediately got up from the ground and bowed deeply as a sign of apology.

"No, Boss, actually, it's my dream to be able to become part of the Arcane Order. It's just that here it's dangerous to say it out loud, as the leaders don't like it, and it can result in death. So, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for having lied to you."

Erik turned to look at his masters and Seraphina, who had mischievous smiles on their faces.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Erik, it's something that commonly happens in other factions, especially in somewhat backward systems like this one," Sigrún commented with a smile.

"I see..." Erik exclaimed, a bit contemplatively, before turning to look at Sofia and continuing to speak. "In any case, since going to the Arcane Order isn't a problem, do you want to do something about the person who hit you or not?"

Sofia's face transformed into one full of anger and malice as she commented with some joy, "I would be eternally grateful to the Boss for helping me get revenge on that man."

"Hahaha, then let's go, tell me where he is."

"He's in the center, over there, Boss," Sofia pointed towards the center of the mine where the foreman's main camp was located before asking, "But Boss, isn't it against the laws of your faction to do something to him?"

"Hehehe, so you know them. Well, as long as I don't kill him, not much happens. But even if he ended up dead, the laws of the faction are only strictly applied within the faction, or alternatively, towards the members of the faction. Beyond that, as long as there's a good excuse and it doesn't cause too much trouble, not much happens. So tell me, is he a member of the faction?"

"No, sir."

"Boss!"

"No, Boss!"

"Hehehe, that's better."

Sofia and Erik started to laugh complicitly, which made Eleonora, Sigrún, and Seraphina feel very uncomfortable with Erik's sudden closeness to the girl. Almost instinctively, they took him by his arms possessively, and even Seraphina approached and grabbed the corner of his shirt, while sending domineering looks to Sofia.

Struck by the jealousy of three monsters of colossal power and beauty, Sofia stumbled a bit backward in fear, something that surprised Erik, who hadn't noticed the women's stares and asked.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, boss, just a bit tired, it's been a complicated day," Sofia commented, filled with nervousness, while sending apologetic looks to the goddesses surrounding her boss like cats protecting their territory. Erik didn't pay much attention to this and simply nodded.

"I can imagine."

Not long after, the group arrived at the foreman's camp, which was stupefied to see the group flying in the sky, like gods descending to the earth to look down upon mere mortals like them.

"HERNÁNDEZ, TODAY WILL BE THE DAY YOU PAY FOR ALL THE DEBTS WE HAVE PENDING!!!"

Sofia shouted from the sky, sending a look filled with malicious intent to the foreman, who, without saying a word, ran away from the place in panic. He could only take a couple of steps before becoming paralyzed and unable to move in a strange position, which filled him with unimaginable terror.

Erik slowly lowered the Myst platform to the ground, while everyone present seemed frozen in their places, fearing even to breathe too loudly, as that might anger the powers that were traversing the skies.

Once on the ground, Sofia approached the foreman with firm steps and looked him directly in the eyes, where she could find fear and resentment. Without thinking too much, Sofia proceeded to gather the little mana she had left in her fists and began to hit him with all her strength, trying to let out all her frustration, anger, and the endless feelings swirling in her heart.

"The girl hits well, I like it, hehehe," Sigrún commented with a refreshing smile on her face as she watched Sofia beating up the foreman, now a bit more relaxed and trying to hide the embarrassment she felt for having shown her jealousy so blatantly before.

"Yes, although she lacks a bit of technique, but nothing that can't be polished, fufufu," Eleonora added with a small smirk, having the same idea in mind as Sigrún.

Erik, for his part, was sweating coldly watching his masters' expressions, taking a mental note not to do anything too stupid, or who knows how he would end up if that pair of women decided to do something similar to him.