Chapter 9

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Chen Ming. I am Sigrún Eldurdóttir, the Master of Erik," Sigrún elegantly remarked with dignified poise as an assistant served her tea.

Caught off guard, Chen stood up and bowed respectfully, "It's an honor to meet you, Master Eldurdóttir. I am Chen Ming, heir to the Ming family and a great admirer of your work."

"You are quite polite, Chen Ming, and it's also a pleasure for me to meet you. I am Eleonora Silverwood, also a Master of Erik," Eleonora elegantly commented with a cup of tea in her hand.

Eleonora's statement took Chen by surprise, causing him to look up in a state of shock. Although it was well-known that Erik was the foremost disciple of Master Eldurdóttir and was very close to Master Silverwood, he had never heard that she was also his Master.

Although the startling revelation threw Chen off balance, he quickly composed himself and bowed elegantly again, remarking, "The pleasure is all mine, Master Silverwood. I am also an admirer of your work, especially in runic-geometric refinement. It's sheer brilliance."

Erik, on the other hand, was lying back on the couch with a tired look, as two small wolves about 30 cm in size, one silver and the other black, were atop him, licking his face and wagging their tails enthusiastically.

Some time ago, Erik came up with the idea of leveraging his contract with the wolves. Through it, he could pass on knowledge like magical circles, runes, and the like, and decided to design special runic circles for them. The first success he achieved was a spell that allowed them to change size, which was not only much more mana-efficient but also now allowed them to become smaller, although there was still a maximum size limitation, which was their actual size.

Ever since the wolves learned the new runic circle, they had become almost addicted to remaining in the smallest form possible, to the point where Erik theorized they did it because they received more treats for being more adorable in that form, something that made him a bit jealous, although he would never admit it.

"Sit down and let's talk a little, how is our Erik doing in his classes?" Sigrún asked with elegant mannerism.

"He is undoubtedly a first-rate genius, the best in all the classes we've shared. Masters Eldurdóttir and Silverwood are certainly great educators with a keen eye for talent," Chen spoke after sitting back down, wearing a serious expression.

"Fufufufu, thank you for the praise. And how does Erik get along with his other classmates? Does he have more friends?" Eleonora asked while holding a beautiful porcelain cup adorned with gold decorations.

"Ehhh," Chen looked in Erik's direction, somewhat uncomfortable, only to find him in his own world—munching cookies and playing with two puppy wolves and what could only be described as a miniature deep-black dragon. He could only sigh and reply, "You could say that Erik is not particularly sociable, and others hesitate to approach him due to his formidable talent and serious demeanor."

"I see…"

[So acting like a vain antisocial], Sigrún sent a telepathic message to Erik and looked in his direction with a furrowed brow, only for him to turn his back and continue petting Kaiser's belly, making her sigh.

"For someone in his position, socializing could prove to be counterproductive, so it's perfectly understandable," Chen commented with a smile, albeit a little scared inside.

"It's commendable that you're trying to defend him, but this guy is indefensible. He doesn't even want to go to classes anymore and won't leave the mansion," Sigrún commented a bit exasperatedly, to which Erik responded with 'indignation' and 'righteousness.'

"That's a slander. I am merely following the orders given by the headmaster, as the great member of the faction that I am. He decided in his great wisdom that I should stay away from classes for a while."

"Of course, because you didn't specifically request it as compensation," Eleonora commented with a small smile and a sharp look.

"Hmph, Erik doesn't need to mingle with those losers; he's better off at home working on his projects," Ebonique interjected exasperatedly, to which Erik commented,

"Yes, tell them, Ebonique, let's stage a revolution against this tyranny that wants to force me into trouble."

"Yes, this is a revolution against tyranny," Ebonique immediately played along with Erik, grew slightly in size, and wrapped around his neck while displaying her formidable teeth menacingly.

"Enough with the games, you two. Erik needs to socialize more; it's not healthy for him to always want to be alone."

The voice that rang out in the room halted the 'revolutionaries' in their tracks. It came from Ignis, who had suddenly appeared next to Sigrún, casting them a mocking glance.

"Ignis, how could you betray us like this? Erik, you should stop giving mana to that traitor," Ebonique playfully commented.

"Yes, Ignis, this is high treason against our revolutionary movement. You're hereby punished, and no more mana for you for a week," Erik spoke as if he were a judge passing a sentence, causing Ignis to seemingly 'deflate' and fall onto Erik's lap, turning her back on Sigrún.

"Ignis, you damn traitor, selling out for a bit of mana," Sigrún said, 'offended' by the blue phoenix's blatant action.

"Ignis merely came to her senses and realized which side was right. Tyranny is always wrong; she's not a traitor, she's a social benefactor siding with the oppressed," Erik commented, looking mockingly at Sigrún.

"Fufufufu, it seems someone doesn't want any more cookies from now on," Eleonora cheerfully stated, as a tray full of special cookies appeared on her hand.

"What great immorality, taking basic survival resources from the oppressed to coerce them; how low you've sunk, Master," Erik dramatically commented.

"Fufufufu, starting a revolution is useless if you can't win..."

As the group playfully interacted among themselves, Chen observed the situation, a bit uncomfortable but also surprised—not just by the inconceivable sight of possibly the most important Masters in the galaxy playing so freely with someone, after all, their public image was always elegant and distant.

What truly surprised Chen was Erik himself; how he behaved and his expressions were things he had never seen before, despite knowing him for several years. Erik had always been a serious and distant individual, although he would occasionally crack a couple of jokes and pranks and always ended up helping him despite his complaints. This was perhaps the first time Chen could say that Erik appeared 'happy.'

"Dinner is ready; if you'd like, you can proceed to the main dining room."

Seraphina's voice halted the little theater act the 'hosts' had put on, who rose as if nothing had happened, and Sigrún spoke.

"Let's go to the dining room, Chen Ming."

"It's a pleasure."

Upon arriving at the dining room, Chen continued to be surprised by the unique dynamic between Erik and his Masters. With great confidence, Erik sat at the head of the table, while Eleonora and Sigrún took seats on either side of him. Seraphina stood behind Erik with an elegant smile. As for him, an assistant guided him to a seat at the opposite corner of the table.

Such an arrangement was not at all what he had expected. After all, it would have been typical for Sigrún and Eleonora to sit at the corners of the table, emphasizing their status, while Erik, as a disciple, should have sat in the middle of the table and Chen himself opposite him.

However, the way they sat indicated that the most important person at the table was not the renowned and prestigious youngest Masters in history, but rather the unknown young man—Erik himself. Moreover, sitting on either side of him at the table was a very indirect way of sending a clear message: Erik was more than just a disciple.