VOL 2 Chapter 33: what did you want to talk to me about?

At one side of the table, Thalia watched in complete silence what was undoubtedly a 'warning' from the strange fetishist known as Seraphina, not daring to say a single word. She was practically certain that if she dared to interrupt the moment, she'd have that terrible demon dressed as a maid behind her, and who knows what she might do to her this time.

Thalia trembled slightly with lingering fear as she recalled what happened the last time she ignored her grandfather's words and tried to outsmart Seraphina. She had been so young and ignorant then, and she was incredibly lucky to get out in one piece that time. Although the punishment her mother gave her was quite harsh, she hadn't gotten off lightly either. Well, one never gets off lightly after provoking the demon dressed as a maid.

But on the other hand, Thalia's interest in that boy Erik could only increase. After all, although Seraphina's strange fetish was well-known among the Master-levels, she had never before seen such an exaggerated attitude from her in this regard. She cared for him so jealously, to the point that she wouldn't let anyone else attend to him. Even that scene of her asking to be punished with emotion, as much of a warning as it was, was something she had never seen before.

(Really, what does this boy have to make them act like that...? Although it's certainly interesting that a young man is capable of reaching and surpassing the marks achieved by the three of us in the last millennia, I don't think it's that big of a deal...)

Lost in her thoughts, Thalia discreetly studied the young man in front of her, genuinely curious to discover if there was something beyond his incredible talent that attracted that pair of troublemakers and the terrifying "perfect maid" so much. But her thoughts were interrupted when the young man spoke again.

"And so, Master Sunforge, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Already feeling defeated by the world, Erik asked after once again setting his teacup on the table, while Seraphina, with a satisfied expression, placed a plate full of special cookies on the table—cookies she had made herself after threatening... convincing Eleonora to give her the recipe.

"Fufufu, where did the respectful attitude from a moment ago go?" Thalia asked with an amused smile on her face, watching Erik's mood improve in real-time with each cookie he ate.

"Well, I'm tired of talking like that; it's too exhausting. So if you want to take revenge on me for my loose tongue, go ahead. I've already surrendered to my fate." Erik said casually and with a relaxed attitude while eating his cookies with delight.

"You're really brave..." Thalia commented with a mysterious smile, staring intently into Erik's green eyes, who looked quite happy now munching on his cookies.

"Not at all. It's just that you wouldn't dare to move a single finger out of place with Seraphina here, so why be afraid?" Erik remarked with a mocking smile on his face while looking directly into Thalia's eyes and eating another cookie. Thalia's gaze sharpened as she asked.

"Hehehe, what makes you think an Arcane-level could stop a Master of my level?"

"Hmmm, there are several things—like you don't dare to answer her back, or that every time you say something, you glance at her to see her reaction, or that your mystical awareness is so focused on her that you haven't even noticed my little friend on your back. So yes, I'm pretty sure you won't do anything." Erik replied casually, pointing with the cookie in his hand at Thalia's shadow.

Thalia's smile twisted a bit at Erik's words. After a quick search with her mystical awareness, she indeed found a portal connecting her shadow with Erik's—most likely created by one of the wolves hiding in the boy's shadow. So she quickly asked in an accusatory tone while destroying the portal.

"Hehe, so you became brave as soon as you had someone to rely on? That's not something to praise, Erik."

"Nor is it bullying a poor Ascended-level disciple being a respected Master, but that's life, if lemons fall from the sky, then you learn to make lemonade..." Erik shrugged indifferently while responding in a calm tone, returning Thalia's gaze. She couldn't help but ask maliciously.

"Hoo, so I'm bullying you? When did that happen that I didn't notice?"

"Hehehe, yes, that never happened. How could the respected Master Sunforge bully a poor and innocent Ascended disciple? It's just that I have a very good imagination, and sometimes I make up stories like that. So don't worry, Master Sunforge; it's all a product of my imagination." Erik commented with a mocking smile on his face while Seraphina refilled the plate with more cookies, discreetly sending Thalia a proud and arrogant look.

"You like to joke a lot, Erik." Thalia remarked in a sarcastic tone, to which Erik casually responded after biting his cookie.

"Not at all; I'm just a good conversationalist." Erik turned to look at his reliable and occasionally peculiar personal maid, then asked with a playful smile.

"Isn't that right, Seraphina?"

"You are absolutely right, young master." Seraphina responded in a serious and professional tone, as if she were stating an irrefutable fact. This led Erik to turn back to Thalia and comment with a playful smile.

"See?"

Seeing the expression between laughter and tears on Thalia's face, Erik couldn't help but chuckle softly while enjoying his delicious cookies that filled him with energy and good humor. Meanwhile, the powerful red-haired Master-level mage began to "study" with interest the "mischievous" star-haired boy.

Although on one hand Thalia found him a bit annoying with all his arrogance, somehow, at the same time, it was somewhat charming. And although she wouldn't tell the boy to avoid inflating his ego, not many would dare to talk to a Master-level that way—even having someone they could rely on for protection.

The mere presence of a Master was enough to make anyone below that level kneel, much less try to act arrogantly in front of one. So his little act of arrogance only revealed that his mentality was truly impressive—to not only do it but also maintain a relaxed and cheerful expression at all times.

But what impacted Thalia the most about the situation was the growing, strange, yet refreshing emotion blossoming in her chest. After all, it was the first time in her long life that a "stranger" dared to speak to her with such arrogance—something that filled her with a sense of novelty and even a bit of anticipation.

All her life, Thalia had been greatly respected and feared. Throughout the galaxy, it was well known that she was the only and proud daughter of the great General Sunforge, undefeated in a thousand battles, and the granddaughter of the great legend of humanity, the director of the Arcane Order—something quite terrifying in itself. But that fear only worsened the higher the level of those who knew her; after all, her lesser-known relatives were even more terrifying.

But as if her background weren't enough, she managed to become a Master in her own right and even held the title of the youngest in history at one point. This inevitably caused people to treat her with utmost respect and reverence, like an untouchable porcelain cup. Even when she reached the Master level, things didn't change much—perhaps they even worsened.

Although the Master-level didn't revere her as much and were more casual with her, the reality was that, apart from a pair of troublemakers unafraid of death or consequences, no one dared to cross the line with her. After all, her terrifying family full of monsters—each one worse than the last—was an insurmountable mountain that deterred any possibility of such an occurrence.

But now this "little Ascended disciple," as he liked to call himself, not only had the courage to be arrogant with her and reprimand her for her behavior but did so uniquely—with grace and style—which gave an air of charm and attractiveness in her eyes. Although she was sure he didn't know the most terrifying parts of her family, she somehow felt that his attitude wouldn't change much even if he did know. After all, he was the beloved disciple of that pair of troublemakers.

(I think I'm starting to understand a bit of this boy's charm, fufufu.)

"Hahaha, you have a great sense of humor, Erik, but I really didn't have anything special to talk to you about. I just wanted to get to know you a bit, just as I told you." Thalia commented with a smile as her gaze wandered slightly over the strange stars and galaxies that adorned Erik's hair. He couldn't help but ask, a bit surprised.

"Really? Just that?"

"Yes, just that. What were you expecting?" Thalia replied, somewhat amused, then sipped a bit of her tea. Erik responded calmly while eating a cookie.

"The truth is, I don't know. Honestly, I thought that, in the best-case scenario, you'd give me an eternal sermon about not disrespecting my elders or about the ethics, morality, and rules of the Arcane Order, or something like that."

"Hahaha, and did you think the same before realizing that Seraphina could defend you?" Thalia laughed, amused upon hearing his curious response, and asked with some interest. Erik responded after thinking for a few moments.

"Hmmm, if I had to add something, it would be that you might even hit me or make me suffer in some other way with some 'test' as an excuse or something like that to teach me a lesson."

"And nothing else?" Thalia asked, somewhat surprised. Erik responded casually.

"Honestly, no."

"You're really still young and innocent. How I miss when I thought like that..." Thalia commented with a nostalgic smile on her face but quickly recovered and added in a more serious tone, determined to give him the warning that that pair of troublemakers most likely forgot to mention.

"But you know, you should learn to be more careful in the future. The world out there is much more dangerous than you think, and disrespecting a Master is a matter of life or death in almost 100% of cases."

"Hehehe, I understand what you mean. I read about a couple of cases like that, but honestly, I think that no matter what you did, even if I were alone, in the worst-case scenario, you'd just hit me for a while, but you'd never kill me."

Erik replied with a mysterious smile on his face while studying Thalia's bright orange eyes a bit. She looked back at the star-haired boy, full of interest, as she softly asked while placing her elbow on the table and resting her face on her hand.

"Tell me, why are you so sure of that?"

"There are many reasons, actually, so I'm quite sure of my conclusion." 

Erik commented without giving it much importance, while he took a couple of cookies from the tray recently refilled by a happy and excited Seraphina. He then gave one to each of his wolves, who poked their heads out of his shadow to look at him with sad eyes. At that moment, Thalia, full of curiosity, commented.

"Tell me some; I'm all ears."