"How do people here react to displays of power?"
"Fufu, it works very well, young master. The preferred tactic at the university is to kill the chicken to scare the monkey." Seraphina said with a mischievous smile, her eyes gleaming with interest as she looked at Erik, who nodded in understanding before asking,
"I see. So, where can I announce that I will face anyone at the ascended level, but only one?"
Hearing Erik's question, Seraphina's smile grew wider, filled with delight. Immediately understanding her young master's intentions, she quickly responded, feeling increasingly satisfied with the young man her young lady had brought.
"That's an excellent tactic, young master. It will make them fight among themselves, and you'll demonstrate your power by defeating the strongest one so they leave you alone. Fufufufu, such an insidious plan—I love it. Leave the announcement to me; I'll make sure everything is organized perfectly."
While Seraphina and Erik discussed their plan, Liliana felt incredibly uncomfortable with everything that was happening. Not only had she just experienced death for the first time in her life, but Erik, rather than being afraid of the duels as she had thought, found them merely annoying.
As if that weren't enough, Erik also had that terrifying serpent spirit coiled around his neck, which was very likely a mature spirit. It was not only powerful, but it could even speak. Not to mention, it looked like a dragon. But even more unsettling than the spirit itself was how Erik treated it like a small pet, and the worst part was that the spirit seemed to enjoy that treatment.
At first, due to her anger, Liliana hadn't paid much attention to the impressive serpent and simply began fighting with Erik. But the moment she felt its terrifying killing intent and pressure, she realized she had angered someone she shouldn't have.
This not only frightened her but also surprised her greatly. After calming down a bit, she wanted to gauge Erik's level of strength, only to discover that he was already stronger than she was, leaving her absolutely shocked.
As for Erik, he found himself in a predicament. Under normal circumstances, he would seek advice from his masters on how to handle such a situation. But the problem was that, although communication with his masters had been continuous over the past few years. Talking more than once a day via 'video call,' as Erik liked to call the long-distance magical communication artifact, that had changed about three months ago.
According to Eleonora and Sigrún, they were entering into direct conflict with the Virelian. Due to this, they would not be able to communicate for a while, as it would reveal their location to the enemy, which was not ideal. Therefore, they recommended that Erik trust Seraphina for anything he needed.
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...
In the elegant and imposing meeting room of the Arcane Order, the director sat at the head of the table, accompanied by an elegant man with black hair and tanned skin, who wore the white robes representative of the faction.
"Director, are you sure we shouldn't intervene? Sigrún and Eleonora won't be pleased when they hear about what's happening with their disciple." The man asked with a bit of concern in his voice as he looked at the director, who responded in his calm and wise voice.
"Don't worry, Adrian. It's not like his life is in danger because of this. Besides, it's good for young people to have situations like these from time to time to develop their skills."
"If you say so, Director, but how will we deal with those two when they come running to demand explanations?"
Hearing the typical irresponsible comment from the director, who tried to sound wise, the man touched his forehead as he recalled the past with a bit of 'pain,' adding in a constrained voice.
"I still remember all the resources they swindled from us the last time, when the problem with Sigrún's chief assistant's husband occurred. I really don't want to go through that again anytime soon..."
Hearing his right-hand man's pained words, the director laughed heartily before commenting in a jovial and animated tone, dropping the wise and calm facade from a moment ago.
"Hahahahaha, those girls really are a headache, but don't worry. Understanding the boy's mentality will be worth the cost. Besides, I recently acquired something quite interesting that those two will love, and since I already planned on giving it to them, it'll just be an extra benefit. But more importantly, what do you think of the tactic the boy used to deal with the massive wave of duels?"
"It's most likely Seraphina's doing. Organizing an impromptu tournament to challenge him with a bet of 1,000 intermediate crystals is very much her style." Adrian commented after letting out a sigh, which caused a mischievous smile from the director as he responded.
"Hehehe, while you're right that something like that is very much in Seraphina's style. If it were really her doing, she wouldn't stop at just a 1,000 crystal bet for the final battle. Instead, she would set a higher prize and even charge for participation in the tournament. So, it's more likely that it was the boy's idea."
"Are you sure, Director? The boy isn't even 30 years old. I don't think he could come up with a plan like that." Adrian remarked, somewhat surprised by the director's deductions, who responded in a slightly more serious tone.
"You shouldn't underestimate the boy so much. Have you ever seen a Skilled-Ascended under 30 years old?"
"While it's true that his speed in increasing his power levels is even more terrifying than Sigrún's, that doesn't necessarily translate into a tactical mind, Director." Adrian responded calmly as he looked at the director, who casually replied while gazing out of one of the room's windows.
"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that..."
(Seriously, where did Sigrún find that monster?)
The director couldn't help but ask himself as he looked in the direction where Erik was playing with an imposing serpent that looked more like a dragon than anything else.
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In the main hall of Sigrún's mansion, Erik was reviewing some notes from his recent research, which was progressing even better than he expected, while Seraphina stood by his side, informing him.
"Well, young master, the challenger's tournament is about to end. The final is today, and your duel will take place in a month. Here is the information on the two finalists."
With her typical elegant and servile manner, Seraphina handed Erik a crystal tablet that projected a holographic screen with information about the two finalists, which the star-haired boy quickly analyzed before commenting,
"Two Peak-Ascended with several centuries behind them? They've really thrown any notion of honor out the window. But well, at least it will be a good demonstration of power."
Not giving much importance to the matter, Erik only glanced at the contenders' information for a moment before returning to his notes, to which Seraphina smiled, somewhat amused, and then commented.
"Fufufu, you're right, young master. They're probably justifying it by saying they're teaching you a lesson for your arrogance or some nonsense like that. But, young master, do the young lady and Master Silverwood know about this?"
"Not really. I haven't been able to contact them for a while, though in our last call, they told me it might take about eight months. So, if things go well, I should be able to inform them shortly before the duel." Erik replied as he stopped reading his notes, feeling that he missed his masters a bit, to which Seraphina commented with a beautiful smile on her face.
"That's good, young master. For now, how about we do some training? I'll serve as your opponent and use the spells and techniques of the two finalists."
"Mmm, that's a good idea. Better safe than sorry, though it would be interesting if the knight wins. I've never seen one fighting; I only read about them." Erik commented with some interest as he got up from his chair, to which Seraphina suggested as she guided her young master to the garden.
"Well, young master, you've never enrolled in a practical or combat class. Maybe you should consider it once this is over."
"You're right, it could be a good idea," Erik nodded in agreement, quickly taking out his planner from his storage ring and jotting it down to keep it in mind for later.
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In a beautiful Roman-style house with large concrete pillars decorated with intricate sculptures of all kinds—men, women, dragons, wolves, and more—there was a study with large bookshelves filled with books, floating light orbs, and a beautifully carved wooden desk with a large, sturdy appearance.
Behind the elegant desk sat a young man with blonde hair and crimson eyes, with defined features and possessing great beauty and elegance. He was accompanied by two beautiful women with black hair and dark eyes, both with slender, stylized bodies that still retained their voluptuousness. Which were seated on his lap.
The group was intently watching an elegant mirror adorned with numerous runes carved into its surface, embedded in the wall opposite the desk. Reflected in the mirror was the figure of a man with blonde hair and crimson eyes, who bore a certain resemblance to the young man.
"Father, everything is ready. The duel will take place next month, and he'll be facing a very talented knight seasoned in war, whom I hired some time ago. That boy is already on the chopping block and hasn't even realized it." The young man commented disdainfully, while the two women on his lap let out low, mocking giggles, elegantly covering their mouths with their hands.
"That's a relief, son, but remember, don't overdo it. This is only the first step of the plan and the most important one, so you need to be very careful. Don't underestimate anyone, especially that boy. There's a reason Master Eldurdóttir took him as a disciple, and he could give us an unpleasant surprise."
The man on the other side of the mirror, known as William Blackthorn, spoke with a serious and solemn tone, looking at his proud heir with affection. The young man quickly responded in a proud voice, eager to clear up the 'misunderstanding.'