"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Chen Ming. I'm Sigrún Eldurdóttir, Erik's master."
Seated on the sofa, Sigrún commented elegantly and with a dignified demeanor as an assistant served her tea. At that moment, Chen stood up in a panic, then bowed respectfully while responding in a serious tone.
"The pleasure is mine, Master Eldurdóttir. This humble one is Chen Ming, heir of the Ming family and a great admirer of your work."
"You are very polite, Chen Ming, and it's also a pleasure to meet you. I'm Eleonora Silverwood, also Erik's master." Eleonora commented gracefully, a cup of tea in her hand, as she looked at the young man before her.
Eleonora's statement took Chen by surprise; he looked up in shock. After all, while it was well known that Erik was Master Eldurdóttir's first disciple and was very close to Master Silverwood, he had never heard that she was his master as well. This was quite rare in the galaxy, much like how no one likes to share their children with a stranger; no one likes to share their disciples.
Despite the shocking news throwing him off balance, Chen managed to compose himself quickly. He then bowed elegantly to the beautiful, golden-eyed Master-level and spoke in a serious and respectful tone.
"The pleasure is all mine, Master Silverwood. I'm also an admirer of your work, especially your runic-geometric refinement—it's sheer genius."
Meanwhile, Erik was lounging on the sofa with a tired and disappointed expression, showing no intention of looking at Chen. Two small wolf cubs about 20 cm tall, one silver and one black, were on him, licking his face and wagging their tails enthusiastically, looking quite adorable.
Some time ago, Erik had the idea to leverage his contract with the wolves—which allowed him to pass on knowledge like magic circles, runes, and the like—to give them specially designed runic circles. His first success was a spell that allowed them to change size, which was not only more mana-efficient but also enabled them to become smaller, although they were still limited by their maximum size—their actual size.
Since the wolves learned the new runic circle, they'd become almost addicted to staying in their smallest form. Erik theorized they did this because they were more adorable that way and received more cookies, which made him a bit jealous, though he'd never admit it aloud.
"Please sit down so we can chat a bit, Chen Ming. Tell us, how is our Erik doing in his classes?" Sigrún asked with elegant mannerisms, gesturing to the chair where Chen had been sitting before.
"He's undoubtedly a top-tier genius; he's been the best in all the classes we've shared. Masters Eldurdóttir and Silverwood are excellent educators and have a keen eye for talent." Chen said after sitting down again, a serious expression on his face, which greatly pleased the pair of Masters.
"Fufufu, thank you for the compliment. And how does Erik get along with his other classmates? Does he have more friends besides you?" Eleonora asked while holding a beautiful porcelain cup with gold decorations, looking directly into Chen's eyes.
"Um..."
Visibly uncomfortable, Chen glanced over at Erik, only to find him lost in his own world—eating cookies and playing with two wolf pups and what could only be described as a miniature jet-black dragon. He could only sigh and respond in a serious tone.
"One could say that Erik isn't particularly sociable, and others hesitate to approach him due to his impressive talent and serious demeanor."
"I see..." Sigrún nodded softly, then looked at Erik with a frown before sending him a telepathic message.
[So, acting like an antisocial snob, huh?]
Upon receiving Sigrún's telepathic 'scolding,' Erik simply turned his back to her and continued casually petting the belly of the adorable Kaiser, who looked especially happy, while Ebonique and Tiberius seemed quite jealous. This prompted a sigh from the beautiful, golden-haired Master.
"Though I'd like to add that, for someone in Erik's position, socializing could become counterproductive, so it's perfectly understandable." Chen said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. Inside, however, he was somewhat nervous, to the point of breaking into a cold sweat.
"It's commendable that you try to defend him, but this guy is indefensible. He doesn't even want to attend classes anymore and won't leave the mansion." Sigrún commented, a bit exasperated, as she shook her head. Erik quickly retorted in a tone full of 'indignation' and 'righteousness.'
"That's slander! I'm merely following the director's orders as the great faction member that I am. Using his great wisdom, the director decided I should stay away from classes for a while."
"Sure, because you didn't specifically request that as compensation, right?" Eleonora said with a slight smile, casting a sharp glance at the star-haired boy.
"Hmph, Erik doesn't need to associate with those losers; he's better off at home working on his own projects." Before Erik could defend himself, Ebonique exclaimed in exasperation. Erik quickly nodded and added in a complacent tone.
"Yes, tell them, Ebonique! Let's start a revolution against this tyranny that's trying to force me into trouble."
"Yes, this is a revolution against tyranny!"
Somewhat amused, Ebonique immediately played along with Erik. She spoke while growing slightly in size and coiling around the neck of the star-haired boy, then bared her powerful teeth menacingly at the pair of 'ruthless tyrants.'
"Stop playing around, you two. Erik needs to socialize more; it's not healthy for him to always want to be alone."
Suddenly, a strict voice resonated in the room, halting the 'revolutionaries' in their tracks. It came from Ignis, who had suddenly appeared beside Sigrún in a beautiful blue fireball. The lovely, golden-haired Master cast a mocking glance at the mediocre revolutionary group.
"Ignis, how could you betray us like this? Erik, you should stop giving mana to that traitor; she's no longer part of our noble group!"
Seeing Ignis, Ebonique spoke to Erik in an amused tone that tried to sound serious and just. The star-haired boy quickly nodded with a serious expression, then looked directly at Ignis and spoke in a tone full of authority, as if delivering an exemplary sentence to a criminal.
"Yes, Ignis, this is high treason against our revolutionary movement. You're punished—no more mana for you for a week."
Upon hearing the terrible sentence, Ignis seemed to 'deflate,' reducing her size before gently falling onto Erik's lap, turning her back to Sigrún—as if thinking that not seeing her absolved her of guilt.
"Ignis, you damn traitor! You sold out for a bit of mana!"
Witnessing the shameless behavior of her loyal spirit companion, Sigrún exclaimed loudly, 'offended,' though the amused smile on her face ruined her act. Erik promptly replied in a serious tone, sending a mocking glance at his beautiful master.
"Ignis just reconsidered and realized which side was right. Tyranny is always bad; she's not a traitor but a social benefactor who sides with the oppressed—in other words, our noble revolutionary group."
"Fufufu, it seems someone doesn't want any more cookies from now on." Eleonora suddenly remarked cheerfully as a tray of special cookies appeared on her hand. This put an expression of 'terror' on Erik's face, and he quickly added in a 'dramatic' tone.
"What great immorality—to seize the basic survival resources of the oppressed to coerce them! How low you've sunk, master; I never expected this from you."
"Fufufufu, starting a revolution is useless if you can't win, dear disciple..." Eleonora replied casually, an 'evil' smile on her beautiful face as she toyed with a cookie, drawing Erik's gaze.
As the group played among themselves, Chen watched the situation feeling a bit uncomfortable but also surprised—not only because it was inconceivable that possibly the most important Master-levels in the galaxy were happily playing with someone. After all, such behavior sharply contrasted with their public image, which was elegant and distant.
What truly surprised Chen was Erik himself; his behavior and expressions were things he'd never seen before. Despite knowing him for several years, the star-haired boy had always been serious and distant, though occasionally he'd crack a few jokes and pranks and would always end up helping him, even if he complained. This was possibly the first time Chen could say that Erik was genuinely 'happy.'
"Dinner is ready; if you'd like, you may proceed to the main dining room."
After a while, Seraphina's voice was heard in the main hall, abruptly ending the little play the 'hosts' had put together—they seemed to have forgotten about poor Chen. Everyone stood up as if nothing had happened, and Sigrún cheerfully said while looking at the boy from the Lotus Union.
"Let's go to the dining room, Chen Ming."
"It would be my pleasure, Master Eldurdóttir."
Upon arriving at the dining room, Chen continued to be amazed by the peculiar dynamics between Erik and his masters. The star-haired boy confidently took the head seat at the table, while Eleonora and Sigrún sat on either side of him. Meanwhile, Seraphina stood behind Erik with an elegant smile. As for Chen, an assistant guided him to sit at the opposite end of the table.
Such an arrangement was entirely unexpected. Normally, Sigrún and Eleonora would occupy the heads of the table, denoting their status and importance, while Erik, as a disciple, would sit in the middle—just like Chen himself.
But the way they were seated indicated that the most important person at the table wasn't the renowned and prestigious youngest Master-levels in history, but rather a young, unknown man—not even a century old—Erik himself. Moreover, the fact that the star-haired boy sat at the head with the Masters beside him was a very indirect way of sending a clear message: Erik was more than just a disciple.
(It can't be...)
A thought crossed Chen's mind—one quite terrifying and that could turn the entire galaxy upside down.
The main reason Chen felt particularly uncomfortable with the seating arrangement was because he was extremely familiar with such a scene. It mirrored how his own family dined: his father and clan leader at the head of the table, his mother—the first wife—on one side, and the second wife, his other mother, on the other side.
(Calm down, Chen. Something like that isn't possible. Most likely, Masters Silverwood and Eldurdóttir are just showing me the importance and affection they have for their disciple, to the point that they've even decided to share him... Yes, that must be it. It's impossible that Erik has managed to win over two of the most sought-after women in the galaxy. Haha, no, it can't be...)