"I'm going personally to the front line, and I'll bring five Master-levels with me. This time, we're going to make them pay a painful price."
In the middle of the boardroom, the director spoke with a serious voice while looking at the dozen Master-levels gathered in the place. Jessica, seated next to Thalia, announced with a firm voice full of battle intent.
"Let me accompany you, Director. I won't be at peace unless I make them pay for what my disciple suffered."
"I'm going too." Ryoma soon added in a cold tone, quickly followed by at least ten Master-levels, including Thalia, all with cold expressions.
…
"This time, Omar, Ryoma, Jessica, Ngozi, and Varrick will come with me. Only five Master-levels will remain at the university alongside Adrian; the rest will be deployed to control formations at key points." The director announced seriously, to which the others nodded solemnly. Then, the director turned to look at Adrian, his right-hand man, and ordered.
"Adrian, Sigrún, and Eleonora will stay at the university. I leave the selection and deployment of the rest to your discretion."
"Understood." Adrian replied with seriousness and firmness. The director nodded in satisfaction before announcing while looking at the others.
"We depart in a week. Make your preparations. For today, we're done."
…
Leaving the boardroom, Jessica walked alongside Thalia in silence until they exited the building. At that moment, she looked into the distance and asked in a soft voice.
"How's your girl doing?"
"Much better, though she's still worried about Sigrún and Eleonora's boy…" Thalia replied with a small sigh while looking in the same direction as Jessica, who responded in a gentle voice.
"Ethan told me the whole story of what they went through in that place… I really didn't expect Erik to be like that… That boy is truly impressive…"
"My Elara was with him from the start, and what she told me left me really shocked… From beginning to end, she didn't get a single scratch… In desperate situations, it was he who stepped forward to face it and ended up on the brink of death." Thalia replied with a sigh, to which Jessica commented with a strange smile.
"A truly contradictory boy… Individualistic, yet capable of sacrificing his life for others… I hope he recovers."
"I hope the same… Sigrún and the others haven't stepped out of the mansion in over a year and don't even accept visitors… They're truly devastated."
Thalia commented somewhat helplessly, to which Jessica fell silent. Many people, including herself and many young rescues along with their elders, had tried to visit Erik, only to be turned away. The isolation of the youngest Master-levels in history reached the point where, according to rumors, not even the mansion staff were allowed near the main building.
"…Give those Virelians a good hit for me." Thalia said after a moment, turning to look at Jessica with a serious tone. Jessica nodded, and as her mana vibrated dangerously, she replied.
"Count on it. If I don't destroy at least a dozen star systems, I won't be at peace."
"I wish I could go mys—" Thalia replied with a small sigh, but before she could finish her words, she noticed something odd in the air.
In her field of vision, Thalia could see the surrounding Myst suddenly come to life, giving the sensation of someone waking up late and rushing to work. It began moving rapidly in the same direction. Curious, Thalia looked up, where she saw a striking scene.
In the sky, she could see something akin to an infinite shower of shooting stars, all moving toward Sigrún's mansion. It was as if all the Myst on the planet was converging on the mansion. With a surprised expression, Thalia turned to look at Jessica, who returned the gaze with equal astonishment, before nodding seriously.
After their mutual nod, the pair of Master-levels teleported, appearing right in front of Sigrún's mansion, where the director and several other Master-levels were already present. But Thalia wasn't surprised to see them; after all, she could understand why they had come—to witness the incredible scene unfolding at Sigrún's mansion, a spectacle only beings of their level could see.
Thanks to their ability to see Myst, everyone present could see colossal amounts of Myst gathering around Sigrún's mansion, organizing into a strange pattern. Somehow, all the Myst had rearranged itself to form stars and galaxies that moved slowly in a coordinated manner. But that peculiar formation of Myst reminded Thalia of something else.
(It's the same pattern that shines in Erik's hair…)
As minutes passed, more Myst gathered at Sigrún's mansion, making the pattern of stars and galaxies increasingly vivid and realistic. Finally, when the concentration of Myst became so saturated that it seemed possible to reach out and grab a handful, a vortex of Myst formed above the center of the mansion.
In mere instants, the colossal amounts of gathered Myst were sucked in to the point where the Myst became scarce and hard to see. At that moment, a clear phoenix cry echoed everywhere. Alongside the phoenix's cry, Thalia noticed a smile forming on her grandfather's face, who ordered in visibly good spirits.
"Everyone, return. The hero of the ruin expedition has awakened."
…
…
…
Feeling strangely tired, Erik found himself surrounded by something warm and thick, causing him to shift uncomfortably a few times. Realizing he was floating, Erik couldn't help but open his eyes with effort, slowly beginning to see light rippling through a strange red fluid that enveloped him.
Trying to shake off the drowsiness, Erik fully opened his eyes, and that's when he saw his beautiful masters, tears in their eyes, looking at him from outside a glass wall. Upon seeing him with his eyes open, Sigrún couldn't hold back, shattering the glass wall with a single blow and taking him into her arms just as he was about to fall.
"You're awake… Finally awake…"
With his head buried in Sigrún's ample chest, Erik could hear her sobbing as she squeezed him tightly. At that moment, two other pairs of large breasts enveloped him, plunging him into darkness once more as two more feminine sobs reached his ears.
"…I'm okay… Don't worry…"
Feeling weak, Erik coughed a couple of times, expelling traces of the reddish liquid, and spoke in a hoarse, broken voice. This caused the trio of beautiful women to cry even harder. At that moment, Sigrún, her face stained with tears, took Erik's face with extreme care, as if handling fragile, delicate porcelain.
Seeing Erik's wet face, pale and with his still dull hair sticking to his skin, Sigrún leaned in to his lips and initiated a tender kiss that conveyed all her feelings. After a few moments, Sigrún pulled away from Erik and spoke in a soft voice filled with relief, love, and happiness.
"Thanks for coming back… I love you, Erik, more than anything in the world."
Before Erik could say anything, Eleonora took him and gave him an incredibly warm and heartfelt kiss, then looked directly into his eyes, her golden eyes shining with pure, unfiltered love.
"You're the love of my life, Erik… Without you, my life has no meaning…"
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the emotion-filled declarations, Erik blinked with his tired eyes. But at that instant, to his surprise, his perfect beloved maid kissed his lips and then hugged him tightly, burying his head in her massive chest. Quickly, Sigrún and Eleonora joined in, embracing their beloved tightly, wanting their warmth to cover every part of his body.
"You're going to suffocate him if you keep this up…" At that moment, Ignis commented in a soft voice, prompting Eleonora, Sigrún, and Seraphina to pull back slightly, allowing Erik to breathe again.
"…Ignis…"
Seeing the beautiful phoenix, Erik commented in his hoarse voice while Seraphina began to clean her beloved young master with extreme care using pristine white towels adorned with golden decorations. The stunning blue phoenix looked at the naked young man with a complex expression and spoke.
"I'm glad you woke up. You don't know how worried—"
"Thank you."
Before Ignis finished, Erik spoke with some effort. Ignis stood with her beak open, almost paralyzed and full of doubts. But after a few moments, her expression turned bitter, and she spoke with guilt.
"I don't deserve your thanks…"
"You helped me… I could feel it… And Ebonique too…" Erik said in his hoarse voice as a potion that looked anything but simple appeared in Sigrún's hand. Sigrún spoke in a gentle tone.
"This potion will help you regain your strength."
"… Thanks." Erik said with some difficulty, at which point Sigrún opened the potion and helped him drink it.
At the same time, Eleonora cast a simple spell that completely dried Erik's body, and Seraphina quickly brought out a comfortable white bathrobe and a pair of slippers to dress him. After taking the potion, Erik felt revitalized, which allowed him to let out a sigh of relief and speak in a calm, formal tone while looking at Ignis.
"Ignis, I don't know if it's possible, but I'd like to speak with you and Ebonique. There are many things I don't know, and I was really rude to Ebonique, so I'd like to apologize."
Hearing Erik speak in such a polite and formal tone, worlds apart from his usual casual manner, Ignis couldn't help but feel bitter. One of the reasons she wanted to hide who she was, aside from the potential danger it posed, was that she didn't like being treated like this. She preferred the playful Erik who teased her and gave her mana over this serious, formal Erik.
"…Don't talk to me like that…"
"I'm sorry for disrespecting you." Erik quickly replied in a serious tone, while Sigrún, Eleonora, and Seraphina helped him stand with serious expressions. Ignis spoke in a low, somewhat sad voice.
"…No, don't talk to me like that… Talk to me like before…"
"…"
Erik remained silent for a few moments, looking at the beautiful phoenix, considering his options. For her part, Ignis, seeing the silent Erik, rose into the air before landing in Erik's arms, which he opened to receive her automatically and unconsciously out of habit.
"I know there are things you don't know, and there are things we can't tell you… But nothing we've experienced has been fake. I love your mana; I love being your assistant… Just spending time like this makes me happy… That's why I don't want things to change…"
Feeling Ignis's warm flames again, Erik couldn't help but let out a small sigh, and soon he began passing mana to the phoenix. Tasting Erik's delicious mana again, Ignis couldn't help but let out a pleasurable moan and started rubbing her head against his chest as she always did.
Seeing the impressive spirit act adorable, Erik couldn't help but smile with a hint of nostalgia, while in his mind, he began questioning his decisions and actions. But recalling everything that had happened in the ruin, Erik let out a long sigh and spoke in a softer, more familiar voice.
"Still, it's important that we have a serious conversation. I can feel that my connection with Ebonique has been partially reestablished, though barely, but I can't call her anymore. So, I want to talk with her and clear things up, and if necessary, completely sever the contract."
"Ebonique is very sad about everything that happened… We partially reestablished the contract to help you wake up, but she's afraid you won't give her another chance, which is why she's not here… It was all my fault… I asked her to lie and hide the truth from you… If you want to blame someone, blame me…"
Ignis said in a sad, guilt-ridden voice, which prompted Erik to gently stroke her head and speak in a calm voice after letting out a sigh.
"…Tell her I want to talk to her."
"Alright… I'll tell her…" Ignis nodded calmly, and after Erik held her for a while, she disappeared in a streak of fire.
"I'm sorry, Erik… We helped reestablish the contract…" Sigrún said in a guilty voice. Erik turned to look at his beautiful blonde master and spoke in a calm tone.
"Don't worry about it. Honestly, the issue with Ebonique was more circumstantial. The situation inside the ruin was complicated and stressful. I had to make quick, vital decisions, and I panicked a bit, which led me to cut the contract. But in reality, Ebonique didn't do anything to harm me; on the contrary, she tried to protect me. I just couldn't accept her methods."
"Explain the details to us later. For now, rest. The damage to your mana system was so severe that we had to completely rebuild it. So right now, you're experiencing something similar to what knights feel when they lose a limb. That's why you feel tired and weak. There's a certain level of rejection between your body, spirit, and mana system, and you'll have to retrain it from scratch."
Eleonora spoke in a soft, affectionate voice while gently caressing her beloved's cheek. Erik nodded in understanding and said softly.
"I see… That's why I feel so 'heavy'…"
"Let's go,"
Sigrún said in a soft voice, to which Erik nodded, and soon the three helped him reach a room that wasn't his. Upon entering the dark room, Erik couldn't help but ask, a bit confused, while looking at Sigrún, whom he found drinking a potion.
"Why did we come to your room, Sigrún?"
"There's a way to speed up your recovery." Sigrún replied with a small smile after drinking the potion. Erik couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Oh, what is it?"
"A very special one."
Eleonora replied with a smile after drinking the same potion as Sigrún, which made Erik turn to look at her. But as he did, Erik couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief upon seeing his sensual master shed her clothes and stand before him as she had come into the world. Surprised, Erik turned to look at Seraphina and Sigrún, whom he found equally naked with slight blushes on their faces.
"Let's go to bed…" Sigrún said in a soft, shy voice, literally short-circuiting Erik's mind, who simply let himself be dragged to the bed with an incredulous expression.
***
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