VOL 2 Chapter 52: It’s a pleasure to see you again.
Seated on what looked like a flying carpet was a beautiful young woman with gorgeous emerald-green eyes and short golden hair that highlighted her lovely, delicate features. She wore a calm, serious expression as she observed the other participants and the beasts gathered around the column of light.
When the beautiful young woman saw the young man with iconic starry hair greeting her from the ground, a lovely smile graced her lips. Without even noticing the imposing wolves or the intimidating dragon, she quickly changed course and landed near the young man.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Disciple Erik." Elara said after putting away her flying artifact into her storage ring. She approached with a firm, steady step.
"It's equally a pleasure to see you again, Disciple Elara. If you'd like, please take a seat." Erik greeted in return with a smile, indicating another chair that had appeared out of nowhere before him.
"Then I shall accept Disciple Erik's kind offer."
With a pleasant smile on her face, Elara thanked him and sat down across from Erik. At that moment, several desserts appeared on the table, served on beautiful porcelain plates decorated with what looked like gold filigree. Meanwhile, in a delicate cup with a design similar to the plates, aromatic tea was poured from what seemed to be a teapot floating in midair.
Somewhat curious, Elara tasted the cake and the tea, then widened her eyes slightly, pleasantly surprised by the delicious flavor. After setting her cup back on the table, she asked familiarly as she looked at Erik.
"This is incredibly delicious. Did Disciple Erik make it?"
"Hahaha, no, I'm not that skilled. In fact, my maid prepared a whole lot of supplies for this tournament. This is just part of it."
Erik commented with a smile before taking a sip from his own cup of tea. Meanwhile, in the meeting room of the space station, Seraphina smiled cheerfully while Eleonora and Sigrún cast her sidelong glances with bitter smiles. After all, that woman had prevented them from preparing a good snack for their beloved Erik to remember them by during the tournament, jealously monopolizing his care.
"Truly, Disciple Erik is blessed." Elara remarked casually as she studied Erik with her gaze. He nodded in agreement and spoke in a calm, though clearly serious tone.
"You don't even have to say it, sometimes I wake up scared thinking I'm just in a dream."
"Hahaha, you're joking." Elara said, caught off guard by Erik's sudden seriousness. She couldn't help but laugh, amused. But a serious, meaningful voice interrupted her mirth.
"Not at all. My life is so good now that it honestly feels like a lie."
"..."
Erik's serious tone, coupled with his eyes that suddenly became deep and full of meaning, took Elara by surprise. She was almost hypnotized as she looked at the star-haired boy, who no longer seemed like an energetic youth. On the contrary, he now emitted the aura of an old man laden with hardships, contemplating his past with melancholy.
Meanwhile, in the meeting room, Eleonora, Sigrún, and Seraphina watched with concern in their eyes as the melancholic Erik appeared on the holographic screens, while Jessica and Thalia observed the young man, somewhat surprised by his sudden change. He almost seemed like a different person.
"Hehehe, let's hope this isn't a dream. Now, Disciple Elara, tell me, how has the tournament treated you?" Suddenly, Erik shook his head and reverted to the same cheerful, carefree young man as always, asking with mild curiosity as he looked at the silent young woman before him.
"..."
Elara, still a bit in shock from Erik's sudden shifts, took a moment to understand his words. But she quickly recovered and began talking as if nothing had happened.
"The truth is, it's been a bit complicated. This is the first time I've faced a situation like this. So, even though I had all sorts of things in my ring, it was difficult to find things like a good spot for my camp or manage my time to get back to it before nightfall. At night, a bunch of those monsters come out to hunt, each more powerful than the last, especially in the sea, which is quite dangerous."
"Hahaha, that's normal, but it's good that you came prepared."
Erik commented with laughter as he ate a cookie from his plate and handed one to each wolf. This caused Elara to fold her arms and pout angrily, seeming quite 'offended' by Erik's laughter. At that point, she remarked.
"It's rude to laugh at people, Disciple Erik."
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I'll avoid doing that in the future." Erik said, even more amused by Elara's expression. She retorted, still sulking.
"And you're still laughing."
"..." Erik opted to remain silent and took his cup of tea, at which point Elara commented irritably.
"Even if you don't laugh, your expression says it all…"
"Hehehe, sorry."
After sipping some tea, Erik apologized with a smile as he looked at the sulking Elara. After a moment, she spoke with a calm expression, looking straight into the star-haired young man's eyes.
"Better tell me, Disciple Erik, how has the tournament treated you? I imagine this has been a walk in the park for you, so you can laugh at me."
"A bit, honestly. Having resources makes all the difference. I hardly even notice a change from my normal days, and I've even been able to make progress on several of my projects." Erik nodded and explained calmly as he set his cup on the table, prompting Elara to comment with a slight smile on her face.
"It seems you have a lot of experience."
"Something like that. A while back, I was stranded on a deserted island for several years, so I learned a few things." Erik nodded casually before biting into a cookie, which greatly surprised the beautiful green-eyed girl.
"Are you serious?"
Elara asked, astonished, as she had never heard that before. It was hard for her to believe how someone like Erik, talented enough to be a disciple of two Masters-levels, could end up stranded on a deserted island. The star-haired young man responded calmly.
"Yes, years ago, before I met my masters, I was stranded on a deserted island and had to survive there for several years."
"That sounds really tough…"
Elara commented empathetically and somewhat sadly. If it had been before he met his Masters, Erik could only have been a very small child, meaning that experience must have been exceptionally difficult and painful. At the same time, it made her admire the young man in front of her even more. After all, a small child managing to survive alone on a deserted island was almost miraculous, yet he made it seem like it was nothing, and his expression didn't even change while he spoke.
"It's not that bad. Over time, you get used to it, and it even becomes fun to watch your life improve with everything you do. It's even an enjoyable experience and a great story to tell."
...
Time went by, and Elara and Erik continued pleasantly chatting about random things while drinking tea and eating. Suddenly, Erik looked in another direction, catching Elara's attention. She turned to look in the same direction and saw two beautiful young women flying using different means.
On the right was a beautiful young woman with jet-black hair and sky-blue eyes that exuded elegant, understated charm. She flew through the air on what looked like a white-furred fox with multiple tails, its face and tail tips adorned with crimson-red fur in various patterns.
On the left was a young woman flying with the help of two angelic wings. Her wavy chestnut hair resembled a beautiful cascade of chocolate, contrasting with her lovely sky-blue eyes, which projected a serene yet authoritative gaze.
The two divinely beautiful young women landed near Erik's makeshift camp and walked gracefully. The wings of the young woman on the left vanished, and the beautiful two-tailed golden fox faded away in a burst of flame. Not before, however, discreetly bowing its head in respect to the imposing dragon that watched out of the corner of its eye.
"It's a joy to meet Disciple Erik again." Zoe commented with an elegant smile, though her face showed an enchanted expression.
"It's equally a pleasure to meet Disciple Zoe again." Erik replied cheerfully, then indicated two chairs that appeared beside the table and added.
"Please, have a seat."
"Then I shall accept Disciple Erik's offer."
Zoe sat in the chair closest to her, and once again more desserts appeared on the table, while tea was served from the floating teapot. At that moment, Elara commented in a calm yet indecipherable tone.
"So now you're not going to greet me, Zoe?"
"How can you think that, Elara? I was just greeting Disciple Erik first after not seeing him for so long." At Elara's words, Zoe responded with a diplomatic smile on her face. Elara, in turn, smiled disdainfully before commenting.
"Yeah, right…"
While Elara and Zoe began their small argument, Liliana sat in the other chair and, without a word, started eating the delicious pastries with impeccable manners, sipping tea occasionally. This drew the attention of the pair of direct disciples.
"But it seems like someone else who doesn't know how to greet is Liliana. Look at her, eating without a care in the world." Elara remarked with feigned anger, which made Liliana glance at her for a moment before responding.
"Well, I lost my timing due to your fight, but now that we're here, hello Elara, Erik. How have you been?"
"No complaints. Things have gone quite well for me, honestly." Erik answered without much importance, as he turned his gaze and picked up another cookie.
"Let me guess, you spent your time holed up somewhere playing with your artifacts." Liliana said, rolling her eyes. Erik could only respond with a smile.
"You know me well, hehehe."
"Hmph, I knew it. And how about you, Elara?"
The group continued chatting about random things for a while longer, but fewer and fewer participants were arriving, and practically no beasts could be seen anymore. Those foolish enough to hurl themselves heedlessly into the white tide of participants around the column of light had long since been eliminated. The only ones left were the more cunning beasts, watching the situation from a distance.
But while Erik chatted, he suddenly sensed a change in the Myst around him, prompting him to discreetly glance at the column of light from the corner of his eye. What Erik sensed was that the Myst, previously stirred up by the column of light, had calmed slightly—an undetectable change for any of the participants present, but incredibly evident to him. He paid close attention, and in his mind he started calculating the changes over time, forming an idea of when his moment to act would come.
As if nothing had happened, Erik continued chatting with the girls, calmly eating cookies and drinking tea, while secretly sending his intentions to the wolves and Ebonique through their contracts. They remained in their positions without any visible changes, though the subtle shifts in their mana were enough for him to understand that they were preparing for the exact moment he would make his move.
Without raising any suspicion, Erik's mental countdown continued for almost an hour as he simultaneously analyzed all possible variables on the field: the strength, speed, and potential reactions of the participants and the beasts. At the same time, he discreetly tested the pillar of light with the help of Myst. Then, after a moment, he suddenly commented.
"Well, ladies, it's been a pleasure, but it seems I have to go."