VOL 2 Chapter 67: What do you need?

"Certainly it's a great place, we definitely have to go on vacation more often…" Eleonora, perched on Erik's right shoulder, whispered in a low voice while an incredible feeling of peace and love filled her heart.

"You're absolutely right, Eli. Going on vacation was the best idea we could've come up with. We should start planning ten-year vacations from now on." Sigrún, from Erik's left shoulder, remarked with a cheerful smile while gently stroking the hand Erik had resting on her leg, her fingers interlaced with his.

"It doesn't sound bad to me, although I must admit that at first, I didn't expect much from this place when I was told it was a remote corner of the Meridian Federation. But it turned out to be a good spot." Erik commented with a small smile on his face, to which Sigrún happily added.

"Hehe, I can imagine. But really, the Auroria system was the best choice we had, given we didn't have much time. And even though it's pretty behind the times, it has an interesting artistic style that makes it a good place for a short vacation."

"Sig is right, plus the fact that it's behind the times is actually a good thing, because nobody here recognizes us and we can walk around without needing disguises. You can show off your gorgeous hair without a worry." Eleonora chimed in with a small laugh while gently combing Erik's starry hair. It was then that Sigrún, somewhat curious, turned to look at his iconic locks and asked.

"Now that I think about it, Erik, I've always wondered: why did they nickname you after the color of your eyes if your hair is so much more striking than your eyes?"

"Ah, that's because my hair wasn't like this before. It was just normal black, but shortly after I learned to use mana, it turned out this way." Erik replied with a smile, recalling the moment he saw his changed hair for the first time in the reflection of the water on that island.

Meanwhile, Sigrún and Eleonora exchanged glances, and the latter began recalling the report sent by those who had investigated Erik's past. She realized that aside from the group that had looked into Erik's mother, no one had ever mentioned his starry hair—certainly a noteworthy detail.

"That does sound strange. Have you noticed anything odd about your hair?" Eleonora asked, a bit curious, causing Erik to pause and think before replying thoughtfully.

"Mmm… Nothing especially remarkable. Although, one curious thing is that the pattern seems to shift slightly on its own from time to time. But even so, it doesn't actually change when I cut it; my hair decolors certain parts, so the pattern always stays consistent, looking exactly the same no matter how long it is—though it takes a couple hours to readjust."

"That's interesting. Maybe we should look into it more deeply…" Sigrún remarked, intrigued by Erik's peculiar hair phenomenon.

"My hair is that unusual that it's worth investigating?" Erik asked, a bit confused by his master's words. Eleonora shook her head, then smiled as she answered.

"Not really. There are countless cases of physical changes caused by the body adapting to mana. For instance, there's Sage Sunflare—before she was a mana user, her hair and eyes were black."

Hearing a name that sounded familiar, Erik thought a moment before recalling the beautiful professor with silver hair and violet eyes who taught his first university class, prompting him to comment with a look of realization.

"Oh right, I remember her! Her eyes were especially striking!" After his remark, Erik turned his head to look at each of his masters and asked curiously.

"But if it's nothing too unusual, why the need to study my hair?"

"Because it's my dear disciple's hair, and I just can't leave it be, hehe." Sigrún replied with a mischievous little smile, extending one of her hands at the same time to affectionately tap Erik's nose.

"Our disciple, Sig—OUR disciple." Eleonora added with a challenging grin as she hugged Erik possessively, wanting to stress her point, which made Sigrún reply playfully while hugging her beloved in a similar manner.

"Alright, alright, our disciple, hehe."

The group continued flirting romantically under the starlight, while Seraphina watched on with a small, cheerful smile, saying nothing. Their moment, however, was interrupted when Erik sensed a familiar presence entering the platform. Turning in curiosity, he saw the young guide who had led them around the city and told him about the place.

Unlike her neat and lovely appearance from the afternoon, she now looked dirty, with soil and dust stains all over, and her delicate face was smeared with blood and tears, as though she had just undergone a dramatic accident. The sight made the starry-haired young man narrow his eyes slightly.

Seeing Erik, the young woman seemed frightened for a moment, losing her composure. But after taking a couple of deep breaths, she found her courage and approached the group under the watchful gaze of Eleonora, Sigrún, Erik, and even Seraphina, who turned to look at the girl who seemed to have struggled intensely on her way there.

Reaching Erik, the girl tried to clean herself up a bit, but seeing it was pointless, she gave up and instead took a few deep breaths to gather her resolve. Then she looked straight into the green eyes of the starry-haired young man and began to speak.

"Young master…"

Although she'd steeled herself to speak, fear and embarrassment tangled her words, causing an almost inaudible mumble. This led Erik to ask with some curiosity—an emotion shared by the three women with him.

"It looks like you've run into some trouble."

"Young master…"

Even though she'd mentally prepared during her journey to finally find him, the act of articulating her situation made Sofía's face burn with shame, and her heart pound violently, full of fear and apprehension—unsure if coming here had been a good idea.

At the same time she toyed with the idea of turning tail and running away, an image of her brother and sister smiling happily came to mind, freezing her in place. The dread of losing them consumed her completely, so with the resolve of one who would die trying, she knelt down on the ground, nearly begging in a subdued voice, doing her utmost not to break into sobs.

"T-the thing is, I'm in a desperate situation. I don't know what else to do, and I've come shamelessly to beg for your help."

"Mmm, and you think your best bet is to ask a complete stranger you showed around town today…?"

Erik asked in a slightly sarcastic tone, wearing a blank expression. Although the girl appeared truly pitiful, in his past life he had witnessed countless scenes like this from con artists who were ready to do anything for money—some even going as far as 'killing off' their own children if it served their schemes.

Plus, something most skillful scammers had in common was that they were not only terrific actors, but also extremely attentive to details—and the girl's pitiful appearance was nowhere near the "best staging" he'd seen in his time.

Hearing Erik's tone, Sofía couldn't hold back her tears any longer and broke down crying. She explained through broken sobs, her forehead pressed against the ground, overwhelmed by fear, sadness, and helplessness.

"I'm so sorry, young master. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I don't know what else to do… My brother's trapped in a mine and everyone's declared him dead, even though I know he's still alive and waiting for help… I'm completely desperate. I've tried everything I could, and I don't know what else to do, nor do I have anyone else to go to.

"That's why I beg you, young master, please help me save my brother. I'll do anything to repay you, whatever you ask of me, I'll do it. I'll be your slave for the rest of my life, but please help me. You're my last hope. If you don't help me, I'm going to lose everything…"

Still kneeling, forehead pressed to the ground, Sofía wept inconsolably as she humbled herself, begging for help. She knew, deep down, that not only was Martín's life at risk—Clara's might be as well.

Both she and Martín had tried everything to ward off this doom, but they knew perfectly well that Clara blamed herself for his predicament. If anything happened to her younger brother, Sofa was sure Clara would not be able to bear it and would likely die soon after out of guilt and sorrow. Especially now that she'd only just recovered from a relapse and was at her most vulnerable.

Losing both siblings—the only family she had and the driving force behind her life—leaving her entirely alone in this world, was a prospect she would not survive. That looming end terrified her so much that she cast her dignity aside and essentially sold her soul to the devil, just to avert such a fate.

Meanwhile, Erik looked down at the girl on the ground with an analytical gaze, trying to discern whether she was honest or just a very skilled performer. It was all so convincing, but he had known con artists just as skilled in his past life—and even one who'd managed to scam him out of a great deal of money with a perfect story and an Oscar-worthy performance. So he hesitated to believe her.

Moreover, he knew his masters and Seraphina could likely tell if the girl was lying or not, yet they remained silent, their expressions inscrutable. Chances were they didn't want to say anything, preferring to see how he'd handle the situation.

After some contemplation, Erik decided to help the girl anyway. If it turned out to be a lie, he'd view it as the cost of witnessing a very skilled street performance—money he could easily recoup once the payment from the order arrived. Besides, he had also come up with a few ideas in case she was telling the truth.

"What do you need?"

Erik's voice was calm yet firm as he looked at the girl on the ground, who lifted her head in disbelief; though in her eyes, one could see a flicker of hope and fear. Without delay, she bit her lip and hurriedly explained her situation in the most concise way she could.

"My brother is a miner, and because of a cave-in, he's trapped in a very deep tunnel. Only a very powerful earth mage could get to him in time to rescue him."

(If this is just an act, the most likely scenarios are that she wants a hefty sum to hire that 'earth mage' to save her brother, or she plans to lure me to some out-of-the-way spot where there's an ambush. But given that she's asking me specifically, rather than my masters, she clearly can't sense their true power or even recognize them.

(Though there's also the chance it's actually an ambush for my masters, and this is part of a plan to lower our guard. But I doubt it—very few people could do anything to them, let alone when Seraphina is present, and the political fallout would be huge if it happened. Plus, they should know by now if she's lying or not, so the best move is to take the initiative and see where it all leads.)

"Mmm, alright then. Let's go." After thinking about it for a moment, Erik spoke in a relaxed tone as he released his masters' hands and stood from his seat.

In turn, Sofía remained on the ground, watching the group of four ready themselves to depart with an expression of surprise and confusion. She was uncertain whether to feel relieved that they were going to help her, or if this was their way of turning her down. That prompted Erik to ask with a small smile.

"What are you doing down there on the ground? Don't we have to save your brother?"

***

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