VOL 2 Chapter 70: Should I rescind the contract…?

Between curious and confused, Sofa looked with interest at the strange contraption Erik had given her. She tried to figure out what it was, what the little red beads it contained were, why it was soft and flexible, and more importantly, how it could heal her brother. But she quickly reacted and bowed respectfully, thanking him sincerely at the same time.

"Thank you very much for your mercy, My Lord."

"It's nothing, and don't call me 'My Lord'. I already have a pesky maid who made me get used to 'young master', and I don't want someone making it even worse. Call me 'Boss' instead." Erik remarked as he sent venomous looks at Seraphina, who smiled proudly and handed him a small plate of cookies, inevitably diverting his attention.

"All right, Boss. Thank you very much."

Sofía quickly nodded and replied respectfully, then went back to looking at the blister pack, wondering how to use the curious item her new Lor… Boss had given her. That made Erik laugh, and after eating a cookie, he explained.

"Hehe, just scratch the silver part with your nail, take out one of the capsules, and give it to your brother. Have him bite it before swallowing, so the effect kicks in immediately."

"Thank you very much, Boss."

After thanking him again with a bow, Sofía followed Erik's instructions and hurried over to her brother with a pill in her hand. He bit it, and both watched in surprise as his mangled leg began to heal right before their eyes at an impressive speed.

Meanwhile, Erik smiled proudly at the effectiveness of his pills, which weren't far from being ready to market, as all tests so far had been successful. Then he turned to look at his masters, deploying an invisible Myst barrier at the same time.

"So, what do you think of my new assistant?" Erik asked his masters with a small smile, which earned him a loving kiss on the cheek from Sigrún. She then commented with a mischievous smile on her lips.

"You mean candidate because first, she'll have to learn a lot about mana and alchemy or artificery."

"I know, but according to the institute's regulations, to officially be an assistant to a first-rank craftsman like me, they have to be at least Apprentice-level mana users and have a minimum knowledge of the subject. Seraphina even got a sample of the basic exam, and it's nothing major—she'll qualify in no time." Erik said in a calm tone, not giving the matter much importance, then took another cookie from his plate and popped it into his mouth.

"Fufu, I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out…"

Eleonora replied with a mischievous smile and a playful tone, not wanting to miss, for anything in the world, the moment when Erik would crash against the reality of the gap between his absurd talent and everyone else's. That earned her a complicit and equally amused smile from Sigrún.

Seeing his masters' attitude, Erik felt a terrible premonition creeping over him, but he quickly shook his head and turned to look at Seraphina. Then he asked her with a calm, charming smile.

"Everything's going to be fine, right, Seraphina?"

"…"

Faced with the question, Seraphina chose to remain silent, looking at Erik with a small playful smile on her beautiful face, something that inevitably made the star-haired boy even more anxious. He couldn't help but whisper to himself, full of insecurity.

"Should I rescind the contract…?"

"Hahaha, don't do that. The girl is smart, and she seems talented, although I don't think she'll manage to qualify as your assistant in the short time that's left. This is the first time you've chosen an assistant for yourself, and it's something important. Besides, we can use the experience to improve your ability to nurture talent. It'll be a good experience." Sigrún said with a cheerful laugh when she saw Erik's expression. Then Eleonora added immediately after.

"Sig is right. Also, you don't just need talent for your assistants; you have that idea of creating your own brand, and so far, you don't have a single candidate to work there."

"Actually, that was my plan from the start, hehe." Erik commented casually, trying to sound genuine, as he grabbed a new cookie. This made the trio of divinely beautiful women burst out in amused laughter.

While Erik talked with his masters inside the invisible barrier, Sofía looked at the pill blister in her hands as if it were a blessing from the heavens—an invaluable treasure. After all, if just one of those tiny capsules had managed to save her brother's leg, couldn't the remaining nine heal her sister too?

That hopeful thought filled Sofía's heart, as well as Martín's, who looked into his sister's eyes, brimming with hope. The beautiful young woman nodded decisively, then quickly turned to face her new Boss. Blushing with embarrassment, she spoke in a timid and insecure tone, clenching her small fists to muster courage.

"Uhh, Boss?"

Noticing that his new assistant was talking to him, Erik deactivated the barrier and turned around to look at her curiously, asking.

"Yes?"

"Mmmm, how do I say this, uhh…" Blushing, Sofía tried to speak, but she couldn't get the words out because of her embarrassment. Erik couldn't help but respond with amusement.

"Just spit it out already."

Although she was ashamed and afraid, Sofía took a quick deep breath to calm herself and then made her request in a firm, almost solemn tone.

"…Boss, would it be too much for me to ask to keep this item? I swear I'll pay for it, no matter how long it takes!!"

"Hahahahaha." Erik laughed at the girl, who he was starting to like more and more, but after a moment, he smiled and said.

"It's not an artifact. They're called healing pills, a type of potion, and they're all yours. Don't worry about it. Besides, they're quite cheap."

"Thank you so much, Boss."

Genuinely moved, Sofía thanked him while holding back her tears, clenching her fists tightly as she tried to contain her euphoria. Martín was going through the same thing; he wanted to jump and shout with joy but didn't want to bother such distinguished people, so he tried to keep quiet. That was when Erik asked in a calm tone, which somehow sounded incredibly cold.

"By the way, Sofía, do you want to do something about whoever gave you that hit on your face?"

Upon hearing the question, Martín's eyes widened in astonishment. He then looked at his sister's face and indeed noticed traces of a bruise on her cheek. It made him clench his fists and teeth in anger, full of indignation and a thirst for revenge. Sofía, meanwhile, couldn't help looking at her new Boss in surprise because she was sure she hadn't mentioned to anyone that she'd been struck. But after thinking it over, she shook her head and answered with a hint of regret.

"I appreciate your concern, Boss. But now that I have to follow you, my siblings will stay here on their own, and the person who did it has some influence. Things could get worse for them if I take action."

Sofía's words caused Martín's expression to twist in pain, imagining the price his sister had had to pay to rescue him. That inevitably filled him with deep guilt, self-loathing, and powerlessness. Because of him, his older sister had been forced to sell herself to someone of high status, maybe even a potential 'heir'.

The pain Martín felt was so great that, as he squeezed his fists until his palms bled, he immediately began to consider ways to trade his life for his sister's. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't see the young master agreeing to such a thing, since his sister was a much-coveted beauty and he had nothing comparable to offer.

"You can always send them to the Arcane Order, you know?"

While Martín seriously considered the possibility of attacking that important group of people to buy time for his sister to escape, at the cost of his own life. The star-haired young man spoke calmly as he popped a cookie into his mouth, which caused both Sofía and Martín to make strange, startled sounds.

""Huh?""

Unsure if they'd heard correctly, Sofía and Martín looked stunned at Erik, who was pleasantly enjoying his cookie. Sofía then turned to glance at the impressive women around him, who gave her mischievous smiles.

Sofía's original plan had been to use the pills her Boss gave her to heal her sister—or at least improve her condition—and then have Martín take her sister to the Arcane Order with the money her Boss had given her earlier that day. Even though they would have to sell everything they had and also look for a good deal, he had given her quite a bit, and if her calculations were correct, all combined should be enough for two tickets.

However, it was a plan she would never dare say out loud, especially not in front of her Boss. This was because high-ranking people saw escaping to the Arcane Order as treason and generally killed anyone who dared to mention it aloud, using any random excuse to avoid repercussions.

The reason that the leaders of different star systems under the other factions did not restrict space flights to the Arcane Order to only authorized individuals. Despite viewing migration as "treason". It was because the last time someone had tried to impose such a restriction, they received a horrible reprimand from the Arcane Order.

That reprimand was an economic blockade so severe that it left the kingdom in absolute bankruptcy. In addition, no one wanted to even go near that star system for fear of offending the Order, which was known for being unreasonable and vengeful against those who broke its rules. This forced the leader of that kingdom to abolish all such restrictions and beg forgiveness on his knees, and ever since, no one else had dared to try anything like it.

"Why are you two so surprised? Don't you like the idea of living in the Arcane Order?" Seeing Sofía and Martín's speechless expressions, Erik asked, a bit confused, prompting Sofía to quickly shake her head.

"The Boss jests. Although they say the Arcane Order is the land of opportunity, my family and I love this land and would never consider leaving."

Sofía used her best acting skills to lie to her new Boss, assuming this was some kind of test. Martín came to the same conclusion, so he nodded firmly. But to their utter incredulity, the star-haired young man made a slightly apologetic remark.

"Oh, then I'm sorry to inform you, but I'm from the Arcane Order. So whether you like it or not, you'll have to come with me there, Sofía."

""Eh?""

At their Boss's statement, Sofía could only let out a strange sound as her eyes went wide with absolute shock. Martín shared her expression; he couldn't help turning to look at his sister, his eyes shining with excitement, happiness, and profound relief.

"What's the matter? Why that face?" Erik asked, slightly puzzled by the look of sheer astonishment on Sofía's face. She couldn't help but respond, full of confusion and uncertainty.

"Boss, are you really from the Arcane Order?"

"Yes, I am. I even studied at Arcane University." Erik replied calmly, munching on another cookie, which made Martín's eyes light up even more.

As for Sofía, she felt dizzy from this new information and almost collapsed onto the Myst platform, but her brother managed to catch her just in time. Though he didn't dare say anything, the huge grin on his face revealed what that news meant for them.

***

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