VOL 2 Chapter 73: Bring your sister.

Upon hearing Sigrún's voice, Sofía and Martin, shocked, lifted their heads to see their sister floating in the air in front of the beautiful wife, who calmly placed her right hand over Clara's stomach. At the same time, several runes formed around her, beginning to emit a beautiful and warm pale green light that enveloped the young woman.

Meanwhile, Eleonora looked at Sigrún with a smile before turning her gaze to Erik. He, upon sensing a strange movement in the Myst around Clara, closed his eyes and took control of the Myst in the area. He strove to extend and enhance his sensory abilities as much as he could in an attempt to understand what his master was doing.

Filled with fascination and with a slight blush on their cheeks, Seraphina and Eleonora watched the mesmerizing display of ghostly lights Erik created whenever he connected with the Myst to perceive something that caught his attention—a spectacle exclusive to entities of their level, the only ones capable of seeing the Myst with their own eyes.

For mana users of their caliber, witnessing the way Erik interacted with the Myst could only be described as a masterpiece of incomparable beauty. One that stirred every fiber of their beings and from which they could even learn to improve their own interaction and harmony with the Myst, something practically unimaginable under normal circumstances.

Erik's ghostly light display was so alluring to beings of their level that even Eleonora and Sigrún had made their beloved disciple promise not to attempt it again near anyone who could appreciate it—especially any women. After all, they already had enough trouble dealing with Thalia pestering them and didn't want another "fly" buzzing around their cherished disciple.

...

Not long after, Sigrún withdrew her hand from Clara's stomach. At that moment, Clara began to descend slowly, while the light around her faded, revealing a completely transformed appearance. Her skin had entirely shed its greenish and sickly hue, transforming into that of a young woman of immaculate beauty, her complexion white and slightly flushed, adorned with beautiful and delicate lips of vibrant cherry red.

Her once withered hair now shone softly with an attractive caramel tone, cascading delicately over her graceful figure and showcasing its well-defined waves, giving her an even more striking appearance than Sofía's. Sofía, unable to hold back her tears, wept as she saw her sister peacefully asleep, her chest rising and falling gently with her calm breathing.

""Thank you so much, young lady!!""

Martín and Sofía exclaimed ecstatically, bowing their heads deeply to Sigrún, their hearts overflowing with boundless gratitude toward the transcendentally beautiful woman. Sigrún laughed softly as she returned to the side of the man with starry hair, her steps light and graceful, while Clara gently fell into the arms of her siblings.

Meanwhile, Erik opened his eyes and looked at Sigrún with an expression that practically screamed questions, something that drew affectionate smiles from the three women beside him. Even the perfect maid couldn't escape the charm of her young master's adorable expression.

"Don't make that face; it's nothing extraordinary." Sigrún remarked as she wrapped her arms around Erik's in an intimate gesture, resting her head on his shoulder. She then continued speaking in a calm tone.

"That girl wasn't truly sick. If I had to use a more accurate term, she was 'malnourished'. She was born with a wood affinity like mine, a very rare and powerful affinity that combines three basic elements. Under normal circumstances, it would be a great blessing, but in her case, it became a misfortune because her body was never trained or nourished properly to bear the load of such an affinity.

"In normal cases, like mine, there aren't many problems. Our mothers are usually quite strong, so their milk is very nutritious, preventing most issues in the early stages. Later on, with a proper diet and good training, there are only benefits.

"But she didn't have any of that. Her body tried to adapt as best it could to the burden, using its scarce mana reserves to self-adjust. However, since that wasn't enough, it began consuming her vitality, leaving her in that state. So the situation was easy to fix—I simply put her affinity to sleep and repaired her body a bit. Still, her diet needs to be improved with some supplements to ensure it doesn't happen again."

"That's incredible; I didn't even know it was possible to put an affinity back to sleep…" Erik commented in amazement upon hearing the explanation, to which Eleonora added with a small smile as she also rested her head on her beloved disciple's shoulder.

"It's more like a trick, and instead of putting it to sleep, it's more accurate to say Sig temporarily sealed her affinity."

"Hehe, something like that."

Sigrún commented with a broad smile as Martín lifted Clara into his arms and quickly carried her to the room, his smile stretching from ear to ear and tears brimming in his eyes. It was a situation very similar to Sofía's, though she chose to stay behind to remain attentive in case her boss or his wives needed anything.

"That sounds very interesting; I must research more about it…" 

Erik muttered quietly to himself, trying to commit a mental note to memory since his masters had claimed his arms and refused to let go, preventing him from taking out his notebook to jot it down.

"But you can only do that after the vacation. Until then, you belong entirely to us." Eleonora said cheerfully before kissing Erik on the cheek, a gesture Sigrún mimicked as she added.

"Eli is right. That's something for after the vacation and…" Sigrún turned to look at Sofía, who was standing a bit off to the side, wiping tears from her face. Then, she asked.

"Your name is Sofía, isn't it?"

"Yes, young lady." Sofía quickly responded, bowing respectfully. Sigrún nodded and then, in a casual tone, said.

"Well then, Sofía, we'll come to fetch you in a few days. So, get everything ready, take care of your affairs, and bring your sister along as well. Her wood affinity will be very useful for my Erik."

Suddenly, as she listened intently to the words of her boss's wife, a bag appeared floating in front of Sofía. It seemed to be made of white silk, adorned with intricate patterns and runes embroidered all over its surface. Breathless, Sofía stared at the luxurious bag, already forming an idea of what it might be. The beautiful woman continued speaking.

"In that bag, there's a small advance payment and the uniforms that you and your sister must wear when we come to get you. There are also your identity medallions. You need to drop a single drop of your blood on them to activate them. Any questions?"

Although overjoyed that her sister would be working with her, Sofía quickly clenched her teeth, gathering her courage, and asked in a serious tone that carried hints of guilt and embarrassment.

"Young lady, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask if there's any chance of hiring my younger brother. He's intelligent, responsible, strong, and very honest. I'm certain he'd be a great asset to the boss."

"Now that you mention it, it's true—there are many women around Erik. It's better to have a man around to avoid problems, so bring him too."

Eleonora remarked as she realized a very important point she had been overlooking. This caused Sigrún to nod in agreement and give Eleonora a thumbs-up. At the same time, another beautiful bag, very similar to the first one, appeared floating in front of Sofía.

"There's the uniform for your brother and some other things. Don't forget to be ready when we come for you."

"Yes, young lady!" Sofía exclaimed enthusiastically, deeply bowing as gratitude and joy overtook her. Sigrún and Eleonora nodded in satisfaction.

Without saying anything further, Eleonora and Sigrún dragged Erik out of the humble house, closely followed by Seraphina. Erik, meanwhile, felt an overwhelming sense of defeat and an uncomfortable itch in his chest as he watched his masters not only finalize the arrangement with his first assistant but even hire more people—without consulting him or considering his input at any point.

…

…

…

On a simple, old, and worn-out bed lay a young woman of captivating beauty, her almost angelic face adorned with vibrant cherry-colored lips. She was dressed in a plain white dress, slightly worn and patched in places, yet impeccably clean and well cared for, making her look like an angel peacefully asleep.

After a while, the young woman's long, beautiful lashes began to tremble, and slowly, her eyelids opened, revealing eyes of a vibrant blue hue, like two priceless jewels—brilliant and clear.

Upon waking, she looked around the room, feeling exceptionally light and full of strength—a sensation utterly unfamiliar to her after a lifetime of exhaustion and weakness.

That sudden feeling of lightness brought an overwhelming sense of peace and joy to the young woman, who couldn't contain her happiness as tears softly streamed down her face. Yet at the same time, fear that it was all just a dream consumed her, making her hesitate even to move.

After savoring the delightful sense of peace and liberation for a moment, the young woman gave a bitter smile. She then raised one of her arms in front of her face, biting her delicate cherry-colored lips. Summoning her courage, she extended her other hand and pinched herself hard.

Feeling the pain of the pinch, the young woman bolted upright in bed, staring at her hands through tear-blurred eyes, her face full of astonishment. She began hurriedly touching her entire body, and as she continued, the torrent of tears streaming down her face only worsened. She brought her hands to her face and cried uncontrollably.

"Thank you, my Lord! You finally heard my prayers! You've finally given me a cure! I won't be a burden anymore. Now I can work again. Now I can help my siblings move forward. Thank you…" Clara declared through her tears of joy, feeling so profoundly grateful and happy that, without a doubt, this was the happiest moment of her young life.

But in that instant, a flood of memories rushed into Clara's mind, causing her to panic over the situation of her siblings. Without hesitation, the young woman leapt out of bed and rushed to the shelf on the wall, where all her clothes were perfectly clean and neatly folded.

"I need to hurry!"

Without even looking, Clara grabbed a piece of black cloth from the shelf and draped it over her head to conceal her beautiful face. She then picked up a pair of comfortable shoes from the floor beneath the shelf and hurriedly put them on. Without wasting another second, she dashed out of the room—possibly the first time in her life she could run at full speed without feeling pain or discomfort.

***

On Patreon there are public images of the characters.