VOL 2 Chapter 75: Set a precedent.

"Young master, forgive me for my audacity…"

Upon seeing Eleonora and Sigrún dragging their feet as they walked into the ship, Seraphina turned to look at Erik and spoke in a serious tone. She bows deeply before quickly straightening up to continue speaking while firmly gazing at her young master.

"But the young lady and Master Silverwood were eagerly looking forward to this vacation, don't you think it's a bit petty of you to ignore them when they worked so hard to make it possible?"

Hearing his maid's calm words, Erik could not help but turn to look her in the eye for a moment, only to sigh and begin speaking in a serious and resolute tone. Unwilling to back down from his decision, fully prepared for whatever consequences might come.

"I understand what you mean, Seraphina, and it might truly seem like a childish whim, but I feel it's necessary to do this, as I believe it's important to set a precedent, no matter how small or childish it may seem.

"There's something I want to make very clear, and that is that I deserve respect, and my opinion matters when it comes to things related to my life. If I let this slide just like that, it's possible that in the future things could spiral out of control, and it could end very badly for everyone."

Hearing Erik's resolute words, Seraphina couldn't help but look at him in surprise, while inside the cruiser, Eleonora and Sigrún, who were eavesdropping on the conversation, exchanged stunned glances. Though they knew Erik was upset with them, they hadn't thought it was too serious, but now things seemed different, and they paid closer attention as Erik continued speaking.

"And that's especially true for someone like me, as there are things I deeply value, and I don't like anyone making decisions about them other than myself. Even though I understand that my masters are people of high status and are used to having the final say in everything, and they didn't act with ill intent, that doesn't change the fact that they made decisions about things that belong to me, which is very unpleasant for me."

A thoughtful Seraphina looked at Erik with eyes full of meaning, almost as if reflecting on his words, before asking in a slightly understanding tone after a moment.

"Young master, is your reluctance to accept money you didn't earn yourself perhaps because it would give someone else the power to make decisions for you?"

Hearing the question, Erik couldn't help but look at his maid with a hint of surprise in his expression, but he quickly smiled calmly and explained in a relaxed manner. Though the sensitive Seraphina didn't miss the slight trace of bitterness in his tone, just like the two beautiful Master-level women inside the ship.

"So you noticed, and yes, you're right, that's one of the reasons. After all, investors have decision-making power, don't they? That's why it's quite uncomfortable for me to do something as brazen as 'punishing' someone on their own ship, but well, that's what happens when you're a freeloader, hahaha."

After speaking, Erik walked away, laughing, with Ebonique and Ignis perched on his shoulders and the wolves in their puppy forms following closely behind, leaving Seraphina deeply immersed in her thoughts.

Meanwhile, inside the ship, Eleonora and Sigrún began to reflect deeply on what Erik had said and how it would affect their relationship moving forward. The fact that he had spoken so openly, fully aware that they could hear him, meant something.

…

Just as he had promised, Erik spent the rest of the day working on the spell he had used to enter the mine, trying to reduce its mana consumption while making it as error-tolerant as possible. There was, however, a slight change in his usual work style: he now had the help of Ebonique and Ignis.

The pair of spirits were acting as Erik's development assistants, offering all sorts of advice, helping gather mana for tests, and so on. But their most important task was helping him curb his incessant need to make everything 'beautiful', something that had proven not to be entirely good with the modified sword technique, which he still needed to work on.

Ebonique and Ignis's help was incredibly useful for Erik, who became immersed in the immense improvements he was making, to the point where he forgot to eat or sleep and worked straight through until the next day. He finally completed the intricate magical circle that was version 0.2.1 of the spell, a version that still needed improvements but was far better than the first iteration.

The reason Erik used Sacred Geometry to create the spell instead of the Aegis System, which was far more efficient for the task, was simple: pure comfort. Since creating a spell wasn't too different from programming highly complex software, he felt much more comfortable working with Sacred Geometry. Its logic was very similar to the electronics he was so accustomed to, being far more mathematical and methodical.

Meanwhile, the Aegis System was a bit different, feeling more like assembling a puzzle, putting the right runes in the right order to achieve a desired result. Though he was also skilled at this, it was more intuitive for him to work with a mathematical and structured system. Besides, once he had the spell done, he could 'translate' it without much trouble to use it in the most efficient way possible.

"You two are truly impressive, I've never made progress this fast before…" Erik remarked in amazement as he gazed joyfully at the beautiful geometric circle inscribed on a magical parchment.

"Fufu, thank you for the praise, and that's only because, even though we've never researched human magical systems much, we're still experts in mana and Myst usage, so we can still offer some useful advice." Ignis said proudly, standing on the table where Erik was working, to which Ebonique added cheerfully, coiled around her beloved contractor's neck in her smaller form.

"You know, since I'm so good at this, and you look so sad working all alone, maybe I could consider working as your long-term assistant, hehe."

"That proposal interests me. What are we talking about?" Hearing the words of his reliable contracted spirit, Erik stopped looking at the parchment and turned to Ebonique to ask in a serious tone.

"I'm not willing to work for less than three hearty meals a day…" Ebonique said playfully, to which Erik immediately took her tiny claw and exclaimed loudly.

"DEAL!"

"Hey!!" Ebonique exclaimed, glaring at the shameless Erik with malice, to which the starry-haired boy replied with a sly smile.

"A deal's a deal, or could it be that the great Ebonique won't honor an agreement?"

"Hmph, acting all clever, aren't you?" Ebonique huffed in annoyance and turned her head away, pretending to be indignant, to which Erik replied in a playful tone.

"Well, I just saw an opportunity and took it. As you can see, I'm a businessman who doesn't let chances slip by, hehe."

"Hmph, then I expect three hearty meals from now on, hehehe." Though Ebonique tried to sound reluctant, she couldn't maintain her facade and ended up letting out an adorable little laugh, to which Erik nodded confidently.

"Consider it done."

While Ebonique and Erik played around, Ignis felt a bit uncomfortable, experiencing for the first time in her excessively long life what jealousy felt like—something she had believed was impossible for a being of her level. Unable to properly manage this wave of new emotions and sensations, she ended up lightly tapping Erik's arm with her head, which caught the boy's attention. He turned to look at her and asked, slightly confused.

"Is something wrong, Ignis?"

"Mmmm… Ehhh…"

Feeling a bit awkward, Ignis struggled to get the words out, which inevitably caused the blue flames that seemed to form her body to flicker slightly. After a moment, she continued with a hint of nervousness in her tone.

"Wouldn't you like to have another assistant?"

"Hahaha!."

Seeing Ignis acting shy, lowering her head cutely, Erik couldn't help but laugh cheerfully, which the majestic phoenix misunderstood, causing her to lower her head even further, feeling sad. But then Erik gently stroked her head and said with a small smile.

"I couldn't want anything more than to have an adorable assistant like you. How about three meals, just like Ebonique?"

"I accept!" Ignis looked up excitedly and nodded slowly, her wings fluttering gently, which made Erik smile, though it also annoyed Ebonique, who commented with a hint of anger.

"Hey!! What's with this difference in treatment?"

"Hahaha, don't be mad, you're also an incredibly adorable assistant, Ebonique." Erik said in a calm tone, using his free hand to gently stroke Ebonique's small head, who asked amidst comfortable purrs.

"Really?"

"Very much so." Erik replied in a serious and confident tone, which made the little dragon smile delightedly as she said cheerfully.

"Hehehe, you'd better know it."

Quickly, Ebonique coiled around Erik's neck even more affectionately, which once again stirred Ignis's jealousy. The phoenix leaned her body against Erik and gently hugged him with her wings while looking away, as if thinking that if she didn't see it, it wasn't happening—out of sight, out of mind.

Seeing the adorable behavior of the two spirits, Erik smiled warmly and gently pampered them by stroking their heads, which awakened the envy of the wolves. Without hesitation, they jumped on Erik and began licking him 'roughly' while demanding attention with barks, leaving the starry-haired boy no choice but to take turns pampering and feeding the four affection-hungry, mana-thirsty creatures.

…

After a while, Erik stopped feeding the four hungry beasts and headed to the upper deck of the ship. There Erik began his daily routine with care, performing each exercise of his bio-mystic technique perfectly, synchronizing the movement of his mana and his breathing with his physical movements. 

Quickly, the Myst on the ship began to dance harmoniously around the starry-haired boy, perfectly synchronizing with his movements. This gave the impression that his stunning starry hair shone even brighter, creating an incredibly captivating spectacle for those who could see it.

…

Several hours later, Erik completed his schedule, stopping slightly sweaty and tired, before stretching lazily and turning to find Seraphina on the other side of the deck, standing beside a table. She was waiting for him with a small smile and a sumptuous breakfast.

"Good morning, young master." Seraphina greeted Erik with a slight respectful bow, to which Erik nodded with a smile and then apologized with a hint of guilt in his tone.

"Good morning, Seraphina, and sorry for not eating yesterday. I know you still made something for me."

"Don't worry, young master, it's my pleasure to serve." Seraphina said with a professional tone, to which Erik replied as he sat down to start eating.

"Still, I apologize, but don't worry. If that food is still around, give it to me later—it won't go to waste today. I'm starving, hahaha."

***

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