Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

"Now I'm even more concerned..."

"Hey!! What's that supposed to mean?!!!"

Ebonique's indignant retort to Erik's words provoked uncontrolled laughter from Ignis, who ended up falling to the ground, along with a small giggle from Seraphina.

"I mean, I could never be as good as you, Ebonique, which makes me worry if I'll be able to pull it off the same way." Erik quickly responded with a slightly comical smile from being face-down, to which Ebonique replied with a bit of a pout, looking away.

"Hmph, look at you trying to act all clever with me; I don't buy it."

"I'm serious, I could never be as special as you, Ebonique. Just look at those beautiful obsidian scales of yours, that powerful presence, that overwhelming charisma—you're a unique and enchanting spirit that no one could ever ignore. How could someone as plain as me compare to you?" Erik kept up the act with a small smile while Seraphina resumed massaging him after her laughter had settled.

"Mmm, I don't know; it doesn't sound sincere enough..."

Ebonique commented, trying to sound indifferent and annoyed, but a slight, delighted smile was visible at the corner of her dragon lips—something that made Ignis frown, annoyed by her clever ploy to fish for compliments from Erik, who quickly replied with seriousness.

"It's completely sincere. You're without a doubt a powerful and charming spirit who—"

Just as Erik was about to unleash another wave of compliments on the pampered spirit, Ignis suddenly cut him off, speaking in an offended tone, full of jealousy and envy.

"So only Ebonique is charming, huh? I see, I see..."

"Of course, because you are fascinating. Just look at those beautiful and delicate feathers made of fire, that elegant and refined bearing, that aristocratic aura. You inspire respect and submission with your mere presence."

Without missing a beat, Erik turned to look at the sulking blue fire phoenix on the ground and spoke in a natural and fluid tone, as if stating an undeniable fact—causing Ignis to lower her head in embarrassment and giggle softly.

"Fufufu"

"Stop interrupting me, Ignis. Erik was talking to me." At that moment, Ebonique, clearly displeased by the interruption, commented with annoyance as she floated in front of Ignis, squinting at her.

"Interrupting? Who? Me?" Ignis asked with an innocent tone, blinking her big eyes with fake confusion, which only made Ebonique even more irritated. She quickly replied in a cold tone.

"Yes, you, you damn phoenix Burglar."

"I have no idea what you're talking about..."

Ignis replied with elegance as she looked away, and immediately after, she shrank down and flew to land near Erik's head on the massage table, settling comfortably by his ear, where she whispered in a calm, almost seductive tone.

"You're fascinating too, Erik. Fufu."

"Hmph." Ebonique, upon seeing the shameless Ignis, immediately shrank as well and landed by Erik's other ear, where she whispered in a similar tone.

"You're also really handsome and powerful, Erik. Don't pay attention to that home-wrecking phoenix."

"Hehe, thanks for the compliments." Erik briefly commented in a calm tone, at the same time giving them a good amount of mana through the Lifepoints in his ears, which caused giggles and delighted purrs from the pair of spirits.

"Fufu / Hehe"

Having satisfied the pampered spirits, Erik spoke again while Seraphina was removing his pants, leaving him only in his underwear.

"But getting back on topic, how long do you think it'll take the siblings to gain decent mana control, Seraphina? Especially Clara—her talent for alchemy will be a huge asset."

"It's a bit difficult to say, young master. Mana control is highly individual and varies from person to person. But I'd say for her to qualify as a 1-star alchemy assistant, it might take several years—perhaps even a decade." Seraphina replied professionally, although the seductive way she licked her lips while eyeing her young master's well-defined body told a different story.

"So the idea of making her the lead of the alchemy assistant group is off the table then..."

Erik sighed, a little disappointed, to which Seraphina responded while carefully massaging his legs—taking her time to trace each of his muscles, almost as if trying to memorize them.

"That was to be expected, young master. Even though the standard required to be an alchemy assistant is much lower than that of a full-fledged alchemist, it's still not something easily achieved. After all, assistants are expected to at least understand what the alchemist is doing and be an active part of the process—so a minimum level of skill is required."

"Well, yeah, I knew that. But originally, I thought the bottleneck would be in recognizing ingredients, their age, and their possible reactions. Even now, that's something I can only manage thanks to the interaction patterns they display with the Myst—patterns that are predictable and easier for me to notice. So when I saw Clara's incredible talent in that area, I couldn't help but get a little hopeful."

Erik replied in a calm voice as he looked at the rune-carved floor, thinking about what he should do next. At that moment, Seraphina spoke in a calm and deliberately slow tone, not wanting her slight unease to show.

"Well, that's largely due to Clara's wood affinity, young master. As you know, affinities—especially complex ones like wood—somehow grant their users a natural instinct for anything related to them. And since a large portion of alchemy involves plants, it's only natural that young Clara achieves such good results. It's no coincidence that those born with a wood affinity are called natural-born alchemists—achieving triple the results with a third of the effort."

"..."

Erik sighed, a little disappointed, without saying a word. But Seraphina, being the exceptional maid she was, immediately understood her young master's concerns. She let her body fall gently against his bare back, pressing her voluptuous chest firmly against him, slightly deforming with the contact, as she spoke in a voice full of affection and care.

"You don't have to worry about your lack of affinities, young master. Your talents surpass anything ever seen in human history. And who knows... maybe your lack of affinities is actually a blessing in disguise."

Seraphina's words made Ebonique and Ignis slightly open their eyes from their cozy spots at either side of Erik's head and glance discreetly in her direction, while also establishing a telepathic connection between them.

[That maid has sharp intuition...] Ebonique's voice echoed in Ignis's mind, to which the phoenix replied with a serious tone.

[Yes, though she might just be saying that to comfort Erik, something tells me she senses something. Still, I highly doubt she knows what she's talking about.]

[Maybe we should start taking her a little more seriously, even if she has that unpleasant habit of playing the pig to eat the tiger...] Ebonique said with a tone that barely masked her distaste, to which Ignis responded with amusement.

[Fufufu, I think that's what makes her so interesting. It's really fun to watch the faces of her enemies when they realize they're doomed. Besides, she genuinely loves Erik and takes good care of him.]

[Maybe... though it's kind of annoying that she gets to spend all day with MY Erik...] Ebonique replied with an obviously jealous tone, which Ignis couldn't resist teasing her about, quickly responding in a mocking, haughty voice.

[Fufufu, are you jealous?]

[Yes. So what? Got a problem with that?] Ebonique answered bluntly, visibly annoyed, which only increased Ignis's amusement. She quickly added, teasingly.

[Fufu, who would've thought the great Ebonique would be jealous of a mere human? Living for so long really does have its perks.]

[Shut up, or I won't let you get near Erik anymore.] Ebonique replied angrily, her tone sharp enough to wipe the smugness right off Ignis's face. She immediately responded with a more serious voice.

[Are you planning to go back on your word?]

Tired of Ignis's constant teasing, Ebonique decided it was time for payback. She replied with a voice full of mockery and arrogance as she shifted slightly to get more comfortable beside her beloved contractor.

[Break my word? Never. It's just that, if I remember correctly, our agreement was to let you receive part of Erik's mana—and for that, you don't need to be this close to him. I can always give you your share in a different way, without you even seeing him directly...]

[...]

Seeing Ignis fall silent, a mischievous smile spread across Ebonique's face, and a moment later she spoke again, full of satisfaction.

[Cat got your tongue or what?]

[Weren't you the one who told me to shut up?]

Ignis replied with a serious tone, hiding a trace of indignation, defeat, and regret—something that made Ebonique's smile grow noticeably wider as she commented in a condescending tone.

[That's more like it—obedient. If you keep behaving like this, I might even let you be with Erik from time to time, so you don't feel so miserable...]

[Don't push it, Ebonique! I can always tell Erik you're bullying me, and you know what'll happen.]

Ignis quickly snapped back, angered by Ebonique's condescending tone. Her response made Ebonique fall silent, and with that, the two came to an unspoken agreement to drop the subject.

...

"Thanks for the comfort, Seraphina." After a few moments, Erik spoke in a warm, calm voice, feeling somehow soothed by Seraphina's body heat.

"It's not just comfort, young master. It's truly what I believe."

Seraphina responded softly, her voice nearly a whisper in his ear. At the same time, she secretly delighted in her young master's scent—one that filled her with countless impure desires, unworthy of a perfect maid like herself. She was supposed to fulfill her young master's desires, not be consumed by her own. Internally, she scolded herself for her behavior, though she still didn't move away.

"Then maybe you're right..." Erik said with a warm voice, to which Seraphina replied with affection and sweetness.

"Of course I'm right. My young master is the most special being in existence, fufu."

After speaking, Seraphina finally lifted herself off Erik's back, slightly afraid of being overtaken by her desires. She was immediately wrapped in darkness, changing clothes at an astonishing speed—not only because her dress had cream stains from Erik's back, but also due to the overwhelming moisture in a certain area that she feared might become visible.

Moments later, the darkness surrounding her vanished, revealing her figure once more—dressed in an outfit identical to the one before, with hair that looked freshly styled and gleaming. A flawless appearance, truly worthy of a perfect maid.

"But then, the idea of making Clara the leader of my alchemy assistants is off the table—for who knows how long..." Erik, unaware of Seraphina's swift outfit change, commented with a sigh of mild fatigue before adding in a low voice.

"Just one more problem..."

"Young master, while it may indeed take some time for young Clara to reach the necessary standard to be the leader of your assistants, you could always seek external guidance or hire a tutor to speed up the process. Besides, who knows—you might end up meeting someone even more suited for the role during the recruitment."

Seraphina spoke with a professional smile as she resumed massaging Erik's body, now using a different lotion, while the runes on the table lit up in a slightly different pattern.

"Do you really think someone as good as—or better than—Clara would show up to be my assistant?" Erik asked after letting out a satisfied sound from Seraphina's massage. She answered.

"It's quite unlikely. After all, wood affinity is very rare, and when someone is born with it, they're quickly sponsored either by the Order or a private patron. They're usually fast-tracked to become full-fledged alchemists or assistants to renowned high-level alchemists. But then again, young master, you are now a well-known figure in the world of alchemy, and your future is limitless—so it's not impossible."

"I may be promising, but I doubt people with a guaranteed future—like those with wood affinity—would take the risk of applying. I could be a one-trick pony, or worse, I might not even grow at all and just die in some random ditch. Who knows? It's a gamble very few would be willing to take."

Erik spoke in a calm, slightly joking tone—but the moment he finished, his field of vision spun violently. When he managed to process what had happened, he found himself lying on his back, staring into the serious gaze of Seraphina. She cupped his face in her hands, looking him straight in the eyes, so close their noses touched.

"Young master, please don't say things like that. Something like that is impossible. I swear, no matter what happens, I—as your personal maid—would give my life without hesitation for your well-being, young master." Seraphina spoke in an incredibly serious and solemn voice, her beautiful gray eyes shining faintly, entirely focused on her young master's green ones.

"It was just a joke, Seraphina... You don't have to take it so seriously."

Erik replied with a slightly awkward smile on his face, feeling the weight of Seraphina's intense seriousness. At the same time, he tried his hardest to ignore the piercing stares he could sense from the corners of his vision—courtesy of two spirits, one surrounded by blue flames and the other by black lightning. That's when Seraphina spoke again, her tone unwaveringly stern.

"Young master, I beg you not to say such things, even as a joke. That's something that must never happen."

"I understand. I won't do it again..."

Accepting his defeat, Erik replied with resignation, which brought a small smile to Seraphina's lips. She kissed his forehead lovingly before gently lowering his head back onto the massage table. Her tone then shifted into a cheerful, melodic one as she spoke.

"That's a huge relief, young master."

Right after speaking, Seraphina began massaging the front of her young master's chest with a wide smile on her face. Meanwhile, Erik was doing his best to endure the pain caused by the two spirits nibbling on his ears in protest.

"Ignis, Ebonique, could you stop biting me? It really hurts..."

"It's your punishment for saying nonsense—so deal with it." Ebonique replied irritably, though she unintentionally loosened her bite, and her tongue began gently trailing over the small marks her teeth had left on Erik's ear.

"Yes, Erik, you've been a bad boy who needs to be punished."

Ignis added, clearly offended—though her actions betrayed her words. Instead of biting again, she began massaging Erik's ear with her head, causing small blue flames to heal the almost nonexistent damage from her bite. At that point, the star-haired boy apologized in a resigned tone.

"Alright, I'm sorry. I won't joke like that again..."

""You'd better not.""

Ignis and Ebonique spoke at the same time. Maintaining their 'dignified' attitudes, they laid back down beside Erik's ears, gently caressing them—tinged with a bit of guilt. At that moment, Erik looked over at his personal maid and asked in a calm voice.

"Seraphina, you mentioned something about a tutor for mana control earlier. Do you have someone in mind?"

"Of course, young master. I have a couple of options, so I'll give you a full list later." Seraphina turned to look at Erik, responding with a charming smile as she continued to massage his well-defined chest with utmost care and attention.

"Thank you, Seraphina. You're the best maid in the world."

"Fufufu, it's an honor to serve you, young master."

***

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