Chapter 141 - VOL 2 Chapter 86: We must decline.
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"Dear assistants, allow me to guide you to the first area."
After separating from Kai, Olivia spoke in the Meridian language professionally, while looking at the trio of siblings without daring in the slightest to look down on them just because they were mere Initiate-levels. After all, they were the assistants of the direct disciple Erik, who was not only the disciple of two Master-levels. He was also widely known in the Arcane Order and much of the galaxy as a talent on par with Master EldurdĂłttir.
On the other hand, perhaps even more importantly depending on one's perspective, the direct disciple Erik was almost a celebrity among the university staff. Since, unlike ordinary disciples, he was very kind and considerate toward the staff, especially the library staff, as it was the place where he spent the most time.
He was so popular that it was not uncommon for fierce "internal quarrels" to break out to decide who would get the shifts he most frequently visited. It was even not unusual for "high-level personnel" to "lower themselves" to public-facing positions just for the chance to interact with him. Consequently, the path for Olivia to secure her position in the station's library was paved with hundreds of her colleagues' "corpses".
Although at first, the "selection war", the name they gave to their dispute to earn the chance to serve the direct disciple Erik, was something in which only the female staff participated. That changed when the "stinky men" took an interest in the affectionate nickname the women used for himâ"the cookie prince". As soon as they learned of that sweet moniker, they also discovered the great treasure that was being able to interact with him.
Although the direct disciple Erik was kind, considerate, very handsome, and nearly at the top of the Arcane Order's food chain. Only a few women among the administrative staff had illusions of having anything with him beyond a single night or, at best, being a secret lover. In reality, much of their urgency to interact with him stemmed from those "simple cookies" he used to give away.
The cookies that disciple Erik occasionally handed out when he was satisfied with the service he received were not only a heavenly delight. They were also made with rare, extremely nutritious ingredients loaded with mana, things an ordinary person could hardly acquire, which turned them into a powerful tonic for training.
When the male staff found out about this, they ended up meddling in the sacred "selection war", managing to outdo the women a couple of times and enjoy the coveted prize themselves, spreading the word afterward. But not content with that, they even dared to give him the ugly nickname of "the cookie general", something that infuriated the female staff so much that they would even strike anyone who dared to mention that nickname in front of them.
...
With great professionalism, Olivia guided the siblings to the first area of the library, where she introduced them to the different sections and explained a bit about what they could find in each. She also showed them how to choose books in the language they preferred, since the books in the first area were very basic and practically all had translations into the four main languages. As a result, the siblings began browsing the titles and some pages of the books on the shelves, searching for something to read.
While the siblings chose their books, Olivia couldn't help but discreetly observe their selections, genuinely curious about which topics would interest the first people who had managed to come under the wing of the great direct disciple Erik. Who was, without a doubt, the most outstanding figure of his generation, despite being one of the youngestâhe hadn't even lived a full century, which practically made him a baby.
Regarding the twinsâwhose beauty and extreme resemblance, even Olivia couldn't help but admireâthey selected different things. The one with slightly more wavy hair and a homier aura picked books on basic alchemy and cooking, while the other, with straighter hair and a firmer, somehow more "heroic" aura, picked books on artificery and, surprisingly, business.
Lastly, the youngest boy, who was also quite handsome though still rather young, chose books on history and geography, along with several dictionaries of the four languages, and, somewhat unexpectedly, a book on unarmed martial arts.
"With these, we should be fine, Miss Olivia."
After a while, the siblings finished selecting their books. At that moment, Clara stood in front of Olivia and spoke in a calm, polite tone, to which Olivia responded with a small smile, casually eyeing the small piles of four or five books each sibling held in their hands.
"In that case, we will head to the private room of the direct disciple Erik."
After a nod from the siblings, Olivia led them to the private room, walking at the head of the group through the seemingly endless rows of bookshelves until they reached one of the walls where a glass elevator could be seen. The elevator took them down a couple of floors, where they arrived at a wide, beautiful hallway with marble floors and white wooden doors on both sides.
As they walked down the hallway, with the siblings curiously looking at the various paintings and works of art that adorned it, one of the elegant wooden doors suddenly swung open. This produced a small muffled sound that inevitably drew the siblings' attention.
From the private room, a group of six young people emerged, led by a man who appeared to be about twenty years old, with short, modern pale-orange hair and brown eyes, and an athletic, muscular build. Although he could not be considered especially handsome in general, his confident and dominant bearing gave him a certain appealing charm.
After a quick glance at them, Olivia and the siblings continued walking without paying the group any further attention, as the hallway was wide enough for everyone to pass by comfortably without feeling cramped in the slightest. However, at that moment, the young man leading the other group caught sight of the twins, his eyes lit up, while an expression of interest inevitably took shape on his face.
The twins' beauty was undoubtedly mesmerizing, but there was something mysteriously captivating when the two of them were together that seemed to multiply their charm manyfold, easily bewitching the young man. He immediately began examining their attire closely, which soon made him smile with confidence.
The trio of young people behind the librarian wore the most basic assistant uniforms, without any emblems or insignias, which in the eyes of any university resident could mean only one thing: they were newcomers or interns who had not yet been assigned their dutiesâin other words, the lowest rung of the university's social ladder.
Initially, the siblings should have been wearing the emblem of SigrĂșn or Eleonora on their clothing, and at first, they did, since those two were the ones who gave them their uniforms. However, because of the small argument they had with Erik on the ship, they, with Seraphina's help, had prepared new uniforms without any emblem to show their willingness to improve. Their main goal was for Erik to be able to make their new uniforms once he registered his own personal emblem, something that had to be done at the university.
Brimming with confidence, the orange-haired young man approached the twins with a firm stride, wearing a calm, self-assured smile that bore a hint of flirtation. Upon reaching them, he spoke politely, though clearly in a domineering and self-important manner, secretly fascinated by those blue eyes that studied him with curiosity.
"Hello, young ladies. My name is Edward Stone, a disciple of the Order, and I feel that meeting such beautiful ladies could only be the work of fate. So, I'd like to ask: why don't we go have a drink to get to know each other better?"
Upon hearing the young man's speech in the galactic language, Sofia and Clara glanced at each other in confusion. They had barely understood any of what he said, so they turned to MartĂn, the most skilled in languages, but he also shook his head. He hadn't understood it eitherâafter all, the young man had used a flowery and pretentious vocabulary, something they hadn't yet encountered.
"We... sorry... no understand."
Since none of them knew what he had said, and it was a bit awkward to see the young man's confident grin awaiting their response. SofĂa spoke in a halting manner, with a heavy accent typical of natives of the Meridian Federation, her discomfort was visible on her lovely face, which only broadened the young man's smile even more.
"Oh, so you're from the Meridian Federation. My apologies. My name is Edward Stone, disciple of the Order, and I was asking if you'd like to go have a drink with me. It's rare to see such beautiful young women, and I feel it must be fate that we've run into each other, so I'd love to get to know you better."
He had spoken in perfect Meridian, which surprised the siblings a bit, as his accent was indistinguishable from that of a native like themâthough to be fair, their boss and his masters were the same way. SofĂa quickly responded with a slight formal bow, speaking politely, one of the few things she had learned during a series of improvised lessons with her boss's maid.
"We are flattered, Disciple Stone, but we must decline. We are on our way to meet with our lord, so it will not be possible."
Following her Boss's advice, SofĂa tried to sound courteous but not servile as she refused, then attempted to continue on her way, giving Olivia a couple of discreet signals to move on. Olivia immediately nodded and tried to proceed, but at that moment, the young man stepped forward, preventing the siblings from going any farther.
"There's no need to refuse like that. I'm sure your 'lord' wouldn't mind if he knew you went to have a drink with meâEdward Stone."
Edward spoke in a way that, in his mind, was dominant and brimming with confidence, placing particular emphasis on his name. Yet to the siblings, he simply sounded like someone foolishly arrogantâa far cry from their Boss, who didn't need such theatrics to make it clear, in a subtle and elegant manner, that he was above everyone else.
"We truly must apologize, Disciple Stone, but we're certain that's not the case. And I hope you won't block our way like thisâour lord is waiting for us."
SofĂa replied swiftly in a tone that was formal yet firm, looking Edward squarely in the eyes. Her words soured the young man's expression greatly, prompting him to speak more crudely.
"Hmph, don't be so arrogant just because you managed to climb into the lap of some random disciple. That guy will hand you over to me without hesitation the moment he finds out I have any interest in you, so you'd better come along before my good mood runs out and things get ugly."
Genuinely offended, Edward spoke with certainty that these young women had only dared to refuse him because they were under the protection of some disciple like himself, something that did not concern him in the slightest. After all, most disciples were small fries he could easily handle, and the only ones who could restrain him might be the direct disciplesâwho would never show up on behalf of a trio of Initiate-levels. And even if they did, he wouldn't necessarily lose.
After all, he was a genius who had reached the Revealed-Novice level before turning three hundred years oldâan uncommon feat and a true source of pride. Moreover, he had stood out impressively in the selection tournament, and to top it all off, he was about to rise in the hierarchy thanks to his respected master, so no one could oppose him at that moment.
"I do not believe that is the case, Disciple Stone. And even if it were, that is for our lord to decide, not us. So I hope you will excuse us, but we must go meet with him."
Paying no heed to the arrogant young man's self-satisfied expression, SofĂa spoke in a sharp, firm tone, although she was truly surprised there were people like him in the Arcane Orderâthe paradise of opportunity and security she had always dreamed of. She was realizing that idiots existed, no matter where you went.
Meanwhile, SofĂa's words made a vein pop in Edward's forehead. After snorting in irritation, he pointed at the twins with his hand and then ordered one of his followers with a tone full of arrogance and disdain.
"Grab them!"
***
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