Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst-Chapter 179: VOL 3 - 17: Why don’t you team up with us?

Upon seeing the information, Erik couldn't help but glance at his ever-reliable personal maid with amusement, already imagining what she must have done to make Eleonora limit the display to only that information—and the fact that several entries were crossed out was very likely her form of retaliation. But Seraphina, ever the perfect maid, simply stood by his side like a loyal shadow after serving his tea, smiling with quiet satisfaction, which made him chuckle softly once more.

After a few seconds, Erik returned his gaze to his book while Seraphina remained standing behind him, giving the impression that the two of them were in their own little world—completely disconnected from the tears and farewells taking place around them. That was until they were interrupted by the arrival of three beautiful young women: one with chestnut hair, one with jet-black hair, and another with short blonde hair.

The moment the trio appeared, Erik quickly closed his book and stored it in his storage ring. Immediately after, he summoned three chairs identical to his own, which he placed around the table. The young women calmly took their seats.

"Hello, long time no see."

Erik greeted them with a smile, looking at Elara and Zoe, both of whom were dressed in armor just like him. In Elara's case, she wore what could only be described as an elegant magical armor, featuring a fitted metal breastplate adorned with a beautiful glowing red gem in the center and various runes carved into the surface that glowed with a warm golden light.

Elara's breastplate extended from her neck down into a beautiful black skirt with an inverted V-cut, which revealed her legs clad in elegantly styled plate armor, matching the armor on her arms and shoulders. From those shoulders, a ghostly, enchanting flame emanated, giving her a mystical and otherworldly appearance.

Zoe, on the other hand, wore a highly detailed and stylized silver plate armor with intricate runes carved throughout, glowing with a soft whitish hue. The breastplate hugged her body tightly, accentuating her voluptuous feminine figure, and ended in a skirt of layered plates that protected her hips and upper thighs. This same layered design extended to her pauldrons, which featured a sharp and intimidating finish.

Meanwhile, Zoe's arms and legs were protected by gauntlets and greaves made of layered plates, their elegant design perfectly balancing coverage and mobility. The entire ensemble radiated a sense of unmatched femininity and strength.

"Well, Disciple Erik hasn't bothered to come see us—not even to apologize for the rough time he gave us during the tournament—so we decided to come to him." Zoe remarked in a calm, measured tone, seated in her chair as Seraphina gracefully served her a cup of tea.

"I'm sorry about that, and although I wanted to meet with you as soon as Liliana told me about the trouble you went through because of me, I've been incredibly busy and it just wasn't possible. But if there's anything I can do to make up for it, don't hesitate to let me know—I'll do my best to help."

Erik replied with a warm smile, while Liliana—dressed in the university uniform and only there to say goodbye to her friends, and, reluctantly, her annoying younger brother—rolled her eyes, clearly not believing a single word he said.

"Don't worry, fellow Disciple Erik. Zoe's just teasing you. We're well aware it was a competition, and at the time, we didn't even know it was possible to form teams." Elara said cheerfully after taking a sip of the tea Seraphina had served her.

"Fufu, I originally felt the same as Elara." Zoe added with a sly smile and continued.

"But now that you want to apologize, why don't you form a team with us as your way of making it up to us?"

Zoe's words made Elara's green eyes light up like lanterns as she quickly nodded and chimed in.

"Yes, that's a great idea! What do you think, Disciple Erik?"

"Of course—it would be a pleasure to team up with such capable ladies."

Erik replied with a calm smile, not seeing much of a problem in forming a team with the young women in front of him. After all, he had seen some footage from the tournament thanks to his masters, and they were indeed strong and talented. Having their help in an unfamiliar environment like the ruin—of which only a preliminary exploration report existed—would be a great asset.

Additionally, Erik was eager to meet Zoe's fox spirit in order to identify any differences it might have with Ebonique—if any existed at all. To him, Ignis and Ebonique were remarkably similar despite the vast difference in their ranks, which struck him as both strange and confusing. Especially considering how the two were always spoken of as equals, he wanted to determine whether such parity among spirits was common or if there was something more going on beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, Zoe and Elara exchanged a satisfied glance. Although they hadn't been able to watch much of the tournament footage—and their Grandfather/Master hadn't shared many details either—the official announcement of the participant rankings listed Erik as the second-best overall, just below the champion team.

He had not only finished the trial first but had done so entirely on his own by discovering a hidden challenge that no one else had known about, one that—according to rumors—had earned him a significant reward.

That alone spoke volumes about Erik's skill. Combined with what they had seen in the duel he fought a few years ago, it ultimately convinced Elara and Zoe that if they had teamed up with Erik from the very beginning of the tournament, they would have had a much easier time—and who knows, maybe even taken the championship. After all, Erik had singlehandedly completed a challenge that many couldn't overcome even in groups, so who could say what he might be capable of with the right support?

...

The group of four young people continued chatting about random topics—though the conversation mostly revolved around Erik, his patents, his publications, the secret trial from the tournament, and so on. Eventually, the conversation shifted toward Liliana's situation, prompting Elara to smile as she looked into the blue eyes of the chocolate-haired girl.

"And Liliana, I still don't understand why you turned down the spot Disciple Erik secured for you and gave it to Disciple Williams instead."

Finishing a cookie—a taste she had acquired after working so long with that star-haired cookie-devouring monster—Liliana took a sip of her tea before responding in a calm, casual tone.

"Well, I can't say it was easy to give up such a huge opportunity, but honestly, I feel like losing the tournament was a major turning point in my life. It helped me realize a lot of things, and in a way, I think I gained something far more important than a spot on the expedition. Going anyway would've felt wrong—like it would've cheapened all of that.

"That's why I decided to give it to Disciple Williams after speaking with my master and Erik. I truly feel he was a key part of our team, and his help was essential in getting us as far as we did. Plus, he got eliminated because he 'sacrificed' himself at the end to help me hold off that vixen and her lapdogs—so I felt like he really deserved the chance to go."

"Well, even though you haven't wanted to tell us what exactly you gained by giving up your spot in the expedition, I can see that it was something very important to you—something you want to treasure. So, I can understand that." Zoe said with understanding. Then she turned to look at Erik, her eyes full of curiosity and interest, and asked.

"What I'm still curious about is how you got that spot in the first place, Disciple Erik. Was that the rumored prize from the secret trial?"

"No, not at all—it actually had nothing to do with the tournament. I don't know if you heard, but shortly before you earned your spots in the competition, I had a run-in with someone at the space station. That person had a spot, which was revoked after they ended up spending some time in jail. So, their master suggested I choose who would take the spot as compensation—though it came with a few conditions."

Erik explained with a smile, prompting Elara to lean in with curiosity. A juicy piece of gossip like that was too good to pass up.

"Now that you mention it, I did hear something about that. Apparently, the junior disciple of the Order's newest Master-level got into trouble, was tried by the court, and is going to spend a couple of decades in prison. Were you the one affected, Disciple Erik?"

"Not directly. It was actually my new assistants who were affected. They met him by chance—and the idiot tried to kidnap them."

"What was that guy even thinking?"

Zoe asked, completely incredulous, doubting that someone could actually be stupid enough to anger the court like that. Erik chuckled as he picked up a cookie and replied.

"Haha, that's exactly what I thought..."

As the four of them gossiped, a nearby gate opened, revealing an imposing stellar cruiser of massive size, radiating beams of blue light. The entire surface of the cruiser was a complex network of panels and hatches, covered with countless carved runes—giving the ship a high-tech appearance infused with magical and ethereal elegance.

In front of the gate, Adrian appeared with a serious expression, emanating an aura filled with power and intimidation. He spoke softly, yet his voice reached the ears of all the young people saying goodbye to their families.

"Prepare to board."

"Well, Liliana, it looks like it's time to go." With Adrian's words, Erik began to rise from his seat and turned to Liliana to say goodbye—something Zoe and Elara did as well.

"Take care, Liliana. I'll make sure to bring you something nice." Standing up, Zoe bid farewell with a smile, and Elara stepped up beside her, adding cheerfully. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

"Yes, if I find something good, I'll make sure to share it with you."

"Haha, no need for that. Take care, girls—I'll be waiting for you." Liliana also stood from her seat to say goodbye to her friends, then turned to Erik with a smile and added.

"And you take care too, annoying little brother."

"You too, 'big sister'." Erik replied, slightly amused, as he stored the table and chairs into his storage ring—what made the chocolate-haired girl smile a little.

...

Soon after, Erik headed toward the gate accompanied by Elara and Zoe, though not without first casting one last glance at the families saying their farewells. By chance, he caught a glimpse of Laura trying to fix the hair of a young man with black hair tipped in red, who was protesting in embarrassment.

As if by magic, Laura seemed to notice Erik's gaze and raised her hand to wave at him, a beautiful smile on her face—something that appeared to surprise her younger brother, who quickly seized the opportunity to run off. In turn, Erik returned Laura's wave with an amused smile and passed through the gate guarded by Adrian, who greeted him with a nod before turning his gaze back toward the interior of the port.

"I didn't know you were acquainted with Master Soracchi—that's seriously impressive." After they had walked a bit away from Adrian, Zoe looked at the star-haired boy and asked with clear interest, to which he responded in a calm and casual tone.

"It's not that I really know him. I've just seen him a couple of times during meetings with the Director. Maybe that's why he greeted me. I didn't actually know who he was at first."

"Seriously? You had meetings with the strongest Master-level and second-in-command of the university and didn't know who he was?" Zoe asked, clearly finding it hard to believe what she was hearing, to which Erik replied with an ironic smile.

"Well, what can I say—honestly, I didn't know at the time."

"But you really met with the Director..." Elara commented with a hint of surprise, to which Erik nodded and replied without giving it much importance.

"Well, yeah, though I was really just accompanying my Masters, so it's not that big of a deal."

"I've never been allowed to accompany my grandfather to a meeting..." Zoe said softly, and Elara nodded, adding.

"Yeah, my master doesn't let me go with her either."

"Well, maybe my masters bent protocol a little. Apparently, they're known for doing exactly that..."

Erik replied casually, not daring to mention that the first time he met the Director wasn't just at his home—but that he didn't even recognize him and actually thought he might be some kind of enemy.

***

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Elara's Armor:

Zoe's Armor:

Spaceship: