Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst-Chapter 136: VOL 2 - 81: Master pain.

The next day, Eleonora and Sigrún were lying beside their beloved disciple, dressed in beautiful silk pajamas—black in Eleonora's case and light blue in Sigrún's. The pair of lovely Masters rested their chins on one hand each, propping themselves up on their elbows on the bed, their positions slightly elevated as they gazed at their adored disciple with gentle smiles.

"... Being in love is truly a wonderful feel..." Sigrún remarked in a low, affectionate voice while gently running her hand over Erik's sleeping face, to which Eleonora replied in a similar tone.

"Certainly, it is... although it is a bit painful not to be able to take things any further..."

Sigrún could only nod heavily at the words of her sworn sister; after all, she too felt that pain—dying to take one more step, yet unable to do so because of the circumstances. Still, she, Eleonora, and Seraphina were willing to bear that pain for the sake of their beloved; they were prepared to wait as long as necessary.

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Although part of the reason they could not consummate their love was that social problems would arise. After all, they were powerful and coveted women throughout the galaxy, so their relationship would not only be frowned upon but would also serve as a pretext to attack not only them but also their beloved. To the extent that people might even begin to question the stellar achievements of their shared disciple. The real reason, however, was a more fundamental one.

The path of a mana user was one of constant evolution—both physical and spiritual—so that with each level, their bodies and minds grew stronger and more resilient. Although this did not directly impede the "act of love" itself, it did bring many problems; to the point that there had been cases where women, physically more powerful than their husbands—something especially common among knightly women—ended up unintentionally injuring or even killing their husbands in the midst of the act, as the euphoria prevented them from properly controlling their strength.

But there was something even more terrifying than that for them. To solve the previous issue, they could, for instance, try to avoid hurting him by weakening themselves with drugs, artifacts, or even by binding themselves. However, the problem was that even if they could avoid physical harm, if they truly took that step with him, it was possible that they would affect his talents and the speed at which he leveled up and evolved.

Because evolution was both physical and spiritual, the spirit held a vital importance in the development of a mana user. It was imperative not only to nurture and strengthen it, but also to avoid affecting it in any way—always maintaining a stable and focused mindset, especially during the early levels, which were the most crucial. And few things could affect the spirit and the mindset more than love and sex, particularly at the beginning.

For this very reason, mana users avoided romantic relationships in their early years and only gave themselves a chance when they began to settle down, which resulted in a dearth of married individuals at the university—a fact that had so intrigued Erik in his time and was also what prevented them from taking things further. They were genuinely terrified of hurting him and affecting his future.

Furthermore, being fully aware of the type of people they were, they knew that the moment one of them took the first step, there would be no turning back; all three would lose themselves in that spiral of desire and love, and without a doubt, end up harming the man they loved—something they could not allow under any circumstances. Thus, they reached an agreement to limit their acts of intimacy to nothing more than kisses on the cheek and hugs; anything beyond that was forbidden.

"I guess that's what they call 'boyfriend pain'? Although now it would be 'master pain', hehe..."

Sigrún commented with a playful smile, as she trailed a finger along her beloved's lips before bringing that finger to her own lips and softly kissing it. This inevitably made Eleonora laugh, and she added with a similar smile while doing something akin to what her sworn sister had just done.

"Fufu, I think you hit the nail on the head..."

"And then they say they are not perverts..."

Ebonique—who was also awake alongside Ignis—commented in an annoyed tone, which made the pair of Masters chuckle softly. At that moment, Eleonora said in a serious voice, as she turned to look at the pair of miniature spirits on the bed near Erik's head.

"By the way, you two—I hope you never again cast doubt on our purity in front of Erik. If he truly gets the wrong idea because of it, it will turn into irreconcilable hatred..."

"I'm sorry about that; we got carried away for a moment, but it won't happen again..."

"Yeah, we went too far."

Ignis remarked in a contrite, somewhat remorseful tone, as did Ebonique. The pair of Masters nodded in understanding, and the subject was dropped, giving way to a comfortable silence that lasted until the starry-haired boy began to stir gently. He slowly opened his eyes, a bit drowsy, and greeted.

"Good morning..."

""""Good morning""""

The pair of Masters and the duo of spirits all greeted in unison with calm voices, which caused a small giggle from the starry-haired boy. He sat up on the bed, stretched lazily, then got up and said in a cheerful voice.

"Well, I'm off to do my daily routine; see you at breakfast."

After bidding farewell to everyone, Erik began his daily routine of bio-mystical exercises, then took a bath and donned his university uniform—today his vacation officially ended, and it was time to return. He made his way back to the deck, where he found his Masters seated at a table made from the very floor, accompanied by his trusty personal maid and the adorable assistant spirits.

"Good morning, Seraphina." As he sat at the table laden with food, Erik greeted his maid with a smile. She responded with a respectful bow and a warm smile on her face.

"Good morning, young master."

After feeding the spirits and the wolves with mana, Erik finished breakfast with his Masters. Seraphina then cleared the plates with the help of her whips of darkness. At that moment, the group of siblings—Clara, Sofía, and Martín—stepped out from inside the cruiser, glancing around quite cautiously. Dressed in their assistant uniforms, they looked rather elegant, which only accentuated the beauty of the twins.

"Good morning, did you rest well?" Erik greeted the siblings, who appeared a bit uncomfortable. Sofía quickly composed herself and replied.

"Good morning, boss, and yes, we rested well—though we're still not used to all this luxury."

"Hahaha, I understand what you mean, but don't worry, you'll get used to it. And have you had breakfast yet?" Erik spoke in a calm and cheerful tone. Sofía nodded and responded in a serious tone.

"Yes, boss; Lady Ravenspell allowed us to eat in the cruiser's dining hall just a little while ago."

"That's good, then let's begin."

Erik nodded contentedly and quickly waved his hand gently. Instantly, three beautiful mahogany desks with an elegant, minimalist appearance—each with a comfortable, luxurious chair—appeared on the deck, aligned at the front. Then, Erik turned to look at his Masters and added with a smile, feigning ignorance about his previous invitation.

"Well, Masters, now I have work to do."

Unperturbed by the confused expressions of the siblings, Eleonora said with a small smile on her face, amused by her beloved disciple's silly attempt to leave them out of his first class.

"Enjoy your work."

After speaking, Eleonora looked at Sigrún with a mischievous smile, to which Sigrún responded in kind with a smile as she waved her hand—causing the floor of the upper deck to shift and form two more desks, very similar to the ones Erik had retrieved from his storage ring.

With a calm and confident stride, Sigrún and Eleonora sat at the fronts of the two new desks, while Ignis and Ebonique shrank in size and flew up to Erik's shoulders without uttering a single word. Likewise, Seraphina simply made the original chairs and table, where everyone had breakfast, vanish, then positioned herself by his side with a professional smile on her face.

Wordlessly, Erik observed how everyone seemed eager to participate in his impromptu class. He gave a blank look to his Masters—who were sending him mischievous smiles—and opted to ignore the pair of wolves that had seated themselves in front of everyone with silly expressions, gently wagging their tails.

After sighing in defeat, Erik urged the siblings to sit at their respective desks, as they looked rather uncomfortable and hesitant to move. They had no choice but to follow their boss's instructions and sat down, though it was evident from their expressions that they were afraid of damaging anything.

"Well, then let's begin..." Erik stepped to the front of the aligned desks and began with a question.

"Why do you think I decided to hire you?"

The siblings exchanged awkward glances, doubt written all over their faces. After a moment, Sofía raised her hand uncertainly and responded—though it was more of a question than an answer.

"Is it so that we repay, with work, the help that the boss has given us?"

"Hahaha, not entirely bad—but that isn't really the reason. But since they're here, let me first introduce you to my Masters." Erik said with amusement, pointing to Eleonora before continuing.

"First, there is Master Silverwood—the second-youngest person ever to reach the Master-level in known history, in addition to possessing many other incredible titles."

At the mention of her disciple's introduction, Eleonora waved and smiled from her desk at the siblings, who stared at her in astonishment, their faces as pale as sheets of paper—as if they were in the presence of a terrifying monster. This, however, did not bother Erik, who continued the introductions.

"And second, but not least, we have Master Eldurdóttir—the youngest person to reach the Master-level and, likewise, the holder of several more titles."

As Sigrún greeted them in the same manner as Eleonora, the siblings felt their heads spinning, utterly astounded by what they were hearing. After all, those they had believed to be their Boss's wives turned out to be his Masters. But the worst part was that they were Master-level—a title that no one in the galaxy would ever mistake, for even on their backward, impoverished planet, that title thundered like a deafening roar.

Master-level individuals were practically unreachable gods—far above everyone and everything—a status that rendered them living legends about whom the siblings had only heard fleetingly in class. Their exalted stature made it seem impossible that, in their lives, they would ever be on the same planet as such a powerhouse, much less work for his disciple. Since all Master-level figures, without exception, were absolute titans with overwhelming power, capable of destroying planets like theirs with demoralizing ease.

"Now that you know my Masters, let me ask again: Why do you think I hired you?" Erik asked once more, looking at the siblings, whose gazes were vacant—as if the world were spinning around them—in utter disbelief.

The siblings looked at each other once again, almost as if engaging in a telepathic conversation, having not the slightest idea why someone like their Boss—a Master-level disciple, someone not much different from a god to people of humble origins like themselves—had hired them.

The notion that they might be special in some way or possess hidden talents never even crossed the siblings' minds. After all, they were very aware of who they were—just a trio of very ordinary siblings struggling to survive amid poverty, hardly worth a speck of dust compared to someone like their boss.

Furthermore, although Sofía and Clara knew they were quite beautiful, they doubted that someone like their Boss—who was almost at the top of the galactic food chain and who maintained a "particular" relationship with his Masters, beings of inhuman power and beauty—could be interested in mere poor girls like them, no matter how pretty they were.

After a while, Clara—driven more by the discomfort of the silence and the intimidating gazes of such figures around her than by anything else—dared to speak. Raising her hand, which trembled slightly with fear, she ventured to say the only thing that came to mind, though she wasn't really sure what she was about to say.

"Because you seek loyalty, boss?"

***

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