"Don't tell that was his excuse for not appearing before the director sooner?" Upon hearing Eleonora, Erik asked sowhat surprised, to which Sigrún responded with a proud smile.
"Hehe, my Erik is the smartest... and yes, according to him, he hadn't shown up because he was stabilizing his progress to the Master level, and while he was advancing, he got a big burst of inspiration to perfect the technique, so he was working on it almost compulsively as if it were his masterpiece. He himself described that as a serious offense and wanted to hand over the technique as a show of his remorse, only asking, in return, that he be allowed to teach it to his disciples."
"That sounds too good to be true..." Erik comnted a bit suspiciously, to which Eleonora nodded and added.
"Yes, it really does, but the Director studied the technique and found nothing strange. Plus, the fact that he's given a few Sage-level and Arcane-level bio-mystic techniques to the Order in exchange for rits throughout his life—rits he generally uses to obtain high-level potions, books, or artifacts—makes it more believable.
"Also, he has licensed a good number of Illuminated-level and lower bio-mystic techniques, earning a significant sum over the millennia. So of his senior disciples have done the sa, registering a few bio-mystic technique licenses from the Initiate-level all the way up to the Revealed-level."
"So he's clean... Though it's odd that he'd hand over bio-mystic techniques for rits, since those techniques have considerable strategic value and go for quite a sum at auctions..." Erik comnted with so skepticism, to which Sigrún cheerfully responded.
"The truth is, it's not that unusual—in certain cases, the Order's rits are more valuable than money, like when you need high-value items. And as a perfect example, there's us—Eli and I only make potions and artifacts in exchange for rits, since that way we can get interesting things from the Order's cache that aren't available on the open market, like super rare ingredients, books, or specialized commissions for a Master-level artisan.
"That's why those who sell strategically valuable stuff like bio-mystic techniques at auctions are either from another faction or are lower-level and still don't understand the value of rits, since they can get everything they need on the open market. It's very common for people to buy those items, keep a copy, and then hand over the original to the Order in exchange for rits."
"So that ans I can earn rits if I hand over the Arcane-level techniques I bought at the auction?" Erik asked, a businesslike smile appearing on his face, which spread to Sigrún and Eleonora, who answered in unison.
""Of course, fufu/hehe.""
"So basically, we can greatly offset the cost of my research..." Erik said with an intriguing smile, clearly pleased, as a couple of ideas ca to mind. Eleonora, wearing a mischievous grin, then added.
"More than offset it, we can actually make a good profit. Although they're just Arcane-level techniques, they're still useful, and the university's library is a bit lacking in Zazen-discipline techniques compared to other systems, so they'll pay a bit more."
"Whenever you're done playing around with those techniques, let us know. We can go scam... I an, negotiate with the old man to get sothing good from the vault in return." Sigrún quickly added with an evil smile, prompting Erik to look at her and ask, sowhat confused.
"Wasn't that supposed to be for rits?"
"We already earn rits from the classes we teach at the university and from the potions and artifacts we make from ti to ti. It's much better to ask for sothing directly from the vault. That old man has a great nose for treasures, so the Order's vault is always well-stocked. And don't be fooled by his old face—he's great at swindling other Legendary-level, and apparently not long ago, he managed to scam one, so he's loaded and he 'needs' soone to go and fleece him a bit, hehe."
Sigrún replied with a mischievous smile, full of ill intentions, causing Erik to nod and then comnt as he took a small notebook from his storage ring to write a reminder.
"Ohh, then I'll make a copy as soon as I can."
"You don't have to rush—recently we got a good haul out of the director, so there's no hurry. You can take your ti and think carefully about what you want. And don't hold back; the Order's treasure vault is quite impressive, fufu." Eleonora quickly added with a mischievous giggle, which led Erik to cross sothing off in his notebook and jot down a note beside it, all while speaking in a calm tone.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Though I've had so interesting results regarding that, I'll show them to you as soon as they're ready."
"Again, playing the mysterious one?" Sigrún asked teasingly, watching Erik put away his notebook, prompting the star-haired boy to comnt with a small smile.
"Just a little."
Seeing Erik's roguish smile, Sigrún, Eleonora, and Seraphina's hearts skipped a beat and their cheeks ward slightly, all while the sa thought appeared in their minds.
(How can he be so handso?... Silly Erik.)
After a mont, Eleonora recovered and spoke with a big smile, trying to hide her embarrassnt and slight blush.
"Let's talk about what's really important—how are we celebrating tonight...?"
...
...
...
In a room with white walls and a wooden floor, furnished in a discreet yet elegant style that matched perfectly with the dark wood, a beautiful young woman with light-brown hair slept peacefully on a large black wooden bed, which seed equally luxurious and comfortable.
In the middle of the night, before the first rays of sunlight appeared, the tranquil silence of the darkened room was interrupted by several muffled knocks on the wood coming from the closed door. A lodious female voice called out seriously.
"Sofía, are you ready...?"
When no answer ca, more knocks sounded on the door along with louder and visibly angry calls, causing the beautiful young woman on the bed to roll around several tis and then cover her head with one of the fluffy pillows surrounding her.
"Sofía!!! Are you still sleeping?! It's already so late!!"
The knocks and calls rapidly grew faster and angrier, making The Sleeping Beauty kick out in frustration, unwilling to end her pleasant slumber. Just then, the wooden door swung open with a bang, revealing a beautiful young woman dressed in an elegant black uniform. She was incredibly similar to the sleeping girl—almost like two drops of water.
Using the key to unlock the door, Clara stomped into the room with heavy steps, her face twisted in sheer anger. She then walked over to one of the walls, where she found a small panel, which she quickly operated with one hand to turn the room's light up to full intensity—allowing her to see her sister sleeping peacefully in bed, a sight that made a vein throb on her forehead.
Showing no rcy, Clara ran to the bed and yanked off the blanket Sofia was wrapped in, dragging her and causing her to fall to the floor with a loud thud—Clara raging at the sa ti Sofia cried out in pain.
"How can you still be sleeping?!!!!! Do you know what ti it is?!!!"
"Ouch!!"
"Get in the shower now!!! I'll count to three, and I'm already at two!!!"
Ignoring her sister's pain entirely, Clara issued her order, absolutely furious. At that point, Sofia, who'd been wanting to protest the inhumane treatnt, took one look at her sister's livid face and bloodshot eyes and swallowed her words. Instead, she jumped up from the floor and dashed to the bathroom in a panic.
Clara was not the least bit cald by seeing her twin sister pathetically running off to the bathroom; she kept on scolding her in a rage while she began to straighten the bed with quick, practiced motions.
"For heaven's sake, Sofia!! How is it possible that I have to co here every day to make sure you wake up on ti?! You're not a little girl anymore; you have to be aware of your responsibilities. We can't disappoint Young Master Erik after everything he's done for us!"
"Sorry, this will be the last ti!!!" Sofia shouted from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of running water, which only angered Clara more. She yelled loudly as she continued to make the bed.
"Every day you say the sa thing, and we're still in the sa place!!! Are you even aware of how lucky we are? There are people out there who would kill to have the opportunity we do, and you want to throw it all away!!! Where's that promise to work hard to repay Young Master Erik's kindness?! Do you want him to get tired of us?!!! Do you want him to kick us out for being lazy bums who can't even get there on ti?!!! Huh?!!!"
"I'm sorry... I promise I'll do better..." ca Sofia's sorrowful voice from the bathroom, prompting Clara to reply, still angry but a bit calr now that she could hear her sister's genuine guilt.
"Well, I'm not seeing it. It's the sa thing every single day. You have to snap out of it, Sofia. You can't go on like this. What happens when I'm not here anymore? Are you going to stay asleep and disappoint Young Master Erik, who's given us so much? Is that what you want?"
"No, ma'am..."
Sofia ca out of the bathroom naked and dripping wet, drying herself in a hurry with a towel, speaking in a tone full of remorse. Clara, finishing up making the bed, spoke sternly.
"Then wake up because, at this rate, you won't keep your word, and you'll just be a burden to Young Master Erik."
"I'm sorry..."
Sofía apologized once again as she put on all her white satin underwear and took from the closet a black uniform with a mark on the left side of the chest—two machetes that looked like they were made of interlocking gears wrapped in vines—identical to the one her sister was wearing.
"By the way, where's your alarm clock?"
While her sister was getting dressed, Clara finished making the bed, leaving it perfectly smooth and spotless, then asked. Sofia looked around in surprise since she couldn't recall hearing the alarm, only to find it on the floor beside a pillow, near a beautiful wooden nightstand. Clara's gaze landed in the sa direction.
Catching sight of the alarm clock and the pillow on the floor told Clara everything she needed to know about what had happened. Her anger flared up again, and she turned to Sofia with eyes that practically spat fire.
"Sorry, I think I did it in my sleep..." Sofia quickly apologized, nervous, as she hurriedly fixed her hair in the mirror, avoiding her sister's rage-filled glare.
"For God's sake, Sofia!!! Do you think money grows on trees or what?!!! How could you do sothing like that? How can you not take care of things?!"
"I'm sorry..." Sofia apologized again, feeling guilty as she made the last touches to her appearance in front of the mirror.
"I've told you a million tis! Saying you're sorry all the ti doesn't fix anything!!!" Clara scolded her while picking up the alarm clock off the floor and examining it carefully for any damage. Then she added with visible relief.
"Luckily, it's really good quality, so it's not broken. But you have to take care of your stuff, Sofia; you can't keep going on like this; you have to grow up. You're not a little kid anymore."
"Yes, ma'am..."
Sofia spoke with a guilty tone as she took one last look in the mirror, making sure everything was in perfect order. Clara placed the alarm clock back where it belonged and then comnted angrily.
"I sure hope so!"
...
Monts later, an angry Clara left the room, followed by a guilty Sofia. They walked down the hallway of the five-story building where they were until they reached the end, where they found Martin—already dressed and waiting, wearing the sa style of black uniform as his sisters.
"Good morning, Martin. Did you sleep well?" Clara greeted her brother with a smile, proud to see him looking so sharp in his uniform.
" Good morning, and yes. Honestly, sleeping in a bed this comfortable makes it hard to wake up early, hehe."
Martin spoke with a grin as he walked beside his sisters, which made Sofia want to nod in agreent, but, seeing Clara's piercing stare, she didn't dare. She only managed a quiet greeting to her brother.
"Good morning, Martin."
"Good morning."
Seeing his sister's state, Martin simply returned her greeting without further comnt, already guessing what must have happened when he saw Sofia hanging her head—after all, waking up at the crack of dawn was one of his older sister's biggest weaknesses.
***
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