"Do people still build hidden mausoleums?" Erik asked curiously as he adjusted himself more comfortably in his beautiful master’s lap.

“In the arcane order, it’s not as common anymore.” Sigrún replied with a smile as she applied what seemed to be a fruity-scented exfoliating cream to Erik's face. She began massaging carefully while continuing to speak.

“That’s mainly because it’s easier to be remembered in history if you discover or develop something important, though some still do it to keep the tradition alive. I even helped my master build hers centuries ago.”

Noticing that Sigrún’s tone had become a bit somber, Erik opened his eyes to look at her and quickly realized her expression had turned somewhat sad and melancholic. Gently, he reached out and stroked her face softly, bringing a tender smile to his master’s lips. She kissed his hand lovingly, as Erik’s face was still covered in cream.

“Don’t worry, I’ve had centuries to learn to live with it.” Sigrún softly returned Erik’s hand to its place, then gently repositioned him on her lap and closed his eyes with her hand. She resumed massaging his face while adding.

“And as I was telling you, even though it’s not as common in the order, in other factions, it’s still quite popular and is practically a ritual when a relatively important mana user is nearing their death.”

“I see… a very interesting practice. But the ruin they mentioned to me, is it one of those ‘special ancient ruins’?” Erik asked curiously, to which Eleonora responded with a slight smile.

“That’s the interesting part. No one knows for sure. Although it has incredibly strong restrictions, deserving of an ancient ruin, the entry limits are very strict—only those under 300 years old can enter, which is something never seen in ancient ruins. They tend to be more lenient, allowing Sages, Arcanes, and even Masters-level individuals to enter, depending on the ruin. But on the contrary, those kinds of restrictions are very common in hidden mausoleums, as they usually seek young heirs.”

“That sounds really interesting...” Erik remarked with interest, which brought a big smile to the faces of both Eleonora and Sigrún. The beautiful master with golden hair then commented cheerfully.

“That sounded like my Erik wants to participate in the exploration.”

“Yes, it would be interesting to take part.” Erik replied casually, to which Eleonora laughed happily and added in a tone that revealed her joy.

“Fufufufu, then it's settled. We’ll sign you up for the tournament that will select the participants.”

“By the way, Why is there a need for a tournament to select participants? Wouldn’t it be easier to just choose disciples from the faction who meet the requirements?” Erik asked, somewhat confused, to which Sigrún responded with a cheerful tone.

“Well, if it were a confirmed ancient ruin, that would be the case since being a ‘strategic resource’ requires several qualifications in terms of skill and trust to be selected for an exploration team. But the problem is that there are many doubts about this one, and the restrictions are very strict. So, the only ones who would meet those requirements are the direct disciples, and there are very few of them.”

While demonstrating an absurd level of mana control by relaxing Erik’s leg muscles using electricity without causing him any discomfort, Eleonora continued the explanation with a relaxed and joyful tone.

“Yes, the thing is that most of the direct disciples right now are over 300 years old, so we’d inevitably have to fill the slots with less-qualified individuals. And since the spots are limited, picking participants by hand could cause some internal discord, as someone under 300 years old is unlikely to have achieved anything impressive enough to silence critics.”

As she massaged Erik’s face with her fingers glowing slightly with a soft green hue—thanks to her wood affinity, known among other things for its overwhelming healing capabilities—Sigrún nodded at Eleonora’s words and added in a somewhat playful tone.

“For all those reasons, in the last meeting, it was proposed to treat the ruin as a hidden mausoleum and hold a tournament to select the exploration team. And since this would be an excellent opportunity to show off disciples that no one wants to miss, everyone agreed, hehehe.”

“It’s true that disciples are a great way to show off…” Erik commented softly with a totally relaxed expression on his face, greatly enjoying the overly luxurious massage from his beloved masters.

“Hehehe, yes, opportunities like these are rare, so everyone is excited, even if they don’t say it. So when you’re there, make sure to kick everyone’s butt, so your master can show off for a bit, hahahaha!” Sigrún said happily, switching to an even more complex massage technique that brought great relaxation to her beloved disciple while she continued exfoliating his face.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Alright, I’ll make sure to make a grand entrance, Hehehe.” Erik said with a small smile, imagining the grand entrance he’d make alongside Ebonique, Kaiser, and Tiberius. Eleonora happily responded while beginning to insert incredibly fine metal needles into very specific points on her beloved disciple’s legs.

“Fufu, don’t do anything too crazy.”

“Hehe, no promises.” Erik replied with amusement as he felt a very pleasant electric current starting to stimulate his muscles, relaxing them completely. He then asked curiously.

“But, by the way, when will this tournament be held?”

“There’s no specific date yet, but it shouldn’t take more than two years.”

Sigrún replied with a smile as she began pressing very specific points on Erik’s face with her index finger, which emitted a warm green light that seemed to linger on his face for a few seconds. Erik, now sounding somewhat sleepy as if about to fall asleep, commented.

“I see… plenty of time to practice then.”

“What are you planning?” Eleonora asked, a bit curious, to which Erik responded with a mysterious smile, though his tone was even softer than before.

“Hehehe, you’ll see.” A loud yawn couldn't help but escape from Erik, who shortly after asked curiously.

“By the way, where’s Seraphina? I haven’t seen her all day.”

“She went out to prepare something; she won’t be long, Hehehe.” Sigrún responded in a playful tone, which made Erik open his tired eyes to look at her in silence.

“…”

After a moment of staring at his master’s mischievous smile, Erik shook his head, then closed his eyes again, letting out another loud yawn before falling into a deep, peaceful sleep. Eleonora and Sigrún smiled amused, and after laughing softly between themselves, they resumed massaging their disciple with small smiles on their faces.

…

…

…

As on any other day, Erik finished his workout routine in the garden and ‘fed’ Kaiser, Tiberius, and Ebonique before bidding farewell to the latter. Ebonique disappeared in a flash of black lightning after giving one last ‘hug’ to her beloved contractor with her body. He then returned to the mansion for breakfast with the wolves in tow, but upon entering, he immediately noticed things were a bit different.

Though, as always, Seraphina was waiting for him in the dining room with a professional smile, today she looked especially beautiful and dignified. While she always looked beautiful and elegant in her uniform, today she seemed as though she were dressed for a grand gala, wearing a dress that Erik recognized—after all, he had made it himself.

Unlike Eleonora and Sigrún, who liked anything he made for them, Seraphina was a bit different. When he asked what she’d like as a thank-you gift for her care, she had only requested maid dresses after refusing hundreds of times to accept anything. So, she now had quite a collection of maid dresses with different styles, all made by Erik.

The dress, although inspired by a Victorian maid’s uniform, had modern twists that made it perfect for a gala. It was black with subtle silver embroidery, hugging Seraphina’s impressive figure exquisitely, accentuating her innate grace and sensual curves. The dress featured a voluminous but not exaggerated skirt, ending in delicate lace, with a row of small buttons running down the front, adding a touch of sophistication. It featured slightly puffed sleeves at the shoulders that ended in delicate lace cuffs.

“Are you going out somewhere? You look especially beautiful today, Seraphina.”

As he looked the stunning Seraphina up and down, Erik commented with a smile and an obviously attracted expression, causing a slight blush to appear on the beautiful maid's cheeks. She quickly responded with a pleasant smile on her face and a slightly shy tone.

“Thank you for the compliment, young master, and yes, today we are going out.”

“We are?” Erik asked, confused, as he sat down at the table, which was filled with a sumptuous breakfast, and looked at his beautiful maid, who nodded with a smile and proceeded to explain in a pleased tone.

“Yes, young master, we have several places to visit today. After all, we need to make preparations for the tournament and the upcoming exploration of the ruin.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Erik exclaimed with realization, which made Seraphina smile happily. After all, her young master didn't realize that Sigrún and Eleonora would definitely fill him with all kinds of useful artifacts and knowledge. To make his journey easier without the need for him to go out and buy things on his own. Which gave her free rein to make their date just the way she wanted it.

“Thank you, Seraphina, that was delicious as always.”

After his sumptuous breakfast, Erik stretched pleasantly, while Kaiser and Tiberius imitated him adorably in their puppy forms, which made Seraphina smile, who soon spoke while a beautiful black formal men's suit appeared on her hand.

“It’s always a pleasure to serve you, but please put on this suit for today’s outing, young master. If we wait much longer, we won’t have time to finish everything we need to do.”

“A suit?” Erik asked, confused as he looked at the suit, which appeared quite elegant. Seraphina smiled professionally and then responded in a serious tone, extending her hands to offer the suit to her beloved young master.

“Yes, young master, today we have to go to a couple of places where formal attire is mandatory.”

“I suppose that’s fine. I’ll be right back; I’ll take a quick bath and be ready to go.” Erik shrugged and commented casually as he took the suit from Seraphina’s hands and headed to his room to change, while his beautiful maid spoke in a professional tone, trying to hide her joy.

“I’ll be waiting for you, young master.”

Filled with anticipation and excitement, Seraphina waited for her young master at the mansion’s entrance, a big smile on her face, which made the waiting time feel eternal. However, after several minutes, the beautiful maid could sense through her mystical awareness that the star-haired boy was approaching. She quickly turned to look at him while doing her best to control her expression and appear serious and professional.