“What? Who do you think you might have met?” Brendu looks at me with wide eyes, she is clearly as shocked as I am.
“I’m not sure… but there are many similarities in his facial features. White hair, hazel eyes, an older sister, and clearly both of them are very powerful.” I give the description again, the more I think about it, the more possible it seems.
Brendu is walking from side to side, I’m almost sure I saw a thread of smoke coming out of her head. “Did you feel any bad intention?” Her voice carries a bit of concern, she seems to have calmed down after thinking it through.
“No, he treated me like a normal person, he was even almost as kind as if we were friends.” At no moment did I feel the slightest bad intention, and the way he spoke to me was very casual, almost like talking to a friend after a long time.
“There shouldn’t be any major problem then… most likely he or his sister are interested in you, that could be good or bad news.” Brendu bites one of her nails while thinking.
“I’ve only heard… impactful news about them. You don’t look very worried. Aren’t they bad people?” I ask Brendu. At the beginning she looked very worried, now she only seems thoughtful.
“No, definitely not bad people, they’re just a bit eccentric sometimes.” She sits in front of me.
“They have never caused any trouble without a reason, I’ve never heard any news of innocent people being attacked by them.” I calm down a bit hearing her speak, she definitely knows more.
“All the times, even when they killed that Count, it was for a reason. There was always some injustice or they simply didn’t agree with something.” Brendu rubs her forehead while thinking.
“Why did you say it could be good or bad news?” If they are good people, it should be good news.
“Their eccentricity. They have a certain respect for kingdoms, empires, sects or guilds, but they definitely don’t fear them at all. Even though they can’t overthrow something that big, they are a pain in the ass to capture or kill.” At some point she grabbed a glass of water and drinks it in one go.
“No one is willing to spend that many resources to deal with them, so it’s better to avoid having them as enemies. It’s good news that one of them showed himself to you without bad intentions, the bad news is for me, if I’m right.” She looks at me intently.
“What are you thinking?” I’m surprised. Why would the princess be worried? I understand they could cause trouble, but there is always some level of respect.
“Your strength caught their attention and most likely they want to turn you into their disciple. It’s well known among many people about the interest of Frostcrowned Valkyrie in finding a disciple capable of following her path.” That is information I didn’t know, maybe only very influential people know that.
“I already have a teacher.” I have Susan, I don’t think she would allow something like that.
“You’re more like Aunt Susan’s protégé, she never really took the time to treat you as a disciple in the full sense of the word. Lady Eisty must know that perfectly, she is trying to reach you in some way.” I can’t argue against Brendu, she is right.
Susan hasn’t treated me directly as a disciple all this time, I don’t know what made her change her mind along the way. She will unconditionally give me everything I ask for, but not because I am a disciple, it’s more like affection for a family member.
“I understand. I don’t see many problems in training with her, Frostcrowned Valkyrie must be the best ice user alive.” I would be extremely lucky if I get the chance to train with her, even a single lesson from such a powerful obsidian rank would benefit me more than the entire tournament.
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“Yes, the problem is… she, along with her husband and brother, live very far away. We would have to be separated from you for who knows how long.” Brendu looks at me intently.
Now I see the problem. “Don’t worry, we still don’t know if he was her brother, much less if Lady Eisty has any interest in me. Let’s not jump to conclusions.” I take Brendu’s hand to calm her a bit.
We both look at each other and smile. “You’re right, let’s not jump ahead.”
At that exact moment something unexpected happened, the temperature of the room began to drop drastically. I look at Brendu to see how she is, I widen my eyes noticing something unusual, she doesn’t seem to be feeling this cold.
I do everything possible to keep myself warm, but the temperature keeps dropping. For the first time I feel my body starting to tremble from the cold, I feel like I’m naked in the middle of a snowstorm.
“Is something wrong? You’re pale… your lips are losing color.” Brendu looks at me worried, she doesn’t understand anything.
“I think we summoned a demon with a few simple words.” I have an idea of what might be happening, someone is causing this, and if my instincts are right, it’s the same person we decided a second ago to ignore.
I expand my Personal World in all directions, I always keep it within a range that only covers my apartment, I don’t want to disturb other people’s privacy. My ability spreads normally at first, however, for a moment I find some resistance.
Two people are walking toward my room’s door. I recognize one of them and the other is completely unfamiliar.
I gather strength to stand up from the sofa, I have to use all my willpower just to take a few steps. My body is constantly fighting the cold, my mana, Imra, Laws and Banner are doing everything possible to regulate the temperature around me.
When I open the door I see both women, they are smiling from ear to ear as if nothing is happening. “Hello Susan, it’s been a while.” I greet the person I already know first. “Hello Lady Eisty, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The hair and eye color made me realize instantly who she is and also who is freezing me.
“You’re right Susan, he has quite a strong will.” The white-haired woman completely ignores my greeting. Her face is like that of a goddess, she doesn’t lose in beauty against Brendu.
“I told you this boy has a bit of everything, he’s a complete package.” Susan lets out a very sincere laugh. “Aren’t you going to invite us in? Don’t be rude.” She is clearly playing with me.
I stay standing at the door without moving, I don’t respond, I look at both of them seriously. I won’t give in until I get an explanation or this cold disappears. The cold around me disappears a few seconds later, my silent protest was effective.
“It’s a pleasure to have you in my humble apartment, feel free to sit wherever you like.” I let them in quickly, I don’t want to anger Eisty by making her wait, and Susan made a hand gesture, that gesture means she wants a bottle of good wine.
“Nice to meet you, princess.” She greets Brendu as soon as she enters, Susan does the same.
“How did you know we were coming? It seems like you were waiting for us.” Eisty is the first to speak.
“I didn’t, I just came to that conclusion when my body almost turned into a popsicle.” I respond. “It helped that I met your brother a few hours ago, I just had to connect the dots.” My answer seems to have annoyed her, she slightly frowns.
“That idiot, I sent him to give you a message and he didn’t do anything I told him. Did he say anything about a bet?” When she asks, her voice turns cold, not only that, the whole room drops a few degrees in temperature.
“Yes… he said he would bet on me in the next fight.” I hesitate a little when answering, but in the end I decide to tell the truth.
“That idiot…” Eisty mutters softly while snorting in annoyance. The temperature returns to normal a few seconds later. “Well, it doesn’t matter. As you already know, I’m Eisty Gelor, I came to meet you and ask you to become my disciple.” She is very direct, I freeze for a second.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you formally. May I know the reason? There are many talented people.” In this same tournament there are many limit breakers, and I’m sure many geniuses are hidden in the shadows.
“It’s simple. You’re strong, you have talent, and you’re a good person, you meet the three most important requirements.” She puts strong emphasis on the last one, Eisty must have investigated my family or my past, maybe Susan herself gave her good references.
“Do I have any chance to refuse?” I ask carefully.
“No, you don’t.” She replies with a big smile, without the slightest doubt. I’m left speechless by how quickly she answered.
“Think about it carefully, Maki, it’s a great opportunity for you.” Susan speaks for the first time, she also takes the opportunity to bring out some bottles and pour a glass for each of us with the same speed as before. “Don’t make that face, Eisty has much more to say and offer.” I calm down after hearing her, it seems today will be a long afternoon.