RienStan followed Pantheon back to the room where he had been reprimanded earlier. Anason was still sitting at the head of the table, his face as stern as ever.
"Dad, you called for me?"
Anason took a sip of his coffee and nodded. "Hmm, I heard you're going to duel that Damon from the Mick family?"
RienStan sat in the chair beside him, somewhat puzzled. "It's just a duel. I didn't stir up trouble. Is this something you need to get involved in?"
Anason finished his coffee and said, "I never said you caused trouble. Just wanted to confirm."
"Since when did you start caring about the affairs of young people?" RienStan stretched lazily.
Anason's face darkened. "Recently, we found a vein of molten firestone between the Stan and Mick family's territories, but the division of shares has yet to be agreed upon with the Mick family."
"I went to speak with Brant Mick today, and that's when I heard about your duel with Damon. So, Brant suggested that the outcome of your duel should decide the share of the vein."
"If you win, it's 60/40 in our favor. If you lose, it's 40/60 in their favor."
"So, I need to know your chances of winning. If they're good, I'll go ahead and respond to Brant tonight."
RienStan raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment. "I was confident about nine out of ten before, but now I'm not so sure after you brought this up."
"Even though honor duels don't allow the use of family power, and the weapons are standard academy equipment, who knows if the Mick family might use some other tricks."
Anason nodded in agreement. "Good thinking. Damon Mick has been a first-tier intermediate warrior for a while, and the Mick family will surely elevate him to a first-tier senior warrior tonight."
Then, he frowned slightly. "If you were a warrior or knight who practiced battle aura, I'd say it's possible for you to advance to a mid-tier warrior tonight. But as a mage, I'm afraid I can't do much."
"But, do your best. Even if you lose, lose with dignity. I haven't promised anything to Brant yet."
Hearing his father's words, RienStan couldn't help but grimace. "So, what if I win?"
"Win?" Anason looked at RienStan with a puzzled expression.
Ever since RienStan turned 16 and began studying magic, Anason hadn't seen his son fight for two years. He had no idea how strong RienStan truly was.
"If you win with glory, to show off the strength of the Stan family, I'll grant you one reasonable request. If you win by trickery, I'll give you a little extra pocket money."
"Deal. If I win, you'll go to Mother and ask her to send Freyja to me."
Upon hearing this, Anason was speechless. He thought his son would ask for rights within the knights' or warriors' factions, but instead, he was asking for a woman.
"Fine. If you win, the maids will be available to you, with their consent, of course. But remember, you have to win honorably. The Tiger clan doesn't allow sneaky victories." Anason set the terms firmly.
"Good. But I need some magical items from the warehouse to enhance my magic."
"How many?"
"As many as possible."
Anason looked at his son with a confused expression. "Are you planning to forcefully increase your rank?"
RienStan shook his head. "I have other uses for them."
Anason didn't press him for details. After all, everyone had their secrets.
"Fine, but I can't give you everything. You're still at the first tier, so I can only give you half of the items for the first and second tiers. The higher-tier magical items must be kept for recruiting mages. I can't give them all to you."
"Okay."
RienStan left the room, and the magical items would soon be delivered to his room.
Meanwhile, Anason and Pantheon continued their conversation.
"I wonder where this kid's confidence is coming from. Could he really have some hidden trump card?"
Anason lit a cigar and offered one to Pantheon, who shook his head.
"I don't interact much with mages, but after comparing the first-tier assassin servant to Master RienStan, I feel…" Pantheon paused, trying to find the right words.
Anason took a deep drag from his cigar. "What do you feel?"
"An abyss."
"A bottomless abyss."
Anason froze, and the cigar in his hand slowly burned away.
…
RienStan returned to his room, looking at the maid's shoes by the bed. He smiled as he gazed at the lump under the blanket.
"Emily?"
"Mmm?" A small head with blue and white hair popped out from the blanket, like a little mushroom.
Emily blushed as she looked at RienStan. "Master…"
RienStan, grinning, took off his shoes and climbed into bed, gazing at Emily, partially covered under the blanket.
His nose tingled as he looked at her perfect figure, especially her legs, which were like white jade sculptures—smooth and sleek, gleaming faintly as if they were made of pure essence.
Those legs… I could enjoy them for a lifetime.
Without hesitation, RienStan pounced on her.
Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of passion.
Even when a servant came to deliver the magical items, RienStan paid no attention.
In the evening, RienStan carried the exhausted Emily back to the room where Loran and the other six maids were. He had the maids clean his room.
Loran and the others began tidying up, their bodies feeling slightly heated by the sight of the room's disarray.
RienStan had the servants bring the magical items to this room.
Inside, only Emily, still sleeping, and RienStan, sitting on the blanket, were present.
The magical crystal lamps emitted a soft, milky glow, and the lingering scent of Loran's youthful perfume filled the air.
Though it appeared as though RienStan was storing the magical items in his magic ring, in reality, the Ancient Book absorbed them one by one.
After absorbing all 213 items, the energy within the Ancient Book surged to an astonishing 8428.
Once the absorption was complete, RienStan stood up, stretching his legs, which had gone numb from sitting cross-legged on the floor.
He looked at Emily's beautiful sleeping face and climbed into bed beside her. He pulled the covers gently over both of them and sank into the warmth of the blanket.
Holding Emily, RienStan sank his mind into his spiritual world and stood before the Ancient Book. He asked it to select all the magic spells he could currently exchange.
He flipped through the pages, carefully selecting each one.
Page after page, he perused the Ancient Book until late into the night, when his consciousness finally withdrew.
Looking at the two sleeping beauties, Emily and Loran, who had somehow snuck into the blanket, RienStan embraced them both and drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, when RienStan awoke, the two beauties had already dressed.
He gazed at Loran, her hair slightly disheveled, and leaned in to kiss her deeply.
Loran, though a little startled, only resisted playfully before cooperating with him.
Of course, Emily didn't miss out either, and the three of them spent some intimate time together before getting out of bed to wash up.
RienStan then took Emily and Loran to the carriage, ready to head to the academy.
With the magic spells and secret techniques he had exchanged from the Ancient Book the previous night, RienStan felt more confident than ever.
I hope the translation works well for you! Let me know if you'd like any adjustments.