Harem System In A fantasy World

"So I wanted to see whether you could be intimidated if we approached as though we intended to attack."

Elion said nothing.

The woman’s smile widened, "Yet you remained calm, despite seeing a Grand Mage and a group of high mages standing before you. That makes me wonder..." She tilted her head slightly, "Where does all this confidence come from?"

There was something conspiratorial in her smile. Honestly, Elion would not have minded playing along under different circumstances, but he was not particularly fond of wordplay, especially not with a woman he had no interest in.

No offence to her. She looked like she had been quite beautiful in her younger days, and even now, she still carried herself with a certain mature grace.

Her assets were also not too bad; the cleft of her ass and breasts looked quite appealing to the eye, If Elion would say so. It also didn’t help that the terrible heat in his groin still hadn’t disappeared, more so since he had spent the last couple of hours making some not-so-subtle dirty talk with Zenovia.

However, this grand mage was still a bit too old for his liking. Regardless, Elion merely shrugged, "Well, if you survive enough unsurvivable situations, I suppose it comes naturally."

The Grand Mage looked at him for a long moment before she burst into a soft giggle, covering her mouth with one hand.

Elion’s brow twitched at the sight, ’Stop it, woman. If you think that looks cute, it does not.’

Of course, he did not dare say such a thing out loud. Eventually, her bell-like laughter faded.

"Well," she said, lowering her hand. "I suppose I should reveal our true intentions."

Elion folded his arms. "That would be appreciated." The woman glanced briefly at Maya before looking back at him.

"Young Miss Maya here seems to be quite enamoured with your abilities."

Maya’s head snapped toward the woman with a hint of displeasure, "I would not use that word. I said he is the most talented person my age I have ever seen!"

The Grand Mage ignored her and continued, "So I was sent here with the intention of extending a formal recruitment offer."

Elion stared at her as the woman smiled kindly, "If it’s not too much to ask, we would like you to join our organisation, Elion."

Elion blinked in surprise, "Huh?"

"Of course, we have already considered that someone as talented as yourself might already be tied to another power," Marilyn said. "However, if it’s possible for you to leave your current employer, we are prepared to provide enticing benefits in order to convince you to join us."

Her smile deepened slightly.

"Especially now that I have seen you in person."

Elion said nothing; her choice of wording was odd enough. What if he was the son of a noble? He couldn’t just abandon his family and join them now, could he? But then again, to them, he certainly didn’t come off as someone born to nobility, apart from his godly looks of course.

"I have to admit," she continued, "what the Young Miss said was not exaggerated."

Marilyn’s eyes studied him with quiet interest.

"Even now, with a Grand Mage standing right in front of you, you do not seem the least bit concerned. It is almost as if you never even considered the possibility of losing, if we were to break out into a fight."

The surrounding Archmages remained silent. Marilyn glanced at them briefly before looking back at Elion.

"Even when we surrounded you, other than putting up your guard, your heart did not fluctuate in the slightest. You see, I am quite good at reading these things."

Elion raised a brow.

"A single look at you, and I can see your emotions as plain as day. They appear as colours surrounding you. And the closest thing I would say you felt just now was disappointment, though I am getting very little than what I usually get, it feels like there is a wall preventing me from reading too much."

Her smile turned faintly amused, "Which is rather odd, perhaps you have protections against such things?" She asked curiously.

Elion did not answer her curious question; his expression remained calm, and he dodged the question entirely, "What an impressive unique ability," he said aloud.

Marilyn inclined her head slightly, accepting the compliment. Inwardly, however, Elion’s thoughts were different. This woman was quite the yapper, but her ability was undeniably dangerous.

Against someone of equal strength, it would no doubt give her a serious advantage. Half of any battle was fought in the mind, and if she could read what an opponent was feeling, then she could predict hesitation, fear, anger, confidence, and uncertainty before they fully showed themselves.

That was very troublesome; however, Elion still saw no reason to show concern.

"No need to worry about that," he said. "I am not affiliated with any noble family or organisation. I am an independent Mage."

Marilyn’s eyes brightened faintly.

"So let us hear these benefits of yours," Elion continued. "Though I should say in advance that I am more inclined to remain independent. Especially if there are strings attached to these benefits, or if there are inconvenient responsibilities that come with them." He shrugged, "But I am willing to hear you out."

Marilyn nodded, "Before that, I should apologise once again for our manner of approach. And allow me to properly introduce myself."

She gave him a light bow, "My name is Marilyn, and I am with the Triad Alliance." She gestured toward Maya and the others, "As are the young ones here."

Manfred frowned slightly at being included among the "young ones" and grumbled under his breath.

Elion ignored that. His attention had already settled on the name.

The Triad Alliance.

He had never heard of it.

No one he knew had ever mentioned it among the major organisations commonly known throughout the kingdom.

Marilyn seemed to notice the confusion in his expression.

"It is not surprising if you have never heard of us," she said. "We are a mid-ranking and relatively newer organisation, co-founded by three mid-ranking noble families based in Silvergrove City."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Maya, "The Young Miss is the daughter of one of those founders."

Elion nodded slowly.

Honestly, with how much information Marilyn was freely giving him, it seemed he did not need to be overly wary of their intentions.

At least, not yet.

If she was willing to be this transparent before he had agreed to anything, it showed how highly they valued him as a potential recruit. Going to such lengths with no guarantee that he would join was already enough of an indicator.

"Now then," Marilyn continued, "if you please, I will explain the benefits I was told to offer you. If you have any concerns or if there is anything else you would like added to the offer, we can discuss it properly once we return to the city with the masters present."

Elion listened quietly.

"And assuming you do decide to join, as you said, there will naturally be a few responsibilities expected of you. Those terms will be written clearly in a contract. However, I do not think you will have much of a problem with them; they are not overly restrictive as I see it."

Elion nodded, but he would need to decide that for himself. What worked for someone else would not necessarily work for him.

Marilyn cleared her throat, "The reason we are so confident in recruiting you, and also the reason we are so eager to recruit you, is this." She paused for a brief moment, and then she asked, "Have you heard of something called a hidden legacy world?"

Elion’s eyes narrowed into pinpricks. Inwardly, he smiled; outwardly, his expression remained neutral, at least, he tried to keep it that way.

Unfortunately, Marilyn could see his emotions. The excitement that stirred inside him must have been visible to her, because a knowing smile slowly appeared on her face.

Elion noticed it, but there was no point pretending ignorance now.

"As a matter of fact," he said confidently, "I have."