Jack Eldridge was pacing left and right inside his room.
He was frustrated as he and his Uncle- Cooper Eldridge had missed the perfect opportunity to capture both Lyria and Livy yesterday, and perhaps would miss on this day as well!
Yesterday, both Lyria and Livy had returned before the sun set. Jack felt extreme regret as that was his golden chance since both the girls were out of town without the protection of either the Town Mayor or the Orphanage.
But Cooper had told him to wait. And there was nothing he could do other than waiting.
So, with heart torn with regret, Jack couldn't even able to sleep all night.
But good news arrived this morning. Both Lyria and Livy had once again gone to the forest in the morning! This means it was not a one day event but then again the problem was they cannot move out during day time.
Jack was full of impatience, and if both Lyria and Livy once again return before this evening then another God-given opportunity will be missed!
He finally couldn't control himself and decided to visit Cooper for discussion.
As soon as Jack enters Cooper's office, he immediately begins pleading with a desperate expression, "Uncle, please think of a solution! This is such a good opportunity! Later on even if we attack Orphanage after that old woman died, there can be a situation that due to commotion the Town Mayor might find out our plans and that would put us into a very bad situation without any gains."
Cooper mused over what just Jack said.
There was indeed that possibility, as unlike how his goal was to simply kill Eric, both the girls are not to be killed but they are to be captured and forced to sign Scrolls and then become his nephew's wives. And so he needed to capture both Lyria and Livy alive and if they fought back... although he was completely confident that he could deal with both the girls with his sole left hand but there could be some commotion and that will screw everything.
Cooper thought deeply on how to deal with this situation, and indeed the current situation was perfect, but they needed to take some precautions, or else this perfectly available chance could also get screwed up.
Cooper glanced up at his nephew who seemed to have formed dark circles under his eyes.
He felt pity and spoke with a gentle tone, "Jack, today we can only do what we did yesterday."
Jack was depressed, and just when he was about to protest, Cooper smiled and continued, "But tomorrow we can try something!"
Jack's eyes immediately lit up. Indeed his uncle was best!
Although today will be missed but if Lyria and Livy couldn't fulfill whatever they are out for today, then there was a huge chance that they might try the same tomorrow!
As long as he ordered his subordinates to keep an eye on how Lyria and Livy's expressions were when they returned today then many things could be guessed. In short, if their expressions were down then there was a 90% chance they will try the same tomorrow!
Cooper smiled noticing Jack's brightened expression, and elaborate his plan, "Today if they return before night then just go to sleep. Tomorrow before sunrise around 3 - 4 AM, both of us will head towards the forest, and wait for an ambush there. Everything will be taken care of tomorrow!"
In fact Cooper could secretly sneak into the forest during day time too, without anyone noticing, but there was a chance that one of the girl's might manage to escape and return to the orphanage or even scream loudly within the forest, and that could alert the local people, and that would also be their Eldridge family's end. Also Jack needs to be present during the signing of Binding Scrolls.
And that was why Cooper didn't want to take that risk. As long as he makes sneak attacks on either Lyria or Livy, the other one should forget about escaping from him, and Jack could also stop them from escaping, as Jack was very capable.
After that Jack could just make Lyria and Livy sign the Scrolls within the forest. And once the scroll was signed then the Orphanage girls could forget about ever going against his nephew's order.
Any kind of Mana Scrolls are no joke and the person who made it was also a Rank 3 Mage, so the effect would be immediate without any failure. Jack could also easily check the effect of it inside the forest as all he has to do was try some intimate things and everything would come clear.
If it was effective then everything was fine otherwise Cooper could only need to kill both Lyria and Livy. It would be cruel to Jack but once they have taken action against the Orphanage then there was no going back.
Jack stood up excitedly, "Alright Uncle I will go and take a rest. Tomorrow I will definitely grab both Lyria and Livy's heart for myself!"
Cooper chuckled and warned, "Jack, don't forget to have some proper sleep, so you are in your best shape tomorrow. Forest is not kind to anyone, and I alone cannot protect you from everything, especially if we are attacked by groups of wolves or such wild animals." Though such a scenario likely won't happen as Mortal Beasts don't easily come close to a Mana Wielder presence unless they are desperate or crazy.
Jack waved his hand while walking out of the office, "No need to worry uncle, I will be fully prepared, and will not trouble you within the forest. I have grown so much stronger that I can even kill that Orphanage brat with one slash of my blade!"
Cooper smiled, satisfied with Jack's confidence.
In perhaps one or two years Jack will definitely be able to become a Rank 1 Warrior.
Cooper thought some more and decided to explain about this plan to his wife, Isolde.
His Brother Stuart's wife had long passed away. And Stuart himself was always constantly moving everywhere for the betterment of the entire Eldridge family, and never got to remarry, and this was also why Cooper who almost always stayed within Ringwood Town felt guilty, and loved Jack almost like his own son.
Although Cooper had a wife, he never had a child till this date. He was not in hurry as he still has time till he becomes too old and his wife also has time.
Cooper loves his wife dearly so he thought it was better for her to know where he was going otherwise she would worry if he disappeared for an entire day without saying a word.
After capturing both Lyria and Livy, Jack and Cooper also need to wait till night to return or else town's folks would grow suspicious if they are seen walking out of the forest and words would spread.
----
Lyria and Livy returned back to the orphanage completely depressed and heartbroken. It had already been eight day since Eric had disappeared.
Although Lyria and Livy trust Eric with their full hearts that he was definitely safe, they also cannot get rid of the thought that he might have been killed by some wild beast.
Thinking all these negative thoughts only brought unexplainable suffering and pain to them.
They miss Eric dearly, and don't think they could keep living if he truly doesn't return soon.
Both Lyria and Livy were at the breaking point emotionally.
So after some discussion among themselves they secretly decided that from the next day onwards they would go deeper into the forest to search for Eric, and spend the nights within the forest.
When Lyria and Livy arrived in front of Bella Noll to report, Bella Noll could see right-through what Lyria and Livy had planned for the next day but she didn't say anything on that.
At least both the girls now have some experience within the forest, if they are together then they definitely should be able to protect themselves, and during the night as long as one of them keeps watch while the other rests, they should be safe.
Bella Noll was also very worried for Eric; after all he was all alone within the dangerous forest. Although Eric was heavily trained he was still just a Mortal. Just a casual mistake due to being tired could end him.
Bella Noll could only sigh and hoped that all of them would return soon safely and only then could she go with ease of mind. Otherwise if all three children whom she had loved like her own children and put her full effort on training, died before her then probably she would be even more heartbroken than when she had lost her family in the past.
After being forced to take bath and then dinner by Hannah, Lyria and Livy 'returned' to Eric's room.
They could understand that Hannah was worried for them as well as for Eric but she couldn't do anything other than to support them when they are within the Orphanage, so she does that at least.
Since the last week Lyria and Livy had spent all their free time within Eric's room, except the sleeping time because Hannah refuses to sleep there as it would only make all of them less sleepy due to the missing room-owner.
Lyria who was sitting on Eric's bed glanced at Livy who was lying on the same bed while staring at the ceiling blankly.
She sighed deeply, "Liv, don't be sad, Brother Eric is definitely safe. As for tomorrow we will scout out the entire forest if necessary!"
Livy's eye regained focus. If they truly search the entire forest then they are bound to find Eric! She refused to believe that something bad had happened to Eric. Sadly the negative thoughts keep poking at her ever since the day he left.
Livy sat up on the bed, and stared at Lyria with hopeful eyes, ''Ly, do you have any idea or guess on where or for what purpose Brother Eric had left for?"
Lyria and Livy had only been searching on the border region of the forest and slightly deeper. They had only encountered some snakes and other natural animal life like deer, birds, and so on. Except poisonous snakes there was nothing life threatening they had come across yet.
Lyria had thought of this question many times but she couldn't think of anything. Bella Noll also never revealed where Eric had gone within the forest or for what.
So, she had put that thought aside and only focused on searching for Eric but now that Livy asked, she once again thought deeply on if anything that might have caught Eric's attention within the South East forest.
After thinking for a long while Lyria's eyes slowly started to widen.
She jumped out of the bed and slapped her forehead, "I get it, Liv! I suddenly recalled!" She exclaimed with regret but her voice was also excited, "Do you remember when Brother Eric once with great enthusiasm spoke of a supposed Ocean Cliff somewhere further South East of the forest? Now that I recall, didn't Brother Eric once said that if he had an opportunity he definitely wanted to visit that place?"
Livy also jumped out from the bed and was equally excited, "H-how did we forget such an obvious clue for so long?!" She couldn't believe that they were stupidly searching everywhere and only now recalled that there was such an obvious clue from the start to where Eric might have gone if he was traveling within that forest.
Lyria was also excited. Now they have a proper direction and a hope to meet Eric once again.
Lyria sighed and spoke with some regret, "It has been nearly 3… no, 4 years since Brother Eric talked about it. But the real reason we never thought of such an obvious clue was definitely because we didn't had a calm head and heart to think deeply on this. Liv, I think we should learn from this and never lose our heads like this or else Brother Eric will definitely laugh at us!"
Livy nodded. Although she took Lyria's suggestion seriously, she wasn't the most cautious type.
Lyria took a deep breath. She understands Livy's character, so she decided from now on she needs to act calmer, smarter and cleverer like she mostly used to before Eric disappeared.
"So when are we leaving? I am ready to leave right now!" Livy asked with her lavender eyes shining brightly, despite the room being almost dark.
Lyria shook her head.
This was absolutely not the time to rush within the forest. They could only leave in the morning.
She thought more deeply and felt there was a chance they needed to stay within the forest for a week at least, just like Eric. So they should make some preparations before leaving.
Lyria glanced back at Livy and thoughtfully suggested, "This trip might take us a week or more, so we need to prepare. Instead of rushing early in the morning I think it is better if we spent some more time purchasing some necessities and then head to the forest."
Livy immediately lost her energy and was depressed with more delays. She asked with disappointment, "What do we need to buy, we are fine as we are, no?"
Lyria reprimanded seriously, "Liv, carelessness is deadly! Food we can hunt and fruits can be plucked, and we can even deal with wild beasts too but we need to get some bandages and so on. What Grandma provides us each day is not enough; we need a few days' amount at least. For now let's sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow."
Lyria and Livy went back to their rooms, and quickly fell asleep without even waiting for Hannah.
Next day, after Lyria and Livy had their breakfast, they left the Orphanage for shopping, and since some stores don't open so early, they could only wait and this further delayed the time to enter the forest.
By the time they entered the forest it was already afternoon.