The next morning, Eric, Lyria, and Livy woke up a little late, having slept only three to four hours, while Livy barely slept as a certain image kept haunting her.
After waking up and taking care of their needs, Eric handed Lyria and Livy their new Space Rings, which immediately brightened their expressions.
Lyria and Livy had seen how Eric pulled so many things out of his ring—they also wanted to do that, as it looked cool and was too convenient.
After Eric taught Lyria and Livy how to use the rings, they immediately began practicing with just about everything.
Eric hadn't returned their weapons yet, as it would be difficult for both girls to move them inside their rings.
For now, he wanted them to start moving their clothes and ladies' things in. He planned to take them both to the island within a few more hours.
After spending hours packing their stuff—from wardrobe's clothes to things they wished to take with them—all three walked toward the dining hall to have their last breakfast at the orphanage.
Eric wasn't too worried about food on the island, as Lysandra's note mentioned it should be enough to last over a year. If supplies ran low, he could cook pills or potions to sustain their energy levels. They could also fish in the ocean, and if all else failed, hunting in the forest or returning to town to resupply was also viable. But it was best to avoid this option until he, Lyria, or Livy could create a two-way teleportation array, like Riya had mentioned to him yesterday. Otherwise, they lacked enough teleportation stones to keep returning to the island.
It was a simple, fulfilling breakfast—enjoyable and nostalgic for all three, as they knew they wouldn't eat such humble meals for a long time.
While Eric, Lyria, and Livy ate happily, Hannah stormed toward them.
"Eric! Town Mayor Jarvis is here to meet you—he says it's urgent." Hannah's voice was filled with panic.
Eric calmly nodded with a smile, yet didn't hurry, continuing to finish his breakfast leisurely.
Lyria and Livy were initially confused about what the town mayor wanted from Eric, but soon realization dawned upon them, making them nervous—especially Livy, who grew anxious. Yet, seeing Eric's calmness, they also steadied themselves.
Hannah was annoyed by Eric's indifference. She'd already heard from Jarvis about Lady Isolde Eldridge's brutal murder in Eldridge Manor the night before.
"Hurry up! Town Mayor Jarvis is waiting!" Hannah reminded Eric again of the urgency.
Eric's eyes lit up. "Is he here to give me money or treasures?" He asked with an anticipatory tone.
"N-no..." Hannah was dumbstruck. Why would Jarvis appear to give Eric anything out of nowhere?
Eric's expression soured. He waved his free hand off. "Then what's the hurry? Let him wait a few more minutes."
After another few minutes of leisurely eating, Eric, Lyria, and Livy were finally done and started heading toward Hannah's office, which used to be Bella Noll's office in the past.
Eric glanced at Hannah, who seemed to have completely calmed down after he told her to let Jarvis wait. It was quite comical—almost like if anyone told her to calm down, she would immediately do so, no matter how panicked she was previously.
Hannah's look hadn't changed much after becoming a warrior, but she did get "polished" and looked a few years younger. Overall, she looked the same—at most, like she had taken a fresh bath with some advanced 21st-century shampoo and soap.
Eric started to understand what Riya meant by "normal beauty won't change too much."
Soon, all four of them arrived outside the office and walked in confidently.
Hannah took Bella's former seat, though the chair had changed. Jarvis sat opposite her. Eric sat beside Jarvis, while Lyria and Livy stood beside him like bodyguards.
Jarvis wore a deep frown—until he noticed the trio's transformed appearances and was dazed.
He indeed hadn't seen the giant trio for many years, but they now looked way too different.
All three looked like they had matured ten years all of a sudden; none of them resembled the young adults typically seen in town. No, they looked too foreign, even to him—almost enough to make him doubt if they were truly Eric, Lyria, and Livy.
They had changed so drastically that they resembled some impossibly wealthy prince and princesses from a distant kingdom.
Jarvis had never seen royalty in his life, but that didn't stop him—or anyone—from imagining them.
Jarvis didn't think too deeply, as he was very agitated and worried to the point he still hadn't noticed that all four of them had become Mana Wielders.
What Jarvis had arrived for was of immense importance to the entire town.
A mana wielder was almost like a lifeline for their entire town. If their families were killed within the town, it would be a complete disaster.
And he, as the mayor, would experience the full brunt of it, as he couldn't even protect their family. It would only make him look like an unreliable town mayor to other nobles—not to mention that this could have far-reaching consequences, as many trades would slow down and many other issues would appear.
Overall, it was a very worrisome issue.
Jarvis's expression turned grim as he glared at Eric, trying to pressure him without releasing his mana wielder presence.
Bella Noll wasn't dead, and Jarvis absolutely didn't have the guts to provoke her—and her room was even on the same floor. So, his pressure was more psychological—like that of a guard imposing upon suspects.
"Lady Isolde Eldridge was found dead in her room within Eldridge Manor. All the guards are alive but were knocked out by someone; according to them, they never saw any assailants attacking them. This was definitely the work of a mana wielder or an extremely trained mortal assassin or killer. After checking every mana wielder in town, along with all the trained mortal experts, we still haven't found anything."
"Eric, you are also one of the possible suspects. Everyone knows how strong you are. Tell me—did you do this?"
In truth, there were more people that needed to be checked after this. This entire situation was an extremely headache-inducing matter for Jarvis. He and all the town guards had been running everywhere since early dawn but couldn't find anything or anyone suspicious.
Until the killer was found, Jarvis and the guards could not rest.
He also had no idea where the rest of the Eldridge family was. He only knew Stuart had left town and wouldn't return for another month or two.
Jarvis truly hoped Eric was not the culprit—or else he would have no idea how to punish him. Bella Noll would topple every mana wielder in town if the orphanage's people suffered. He was certain of this.
Even so, he still had to come and check—otherwise, he wouldn't be able to answer to the Eldridge family or the other noble families in town.
Such a powerful killer on the loose would scare all the nobles in town, and this was something Jarvis must avoid—or else, if those nobles left for another town, Ringwood Town would be finished! Not only due to lack of protection, but also for lack of authorities in town. They were very much needed to guide the commoners and give them both direction and livelihoods.
A city or town cannot run without multiple leaders constantly assisting in running it—a single leader was far from enough.
Livy opened her mouth to disclose her involvement and to not involve Eric, but before she could utter a word, Eric waved his hand.
He calmly nodded at Jarvis. "I did it."
Jarvis was dumbstruck.
After a short pause, he finally digested what Eric had just said, and his expression changed to disbelief.
Leaving aside the capability of doing that, Eric had no need to admit to the crime, as even if he had done so, there were no clues pointing toward his involvement anywhere.
After the initial surprise, Jarvis got furious—something he rarely did.
He slammed the office table and stood up, bellowing out, "HOW DARE YOU!"
Just as Jarvis was about to continue, he suddenly heard a cold voice coming from another room:
"Jarvis, do you need me to come over there?"
The voice sounded so ice-cold that it completely snapped Jarvis out of his infuriated state.
"S-sorry, Madam Bella. It's fine."
Jarvis sighed and sat down. He continued to glare at Eric with an unfriendly gaze.
After a short pause, Jarvis interrogated with a much more controlled tone:
"Why did you do this?!"
Eric was indifferent to Jarvis's rage or his unfriendly gaze.
He once again felt he needed a personal maid who would serve him tea at this moment, so he could talk with the aura only a cool evil mastermind villain such as himself possessed.
"Town Mayor, first let me ask you—do you know where Cooper Eldridge is?"
Hearing Eric's level tone, Jarvis was once again flabbergasted. He thought he was talking with a fourteen-year-old boy—and after he, a late-stage Rank 1 warrior, had shown his anger, Eric was still calm, as if it were everyday drama.
Was that really a young man?
Jarvis felt strange, but he pushed these thoughts aside. He needed to first figure out Eric's motives for such a brutal murder of an innocent noble lady—and then he had to think of a way to fix the situation without creating trouble for both Bella Noll and the Eldridge family.
Damn it! What a headache.
"No, I don't know. What does this have to do with him?"
Eric nodded in understanding. His hand was automatically reaching toward the invisible cup on the table; he quickly stopped—lest he lose his cool evil aura. So, he continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
"Cooper Eldridge and Jack Eldridge ambushed us when we were in the southeast forest. After killing them, I decided to remove his wife as well. After all, she would definitely create trouble for the orphanage in the future."
Hannah was dumbfounded. She had no idea about this incident, as neither Eric nor Lyria or Livy had mentioned anything about it.
Jarvis gaped and asked in complete disbelief:
"Y-you killed Cooper? A-are you a mana wielder now?"
From Jarvis's perspective, there was no way a bunch of mortals could kill a mage—much less a warrior. A slap from a mana wielder was enough to blow any mortal's head—so the only other way was that Eric had become a mana wielder—and perhaps Lyria and Livy too?
Only now did Jarvis focus—he was left completely stupefied. Not only Eric, Lyria, and Livy—even Hannah was releasing the presence of a mana wielder!
Jarvis's jaw slackened, and he gaped widely like a fool. His entire world suddenly turned upside down.
Though this was great news, it was also bad—as bringing justice or fixing the current situation had become much more difficult.
"Hmm... I am now." Eric gently nodded in agreement.
Jarvis took a deep breath. This was completely out of his expectations, but for now, he decided not to think too deeply on this and focused on what Eric had just mentioned.
"You're saying Cooper ambushed you three children? But why would he do such a..." Jarvis suddenly stopped, recalling something from the past.
He suddenly felt immensely helpless and rueful. Because of something that had happened nearly six or seven years ago, the town had now lost a mana wielder—and also the trust of one of the big noble families in town.
Eric smiled. "You already have an idea why—but that wasn't all. This time, it wasn't only for revenge but also to force both Lyria and Livy into becoming Jack's wives."
Jarvis and Hannah then saw Eric pull out two scrolls out of nowhere and open them wide.
As Jarvis and Hannah continued reading what was written on the scrolls, both their expressions started to change.
Hannah was horrified—not only for knowing such detestable methods existed in the world but also for the fact that Lyria and Livy were just one step away from losing their life's freedom.
Jarvis's face was pale. If this had been known to Bella Noll, the calamity that would follow would make even him tremble in dread. It would turn out far more disastrous than just Cooper and Jack being killed!
He took a deep breath and requested with a pleading tone:
"Can you hand me those scrolls? I need to show them as evidence to other nobles—proof of what the Eldridge family had tried to do."