"What do you think?" Eric asked calmly, and both scrolls in his hands disappeared into thin air.
Jarvis understood it was a rejection. He could only smile bitterly.
He at least now knew the reason for Cooper and Jack's deaths, but...
"I understand Cooper and his nephew Jack were unconscionably cruel by doing such a thing to these two young ladies, but Lady Isolde was innocent. You said she would harm the orphanage, but as long as I am here, there is nothing she could do."
Eric stared at Jarvis and asked with genuine curiosity, "And where were you when Cooper attacked us?"
Jarvis was speechless. He could argue that it was outside town, but he understood Eric's point well.
Jarvis was not naive and could understand there were many ways to create trouble without leaving clues. He also couldn't figure everything out by accusing others—not everyone would admit their actions as Eric had.
Jarvis sighed exhaustedly and muttered, "What will Stuart do when he returns? What will I say to him? His entire family, whom he left here for protection, was wiped out—even his only son is gone..."
Eric slowly stood from his chair while replying, "Just tell him his family sought death themselves. If he wants revenge, tell him Lyria, Livy, and I will return in eight months. He'll have to wait that long."
"You're leaving? To where?" Jarvis asked in surprise.
"Hm... to pick flowers," Eric answered with a nod, then glanced at Hannah, who looked lost in their conversation.
He instructed her while walking toward the door, "Hannah, tell Mr. Mayor about the Dark Elves event. We're leaving now—see you in eight months."
Jarvis' face flushed at the sarcasm from a young man, but he was helpless. Eric had already become a Mana Wielder. He didn't wish to provoke him further. He was also confused by Eric's words.
So he turned to Hannah for clarification on the 'Dark Elves event.'
Hannah was still confused about why Lady Isolde needed to die. She pushed that thought aside for now. She would later ask Bella Noll about it. She knew Eric was much smarter than her, so since he had told her to disclose the matter of the Dark Elves to Jarvis, she would do so.
Hannah began recounting what Eric had told them yesterday, omitting the elixir, as she was smart enough to hide that—Eric had also told her not to mention it to anyone.
---
Eric had told Hannah to expose the matter of the Dark Elves for obvious reasons. It would also reduce the pressure Jarvis faced due to yesterday's murder, as he could inform the other nobles of such an event.
One of the town's Mana Wielders could easily search for the camp location in the forest for proof. It should only take them a few days to a week, as the forest was not that huge or dangerous for a Mana Wielder.
After Jarvis and the town's nobles understood Eric's contribution, they would have more reason to be grateful toward the orphanage.
This was the best Eric could do to prevent the orphanage from gaining infamy over the Eldridge family's demise.
Lyria and Livy followed Eric toward his next destination: Bella Noll's room.
Bella Noll welcomed them while sitting in the same location.
Eric wondered if she planned to die just sitting there.
If not for knowing that she could still move around, he would have really thought she had already become crippled.
Bella Noll smiled. "Was there any problem?" She asked about the previous incident with Jarvis' outburst.
Eric waved his hand off. "No problem at all. Grandma, we're here to say our temporary goodbyes. We'll see you again eight months later."
Lyria and Livy had already walked toward Bella Noll and knelt. They took her hands in theirs and looked at her with deep emotion.
Although they hadn't shed tears, it was obvious they were holding them back.
"Grandma, take care of yourself, and please d-don't die..." Livy sniffed.
She and Lyria had long known that Bella Noll didn't have much time left, and she had made that choice long ago.
They had lost their mother when they were just seven years old, but thankfully, they had another mother who had taken care of them no less than if they were her own daughters—if not more.
The gratitude Lyria and Livy had for Bella Noll far surpassed anyone else in the world, including their own blood mother.
Lyria paused, then asked painfully, "Grandma, c-can we do anything for you?"
Bella Noll sighed inwardly. Her emotions were deep but not of sadness—only love.
She didn't want to show emotional distress to Eric, Lyria, or Livy. She only wished to show them her smile, so that if they ever recalled her, they would only remember her smiling face.
Bella Noll wanted to pat Lyria and Livy's heads, but her hands were already held by them, so she just smiled and replied in a voice filled with satisfaction:
"I am already happy having both of you in my life. If you wish to do something for me, then just live fully and never drown yourselves in negative emotions, no matter what happens. Always keep smiles in your hearts, even if you must be cruel to others. Alright, now go—and remember to stay focused. Make the best use of these eight months; they will be extremely helpful for your future lives."
While saying this, Bella Noll finally freed her hands, gently caressed Lyria and Livy's heads and cheeks with her withered hands, then pushed them away softly.
She turned to Eric. "How are you all planning to go? Through the forest?"
Eric smiled and pulled out three stones between his fingers. "These seem to be teleportation stones—they'll take us to the island when crushed. I have more. Do you want to come with us, Grandma? The scenery is really nice."
Bella Noll shook her head with a smile. "I wish to stay and die within this orphanage. You all can go now—don't waste time."
She had no interest in leaving. Even if there were a heaven to teleport to, she wouldn't go—to her, she was already in heaven.
After being gently pushed back by Bella Noll, Lyria and Livy stood and stepped away.
Eric tossed two stones to Lyria and Livy, which they easily caught.
Looking at Bella Noll's happy smile, Eric, Lyria, and Livy nodded and said in unison, "See you later, Grandma."
They crushed their stones together and disappeared into thin air.
---
WHOOSH!
Eric, Lyria, and Livy arrived at the heart-shaped island, just a dozen or so meters from the cave.
All three were dazed for a moment—this was their first time teleporting—but they soon regained their senses.
In truth, Lyria and Livy had experienced teleportation before, but they were only eight years old, so they barely remembered the sensation.
Lyria and Livy glanced around. They ignored the cave for now, focusing instead on their surroundings—the scenery they had never seen before.
Their eyes sparkled like gems as they observed the white sand beneath their feet, the hills, and the tropical trees surrounding them.
They then turned toward the peaceful turquoise ocean and the deep blue water further out.
A gentle ocean breeze brushed their faces, and the sound of waves hitting the shore resonated in their ears.
Smiles bloomed on their pretty faces, and their eyes twinkled like stars.
They were mentally and emotionally blown away—unable to contain their excitement.
"T-this, this, this is more than I thought! So, that's the shore? And this is sand? A-and—that's the ocean? So beautiful!" Livy exclaimed, pointing everywhere.
It was still morning, so the island was brightly lit by warm sunlight, and with the gentle wind blowing, both Lyria and Livy felt completely refreshed.
Watching their excitement, Eric smiled. "You girls don't need to hold back. I'll be here—go enjoy yourselves. It's a small island, anyway."
Livy and Lyria eagerly nodded, then ran in opposite directions.
Eric calmly sat on the white sand.
He felt strangely nostalgic. When he first arrived on this island a few days ago, he never thought he'd return—but then Lysandra threw him back here, and now he was back once more.
Gazing at the clear sky, he suddenly began missing the cute, blushing, long-eared Elara...
'I wonder how she's doing...'
He shook his head, then reflected on what he had just experienced.
Due to his Space Element, he somewhat perceived how the teleportation worked.
It didn't feel like a 'jump'—more like two places had been connected, then, like piercing a pencil through rolled-up paper, moving from one point to another.
He felt he'd heard a similar theory in his past life. Regardless, it was a strange sensation—one that left him inspired.
He had always believed his Space Element could shorten or increase distance—but not teleport. Now, he wondered if he could replicate it.
Eric decided to ask the expert. "Riya, what do you think?"
At that moment, he suddenly heard someone waking up and yawning—even sensed them stretching.
Riya responded, sounding half-asleep. "W-what were you asking again, Eric?"
Eric found it strange. "Riya, I thought you never needed sleep..."
"Ah...? Hold on a second!"
Riya conjured water to wash her face, fully waking up.
"I'm up. I was too tired from working all night and fell asleep early this morning. As for 'I don't need to sleep'—that's correct, I don't need to, but since I was mentally exhausted, I took a short nap. Even then, I was aware of everything happening around you."
"As for your innovative thinking... Let me ponder on it later. It's a much broader subject than you think. Honestly, it's better to find a proper teleportation spellbook than to create one yourself—and right now, I'm overloaded with work."
Riya had been planning new pill and potion recipes but postponed them for a month.
Eric was satisfied with his hardworking, pretty AI "housewife" while he lazed around daily. "Ahem, Riya, are you really that tired? You don't need to push yourself so hard."
Riya ignored Eric's previous thought and waved her hand. "Not at all. I was just trying to finish the 'project' in one go—otherwise, it wouldn't have been so strenuous. Anyway, don't worry—it's done."
Most of her work had been completed when she finished Eric's stats-increasing project, which took years. The current task wasn't that big—she just wanted everything perfect, requiring multiple checks, modifications, and time acceleration to finish quickly.
"So, how was this 'project'? Will it work on Ly and Liv?" Eric asked expectantly.
Riya raised her chin proudly. "Of course! Who do you think I am? As long as they don't reject your mana's influence, they'll be fine. But you need to increase their stats gradually—with your pitiful early-stage Rank 1 mana reserves, you can't boost them like your own yet."
She wanted to reserve at least 30% of Eric's mana for emergencies.
Eric had no issue with that. He would just focus on stat increases, alchemy, and maybe crafting artifacts over the next eight months.
"What are their current stats? Can you judge?"
"Sure, come inside for a look."