After some time admiring the island's new atmosphere, Livy turned around to see Eric, who was smiling at her.
She was just one step away from assaulting his lips, but she held back—it would be rude, and Eric still hadn't accepted them as lovers. So, she instead grabbed his left arm and shook it excitedly. "Brother Eric, w-what is this? Is this a natural phenomenon? Where did those colorful orbs come from?"
Lyria, meanwhile, tried grabbing a reddish orb floating in front of her, but it smoothly passed right through her hand as if it didn't exist. She also turned toward Eric with curiosity.
Eric gestured for both Lyria and Livy to walk with him.
As they strolled, the larger beach and the island came more into view. The colorful orbs covering the entire island and beach looked like nothing less than a dreamworld—mesmerizing and romantic.
Lyria and Livy's eyes shone brightly at the sight, something they'd never imagined possible. They'd probably never forget such a stunning, magnificent vision in their entire lives—especially sharing it with Eric between them.
Eric ambled toward the beach and stopped at one of his favorite spots.
The ocean had risen slightly from the tide, but not excessively.
He'd found this spot on his last visit. The nighttime island view was best from here, of course excluding the view from the hilltop.
Lyria and Livy stood on either side of Eric, taking in the magical scene.
Livy, on Eric's right, interlaced her arm with his—as lovers would—and Lyria mirrored the action without even noticing.
All three stood quietly, enjoying the sight and the gentle night breeze. The ocean waves glowed with a cyan-blue luminescence, amplifying the surreal beauty.
Eric had heard the reason for bioluminescent waves on Earth. They seemed to be tiny marine organisms. Regardless, it looked serenely magical.
He enjoyed the moment… until he noticed both sisters resting their heads on his shoulders.
Eric's heart thumped. This was going too far! He still hadn't agreed to their love confession. He was already suffering from the softness of their chests on his arms, and now they were using him as a pillow!
Yet he couldn't bear to shake them off—they'd be hurt emotionally. So, as a man, he stood rigidly, wondering when they'd tire out.
Nearly half an hour passed, yet Lyria and Livy still showed no sign of letting go. They remained in the same position, watching the same scenery.
Not that Eric hated the island's ever-changing colors—but his shoulders were growing numb, perhaps due to his lingering mortal mindset.
He decided to break the rigid atmosphere, which seemed a little too romantic for them, but for him, it was starting to become a stiffness issue.
He coughed. "Ahem, right, Liv—you asked about this. Hm… This is actually an Array created by Lysandra. These orbs emerge from the ground automatically by evening. This Array—and others on the island—charges itself with natural energy due to how it was designed. So, in theory, it could last forever."
Every time Eric saw these Arrays' functions, he wondered how far they could go. For now, he was only interested in experiencing them—least interested in learning. That was for girls. Boys, like his lion brothers back on Earth, should just laze around.
Lyria and Livy lifted their heads from his shoulders.
Feeling his blood flow normally again, Eric sighed in relief.
Livy nodded, eyes bright. She promised herself she'd create similar—or more beautiful—phenomena once she grew more capable with Arrays.
Lyria marveled at the Array's versatility. The professional "rooms" inside the cave were one thing, but transforming an entire island into something so magical and beautiful was mind-blowing. She decided to study Arrays in her free time—at least enough to break one, in case they ever got trapped.
Eric's sixth sense warned him the sisters were about to torture his poor shoulders again, so he quickly dragged them toward the hill.
"Come on—let's go to the hilltop. You'll love the view from there."
Lyria and Livy's eyes brightened at the promise of "new scenery." They released Eric's arms and followed as he climbed.
Both had already climbed the hill at least once while checking their stat increases.
Though the orbs only lit the path halfway, the cloudless night sky and bright moon made the ascent easy.
Eric reached his favorite spot on a branch and sat. Lyria and Livy settled on either side of him, their gazes drifting upward to the twinkling sky.
Lyria and Livy's eyes widened. Previously, they had been distracted by orbs and climbing, so they never really got the chance to look at the sky properly. Now that they did, they were awestruck by the beauty of the night sky.
It was the most gorgeous night sky they'd ever witnessed.
Back in Ringwood Town, the sky was beautiful but never this clear—always clouded. Here, over the open ocean with almost no clouds, the sight was breathtaking.
It was like rivers and oceans of stars overhead—a dome of glowing paint.
Lyria and Livy immediately grabbed Eric's hands, not noticing his full-body twitch.
Eric didn't mind—he enjoyed the attention and their softness—but he'd prefer they admired the scenery without gripping him. It was bad for his pelvic zone.
Thankfully, they hadn't headbutted his shoulders yet.
Eric looked down this time. Lyria and Livy followed his gaze to the glowing island below—another mesmerizing, dreamlike sight that filled their hearts with wonder.
The three enjoyed the serene silence.
After a while, Lyria frowned. "Brother Eric, won't the island's brightness attract others?" After all, the entire island was glowing too much, while the surroundings were mostly dark—as far as their eyes could see. This would inevitably make the island the center of everyone's attention for miles. Whether people or beasts, both would be attracted to this island.
Hearing it, Eric chuckled. He had also wondered the same in the past.
He explained the other arrays Lysandra had planted, at least the ones he knew. The Distraction Array ensured no one would even glance at the island, despite its vivid glow. Eric, in the past when he left the island, after swimming for a short while, completely lost all sight of the island, despite it being night and the island already bright with orbs.
Lyria and Livy marveled at the power of arrays. It was like bending nature's rules to one's desire. Such arrays may lack any firepower, but in another sense, they were immensely powerful.
Livy suddenly recalled something and turned towards Eric with a mischievous smirk. She pinched his waist and coyly asked, "Brother Eric, are you hiding something from us?"
Eric blinked with confusion. "I don't think so?"
"Oh, whats this then?" After saying this, Livy pulled out a paper from her ring and started reading aloud, "As my son-in-law..."
Eric, in a flash, snatched the paper and glared at it. His back quickly got drenched with cold sweat.
He suddenly recalled that he never took any of Lysandra's notes from their places except the one in his own room. But the rest of the room's notes were "harmless," so where did this come from?
As he read a few lines, he recalled Lysandra did joke about it in the scrolls' room note, where she wrote that he could drain money down the pipe due to having a wealthy mother-in-law.
What a blunder!
As Eric's soul threatened to flee, Lyria took the opportunity and seized the paper.
"Hmm… Brother Eric, we already have a sister? Why didn't you say so? I don't mind at all, as long as she passes my test. But since Elara saved you, she already got the passing mark on my 'Sisters Qualification Test,'" Lyria commented while reading the paper with a warm smile on her face.
She genuinely didn't mind. Eric had made it clear he wasn't settling down for a family. As a girl who thinks deeper than what was being said, Lyria had already cleared out a few of the misunderstandings that might appear inside a maiden's heart and mind.
Since they weren't really mortals who needed to desperately grab their husband's wealth for their children and fight stupid wars against other wives for it, neither were they so weak and helpless that they could only live through drinking on their husband's hard work. Instead, they wanted to feed Eric with their own hard work forever—he could quietly sit and do what he liked as long as he didn't abandon them and disappear.
Similarly, neither were any of them settling down to collect wealth, fame, or authority for themselves or for future generations. They instead would be traveling everywhere in the world, doing whatever.
In such a situation, as long as they had trusted companions—or more specifically, "sisters"—Lyria and even Livy would gladly welcome them with open arms. Of course, they must have some caliber and should have a similar mindset.
Overall, both she and Livy only loved Eric. How he lived his life was his; they had already decided not to interfere with his decisions to shackle him with their expectations.
All they asked of Eric was to never abandon them, and they were willing to go anywhere—even to hell. The rest was fine. Both Lyria and Livy had complete faith in Eric's judgments, and Lyria was also well aware that Eric wasn't the kind to simply go and grab every girl they might encounter in life.
So, Lyria was more than welcoming of new sisters. Elara was more than qualified, as she had rescued Eric during such a deadly, life-threatening situation. They even owed Elara a massive debt that they probably could never fulfill.
Lyria only felt pity that she couldn't meet Elara personally and become friends to get to know each other better.
Livy giggled playfully and didn't say anything.
She hadn't thought as deeply as Lyria, but she didn't mind new sisters at all and even looked forward to having them.
Having more people in this type of "Wild Adventuring Group" would only lighten up their atmosphere and make it always feel like a festival. There would never be a time for boredom, as they could play all sorts of games, fight together, and do silly things while joking and laughing together. Not to mention, having a trusted and capable companion would only make their journey easier, and they could do a lot more things.
Eric rolled his eyes.
What did Lyria mean by "sisters"? He still hadn't accepted any one of them! They were all packed into his friend zone!
And what did she mean by her "Sisters Qualification Test"?
Test for what? Girls' friendship? How touching~
Eric was honestly helpless about Elara. He never thought that, out of nowhere, this cutie long-ear girl would have love at first sight—or, rather, together with him.
Thankfully, he still had his freedom after all these dramas. He didn't hate either of them; in fact, he loved and cared for each one of them. But he equally had no interest in going into any romantic relationship—at least, not at this moment.
Eric thought and decided to come clean about Elara's situation to Lyria and Livy. There was nothing more to hide in this matter anymore, and they might even meet each other one day.
So, Eric explained to the two dumbfounded girls the immensity of love and its "true depth"—how deep a pure High Elf's love could be.
Even now, he felt like clapping his hands—like he was watching some romantic theatrics. Stupid, but at the same time, beautiful. And weirdly, he—the ultimate Evil Boss—happened to be the protagonist of this show.
Livy and Lyria were amazed by such a weird power of love. They were truly dumbstruck that the world even had such an "illness." Although Eric mentioned he didn't believe what Lysandra had told him, they themselves felt it was only natural, as anyone who had fallen in love would probably feel the same. They themselves would lose all interest to move forward—or perhaps even to live—if Eric disappeared, and so, they didn't find Elara's love foreign or strange.
After finishing the tale, Eric somehow felt deeply relieved. He didn't know how their future would be, since both Lyria and Livy had just confessed yesterday, he didn't want to hide this past from them.
"Alright, we've enjoyed enough for today. Let's head back. I still need to finish sorting out all the remaining alchemy bottles."
After saying this, Eric jumped off the branch and started gliding back toward the cave.
Lyria and Livy quickly followed behind. They were extremely determined to make the best out of these eight months.
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A/N: I will speed up this arc.