Lyria and Livy were very nervous. They had both expressed their full emotions and feelings for Eric, but he wasn't responding to anything…
Did that mean he wasn't satisfied?
No—more importantly, both of them had said the same thing. What if Eric just wanted one wife or lover?
Both Lyria and Livy grew even more nervous. They didn't have any problem with each other, and moreover, they didn't want to abandon the other. They were already glad that they liked the same person, but what if Eric didn't like this? Maybe he was troubled?
While still looking downward, with a tone that sounded desolate and lonely, Livy asked, "B-Brother Eric… d-do you dislike us? O-or is it that y-you can't like b-both of u-us a-at the s-same time?"
Lyria stiffened with nervousness. She tightly closed her eyes, fearing Eric's reply.
Both Lyria and Livy trembled uneasily. This felt a hundred times more strenuous than facing Cooper's chase.
Eric glanced at the trembling girls and wondered if they were currently in vibration mode, receiving calls from elsewhere.
Should he wait for their conversation to end?
He shrugged and answered coolly:
"Love is free. Why does it matter what the other person thinks? Is your love dependent on others' opinions?"
"No! It's mine!"
Both Lyria and Livy yelled before fully processing Eric's meaning. They glared at him with complete seriousness—their love had been questioned, and this was the one thing they wouldn't back down from.
Eric shrugged once again and spoke with a gentle smile, "Then why does it matter if I feel the same? It's your love, your business. If my opinion matters in your love, then it's slavery. I don't need people shackled by forced devotion beside me."
Eric was aware that what he was saying was far different from what one would expect from such a straightforward love confession. But he was genuine with his answer. His idea of love was different from most young people.
In essence, nothing really changed for Eric after listening to Lyria and Livy's love confession. It was more Lyria and Livy's own realization and commitment to their own feelings. He himself would continue to be the same jerk as he was before.
Lyria and Livy's eyes slowly widened. They suddenly realized it was indeed the case.
What they felt was their own business—their own feelings and declaration to themselves. Even if Eric didn't feel the same, nothing really changed.
All they had to do was stay honest with their feelings and not stab themselves in their own hearts. They just wanted to stay beside Eric forever, share everything with him, and live with him. What he felt was secondary!
Lyria and Livy looked at each other with wide eyes.
Whatever self-doubt, apprehension, worries, and self-imposed fear they had forced upon themselves were completely blown away by Eric's words, as if those had been a joke from the beginning.
They were always free!
Lyria and Livy turned back toward Eric, and before Eric could react, both of them pounced and hugged him tightly.
Eric helplessly fell onto the grass. He wondered if he had opened some sort of forbidden gate, allowing Lyria and Livy to do whatever they liked to him.
He suddenly began to feel deep apprehension for his future.
Since Eric had no issues with hugging girls, he allowed Lyria and Livy to hug him.
He silently took advantage of this by playing with Livy's hair.
Since childhood, he had loved playing with Livy's long, beautiful hair—not out of hidden perverted intentions, but because Livy's hair was truly gorgeous and strangely fun to play with. The texture was really nice! Well, Lyria's wasn't bad either.
After a while, taking advantage of both girls' grown-up bodies, Eric patted their backs and stated,
"I understand both your feelings, and you girls are free to feel however you like. But I also want to be frank about my intentions."
Both Lyria and Livy pulled away from the hug with happy, relieved expressions. They then sat back on the ground in front of Eric, who also rose and sat cross-legged.
Lyria and Livy's expressions turned serious at what Eric wanted to say.
But their previous nervousness and uneasiness had disappeared. Whatever Eric's intentions might be, their love would remain unwavering—not for anyone else, but for themselves only.
Eric coughed and began describing things no one would speak of, at least not in the current situation.
"The main reason anyone feels insecure about others' responses to their love is because they have their own agendas and expectations of the other—whether they realize it or not."
"What they want is to settle down in a house, reproduce, have children, blah-blah. Basically, they just want to follow the commands of their hormones and continue with the things every creature on the planet is programmed to do—like good slaves."
Eric coughed again. He felt he was speaking too much to little girls, but they needed to at least be aware of this.
"Ahem, basically, their love is enslavement, especially toward their loved ones. They want to enslave their lover to follow their plans and expectations."
"In short, they want a sweet deal. But sadly, a 'deal' can't have love because a deal is logical, and 'love' is purely illogical. So, they're bound to clash continuously, no matter how flowery they try to make it look on the surface."
Eric wanted to shoot himself. Why the hell was he speaking so much to little girls about things even people from advanced 21st-century Earth probably wouldn't understand—or rather, refuse to accept in their hearts.
He coughed once more. "Let's leave those details aside. What I want to say is: I don't plan to marry or start a family 'business' ever. I don't know about the future or how it'll go, but this is what I plan to follow."
"So, if you girls want to stick with me and love me despite knowing I won't play your games, then you're welcome."
Eric shrugged. He had no interest in doing stupid things; he preferred freedom over the entanglement of relationships.
If he ever accepted Lyria and Livy as lovers, he would definitely be physically intimate with both of them—but if possible, no family, no children.
Eric didn't want to live a life doing basic survival things like reproduction just because his body forced him to. If he ever wanted to reproduce, it should be by his own conscious choice—and at this moment, he found no value or interest in doing so.
Eric smiled. "So, decide what you girls want to do. Don't worry, we'll still be good friends, and I'll still help. If both of you just want to be companions and adventurers with me, then you're welcome, too."
Lyria and Livy glanced at each other. They didn't quite understand everything Eric had said, but at the same time, they strangely felt they grasped all of it. And they had only one answer!
Lyria and Livy leaned forward, and before Eric could react, they kissed one of his cheeks and blushed.
"I don't care. I just want to share everything with you, forever," Livy whispered shyly, gazing down.
Lyria also looked down in embarrassment, but then she raised her head and stared straight at Eric with her bright amber eyes, declaring, "No matter what, I'm sticking with you wherever you want to go or do—even if you decide to walk toward death."
Eric was flabbergasted. He hadn't expected a kiss out of nowhere.
These girls are already going rogue!
He'd never agreed to their confession or accepted them as his girlfriends or lovers. How could they physically assault him like this? Where was the justice? Where were the cops?!
Livy fidgeted with her hands, avoiding eye contact with Eric, and asked in a soft voice, "T-then… are we l-lovers?"
She blushed deeply.
Lyria also turned completely red but still stared directly at Eric.
Eric was quiet for a moment before shaking his head and answering bluntly, "No."
Both Lyria and Livy's red faces quickly paled.
It was so clearly visible that Eric felt they must have some color-changing ability.
He quickly spoke before either girl could start wailing, "But I haven't refused either of you!"
Lyria and Livy's expressions brightened back like the sun.
"Then…!"
Both leaned forward in anticipation, their faces almost touching Eric's.
Eric's mouth twitched. He backed away slightly and answered, "Just ask me the same thing a few years later—if you girls still feel the same, that is."
He was still only 14!
He was just a kid—too young to understand these complicated things.
Boys matured much slower than girls!
"I'll always feel the same!"
Lyria and Livy leaped together, hugging Eric again after declaring in unison.
Eric once again fell helplessly onto the grass.
Eric sighed and asked in his mind, "Riya, does your stat-increasing method only work on me, or can it work on others, too?"
Riya's eyes flashed brightly. "Of course it can! But let me warn you—it's an enormous task for me, far more than you can imagine. So, I'll only help your girls, and no one else. Remember this clearly!"
Riya had long prepared for this—she'd done her previous work with this intention from the start.
There were two major reasons:
One was Eric's soul, which she didn't want to discuss until she had a solution prepared.
The other reason was that she'd promised herself long ago to have badass sisters who could defend themselves and actually help Eric—not depend on him to save them every single time.
Riya knew Eric didn't like being burdened by others; his companions should have the necessary capabilities to at least take care of themselves.
Riya informed him, "I need to first use your Mana to gather all the information I need from their bodies after they become Mana Wielders. When I'm ready, I'll inform you. This may take a day or more."
She already had all the data on humans as a species from observing Eric at all levels for years. But he was male—so there were significant differences compared to females. Not only that, each individuals were also unique.
Riya could generate Lyria and Livy's complete bodies with near-perfect accuracy using the Mind Space. But she didn't want any mishaps when she made changes. So, she needed thorough readings of both girls—head to toe. She wanted to be as meticulous as she'd been with Eric, though it wouldn't take as long.
Eric nodded and questioned Riya with a strange expression, *You knew I'd ask this? Or have you planned this all along?*
It was obvious she had—otherwise, she wouldn't have answered so confidently and swiftly.
"Of course—long prepared!" Riya laughed evilly. "It was one of my major goals for my sisters!"
Her tone shifted teasingly. "Are you sure about this? They'll become as strong as you. They might reverse-rape you in the future!"
Riya had a hidden plan—a hypothesis to make Eric slightly stronger than his girls with her help. But she needed to observe stats development further before discussing it with Eric.
Eric's heart shook in terror, imagining how he would be helplessly tied down on a bed and two oversized girls would have their way with him because they had become too powerful.
He suddenly started to have second thoughts. He didn't want macho women to do 'this' and 'that' to him while he would be forced to cook food for them in the kitchen.
But he gathered his courage and nodded quietly in agreement.
He was confident in his strength to defend himself!
There were many reasons for this.
One important reason was that Lysandra's leftover resources were so vast that even if they took 10 to 20 years, they might not finish everything. So, increasing everyone's stats was the best solution.
Their current goal was to grab as much as possible in their limited time—even if they had to leave behind 90% untouched.
The most crucial reason was that if Eric wanted Lyria and Livy as adventure companions, their strength couldn't lag too far behind—or they'd either die midway or be forced to separate.
The training stats limit was '50'. In other words, Eric would soon be even stronger than a mid-stage Mystical Knight, and he also planned to break through that '50' boundary, no matter how long it took. His adventurous spirit wouldn't back off even if he died of old age!
Riya hesitated a little, but after some thought, she decided to speak of her speculation.