The satchel was slightly dented but otherwise still fine.
Eric pulled out the 'daggers,' but they turned out to be two scrolls...
Eric had seen quite a few scrolls on the island, and so he swiftly recognized them.
He frowned but didn't think too much, as he could be wrong—this could just be a normal note or something. After all, Jack wasn't even a Mana Wielder, and Cooper was a Warrior. What would they need scrolls for that only Mages or Mystical Knights might use?
Eric opened one and started reading it, and as he read, his brows furrowed more and more. Slowly, his killing intent started to seep out, but he quickly took a deep breath and returned to his indifferent state.
"This audacity!" Riya raged. "If only this brat weren't dead, I would have made a potion formula just to show him how wonderful death would have been compared to being alive!"
Eric rolled up the scroll and checked the other. It was the same, except the person's name had changed from Lyria to Livy.
After closing the scroll, Eric went into deep thought.
He was fairly shocked internally upon learning that such means existed in this world.
Both these scrolls would entrap two mortals' minds and influence them into thinking of the persons whose blood was signed—along with the girls—as their highest lord, husband, and master.
Eric would have doubted such methods would work in the past, but he had seen too many things, including Lysandra controlling or influencing the Dark Elves, so he no longer doubted such effects.
Bella Noll had also warned them not to sign any scrolls, and at this moment, he had started to understand why—more deeply than ever before.
Perhaps no one would sign these casually, but what if these things were hidden somehow? Then, the person signing would be in deep shit for life.
Eric was, in truth, extremely furious internally—Jack aside—more so toward the person who had made these scrolls.
These scrolls were, in a sense, the worst kind of torment toward another. Perhaps Lyria and Livy would have preferred death over becoming helpless slaves to another.
Eric once again checked the scrolls for the creator's name.
Sadly, there wasn't one, but the person's handwriting was there. Not to mention, these sorts of methods shouldn't be mainstream, or else Bella Noll would've at least warned them that there were also mind-manipulating scrolls that even worked on mortals.
In short, finding this person might be possible, as they definitely belonged to some towns nearby—and chances were high that this person resided within Batley City. After all, people with such capabilities would want to make the best use of their 'talents' in crowded locations.
Eric kept the scrolls inside his ring.
He later needed to check how many weird and unknown methods existed in this world. Perhaps Lysandra might have left some encyclopedia on these things.
These scrolls had also woken Eric up to realizing the dangers of the world—ones that might not arrive from frontal battle but instead from places one may never expect.
Riya shook her head. "I've already checked the books on scrolls that Lysandra provided. They mostly consist of methods, ways, and other educational things on how to inscribe on scrolls. There isn't much general worldly knowledge on any profession books, and the chances of memory orbs containing such are much lower. You need to obtain this information elsewhere; we can try in Batley City in the future."
Eric nodded and no longer thought on this subject, making his way toward Lyria and Livy.
He then watched, speechless, as Cooper's corpse was no longer even recognizable. All of Cooper's limbs were separated, and the main torso was badly mutilated with arrow holes.
Eric nodded internally and took serious notes on not provoking these two girls as much as possible. Perhaps it was their way of sending him a warning on how he would end up in the future.
But they were too naive—he preferred to be burnt to ashes when he died!
Lyria and Livy came rushing toward Eric in happiness and excitement. They had 'tasted' how easy it was to dice a Mana Wielder's body. It was a pity that there were no others available nearby...
Eric suddenly felt cold chills running down his spine while watching both Lyria and Livy's excited expressions. He quickly commanded all of them to hasten toward the orphanage.
And so, Eric, Lyria, and Livy began their journey toward Ringwood Town.
Unlike the previous time, neither Lyria nor Livy had to worry or take precautions, and so they naturally sped up. Eric also carried them while jumping, climbing, or swimming over difficult terrain, so there was no longer a need to take detours.
Eric enjoyed certain soft spots while carrying each girl in his arms, while Lyria and Livy enjoyed being carried by Eric—so everyone was happy and got what they wanted. In short, it was a happy ending.
By evening, all three of them arrived back in Ringwood Town.
Eric had already hidden both Lyria and Livy's weapons inside his ring, as showing such fancy weapons would garner unnecessary attention toward them.
But it turned out to be pointless.
All the townsfolk were shocked—Eric, whom they hadn't seen in a while, had returned, now wearing sleek black clothes and looking way too handsome and hot for some unknown reason.
But the girls!
Why did they look so hot and sexy? No—why were they wearing men's clothes with their bombastic bodies!?
Both Lyria and Livy were deeply embarrassed by how much attention they were getting, and so they walked faster, while Eric followed behind them.
Eric had his reasons to advertise their return, and so he came through the gate. Otherwise, he would have taken the secret opening to get inside the town from where he had left.
Soon, Eric, Lyria, and Livy arrived in front of the orphanage.
Glancing at the orphanage gate, courtyard, and the main building, Eric strangely felt very nostalgic—as if decades had passed since he returned.
Even though it had been less than two weeks since he left, so much had happened that it felt like a lifetime. And after today, he didn't know if he would ever sleep within this orphanage again.
Eric sighed in his heart.
Such was moving forward in life—many old things would fall apart every single day. It was inevitable.
Moving forward also meant the old should be washed away.
Eric, Lyria, and Livy confidently walked inside.
All the workers were excited to see the iconic three giants together.
Eric returned their smiles like a politician.
Eric told Lyria and Livy to change into more comfortable clothes first, and he, too, went inside his room—which he hadn't been in for nearly a trillion microseconds.
It had been such a long time that Eric stood there dumbfounded. He felt his room had cheated on him as there were too many female smells all over the place.
It didn't take Eric much time to change. He just wore his normal shirt and shorts, and was done. He walked out of his room and waited for the two princesses to come out of theirs.
At that moment, Hannah came flying, giving Eric a piece of her mind—to which he quietly listened and continuously nodded his head without understanding much.
Overall, Eric was quite impressed by how much Lyria and Livy had suffered.
Wasn't this too much? What was this? Juliet x Juliet while Romeo ran loose?
Eric had no idea of such deep feelings of girls, nor would he make judgments on their emotions—but he did understand one thing: his poor, long, delicious ears Elara must have gone through hell!
All these girls were simply too pitiful—too tragic!
It would make any hero shed tears—but sadly, as a villain, Eric had come with immunity bluffs to such things.
So, while keeping a straight face, Eric kept nodding his head in understanding, expressing that he fully grasped everyone's deep emotions and pain—and he also promised Hannah that next time, he would try his best to make them suffer a little less.
As Eric and Hannah chatted, Lyria and Livy came out after changing their clothes. Following that, they all barged into Bella Noll's room.
Bella Noll smiled gently, genuinely happy that these two hopeless girls had really managed to bring Eric back after leaving for two days.
Bella Noll had already noticed that Eric had become a Mana Wielder—and knowing him, it was definitely as a Mystical Knight. But she didn't say anything about it. She was just too happy that he had returned safe and sound—the rest wasn't important.
Currently, within the room, Bella Noll sat in her usual location—upright, as if only her skin had aged, but her physical health hadn't.
Eric sat alone on the three-seater couch opposite Bella Noll.
Lyria and Livy sat on two other chairs to Eric's right, and Hannah stood to his left.
They all stared questioningly at Eric—except Bella Noll—all curious, as they had been deeply worried for him.
Lyria and Livy were very interested in Eric's adventures. After all—aside from his dashing black dress and ring—those two weapons weren't something people would find lying in a forest, nor were those deliciously cooked dishes. Even so, they never troubled Eric by asking about it. They silently waited for him to explain when he felt like it.
Bella Noll smiled. "Young man, you've become much more handsome. Congratulations on becoming a Mana Wielder."
Hannah was shocked. She hadn't known that—she only thought Eric had just slept a few rounds with Lyria and Livy and had become more handsome.
Thankfully, no one could hear Hannah's inner thoughts.