"Hannah, go bring Brother Wilburn here." Eric, seated in Hannah's office, commanded her gently.
All four of them were inside the House Mother's office, with a sealed jar resting silently on the large table.
Hannah, who was wailing loudly alongside Lyria and Livy, froze. She stared at Eric with a bloodshot gaze, her voice hoarse as she asked, "Why?"
Eric sighed. They could cry all they wanted, but their endless tears were beginning to irritate him. He was certain Bella Noll and the shattered sword fragments inside the jar were equally annoyed by now.
Bella Noll had chosen her own death—and she'd been content. Not everyone clung to their life desperately; for example, he himself would certainly die laughing if he ended up dying for whatever reason.
Regardless, they shouldn't weep so loudly before Bella Noll's ashes!
Eric had no desire to remain at the orphanage until nightfall. It was already past 2 PM, and he intended to leave within a few hours.
"Hannah, we'll be departing soon."
Meeting her stunned expression, he nodded calmly. "I want to help you both reach mid-stage Rank 1 before we go. So fetch him here."
"B-but why? Where are you going? Could you... leave tomorrow?"
Eric shook his head. "Hannah, we're leaving forever. I don't know if we'll ever return." She didn't seem to catch his previous meaning, so he decided to come clean.
Hannah's temper flared. She surged to her feet and slammed the table with full force—forgetting she was a Warrior, and the pitiful Mortal-tier furniture stood no chance. The table split with a thunderous crack.
Lyria and Livy were so shocked that they went mute.
Before Bella Noll's ashes also turned mute to the ground, Eric swiftly snatched the jar mid-air.
Hannah herself was startled, her face paled, then dropped her gaze in apology. "S-sorry..."
Eric shrugged; he didn't mind at all. Besides, the table was the last personal thing Bella Noll had hesitated to destroy, as it was too expensive. She'd burned everything else: her wardrobe, clothes, chairs, every intimately used possession.
Eric was satisfied. Bella Noll likely was too. A 'happy' ending for the pitiful table; now a new one could finally replace the old.
His voice softened. "Hannah, we can't stay. Lingering here will only deepen our grief. It will make us hesitant to leave the place we've called home since childhood. Don't prolong our suffering. I want to depart now, but before we leave, I want to see both you and Brother Wilburn reach mid-stage. I'll ensure that."
He paused and slowly stood up, saying, "I'll retrieve my belongings from my room. The training room can go to Wilhan, Nahurn, or any child who wishes to use it to train. Supervise them so no one gets injured. Now, go."
Eric cradled the jar and strode out, ignoring Hannah's shock.
Moments later, Lyria and Livy exchanged nods with Hannah and exited the office.
Hannah slowly closed her mouth and released an extended sigh.
She was reluctant and sorrowful with all three's departure—perhaps it would be a permanent one. Yet she'd known this day would eventually come.
Bella Noll had once told her, "Children growing up means there will be parting. If that's not happening, they aren't growing up."
Hannah finally understood those words.
She took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and marched out to summon Wilburn.
After entering his room, Eric hesitated briefly, then took everything inside his pocket watch.
With unlimited storage, and these things having been used by him for over a decade—and the orphanage being wealthy—there was no need to hesitate.
Lyria and Livy returned just in time to see Eric take everything from his room, including the other empty bed, which was too small for them to even lie on.
They were at a loss for words.
"Do you girls also want to take your things? This is the final opportunity you have," Eric said, turning to the two dumbfounded girls.
Lyria and Livy nodded without hesitation. Eric was taking his, so they also wanted to take theirs, and perhaps those things would be a priceless treasure for them—to remind them of their humble beginnings, of how they arrived at the orphanage when they were just eight years old, thrown away by their families, and many other memories along with it. Also, since they could, why not take them all?
Eric smiled, then went to Lyria and Livy's room while still hugging the jar and took everything away.
After the ransacking was complete, both rooms had only walls, one window, and a single door. It looked pitiful but strangely fresh.
Following that, Eric told Livy to "Hydro Wash" their training room completely.
Though both girls were confused, Livy still complied.
After that, Eric cleared out whatever traces they had left within the orphanage. Since they barely ever left, the town didn't need much of Livy's special cleansing.
By the time Wilburn and Hannah returned, Eric and the girls had also finished with public service.
After some polite small talk, Eric gave them both another drop of the same Red Elixir as before, which should make them reach the mid-stage of Rank 1.
Since both Fire Element Warriors would take an hour or so for their Breakthrough, Eric quietly left the room and called Lyria and Livy out.
"Ly, Liv, we will leave after they finish their breakthroughs. We cannot be sure if we will ever return here, so count this as our final farewell to them," Eric continued before either girl could show their grieving faces. "If you have anything you wish to give them, put them in two separate space pouches. Remember—do not give too much, as that will only invite trouble for them. Think before you give anything."
Lyria and Livy calmed down and nodded silently.
Eric pulled out refilling potions, along with a few other alchemy products, then a few other not-so-amazing things he had made for the couple in the artisan room. He also included a small note briefly explaining the items he provided, while instructing them to destroy the note after reading it.
He didn't want to leave anything behind. For one, he didn't want others to track it back to him, and he disliked leaving personal markings—even in his past life—unless intentional. Sadly, he couldn't obliterate the school, though it didn't matter—he wasn't 'that' extreme.
Lyria and Livy also pulled out various things.
Lyria provided the couple with Tier 1 Fire amplifier rune-inscribed weapons and armor. She had planned to give them peak-grade items but, after getting a slap from Eric, she obediently provided only low-grade ones. It didn't really matter, since the couple were weaklings; low-grade items were much more realistic for them, even if they managed to reach Rank 2.
Livy didn't have anything to give other than Arrays and Runes, but those couldn't be handed over like items or weapons.
She wanted to place some unremarkable Arrays around the orphanage, but Eric stopped her. So, in the end, she gave the couple some enchanted clothes and a few other artisan items. She felt helpless.
Eric and Lyria patted Livy's shoulder to console her, but she mud-skipped away, leaving all three of them staring at each other in speechlessness.
Soon after, Hannah and Wilburn opened their eyes after reaching the mid-stage of Rank 1.
After congratulating the couple, Eric, Lyria, and Livy handed over what they had prepared for them.
By the time they were done with everything in the orphanage, it was already evening.
Eric decided it was time to leave. There was a broad river passing through the northern side of the town—crossing it marked the beginning of the true northern wilderness.
He planned to let Bella Noll's ashes flow into that river and cross it for the night.
"We will accompany you to the town's gate," Wilburn said, leaving no room for refusal.
Hannah also nodded quietly from the side—she was still depressed over Bella Noll's passing and now the trio's departure.
Eric shrugged and agreed. It would also be good for them to come and learn a few things about being Mana Wielders—and how terrifying they could be. It would be a tonic for the Fire Element couple, who might think themselves too powerful now, since, theoretically, they were the second strongest in the town—behind Mayor Jarvis.
Now, all that remained was to see whether Eric's old setup from eight months ago would proceed as planned or not.
Eric, Lyria, and Livy took out dark traveler's cloaks from their Rings and donned them over their outfits. After that, they all exited the orphanage with Hannah and Wilburn following one step behind them.
It was late evening with the sun just setting, thus there were very few pedestrians on the streets, and thanks to that, not many onlookers ganged up on them.
"Tell Wilhan and Nahurn our goodbyes. Make sure they are happy and well-fed." Lyria strictly warned both the parents who were following them. Livy also gave the fire couple a threatening glare.
Wilburn smiled wearily and nodded to the two nearly two feet taller than him, gorgeous girls, who were far more appealing and enchanting—unlike how cute they were just a year back.
Both their children, Wilhan and Nahurn, were staying with his parents; they were growing up well and healthy.
Most people in the town were still unaware of Wilburn and Hannah becoming Mana Wielders, though the town's Mayor and other Noble families were already aware of it. So no one dared to trouble them—in fact, all Nobles welcomed them with eagerness.
A new Mana Wielder in the town meant everyone would be safer, and they could also share their burden. Thus, both Wilburn and Hannah were very much welcomed by everyone.
While they were chatting and nearing the Northern gate, the town's Mayor, Jarvis, rushed toward them with a troubled expression.
Jarvis had learned that Eric, Lyria, and Livy were leaving today and perhaps permanently too, so he was quite troubled.
After arriving beside Eric and seeing him holding a sealed jar, Jarvis was startled.
He instantly guessed what was in there and turned even more somber.
He knew that this day would eventually come, as Bella Noll didn't have long to live. All of the town's Nobles knew that, yet he didn't expect it to be so silent—after all, there was no firelight from cremation, not to mention Bella Noll was a Rank 3 Mana Wielder; it was not easy to cremate her with normal fire.
He took a deep breath, then glanced at Eric with reluctance. "Young man, must you really leave? Don't you like this safe place?"
Eric internally rolled his eyes and flatly rejected, "This place is not safe enough!"
Jarvis smiled bitterly. He understood Eric was indicating the Dark Elf incident.
He had already confirmed and located the tribe's location personally within the forest, and through various clues left behind—everything was confirmed.
They had also obtained quite a few weapons, spell books, and so on, which were kept safely to strengthen the town's future generations, though most of the language was still unreadable and currently being decoded.
All the town's Nobles were very grateful to Eric and the orphanage as a whole and no longer held any resentment toward them for what had happened to the Eldridge family. Jarvis had also informed them of what had occurred, so they immediately stood up to support the orphanage and denounced the already vanished Eldridge family—almost like they were the true followers of justice.