Eric was a little embarrassed about getting congratulations from Bella Noll.
He scratched his nose and nodded, "Thank you. Yes, I have become a Mystical Knight."
Bella Noll smiled in response and didn't ask anything else.
Eric had long decided to explain everything about what had happened last week or so. It was very important for Hannah to know, and also for Lyria and Livy as a learning experience. Maybe Bella Noll would also feel relaxed knowing he had found some powerful connections in the world now.
He cleared his throat and began his storytelling. "Quite a few unexpected situations have occurred recently. First, it actually took me five days to arrive at Ocean Cliff, where I wanted to visit, so I already knew that I would be late to return—but I didn't expect to get sneak-attacked by two dark elf fire mages."
"What?!" Lyria and Livy stood up in shock.
Hannah was confused. She knew Mage attacks were dangerous, but since Eric was alright, then it should be fine, right? Also, what were 'Dark Elf'?
Bella Noll frowned. She immediately knew the situation was bad, but she didn't interrupt Eric. Since he was alive, then there was definitely more to the event.
"Calm down. I'm fine, aren't I?" Eric signaled for both sisters to calm down and sit. After that, he continued, "I got hit by a fireball from behind..."
"What?"
"B-brother Eric, are you really fine?"
Livy and Lyria charged toward Eric in concern.
Eric's mouth twitched, but he could understand that Lyria and Livy were probably worried for his hot ass—ahem—well-being. So, he once again signaled for them to sit.
"As you can see, my ass—ahem—I am perfectly fine, and I am already a Mana Wielder. So sit down, or I will never be able to finish my epic tale."
"I'm describing the situation for both of you to learn whatever you can grasp from my experience, and also for Hannah to know the dangers the town could face anytime in the future, and not be overly relaxed."
Hannah was confused. "Two Mages are indeed dangerous, but the town should be able to handle them, right?"
Bella Noll shook her head and answered for Eric, "It's not that simple, Hannah. Two Mages of a foreign race here means they belong to a tribe or similarly large groups—and all such groups might have dozens to a hundred or even thousands of Mana Wielders. Not to mention, Dark Elves are experts in sneak attacks, so they could kill every Mana Wielder within this town at night while they're unaware and asleep."
Hannah finally realized the threat, and her face paled.
A hundred Mana Wielders was already too scary and almost impossible for her to imagine—much less a thousand.
After all, if so many powerful people gather together, wouldn't the entire world be destroyed? Just a few within Ringwood Town felt like an immovable mountain to her and to all the mortals. These Rank 1 Mana Wielders were already beings that almost everyone in the town worshipped.
Hannah glanced at Eric for confirmation.
Eric nodded with a smile. "This tribe had about 100 Mana Wielders..."
Hannah rolled her eyes and was about to faint when Eric quickly stopped her. "First, listen to what I have to say—then you can faint all you like."
Hannah forcefully pulled her eyes down with all her strength to stay conscious until Eric finished his tale.
"I was severely injured. To survive, the only option left was to jump off the cliff. And so, while being hit by another fireball, I took the opportunity to jump far away from the cliff and also managed to kill one of the Dark Elves with a throwing knife. After that, I lost consciousness and fell into the ocean."
Lyria and Livy's eyes bulged with both pain and uncontrollable fury. They had decided that Dark Elves were their sworn enemies from now on!
Eric smartly avoided glancing at Lyria and Livy and continued, "After losing consciousness, I drifted toward an island and, strangely, was rescued by two other Elves—but they were High Elves who were taking a small vacation on one of the nearby islands."
Everyone's eyes widened in complete stupefaction.
The entire situation was really too strange.
Was Eric really talking about Ringwood Town and its surroundings? Or had he left the Silvia Kingdom altogether to encounter so many different races? So far, they had almost never seen or heard of another race appearing anywhere near Ringwood Town or Batley City.
Eric decided to finish the story in one go and not wait for everyone's new spicy reactions.
"They were a mother-daughter pair. The daughter was a mortal, and the mother was very strong. I was unconscious for two days while they healed me. After waking up, I informed them of how I ended up disturbing their vacation. To that, the mother Elf decided to help us by eliminating the Dark Elf tribe—they were actually planning to slaughter Ringwood Town just yesterday." He coughed and admitted, "Mainly because I killed the chief's daughter. Otherwise, they were planning to attack the town half a month or so later."
Hannah, Lyria, and Livy's widened eyes were fixed, growing wider to the point they were one step away from popping out of their sockets.
Even Bella Noll was surprised, but she was much more experienced—so she didn't show any expression and silently listened to Eric.
"This mother Elf also wanted both me and her daughter to join in the massacre. And so, just yesterday, we ambushed their camp during the afternoon within the forest and killed over a thousand Dark Elves."
Eric omitted unnecessary information, as those weren't relevant. In truth, most of his explanation was for Hannah and later for Ringwood Town's authorities—as he would be leaving soon, so they wouldn't get wiped out by becoming careless in the future.
Hannah covered her mouth in disbelief. That was a massive population—she couldn't imagine how bloody the scene might have been.
Lyria and Livy were similarly shocked, but more than that, they felt proud for some inexplicable reason.
Bella Noll was indifferent; she had seen too many bloody scenes to be surprised by this. She could also read what Eric indirectly wanted to convey to her—that he had found a new connection with a powerful Mana Wielder, so she didn't need to worry.
She just smiled and didn't say anything.
"After annihilating the Dark Elf tribe, both High Elves left—but before leaving, the mother Elf gave me some things, including some elixirs." He then turned to his left. "Hannah, I have one for you and another for Wilburn, go now and call him here—and both of you can become Mana Wielders!"
Eric knew Lysandra had probably included the extra elixir to help his mortal acquaintances, but he was only going to help these two.
"Really?!" Hannah exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yes. Don't tell anyone about this elixir, and hide the fact of becoming a Mana Wielder from others as long as possible. But you guys also don't need to lie when others realize this." After all, this would attract jealousy. Some people would inevitably guess once they saw they had become 'extra polished.' Even so, it was still better to delay the news as long as possible—for Hannah, Wilburn, and especially for himself.
"I'll go and bring him here right away!" Hannah then bolted out of the room and disappeared.
Eric next turned to Lyria and Livy. "Both of you, go take a bath and come back here. I have a surprise for you." He smirked.
Lyria and Livy stared blankly. It took them a few moments to register what the 'surprise' might be—and soon, their eyes widened. Eric had also promised to help them become Mana Wielders...
So, perhaps? Maybe? Possibly?
Both of them stood up in exhilaration.
Livy couldn't hold back and asked with uncontrollable anticipation, "W-what is this surprise, Brother Eric?"
Eric checked Livy from head to toe and then gave a scornful look. "No surprise for unclean ladies!"
"Ahh... That's really mean!"
Livy wanted to protest and throw a tantrum, but Lyria grabbed her and pulled her outside.
Lyria was also dying to hear before imagining too much, but she could see that Eric wanted a private conversation with Bella Noll. So, she didn't say anything and left with Livy, closing the door behind them.
Bella Noll smiled after Lyria and Livy left. "So, what do you have for me?"
Eric's mouth twitched. Bella Noll didn't even ask what he wanted to talk about—just what he had for her. As expected of old people!
Eric sighed. "She didn't provide me with anything permanent for you. Only this."
Eric pulled out the white elixir bottle and placed it on the tea table in front of him before continuing.
"This is some sort of life-extension elixir, I think. According to what she mentioned in her letter, it can increase lifespan and protect an Apprentice Rank's life—even if they lose their heart or major organs—for half a year to a full year. It can perhaps be used twice or more, but the effect will be reduced."
Glancing at the glowing bottle, which released a white halo almost like her own element, Bella Noll was amazed.
She had seen elixirs from afar but never up close in the past.
So, it was almost her first time seeing one.
"You said it can protect an Apprentice Rank's life even if they lose their heart? That's quite unbelievable... Perhaps you don't know, but unlike Rank 4 and beyond, Apprentice Ranks are pretty much mortals and die easily—but beyond, especially higher Rank ones, don't die swiftly." She paused.
She still didn't want to speak about Master Ranks—her knowledge was limited, only through rumors. It was better if Eric, Lyria, and Livy discovered these things themselves.
"I'm not clear on the details—but an elixir that could protect an Apprentice Rank even after such life-threatening injuries is almost the stuff of legends. If that elixir truly does what you just mentioned, then it's a legendary item, and you shouldn't disclose it to others. Otherwise, countless powerful people would rush for it!" Her expression was stern as she warned.
Eric was shocked. He had thought these things were like candies—that one could get from any grocery store.
He still didn't understand what was 'legendary' or not. But it seemed Lysandra really wanted to help him... No, maybe she wanted to do something for Bella Noll?
"I'll be honest with you, Eric—nothing can extend my lifespan, and no elixir should, as far as I know. So, that elixir isn't really a 'life-extension' one—but a 'life-saving' one, and among the peak of anything below Tier 4."
"If that High Elf already knew my condition and still said it could extend my lifespan for a year or less—then she meant that elixir could let a person live fine without any vital organs for a whole year. Totally unbelievable..."
Bella Noll shook her head in amazement. Letting one live for a few hours—versus nearly a year—was a gap most people couldn't imagine.
"But sadly, even though I appreciate her gesture—my life is mine, and my decision is also mine. If I wanted to live longer and even break through to... Master Rank, I would have tried long ago."
Bella shook her head again—she didn't want to speak of this to a young person, as they might not understand her viewpoint. She wasn't depressed—she simply wished to leave, and that was all.
"Eric, just know this—I am very happy as I am. I don't want to extend my life beyond what I naturally could. So, don't worry about me." She smiled.
Bella Noll was genuinely happy—and now, even happier seeing all three had returned safely and were about to become Mana Wielders before she left.
Eric nodded calmly and didn't insist further—as doing so would only hurt Bella Noll. He had lost friends of all ages in his past life. It was fine as long as they had come to terms with it and weren't bitter. Unlike most people imagine—not everyone was desperate to extend their lives.
Eric shrugged and continued, "She actually provided a lot… for training. I didn't know earlier—only after she threw me back to the island before leaving did I notice she had left a training ground, tons of ingredients, and things for nearly seven professions—along with countless space pouches, resources, and study material. She said in her notes it was only up to Tier 2. She also left behind three Space Rings—in other words, she hinted that she was aware of Lyria and Livy's talent and that they could train there."
Bella Noll stared at Eric weirdly.
'Did he seduce her—or her daughter?'
Bella Noll didn't know what that High Elf was planning. But no lover or powerful person should provide so much to another person—much less another race. After all, there had been many wars between races in the past—though none recent that she knew of.
She turned to watch the white glow of the elixir bottle and went into deep thought.
She could only conclude that this High Elf either had an agenda—or she had seen something in the three and decided to bet on them. Also, that person must be of very high Rank, have extreme wealth, and great authority—to casually provide so much to Eric, Lyria, and Livy.
Either way, she couldn't ask Eric to reject such resources—especially at this early stage of their journey, when these were necessary for all three of them. She could only let Eric make his own decisions—and he was smart enough for it.
And if that High Elf was so powerful that she knew of Lyria and Livy's Mana Veins problem without even meeting them—then her Spiritual Sense must be extremely powerful. She could have harmed them if she wanted—but since she hadn't, it could only be good intentions.
After thinking for a while, Bella Noll looked up at Eric and heartfully remarked, "Eric, this is a lifelong grace—not only for you but for Lyria, Livy, Hannah, and even me—including the entire Ringwood Town. So, don't forget this kindness—and unless it's against your conscience, do support them. The rest, I'll leave to your choices. I'm sure you'll do your best in any situation."
Eric agreed with a nod. "Other than these, she left a note suggesting I join one of the top five academies in the world—and she recommended Celestia Academy. Have you heard of it?"