Riya shook her head in denial. "After you took this birth, my memories are the same as what you remember; otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to re-read your school books. Hm... Perhaps it's because I was also born together with you and was half-asleep till yesterday. Anyway, I only remember what you remember in this birth, nothing more."
Eric sighed, though he didn't mind either, as he wasn't too interested in learning of his past right now.
He climbed down from the table and stood up straight.
For now, he should first teach those little girls. He would figure out something for his Mana Veins in the future.
Riya spoke at this moment. "Eric, you don't need to be disheartened. I think your injuries are healing, and they will heal completely one day, though it might take a long time. If my observation wasn't wrong, then when you were consciously channeling your Mana, the speed of healing accelerated slightly. I don't know the extent of those two girls' problems, but yours are pretty light, I believe. So, it's not that hopeless!"
Eric's eyes lit up. "You sure? Is it healing? And can it heal faster through channeling?"
"I'm sure it's healing," Riya answered thoughtfully. "As for whether it's healing faster with Mana channeling, I'm sure... We can do a recheck later."
Eric agreed. He took the grade 1 to 3 books from his table and walked out of his room.
He suddenly asked curiously, "Riya, why do you look so similar to me? I mean, the hair and eye color, the rest is different, though."
Riya giggled. "I'm not your sister, if that's what you're imagining. Not to mention, I don't have any 'real' blood. The figure you see is how I naturally exist inside your Mind Space. Even so, I'm like the queen of this place and can change my form into anything. You could even ask me to shift into your favorite fictional characters- I'm totally up for some naughty play!"
Eric started coughing violently.
He snorted disdainfully. "I'm just a kid and haven't even hit my hormonal stage yet!"
Riya chuckled. She then explained her situation: "My age is similar to yours, and though my 'body' isn't physical, it naturally follows your lifespan. So if you grow older, so will I. Of course, in Mind Space, we can both change into anything."
Eric arrived and knocked on the door in front of him.
Livy quickly opened it and gave an angelic smile to Eric.
Glancing at Livy's beautiful smile, Eric wondered just how beautiful their smiles would be when they grew up.
He went inside and sat on one of the chairs in their room; Lyria sat on the other while Livy took a seat on the bed.
Eric put his books on one of the tables and started commanding, "First, check out the language and mathematics books. See if you can understand everything, and if you don't, then let me know." He then handed them the books.
Lyria and Livy promptly began checking.
From grade one to grade three books, it took them fifteen minutes each, and they didn't find any problem or anything they couldn't understand. After all, that knowledge was basic upon basics.
Eric wasn't surprised, and this much was enough for both Lyria and Livy to pass the entrance exam. But there were still a few books left on other subjects, which were similarly very basic.
While handing Lyria and Livy those books, Eric asked, "How are you both feeling? Any injuries from last evening? Don't hide and act brave, it will only make it more serious if not paid attention to."
Lyria and Livy shook their heads and replied together, "No injuries, no problem!"
Eric wondered if both were actually twins.
It was not surprising that both were fine, as everyone had just been jumping around like monkeys, and none of them had received a single hit from the other, except Eric getting kicked at the beginning, which was also nothing serious.
Eric asked again, "So, are you girls up for today's training? Or do you need more rest?"
Lyria and Livy were surprised. They wondered if they were going to have another crazy battle.
Lyria was hesitant, but Livy was excited to continue. Both of them had quite a unique experience that they had never had before, except the end being pure torture. But it was a rare experience nonetheless, and perhaps it couldn't be recreated again.
Eric corrected himself before Lyria or Livy could ask, "No, we are not having such sparring matches, maybe occasionally, some other day, but not today. I will inform both of you right now that I train twice a day, morning and evening. I would like to ask: do you girls want to train together with me from now on? You can also skip it and not train at all if you don't want to."
Lyria and Livy shook their heads together and once again spoke at the same time, "We will continue!"
Both of them then glanced at each other and laughed.
"Brother Eric, we have trained for so long- we don't want to give up. Also, we enjoy physical training of all kinds. I also wish to train twice; I think Liv feels the same."
Livy nodded enthusiastically in agreement with Lyria's statement.
Lyria continued, "We will then accompany you in every training session. Physical training is also very important to become a Mana Wielder, as it makes it easier to sense and guide Mana into Mana Veins."
Livy clenched her fist tightly. "We still haven't given up on becoming Mana Wielders!" she declared with confidence, as if certain she would soon become one.
Eric glanced at Livy and Lyria with pity, holding himself back from informing them of their laughable fate.
"Don't forget- you're also a cripple!" Riya quickly reminded Eric of his own pathetic fate.
Eric immediately grew depressed and pitied himself.
He shook his head and addressed both girls. "Alright, after you finish these books, we'll head to the training ground and do the basic warm-ups. Grandma will personally train us starting today!" Though Eric's expression remained calm, he was bursting with excitement inside.
Lyria and Livy were confused.
Lyria stayed quiet, but Livy asked directly, "Um... Isn't House Mother just a mortal like us? Has she trained in certain arts?"
Eric glanced at Livy with disdain. But then again, he had also been unaware of it before yesterday.
He coughed and shook his head. "No, she is probably a Mystical Knight Rank 2 at least..."
Glancing at Lyria and Livy's widening eyes, Eric was very satisfied; he was not the only one who had been that ignorant!
"But how is that possible? She looks so old. Apprentice Ranks don't get that old unless they have a very short lifespan left!" Livy quickly covered her mouth after saying that. It was very rude to say such words, even if the dying person didn't mind.
Lyria glared at Livy in annoyance- she really didn't know how to hold back!
Eric sighed inwardly; he also knew that clearly, as Bella Noll was growing older with each passing year, as if she were speeding toward the grave. If his guess wasn't wrong, then she might be injured, and the injuries weren't a normal kind either.
But injury aside, it was clear to Eric that Bella Noll wasn't planning on living. He had seen similar people in the past, and it was nothing unusual or rather, it was the most natural thing.
Eric could also see that Bella Noll had walked out of her past and was at peace with it, but even so, she had no interest in continuing to live. Her mentality had aged along with her body. He could even guess that when she died, she would go with a smile.
He was fine with it, but if possible, he should try to find something to either heal her or maybe extend her life. Even though he could guess that it would be useless, it was still his responsibility to at least try before he left Ringwood Town permanently in the future.
"Anyway, Grandma will be training us from today; do you girls still feel reluctant about it?" Eric asked with an amused smile. After all, this was a huge blessing for any mortal martial artists, including these two little girls who were kicked out by their family.
Lyria and Livy quickly shook their heads. What a joke! If Bella Noll could reach Rank 2 of Mystical Knight as a 'wild' Mana Wilder, then her talent and experience must have been very high. Even a noble's direct descendants may not necessarily achieve that skill and success.
Mystical Knight was multiple times harder than the Mage or Warrior pathway. Lyria and Livy didn't understand why it was so, but it was a well-known fact throughout the world.
Lyria swiftly apologized for herself and especially for Livy. "We are sorry for doubting House Mother. It will be a great honor to learn from her!" She clenched her hands and spoke with excitement, "Also a great lucky chance!"
Livy completely agreed with Lyria.
Both of them could understand how lucky they were to have this opportunity. After all, they were far away in some undeveloped place within the Humancrown Continent, just children without family support; surviving without getting bullied was already a great privilege. And now they even had an opportunity to receive private training from a Mana Wielder- not to mention it was a Mystical Knight tutor!
It was tremendous luck for both of them, as even a late-stage Rank 1 Mystical Knight could be a great teacher, much less a Rank 2! This wasn't just about their Rank- the skills, knowledge, and experience of such individuals were a huge blessing for any Mortals or lower-Rank Mana Wielders.
In fact, it was such ridiculous luck that both Lyria and Livy were in an internal daze. They had seen and heard how Noble families spent huge amounts of money to hire wild Mystical Knights to tutor their scions. 'Wild' meant they weren't of Noble background, having grown up without consuming Alchemy stuffs to raise their Ranks. These sorts of Mystical Knights were much stronger and more experienced within the same Rank, making them highly sought after.
Both Lyria and Livy took deep breaths and focused on their books. They could not wait to go to the training ground and swiftly begin their next level of torture.
Since Eric and Riya didn't have anything to do, they started discussing various novels, shows, or games that Eric had read, watched, or played in his past life. Their discussion grew more heated, and eventually, they started arguing.
Time passed, and soon the time to visit their guillotine arrived, so all three convicted criminals stood up excitedly.
Eric coughed. He still had the responsibility to take care of the little girls' studies, so he addressed that: "Tomorrow or the day after, come to my room and take all the books up to the tenth grade. If you girls can finish them quickly, like me, then you won't ever have to worry about wasting time reading those books again until the final exam day."
Concerned for Lyria and Livy's humility, Eric decided to remind them: "If you girls need study materials or anything else, don't hesitate to ask Hannah. Saving that money is worthless to Grandma as we're the only eight-year-old kids in this orphanage, and the rest are way below four. In short, Grandma has plenty of money to shower us with. She also owns multiple shops around town. Your clothes came from her shops, too. Understood?"