After seeing Eric, Hannah quickly waved her hand toward him.

  It was totally unnecessary, as other than Hannah, there was only the grumpy old man.

  Hannah checked the book Eric had chosen and muttered, "This is the book you selected, huh? Are you sure? It’s pretty thick..."

  Eric gave Hannah a firm nod. He was free all day; he could probably finish glancing through it in a single day.

  Hannah passed the book to the livid old man for registration.

  Old Man Paul could no longer hold back. After taking the book with a gentle hand, he bellowed at Hannah, "What is the meaning of this?! Don’t you know the rules of the library? No children are allowed near these holy books! How dare you let him touch this book?! Also, what was that conversation? Don’t tell me this boy will be reading this book? It’s too much! I will never agree to this! Go back! Children aren’t even allowed to enter the library. In fact, how did you both bypass the guards outside? You must be criminals!"

  Hannah snorted. "Old Man Paul, shouting in the library is a crime. I think you should be hanged now. As for the guards, they’re here to stop trouble, not enforce your wimpy rules. Besides, Eric is much more mature than most adults, just like his height. I guarantee you’ll get the book back without any damage!"

  Paul grew even more furious. "Who do you think you are? Leave before I call the town guards to arrest both of you for threatening me!"

  Hannah rolled her eyes. Who the hell was threatening him? Hmm... Maybe she really should!

  She suddenly smiled mischievously. "Hehe... Indeed, I can’t vouch for him. But what about House Mother Bella Noll? Do you think her word isn’t good enough?"

  Paul felt a chill run down his spine.

  Bella Noll was a terrifying person that no one in Ringwood Town would dare to provoke. Even the town’s mayor, Jarvis, and other nobles were extremely respectful toward her. There were rumors that even Lord Jarvis—the strongest person in Ringwood Town—could not defeat Bella Noll in a fight!

  After realizing his life was in danger, Paul’s voice shook. "W-what d-do you mean? What does this have to do with Madam Bella Noll?"

  Hannah gave Paul a disdainful look and reminded him, "Did you forget who my guarantor is?"

  "Y-you mean Madam Bella Noll sent you for this boy? It was him who would be borrowing these holy books?" Paul stared at Hannah in utter disbelief. Bella Noll was indeed very protective toward her orphanage, but this was too much! How could she let her children destroy books in the only sacred library within the whole town?

  Hannah chuckled at Paul’s horrified face. She was very satisfied with terrifying the senile, old, perverted man.

  She agreed with a nod.

  Paul was about to break down and cry. 'Oh god, oh god. Is there no one who can protect me and my precious books from getting bullied like this in this town?'

  He turned and glared at Eric with deep resentment. "Fine!" He conceded—well, he had no other choice in the first place. "You have one month to return the book. Before returning it, you cannot take another book from the library. And... and if there is even a scratch mark on any page... Y-you should know what will happen! Humph!"

  Paul tried to threaten, to which Eric just rolled his eyes and nodded.

  Eric was quite confused by Paul’s panic. Was Bella Noll a bully? Should he take this opportunity to bully other innocent shopkeepers as well?

  'Leaving that aside, why is he so scared?' Eric wondered.

  He understood Bella Noll was a Mana Wielder, but he also knew there were quite a few Mana Wielders within the town as well.

  So, was there any reason to feel that scared?

  Paul grudgingly wrote Hannah’s name on his record book with an expression filled with grief. He even glanced at the book in Eric’s hand as if he was sacrificing his wife.

  Eric felt that the old man was probably some sort of book pervert.

  After that, both Hannah and Eric calmly walked out of the library.

  Hannah was all smiles and fully recharged after bullying and threatening the pitiful old man.

  Eric put the book inside a small cloth-like bag. It was a great, simple, handy tool to carry books, fruits, or vegetables.

  After walking for some distance, Eric asked with curiosity, "Hannah, why was that old librarian so scared of Grandma? Did she bully the guy in the past? I don’t think she’s the type to bully others..."

  Hannah stared back at Eric in disbelief. "Kid, don’t tell me you don’t know how townsfolk view House Mother?"

  Eric was perplexed. He hardly left the orphanage and rarely conversed with others. So yeah, he lacked any knowledge on how people viewed others within the town.

  Glancing at Eric’s bemused expression, Hannah was speechless. After all, Eric lived together with Bella Noll in the same building and even casually chatted with her, yet still didn’t know anything about her strength or reputation?

  Hannah sighed and thought that it was up to her—the kind, loving, and knowledgeable big sister—to educate her younger brother.

  "Eric, you know House Mother is a Mana Wielder, right?" Hannah asked.

  Eric calmly nodded. He had just learned that today, though he still didn’t understand what a Mana Wielder was.

  Hannah guessed that Eric probably didn’t know much about Mana Wielders; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked such a silly question. But she still asked, "Eric, do you know Mana Wielders’ Ranks? Or House Mother’s Rank?"

  Eric denied it by shaking his head. He had no clue. All he had learned recently was that she was an Adventurer. Was 'Adventurer' a profession or just a title taken by wanderers? He also had no idea.

  Hannah wasn’t all too surprised by Eric’s response; after all, he was just an eight-year-old brat who almost never talked with anyone, while even most adults in town didn’t know much about Mana Wielders. So it was up to her—the great teacher Hannah—to educate him.

  She coughed and began lecturing, "You see, Eric..."

  Just as Eric began listening attentively, there was a sudden interruption.

  "Hannah!"

  Someone called out, almost like spotting a familiar face on the road.

  Eric and Hannah turned toward the interruption.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The interrupter quickly arrived beside them, as the place they were standing was pretty empty, with very few pedestrians.

  The interrupter wore an apron over a long-sleeved shirt, a mix of orange and brown. He was a handsome young man, around age 18 or 19, with curly brown hair. If one looked carefully, the boy had calloused hands, as if he practiced with various tools or swords.

  Though the boy wore worker’s clothing, it was far better in condition than a usual poor worker’s attire.

  Wilburn

  The newcomer grinned at Hannah and Eric. "Eric’s here too! Are you two on a date? Am I interrupting?" he teased.

  Hannah nodded without hesitation and told the guy straight, "Yeah, we are on a hot date at this moment, and you are totally interrupting our romantic time!"

  Eric glanced at them speechlessly and wondered if that was how couples in this world reacted.

  The interrupter was none other than Hannah’s fiancé, Wilburn—a very friendly and nice fellow from Eric’s perspective.

  If Eric had met Wilburn in his past life, he would definitely have been good friends with him. Of course, Eric had similar friends in the past, while he himself was the guy who would torment anyone and anything.

  In other words, Eric was the evil guy who was always friends with good ones. He was smart!

  Wilburn’s family owned the most respected carpenter shop in Ringwood Town, and due to Hannah’s recommendation, his family received a lot of job requests from Bella Noll. Occasionally, Eric had also interacted with Wilburn, and they were a bit like brothers.

  Sadly, due to the age difference, Eric couldn’t talk or joke freely with Wilburn. Otherwise, they could have had a lot more laughter and fun together.

  Eric didn’t want the topic to shift and definitely wanted to use the opportunity to learn more about the Mana Wielders. So, he cut to the chase and explained to Wilburn how Hannah was about to explain Mana Wielders to him.

  Wilburn listened and nodded repeatedly. "I see, I see. You don’t need Hannah to explain these things. I, your big brother, am far more knowledgeable than her!"

  Wilburn said while slapping his biceps, as if his knowledge was stored in his muscles instead of his brain.

  Wilburn then proceeded to ignore Hannah’s increasingly furious expression and started explaining, "Eric, as you might know, Mana Wielders are of two types—Warriors and Mages. I don’t think most people in town know, but there is a third kind!" He paused here for Eric to become more curious and then continued, "Other than Mage and Warrior, this third category is known as ‘Mythical Knight.’ They are very rare, who are both a Mage and Warrior at the same time!"

  Eric was shocked. Then, wouldn’t they be stronger? The most undefeatable? Why doesn’t everyone choose this category?

  Wilburn continued, "Yes, as you can imagine, they are the strongest. But walking on this path is also the most treacherous. I don’t know the reason, but almost everyone avoids it. I have also heard that Mythical Knights can only be trained up to the first three Ranks, and then they need to switch to either Mage or Warrior."

  Eric was completely absorbed in listening and kept nodding his head like a good little brother.

  Wilburn guessed that Eric probably didn’t even know the basic knowledge, so he explained, “From what I know, a Mana Wielder’s three initial Ranks are known as the 'Apprentice Rank.' Each of its Ranks has three minor ranks in between—Early, Mid, and Late stage. Each of these minor ranks also increases one’s strength and everything. How much? I have no idea." He shrugged. But he was confident that probably only noble families within Ringwood Town might know more than him.

  Hannah had been fuming for a while over how her 'respected' teacher’s position had been stolen by her fiancé, but she called for a temporary truce within herself and chose to listen to Wilburn’s explanation, as she also didn’t know about these minor stages.

  Wilburn continued, "Above the Apprentice Rank, there are higher Ranks, though I have no idea what they are. I heard large cities have at least one such Rank as a guardian. Our closest city—Batley City—also has one such Rank. He is the City Lord, Gideon Durant."

  "Anyway, back to the topic: A Mythical Knight can only progress to the end of Apprentice Rank. After that, they must choose to become either a Mage or a Warrior. I’ve even heard that even if they choose either, their normal strength and capabilities remain much higher than those who choose the other two paths from Rank 1."

  "From what I know, our Ringwood Town’s Mayor, Lord Jarvis, is at the late stage of Rank 1 Warrior. All four other Noble families in our town also have one Mana Wielder, but they’re all just at the early stage of Rank 1, and they’re all Warriors. Only the Eldridge family has two early-stage Rank 1s. In short, no Noble in the town is a Mythical Knight."

  Eric and Hannah were completely captivated by Wilburn’s explanation and fully focused.

  Wilburn was very satisfied with their expressions, but he also didn’t know anything more about Mana Wielders, so he ended his explanation with the final detail he knew: "Now, be prepared for the most shocking information. According to what I’ve heard, Madam Bella Noll is at least Rank 2! Some Nobles even speculate that she is a Mystical Knight!"

  Eric’s eyes grew wide with shock and amazement.

  Then wouldn’t Bella Noll be the strongest person in Ringwood Town?

  No wonder that librarian was so scared and gave up his wife upon hearing Bella Noll was backing him!

  Wilburn continued with a bragging tone, "There are actually speculations that even if all the Mana Wielders in Ringwood Town joined together and fought Madam Bella Noll, they still wouldn’t be able to draw out her full strength and could only perish under her. I personally believe that is exactly how it was. Can you imagine? I mean, a normal Rank 2 is already far ahead of Rank 1, but if Madam is a Mythical Knight, then even a Rank 2 of both paths isn’t her opponent!" He spoke with excitement, even though he had no clue about their stats or capabilities, but who wouldn’t want to gossip and exaggerate these things?

  Eric also felt his blood boiling. Maybe he really should persist with Bella Noll in quickly teaching him to become this so-called Mystical Dark Lord!

  He was confident that one day he would fulfill his dream of becoming the Ultimate Final Boss of this world!

  Eric was completely bursting with excitement and motivation. He could already see the dark, sexy throne exuding thick evil and dark energy, beckoning him to quickly sit on it.

  While both men were excited for their own reasons, the woman in the group woke from her previously engrossed state, and soon her expression darkened with rage; her hair slowly began to rise.

  Hannah recalled that her opportunity to become the respected 'Big Sister' to Eric had been robbed from her by her lover! She quickly needed to murder someone to calm her rage.

  Both men suddenly felt cold chills in broad daylight. They instinctively glanced around.

  Only then did Wilburn realize something was wrong with his fiancée—her face looked like she was ready to devour someone.

  So he asked with utmost concern, "What’s wrong with you, Hannah? Did someone anger you?"

  Hannah finally had enough! She jumped and grabbed Wilburn’s throat like a predator, jerking him while screaming, "You! You! You! Do you have any idea that you ruined my only chance to educate the kid on something? Till now, he seems to know everything! No! Even more than me on certain subjects! And finally! Finally! He asked me a question I could educate him on! And you robbed me of the chance! Die, you woodpecker!" Though she raged, she wasn’t really choking Wilburn, more like just shaking him by the neck.

  Wilburn finally realized where his mistake lay, and his face paled. "I-I am sorry, Hannah. How about we forget everything I said till now so you can explain again? Eric, quick! Help me out here!" He quickly requested rescue from his little brother as Hannah seemed to be growing even more furious.

  Eric looked around, and soon his eyes brightened.

  He quickly provided a life-saving suggestion, "Brother Wilburn, how about you treat her to a drink at that tavern?" He pointed at the open-roof tavern at the far end of the road. "I think Sister Hannah is just tired and thirsty from all the hard work she’s done since early morning."

  Hannah slowed down after listening to Eric’s suggestion. She felt it was really not a bad recommendation. She was truly quite tired, and drinking something nice would really freshen her up.

  Wilburn’s eyes lit up. He gave a grateful glance to Eric, then grabbed Hannah’s hand and started pulling her toward the tavern.

  "Come, Eric! I’ll treat you to something to save my life!"

  Eric followed, and soon they arrived inside the open-roof tavern.

  Eric, Wilburn, and Hannah sat on a three-person-long bench with a table in front.

  The tavern was mostly empty, with only three other men at another table chatting among themselves.

  A waiter soon arrived to take their orders.

  Wilburn peeked at Hannah from the corner of his eye. He knew he had to please her, so he ordered the most expensive non-alcoholic drink. Then he turned toward Eric, who was sitting on the other side, but before he could open his mouth to ask, Hannah already ordered for Eric: "Mix fruit juice."

  Eric was surprised. 'How did she know?'

  His favorite drinks—and even food—had always been fruits, especially various fruit juices. That had been his preference even in his past life.

  There had even been weeks or months back on Earth when Eric had survived only by chewing on fruits and maybe some nuts. He had always been proud of being the hidden evil member of the near-extinct Fruitarian Association!

  Eric was very lucky, as Ringwood Town had various sorts of fruits—most were similar to Earth’s, though there were a few new ones too. So, he had been enjoying his life to its fullest.

  Noticing Eric’s surprised expression, Hannah smiled in triumph.

  'Humph! He thinks I don’t know anything about him. I know everything! Everything! That includes all his three sizes!'

  If Eric had heard Hannah’s inner thoughts, he would have started choking her throat like she had been doing to Wilburn moments ago.

  Eric agreed with Hannah’s order, and the waiter went back to bring their drinks.

  At this moment, the trio heard an interesting conversation from their neighboring three-man thug group.