Supreme Devil Lord: I Can Refine All Energy-Chapter 49: Promise

"Hey, what happened? Why do you both look like that?" Eric asked worriedly as he approached them.

Suddenly, Riya stood up and rushed toward him before jumping into his arms, tears streaming down her face.

Eric caught her and gently caressed her back as he tried to calm her down, "Shh, Riya. Don’t cry. Tell me what happened. Has Paul come back and said something?"

"No. He hasn’t returned." Riya answered in between her sobs.

Eric was really confused now. "What happened then? Why are you crying?" He asked before glancing at Elena, "Mom... tell me what happened."

As he said this, Riya suddenly started crying harder, her grip around him tightening.

Sigh!

Elena let out a desolate sigh and said, "Sit down. I’ll tell you."

"Don’t!" Riya suddenly shouted.

Eric’s expression hardened in worry. He put the bag he was carrying down and led Riya to the chair. However, she didn’t want to let go of him, so he sighed, picked her up, sat down on the chair, and put her on his lap before putting a hand around her waist.

Riya’s face reddened in embarrassment, but she was too emotional to care about that and continued hugging him.

Eric looked at Elena, who was looking at them, and said, "Tell me, Mom. What’s going on?"

Elena hesitated before she took a deep breath. "The thing is..."

As she started speaking, Riya’s grip around him tightened even more, and her heart started racing due to nervousness and fear.

"...You are not my biological son." Elena didn’t know how to put it more mildly so he wouldn’t feel hurt and betrayed, so she simply said this and hoped he wouldn’t freak out. However, to her relief and surprise, Eric remained completely calm as he stared at her.

Ba-Dum! Ba-Dum!

It wasn’t only Riya whose heart was racing due to fear of him losing; hers was the same. She was even starting to feel slightly lightheaded but gathered herself and continued.

"Over seventeen years ago, I and your... Riya’s father went to the forest on a task to find a spirit herb. At that time, we found you lying in the middle of the forest... You only had the crystal necklace and this golden letter with you..."

She slowly told him everything and gave him the golden letter.

Eric didn’t say anything after she finished speaking and silently read the letter. When he saw the bloodstains on it, he remembered the fight happening in the memory he was shown when the system was activated.

’I hope you are alright, mother.’ He prayed in his heart before focusing on the most important people to him in the world.

He tightened his hold around Riya’s slim waist, feeling her warmth against his body even though he didn’t want to, given the solemnity of the situation, and kissed her head before lifting her chin with his other hand, making her look at him as he asked, "Were you worried I would abandon you two after I found out about it?"

Riya ignored the fluttering of her heart because of his intimate gestures and nodded, making him smile.

He then looked at Elena, who was looking at him in surprise.

"You... don’t feel sad, angry, or maybe cheated?" She asked,

Eric thought for a moment before saying, "I do feel sad, but not because I’m not your real son, but because of my mother, who was forced to abandon me."

After a pause, he smiled, "Other than that, I don’t feel anything you said."

He almost blurted out that he was happy instead, but fortunately did not.

"So... you will not abandon us?" Riya looked at him with puppy eyes, looking extremely adorable. If not for Elena sitting there, he felt he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from kissing her flower petal-like lips. But since she was, he just kissed her forehead and shook his head before saying in an extremely serious tone, looking alternately at the two,.

"It doesn’t matter if I’m related to you and m... Elena by blood. You are still my family, the most important people to me in the world and someone who I love with my everything. So, no. I’m never leaving you two."

Both Elena and Riya exhaled a breath of relief hearing his words, their anxious hearts finally settling. Though they both noticed how he had addressed Elena by her name, neither commented on it.

Riya still didn’t try to move away from him and continued hugging him, her head placed on his chest. Eric was happy with it, but feeling her softness on his lap, his member below was starting to feel hot and become hard. So, he gently lifted her and placed her on the other chair, making her pout in dissatisfaction.

Elena looked at Eric and couldn’t help but ask, "Eric... Did you... know it beforehand?"

Although Eric had worn an expressionless face when she told him everything, she could feel he wasn’t surprised as though he already knew it.

Eric didn’t hesitate and nodded, though he lied about how he found out about it: "I had read this letter a few months ago."

Elena nodded, her gaze becoming more gentle. The fact that he had already known it for months but his behavior toward them didn’t change told her he really treated them like his family and that the news hadn’t changed how he felt toward them even a little bit.

"Now, can you tell us what that is and why did Vivian give you her card?" She asked, glancing at the bag on the ground. Riya also paid attention, curious.

Eric nodded and slowly told them what deal he made with Vivian: "I had noticed that Paul didn’t treat Vivian and Hannah well, and they seemed to fear and even resent him. So, I..."

The duo heard him silently before Elena said in a worried tone, "You shouldn’t have taken the risk. What if she had gotten angry?"

"I had no choice." Eric said firmly, meeting her gaze. He then relaxed back into the chair and added, "Besides, everything turned out to be fine. She didn’t get angry and even agreed."

Elena didn’t say anything more about it. She knew Eric wasn’t a rash person and thought before doing everything.

"Tell me this: are you really sure that inheritance can help you become as strong as Paul within a few days?" She asked, worried. Though she didn’t know much about cultivation, she knew it usually took people months and even years to rise within the Novice realm. Paul was the perfect example, as it had taken him at least 15 years to become a grade three Novice Warrior.

Eric nodded, "I’m sure. So, you guys relax and try to enjoy your stay here as much as you can. Let me be the one to worry about everything else." Saying this, he added, looking in Elena’s and Riya’s eyes alternatively, "I promise to protect and take care of you two for the rest of my life. You just need to believe in me."

Thump!

The ladies’ hearts skipped a beat when they heard his words and saw the look in his eyes. For a moment, it seemed as though he was proposing to them, making their heart flutter.

Eric’s heart rate had also increased as he said this, and he quickly sat up, picked up the bag, and walked away, leaving the duo with their thoughts: "I’ll go and cultivate."

...

Outside the living room, Vivian heard everything they talked about. She didn’t want to spy on their personal things and just wanted to see if he would tell Elena and Riya something different about his inheritance. Clearly, though she had agreed to his deal, she hadn’t completely believed him.

When Eric walked out and saw her standing there, he realized she had heard everything.

Before he could say anything, she bowed her head and apologized, "I’m sorry. I had no intention of hearing your personal matters. I just wanted to see whether you had lied to me."

Eric wasn’t angry, as he could understand her. How could she readily believe everything he, someone she had met for the first time, told her? It was impossible. The only reason she agreed to give him her savings was because she was taking a gamble. If he could do what he promised, it was good, but even if he couldn’t, it was still fine as she would only lose her savings. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Still, it didn’t mean he was completely fine with her actions. Therefore, he said, "Aunt, since you have already decided to gamble, just wait for the result."

Saying this, he went to his room and closed the door before opening the bag and placing his hand on the spirit stone powder.

"Let’s do this."