Punishment! Part 1

For their part, Reina and Yuna's voices had grown more shrill with each passing minute. But it was clear that the two sisters were not going to accept the reality of the situation, regardless of what Lance said to them.

Reina and Yuna were clearly unhappy, but Lance wasn't about to let that get in the way of fulfilling his own obligations. So Lance took it upon himself to accompany Reina and Yuna back to their home.

Lance guided us to a wagon to ride on to return the sister to their house. The wagon was large enough to accommodate all of us.

I was riding with them to their family member, I could understand, what their mother and father would say, after hearing about the incident.

We rode off towards their house while I contemplated whether I should tell her parents the truth. However, I figured that telling the truth might make matters worse, especially considering that their parents were already upset because of the news regarding their daughter.

From me sit back and observe how things play out. After all, I've only been travelling with these people for a short period of time, and I'm still getting accustomed to the idea of having a party.

But despite this, I wanted to do something for the sake of everyone else involved.

Since noble is noble, right? I know that I am no longer a child anymore, and I can handle myself pretty good in any given situation. I may look weak, but I think that I'm strong-willed and determined to succeed, even if it means putting my neck on the line.

So, I'll take responsibility for my actions and explain everything to them, once I find out exactly where they live.

If anyone deserves a little bit of kindness and consideration, it has to be these girls. They're just trying to protect their family name and reputation, so I guess that makes sense...

Once we arrived at the gates of their estate, the guards opened up immediately. A small crowd of servants and maids awaited us outside along with the head of household.

"Welcome!" the servant greeted us warmly. "Please come inside." He gestured for us to enter the mansion.

Inside, the main hall was decorated with several paintings and sculptures depicting scenes from ancient history. There were many other rooms leading off from the entrance room, including an office and a study area. We passed by numerous doors until reaching the front door.

It was then when the man approached us.

He looked quite similar to Reina and Yuna, except he sported a much darker complexion than both of them. His eyes glinted brightly under the bright sunlight streaming through the windows.

His hair was cut very close to his scalp, giving him a rather severe appearance. But there was something different about him. Something that caught my attention.

There was a strange aura emanating from him, almost as if he had a special gift or blessing bestowed upon him. I could be fallen by this person; maybe I'd get lucky. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

After exchanging greetings, the man motioned for us to follow him upward the stairs.

This must mean that their parents are upstairs!

Our guide took us through a series of passages, eventually bringing us to a large wooden door.

Lance cleared his throat and began speaking, "We are here,", before pushing open the door and ushering us inside.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I entered the spacious foyer. This strange dangerous presence emanated from everywhere, making me feel uncomfortable and uneasy. As soon as I stepped foot inside the room, I began to feel a deep sense of dread. My skin crawled with fear, sending shivers down my spine.

I didn't understand why I should be feeling this way. Why did I suddenly develop such intense feelings towards this place? Was I going insane...? Maybe I'm getting too old for this sort of thing...

I glanced around and saw Yuna and Reina couldn't grasp this presence, they were on their keen of this intense presence, tightening their throat and their face was pale.

They can't possibly be afraid of someone else being here...

"This must be Father and Mother doing a business trip..." said Lance after seeing the state of his sisters.

I took a chance to observe those two figureheads. They appeared to be upset, but not terrified. Their expressions were more akin to anger. And yet, they still stood tall against whatever it was that threatened them.

Yuna and Reina take a chance to speak to their father and mother respectively, "Father, I'm sorry for disobeying you..."

Then Lance took a chance, he stepped forward, standing in front of his two sisters and looking directly ahead, "I brought them back safely, and I apologize for causing trouble.".

Their Father , who sitting on a throne seemed to have blonde long hair and a beard, he was a hulking mass of muscles. He carried himself with an aura of nobility. He looked down upon us with contempt.

While their Mother, who sitting on a throne, she has a graceful and elegant presence. Her beauty is breathtaking. She regards her children carefully, seemingly unconvinced of their sincerity.

Those two figure with intense cold eye toward their daughter and son.

All three of them avoided eye contact with their parents while keeping their heads bowed low.

Silence fell. No one said anything, and no one moved an inch.

I waited quietly, observing the scene before me.

I look around and see Ayase, who seems to be lost in thought. and a butler seems to be scared by the overbearing presence of the two figures.

The dark dizziness consumes me and my limbs start shaking. I turn to my right and see Reina who is suffering just like I am.

Yuna spoke up on their behalf, "Father! Mother! I made a companion!! Please forgive us for abandoning our duty as well! The fault is mine!" as Yuna fell to the ground on her knees and started crying, the father and mother look to my sister with a hint of surprise in their eyes.

"A companion with children, huh?" spoke the father with a cold stern voice.

He looks at me with a glance of disgust and disdain. His gaze is so powerful, that I feel as though it would crush me where I stand.

"May I ask, who is this child, you brought here? You are aware that he cannot leave the city limits until we've completed our investigation of your actions, correct?" asked the mother with a gentle tone of voice.

She appears to be the kinder of the pair, despite her words seeming rather harsh.

This importance matters, what did they mean by that?!

It's only natural that I should know why I'm here, or maybe I don't want to understand the reason behind it.

But how do I explain myself without sounding like childish excuses?

Reina tried to say something, "Mother... Father..." but then stopped when she noticed the glint in my eyes.

I can tell that she wants to speak but doesn't seem able to get out any more than that.

I spoke up, got on my keen and looked at them with a sincere look and sincere word, "My name is Hiro Midnight, come from the family of Midnight, a noble house."

At first, I didn't expect much reaction. But I was wrong. Their faces changed drastically.

"Midnight Family, I heard countless of rumor regarding this House, but never expected to meet someone who actually comes from such prestigious lineage," said the father with his eyes wide open.

His expression showed a mix of shock, disbelief, and awe.

"Where did you come from child." asked the mother with a warm smile, but there was a slight tension in her voice.

Her face softened, and she began speaking again, "So, please excuse my husband for being rude earlier, but I need to hear every single detail of your story. We will take care of everything else once you're done explaining yourself, okay?"

There was an air of sincerity and trustfulness around both parents, while still maintaining a sense of authority and control over the situation. They weren't acting as if they wanted to interrogate me, instead, it almost seemed as though they were genuinely concerned about my wellbeing.

"I was lost in the forest by a tragic accident, that happened a month ago, I met some of my new-founded companions, and this companion I'm talking about is named Ayase, she bright young dark-haired woman and helped me while I was on my journey explorer in the forest," I replied to them as I felt a bit anxious and my lips became dry, but I continued speaking with determination, "Next, While Explorer, I met your daughter Yuna and Reina, who save me from a humanoid creature. I promise that I won't leave them." I ended up finishing the sentence.

As soon I finished talking, they stared at me with concerned expressions on their faces, both parents were looking directly at me, their gaze never wavering from my body, silently taking in what I said.

The parents didn't say a single word; they just simply listened and patiently waited for me to finish, nodding their heads slowly, "Very Well, May i ask, did this Ayase Companion come from Slave Trader, is it, a factual statement?" The Father ask me with suspense.

I felt a cold sweat forming on my forehead as I hesitated to answer that question. If I tell them she came from a slave trader, they might report us, since from those bandit hunters we murder with cold hand, could possibly connect the dots. But If I lie to them and claim she was born here then, it's only a matter of time before someone finds out.

With my mouth moving faster than my brain, "No, She comes from noble family."

I look at Ayase, our gaze meets, Ayase is scared, about what happened to her in her past life, and she wants to leave. I didn't know that she had gone through those traumatic events.

The Father and Mother paused, and took a brief moment, the father with intense coldness in his eye, raised his left hand and slapped their finger, ordering the guard, "Guards, imprison them."

"Father!!" Yuna yelled in fear, "Why you..." Lance spurt with blood eyes and angry face toward his father.

Those guards instantly bound the two.

As their anger builds, Ayase and I are too shocked to say anything. This whole situation was simply beyond comprehension, and the sheer absurdity of it was overwhelming.

As my head spun and I watched helplessly as our companions were arrested, it occurred to me that perhaps I would die today.

The Moment passed as the Guards prepared to draw their swords and come nearer.

Charging directly at us, I leaned forward off my knee and with swiftly clean blue-election-like-blurred flash movement of speed, the frontal guards, with one clean swipe motion of the back of my hands and I swung the front of my hand at their throat and smashed their face into smithereens.