TBATE: The Beginning of My Redemption

Chapter 3 : Encounters and Reflections

As we walk, we encounter Father's former adventuring party, the Twin Horns. According to Father, they consist of two conjurers and three augmenters who have been active in this area for quite some time. Meanwhile, Arthur, Mother, and I have been residing at an inn, where they've been assisting Father in rebuilding our house. Father insists they're nice, but that's only his and Mother's perspective. There could be another side to their story, and they might not be as pleasant as they appear. I'll reserve judgment until I learn more.

Father and the red-haired man warmly hug each other. "Thanks again for letting us join you on this trip!" Father exclaims with a smile. Then, he turns to us and says, "Fellas, I want you all to meet my sons," pointing at me. "Sasuke, introduce yourself."

Caught off guard by the sudden mention of my name, I say, "Hello, I'm Sasuke Leywin. Nice to meet you," with a slight bow.

"Now it's your turn, Arthur. Introduce yourself," Father directs Arthur.

"Hello, my name is Arthur Leywin. Thank you for bringing us along to Xyrus," Arthur responds, giving a more proper greeting.

The red-haired man then attempts to pat Arthur's head and mine, but I dodge his hand. "I don't like being patted," I say indifferently.

"Haha, Sasuke may be shy, but both he and Arthur have good manners. Are you two sure Rey is your father?" the red-haired man jokes, laughing as he looks at us.

I give him a strange look but suddenly feel a sense of danger behind me. Instinctively, I dodge and turn to see Arthur tightly held against the chest of a blonde girl. I stare blankly, feeling exasperated by the situation. Why does everything seem so strange and stupid here?

Approaching the blonde girl, I look up and notice how tall she is. Still, I speak as politely as I can, "Lady, please release my brother. His face is turning red."

Arthur's face is indeed red, likely because he can't breathe properly due to being held tightly.

"Alice, did you hear? He called me a lady. How cute," the blonde girl giggles, seemingly ignoring my request.

Just then, a tall man resembling a large dog in demeanor comes over and gently takes Arthur from her grasp. "Angela, you're hurting him," he chastises gently, then sets Arthur down.

So her name is Angela. As I look up at the tall man who helped, I can't help but notice how towering everyone seems here. "Thank you for helping my brother," I express my gratitude to the tall man. He smiles warmly in response.

I notice Arthur staring in a particular direction. Following his gaze, I see a black-haired girl with red eyes. She seems oddly familiar, though it can't be anyone I know. The girl gives us a slight bow and then walks towards the carriage.

Another girl with spiked ears approaches us. "Don't mind her, she just needs to get used to you two," she says reassuringly. Then, she extends her hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you both. My name is Helen Shard." Arthur and I shake her hand politely.

Then I hear Father's voice, "Alright, now that everyone's gotten acquainted, let's prepare to move." I can't help but feel perplexed. How can we be acquainted when I only know the names of two people here? I sigh inwardly, feeling frustrated. I hope not everyone here is as overly positive and oblivious as they seem.

After that, Arthur, Mother, Angela, and I go into one of the carriages. Unfortunately, I find myself sitting on Angela's lap, while Arthur sits on Mother's lap. I look up at Angela and, with a serious expression, say, "Don't try anything funny."

Upon hearing this, Angela begins to giggle. "Haha, the little one is just like Jasmine when we first met," she chuckles. Deciding to ignore her, I shift my attention elsewhere.