Chapter 113: Change of plans

Seeing his dear little sister so roughed up was especially hard for Aiden. With tightly clenched fists and trying his best to stay as calm as possible, he approached the chained-up girl standing a few meters in front of him.

Just as he was about to reach the girl, who had her arms raised in the air inviting his brother into a hug, with a tear- and snot-stained face, his figure flickered and vanished only to appear right behind her. He grabbed the shackles holding her snow-white legs captive, and with a decisive motion, he ripped them apart. 

Then he pulled out a rough, light brown linen bag, that had three holes at the bottom. While it wasn't its planned use, it could be used as a makeshift dress. He silently pulled the sack over the stumped Lily, who silently raised her arms to the air, and with a smile raised her chin as the cloth fell on top of her head.

As soon as her arms found their exits, she firmly wrapped her arms around Aiden. As she hid her face in his chest, the tears once again escaped from the corner of her eyes. She kept silently sobbing for the next couple of minutes, while Aiden did nothing but kept her in his firm embrace. 

He removed the mask from his face and leaned close to her ears.

"There, there… I'm sorry you had to suffer. Everything is going to be okay now. I'm never going to leave you again. Calm down, Lily." he whispered kindly into her ears. 

In response, she only increased the intensity of her sobbing, eliciting a loud cry. 

As the minutes continued to pass one after another, Lily finally showed signs of calming down. As her loud sobs started to fade, she looked up from the firm embrace she was still enjoying. The pain that continued to contort his facial muscles slowly relaxed, and as she closed her eyes, she sniffed his scent while contentedly whispering a soft sigh.

"I missed you, brother… I really did…"

Kissing the top of her head, Aiden smiled as he responded.

"I missed you too, big sis!" 

Then, while keeping up the firm hug, he asked with a serious tone.

"Tell me, what happened? Why did you end up here?"

Another sigh escaped Lily's lips when she heard his question. This one however carried an obvious pain that Aiden could feel.

"I messed up... "Was the only words she managed to squeeze out. Her mind wandered back to the elderly couple that most likely met their ends because of her meddling, and the tears once again started to gather at the corner of her eyes, threatening the girl and the boy with their escape.

Gently wiping her eyes with his hand, Aiden softly spoke.

"No, Lily, you didn't. Whatever you did, I'm sure you had a good reason for it. Please, tell me everything from the very beginning."

Sniffing, Lily started recounting the story of how she first arrived in the city, how she met with the Norton's, how she heard their problems, and then eventually how she dealt with the group of bandits. Then she started telling the events how she registered as an adventurer and her first adventure but she was stopped midway as Aiden silenced her. 

"Wait, who is this Sir Michael you keep talking about?! Why did he accompany you? Didn't you say he is the top-ranked adventurer in the city? Why would he spend a whole day escorting a newcomer?" Aiden asked with annoyance and incredulity in his voice.

"Oh, he is a very kind person! He came to me during that big meeting and said it is his duty as a knight to help. He accompanied me to my first quest and even helped me with the killing and gathering stuff. He even invited me to lunch when we got back to the Guild Hall! He has access to the office area!" Lily answered with a smile on her face. 

"Still, that doesn't explain why he spends so much time with you. Well… It doesn't matter, we can investigate it later. Please, continue with your story." Although he had a bad feeling about the man in question, he decided to not think about it, for now, it wasn't relevant to their current predicament after all.

"Okay, brother. So, after the events with the guild, as it was still early in the day, I decided to visit the Norton's once again before I would have gone back home… However, when I arrived at their store, I felt something wasn't right…" Lily continued to recount the events obediently, even if they were painful to recall. As she arrived at the point where she found Ms. Norton's severed hand pinned against the storage wall with a message inviting her to the marked building, she was already sobbing.

Wrapping her in his firm embrace, Aiden once again kissed the top of her head and let her cry to her heart's content, silently waiting, cradling her.

Eventually, she managed to calm down, and her sobbing stopped. Raising her head, she looked at her brother's gently smiling handsome face. As if just remembering something, she asked.

"By the way, brother, who is Enya?"

Hearing the question, Aiden froze in place. With a shocked expression, he looked down at his sister.

"H-how do you know about that name?"

Confirming her suspicions, she continued her interrogation instead of answering.

"So, you do know her… Who is she to you?!"

Seeing that there's no escape, Aiden defeatedly sighed.

"She is… hmm… let's say a sort of family figure? A guide? Not sure to be honest. She is from somewhere far away. You don't have to fear her. Did you meet with her?"

Nodding, Lily answered. 

"Yes. At night when we got back from the Pocket World, she appeared in front of us. You know, we were very worried about you!" She started answering, but as she remembered how her brother fell through the portal unconsciously, she got mad.

"Yeah... I'm sorry, during the fight, I somehow tapped into something inside me, but I wasn't… ready, I guess. I overtaxed myself and the backlash was that I got into some sort of deep sleep." Aiden explained grabbing the back of his head with his right hand.

"Yes, that's what she said as well. She said we do not need to worry, you will wake up by yourself in due time. We just needed to be patient. During that time, I wanted to surprise you, so I came to the city and joined the guild as an adventurer. But due to my actions… that kind couple… They are probably…. Already…" She continued, but as she got back on the topic of the Norton's her voice cracked, and the tears started gathering in her eyes, clouding her vision.

However, Aiden's next words shocked the girl.

"Don't worry! I know where they are kept actually. I know where they are kept actually."

Looking at her brother in the eye, she left her embrace and grabbed his shoulders. 

"Where?! Are you sure? We have to save them! Granny and master might be able to heal them!"

Grabbing her hands, Aiden peeled her hands off his shoulder. Smiling, he caressed her head.

"Are you sure? You have been through a lot already. Master firmly ordered me that once I found you, I should bring you to safety, you know."

Lily firmly shook her head in response.

"No! I'm not leaving if there's even the tiniest chance of saving them both! Also, we can't just escape! There's a lot of people suffering here, and that… that… nasty warden… He… he…" Remembering the experience, was once again proved too much for her heart, she couldn't continue. 

However, this time, she refused to weep, or even let a single teardrop out. She steeled her heart, and just simply averted her gaze.

"I understand. Master will not be happy with us, you know…" he said with a wry smile.

Lily looked sternly at Aiden, and while shaking her head, she continued.

"Don't worry about her, brother. She will understand! We can't leave these poor souls here! They… they suffered enough!"

Seeing her sister's resolve, Aiden relented with a smile.

"Sure… big sis! I already planned to paint these halls red with their blood for the pain and suffering they caused for you. We could add saving the Norton's to the list before we leave, it doesn't really matter. I will receive a stern lecture either way."

Snuggling back into his brother's warmth, Lily giggled for the first time since they reunited.

"Ehehehe… I knew you would not be able to just simply leave! My dear brother!"

Giving the girl one last kiss on the top of her head, Aiden broke the hug they were still keeping. Then as he extended his hands a simple wooden longbow and a quiver filled with arrows materialized. 

"In that case, take these, I grabbed them along the way. I want to see how the city's newest registered adventurer deals justice… Miss Vigilante!" He said in a mocking tone.

In return, Lily simply flicked her tongue and took the weapon.

"Let's go!"