...
Shin knocked on the door of Old Samuel's study. He heard from the servants of the house the old general was currently inside, so he wanted to talk to him first before the others.
"Enter."
Old Samuel had already sensed his presence earlier, but he was not sure if it was still Uno, who had been active for quite a while now, or Shin as the aura that he was releasing was quite different compared to the two.
Shin opened the door and carefully entered the study while Old Samuel observed him. The latter immediately noticed the clear difference between the aura surrounding the young man, which made him somewhat doubtful.
But his doubts immediately disappeared after hearing what Shin had said next.
"Grandfather," greeted Shin while bowing. His tone was filled with different emotions, which made the old general realize that it was without a doubt Shin.
But at the same time, he was still confused as the aura that Shin was currently emitting was completely different from what he remembered. There was also a hint of danger that even an old man like him felt rather dangerous.
This made him recall the time when Shin was under the Demonic Possession when he found him and Bernard during the previous incident, but it was also noticeably different at the same time.
It was closer to what Uno passively emitted just by standing in place.
Old Samuel was not sure whether this Shin in front of him was still the grandson that they had adopted and had grown up with them since he was rescued from the Black Serpent Mafia training camp.
Shin refused to raise his head until Old Samuel permitted him, and the latter also sensed it, so he raised his hand. "What's with the formality? Come here and talk to grandfather. I want to hear a lot from him."
It was only at that time that Shin steadied himself and walked over. He sat on the nearby sofa, which was right across Old Samuel before bowing his head once again. "Grandfather, I am sorry. Because of me-..."
He was unable to finish his words when a strong force forcefully raised his body and let him lean back. "What's with the nonsense? It is not your fault. You are a victim as well. Don't blame yourself for this."
"But Uncle Bernard should be able to escape on his own after using his forbidden spell if not for me being there. I am just a burden that-..." Shin tried to apologize once again, but the old general quickly shut him up.
"Little Shin-... You should understand. Something like this is bound to happen sooner or later given our line of job. Maybe it is either me or Nathan next time," Old Samuel smiled at Shin as he continued. "Our job is dangerous. We are ready for something like this time to happen it just comes a little sooner than we have expected."
"But-..." Shin tried to say something more, but he was immediately cut off by the old general.
"Enough with this topic for now. Let's talk about yourself. I want to have a clear understanding of your situation first," said Old Samuel as the expression on his face became a little serious. "You have undergone quite a lot of changes. I can't even recognize you easily. Let grandfather hear what happened to you first."
Shin went silent for a moment before sighing. He could tell that Old Samuel was determined to avoid the topic for the time being and quite worried about him at the same time, so he had no choice but to comply.
"Where should I start?"
...
It was already quite late at night when Shin finished talking with Old Samuel. The sky was already too dark but the phenomenon above the Springfield Household had yet to disperse as Old Samuel and Nathan wanted to use this for something.
He only heard it from the old general earlier, but it was a brief mention before the topic was back to himself once again.
But from what he could guess, they seemed to be plotting something to lure out some people from the dark. They also seemed to be targeting a particular group, after overhearing bits of information from the brief conversation between the two earlier.
Shin walked toward his room, which was now tidied by the servants. Given that the foul stench had already disappeared and been replaced by the familiar smell that was neither too strong nor too light for him.
He was about to enter when he noticed that one of the rooms was now empty and the supply of energy from the array had also been cut off.
Looking at it, he realized that it was the room where Arthur was supposed to be training. "Is he done already?"
It was at this moment that he saw David coming back from the other side of the corridor. Given that he was rubbing his belly in satisfaction, it seemed like he just came back after having a satisfying meal.
"Oh! You finally come back? I thought you were going to chat with the old man until tomorrow," greeted David after noticing Shin.
Shin ignored those words and pointed at the empty room. "Did Arthur finish his enlightenment? That is quite fast."
"You bastard! You finally dare to come back!" shouted Arthur as he dashed at Shin while enveloping his fist with a multicolored flame.
Shin's face contorted a little when he saw Arthur charging at him very aggressively before chuckling. "I just came back, but you are already starting a sibling squabble?"
"What a real brother you are," Shin laughed as he welcomed the incoming attack with a punch of his own.
Bang!
The two dashed around the place, exchanging a series of blows without pause. They turned the entire place into a complete devastation and only stopped when they no longer had the energy to continue.
They lay on their back at the center of the destruction that they had created while staring at the sky. There were no stars to see, but the gathering and spiraling clouds that could be seen even in darkness were still something that they could watch.
"Fortunately, we are not in Auntie Jane's garden or else we will be dragged to do another extra job," said Shin as he tried to catch his breath.
"Big Sis is also not around to beat us up," added Arthur as he nodded his head.
After that, they burst into intense laughter that reverberated in the entire place. This lasted for quite a while until they stopped and fell into silence.
They quietly stared at the sky until Shin finally forced out the words that he had been meaning to say since the very beginning. "Arthur-... I am sorry."
Arthur did not immediately reply as he continued to stare at the sky in silence. This lasted for a couple of minutes until he sighed deeply.
Shin was about to say something more when Arthur suddenly opened his mouth. "Do you remember what Dad always said to us when he first sent us to a special operation that required us to participate as undercover agents?"
Shin shut his mouth and waited. He knew that Arthur was finally opening himself up, so he could not disturb him.
He knew from Uno's memory that Arthur had been bottling up since Bernard's death. The only way that this brother of his could do to suppress those surging emotions was to distract himself with intense training in repetition.
Arthur did not have the right person to share this pain or sorrow. He was too scared to open up with his elders, not even his mother. Neither for his big sister as he knew that she was most likely be carry the same pain.
He did not want to further burden them when they were suffering all the same.
There was Leonard, but this guy also had a problem of his own. He also needed to take care of Laura, who was still a very young girl.
The little girl was staying in the Springfield Household after the trio went to the Eastern Sea Region for their studies. After being away from each other, Laura naturally wanted to stick to his brother for as much as she could.
Even if she was being treated very well by the people in the household, Leonard was still different as he was the only family member that she had or knew.
Given the atmosphere surrounding the Springfield Household after Bernard's death, it was natural for Laura to notice that something was wrong, which was why she clung to Leonard for a sense of security.
This left Arthur with no one to talk with.
Shin, who had been with him since they were nine, was different from the others. He was his best friend, a brother, and a rival.
They shared too much to hide anything from each other.
Now that Shin was back, Arthur finally found someone, who could at least listen to him.
With this string of thoughts, Shin listened to Arthur's next words.
"He said that the soldier's greatest honor is to die in battle while holding their head high while protecting something important to them."
"Can I ask you? How are his final moments? Did he die honorably? Did he look heroically just like he always tells us how he would?"
Tears were already gathering at the corner of Arthur's eyes as he continued to ask. "Did he think of us before his death?"
Shin remained silent until Arthur finished all his questions before slightly nodding his head with teary eyes. "Yeah. He is quite the hero that he always envisioned. And-..."
He trailed his words a little as he suppressed his tears. "...-and he said that he was sorry."
......