Chapter 32 - 『Twin Appropriation』

The sun was setting. The temperature outside wasn't all that bad, but it wasn't especially warm out. Looking to the sky, one may just see the stars peeking down at the mortals below.

Jack walked beside the small human girl, her hair shifting ever so slightly with every movement she made. He'd watch her from the corner of his eye, something which kept a smile across his lips.

Soon enough the two were making their way to the front gates of the property.

Eve and Shizu were watching quietly from the rooftop, having climbed up there to get the full scape of the place. There seemed to have been a large pool to the north of the property. Though it wasn't filled with water and seemed to be filled with dirt, broken branches and leaves.

Imina, Termite and Goltron gave them a wave as they passed them by.

Arche returned the gesture and Jack simply nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Without a fuss they made their way out onto the streets of Arwintar, the Capital of the Empire. Their destination, the Furts Manor. The fact that their daughter had to drop out of school in order to support the family, was horrible enough.

Yet Jack could see the direction this was going in, especially after hearing the things Arche had said. If they couldn't pay the debt, it was likely the sisters would be collateral. It made sense, since slavery wasn't illegal here. Taking children and making them work, in any shape or form of slavery, was preposterous to Jack even though he knew it happened practically everywhere on Earth. Even if it wasn't in the plain sight of others, it was always there.

As they walked the streets, his eyes gazed upon elves which were placed on auction stages in the city market. Slaves, of every shape and size, there were plenty of them. However the first thing he noticed, was the fact that some of the elves' ears were clipped.

It was a sickening sight as the tips were still red from where they had been trimmed.

Jack held back however, stopping himself from reaching out to heal them. They were considered property in this nation. So as he turned his eyes forward just moments after making eye contact with a young elven girl who was covered in slashes from a whip.

His upper cheek twitched slightly. This place looked prosperous, but that was mostly for the humans, right? In YGGDRASIL, Elves were considered part of the human race, just with the cosmetic differences and lore.

The two of them continued to walk in silence for a time before reaching the front of what looked like a fenced in property.

A sizable manor was before them. Just like the city, the country, the exterior looked relatively nice. Though it was quite clear it had fallen into disrepair. It was only made to look nice and expensive like anything else owned by a noble, nothing more.

Jack would definitely give them the business card for his therapist in the other world, but that wouldn't be any use here, and he didn't quite remember the information.

Shaking his head mentally, he let Arche lead him through the front gates towing him by his hand.

Just when they were about to knock on the front door, it opened. Standing in the doorframe was a young man who appeared to be blushing the moment he saw Arche. Oddly enough, he was wearing an eye patch. Judging by his appearance, Jack could only assume he was the same age, sixteen or seven years old.

The boy had a sickly pale skin tone, and he looked like he hadn't slept due to the bags under his eyes. It was clear he was overworked, or he used magic until complete exhaustion.

"Oh, hi Jet..." Arche blinked seeing the young man there, "How's your mom doing?"

Jet went to speak but paused as he was looking at the hand that was holding hers, his one visible eye scrolled over and locked onto the face of Jack's. "She's… Still bedridden."

"Oh?" Jack stepped forward slightly, the young man seemed to be blocking the door unintentionally.

Jet's eyes wandered back on over to Arche, someone he saw as his beloved individual, though they weren't an item. His mother had worked for her family since prior the fall of the noble house.

"You have my condolences..." Arche frowned with her eyes as she let out a sigh. Looking up to Jack, "His mother who works for us has an incurable disease..."

Jack slowly nodded at this, he could only assume though is that a higher tier healing spell needed to be used in order to cure Jet's mother. Though he of course, said nothing of the sort, just acknowledged it.

"So what's with the eye patch?" Jack asked as he'd reach forward in an attempt to touch it.

Arche reached out with her other hand and lowered his arm to his side. "Don't remove the patch."

Jack raised a brow at this, why didn't she want him to see beneath the patch? His eyes then traveled over to Jet who reached up to remove it anyways. Ignorant of the fact that Jack in front of him was not human and hiding his true form from those whom were around him.

The moment Jet had removed his eye patch, his jaw nearly fell off its hinge. Standing beside Arche was a man with a bright halo wearing unmarked holy robe-like extensions on his already visible armor. Though he couldn't see his wings, it was apparent he wasn't human either but something revered only as holy and divine. Even though it was shrunk in size, he could definitely visualize his true might!

"Who is this…?"

Jack was confused by the sudden change of reaction. At first it felt as if he was jealous of him holding hands with Arche. Now there was a mix of fear and excitement, yet he didn't shake like others had.

"He can see through illusions..."

"Ah..." Jack was tempted to kill him due to the probable threat he'd pose. Yet at the same time, he could very well be an asset. Someone who could see through illusions, could help Nazarick in the long run. So was it just him, or were all the talented people connected together?

"My name is Jack Graham," He introduced himself with a polite forward tilt of his head. His eyes still staring down at the shorter male.

"Jet Testania," the young sir used a casual tone when presenting his name, "What is your relationship with Ms Arche?" His tone had become blatant and worrisome. "I've never seen you before."

Arche coughed slightly, clearing her throat. Taking Jet's attentions back to her, "I'm courting him."

Jet's eyes widened at this, "He didn't trick you into it, did he? Blackmail? Extortion!?"

Jack stared through the young man blankly, a near expressionless look on his own face. "You could see what I am, do you think I would stoop so low as to..."

"You did trick me though," Arche said as he lightly elbowed him with a close-lipped grin.

"And you didn't change your mind," Jack turned his attention over to her as he pulled her in front of him, twirling her before holding her with her back against his chest.

Jet swallowed shallowly before taking a step back, "So… What brings you here…? You're not here to meet her parents, right? Their worse than the dead nobles." His eyes rested upon Arche, "No offense."

"None taken," Arche emptily replied before exhaling in a low groan. "Jack we can't walk like this."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Did you check?"

"… Jack, stop messing around." She lightly knocked the back of her head against his chest plate a few times to usher him into letting her return to his side.

Taking in a sharp exhale, as if his fun had just been ruined, he let out a sigh, "Alright."

As he released her from being held against his chest, she stood beside him, still holding his hand. "We're coming in," Arche informed she moved forward with Jack trailing behind.

Jet stepped aside as the two of them entered the house before closing the door behind them. He looked over towards the family Butler James and just shrugged lightly. The two of them would follow the pair towards the receiving room, which was generally the family lounge.

When they reached the tall doors, Jack would push one of them open with ease using only two fingers.

As the two walked in, the father glanced up from what looked like a bronze bust he was holding in his hands of the previous Emperor. He had blonde hair, much like that of Arche. Jack took in both of the parent's appearances.

The mother looked submissive, but her eyes were filled with the delusion that they were still meant to be that of nobility. His eyes then traveled on over towards the father who was eying his armor.

"What is that…?" Arche's eyes narrowed on the miniature bust in her father's hands.

"It's a bust! I got it for twenty-three gold pieces, a true investment for the family future!"

Jack purses his lips slightly seeing the item in the man's hands. "That's only worth about thirty silvers..." His head tilted to the side slightly. "The material is flimsy. It looks like it was cast from a mold. You can see the areas which were severely sanded down."

The father's mouth dropped open as he heard Jack speak, not waiting to be addressed. "How prudent! How dare a mere commoner address me in such a way! James! See this man out!" The man seemed to snap his fingers in some form of urgency.

"Father!" Arche shouted, her hand squeezing Jack's, he could feel all her muscles tensing up in anger.

Jack simply gave her hand a slight squeeze of his own, causing her to look over at him. "We'll just take your sisters and go. When they finally have nothing left, they'll get what they deserve."

The wife would stand up immediately at the mention of taking her children. "What do you mean take my daughters!? You can't!" She cried out, stumbling forward with her hands submissively reaching out.

The husband was already on his feet, making his way towards the suit of armor in the lounge, grabbing at the hilt. "I will not let you take my family away! We will regain our status once that Bloody Emperor is dead!"

Jack just had this fix frown across his lips as he watched the father struggle to get the weapon free from the statue. It was amusing to watch him as he tugged and tugged on the weapon. "It seems you're unworthy of such a noble weapon."

The man froze at Jack's wording before he turned to look at the man. Armored, but unarmed. "JAMES! Where are you!?" The Butler was hiding outside the door, by the wall beside the room. "Get this man out! NOW!"

Jet was pretty much doing the same as he was listening in on the conversation.

"This would definitely be one of those relationships when the in-laws hate the groom." Jack muttered under his breath before watching as the man pulled the weapon free from the plinth the armor was situated on.

Jack reached out with his free hand, a gate opened up beneath the fallen noble's feet. Falling inside, another gate would open up above the sofa he had once been seated upon and dropped him onto it.

The wooden legs of the sofa on one side splintered and broke. Sending him to the ground, smacking his face into the side of his coffee table.

Everyone present was just staring awe.

"I didn't know you could use that spell to do that..." Arche's eyes were wide, watching as her father was pulling himself back up to his feet.

"YOU BASTARD! You may have talent, shiny armor, but you are no noble! You don't have the tact."

"Huh… Neither do you." Jack yawned lightly before doing it again, this time letting him drop onto the sofa the mother was once seated upon. Again, the sofa's legs would break, but this time it tipped backwards causing the man to roll on the ground.

Arche just stared at her father who was groaning on the ground, the sword laying beside him.

The mother just stood there with her fingers in her mouth, she didn't want to be thrown around the room like a rag doll. Fear, it seems she responded to it rather well.

"Aren't you cute, laying on the ground like that." Jack uttered as he mocked the father before lightly tugging Arche towards the door.

The sound of small feet could be heard making their way down the hall.

So just as they emerged from the reception room, Arche's eyes were resting on her two little sisters. A bright smile forming over her lips as they ran up to her, wrapping their scrawny arms around them.

They looked so much like her with their slightly longer blond hair, blue eyes. They were surely identical too except for the colors of their dresses, which were blue and the other pink.

"Oneesama! Oneesama!" The two five year olds copied one another, eerily.

They were jumping up and down, giggling, their fingers curled into Arche's skirting. When they finally looked up at her, they noted another man with her. Blinking a few times, they curious waddled on over to him.

"Who is this?" Ureirika asked sweetly, her sister Kuuderika echoing just as sweetly after her.

"This is Jack, we're going to be taking you to a new place to live." Arche claimed with a soft voice as she maneuvered herself down to their height, hugging their heads in one arm.

"They're like miniature clone dolls..." Jack muted observed as he watched their older sister pamper them and nuzzle into their faces. He then glanced over his shoulder towards Jet who was approaching them.

Jet proceeded to stand in an upright position directly in front of Jack while Arche remained attentive to her sisters. "Where exactly do you live?" He'd squint slightly at him.

Jack just stared at him for a few seconds before waving his hand slightly, as if he were to do some parlor trick. "『Create Item』" he'd recite, causing a piece of folded parchment to materialize in his hand with his personal stamped blue wax seal.

Jet blinked a few times and accepted the piece of parchment in both hands. "An invitation?"

"It has an address written on it that only you can see, or those with the ability to see through illusions."

Jet nodded slowly and tucked it tightly into his sleeve.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Jack winked lightly to the lad before the four of them made for the door just as the father was regaining his composure. He could hear him shouting in the background, but they were already at the front door and the walls made it hard to hear his exact words.