Chapter 357 Mission"I... would like to refrain from speaking about that until we have further knowledge on the subject," Hyst's father suddenly exclaimed, turning away once again.
'What? How does he expect me to help him in this situation if he won't even tell me everything I need to know.'
"I know how that may sound, but just need you to trust me. To even account for that horrible possibility in this situation is wishing for the worst. Instead, I will tell you the actual relevant information that will help you the most."
"Alright," Lyrian firmly stated, temporarily shrugging off that fact, "Who is it that's being kidnapped that it's such a big deal?"
The entire family was slightly taken aback to hear this.
"I-im sorry, If I came off in a way that made it sound like we only called you because people important to us have gone missing, then that's not it at all," Hyst's father exclaimed. "We care about both the civilians and more important persons equally, you see."
"Then, who was it? The ones that have gone missing? A few civilians?" Lyrian asked, thinking, 'If it was just a few unimportant peasants, they wouldn't have called for Anaviotis to assist them.'
Hyst's father hesitantly replied, "Although it looks bad on our part... in this case, the people reported missing are indeed higher status. They are some of the most prominent students with the most potential in our Dra-Kara Magia Academy. Evidently, they come from noble households."
'I knew it...' Lyrian said to himself, "How many were taken? Do we have more information on this?"
"Y-yes," Hyst's father exclaimed, continuing.
He went on to say how the kids were reported missing only outside of the kingdom, while on hunts and other adventures.
There were 5 reported missing in total, and all of them were linked because they disappeared around the same time.
Along with that, however, some villages nearby--outside of the walls of the kingdom--were getting pillaged slightly as well in the night.
Smaller cities and villages bore no immediate help.
There were also unregistered citizens getting captured from these villages, but the number was unspecified, as Hyst's father admitted that they hadn't gone into detail in their investigation of it all yet.
But, Lyrian surmised that it was because they couldn't care to spend their materials investigating peasants living outside the walls, and instead put it all into the 5 missing noble kids.
At the end of it all, Lyrian understood his job. It was to find out why they were missing, bring them back, and to also end these disappearances and attacks once and for all.
At the end of their discussion, Hyst's father proposed Lyrian a place to stay, "Please, feel free to stay in the main guest room. Nissa will show you the way there."
He gestured to a maid who stood near the exit of the room.
Lyrian looked at her, and then looked back at Hyst's father, who humbly spoke, "Feel free to use this home as your own."
Along with that, his wife politely exclaimed, "We know you come from... a more humble background, so don't be worried to ask us for anything."
After a short pause, Lyrian exclaimed, "That's fine. I'll be staying alone somewhere else."
"Oh..." Hyst's father sounded a bit disappointed, "But, please. Everything here is of the best quality in the entire city! I urge you to stay." Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.
"No... that is alright. It's not because I don't want to stay here, but I know I'll be able to work and think better alone." Lyrian replied before standing up and walking out of the room.
They stared at him as he put on his hood and exited.
What Lyrian said was true, but there was also another reason for him not wanting to stay there.
'If they don't want to reveal their secrets to me, then that means they don't trust me for some reason. Staying in a home like that would only cause disaster for me. I'll stay alone... everything will be better that way.'
He thought this to himself as he exited the mansion.
Seconds after Lyrian left, Hyst's father dropped onto the couch.
"I... am a damn failure." He exclaimed, utterly disappointed.
"All I had to do was sound trustworthy... kind... at least like a normal damn human being! Instead, I made him think we only valued nobles, and that we didn't give a shit about our more unfortunate citizens."
He spoke with eyes void of emotion, staring blankly into the wall.
"No, Father! It isn't like that at all though!" The 17-year-old teenager exclaimed, as his father looked at him, "No matter what anyone thinks, the fact of the matter is that you have tried your best to help everyone, and the stress of it all has been almost killing you at this point. You have worked harder than anyone to solve this thing, so you shouldn't blame yourself right now."
"Oh, you fool!" His father suddenly exclaimed, "Who cares what I've done and how hard I've worked! No matter what anyone thinks? Is that what you said!? You ignorant boy! When will you learn that you need others in life! If that boy decides to not help us, this
whole city might fall, and then maybe even the kingdom next!"
The father shouted, veins nearly popping out of his forehead.
"Calm down, father." Hyst quickly came to his side, waving his hand to provide his father some cool brushes of wind.
"Although what Vila says is undoubtedly stupid, he isn't wrong when he says that you are stressing too much over this. You need to let yourself relax some more..." Hyst said, a tinge of worry in his tone.
"Mother... the thing you said at the end." Hyst suddenly turned toward his mother--a serious expression donning his face, "It was absurdly foolish."
"Hey... don't talk to your mother like that." Hyst's father exclaimed, laying back on the sofa with his eyes closed.
"No." Hyst retorted, "You handled it wrong. That is true, no matter which way I say it, politely, or rudely. Right now, I feel like saying it rudely, because that is not how you talk to people. You may have just made him double as angry with us as he was before, do you understand that?"
His mother couldn't say anything back for a while, "I-I was just trying to be nice."
"The boy has climbed, using his own two hands, a mountain so tall that we can't even see the damn summit from where we stand!" Hyst suddenly exclaimed, his tone surprisingly loud.
His father opened his eyes to look at him, slightly surprised by how loud he was.
Hyst finished his sentence, "Do you think he would want your pity now?"