Chapter 98

Unsung Heroes 4

-:-

The Next Day

Theo’s Company Building

Cafeteria

Theo hated his post-Valkyrie incident life.

Due to the many eyes focused on him and his group, Theo has scaled down all of the fun operations they were doing in order to avoid raising too much suspicion.

Sadly, such a move was futile

The sudden reveal of a massive military power that almost rivalled the local Hero Alliance contingent in terms of strength was suspicious enough.

As much as possible, he wanted to avoid a direct confrontation with the HAA and his ‘recruitment’ drive was a sure fire way to spark the volatile peace he enjoyed at the moment.

While he did have the protection of the Ecclesiarchy and Freyja, he didn't dare get cocky.

As such, Theo abstained from killing these past 2 weeks… and boy was it frustrating.

Fortunately, he had means to prevent his bloodlust from driving him insane.

His primary method was drowning himself in carnal pleasure with his harem.

Though Juno was initially displeased with the sudden pause of the ‘recruitment’ drive, her mood easily brightened with the increase rate of sex.

Nichola, who didn't have Juno’s masochistic endurance, was happy to push as much of her turns to Juno and Pani.

Pani performed her wifely duty with firm dedication.

Unfortunately, her body was that of a normal girl.

Thus she suffered a similar fate to Nichola of fainting from pleasure, then forced awake by pleasure, only to faint from it again.

All in all, Theo could not thank his harem enough for keeping him sane.

The other thing he did to alleviate his dry season was making improvements to his arsenal.

Most of the upgrades were on his Z49 Scout Armor and a gun that was built specifically to be used by his powerful adamantium left arm.

The details would be revealed at a later date.

However, the 2 weeks were not all fun and games.

He attended meeting after meeting after meeting just like any boss of a new company would do.

Theo faced an onslaught of retail deals, trade offers and partnerships that bored the living daylights out of him.

With Agustine Boreal and Pani by his side, he was confident that they were able to make a pretty penny with all of the deals they made.

At the moment, he was attending another meeting.

However, unlike usual, boredom was not on his mind.

The emotion that dominated him right now was fear.

This was the type of meeting that he really really REALLY didn't want to attend, but he knew there was no escaping it.

He had made preparations for this inevitable day. He had scripts, food, distractions, entertainment, and pretty much any trick in the books he could muster ready for action.

All he could do now was power on and hope that he leaves with his pride in tact.

Theo sat on a standard cafeteria long table.

On the opposite side was the Bartholomew and Meredith couple whom he hasn't seen in a couple of weeks.

Sitting right beside them was a thin man in his mid 50s with balding hair, wrinkly complexion and a large scar from the center of his forehead to his lower left lip.

nevertheless , his eyes were filled with wisdom and authority.

This was Danarius Lorne. The father of both Theodore and Bartholomew Lorne

Next to Danarius was a slightly chubby woman of a similar age with white hair and a serene smile. Hidden beneath that calm facade was lethal levels of nagging that would scare off even the devil himself.

This was Christiana Lorne. The mother of the Lorne siblings, and the main reason why Theo was so terrified of this whole meeting.

His father Danarius was a logical and reasonable man. If the facts aligned with Theo’s reasoning, it was possible to come to an agreement.

His mother Christiana, on the other hand, ran on emotion. No matter how well reasoned Theo’s explanation was, she’ll ignore it and just go on nagging.

As such, Theo activated his trump card!

To Theo’s left was Nichola Rasputin in her rose red gothic lolita attire. True to her phobias, she sat very close to Theo and did her very best to make herself look as small as possible by clinging to him.

To his right was Pani in a white business attire that made her look like Zifang highschool girl. Her close proximity to Theo was a clear sign of intimacy between them.

Last but not the least, Juno in her usual sexualized maid cosplay was distributing some good old fashion fried chicken to everyone in the table. After her task, she gave Theo a kiss on the cheek (as per his instructions) and stood behind him like a dutiful maid.

Naturally, this threw off the Lorne family.

“Er… Bro… When did Juno became your servant?” asked the confused Barth.

“Never. I have told her so many times to stop her maid cosplay. She said ‘Understood’.... Then continued to do it anyway… *sigh*.... Do you know how frustrating it is to talk to someone who refuses to listen?” replied Theo

“Hahaha… I see...”

Barth and Mary has long been acquainted with Juno and knew very well how perverted she was.

As such, they instantly knew that the maid roleplay was one of Juno’s many fetishes.

“Theo dear. Can you introduce us to these lovely ladies?” asked Christiana with great interest.

Before Theo could speak, Juno boldly stepped forward and introduced herself.

“It is good to finally meet you mother-in-law and father-in-law. I am Juno Saiga. Theo’s future first wife and self proclaimed sex slave. Please look forward to all the grandchildren I’ll be producing over the years” said Juno

“Oh my! I think I like this girl!” replied Christiana with glee.

Just as Theo planned.

One of his mother’s main desires in life was to take care of her grandchildren.

It’s a cultural thing.

Originally, she hoped that Barth and Mary were the ones to provided her with her dearest wish, but such a thing did not happen despite the couple being married for a few years now.

She has pretty much given up on holding her grandchildren in her arms… until now, that is.

This was a perfect smokescreen to shield Theo from any incoming nagging.

And of course, this was not the end of Theo’s plan.

“Nichola Rasputin…. Second Wife...” said Nichola while still clinging to Theo’s arm.

Pani quickly followed suite.

“A pleasure to meet you Mother and Father. I am Panonima ibn Hayyan or Pani for short. I am officially the Third Wife. I, along with my fellow wives, are hard at working making an heir to the bloodline. I ask that you bless our children when the time comes” said Pani

Pani was more than capable of speaking normally, but preferred the more robotic style in most cases since she was used to it.

Anyways, Theo’s mother was ecstatic. The chance of cuddling with her grandchildren shot up considerably.

Denarius, on the other hand, was a bit confused.

“Er… Is this for real? I thought these ‘harem’ things only happens on those cartoons Theo liked to watch” Denarius asked Barth

“Hahaha. We’ve been here in the Commonwealth for a while now. I’m sure you’ve seen some stuff that are normally unacceptable back home. The whole harem thing is one of them.” replied Barth

Denarius silently nodded in understanding.

After immigrating to the Commonwealth, the Lorne family experienced culture shock after culture shock.

Though they have questioned the sanity of many of the Commonwealth natives, they knew that everyone has their own way of doing things.

All the Lorne family could do was adapt and carry on.

“I see. I understand…. Actually, I don't, but that doesn't matter now. Let’s move on to the main event. Kid you know why we’re here, right?” said Danarius in a serious voice that plunged the room temperature to freezing.

“Of course father. It’s about the people I killed.” replied Theo.

“Good. Let’s not beat around the bush. What’s your explanation?”

Theo took a deep breath before going through one of the many scripts he has prepared for this encounter.

“The things you have heard in the news is largely accurate. What I did was purely for self preservation purposes…. Though I think that’s not what you want to hear, right?”

“Correct. ‘Why’ did you kill people? I’m pretty sure we didn't raise any of you as someone who doesn't value human life.” replied Danarius

“Because I am weak.” said Theo much to the Lorne Family’s confusion.

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Normal Superheroes will be able to survive a gunshot to the gutt or walk off a punch that has the impact of a wrecking ball. Either one of those will instantly end me.” said Theo “While I do have combat training, I’m an auxiliary. I was never meant to fight in the front line.”

“Yet based on what we have seen in the news report, you killed quite a lot of people by your lonesome”

“Of course I did. It was in order to survive…. Tell me father, if you were in the situation I was, how do you get out of it alive without killing anyone? If I shot them in the hand, they’ll just use the other one and shoot back. If I knock them out, they’ll try and get revenge with Barth and Mary as a potential link they can abuse. Naturally, anything less than my best against the Norscan Warriors and the Valkyries is suicide. And I had to do these things when the Superheroes threw me to the wolves. Once again I ask, how do I survive without killing anyone?” said Theo with passion.

This was the crux of his script.

Aside from Mary, none of the Lorne family had any training or experience in life or death combat. By driving this fact like a stake through their hearts, Theo could forcefully shut this dialogue down.

True enough, the Lorne family was silent on this one.

“And what about this massive military of yours?” asked Danarius.

“None of this is mine. 3 friends of mine were kind enough to help me in my time of need. These 3 are Korlo Nosferatu, the guy people call the Machine God and him.” said Theo as he pointed ‘The Boss’ who was reading a book in the corner of the cafeteria.

Naturally, the Z49 was being worn by a robot that equalled Theo in his physical dimensions.

“I wouldnt have survived that day without their help.” Theo added.

Danarius made a difficult face but nodded in understanding.

“Did they ask anything from you?” asked Barth.

“Of course they did. The Boss asked for a salary. He is a mercenary after all. The Machine God asked to me to fabricate items that will help in his repair. Nosferatu, on the other hand, has been your typical vampire. He’s being mysterious for mysterious sake. He told me that I’ll owe him one.” replied Theo.

“And that doesn't worry you?” asked Danarius

“Of course it does... *sigh*.... I know he’ll make me do something stupid, but what choice do I have? I didn't want to die.”

Once again, everyone was silent.

Everyone fears death.

And Theo was forced to go through such life threatening events multiple times.

Who were they, people who lived in peace, to judge what Theo would do to survive?

Theo couldn't help but pat himself in the back for a well played script. His family was reacting exactly as he had planned.

As the awkward silence extended long enough, Theo decided to throw in his ace.

“Hey dad. Remember that dream of yours of owning a supermarket? What if I told you I can make it happen?” asked Theo which instantly brightened Danarius’ mood.

“Oh? Do tell.” Danarius leaned closer.

And just like that, Theo successfully diverted his family’s interest from the skeletons in his closet while keeping them happy.

He may not be the best manipulator out there, but this was definitely a job well done.