4.2

In the Harvest’s household that evening, dinner took place silent manner, the lack of voices was such that the clacking of utensils were the only sounds that filled the air.

“So… When are we going to address the situation? Aren’t you guys Meli’s parents? Shouldn’t my little sister be taught to have table manners?”

The comment came from Miril with a slam of his fist onto the table.

His eyes twitched at the sight of his little sister clingling onto John, her face filled with uncertainty, not responding to anyone except for John.

“Miros…” Itzella tugged at her husband’s sleeve.

“Ah, sure thing,” Miros nodded then turned towards him. “Listen closely Miril, don’t panic for what I am about to tell you. But earlier, your sister Meli almost got herself killed—”

“WHAT!?” with a shout, Miril stood from his chair, lowered his gaze and stared and John. “Are you saying that John stood there and did nothing, just because he has that healing magic, he let her got hurt!?”

Mera who sat across him shook her head.

“This is why we didn’t want to tell you...idiot.”

“Huh!? I heard that, Mera! Who do you think is the idiot here!? Am I the only one who is concerned about my family’s well being? Why are all of you being calm about this?”

“You are scaring Meli, you moron.”

“I am not—”

“Don’t be rash son, listen to the full story before coming to any conclusions would you?”

“Rash? I rather be rash than to be cold like him,” Miril pointed a finger at John who barely reacted to him. It was certain that John was the reason that everyone in the room was being calm about Meli being hurt.

“I am so sorry John, this is how he is when it comes to his sisters.” Itzella bowed her head and apologized.

“This idiot brother of mine, one moment you think he is competent, the next he will show you his dumb self.”

“It’s fine, he will understand it when I explain—”

He cut John off before he started, “What do you mean explain!? Do you have anything to say for yourself, subjecting my sister to that kind of horror?”

I heard you earlier today! You said you were a demon yourself! Miril silently thought to himself.

He did not hear much about John’s conversation with Mera, and for all he knew it might as well be a figure of speech when John referred himself as a demon, but for someone to use that vocabulary was all he needed to deem John to be untrustworthy.

“Horror— What’s is wrong with you today, Miril?”

John squinted his eyebrows at the fuming Miril, “I didn’t do anything to abandon Meli. In fact, I literally—”

“What did you do, John? Tell me, because I am dying to know! Did you use demon powers again!?”

“…”

John kept quiet.

“What’s that?” Miril cupped a hand to his ear at his silence. “Does that mean you are guilty? I knew you were that—”

“Son! You better watch your attitude! You are being extremely rude everyone, not to mention John who had done nothing wrong! One more thoughtless word from you—”

“...I-it’s m-my fault.” Unable to bear his outrage any longer Meli timidly spoke up. “Because of me, brother John had to have swords on his back… I am sorry for not being c-careful, don’t shout at brother John… It was me… I was the one. If not for him…”

Meli shook her head and buried her face on to John’s sides.

“She was almost hurt because she knocked into a badly placed weapon barrel. John took the blow for her, now can you stop being ridiculous, Miril?”

“I-I…” Miril stuttered. He looked to his mother who then nodded Mera’s words. “T-that’s…” he slumped to his chair and had an empty gaze.

I was wrong? I… He was just being harsh on himself when he spoke to Mera?

“Say you are sorry to John,” Mera spoke. “I don’t know why you are acting rotten today, but to accuse John of something that he didn’t do, t-that… That is not fair to him.”

Collapsed in his seat, Miril blinked uncontrollably, mouth bobbed and closed like a fish all while the realization to what he did still seeps into his mind.

John returned tending to Meli who had two of her little arms wrapped around his left.

“Meli, you have to eat too,”

She nodded and moved her free hand to bring the thinly cut potatoes to her small mouth, chewed slowly before she swallowed.

Minutes passed as he comforted the still fearful Meli before Miril decided to speak up.

“J-John I apologize, that was uncalled for, I didn’t know that you put yourself in danger for her. I thought you were—”

“Sure. No worries.”

“I took you for a monster. I am really, really sorry. To think that you have already healed my mother—”

“That is enough. I don’t want to hear it,” he dismissed Miril coldly and shut the boy up. “Just… Just have your meal alright? Things like this happen, just don’t repeat it.”

After dinner was finished, John did his dish duty alongside Meli.

Meli was atop a stool in the kitchen as he brought in the last of the dirty dishes, busied her little hands with soaping the dishes, showed no signs of leaving until the job was done.

“You still want to stick beside me?”

Meli gave a small nod.

“You don’t have to do my chores for me you know? I was the one who offered to do today’s dishes. I won’t chase you away if you aren’t doing anything.”

She shook her head in persistence. John sighed and turned on the water, let it rinse through the dishes while the little girl assisted him in silence.

When the last plate was scrubbed and cleaned, and he had dried them, Meli hesitantly called out to him, eyes still downcast.

“Brother...John?”

“Hmm?”

“Am I a bad girl…?”

“Why do you say that?” he titled his head.

“I caused everyone to shout. Especially brother Miril, I never saw him that angry before… Everyone was making bad faces too… Sister Mera…she looked so sad…”

Ah, she’s been observing….

John stopped to what he was doing and turned towards her.

“That’s how things go Meli. Not everyone would get along all the time. Even with people you are close with. A-at times...even they would do things that we don’t like,” his still voice, almost cracked as something stirred in him.

“But I don’t want that to happen with brother John and me… Or everyone else. Why can’t everyone get along?”

Because that’s how thing’s are? Because people are selfish? Because reality is cruel? Because of self interest? I...

John fell silent.

Like mood swings, the answer to why malice or conflict exist an answer was nowhere to be found. Nor there was a specific reason for each person’s self interests and personality, everything in life contained more uncertainties than he would liked.

Just like what happened with Alwin Zinrelle and the incident with the elves, he could understand their actions.

But things like the sudden change in Alwin’s attitude when they encountered the dragon was something he could not wrap his head around.

Did the elf tried to save him out of sympathy? Was it because the Elder Dragon was something that required their cooperation to escape from? Or was it because of the ‘friendship’ they had in the past?

Why redeem oneself in his eyes moments before death? To do the rightful thing when what lead up to that situation was a path of sin?

Those questions were beyond him.

Looking back at it, he was relieved that Alwin did not live through the encounter with the Elder Dragon. The bitterness and animosity that Alwin once hidden and had against him perished along with the elf’s death.

He needed not to worry about what his best friend once thought.

“I don’t know myself… People are weird. One day they are your best friend, your admirer, your tribe, your beloved, the very next you see them staring at you like a stranger, with cold empty eyes. And all the things that you have done for them…all disappears in their face.”

“Brother John…”

“But Meli, you don’t have to worry about that. I promise that no matter what happens, your family—if you include me—would never abandon you. Fights like these are just part of life.”

“Then...then, am I a good person that is not hated by my family?” she looked earnestly at him, wanting his to confirmation.

“You are a good girl, Meli. I wouldn’t hate you, I don’t think anyone would. Miril is just in that phase where he likes to shout, I used to be like that myself, you know? I would scream and overreact at something as small as someone sneaking into my room, even though it wasn’t the first time that person has done so. Haha…”

“Oooh…. Does this mean that brother John won’t scream if I sneak into your room?” her eyes sparkled at the inception of that idea.

“I don’t think I want that, Meli. That is kinda scary, creepy even.” John pressed his lips together, he should have kept quiet about that incident after all. After all, that specific idea was thought up by a girl who was around Meli’s age when it first got implemented on him.

Undoubtedly, the thrill of doing something cheeky like that would excite little Meli.

“Whaaaat? Brother John, you liar! You said you would be my husband, and as your young wife, I should share a bed with you like mommy and daddy. Hmph! ” she pouted, tucked her arms.

“Wait, wait. Hold up, when I said family, I meant as what you call me ‘Brother John’ not that kind of family.”

Meli plugged her ears.

“La la la! Brother John is a Liar! Liar, liar, explode in fire! La la la! Brother John is a liar…” continued her chant as she shook her head stubbornly at his rejection.

“You are just a little girl— It’s good to see you back to your own self, Meli.”

“… go explode in a fire!”

John rolled his eyes at the little girl for her childish nuance as she repeated it beside him, relieved that she was no longer by affected by the trauma.

“Brother John, brother John,” no longer chanting with plugged ears, Meli slowly buried her cheeks in his arm like a harmless kitten, rubbing her face from left to right, made sure her soft motion was transmitted to him.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Miros and Itzella remained by the dining table gave out a sigh of relief as they heard their youngest daughter chanting happily about John.

“He might be better than you at looking after our daughter, Miros.”

“Nonsense, if only I was younger, I can assure you that Meli would be laughing even on the way back home if was there,” Miros boasted with Itzella’s brown hair twirled between his fingers “That said…did you hear what he said earlier?”

Itzella nodded, she knew what her husband was referring to, the part where John made a reference to his past. It was unintentional but while the two couple was enjoying each other’s company they overheard his conversation with Meli.

“That kid, he been through some things. You might not have seen it, but the first few days after your illness was healed… I heard muffled screams from his room late in the night.”

“Miros, that’s his business. You shouldn’t have…”

“I know, I know. I was just curious, he stopped doing it after the third night and I made sure to not ask him about it. Miril, however, was harsh towards John in the beginning. They resolved it almost immediately back then, but…”

“The sudden outburst earlier.”

“Yeah… Miril has a complex about how his sisters should be treated. Hahaha.”

“Miros, that was beyond his normal jealousy. Even if it was that stage of his life, he shouldn’t be that rude. There is a limit to what he does, you have to tell him that.”

“John dealt with it like a gentleman and Miril even apologized on his own accord. I guess that kid does know a thing or two when he asked us to let him handle Miril alone”

“That’s true. But I worry about Miril, about how he will be when he leaves home. Will he treat others like he did today? I know he realized his mistake in the end but I have to consider that for him.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he—”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The door to the entrance resounded loudly.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Coming!”

Itzella got off his lap and Miros quickly went towards where the loud banging was. His face switched to a stern one as he unlocked the door, preparing himself to give a piece of his mind to the guest if it was who he thought it was.

“Who is it this late? If it’s the taxes, I have paid them. You—”

Miros stopped short when saw the person standing at the entrance.

It was man in a uniform, his breast pocket was sewn with an intricate design of an eight legged star.

Miros’ eyes opened wide. The guest at his doorstep meant business, the only explanation that someone like this was here was because they were here on enrollment matters.

The guest was someone who had relations to the well known magic academy which Dezarith Empire had established, where its sole purpose was to nurture talented individuals with the promise of having a glorious future.

A prestigious place where the heroes that belonged to the empire had attended and graduated from, where becoming a student of the academy meant obtaining equal status as the nobles.

The polished shoes, presentable clothes and the sturdy coach in the distance.

There was no doubt about it, this person was from that academy.

“E-excuse me is this the Harvests household?” albeit out of the breath, the man placed a hand at his chest, taking deep breaths as he desperately tidied his unkempt uniform.

“This is the right place, may I help you?”

“I am looking for John Sarvod. I am here on behalf of his Emperor to extend an invitation to Moxnet Academy, where he would be trained to be the elite among elites.”