“Thank… you gods. Oh, gods... My children… Olivia, Elena…”

Elliot couldn’t help but feel awkward, seeing the grown man sobbing as he held as many of his kids as possible. At least he was faring better than his wife, who was basically draining all the water in her body through her eyes as she somehow crushed her children tighter in between her arms than her warrior husband. Altogether, the parents had formed an inpenetrable ring around the children, leaving them unable to escape the crushing hugs from both, much to their children’s discontent.

At least it was heartwarming. They all genuinely cared for each other, just like his family… Ok, maybe they were a bit sappier than his family but he could still see the resemblance. He turned and waited at the back of the carriage, not wanting to ruin the moment. It wasn’t too long, and Frederick eventually stood up and walked over to him. Considering the grin on his face, he must have been really happy to see his family again. He’d have to act properly enthused as well. When the noble turned to him, he smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t lose your children. If we hurry we can make-”

He didn’t expect the big man to pick him up in a huge hug. He almost thought he was being attacked since the strength of it was enough to crush a normal man’s ribcage into pieces. The man’s gruff voice was falling apart, though, the emotion in it clear. “I owe you my life… and my children’s. I heard from them what you did. Had it not been for you they would have starved on the road. Or worse, taken and killed…” Elliot begged to differ, the whole bunch had actually made it pretty far without his help. With the help of the little girl Elena, they would have definitely found themselves a way back home. He was sure of it.

Before he could say that, though, he was let down, and the man placed a hand on his head in approval. He’d have shoved it aside if it wasn’t for the fact he needed a ride. “You did a great deed today, boy. I will make sure to see you repaid when we get home.” Bingo, Elliot gave a warm smile, looking as innocent as possible. If he was able to use their carriage at least for the next town over, he wouldn’t starve. “Where are you guys headed, anyway? Do you think I can catch a ride?”

Frederick smiled widely. “Do I think!? Elliot, it would be a privilege to have you by our side. Our home in Ooraville is quite a far path away, so feel free to join us and take your-”

“Ooraville!? You’re headed there!?”

Elliot stepped forward commandingly, his charm stat mixing with the star symbol in his eyes to form an almost mystical effect. The world around him slowed, and the dust underneath them glistened and swayed ever so slightly, almost unnoticeable.

Almost.

It wasn’t until he saw the cautious look in the father’s eyes that he realized he was being too intense. The power in his eyes faded along with his thoughts, the ground around them finally settling. He took a step back apologetically scratching the back of his head and smiling apologetically. “Ah, I was… Sorry about that. You’re headed to Ooraville? I… was also trying to get there. I was looking to find a… a family member there.”

The noble smiled, wary of him now but still seemingly gratuitous enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. Elliot was thankful for that. He clapped his hands, turning to Elliot and then at his children. "Ah! Well, perfect! We'll head there right away! Kids! Our savior is coming with us! Behave properly, or you’ll be wishing he hadn’t returned with us. Wha- Hey! What did I say!” The kids didn’t bother listening to him in their excitement, running up to Elliot with shining eyes.

He couldn’t help but feel the warmth of such a welcoming hug, only to have it snuffed out inside of him. The kids looked up at him with glee, and some of the younger ones had even tried to climb up on him, much to their father’s dismay… and yet, why couldn’t he bring himself to feel amused? It wouldn’t do to make them feel bad, though, so he put on a smile and grabbed the youngest one, a boy with long hair that drooped over their eyes, and placed them on his shoulder, much to their squealing amusement.

The father seemed to sigh in relief when he saw Elliot treat the kids well. “I… I truly apologize for their rambunctious behavior. I’ve yet to truly educate them on such matters. Though…” He picked one of the younger ones up and pressed them against his face, earning their disappointed groaning. “...now that I experienced what it was like to lose them, I wouldn’t trade this moment for the world.”

Elliot just smiled, unsure of what to say over such a heavy thing. He’d thrown himself into training after he’d heard Keyla had died, shutting himself away from everyone else in a fit of anger and desperation. The only thing that kept him going even now was the fact that his sister’s body was out there somewhere… and that he would bring her home at all costs.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

After that…

He felt a hand on his shoulder, breaking him free of that vicious train of thought. “Are… you ok? Bah! I told you kids that you were annoying him! Enough!” With a large hand, Frederick waved away his children, who all cried in annoyance as they were batted away from Elliot’s still body. They all ran to their mother, who was cleaning up around the carriage. For a moment, Frederick and Elliot just watched as the lady helped each and every child up onto the carriage, a kind smile on her face as she did so.

She seemed to have gotten a bit more calm, which honestly surprised him. “Do you… think they’ll be fine? …your wife, I mean.” Frederick gave him a confused look, before realization hit him. “Ah! Do you think my wife was put off by the violence?” He laughed, putting a hand on his forehead as if that was the most ridiculous thing in the world. “No, My boy! She was devastated because of the children, same as I was.”

For a moment, the air turned cold around the noble, and Elliot fought to keep himself from backing away. “The bastards… had told us they’d been killed. That it was my… that it was our fault they died. I fell into a violent rage but my dear wife… Lorain. She’s a healer, you know?” Elliot’s eyes widened in shock, wasn’t that a five-star class!? And a healer of all things… How important was she!? Healing type classes were considered above even the rarest combat classes, and they were usually the ones who stayed in battle the longest… Frederick nodded, seeing the look of horror on Elliot’s face.

“She’s seen terrible things… people that looked as if they’d been pulled apart, horrible poisons, terrible deformities… She barely talks about it, but I’m sure she has had her fair share of violence in this world… She always attempted to heal them all, even when their deaths were certain. But…” He turned, looking back at the last child that had been put into the carriage, moments before Lorain clmibed in herself. “You can’t cure the dead. I’m sure she knows that better than even I. When she heard about our children…”

Their voice trailed off. Elliot felt lucky in that regard, since he couldn’t hear any more. It was bringing up memories that he wished never reappeared. His sparring with Keyla, the moments she’d shown her care towards him in subtle ways… The moments where he would brag about her to the town, talking about how his sister was meant for greatness…

Frederick seemed to snap out of his stupor, and looked at Elliot with shock. “Ah! P-please don’t mind my rambling. Let’s get going before nightfall comes once more.” Elliot nodded, looking at the orange sky before remembering to ask the question that had been lingering on his mind all this time. He looked at the carriage, and the passerby’s inside as they humbly waited for it to start magically moving.

“...So, how will we move the carriage without a horse?”

______________________________________________________________

This was… embarrasing.

The carriage was moving without a hitch, its wheels turning with an almost magical smoothness despite it being made of only wood. It must have been some type of magic, Elliot assumed, since neither he nor his past life knew anything about the world’s magic system. If it was, it probably meant that this was quite a fancy carriage. It didn’t really make him feel any less shamed for what he was doing, though. In the back, he could hear frederick laugh, as well as the excited chatter of all of his children. It wasn’t until they turned to shout at him that he bothered to make conversation.

“Wow, boy! How old did you say you were!? Even an ogre would struggle with all of us on here!” He just smiled, getting a better grip on the rails of the carriage to pull it along. It was made for a horse, not a human, so he was forced to take a wide-armed stance as he pulled it along. He could have pulled along the horses reigns, but he’d have rather died than take that last, shameful leap from his humanity.

The carriage was massive, he realized now that he was pulling it firsthand. It was enough to hold all of the family’s belongings in the back while keeping the Axor family relatively comfortable, despite their rather large numbers. He watched as they bumbled around inside, the kids fighting over the things in his bag. All the while, the woman known as Lorain was chastising them, taking away the bottles from their hands as another brat secretly went behind her back to steal some more.

It was a wholesome, comforting moment for the family… so why was he out here acting like a pack mule?

He sighed, deciding it was best to recede into his mind for the moment. For now, he would think about why this had happened to them in the first place. It wasn’t just a passing robbery, or even a small attempt at murder… They were being forcefully kidnapped for a reason, and considering what the two were saying, it must have been for more than money. This was a prepared assault on this family…

He looked back, watching them as they continued their merry talk. Did they know about this? He was scared to ask, especially since it could have been something he wasn’t supposed to know about. He recalled the portly, armored knight he’d killed talking about something called the “Damned Raised Kin”, how he was apparently siding with them since he had helped out the noble. How did that even fit into the situation?

…How did he fit into this situation?