The blond man - Liym, stood completely silently for a solid five seconds before replying - "What do you mean why? Isn't it obvious?!"

"No! Your family is responsible acts considered evil - why do you want me to protect them?!" I demanded.

"A-are you even human!? - I don't care what they did - I mean... I do, and that's why I want to help you stop them, but they're my family - I don't want to aid in their deaths and I don't want them to die even if I didn't have anything to do with it!"

Again I was confused - what the hell was his deal, I have killed my family members before - sometimes they were evil people, sometimes they weren't... and this man acknowledges their evil... but wishes to protect them?

"If your family became criminals, wouldn't you still cherish them!?" Liym went on the offensive, asking questions one after the other.

"...doesn't it depend on their crimes?"

"Why? What crimes are too much? What about murder?" Liym continued.

Again my head was filling up with confusion - "Wait - no, slow down!"

"What about the motif? What if they broke the law for you? What if you would have gladly broken the law with them? How much of a hypocrite can you be!?"

I grabbed my gun and pointed it towards his head - "Shut, the fuck, up."

The man turned towards me, his face wasn't fearless, his hands trembled and sweat droplets clung to his forehead. "I - I'm sorry, I got carried away..." he said looking sincerely concerned, "But I can't back down - if you want to use your magic tool to kill me then I cannot stop you."

"I don't understand," I replied.

"I don't understand why you value your family this much, so much you'd die for the sake of them, not that your death would protect them..."

"But I would." He argued.

I let out a sigh, "You're either stupid or suicidal, at the very least ridiculously stubborn."

The man smiled a nervous smile - "I've been told that in the past."

I put my gun away - "Alright - as long as they cooperate I won't shoot them on sight." I replied,

"T-thanks I guess!"

"Anyway - take me to your father's room or office or something," I instructed.

"Alright, it's this way..." Liym said before walking further down the hallway - eventually, we came across a large, white door with glass windows - the glass was slightly green and had a bumpy texture making it difficult to see inside.

Liym knocked on the door three times - "Father? Are you in there?" he asked, no reply.

He opened the door and inside was a wooden desk - a fancy leather seat and four bookshelves, two on each side with little cabinets and two paintings - one of the village and another of a group of people - one of the people looked like Liym, aside from him there was also a grey-haired man with a moustache - a black-haired man and a blond-haired woman.

"Is that your family?" I asked looking at the painting.

"Yes, the woman is my mother and the older looking man is my father," he explained - he said looking at the painting fondly.

I walked over to the desk - I opened one of the shelves and found a load of papers as well as a black, leather-bound book.

"A journal," I exclaimed before taking the book and flicking through it.

"Well, what's it say?" Liym asked anxiously looking over to me.

"Yes... it's as I expected..." I exclaimed.

"I-is is that bad?"

"Your father is a registered sex offender and a serial killer to boot," I explained.

"WHAT?!"

"I'm just kidding - I can't read," I explained tossing the book aside.

"...that wasn't funny..." Liym said breathing a sigh of relief.

He walked over to the book I tossed aside, he picked it up and began reading its contents out loud - "Dear diary - today I was visited by Liym, it was nice of him to drop by..."

"Aw, that's nice..." Liym commented upon reading those words.

He continued reading seeing I gave him no reaction to his comment. "Though I wish he could stop dressing up as women..."

Liam's face flushed red - "I mean really, has he no sense of self-respect? Is he punishing himself for some horrible sin by making everyone look down on him?"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Liam's face turned even redder and his voice trembled as he read.

"And we sure do look down on him - I mean, it's difficult since he wears high heals half of the time but-" Liym shut the book and tossed it out the window - shattering it in the process.

Through tears, he said: "No clues here, just... just family business."

"Alright," I replied with a shrug.

"YOU COULD SHOW SOME SYMPATHY!"

"I'd love to - but we're trying to find your father's shady business, I can empathize later."

"You mean it?"

"Absolutely - his crimes aside I feel sorry for your father."

Liym just sat down and rolled into the foetal position before saying: "I'm sorry for existing - maybe I could go bury myself in the fields and help fertilise something, maybe I'd be less of a disappointment..." Liym kept an empty look on his face, accompanied by a forced smile.

"Kay."

I grabbed Liym by the collar and started dragging him behind me as I walked - "His office didn't have anything interesting - take me to his bedroom!" I commanded.

"Just keep going forward... then take the first right."

I followed the direction through the unchanging hallways until I reached a room with large white doors - no windows this time.

I opened the door and found the room empty - nothing but a large bed with bright blue sheets, a wardrobe, mirror and a table with a book and quill on it.

I planted Liym on the chair - "Read it."

"What's the point - I bet it's just more complaints about me..."

"Bold of you to assume your father cares about you that much..."

"..."

"..."

"Just read the fucking book."

Reluctantly Liym started reading - "I was down by the riverbank the other day, I remember going down here as a family a few years back... the truth is that it's quite beautiful here this time of year..."

"See - you're not that important to your father!" I exclaimed as an attempt to cheer the man up.

"..."

"They colourful flowers reminded me of the gay-ass way my son was dressing and as a result, I returned home."

"..."

"..."

"That's a bit... harsh..." I commented.

A knock came from door behind us - it was a man with a deep masuline yet soft voice "Liym? What are you doing in father's office?"

I turned around seeing a large, black-haired man - looking a solid fiver or ten years older than Liym.

"I think this man drained all your masculinity and kept it for himself," I replied seeing his chiselled jawline and the eight-pack protruding through his clothes.

Speaking of which, he wore long black trousers and a button-up shirt.

Despite this - his eyes were cold and open as wide as humanly possible, basing on the fact they were blood-shot, it isn't hard to tell he either never blinked or has recently been stabbed in the eyes.

"Well, I'm out!" I announced getting no reply from Liym - I reached for the gun and shot a fire shot through the windows of the room, I saw the large man charge towards me but in the very last second I found myself in the inn, in the distance echoed a loud noise akin to glass shattering - that muscly dumbass fell out the window...

"Took you long enough!" Uriel complained breathing a sigh of relief.

"Sorry I guess?" I said uncertainly.

"Regardless - did you find anything?"

"Nope - and what's worse the family are all psychopaths..."

"What do you mean, psychopaths?"

"The father hates one of his kids for being a trap - that same kid demanded I don't kill his family EVEN IF they're guilty - plus the older son looked like a human and more like the result of a magician trying to summon satan, but he screwed up and used protein powder instead of bone dust and ash."

"..."

"And they're keeping a dryad captive," I added.

"..."

"I'm pretty sure you're the psychopath..."

"How so?"

"Is it really that hard to understand that he wants his family to survive?! - or is it she? I should ask them..."

"Relax - traps don't have feelings," I replied upon hearing Uriel's confusion.

"I hope you're joking - and even then that was poor taste..." He replied.

"Nothing out of character for me then," I replied.

"That's exactly the problem..." he mumbled to himself.

"I found no dirt - but the dryad said it was the son that was keeping her captive - and judging by the trap's behaviour I'd say it's safe to say it was the muscular man's doing..."

"Would you stop calling the son - 'the trap' ?!" Uriel demanded.

"Woah - relax, I'm just joking." I clarified.

"Yes - I know that - you know that, that poor guy slash girl doesn't!"

"That's what makes it entertaining!"

"..."

"..."

"FINE - I'll call him by name next time I see him..." I relented.

"Good!"

Uriel suddenly looked towards the window and quickly blurted out: "GET DOWN!" before tossing me aside as the glass shattered and a bright light filled the room.

"Yo! Uriel!" a voice said - I opened my eyes only to see a man, or maybe a boy is the better word - he wore brown shorts and a bright orange hoodie with one conjoined pocket in the front. a red shirt was visible from under the hoodie and a head of orange hair was visible poking out from under the hood - his eyes were glowing red - just his retina.

"Gabriel!? What are you doing here?" Uriel demanded.

"Relax, grandpa - I just here because I got bored - I'm just back from Earth actually."

"..."

"Hm? Oh my... is that who I think it is?" Gabriel asked leaning in towards me - "Gabriel!" Uriel barked by was stopped when Gabriel shot him a menacing look - "I'm just here to observe... but you know I have the advantage in here - right?"

"Uriel - is this guy your friend or...?" I asked,

Gabriel made a shocked expression - "What?! He never told you about me?!"

"Nope..."

"It's Gabriel - remember, one of the second-in-command angels," Uriel explained, he seemed concerned.

"I getcha - why does he dress like that?" I asked looking at his clothes.

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked,

"I mean... you look like you're trying to cosplay a wheel of cheese..." I explained.

"What?! I'm sorry for having interesting and vibrant colours!" he exclaimed pointing to my clothes - "A colourblind person'd call you bland-looking!" he argued.

I began staring into Gabriel's eyes and he looked back - it was an intense staring battle.

"You look like an angsty teen and the colour pallet of the Sahara desert."

"Bold words coming from someone who doesn't even have a specified hair colour!"

"It doesn't need to be specified - it's on the cover - unlike yours," I exclaimed smugly much to Gabriel's aggravation, as evident from his twitching eyebrow.

"Yeah? Well, I bet I'd be a more interesting protagonist anyway!"

"Like hell - if someone can relate with you as a character that's a sign of mental illness!"

"THE HELL DOES THAT SAY ABOUT YOU!?"

"What are you two talking about?!" Uriel asked confused.

"SILENCE, BACKGROUND CHARACTER!" we both exclaimed at the same time.

[Please wait - technical issues...]

After a few minutes of arguing...

"Hmmph! Whatever, I'm going to go find my own party - and we're going to have the best adventure!"

"Whatever, orange-boy!"

"SHUT IT, BLANDY"

"Blandy?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Like bland but with a 'y'! NEVERMIND - I'm leaving!"

Gabriel sprouted a large pair of yellow wings and flew out as fast as he crashed into the room in the first place.

"What a prick..." I said with a wry expression.

Uriel breathed a sigh of relief... "We're lucky he didn't try to pick a fight..."

"Is he really that strong?" I asked,

"Yeah - back in heaven he was a member of 'God's Eraser' - like assassins except they'd hunt demi-gods and whatnot."

I let out a sigh - "Stuff's pilling up again..."

"What now?" Uriel asked looking at the large hole in the wall.

"I guess we're going to have to move somewhere else... "I shrugged.

"I meant about the dryads!"

"Ah - well, we'll wait for Lily to come back with the nobles - until then... I guess we should look for a place to say..." I explained before feeling my stomach grumble, "Let's get some food first..."

"I wonder what Lily's up to..." Uriel wondered as he followed by downstairs - meanwhile, I was wondering how I'm going to explain why a chunk of the wall is missing.