The abandoned house provided an excellent resting place for the family. Tiffany was exhausted from casting a major spell during the fight. She took a shower and immediately crashed into the sofa. Bob prepared dinner with Adrian’s and Winnie’s help. Adrian noticed that Bob's hands were covered in bandages. So, he took the initiative to work on chores that would dirty one's hands. In the end, Bob just watched on the side as Adrian took care of most of the work.
Together, they set a table with pork bone soup, pan fried vegetable, steamed chicken, BBQ spare ribs and white rice. They woke Tiffany up for the dinner.
"Our dinner looks amazing, did the two of you prepare it?" Tiffany was delighted by the sight.
"Yes, they did most of the job. I was just watching." Bob commented.
Adrian and Winnie looked very proud as their mother gave them a kiss on their cheeks.
While enjoying their dinner, Adrian and Winnie told Tiffany about how they prepared each of the dishes.
"Mom, you see this bunny carrot? I cut it." Winnie said happily and gave it to Tiffany.
"It looks so cute." Tiffany replied as she ate it with a smile.
"Mom, take more spare ribs. I made it." Adrian then said.
"Sure! These are very delicious." Tiffany said as she ate more.
After dinner, Tiffany went back to sleep. The children washed the dishes and put everything away. After everyone took a bath, Bob, Adrian and Winnie enjoyed some herbal tea and relaxed near the fireplace.
"Adrian, Winnie. Would you like to talk about what happened these few days?" asked Bob.
"Sure." "Ok." Adrian and Winnie answered.
"Let me start with Travis. He was your mom’s childhood friend. I met him several times when I was working with your mom."
"I used to be a Knight Exemplar and your mom was a Knight Commander. She was Saint Joseph's strategist; and I used to report to her under the Saint's command. Unlike Travis, we were not in the Inquisition Squad. We were in an army that defended against the demons on the Kingdom’s southern border. Those demons were from a cult called the United Tribes." said Bob.
"Why did Travis arrest us if you used to be knights?" Adrian asked.
"It is a complicated story. There were rumors about your maternal grandmother being a demon and she was killed before getting convicted. Thanks to your great grandfather Joseph, the matter was closed for a while. However, apparently someone still thinks that your mom needs to be executed because of your grandmother." answered Bob.
"Why did you quit working as a knight to become a farmer?" Adrian asked.
"Many knights died in the war. Your mom and I wanted a peaceful life so we can stay with you and watch you grow up. For that purpose, we gave up our noble titles, bought a land and became farmers." said Bob.
"If you want to stay with us, why are you leaving us?" said Winnie with teary eyes.
"Answer me first sweetheart, why do you need to go to school?" asked Bob.
"To study, so that I can find a good job and live a better life." answered Winnie.
"Right, at that time, we needed to break out of the prison, otherwise we would all be killed. N offered to break us out of the prison for free. However, that also means we would need to leave the Kingdom and become fugitives in the Demon Realm. A fugitive will not be able to study and your life will be hard." Bob said as Winnie looked as if she understood.
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"After hearing my concern, N offered to lend us money to manage legal issues in the Kingdom. He will also send you and Adrian to the best school in the capital. In return, I had to sign a contract and work for him for 15 years." said Bob. "He offered plenty of vacation days. So, I decided to take it. I promise to come back at least once a month. Ok?"
"Ok, pinky promise." Winnie answered as she held up her little finger.
"Promised." said Bob with a warm smile.
"Why did you accept his offer so easily? Why did you trust him?" Adrian asked with doubt.
"I couldn't find a way to get us all out safely. We were really out of options." Bob shook his head for his failure to protect his family from the prison.
"The handcuffs sealed off my Divine Power, so I could not use any spells. I tried to dig our way out of the prison, but it didn't work." Bob smiled bitterly.
Adrian’s chest tightened up as he saw his father’s injured fingertips. The bandages had dried blood on them. It looked like his wounds came open again during the fight. Adrian also remembered that his father had been helping out with manual labor with a straight face in the past several days.
"Does it hurt? It looks very painful." Winnie asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"No, it doesn’t hurt that much." Bob said as he cleaned Winnie’s face gently with a handkerchief. "It's all worth it - we are all safe now." said Bob with a sigh of relief.
"You will burn in hell forever though." said Adrian with teary eyes. "And I am still angry about you dragging me out from the prison." Adrian was very devoted to Goddess Liliana. He would rather die and go to Heaven than to become a demon.
"You see, Adrian." Bob said as he gently patted Adrian's head. "Losing you would hurt me a lot more than burning in hell forever."
"It’s forever! Not just a day or two you know?" tears started dripping from Adrian's eyes.
"I know, don't worry. Nothing would hurt as long as I have you both in my mind. And you will be in my mind forever." said Bob as he gently poked Adrian’s forehead. He then added, "Look at my fingertips. They don't hurt."
"Your arguments are not fair. I hate you, dad." said Adrian as he started crying. Winnie also started crying hugging her dad. He and Winnie could not stop crying. Bob comforted and calmed his children, wrapping them tight in his arms.
After a few moments, the children calmed down.
"Do you know why N called himself a demon?" Winnie then asked.
"To understand it, there is something I need to tell you first." said Bob as he made a serious face. "These are secrets passed down in our family. Don't tell anyone or we may get into trouble."
Adrian and Winnie gulped and focused as Bob continued.
"I have been teaching the two of you about the Goddess Liliana. However, there are many Gods outside of the Kingdom. These different beliefs are also known as different religions."
"I thought all demons are the same." said Adrian.
"No, they aren’t. Just like how you see them as demons, some of them would see you as a demon as well. When we are in the capital, do not talk about Gods or religions at all. Even though everyone acts like they’re believers of Liliana, you never know who they truly are." said Bob with a serious face.
Adrian and Winnie nodded, thinking about Julie. All non-human races were seen as demons in the Kingdom and should be executed on sight. Yet, Julie had been working as a knight.
"The second thing I need to tell you is about our inherited skills. We are all born with special spells. These spells are inherited from our ancestors and their glyphs are ingrained into our body. However, most people either don’t know about them or they are keeping them a secret." said Bob. "The Kingdom considers inherited skills a threat, despite them officially allowing usage of these skills. So, never show yours to anyone. Let me show you mine."
Bob pointed his left hand toward the table and said "Appraisal!" A glyph appeared on his left arm. A few seconds later, a hologram showing details about the table emerged in the air.
"I guess this is called Magic?" asked Adrian with excitement. Goddess Liliana's symbol would appear on top of all Divine Spells. However, the glyph of the Appraisal spell did not contain the Goddess' symbol, which meant it was a Demonic Spell.
"I have no idea." Bob smiled.
"I am showing you the hologram for demonstration, but it is usually invisible for other people." Bob continued.
"Wow! This is so cool!" said Winnie. Adrian also looked impressed.
"I used this skill in secret to check soil acidity, status of our crops and etc. That’s why our farm always did so well. I never dared using it in the city or during my tenure as a knight though." said Bob.
"Does Mom have any inherited skills?" asked Winnie with a curious face.
"Her skill is called Multi-cast. It allows you to cast multiple spells at the same time." answered Bob.
"Wait, Travis seemed to know about Mom's skill. Does the Kingdom know about it too?" Adrian was indeed very obervant.
"Yes, that's partly why we were almost killed." Bob sighed. "The Kingdom has always been looking for a reason to kill us."
"That's why, Adrian, stop saying it is your fault. It actually hurts Mom whenever you say that." Bob gently placed his hand on Adrian's cheeks. "She believes it is her fault that we are targeted, even though she did nothing wrong."
Adrian nodded silently.