Compared to before, when Arthur, Luther, and Max were facing each other. This time, they were all shoulder to shoulder with both arms raised to the sky. Their knees were bent, and they had been sitting on their legs for thirty minutes. Even though Arthur somewhat understood why Max and Luther were being punished, did he really need to be punished as well?

A whistling sound escaped Arthur's lips, resembling a pleasant spring melody as the harmonic tones blended. Luther, who was forced to listen to the whistling sound, gritted his teeth and forced both eyes shut in an attempt to block the noise emitted from Arthur mentally. If it weren't for the overwhelming tension from the person standing before him, Luther would have vigorously shut Arthur's mouth with his bare hands. Meanwhile, Max was enjoying the tune as his body swayed side to side with each note, the polar opposite of Luther.

"I don't know what to say." Carl's glare pierced Max and Luther, who lowered their heads while maintaining their position.

"My Lord-" Sweat dripped across Luther's cheeks as he quickly tried to rectify the situation. His head lowered, and his eyes moved upwards to look at Carl, who had crossed both arms before his chest.

"Don't use my former title; I relinquished that position to my son years ago." The stern answer from Carl made Luther swallow the saliva in his mouth.

The dryness in his throat remained unfazed as Luther glanced over to Max, who stayed silent. A slight guilt filled his heart after receiving the lecture from Carl, who vouched for Arthur's identity. In hindsight, questioning a child wandering the streets may not have been the best action, but he felt it wasn't necessarily wrong.

"You just thought that your actions were correct, didn't you?" Carl nudged the Eastern Guard Captain to place a book on Luther's head.

"No, sir!" Luther felt the increased pressure on his neck while responding to Carl.

"Lying to me as well? You sure have some guts." With another gesture, Carl signaled for the Eastern Guard Captain to place another book on Luther's head. "Captain Dale, is this how you train your men?"

"No Captain Carl Sir!" Dale stood at attention and held an open palm to the side of his forehead with his arm bent at a forty-five-degree angle.

"Really? You held a child in a damp cell for several hours in the night and interrogated him without even checking for his guardian?" The silence that followed Carl's question was enough of an answer as the light in his eyes was set ablaze like fiery embers.

Witnessing this, Arthur attempted to soothe the tension in the air and said, "It's okay, Captain. It wasn't that bad. At least I had a roof above my head."

“Right…right…” Carl sarcastically agreed.

After stroking the end of his beard, Carl nodded furiously, staring at the three guards in the room. He challenged the three to dare speak for themselves as the ferocity from the gaze hinted at the upcoming reckoning they would face. "At least he had a roof above his head. Did you three hear that? I didn't know the standard for the eastern guards was this low."

"Right! How could we forget, Max? Go retrieve some replenishments for our guests." Dale quickly shooed Max to get snacks and beverages for Carl and Arthur but was soon stopped.

"Don't bother, we're leaving." Carl held out a hand to Arthur, who grabbed onto it as he was pulled to his feet. Without looking back, Carl opened the door leading out of the room and said, "Word of advice, Dale, you should look after your men because their actions reflect badly on our entire group."

"Yes Captain Carl Sir!" Dale quickly saluted Carl and ushered Luther and Max to do the same. Once all three respectfully bowed, Carl sighed tiredly and left the building with Arthur.

Each step Arthur took left an echo that paled in comparison to Carl's footsteps. He was lagging behind Carl, but the awkward situation from earlier weighed on Arthur's mind. It had been a long time since someone had gotten that upset for him, so it felt unusual but still pleasant. Noticing the child lingering behind him, Carl stopped and waited for him to catch up. But as soon as he stood still, the footsteps behind him froze.

With both hands held behind his back, Carl gazed forward and asked, "Why are you walking behind me?"

"I thought it would be rude to walk beside you because you're a higher rank, Captain." Arthur looked at the ground with downcast eyes. He hated feeling like a burden, and from the sigh he heard earlier, it felt like Carl considered him one.

"Stop concerning yourself with those formalities. I already told you that most of them are unnecessary." Carl's coarse voice immediately made Arthur quickly shuffle beside him.

Carl inspected Arthur to see if he had any wounds from his captivity but was relieved to see that there wasn't a single scratch on him. Whenever they interrogated someone, there were occasions where it led to a physical confrontation, but thankfully, that didn't happen.

Carl nodded while continuing his stroll and asked, "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"No…I'm not used to people worrying about me. I thought I would be fine walking home alone," Arthur replied.

"What about your siblings? Surely they care about you." Carl asked.

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Arthur gazed into the distance, lost in thought about Raphael and Claire. In truth, they weren't siblings. It was a misunderstanding that Arthur went along with because it was convenient to convince the other guards to help them. But after spending several days with them, he could tell that they were all good-willed by nature. They each had their own flaws but that was what made them human and Carl's kind-hearted nature made him wonder if it was worth trusting him.

Each stone brick they stepped on was neatly aligned with each other and glistened from the gaps between the leaves of nearby trees. A gentle bell echoed through the air as they walked down the street. They were gradually returning to the Western District, and as they drew closer, Arthur felt slightly guilty.

In the end, an awkward laugh escaped Arthur's lips as he walked beside Carl. He scratched the side of his chin with one finger before speaking, "We're not actually siblings."

"You're not?" Arthur's unexpected response made Carl ponder for a moment. Their hair color was slightly different, but their characteristics were the same overall. Maybe it was because they were children and that no distinct features had set in.

"We're not. I believe they're nobles or something along those lines." As Arthur explained the conversation between him and Claire, Carl's gaze deepened as the gravity of the situation sank in.

"Knights with a lion emblem and blue capes? That sounds like the Auguinare family's knights." Carl's hand brushed through the strands of gray hair on his head, neatly combing it to one side, and said, "There hasn't been any news of the Auguinare family searching for any children, but they may want to keep the matter a secret."

"Do you think they're in danger?" Arthur worriedly asked while twiddling his thumbs as his hands were cupped together.

"No, they're one of the more upright families since they come from a long line of knights," Carl calmly replied.

The Auguinare Dukedom was a renowned family within the Kingdom of Everheart. They were one of the founding members and one of the most prestigious families that valued loyalty and honor above all else. For them to target children would shake the entire foundation of the family, and many would prey on them if that were the case. In addition, if they wanted the children dead, then they wouldn't have bothered sending a carriage. If they wanted matters dealt quietly, it would leave too much of a trace.

It felt like an unbearable weight that loomed over his shoulders had been lifted. Arthur's face lit up with a small smile as he looked down and asked, "Do you think you could reach out to them?"

"I could…" Carl's hesitantly said.

It was possible that the Auguinare family was looking for the children to help them, but he wasn't entirely sure they meant no harm. At most, his response was based on an educated guess. However, once he saw Arthur's hopeful face, he felt a sense of responsibility to ensure their safety no matter what.

"If I did, you three would most likely be separated from each other. Would you be fine with that?" Carl asked.

"Of course," Arthur immediately replied without a shred of uncertainty, causing a brief smirk to appear on Carl's face.

"I see. Then what would you do?" Carl kept a steady pace and matched Arthur's so that they continued to walk side by side.

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out afterward." Arthur grinned before jokingly asking, "You wouldn't kick me out of the barracks when they leave, right?"

"Do I really look like a man who would abandon those who follow him?" Carl raised one brow in response to Arthur's ridiculous question.

"Perhaps?" A soft yet playful chuckle left Arthur as Carl frowned in discontent. In truth, Arthur already knew that Carl wouldn't abandon him, but that didn't mean he would let the chance to mess with Carl slip by.

Noticing Arthur's intention, Carl ignored him as his eyes focused on the path before them. A thought of concern had embedded itself within Carl's mind as he worked out the possible scenarios. If they sent a messenger today, it would take roughly a week to reach the Auguinare Dukedom. Assuming that the messenger is attended to the same day, the earliest time frame for an escort to arrive would be two weeks. Which gave them plenty of time to provide protection for the children.

"Tsk, you're no fun." Throwing both hands behind him, Arthur mimicked the way Carl walked, drawing the attention of nearby onlookers.

As they walked, the two people heading towards the western district drew the attention of the onlookers. They were dressed in matching white long-sleeved shirts and beige pants, which were the standard uniform for all of the town's guards. Carl shook his head from side to side, feeling uneasy about the unwanted attention. He had been in the limelight for years and now, in his retirement, he just wanted peace and quiet. However, since Arthur and his siblings arrived, every day seemed to be filled with unexpected events.

In a calm voice, Carl said, "I can send a messenger when I return to my office…but odds are you may never see them again. The life of a noble greatly differs from that of commoners."

"That's fine." Arthur nodded in satisfaction.

If the thought of never seeing them again was the only issue then Arthur wouldn't hesitate to send word. His only concern was Raph and Claire's safety and after Carl's explanation it became clear that his worries were unnecessary. It was best to leave it to those who knew what they were doing in such situations.

Arthur said cheerfully, "Besides, we're both still in this world, so I'm sure we'll see each other again one day."

"Heh, I can't tell if you're mature or naive." Carl's subtle remark made Arthur grin. After reaching a firm conclusion, Carl promised Arthur, "Very well, I'll send word to the Dukedom. Don't regret it when the time comes."

"I've never regretted a decision in my life," Arthur happily replied.

After their exchange, Arthur remembered something he had thought about during his interrogation. It took an entire night, but soon Arthur stopped and stared at Carl, who looked over his shoulder. Arthur waited for Carl's response with one arm extended out and his hand tightly clenched into a fist. Carl smirked once he saw the gesture, having understood its simplicity. He returned the gesture as both fists made contact and lightly bounced off each other.

Arthur had a content expression on his face when he spoke, "Thanks, Captain. I'll make sure to pay you back for the trouble."

"Pay me back? There's no need. It's natural for children to rely on adults." Carl continued walking. Once he saw the childlike smile, he turned back to Arthur and said, "Instead, you should take care of yourself more. The idiots back home were looking for you."

Without uttering another word, Carl looked away from Arthur and continued on his way. Leaving behind Arthur, who took a brief moment to savor the words he heard before quickly rushing after Carl.