After being introduced to his new 'brother', 'father', and 'mother'... Kyle was hugged. He was unsure what to do as this stranger hugged him, but the boy who looked to be his new 'brother' was looking at him with envy.
Kyle wasn't exactly smart, but he knew what that look said.
He wasn't wanted here.
However...
'I'm doing this for my mothers. I don't care about annoying a single noble kid who doesn't understand what it means to have to work for every meal. If doing this will allow them to be happy, I will gladly allow this kid to suffer from his jealousy and hatred.'
Oscar then turned to the group.
"This truly is an event worth celebrating.... how about I do the cooking tonight? We can all have a LOVELY family dinner. TOGETHER. As a FAMILY."
He put emphasis on those words while aiming them at Eric.
Eric merely rolled his eyes and stormed back up the stairs.
"What a wonderful idea darling! Let me help you do the cooking! We should do our best for the sake of our new son!"
Kyle was unsure about how he felt about these strangers calling them their son, however he did respect the Indeterminant and he didn't want to do anything to disrespect him so he stayed quiet and let them say what they wanted.
Even so, he couldn't bring himself to fully trust the Indeterminant.
Everything he had seen thus far told him that the Indeterminant was a good man.
He helped people.
He was kind and caring towards others.
But why then, did Kyle feel like he was similar to the scum who would visit the brothel and try to take advantage of his mothers, using them as they pleased and leaving them on the side of the road when they were finished having their fun?
Kyle didn't know. He decided to throw these suspicions away. That was merely his gut feeling, and so he listened instead to what he had seen with his own eyes.
"Kyle, things must have been tough for you. I understand well that being selected as the hero of the country can be a tough burden, but I just want you to know that I am here to walk with you for every step of the way, and even when I am not with you- just remember everything that I will teach you. Alright?", Oscar said.
Kyle had never had a father, so this was a new experience for him. Ethan and some of the other regulars at the brothel who were not scum were like fathers to him, however before living with Ethan he had never actually been taught anything by a father. Everything he knew he figured out on his own, or learned from the rants of his mothers.
"Alright. I will do my best."
"For now though, lets celebrate!", Layla said.
----
Layla and Oscar worked unexpectedly well together in the kitchen.
Despite being nobles, and despite the protests of the chefs and the maids, Oscar told them sternly that he and his wife would be spending time together by cooking a meal.
"This is a special occasion. Where I come from, cooking for your family is a common practice when you wish to celebrate. I understand your concerns- but I am the head of this household, no? I will do as I please, and you all will obey me. That is your role as servants."
"If it gets out that you were performing the role of a mere chef-"
Oscar held up his hand as if to say 'I will hear no more, and him and Layla waltzed into the kitchen and started whipping up a storm.
'Grr... if this gets out then my reputation as head chef will be tarnished... I will be labeled as the chef who lead a team so incompetent that the master of the house had to do the cooking on his own...', the head chef thought as he walked out in shame.
Oscar sliced the pork into thick slabs while Layla happily chopped up the vegetables. She was unfamiliar with cooking after being raised in a noble house, so after he had seasoned the meat Oscar came around to help her.
He put his arms around her while she was holding the knife and assisted her in chopping the vegetables.
"See? Just like this. It's easy once you get the hang of it."
'Ah... my former husband would never do something like this for me...'
In the heat of the moment, Layla had completely forgotten about her reputation as a noble.
She was having a good time with her new husband, and that was all that mattered to her right now.
Oscar threw all the vegetables into one pan with some oil and the meat into another, simultaneously flipping and frying the two dishes.
'My... what a greasy dish he is making... this is nothing like the regular meals the cooks would serve... is this something from his own culture?'
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It was that moment when Layla realized that she knew next to nothing about the Indeterminant. Not even his name.
He was a man shrouded in mystery. From the legends, all that was stated was that the Indeterminant would appear in the world to lead the heroes- it wasn't specified that he came from another world. Therefore, as far as she knew, he was from this world originally.
Layla found herself wanting to ask her husband about himself, however she felt that if she did that he would distance himself from her... and she didn't want that.
Her life had only improved ever since the Indeterminant had arrived, and she could only imagine it getting better from here on out.
Oscar finished his cooking and even begun to do the cleaning when he was finished.
'How is it that he looks so dignified and noble even when performing the tasks of peasants?'
Layla simply sighed, wondering how lucky she had been to come into this situation.
----
Oscar ordered the maids to go and call the boys for dinner. He had asked one of the maids to show Kyle to his new room, and Kyle was... overwhelmed by noble lifestyle to say the least.
The maid who guided him was straightforward and professional, and took her job very seriously. She was nothing like any of his mothers, and he didn't really know how to deal with this type of person.
She led him to a room with a fancy bed that had more pillows than Kyle had mothers and more books on the shelves than the amount of times he had cleaned up the rooms of the brothel after usage.
There was a desk with a globe next to it and all sorts of intellectual tools such as a compass and rulers. It was a room that looked like the home of an inventor. Was this a study previously?
Kyle wondered if it was alright for him to be here. It didn't sit well with him that he was over here relaxing while his mothers were working hard in the slums of the city to please men.
'I hope I made the right decision to become the hero... I have to pay them back as soon as I can...'
That was when it hit Kyle.
Money.
He had to figure out how to get money.
His original plan was to become a smith and make money to send to his mother, but now that plan had fallen behind for another alternative... however...
He was now the hero.
What did that mean?
What did that REALLY mean?
Kyle began to wonder if he was really fit for such a position.
Was Kyle heroic?
Did he want to become heroic?
To an extent, yes.
Kyle did want to help people, however if he were ever faced with a decision between those he cared for and a complete stranger he would without a doubt save those who he cared for. This was only natural. Even if it were a decision between an innocent child and his sadistic mother, Riley, he would choose her in a heartbeat.
Why?
Because he was human.
Because he loved and cared for the people who had raised him.
Because there did not exist a human in this world who was heroic enough to let someone they loved die in order to save a stranger.
This was simply the way things were. It had nothing to do with justice or morality. This was reality.
But what was justice?
Did Kyle want to become a just hero? Someone who saved anyone in need? Someone who protected those who could not protect themselves?
Yes.
He did.
While he wanted to put his mothers first, protecting humanity and his country as a whole would also be protecting them.
He was unaware what challenges faced him ahead as the hero, however he knew one thing for sure- that it wasn't going to be an easy task.
So Kyle made the decision.
He would become someone who would protect others. If it meant lying, deceiving people, or even if it meant killing others- he would do it. He would protect the innocent, hardworking people like his mothers, who were not given their proper share.
He would ensure that the toils of those who are looked down upon go recognized, and that they are not thrown to the side and forgotten.
----
The family of four was gathered at the dining room table with meat and vegetables at the table, along with a high quality wine and water for Eric.
This merely showed the disparity in how Oscar looked at Eric- not as an adult, but as a child, when even Kyle was allowed to have a glass of wine. Of course, this conformed with the legal adult age, however Oscar did not pay any attention to silly things like the customs of this world.
He merely gave Eric water because he wanted Eric to know that he was a child sitting at a table of adults.
Eric waited patiently and calmly while holding his breath. He had managed to maintain his cool so far despite being completely outraged and at a loss, and he couldn't afford to mess up here.
Oscar raised his glass.
"A toast to our new family. Let us all work together and support each other. Now that we are family, it is our responsibility to look out for one another."
He said this with an evil eye and a smirk aimed at Eric.
'That piece of shit... hes trying to get me to treat this peasant like he's my equal... if things continue like this, my family line will be tainted with the blood of peasants... my father must be squirming in his grave right now.'
Kyle simply faked a smile and pretending like everything was alright, though he sensed the clear tension between the two. The mother was airheadedly laughing and gossiping about the other noble ladies to Oscar, who was pretending to listen and nodding at everything she said.
"And you wouldn't believe what she said to him then! She told him that he wasn't on the same level as her, despite the fact that she wasn't even the first daughter! Unbelievable in my opinion. She wasted a wonderful opportunity."
"Ah, indeed. How incomprehensible."
'Your mind, and everything that comes out of your mouth, that is.'
Kyle felt like he was about to choke in this scenario.
What was going on here?
From the view of an outsider, one would see a happy family eating an exotic meal together while talking and laughing, however from Kyle's perspective...
This was not what a family was supposed to be like.
He could not feel the same care that was given to him by his mothers in this woman. Every single one of his mothers had viewed Kyle as a son of their own, and raised and taught him many things, spending time with him when they had the chance.... but this woman was not like that.
This woman... she had no concern or love for him. She only wanted to use him to improve her status.
Not only that, but he felt the tension between the Indeterminant and Eric.
Kyle respected Oscar, but something was clearly off.
This was not a real family.
This was a jumbled together group of people who were pretending to be a family.
His seven mothers who cared for him despite having to deal with the ugly looks of others... the customers who showed up and offered him opportunities like Ethan... those people were like family.
This was fake.
It was pretend.
It was a fraud. A hoax.
'I suppose that doesn't matter either way. I am here for my own family, not to become part of a new one.'
After they had finished eating, Eric was the first one to get up from the table.
However, when he did so, his mother took a stern tone with him.
"Eric."
"What is wrong mother?"
"Aren't you going to thank your FATHER for making this meal for you?"
"What are you talking about? My father is dea-"
"AHEM. Are you going to thank your FATHER or not?"
"T- thank you, father."
Kyle was shaken at this.
How terrifying a noble mother could be. She was even more terrifying than Riley.
Well, maybe not. But in a specific way, she was.
Kyle quietly said "Thank you both for the meal" before leaving the table quietly.
He didn't want to stir up a riot like the other son had.
"Ah look at what a good son this one is. You should learn to be a little bit more like him, Eric. Are you not supposed to be the noble here?", Oscar said condescendingly.
"I suppose that's what makes him the hero. And that is the reason why he will lead this household."