Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit-Chapter 124: Siblings(Part 1)

"Come on, Vice-Commander, you can do a lot better than that. Water is supposed to put out fire," Called out Jules, as she evaded an incoming slash of water, before driving her sword forward and unleashing a fierce blast of flames from the tip of her blade.

Siele quickly sprang back and raised a wall of water in front of himself, a sharp hiss ringing out as a massive cloud of steam burst out upon impact, beads of sweat running down the sides of Siele’s face as the steam surrounded him.

He then raced away to his right as he spotted a fiery glow zipping in towards him through the steam, evading it before his eyes widened in alarm as Jules burst out of the steam and appeared right in front of him.

He crossed his blades in front of himself defensively as she swung her sword down towards him, a sharp clang ringing out before he fell over with a startled yelp as Jules swept his feet, knocking him off-balance.

As his left shoulder hit the ground with a thud, he let out a groan before sighing as Jules pointed the tip of her blade in front of his face.

"You still have a lot of room for improvement. You should have an advantage against me with it comes to our Spells, all you need to do is put out my flames with your water," Frowned Jules, as she stepped back and swung her blade across.

"E-Easy for you to say, sis-...I mean, Commander. Your flames are way too hot to douse with any ease, and even if I do put them out, there’s always a ton of steam afterwards, which obstructs me," He replied as he got back onto his feet.

"It’s important to work on strengthening your areas of weakness when you discover them, so keep working on it. Our Royal blood gives us tremendous potential, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we fully realize that potential. Taking it for granted would send the wrong message to our subordinates, that potential and talent outweigh hard work. Well, anyway, let’s wrap things up for today, it’s getting late," Sighed Jules, as she sheathed her sword and stretched her arms up.

"Yeah, okay. And I’ll keep everything you said in mind, sis."

"That’s Commander-..."

"But we’re done for the day, right? So, we’re not on duty right now."

"Hm, that’s true, I supp-...no, until we leave the premises, we’re not completely off-duty just yet. You can drop the formalities after we head home," She replied after mulling it over.

"Geez, you’re such a stickler, sis."

"What did I just-..."

"Commander! Pardon the interruption, ma’am, you and the Vice-Commander have received a summons from her Majesty, the Queen."

Jules and Siele turned their attention over to the Knight who had shown up, a sense of concern welling up inside both of them.

"What is this about? Has something happened?" Frowned Jules warily.

"Come on, it’s barely been two and a half weeks since we dealt with Exalt, don’t tell me we’ve got another serious threat to deal with," Groaned Siele in dismay.

"I’m afraid I do not know, no additional details were given," The Knight shook his head in response.

"I see...thank you for letting us know, you’re dismissed. Now, come, Vice-Commander, we should freshen up and head for the castle immediately," Instructed Jules, as she headed back into the building.

"Yeah, yeah, I’m right behind you."

"And please don’t take such a casual tone while on duty."

"But we’re not-...never mind, yes, ma’am."

...

A short while later, the two of them were back inside the castle, making their way towards the throne room. Both of them were feeling rather nervous, unable to shake their dread that something had gone wrong.

After a couple of years of fending off The Irregulars, and then the conflict with Exalt a short few months after that, any sense of optimism they might have previously held had long since been crushed. They had essentially been conditioned into always expecting the worst without even realizing it.

As the entrance to the throne room came into sight, the guards pushed the doors open as the two of them approached. They entered the room and made their way in, the echo of the doors shutting behind them ringing out as they bowed down and kneeled before the throne.

"We’ve come in response to your summons, your Majesty, I apologize for the delay," Remarked Jules solemnly.

"Hey, relax, it’s just the three of us in here, so there’s no need to be so formal," Replied Lyra with a wry smile.

"See, she agrees too. You’re way too uptight, sis," Nodded Siele in agreement.

"I’d really prefer not to waste time arguing about this. But fine, I suppose, given the insistence, I can drop the formalities. So, what’s this about, Lyra? What new threat are we facing?" Inquired Jules with a grimace. freeweɓnøvel.com

"Huh? Threat? Oh, no, it’s nothing like that! I guess that explains why you two look so tense and serious...no, I just thought we could use some sibling bonding, that’s all," Grinned Lyra sheepishly.

"Uh...I’m sorry, what?" Responded Siele in bemusement.

"Yes, what he said," Nodded Jules incredulously.

"Well, things are nice and peaceful again now, so I figured we should take the opportunity. Specifically, I think we should get to know our younger siblings, the twins, better. My only interaction with them was when they killed father, so I thought it would be nice to get to know more about them," Explained Lyra with a smile.

"Well, I suppose I don’t really have a problem with that or anything. Is it really necessary, though?" Replied Jules skeptically.

"I think so. They are our siblings, after all. And as the older siblings, I believe we have a responsibility to look out for them. We grew up with lavish luxury, wanting for nothing, while they grew up suffering, because of our father and the state of our nation. I know they rejected our offer to publicly declare them as members of the Royal family, but they are still our siblings even if it isn’t publicly recognized, so yeah.

To that end, I’d like to hold an informal tea party here in the castle in a few days, with all our siblings. I’ll invite you two, Rione, and of course, the twins. Hopefully, a pleasant, relaxing environment will help them relax and open up to us," Suggested Lyra with a gleam in her eyes.

"You look like you’re really enjoying this...are you sure that you don’t just want to throw a tea party, and this is just an excuse to accomplish that?" Frowned Jules suspiciously.

"H-Huh? No, o-of course not! W-Well, okay, maybe that’s a small part of it, but the rest of what I said wasn’t a lie!" Lyra shot back defensively, before averting her gaze as Jules narrowed her eyes at her.

"Also, you missed one of us...aren’t you going to invite Krest?" Chimed in Siele.

"Who? Oh, right, our older brother...I, uh, I kinda forgot about him. Even though he’s the only one of us who’s always in the castle besides me, I hardly ever see him since he’s always cooped up in his room. But, yeah, I’ll invite him too."

"Heh, so he’s barely an afterthought? Though, knowing him, he probably wouldn’t care either way," Chuckled Siele wryly.

"Yeah, I can definitely see him shrugging it off. Anyway...what do you think, Jules? Do you have any objections?"

"No, not particularly. I’m certainly not opposed to it, and I suppose it would be a good thing to bond with them. Not to mention, a day off to relax could serve them well, given how hectic things got with Exalt. The both of them only took one day off each after that," Replied Jules thoughtfully, while thinking to herself, "Unlike a certain, lazy squadmate of theirs...Tacitus Drake, not only is he a genius with Spellcraft, but also at being lazy. He’s clearly taking his sweet time with the Summoning Spells I assigned him to make, and he has a whole week off lined up right after that. He clearly calculated the whole thing, that damned slacker...maybe I’ll transfer him to my personal squad, that should help keep a tighter leash on him..."

"Great, then it’s settled! I’ll work on setting it up, and once the exact date is decided on, I’ll send out the invitations! This is going to be so much fun!" Grinned Lyra with a slight, excited squeal.

"...you’re not even trying to hide it anymore. You really just want to have a tea party, don’t you?"