Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit-Chapter 126: Siblings(Part 3)

"Wow, so you two really knew our mother?" Remarked Raven, taking a sip from his cup as he looked at Krest and Lyra.

"Mhm, yeah, we did," Replied Lyra with a smile.

"Could you tell us about her? She died when we were pretty young, and while we do remember her, we don’t really know anything about her," Responded Ravella, as she sandwiched a piece of cupcake between two biscuits and took a bite.

"Well, it’s not like I knew her particularly well or anything...but I do remember her being really nice and easy-going," Said Lyra in reply.

"Also, she was pretty hot," Chimed in Krest, before adding as he glanced at Ravella’s biscuit and cake sandwich, "Hey, that looks good, think I’m gonna try it too."

"Pretty sure they don’t want to hear about what you thought of her appearance," Sighed Lyra in exasperation, as he ignored her while sandwiching a bit of cake between biscuits and taking a bite, before nodding in approval as he tossed the rest of it into his mouth.

"Unfortunately, that’s just what he’s like. He’s said that about my mother too," Recalled Siele dryly.

"You’re such a pig, Krest...it’s a good thing you and I share the same mother, who knows what you would say about her if she wasn’t related to you," Muttered Jules with a frown.

"Mind if I ask more about that? Since there are five of you and the former King had three Queens, you’re obviously not all half-siblings with each other, so I’m curious about how you’re all related to each other," Remarked Raven curiously.

"Well, for starters, Krest here is the oldest, I’m the second oldest and about two years younger than he is. Siele’s next, one year younger than I am, and Jules is one year younger than he is. And Rione’s the youngest, two years younger than Jules. Krest and Jules have the same mother, the first Queen of the former King. Rione and I also share a mother, we’re the children of the second Queen. And Siele is the only child of the third Queen," Explained Lyra, as she took a swig of her drink.

"In other words, I’m the only one who’s a half-sibling to all of you," Spoke up Siele with a wry smile.

"Huh...I really thought you were the youngest, and that Jules was maybe the second or third oldest," Chimed in Ravella in bemusement.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Most people think Rione is older than I am because of how big he is," Replied Siele with a laugh.

"Hey, at least say muscular. And this is the norm for my Combat Template," Responded Rione with a frown.

"I mean, that Tacitus guy isn’t as built as you are, though his brute strength might be more or less the same as yours," Mused Siele thoughtfully.

"Actually, he’s a lot more ripped than he looks at first glance. He always wears baggy, oversized clothes, so it’s hard to tell, but he’s deceptively muscular," Raven informed them wryly.

"That surprises me, he’s quite the slacker, so I can’t really imagine him putting that much effort into training," Replied Rione in surprise.

"Well, he does give off that impression, so that’s an understandable conclusion to come to. But no, he puts in a decent amount of effort into his physical training. Given the nature of his Magic, he really doesn’t have to spend much time practicing with his Spells, so most of his training focuses on his physical aspects," Explained Raven, as he refilled his cup.

"That said, he does tend to slack off every chance he gets," Added Ravella wryly.

"Man, people who slack off get way too much grief, I can say that from experience. I’ll never understand why it’s so frowned upon...in my opinion, slacking off is the best way to live. We live for a pretty short time, so why not spend as much of it as possible taking it easy and relaxing? I wish I was born an Elf or a Demon, they live way longer than humans do," Sighed Krest wistfully.

"Slacking off is your default constant, you’ve literally never expended any effort into anything," Huffed Jules indignantly.

"Yeah, and I don’t regret a single minute of it. I see how stressed out the rest of you get from time to time, you especially, and I can safely say that I never get stressed out. Well, except for when the Undead King attacked the Capital and I thought I was going to die, that was a pretty stressful day," Krest sighed wistfully, as he filled his cup and chugged it down.

"Yes, you were whining pretty incessantly that day," Recalled Lyra with a shake of her head.

"Of all people, why’d you have to be my closest biological relative?" Grumbled Jules saltily.

"You’re just way too tightly wound, sis. I mean, we’re having a party, the rest of us are all chill and relaxed while you’ve still got that chip on your shoulder. You’ve been pretty quiet compared to the rest of us...loosen up and get into the swing of things. Like, I don’t know, try acting more big sisterly to our two youngest siblings?" Suggested Krest as he nodded at the twins, doing his best to keep a straight face as he thought to himself, "Heh, she’s so straight-laced that it should be pretty funny to watch if she takes that seriously. She’s a bit of a lightweight and is definitely pretty drunk at this point, so it’s a real possibility. Let’s see how she responds..."

"I-I’m not that uptight, you jerk! I can do that, no problem!" Declared Jules, wobbling slightly as she stood up and marched over towards the twins, a bit unsteady on her feet.

Raven and Ravella stared at her in bemusement as she stepped in between them and paused for a moment, an uncertain look on her face as she pondered what to do...before awkwardly reaching out and patting their heads.

"Uh...," Trailed off Ravella in bemusement.

"Come on, don’t make this weird. Pretty sure he was just messing with you," Sighed Raven, before Jules froze and glared daggers at Krest, who let out a chuckle as the others averted their gazes and stifled their laughter.

"Th-that wasn’t very nice, Krest," Stuttered Lyra as she fought to keep her laughter in, not wanting to upset her sister more than she already was.

Rione’s jaw tensed as he struggled to keep the smile off his face, while Siele let out a snort of laughter before trying to pass it off as a cough, not particularly convincingly.

Jules’s face turned red in embarrassment as she narrowed her eyes seethingly at her older brother, who gave her a smug look as he sipped from his cup.

"Heh, well, it’s not like any of you tried to stop me," He shrugged in response.

"I-I...I’m gonna kill you...," Growled Jules, her arms trembling as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, before adding, "I-I’ve never felt so embarrassed in my life."

"Huh? What about that time when-...n-nope, never mind," Began Raven, before quickly backtracking.

"Hm? What are you-...?" Responded Jules with a confused look on her face, before her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh? Sounds like there’s an interesting story there...let’s hear it," Smirked Krest with a gleam in his eyes.

"N-no, there’s nothing like that, I-I just misspoke, that’s all," Muttered Raven, turning his gaze away and wincing slightly as Jules grabbed his shoulder with a vice-grip.

"E-Exactly, he just misspoke!" Exclaimed Jules, clearly panicked.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, but whatever it is, you’re clearly far from comfortable with sharing, so we should drop it," Remarked Lyra with a wry smile.

"I-I appreciate that," Mumbled Jules quietly, as she sat back down in her seat and gulped down the contents of her cup.

"Come on, what’s the big deal? I mean, it’s not like he saw you naked or something, so-...," Began Krest, before trailing off as Jules choked on her drink and sputtered, his eyes widening in bewilderment as he added, "Wait, seriously?"

"Huh...definitely wasn’t expecting that," Remarked Siele incredulously, before they all stared at Raven.

"Uh...to be fair, I didn’t actually get a proper look or anything, I looked away immediately," He responded as he felt their gazes boring into him.

"What exactly was the context? How and when did you even end up in a situation like that?" Inquired Rione in disbelief.

"I-I can’t say anymore," Raven shook his head as Jules met his gaze pleadingly, silently begging him to leave it at that.

"Hm...wait! Before the Undead King attacked, you and Aster went to meet with her, it must have been then! Huh? N-No, hold on, does that mean...Aster saw you naked!?" Exclaimed Ravella indignantly, as Jules buried her face in her hands and let out an anguished groan.

"I-I’m sorry...I think this whole thing is my fault...," Muttered Raven apologetically.

"Ah, I see now...yes, Jules does have a habit of sleeping naked, so-...," Began Lyra, looking pretty invested, before sheepishly trailing off as Jules kicked her under the table.

"Hahahaha, that’s fucking hilarious! This is great, I’ll never let you live this dow-...!" Laughed Krest, before abruptly going quiet as a burst of heat erupted across the space.

Jules had a murderous death glare on her face as she brought out her sword, intense flames swirling around it.

"Another word and I’ll kill you all. Wipe this from your memories or you’re all dead."

"U-uh...great weather we’re having today, huh?" Spoke up Rione nervously, after a brief, tense silence.

"Y-yeah, it’s really nice and pleasant, y-yup," Nodded Siele in response.

"Agreed, t-the breeze is relaxing," Added Raven, keeping his gaze down as he picked up a scone and took a bite.

"Ow! Hey!" Exclaimed Krest, as Jules poked his shoulder with the tip of her blade, leaving a small burnt spot there.

"Don’t you dare heal him," She warned Raven, as she put the sword away and sat back down with a heated huff.

"G-got it," He nodded with a slight gulp, before thinking to himself, "I’ve never be so grateful to be immune to flames, she’s really scary when she’s pissed."

The atmosphere remained tense for a while, before the conversation gradually picked back up as the siblings continued to drink.

Before long, things were back in full swing, everyone was relaxed and laidback again, the twins increasingly warming up to their half-siblings.

And before they realized it, the sun had set, the snacks and drinks having been polished off.

"I have to say, this turned out to be a lot more fun that I thought it would be. But we should probably get going now," Remarked Raven with a smile.

"Yeah, this was great, thanks for inviting us," Grinned Ravella gratefully.

"Hm...actually, why don’t you two stay the night here in the castle? We’ve got plenty of rooms to spare," Suggested Lyra in response.

"Well, I would, but...my girlfriend is expecting me back home tonight, so I can’t," Replied Raven sheepishly.

"That’s not a problem, you can call her and let her know. Oh, I know...if you stay, I’ll convince Jules to give you two another day off tomorrow," Offered Lyra slyly.

"Wha-...hey! Don’t misuse your authority to bribe my Knights!" Protested Jules indignantly.

"Ooh, that’s a tempting offer. I’ll agree to it if my girlfriend gets the day off to," Responded Raven after mulling it over for a bit.

"Deal!"

"You can’t just-...!" Began Jules with a frown.

"Oh, what’s the harm? Things are nice and peaceful right now, so it should be fine," Pointed out Lyra as she patted her on the shoulder.

"But, I-...fine, just this once. But please don’t make a habit of this."