Chapter 23: Friend(4)

A month flew by in a flash and Luke and his group enjoyed every single minute of it... Sort of.

Since Luke got all the important and powerful powers, all he did in these past two months is laze around and have fun with his group...

Or just clean their chaotic messes around the village. Like fighting against thugs or having a bar fight.

But none of those matters.

The group's bond grew stronger in those days they were together and they are as close as a family now.

And now, the group came to pick Klein up, who was waiting for them patiently in this past month.

Knock! Knock!

"Hey, brother, who is it we're going to fetch again?"

Luke answered Lina's question while still waiting for the door to open.

They started to call each other brother and sisters. And Luke just goes with the flow.

"It is Klein Schwarz. He is a brilliant inventor."

"Ooooh!"

The children exclaimed at the word 'inventor' and excitedly waited for the door to open.

After a while, the door finally opened and Klein came out with a huge backpack on his back. It was so big the Luke and the others have to back off to give way for him.

"Huff, huff! I'm here! Did I made you wait?"

"Uh no, I don't really mind it but... What's with that bag?"

Luke stared at the huge bag on Klein's back. The bag was big and it's taller than Klein. Klein laughed and patted his bag.

"Hehe! This bag contains all the inventions and tools I created! Of course, I can't just leave it here alone!"

Luke stared at the laughing old man before sighing. He then took out a sack from his pocket, it was the sack with spatial magic embedded in it. Luke then passed it to the kids.

"Kids, can you please help Klein put his stuff in that sack?"

The children all nodded energetically.

"Of course!"

The children then approached Klein and Klein smiled at them. It seems like he had a soft spot for children.

Selena, Lina, and Spencer also helped the children and Luke just stared at them do all the work. After a few minutes, they finally put everything in the bag. Luke ignored Klein's impressed face at the spatial sack and just looked at the group and then turned around.

"Let's go."

The group followed behind Luke. The children smiled and while grabbing the end of Luke's coat while following him. Spencer just stared at the children with a hint of jealousy, Selena and Lina were chatting with Klein, who was carrying the sack over his shoulders.

Luke called for a carriage while they were busy chatting with each other and everyone got in.

"Now, let's finally go home."

All the people inside the carriage smiled at his declaration.

Home has different meanings for them but they all knew that that is the place you can go back to. The children, Lily, Josh, Michael, and Jessa all excitedly exclaimed.

"I wonder what kind of house brother Luke is living in."

"I bet it is a cool-looking house!"

"Brother Nash said that Luke's house is really big!"

"Really?! I can't wait!"

Luke then heard Nash's voice in his head.

•Hehe, if they saw how big our house is, they will be shocked!

Selena then asked Luke with curiosity painted on her face.

"Hey! Where do you live anyway?"

"I live at the capital."

"Oh really? Can you show us around there then? I want to see the castle!"

Luke avoided Selena's passionate gaze and thought.

'I didn't even get to properly look around the capital, and you want me to show you around?'

He then heard Lina's voice.

"If the great being chooses him as a companion, then of course his house should be great!"

".... Great being?"

Klein asked in a confused voice. Lina happily answered... Well, she tried to.

"Ah! Grandpa, you didn't know? He has a- hmmph!"

Luke covered Lina's mouth immediately and warned her with his eyes.

One of the characteristics he noticed Lina has is... She is a total chatterbox. Her mouth has no brakes especially when she is excited.

Lina's face became gloomy but nodded in the end. Luke removed his hand from her mouth and heard Spencer's voice. It was a voice in a mocking tone

"I bet his house is just small."

Luke raised his eyebrows while glaring at Spencer. Spencer just smirked at him. Luke just frowned but let it go. For the past few months they're been together, this much provocation was nothing. He was also used to Spencer mocking him.

Luke just crossed his arms and looked out the window. He saw the scenery outside the carriage and his memories of the past months passed his mind like a movie. Luke formed a small smile on his lips and calmly looked at the scenery outside.

After traveling for several days, Luke's group finally reached the capital.

Luke and his group got off the carriage and Luke paid the driver. He then turned around and saw the children pulling his arms while pointing at the capital and the castle in the distance. Luke smiled and ruffled their heads.

"Don't worry, after we got home we will walk around the capital."

The children's eyes brightened at his words He then smiled at his group and spoke with confidence.

"Let's go to my house."

-----------

"Who are you?"

The knight guarding the estate asked Luke in front of him with a suspicious stare.

Luke felt awkward as he felt the stares of his group from behind. Luke then talked to the guard with an awkward but calm expression.

"You don't remember me? I'm Jane! Don't you recognize me? Silver hair? Purple eyes?"

'Ugh, it's so weird to use your past name....'

"That is not enough to authenticate your identity, sir. And besides, Miss Jane is a woman, not a man."

The guard glared at Luke while emphasizing the word 'sir'. Luke then heard Klein's voice behind him.

"Hey, did you lied to me?"

Luke frowned.

"Of course not. What good would that do for me? And besides, I'm not lying. Call brother Noah. Or Finesse!"

Luke spoke to the guard but the guard just looked at him suspiciously and glared at him.

"How dare you call the Miss and the Duke by their names! Do you want to get jailed?!"

Luke clicked his tongue and frowned.

'Damn, I didn't know the security will be this tough.'

Well, it's already expected though, this is the house of knight's after all.

"Wait, listen man. Can you please call them for me for a sec? I'm sure if they saw me, they will definitely know it's me."

"And who do you think you are to personally call-"

"Sister?"

The guard stopped talking and looked behind him, Luke also looked past the guard's shoulder and saw Finesse standing there with anxious maids behind her while looking at Luke. Luke smiled and called out to Finesse.

"Long time no see, sister."

"...Jane?"

Finesse asked and Luke nodded.

"Yes, it's me. A lot happened so now I am called Luke. Can you please tell the guards to let me and my friends in? We are pretty tired from traveling so far and-."

"Oh, so you came back?"

Luke flinched when he heard a deep voice behind him. He turned around and saw the handsome as ever Noah staring at him. Luke also saw a fancy carriage past Noah's shoulder. Noah must've come back from work.

Luke smiled and patted Noah's shoulder. He then heard the knight's loud voice that seemed to be angry behind him.

"How insolent! How dare you-!"

"Stop."

Noah raised his hand towards the knight and the knight stopped shouting. Luke smiled brightly and patted Noah's shoulder like he's done a good job.

"Brother, how are you these past three months? It seemed that you've gotten fatter."

That was a lie, he has gone buffer, not fatter. But Luke doesn't want to admit it.

Because compared to Noah, he looked like a stick. And it sorta annoys him.

"...So you are Jane? But now you are Luke?"

"Yes, yes. It's hard to explain what happened but we could talk about it if you want-"

Luke's voice was interrupted by Noah, who was blankly staring at him.

"So, you are the 'Jane' who saved Hak village?"

Luke froze. He then answered in a dumb manner from the sudden question.

"Ha, ha... Who knows? There are so many women named Jane out there so-"

"And you are also the 'Luke' who saved Ceb City?"

"Ah, Uhm... I don't know what you are talking about... Hak village? Ceb city? What are you talking about?"

Luke flinched when he heard the children and Selena's protests behind him.

"That's not true! Before brother became a brother, he was sister Jane! She saved sister Selena over here and saved the village!"

"Yeah! Big sis Jane also threw herself in harm's way to save the villagers!"

"Because of that, she's been in a coma for two weeks!"

"Yeah! Everyone in the village was worried for her!"

"Yeah! I am also the one she saved from execution! If it wasn't for her, I could've died!"

Luke's face crumpled while hearing the praises of the kids and Selena behind her.

'Kiiiiiiiidddss!!! Why?! Why must you do this?! And Selena! You could've just shut your mouth!'

Luke pursed his lips while seeing Noah's piercing glare directed at him. He could also see Klein and Lina's bewildered expressions.

"Been in a coma for two weeks huh? Then, the one who also saved Ceb city was you?"

Luke avoided Noah's gaze, but then he heard Spencer and the kids, again, Retelling what happened.

"Yeah, this dumbass just charged at a wave of monsters with just a broken sword. I thought he was planning to commit suicide for a second."

"Yeah! Then after his sword broke, he punched monsters with his bare fist!"

"He then punched the high orc at the end! He was so cool!"

"Then he coughed up blood and passed out for a week!"

"But thanks to Sister Selena and the God of Light's blessing, his recovery became extremely fast!"

Luke formed a devastated expression while covering his face with both hands. He feels like he might cry any moment now.

"So, who was the bastard who said that she will just go on a normal vacation hmm?"

Luke sighed and looked at Noah with a drained expression. He felt like he had just aged for ten years in that short amount of time. Luke then noticed Finesse walking towards him. Finesse arrived in front of him and touched his cheek.

"Sister?"

Luke smiled awkwardly at Finesse.

"You can't call me sister anymore Finesse. You should call me brother now."

Tears fell on Finesse's cheeks and she suddenly hugged him.

"Y-you're back! You are finally back! Hic! I missed you!"

Luke smiled and patted her back gently. He then spoke in a joking manner.

"I thought I told you to not cry anymore? Don't cry."

Finesse broke from the hug and wiped her tears. Luke looked at her before freezing. Finesse just suddenly said something shocking.

"Hehe, you are right, I shouldn't cry anymore. Especially not in front of my baby."

Luke was silent for a moment, what she just said took quite a long time to process. He then heard Nash's voice in his head.

•Wait, she's pregnant?

"Excuse me, what? A baby?"

Finesse smiled at him with puffy eyes from crying. Now that he noticed it, Finesse did become a lot fatter now.

"That is right! You will soon become an uncle."

Luke is dumbfounded for a moment before looking back and forth from Finesse to Noah.

"Pregnant? Since when?"

"I have been pregnant since three months ago."

"Excuse me, hold up... Three months ago? Are you kidding me?"

Luke stared at Noah with disbelief. Noah avoided his gaze and fakes a cough.

"Let's not talk about it here. Your companions needed rest from the long trip."

'Oh, so now you are avoiding me?'

Luke looked towards Noah walking away but just sighed in the end.

The gate to the estate opened wide and everyone got into the carriage and entered the estate.

Spencer, Selena, Lina, Klein, and the children are busy sightseeing outside the window while Finesse sat beside Luke and rests her head on his shoulders. Luke then stared at Noah who is also staring at him. Luke then shot a question.

"So, when will the two of you get married?"

Luke could feel Finesse flinching on her shoulders, Noah just answered with a straight face.

"A week from now, everything is set except for the wedding dress and your suit."

"Well congratulations, but..."

Luke then asked in a confused tone.

"What about my suit? Shouldn't I just wear a normal black suit at the wedding?"

He then heard Finesse's voice beside him.

"Actually, we originally planned for you to be the bridesmaid but you erm, appeared like this so we are planning you to be the best man."

Luke looked at Finesse and Noah with surprise.

"What about the crown prince? Aren't you close with him brother? Why won't make him the best man?"

"He will be the one who will lead the ceremony since the king and queen are busy because of the incident in Ceb City and aiding the Hak Village."

Luke avoided Noah's glare and asked a question.

"What about the engagement ceremony? Did you two already did it?"

Finesse then answered in a shy voice.

"Noah asked to be married instantly so..."

"Oh, so that's what happened. What a busy guy, what is with the rush?"

Noah glared at Luke's sarcastic tone and spoke.

"She is pregnant, she should not exert her energy to useless things."

"I told you, I am fine."

"No, you are not. Being tired is bad for the baby."

"But-!"

"No buts."

Luke just decided to ignore the couple's small quarrel and looked outside the window.

Not much has changed in the past three months that she was gone. Everything was the same.

The carriage then stopped in front of the front door. The kids and the others went out first and then Noah and me. We then each offered our hands to Finesse, who is stepping down from the carriage. While doing that, I then heard the maids' voices behind me.

"Duke! Miss!... Who are you?"

Luke is familiar with that old voice. It was the grandma who he saw after waking up to this world.

"Grandma, did you already forgot me? I'm hurt."

Luke looked at the grandma with a smile but something was weird... The grandma was not paying attention to him at all, instead, she paid attention to his clothes, which is also the same for the other maids. Luke then heard the grandma's shocked voice.

"These clothes! Are you Luke?"

"Uh yes?"

'How did she know when I didn't even mention my name to her?'

He then heard the maids at the back excitedly screaming.

"Oh my god! It's Luke! The black-coated hero of Ceb City!"

'Wait... Black coated hero?'

"Really?! Ah! You are right!"

"Silver hair, purple eyes, and long black coat! He is Luke!"

"What is a hero doing here?"

"I heard that he almost died after fighting the high orc and monsters!"

"I also heard that the Queen and King are currently searching for Luke and his hero companions!"

"Look! Behind him! It's the children with green hair and the girl with gold hair!"

One maid pointed to Selena, Spencer, and the kids. The maids suddenly crowded over to one side while looking at Luke and the others with fascinated gazes.

"My goodness! They're really here!"

Luke stared at the excited maids in front of him and their chattering. He then thought.

'Wow, Jane was completely forgotten.'

Luke just sighed and walked towards the door of the mansion but stopped when he felt someone's hand holding his shoulder. He then saw Noah and Finesse looking at him.

"Come to my office, let's talk."