Everyone's Families

After a few minutes of moving through the academy's hallways, he soon spotted Austin at the entrance gate.

Waving at him, Leo rushed to his friend's side.

"Are you usually that meticulous when cleaning up?" Austin joked.

"Nah," denied Leo, who was a little preoccupied with his bag, "I just.. had some things to take care of."

Austin nodded his head as if in understanding.

"Then, shall we go?"

----------

At the front of Halo Academy, students were leaving with their belongings as they headed off into the fields around the school.

There were many pathways for the students to travel on. The paved roads each stretched to a different town.

Because Leo had spent more time cleaning, the two friends were now one of the last batch of students leaving.

They walked and chatted for a while before entering the nearest town. Once there, Leo hired a carriage to take them back home.

Inside the carriage, they talked for a few more minutes before deciding to relax themselves.

The ride wasn't too bumpy for them, and they each eventually dozed off for a bit.

The journey only took around an hour before they finally arrived at their destination. The driver dropped them off near the front gate of the hometown.

After paying the driver and getting off, the two walked through the gate before noticing that a celebration was being held in the city square.

"What's going on?" Leo exclaimed as he saw ribbons and banners decorating the place. By the sounds of it, there appears to be some kind of feast.

"Strange," Austin commented with a hand on his chin, "There aren't any holidays at the moment, and usually the lord wouldn't be so hospitable... Ahhh, but of course."

Austin instantly groaned as he saw a figure standing amidst a crowd of people.

Tall and handsome looking with his drizzled black hair, Arthur Reinnes was happily enjoying the company of his family members and admirers.

As Austin walked closer, he could hear many shouts of congratulations and cheers.

"By the gods, how much money did they spend for this?" he spoke aloud in exasperation while taking a closer look.

Not only was there an enormous amount of food, but there were also several mage performers who were entertaining all the guests at the festival.

Leo could only glance at his friend sympathetically. He knew that when it came to anything extravagant, Austin would never be happy.

Growing up in a poor lifestyle, Austin had learned to appreciate the things he's been given. He would never waste anything if he could help it, especially not money.

Leo recalled the fees Austin's family had to pay to get their son an education. They had scrimped and saved for years to help him learn how to read, and had spent even more effort to get him into Halo Academy.

"Let's just go," Leo held a hand on Austin's shoulder, "Your family probably misses you. We shouldn't stay here any longer than we have to."

Having barely heard Leo's voice, Austin took a few seconds to calm down before reluctantly agreeing.

In the festival, all the few nobles were gathered near the tables with the most expensive food. As for the lower class, they were allowed access to more simple delicacies. Even so, everyone seemed to be having a good time.

"Do you think maybe we can..." Austin spoke but was unable to finish.

"Only if you want to. It is a lot of food they are wasting." Leo replied quietly.

After thinking for a moment, Austin shook his head and walked down a street. Leo followed suit.

Entering an intersection, the two friends waved at each other before going their separate ways to meet their families.

----------

Gorging on the main course, Arthur had long spotted Leo and Austin walking near the outskirts of his father's festival.

His warrior's intuition had already been enhanced quite a bit, and it allowed him to notice his surroundings more acutely. So it wasn't difficult for him to recognize two people from the crowd.

He used his peripheral vision to keep them in his sights until the two friends suddenly left the square.

"Hmph," was his only comment when he saw them leave.

'Peasants like you two should know their place,' Arthur thought as he ate the food on his plate, 'Still, at least you guys have good common sense.

'I'm still not happy with these low-born commoners hanging around us.'

When Arthur arrived home and saw the festival, he had questioned his father on why they had allowed commoners to eat with them.

He didn't mind having a grand welcome with a large group of people gazing at him in awe and admiration. What he did mind, however, was that the crowd was allowed to celebrate with his family.

His father, the current lord, Archibald Reinnes, had replied back, "Son, if you ever want to share your achievements, it's important to do it with the people who serve you. Let them know of our family's greatness by spreading just a little joy to them. It will encourage them to work harder for our lands, as is appropriate."

Arthur had not fully understood what his father had meant, but he did see the necessity behind it.

Realizing the importance of those words, he nodded his head and went along with the festival. Though, he still chose to stay a distance away from the lower class.

Recently, when he noticed Leo and Austin coming back from Halo Academy, Arthur had quite forgotten about what his father had told him and desired them to leave. There wasn't any evil intent behind it, he just didn't want to see peasants he was familiar with.

Seeing them actually leave made him very grateful.

To his right, he immediately noticed some girls walking towards him.

Straightening his back, he did his best to coolly greet them.

"Hello, fair ladies," Arthur politely said, "Do you have anything you want to speak to me about?"

"Yes, we do actually," one of them blushingly replied in a frilly dress, "We came here with our families and would like to know if you have already become a true warrior."

"Oh?" Arthur was pleasantly amused, before thinking of the best way to respond, "Instead of answering, how about I show you?"

He then slowly unsheathed the sword tied around his belt (deliberately giving the people around him a good view at the excellent craftsmanship) and put on an exciting demonstration.

Cheers soon abrupted as they saw sparks of energy coming out of his sword and into the sky.

Glancing around, he saw his father and his mother smiling fondly. As for the other nobles, they were carefully analyzing his talent through his performance.

'Heh,' Arthur thought contemptuously, 'Let them witness this moment. Among all the students in Gerald's classes and club, I was always the best. It won't be long before I'll become the greatest knight of this kingdom.'

----------

Arriving near the doorstep of his home, Austin looked at the building where his parents raised him in.

It was a bit shabby, spanning a small area that barely contained room for two stories. Nevertheless, there was a certain warmness one could feel when taking it in.

He took a deep breath before knocking gently on the door.

After a couple seconds, there wasn't a response.

Frowning, Austin knocked again and thought of the time.

'It's currently evening, they should be done with their work right now.'

Suddenly, the door hurriedly opened and the smell of something sweet wafted through the entrance.

Peering inside, he could see his parents excitedly greeting him as they both held up a cake on a plate.

"Welcome home!" they shouted in unison.

Austin was taken aback by this greeting. He didn't expect his family would go out of his way to also make a celebration for his return.

Still slightly surprised, he quickly walked inside and spread his arms open.

"I'm home!" Austin said happily.

After moving towards the dining table, his parents put down the cake before rushing forward to give their son a hug.

"We weren't exactly sure when you would be back." his father explained.

"We waited for a bit and lost track of the time," his mother finished before pulling away, "Goodness, I think we must have dozed off."

She had tears in her eyes as she looked at her son.

"Mom," Austin said as his father also pulled away, "You didn't have to spend money to make a cake. I just came back home like I always did."

"Son," his father looked at him, "You are officially a man now. You've mastered magic and should be able to find a good job in the future. Today marks the start of that. Your mother wants to congratulate you with a family party."

Thinking of the word "party", Austin reminded himself of the festival being hosted in the city square.

"Um, dad, what about outside..." Austin began.

"No," his father shook his head sternly, "This is something for our family, and our family alone.

"The Reinnes have their own business."

There was a slight look of disdain on his father's face when he spoke that last line.

With that response, Austin couldn't help but give a big smile.

"Come on boys," his mother said after wiping away a few tears, "Let's eat quickly. I've got more than just cake for our supper."

----------

Looking up at the sky, Leo could see that it was steadily getting dimmer. But due to the fact that it was now summer time, the day could still be seen brightly.

Leo was walking slowly towards his home.

He had many thoughts on his mind. About the festival, about the future, and about the feather he had found.

But once he got to his house, his mind immediately became preoccupied about his family.