Brad held an enchanted slave collar in his hand and threw it at Harita's feet, an unnatural glow emanated from the runes on it, giving the steel collar an unnatural look.
"Put it on." Brad ordered, his eyes trained on Harita entirely.
Lieren clutched at his aegis' shirt, his brow furrowed deeply as looked at the collar.
Harita, on the other hand, paid no mind to either, instead gazing up at the blue sky with distant stare. Then, lost in his own reverie, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, extending the uncomfortable atmosphere.
Everybody just watched as the man I question relaxed himself. Brows raised and eyes squinted at the suspect's behavior, silently judging him.
Harita patted Lieren's head and smiled. "I'll make this quick."
He extended his hand, igniting the runes on his wrist and summoning his katana. "Night Eate—"
"Stop!" All eyes, except Brad's, turned to look at the person who broke the uncomfortable silence.
A thin boy, frail and weak-looing bearing black hair and blue eyes stood nervously, hiding behind the suspected man in a feeble attempt to make himself smaller.
"P-Please…don't hurt him." The boy said weakly, his legs and arms shaking from too much exposure. A single tear fell from his cheek.
Lin stepped forward, sheeting her weapon and crouching down, making herself look as non-threatening as possible.
"There, there. We won't hurt you—" Before she could go any farther, Brad held her back, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back forcefully.
Brad eyed the two suspiciously, a glint of madness in his eye. "Don't trust them. This could be a ruse to get us to lower our guard."
"You're being paranoid." Rin detached from the group as well, dodging Brad's seeking grasp.
Brad gritted his teeth, his sword still pointed at Harita.
Lin followed her sister, yanking her arm from Brad with a distasteful glare.
The other adventurers and mercenaries erupted in a chatter. Words of doubt were being thrown everywhere.
Lieren noticed the divide between the two groups, with one trusting Brad's accusation, and the other trusting the twins optimism more.
He tugged on Harita's shirt, a tear fell from his cheek.
"H-Harita…" The boy said feebly, his voice low and weak.
Lieren still could not see Harita's eyes.
The twins pivoted to them, and Lieren flinched as they arrived just a few steps away.
Harita remained calm and collected as he gave the twins an impassive stare.
Lieren, through his contract with Harita, felt something coalescing inside of him, ready to strike at any second.
"What do you want?" Harita's tone was cold, his eyes, now seen, was empty, cold, and expressionless, devoid of the usual flamboyance that the flashy man would usually have.
The twins took a step back, caught off-guard by Harita's cold stare and skeptic disposition.
Lin nudged her sister, Rin, and the latter glared at her.
"W-We just want to talk…" She said something else under her breath, but her voice was too low to make anything out.
Lin, noticing her sister's apprehensiveness, stepped forward as well. She cleared her throat, then said in a clear and somewhat calm tone:
"We just want to know what happened." Her voice echoed in the crater, causing another round of chatter above.
"…" Harita gave Lieren an unreadable look, then nodded, clutching his shoulder and stepping forward.
The boy followed eagerly, holding the man's hand tightly.
"No…" A voice said, disbelieving. It was Brad's, cold and disbelieving. "They're lying! It's just a petty trick!"
Some adventurers agreed, raising their arms and voices as well, pointing them at the Lieren and Harita. However, most of the people present, both in and out of the crater, just gave indifferent looks to each other, unsure how to act.
Finally, a man, dressed in formal noble's clothing, jumped down the crater, landing gracefully without a thud or dust flying, pivoted to Brad and patted his shoulder.
"My good man, Radsmey, I believe that your suspicion is justified and needed. However, I also believe that it is within their rights to explain their own circumstances, so that we may make light of this situation." The man, more experienced than old, spoke in a tone that signified that this was not a request, but an order.
Brad's facial featured filled with indignation and fury for a moment as he whipped his head around, only for his face to pale as soon as he saw who he was talking to. With a grunt and a click of his tongue, the middle-aged adventurer took a step back, sheathing his weapon and hanged his head.
His eyes, however, told a different story entirely. A fact that Lieren, as small as he was, noticed at the corner of his peripheral.
The noble man, with his chin held high and his back ramrod straight, walked over with unconcern as he casually walked over to the two of them, ignoring the twins entirely.
The man extended a hand.
"It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to the great Harita of the Broken Heart." The man's eyes were beaming, his words carefully calculated. "My name is Bryne Bravefeather, firstborn and current head of the renowned house of Bravefeather."
The man, Bryne, smiled, not with his mouth, but with his black eyes.
Harita hesitated, looking at the man's hand, unmoving. He look at the boy beside him, then took the man's hand, shaking it lightly and momentarily.
Bryne just smiled in return, showing his white teeth in what Lieren barely recognized as a smile.
"Come, come." The man waved, ordering his guards, including Brad, to make a path, pushing all the other adventurers and mercenaries to the side.
He waved a hand, and one of the various rings on his hand glowed, making the earth shift into a perfect flight of evenly-carved stairs. Brandishing his white teeth, the man urged Harita, and the boy beside him, to follow.
Lieren watched with curious attention at the man's ring, his eyes sparkling with the technology and magical function involved.
Bryne urged them into a lavishly decorated carriage with intricately carved patterns on the wooden exterior. The man had money to spare.
"Let us talk business."