Shin felt a sense of confusion and worry as he would look at the horizon, seeing that the house of the Noble Family that he'd be bodyguarding with was a ways away. He remembers very well what the missive has said before it was turned to ash. "Seeing how corrupt the family is, hmm? I won't know until I am there and find out what the hell I got myself into, and on my first mission too."
He groaned, shaking his head. Under these circumstances, he has no choice. He sighed and put his palm on his forehead. Thinking about it now is going to be a waste of time, so he slaps himself as if getting a hold of himself and says, "Well, if I'm tasked with this mission from the get-go, then I better live up to it so I can make a name for myself."
He said, knowing that most likely from now on he won't be able to use his family name but his pseudo-family name, Gitsunae. It's funny, knowing that it's a play on words and that indeed he's a Kitsune, and he's royalty, no doubt about that. He remembered what his late uncle said: "What's it got to do with royalty when there are no subjects to rule?".
Then he remembered what his wife had rebutted: "It doesn't matter, because when people look at you, whether by blood or not, if they choose you to rule, then it is by your title that you rule. People are willing to be ruled by a person worthy of the position, just like Shin's father.".
He remembers them both. They are both right, but he also thought of a middle ground but couldn't quite figure it out. None of that matters now. He is on the run, and to survive, he must do everything he can, all in the honor and name of his family and the people who have trusted him to live.
After a few moments of contemplation, he knew he had arrived at the place where he would be posted for a while. The mission dictates that he will be a bodyguard to a noble family, but the family name is hidden for fear of assassinations. He scoffs silently. These Westerners are more experienced with betrayal, he thought.
He must learn from them so he and others won't experience it again. He swears by it, but of course, it will be a habit that he doesn't want but that is necessary to survive. He looked out the window, seeing a beautiful garden filled with chrysanthemums and lilies surrounding a beautiful fountain with an immaculate angel riding a reared winged horse, with a spear pointing upwards as if the statue is alive, waiting for battle at a moment's notice.
He, in his natural element, would sit down straight, paying respects to the Noble Family. He waits for the carriage to stop. As soon as the guard opens the door, he disembarks and walks as if a nobleman disembarked the carriage, standing dignified and noble-like. The guards have their eyes on him, and their eyes widen as if they're witnessing a foreign noble visiting the Noble Family.
Shin looks at George, smiling at him as he nods him in thanks. George nodded back, looking at the house, and rode off. Shin watched as the gates closed, then approached the manor. Shin can feel the mana and ki of his surroundings, of the guards, and also of the manor. As soon as he steps through the steps of the mansion, he feels the heaviness of it all as if he wants to barf real quickly, holding his lips and trying to stop himself from getting sick to his stomach.
The place reeks of death. The guards look at him and feel at least some shame and slight confusion as to what happened to the new person that has arrived. No one but the one guard assigned to him helped him up, and it was a female guard. "Are you okay, Hunter?"
The guard spoke up, touching his arm and helping Shin up. Shin noticed the bruises on the woman's hand, seeing that it was no ordinary bruise. He took a deep breath and spoke in a sickly manner, getting his composure back. "I am fine. Just a little motion sickness is all. I will be better once I get something to drink before meeting the client today."
The guard helped him up and called a servant to bring Shin water. One male servant, wearing ragged clothes, came to him and would bring a cold glass of water. He quickly drank it, noticing that the servant had missing fingers and smelled of blood.
Now it's getting more and more peculiar as he notices more things. Indeed, there's something wrong with this place. Not only does the place have the stench of death, but it's also a place of despair and malice. It has the same aura as the ones who killed his clan. Are they connected somehow, he thought? Either way, he better investigate more, gathering evidence on what Guild Master Davis has said.
As the door guards opened the door for them to enter, Shin looked around and saw the grandeur of this place. The design of the place is like in the Baroque Era, with gothic statues peering at each column and pillar, just looking around, all he can see is art.
This art is very robust, given that the art that he's used to back home is structured and not as grandiose as this one. If one looks closely at the statues, everything is etched by hand and everything is symmetrical, painstakingly so, as if the family wanted everything to be perfect.
He can sense the mana in the things around him with his eyes; his red orbs just scan the room as if he were a tourist walking around in a museum. His curiosity grew and grew. The job request said that this family he'll be protecting has close alliances with the Imperial Throne.
If that's the case, then they're important people. Either they're a key family or a branch family of the Imperial Throne. If that's so, then why did Guild Master Davis want the family to be taken care of? By that sentence structure, it means to kill them. But why? He'll never know once he finds out more about them.
The guard leads him to the study, which serves as a library as well. He can see the tall shelves just towering over him, looking up and around as he is still in awe of the place. He's making a façade of being alright, but really, he is sick to his stomach and wants either to get out of this place or eliminate the feeling of death wrapping around him, gripping him like an anaconda to its prey.
As he approaches, the female guard announces his arrival. He is walking with the dignity of a nobleman. Shin notices the fear of this female guard, feeling the fear as she talks, shaken even if her speech and tone are stoic. He nodded to them in greeting as they stood together, with the woman clinging to the man's arm. The man in question greeted Shin with his arms extended and wanted to shake his hand.
Even from afar, he can feel their auras, both the man and the woman's. Both of them are filled with malice and death, just like those murderers on that fateful night. Shin keeps his smile as the noblewoman looks at him, noticing that the look is somewhat lustful. She is beautiful. If not for her aura of death, he would dare to sneak a peek at this woman, but because of the stench of death and her demeanor, he is disgusted by her stare. He ignores the woman's eyes and instead gives his attention to the man.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Sheenrayu Geetsunae. I've heard that you have chosen this mission as your first mission in the Hunter's Guild, eh? My name is Thomas Lichtenstein, and this is my wife Magdalene."
Shin shook hands with the man, with Thomas having a firm grip as he too returned his firm handshake with him, keeping his eyes on him as a sign of respect. Thomas welcomes this as if it's an unsung rule about being a nobleman. Thomas lets go first, as it is customary to wait for the shaker to let go. Magdalene did a curtsy bow.
"The pleasure is all mine. The job requests that I will be assigned to you, the Family Lichtenstein, as your bodyguard. I will protect your family, giving my all in service." As the two heard that, Thomas laughed and patted Shin's back as he was amused. He shook his head and told Shin. "Surely, at your stature, you are most likely the best bodyguard that the Hunter's Guild has brought to us. Family Lichtenstein and the Empire will be pleased that the people from the East are not as barbaric as I'd simply heard from my friends who went there."
They laughed as if they were mocking Shin's identity because he is from the East, and they were mocking where he had come from. Thomas returned his cheery composure and nodded, "Yes. You will do. But you are alone. Are you certain your skills will live up to your demeanor?" Shin nodded and said, "I know that this is our first time meeting, but I assure you that my skills are great, and the Guild trusts my abilities so much that they have enlisted me as a Hunter. I will do my best to protect you."
Thomas pats his back again, harder this time, as if he wanted to smack the life out of Shin. Shin nods as he sees that Thomas's manner is that he is the slaver who has picked his slaves after buying them. Then he said to Shin, "Why don't we show you around the manor?" Shin nodded, listening to the master of the household. Thomas continued.
"It will be a long walk, and we will also lead you to your living quarters. You are free to roam as you please, but when we call you, we expect you to be here for us even if we are far away. Do you understand this?" Thomas explained. Shin nodded, and that was the start of their tour. "Understood...sir" Thomas smiled and nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Well then, let's get started." Before they went, Shin scanned the room, and there was something peculiar yet familiar in a spot just between the paintings and the tall shelves.
Slipping from the bathroom Laverna listened to a voice she did not recognize. The deeper tone of a male voice echoed through the halls as her ears flicked around, picking up what she could. "Bodyguard…Protect…Of service." Another bodyguard? This was the fifth one in the last few weeks. They always ended up going missing after a few months.
She knew that this one would be no different. She quietly slipped through the halls, curious about what she would find. She slipped through the shadows as the voices got louder. Peeking around the corner, she was careful to stay out of sight as Thomas spoke to the man. Thomas was taller than the male, yet the new bodyguard was... somewhat larger, at least from her perspective. His skin was fair, while his black hair looked silky and flowed to his shoulders.
Bright red eyes scanned in everything, and she found herself ducking behind the wall, feeling his eyes land on her for a second. Moving once more, she slipped into more of the shadows, getting closer as her eyes darkened as she watched the group. Thomas and Magdalene displayed their cheerful facade as they welcomed him with utter joy. No doubt they had already assessed his worth.
Due to his frame, she knew Magdalene would fancy a rustle with him, which would enrage Thomas, and the male's death would soon transpire if found. Laverna found her curiosity growing as she watched the stranger. There was something about him that felt oddly familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on it.
She watched as the group vanished from her sight; no doubt the duo showed him around. Shin ignored that familiar feeling for a while and just followed the couple. Laverna waited a few more seconds before slipping away and continuing her chores.