"He asked if he was going to the academy to be your body guard or to pursue his own academic career," Crest replied promptly.
His mother glared at him but his father could only close his eye and take a deep breath. James was only paying attention to the Kon family though, trying to evaluate his prey.
"Why would you think I need a guard? Besides, if I wanted one, wouldn't a warrior be the better option. Mages tend to struggle with short range combat, and—"
"My son is a great warrior for his age!" Jason's father looked livid.
James frowned. "So do you want your son to be a guard or something?"
"No! I don't want my son saddled to a spoiled noble brat like you! My son is going to have his independence no matter what."
James waited for this body's noble instincts to come out. The fury and indignation. Nothing apart from boredom. 'Hmm, even James was bored by cliche insults?'
He grabbed another plum, taking his time to bite into it and savour its taste. He could see the Duchess's fury at the insult against her family. The Duke had lost his smile as well. The Kon's seemed to be pleased with their bravery. Something like horror was overtaking their son's face, but they seemed blind to it.
James stood up, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Then I suppose that is that. It was great having you people in our home. If you do end up in the academy, Jason, don't be a stranger."
He made to step away, and after exchanging glances, the Duke and Duchess stood as well. They had let James take control of the meeting as he'd intended.
"Wait, that's it?!" Jason Kon's mother asked in surprise. "Then why'd you have us come all the way down here?"
James turned to face her again. "It was a mistake on our part, I'm sorry to say. Your opinion of us it seems will get in the way of any meaningful discussion."
"What are you talking about? These talks have all but just begun," Jason complained.
"Insulting your hosts has never been a good tactic for negotiation. It seems to me like you people didn't even come here to negotiate. How many more insults were you thinking to lobby the longer we stayed here?"
James directed this last question at Jason's father. He wasn't really angry, though. He'd just wanted it yo end as soon as possible. The man, for his part, was red faced, but his shoulders were set and his head unbowed.
"Why'd you even come here? You know you didn't need to accept our invitation. This was a waste of time on both our parts."
"Then you'd send your men to try and force our son here," the man growled.
James smiled sadly. "Maybe we would have, to our iwn detriment. I feel like you may be stronger than most of our knights, and your don has more mana than anyone I've ever met. Even some instructors at the academy. I have to apologize, though. Its not right of us to waste your time, just because of our noble status."
It felt good to say that, for some perverse reason; to apologise for being birn a noble.
But then the big man's face reddened further and further. James had no doubt the man wanted nothing more than to tear his head off his shoulders. Jason seemed to be trying to resolve himself to do something. James smiled internally. 'Yeah, I stuck to the story in the novel, with a few caveats, but I don't have to worry about thi—'
Something hit the floor hard. James turned back around in a rush, only to notice Jason and his father both staring at his mother in shock. For the woman was on her knees and tears were leaking steadily from her eyes. Her hands were clasped tight under her chin.
"Please, please...wait. My son, he...give him another chance. We just want what's best for him. You have to—" And she couldn't talk anymore for her sniffles.
"Mother!" Jason cried in horror.
James acted on instinct. He didn't know whose. Maybe the reader's, or this body's innate instincts. He crossed the floor in a few leaps and bent down to hold the woman's hands, helping her to her feet. He had his handkerchief in his hand a second later, dabbing the tears off her face.
"Don't worry about it ma'am. We'll...ah, resume the meeting." 'What the hell am I doing! Let her cry! I don't want to have anything to do with her son. Can't she see that?!'
Everyone else in the room was watching the exchange in shocked silence. James was leading the shaking woman back to the sofa, not caring about his noble station at the moment. Then the double doors burst open and one of the gate guards burst in, his expression panicked.
"Young master Halden, two kids showed up at the gate with a gravelly injured man. They said they were friends of James Halden's and gave me this button."
James was up in a heartbeat, grabbing the button and thumbing it for a second before addressing the guard.
"I hope you let them in!" he growled.
"Who are they James?!" the Duchess was asking.
But James was already motioning for the guard to lead him to them. He merely vaguely said something to her about friends in reply before hurrying after the guard. He had a vague impression of the others following from behind him. He didn't care at the moment. 'If the injured person is who I think it is, then—'
They were not inside the mansion. James found himself feeling a lot more anger than he'd felt in a while. He'd thought he'd never feel anger this hot since he'd been betrayed by his own agency, and his incompetent partner in his previous life. He'd almost killed the bastard. Now he was about to kill a whole bunch of idiots.
"Young master, these kids claimed they were your friends so we"
James didn't wait for the man to finish. His fist was already coated in fire as he continued toward him. He punched him, straight in his armoured belly. The man hit the three layered wall of the guard's out house, and the structure shook. The man wasn't moving in his armour. James turned to the others, a low growl emanating from his throat.
"James!" a familiar voice shouted.
And before he could move to attack the next man, two small bodies were wrapped around him. He stopped dead, something cold rising up to take the place of the ice cold anger. His shaking hands rose up to hug the children back, his eyes closed around approaching tears.
A maid was crouched beside the man he'd punched into the wall. Mary, the sister of the boy he'd asked Gray to have brought to him the night before.
"He's alive. Just knocked out," she reported to the white faced Duchess.
The rest of the guards who'd been surrounding the kids with weapons drawn were pressed against the wall, trying to avoid James's attention. Someone stepped up from behind the Duke. Jason's mother.
"I'm a healer. I can heal him for you, master James."
She was referring to the red haired man who'd been placed on the ground despite the wound leaking blood from his gut. They hadn't even thought to provide the man any first aid, the disgraceful louts.
James nodded his head numbly, his hands moving circles on the children's heads. They were crying, he realised. Whether it was because they were scared for their friend, or what James had done had shaken them. But James was more scared for himself. He'd just let his killer instinct show.
A green light shone, the signs of healing magic being cast, and the skin began to knit on Hansworth's stomach wound. All along his body were a myriad other injuries, scratches and all, and they all receded into red spots, just tender flesh and not a sign of injury.
"Gray, have quarters arranged for him. A bath should be drawn for when he's awake. And food," James didn't let a hint of uncertainty into his voice.
"Do you guys want to be with him while he sleeps?" he asked the kids.
"No—" the boy sniffled, "wanna be in your room."
James just rubbed the boy's head with a fond smile.
"Have a meal sent up to my quarters for the children. Give the rest of our guests rooms as well."
Turning to mistress Kon who was now moving to stand with her family again.
"Our meeting will have to be pushed till tomorrow, I'm afraid. I'm not in the right mind space for that sort of thing right now."
"We understand, my lord," the woman bowed her head in his direction. "But we can't impose any further on your hospitality—"
"Nonsense," he spoke as he walked away. "I'm in your debt, mistress Kon. Thank you." And then he was gone.