"Yes, I knew," Inse admitted. She recounted how in the morning, a merchant caravan passing through town had informed her about the presence of monsters. She explained, "I assumed they had enough people to defend against these monsters, but... but this happened."
Hearing this, Aarya once again reassured her, saying, "Mother, it still isn't your fault. I am unharmed, after all."
Inse finally calmed down and declared, "Yes, you are unharmed now, but what if this happens in the future? Then, as your parent, I should protect you, and I'm going to do everything it takes to do that," her voice filled with determination.
"Oh my gods, what happened here?" a panicked voice came from a woman. Aarya and Inse turned towards it, revealing Aarya's grandmother, Ferst Ditew. She was dressed in a simple beige dress, her black hair mixed with silver, tied in a tight bun, and her face etched with worry. An elderly maid stood nearby.
Hurrying toward them, Ferst looked at Aarya and repeated, "What happened here?"
Inse, now calmer and no longer crying, recounted what she knew. Hearing this, she hugged Aarya tightly and said, "Oh, my poor child."
Aarya found himself embraced in the soft grip of Ferst's chest and couldn't help but think, 'Demon, stay out.'
After releasing Aarya from her hug, Ferst asked, "You are alright, right? You weren't harmed anywhere, were you?"
Aarya replied, "It all healed. I was 'Rewarded.'"
"Oh, my poor child," Ferst repeated, shedding a few more tears as she hugged him once again. In the embrace, Aarya noted, 'She smells nice.'
Inse, standing at the side, looked down, feeling deeply ashamed. She broke down once again, crying and saying, "I am sorry, Mother. I wasn't able to protect him. I am sorry."
Ferst heard her daughter's words, and after letting go of Aarya, she stood up and hugged Inse tightly. "Don't cry, my child. You have done enough."
They held each other in a warm embrace until Inse's tears had finally subsided. Watching them, Aarya couldn't help but think, 'They seem pretty close, that's nice.'
Just as things had calmed down, Bran came running toward them, repeating the same words that Inse and Ferst had uttered, "What happened here?"
'Finished wiping the floor,' Aarya lampooned inwardly.
The old maid standing beside Ferst replied, "An ogre attacked, young master." When Bran heard this, shock coursed through him. His gaze shifted to Aarya, who was covered in dirt and dressed in torn clothes, making him even more astonished. 'How did he survive?'
Shaking off his initial shock, Bran continued, "Lady Baroness, there is a mercenary at our gates trying to come inside, saying..." He trailed off, realizing that he knew why the mercenary had come and decided not to voice it.
Inse nodded and replied, "Tell him to wait. He doesn't have to worry now."
Bran left promptly upon receiving the order. Ferst looked at Inse and advised, "Don't worry about Aarya. I can take care of him. You should go and complete your business."
Inse hesitated for a moment, but Aarya intervened, saying, "Mother, I'm fine, and Grandmother will take care of me. You should meet with him so we can spend more time together." Inse reluctantly left the hallway.
Ferst turned her attention to Aarya and smiled. "Let's get you cleaned up."
She then instructed a maid standing nearby, "Roush, prepare a bath for Aarya in his room."
"Yes, my lady," Roush responded before departing. Aarya and Inse also left the hallway, heading towards his room. As they walked, Inse turned to Aarya and expressed her relief.,
"Thank the gods you are safe. What would we have done if you were harmed in any way? Thank the gods. But how did you manage to kill the ogre, Aarya?"
Aarya thought, 'Fuck,' and then said, "When the monster was close to killing me, I prayed hard to the gods, and then this appeared in front of me," getting the gun out.
"Mother said I was 'Rewarded' and given this artifact," he added, displaying the gun for her.
Upon seeing the gun, Ferst was shocked. "Oh, my benevolent gods. To bless you with this, thank the gods," she exclaimed.
"But you should hide this and not tell anybody about it. An Artifact with which a child can kill a monster like an ogre is very rare. If people find out about it, we might have unnecessary problems," Ferst advised.
Aarya thought, 'She and Mother think quite alike,' and nodded in agreement with his grandmother's words.
They reached Aarya's room, where a maid had already prepared a bath for him. Aarya entered the bath, and to his surprise, his grandmother followed him in.
Aarya looked at her questioningly and asked, "Grandma, why are you coming with me?"
"To help you bathe," Ferst replied.
"I can do that myself, Grandma. You should rest outside," Aarya insisted.
"I don't need to rest; let me help you bathe," Ferst insisted, moving towards him to assist in taking off his clothes.
'I would very much like to have you bathe me, but I shouldn't,' Aarya thought.
"I can bathe myself, Grandma; you should wait outside," he insisted, gently pushing Ferst out of the room.
"At least let me help you undress," Ferst suggested before Aarya closed the door.
Once the door was shut, Aarya sighed, removed his clothes, and washed away the dirt with water. He then eased himself into a wooden tub filled with hot water, relishing the warmth.
As he soaked in the water, his thoughts began to flow freely.
'An ogre attacked me, and I killed him. What a fucking day,' Aarya mused, reflecting on the extraordinary events.
'Both Inse and Ferst see me as their child, even if I don't see them as my blood relatives. I shouldn't take advantage of them,' he thought, sighing inwardly. The events of the day had made him reconsider his actions.
'I've already crossed the line with Inse. I can't do anything about it now. I shouldn't push her to do any more things. Let's be good to them,' Aarya resolved. Seeing the concern they had shown for him today had stirred a sense of guilt and compelled him to reconsider his plans.
'Now, what should I do about the debt? If I can't go all the way with Inse, I have to find another solution. Inse said there was a merchant caravan.' Aarya thought as he sat in the tub, contemplating his future plans.