At the age of 6, Lutious once again woke up from meditation ready for another day of training.
(The progress I've made was great, and I can consider myself at my best as far as someone at my level is considered at least.) He thought to himself readying himself for another day.
However, that was not going to be the reality of this day.
"Young master! Today there is no time for training! You have to get ready to go to the Royal Sin Of Broon's territory. Don't tell me, you forgot the introduction ball?" Evenica came in and called to him, her expression betraying a tinge of frustration.
"… Uh… Of… Of course not." Lutious didn't look her in the eyes as he replied.
"Don't lie to my face, young master. It's in poor taste. Just come on, so I can help you get ready." Evenica immediately saw through his attempts.
So, she helped him prepare regardless of his protests.
In the end, he was taken to the carriage where the rest of his family was waiting, his parents and even his three sisters.
Due to the limited space inside the carriage, he was sat on Evenica's lap, and his head rested on the soft mounds of her chest, where he was entrapped by the maid.
"Lutie, you really should stop once in a while, especially when we tell you there's something important to be done. There's more to life than training to get stronger and studying…" Sasha said as soon as it was all ready and the carriage began making its way.
"I mean… I can't say I'm mad at him for having drive and focus… That's just how a man should live," Mandrick said and it caused his eyes to give him a quite intense look, so he continued talking.
"But! That doesn't mean you get to forget everything and everyone else for it. I know it's not easy, but that's life, you have to find the balance between the things you want to do, and the things life as well as those around you want from you, together with what you want for yourself. It's not easy, but so long as you live with others, it's necessary." He told his son with a serious expression.
This calmed Sasha, who turned to Lutious hawking him for a reaction and a response.
"Hum… Sorry, I ended up forgetting about the ball and oversleeping…" Lutious responded with a bit of embarrassment on his face, as he did forget.
This put a smile on Sasha's face as she could see his sincerity and immediately hugged him tight, drowning her child's face in between the mountains she dared to call a chest.
"Good, I knew my little boy didn't mean it! So don't do it again, or I'll have to punish you for real, and your dad won't be able to save you." Though her expression was caring her tone spelled pure doom, she was very serious.
(There won't be a next time if you don't let me breathe… Then again if I had to go this would not be the worst way to go… But no! I have so much to do, and fulfill! I can't die here, even if it's comfortable!) Lutious found himself in great comfort, but even then he could never afford to give in, after all, he had so much ahead of himself.
"Let go of him before he suffocates, don't forget you're much stronger than a level 1, even with mana it would be difficult for him to escape you unless you let him. That's the Grand Throne System for ya." Mandrick sighed as he remarked with his eyes narrowed at this.
"Oh! You're right! Sorry sweetie, you're always training so hard, and doing so much amazing impossible stuff that I forget you're still just level 1 in the end." Sasha let him down on Evanica's lap once more.
This caused a reaction from the other three present.
There was a girl with spiky medium pink hair styled in an almost boyish way, had green eyes, and wore a purple and white long-sleeved dress, with a hat that had matching colors.
Aside from that, she was slender, having little in the way of muscle, and being around 130cm tall at the little age of 7.
"Oh, please! Can you guys treat him anymore like he's blessed? I'm also here you know! Hmph!" Cecilia, the youngest of the three middle sisters spoke up, rolling her eyes at the display.
And a silence followed for a few moments before she was hugged by Sasha.
"Fair enough, you have the right to feel a little jealous. I'm sorry, I know you're here. I wanted to ask you how your magic training was going at home. Since you have such a unique affinity, your old mom doesn't know anything anymore, so can you teach me?" She asked of the little one with a smile not bothered in the slightest.
"Fine! Only because I'm nice, though. Even when you're mean. I can make things bounce off, even magic!" Cecilia exclaimed with great pride in her words.
"Very well done, little princess. It seems you'll be a powerhouse to be considered once you go to the academy with your older siblings." Mandrick was the first to react with a wide smile.
"True! How can such a cute little one hide so much power in here? Someday you'll have to teach us your secret." Sasha said playing along with another smile.
Their actions appeased the little one, who soon fell asleep while holding onto her mother.
As soon as she did, Sasha's attention turned to the other two.
The next one was wearing a red dress and had red hair similar to her father. Her eyes were green, closer to her mother, and a slender physique that showed a lack of physical training.
This 140cm 8-year-old girl just looked at her parents with not much of an expression aside from a slight frown, though it would soon turn to some form of disinterest the moment her younger brother came into her vision, maybe even disgust.
Meanwhile, having hair with a lighter tone of red, and eyes carrying amethyst purple, with a much better physical disposition than all her present siblings, she wore a pink dress.
At 148cm tall, she was quite big for a 9-year-old girl and had the attitude to match it, seemingly completely unbothered by all the occurring in the carriage.
"Mera, and Feina, How's it been going for you two?" Sasha asked each of the girls respectively.
"I can make craters when I focus real hard, and even made a bunch of furniture float, though it was kind of an accident. It was the furniture's fault for distracting me anyway!" Mera was the first one to answer gripping her red dress as she did so.
"I'm doing good, I think I know how to use the family sword technique perfectly now. Though that won't matter since I'm going to the academy in months." Feina with her purple eyes followed.
"You just have to keep trying Mera, you'll get there soon. As for you, Feina… I'm proud of you. Don't ever forget that." Mandrick said calmly with an even wider smile.
This caused Mera to snort, and Feina to smile.
"Don't mind your dad, he can't think much sometimes. He's proud of you all, and so am I. So much so, that those who manage to behave throughout the whole introduction ball will get a very special prize from me!" Sasha responded with a confident smile.
This got the attention of the girls who nodded ready to be on their best behavior before they turned to Lutious with narrowed eyes as If they knew he would cause trouble for them.
(What did I do for them to have such an image of me?… It's in moments like this it would be nice to have Krias around for advice on improving my relationship with them… She did say she mostly lived as a woman, which with all her life experience would probably be.
(Or at least if Master Liliane was here, I could ask her…) Lutious lamented as he remembered his new master's refusal to come.
"I…. I…. Argh! N-No! I… I… I-….. Urrrghhh! I refuse! S-such an…. An event is not made… For… For someone like me." That's what she said when he asked her to come.
When it came to social events and even moist social interactions, Liliane seemed to be incompatible with them, or at the very least not, when it wasn't about training, it was best to leave her to herself.
From there, the carriage journey continued for 7 days.
Even though it was a 700km(435 miles) distance, that would normally take 25 days for a horse carriage, as members of the house of lust, they had a few advantages.
Not only was the carriage constructed to withstand high velocity without discomfort, but the horses were enchanted with protection from wind that allowed them to move at 2 times their normal speed for long periods.
That coupled with taking a decent path, and having a house name most would rather not mess with, and a trip that would usually take almost a month for the average person in this world, was shorted to a mere week.
(Dammit! If it wasn't for meditation and the little training I get in when we make small stops, this would be a much worse trip. Though part of me does wish we would get there already! I have to be patient.) Lutious frowned as he thought of finally getting out of the carriage for a good while after 7 days of spending his time in it.
However, the sentiment was not unique to him, as his sisters could not take being in the carriage any longer.
"You kids must be nervous, after all, it's a first for all of you. Don't worry though, introduction balls are more bark than bite, so long as you don't let what they say get to you, going through one is relatively easy." Mandrick said calmly trying to reassure his kids.
"Easy for mister calm mind over here to say, but words are always harder to deal with than you think, so it's ok to be mad or feel bad if something unpleasant is said, just come to me or your dad if anything happens. Aside from that, try to have fun, and maybe make a new friend or two." Sasha added with a bit more of a serious expression.
Nods came from the kids in response.
(They seem worried even though they were the ones all excited to bring us to one of these. Whatever goes on, it might seem our family as one of the mid-end ones in a low-end house like the House of Lust probably means little to the other houses...) Lutious began worrying this might end up a hassle.
Soon though, they arrived at the Royal Sin House of The Broon Kingdom.
"Welcome to the Broon Family territory. As per usual an apology is in place for such a deviation from the capital of Monotia.
"However, as you must understand such meetings can not be had amid the commotion. Please come in, dear guests. It is a pleasure to receive the Okanu family." A servant man received them with a bow and a smile as he welcomed them.
They went inside as pointed out by the servant, and as they were entering the estate and building before them could be said to be their manor many times over, coated in gold hues, and full of glamour. However, what caught Lutious' attention was different.
(Though the servant guiding us was acting all polite, they didn't bother having a welcome committee for us, and if my lessons in nobility and etiquette were not a scam, this means they don't see any importance in us…
(Which makes sense, to them we might as well be peasants, it's pretty much that already.) Lutious felt himself a bit annoyed at the treatment his family was receiving so far.
There were many flags containing the symbol of their family as they were guided inside.
"How many of the houses have arrived?" Mandrick asked the servant guiding them.
"None, the Okanu family of the House of Lust are our first guests to arrive. So, please allow me to take you to the guesthouse." The servant continued taking them where they had to go.
The place was still partially getting ready for the arrival of more important guests, at least that was the impression as the various servants could be seen going back and forth to get everything ready, and they paid the Okanu no mind.
Evenica began holding Lutious tight, seemingly not too happy to see this, however, she didn't show any real reaction beyond that, simply having it under control.
After that, they got taken to the equivalent of an apartment for them to stay with just enough rooms, and there was a young-looking maid assigned to them.
Carrying brown hair, brown eyes, and an inconspicuous look, she bowed to them and began introducing herself.
"I'm Irma, and I'll be attending to all of your needs during your stay here, Lord Mandrick, Lady Sasha, young lord, and young ladies. If... Huh… If there's anything that you need, please use this." Her voice was a bit hesitant as she stopped to think before finishing talking.
Then she presented everyone except Evenica with a ring with a dirty purple gem on it.
"I see, you seem quite young. I didn't expect a maid at your age." Mandrick commented.
"Oh, that's because I just finished my training, Lord Mandrick." The maid responded with a smile.
"Just finished? I see, so you must be very nervous but don't worry, we can take care of ourselves. Kids, do you need anything?" Sasha replied instead as she sat on a couch while holding onto Cecilia who was glued to her lap.
Mera and Feina were both quick to shake their heads.
(A newbie maid was put in charge of us, they don't care… Oh well, honestly I don't like it, but I better not cause trouble. So, I'll stick to my own thing, as I usually do.) Lutious rolled his eyes internally.
"Yes, I would like to see the training grounds." Sticking to his name as the training fiend, he spoke.
This only caused Mera and Feina to roll their eyes at him, while Cecilia completely ignored his existence.
"Before that, Irma, was it? Do you know when the other families of our houses and other houses will arrive?" Mandrick asked the maid.
"They should all arrive within 11 days at the latest," Irma responded with a semi-decent business smile.
"As for you, young man, it wouldn't kill you to stop training for a single day, but if that's what you want, you have to take Evenica with you.
"That or you're staying here, Liliane has told me how reckless you like to get for more training or a few extra gains, so you better behave," Sasha said to him with a serious look on her face.
(I don't like being watched by those not involved in the training, it feels off, but it's that or wasting a whole day.
(How could I waste a single day when I know Krias could be going through awful things in the hands of that bastard, I swear I'll make you suffer, Beast!) Lutious was internally filled with hate, and frustration as he thought of his biggest drive, though he hid it with a fake smile outside.
Happily, for him, it seemed that he was a bit mad that he was being forced to take the maid, more than anything else.
"Let's go, Eve. At least I now have some beauty to motivate me to train even harder." Lutious hugged Evenica's waist as he smiled after saying this.
"Hmph! Like father like son, it seems. You can't just randomly throw a compliment like that, it's either annoying cause you don't like the guy saying it, or disorienting cause you do. No good outcomes there." Evenica immediately began scolding him, though there was a slight smile on her face as she did so.
"Hahaha, I guess a little bit of pops charm did spill onto him! Great, you train so much, even I was starting to get worried you cared about nothing else." Mandrick walked to him and patted his head in approval happy his son was starting the path of a man.
"Tch! My baby boy is a gentleman! I'm sure if it is, he means well, so no, he's not just like a certain someone, who could not keep to himself when he was younger." Sasha complained while she looked daggers at her husband.
"I… Like you can speak! I'm sure you were no saint in your youth. I was just exploring my horizon, we're of the House Of Lust, of course, I was a womanizer, I would not be here otherwise." Mandrick did a rather poor job at defending himself.
"Oh, spare me! I have physiological needs that will kill me if I don't fulfill them, it's not the same, plus, I didn't do anything I didn't have to, to survive." Sasha rebuked cornering him.
"Yeah, I was pretty surprised during our first time as well… anyway, I left that behind completely, while I would not die. It's still my instinct, one that I now reserved for you, and only you." Mandrick replied with a smile.
"You're so lucky you have a pretty smile. Fine, you are right, you've always been here for me, still, don't teach that to our son, even if we are of the House of Lust, we don't have to be chaotic in our lust, I much prefer orderly lust." Sasha smiled back as she replied caressing Cecilia on her lap.
This argument was had openly in front of everyone with no problem or shame about it, such were the ways of the house of lust.
(Chaotic or orderly? I'm more the type of guy to use both, and choose whichever is best for the situation at hand, though I might be more chaotic than orderly… It's hard to say for sure.) Lutious began thinking about it.
Then, he began pulling Evenica by her hand.
"Anyway, Irma guide us to the training grounds. Bye, Mom, Dad, and girls. I'll come back later, and don't worry, I won't cause trouble, Evenica wouldn't let me anyway." He said as he pushed Irma out of their guesthouse apartment, and hurried to get to training.
After he had left his parents looked at each other.
"I don't know about trouble, but he'll get more attention than he should. Sometimes I wish he was just a little more reserved." Sasha sighed a tinge of worry fully present in her tone.
"He's still got that boy energy to him, he'll lessen it up as he ages, though there is a scary dedication to training, and I can see it in his eyes, he loves getting better and improving, but I'm also wondering if he should stop or limit him some more…" Mandrick sat next to his wife and held her, and little Cecilia close to him.
"I don't think that would be fair to him right now, but if he doesn't slow down by the time he's 9, we'll have to do something about it," Sasha said as she enjoyed being cuddled by her husband.
Meanwhile, Lutious, who was dragging Evenica to the training grounds, while Irma guided them, arrived.