Author's Note

OK I get it I use Edin too much i'll try to fix that.I doubt I can but I'll give it mah best

This was hard for me to write,I tried sitting down to write this but i got distracted and my laziness took over and i was like meh I'll finish it tomorrow.Then the next day the same thing happened.so this process kept happening for the next few days until I decided enough was enough so i sat down and ignored all distractions and started writing and then i got distracted again but I eventually wrote and to make up for my laziness i wrote the longest chapter so far :-)

also why don't you guys help me with names and back stories for ten of the kids from his band of thieves like the eldest one is still unnamed for example

Enjoy

As always reviews,ratings,Recommendations,Corrections,Questions and comments are greatly appreciated

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Chapter 16: Burnt

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Fun….So fun….I can’t wait

It was dark outside, safe to leave now. He made his way towards the door and out the hallway. He took great care in hiding the sounds of his footsteps

Hearing the screams of the children he tortured made the old man so ecstatic

It took him more than an hour to finally reach the house in the city where he kept his toys. He opened the door and made his way towards the basement. As he walked down the stairs he removed his coat

Hanging by chains was a child no older than ten with half his skin missing

He walked up to the child to wake him.

Damn it….DAMN IT….DAMN IT!!!!

The flayed child was dead but not from his injuries. The old man took great care in not severing any important arteries, He had confidence in his skills to not kill his toys but sometimes his toys simply died. They just simply gave up and went to sleep never to wake again

I have to get a new one…damn it so troublesome

The man could easily buy a new toy but if he did then people would know after all the man was known in the Royal court. He didn't want to leave any traces of his hobby

He put his Coat on and walked out the front door. It was night so hardly any children would be playing in the streets. He had to be careful when selecting his new toy. The toy needed to have no connections it had to not be missed

I’ll come back on my off-day

It was Sunday his day off

The old man had been watching a child who he was certain was an orphan. He approached the child

“Hey little boy are you Hungry?”

“Huh?” said the boy

“I've always wanted a son how about you come home with me,” said the old man trying to convince

“Hey Peter where are you!?” screamed someone

This voice it couldn't be

In to the old man’s view entered a young twelve year old with bright gray eyes and with blonde hair bordering on brown

What the hell is he doing here!?

The old man immediately took off in a sprint

Damn it….One day you and her….I’ll have you both

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Edin's POV

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For the first time in his life Edin had a busy schedule. From the crack of dawn he’d wake up to train with both Theodore and Myles. Then in the afternoons he had to study with a private tutor along with the princess. He’d then have an hour to eat and shower.

Early to bed and early to rise

If that wasn’t enough he’d spend his free days training his band of thieves. He was teaching them self-defense techniques and also how to read and write. It was no different from babysitting

He was now standing inside the house he had bought. It was a small house with a kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms and three rooms. After he was done interrogating thug leader he killed him and put him with the rest of the bodies. The bodies were put in an alley known as suicide alley. It wasn’t uncommon to find dead bodies in these parts of the city. The city guard hardly bothered to find anything about poor dead bodies .Although all thug leader was reveal the old boss’s location but the kids already knew that

In all three rooms of the house he had two bunk beds, it was barely enough space to accommodate the children

Even though he called them children they were all close to his own age.

“Edin are you listening?” asked Cassandra

“Yes mama bear,” he answered

“Then what did I say?”

“You want me to take some kids with me and go shopping for food,”

“That’s right, get too it then,” said Cassandra

He wanted to tell her how broke he was but as a man he had to find a way to pay for food.

Dad I had no idea I was such a parasite

Edin was now a minimum age worker with over twelve children

“Wait one second!” he screamed while pointing at a seventeen year old who was eating an apple in the kitchen

“What the Fu..French-fry are you still doing here?”

“Well I’m not the boss anymore and,”

“Your seventeen get a job don’t you know your considered an adult at the age of fifteen,”

“But I take care of them when you and lady boss aren't here and guard the house”

“I suppose if you act as a responsible guardian,”

“Wait don’t deceive me these kids are old enough to take care of themselves, I mean the youngest is like 9”

“Well at least find a part time job,”

“yeah yeah,”

That’s the same response I gave my parents!

“Peter and Dusty come with me, we’re going shopping,” He said while regretting the fact that somehow he just adopted eleven kids and a NEET

“Yes boss,”

“Right behind ya,”

The three of them walked out the door but Edin rather than heading towards the market he went the opposite direction.

“Um boss the markets this way,”

“I know that I just need to see somebody,”

Edin and company headed towards Mr. Gibbs mansion. When they arrived he knocked on his door

“Huh today’s not Sunday,” said Mr. Gibbs

“Um yeah the thing is I need to borrow some money,”

“What am I a bank?” asked Mr. Gibbs

“Who are these kids?” asked Mr. Gibbs as he laid his eyes on dusty and peter

“You see I kind of have to feed twelve orphans, and one thing led to another and I’m broke”

“Help a bro out,”

“Fine then here a silver,” said old man Gibbs as he gave a silver coin to Edin

“But this is the last time I’m helping you out, you need to find a way to make money,”

“Well I was thinking of finding a way for them to work,” he said

“Why not be an information broker,”

“That’s a bit dangerous no?”

“Well how do you earn money?”

“Well I’m a squire so you know I clean and run messages sometimes,” He stopped realizing he had his idea

That’s it a courier service!

The kids could run on rooftops instead of running in the streets

All he needed now was enough money to start this new business. He remembered the ruby that they had hidden in the floorboards.

Edin was now standing in the marketplace trying to pick ripe tomatoes. Although he was a NEET in his old life he still had the responsibility to buy the groceries.

“Here dusty carry this,” he said as he passed the basket with tomatoes

“Peter you carry this,” he said as he extended his hand

“Peter hurry up and huh? Where did he go?”

Dusty was just as lost as he was when it came to the location of peter

“Dusty do not move from this location,” he told dusty as he ran off to search for peter

“Hey peter where are you!?” He screamed as he turned the corner he saw peter talking to a shadow that immediately took off as soon as it saw him

“Peter who were you talking to?”

“Some old man who wanted to adopt me or something,” said Peter

Strange then why run off, could it be a dangerous pervert

“just be careful around strangers,”

“Yes boss,” agreed peter

He finished his shopping and dropped everything off at the house. He then set off to the local pawn shop carrying the ruby in his right hand. He could always try auctioning it but he needed the money now rather than later.

He went to the main market square and entered Star’s pawn shop

“Hey I’m Rick, How can I help you?”

“Uh yeah I have a ruby I want to sell,” Said Edin as he took out the red ruby the size of a gumball

“Oh wow let me take a look,” said Rick as he examined the ruby

“I’ll give you five gold coins” offered Rick

Is that a lot?

He wasn’t sure whether or not that was a lot but he decided to aim a bit higher

“Ten gold,”

“Look kid at best I’ll be able to get 12 gold coins for this”

“Fine then 8 gold coins take it or leave it,”

Come on take the bait

“Fine 8 gold coins,” said Rick as he took out 8 gold coins from a small safe near the counter

He took the money and put it in his coin pouch and hid in his coat. He then set off towards the bank to deposit his money.

Standing in line at the bank made him nervous, constantly eyeing the entrance waiting for a masked bank robber.

Not this time, I’m not dying this time

“Next in line,”

He walked up to the counter

“Your ID sir,”

The ID for this bank was simple. It had a photograph of the owner that was black and white with basic information and the account number. When he first opened his account he was surprised that they could take pictures although rather than science they used magic to create the image.

The bank of Moatiupolis was affiliated with the adventurer’s guild which meant you could access your money in many places where the adventurer’s guild was established. Although they lacked banknotes it seems checks could still be used.

“Here and I’d like to deposit 8 gold coins,”

“Ok will that be all Mr. Freestone,”

“Yes thank you,”

It took over three months to start up the courier business. Having to select a building as the headquarters, ordering uniforms and joining the business association afterwards it took another three months for this courier business to finally start seeing some money flow in even though it wasn't much he did manage to recover enough capital to sustain a comfortable life for his band of thieves even if they were no longer thieves.

Edin was probably now the busiest thirteen year old in the city. Training in the mornings and etiquette lessons in the afternoon after dinner rather than going to sleep when the sun went down he had to manage his accounting books and other such problems with his courier business.

Today though Myles was away on business although most knights would take their squires Myles decided to leave Edin behind.

Edin was practicing his fireball magic that he could cast only twice before going weak

Mmmm what if I envelope my sword in flames like those RPGs

He tried using chant less magic to put his sword aflame

You have to imagine it and feel it coming out of the tips of your fingers is what his brother would had said

It took him most of the day but eventually he lit his sword with flame

Cool

He swung his sword like a child with sparklers on the fourth of July

“Oh shit hothothothothothothothothothot!!!”

He let go of the sword and let it drop to the dirt floor. The sword was melting while it lay on the ground still aflame. He hadn’t noticed that he was pouring too much mana into the sword

Eventually after a few days and several bronze training swords he was able to control the size and heat of the flame like a stove

The swords however were useless after being enveloped by his flame. He was practicing his new technique to try to find a way for the sword to receive zero damage when Myles came back and noticed what he was up to

“What are you up to,”

“Oh Myles your back, ahem I mean my Lord you've returned,”

“Enough with the pleasantries how much money did you spend on the sticky fire?”

“Eh sticky fire?”

“That’s right you’re not the first man to put his sword aflame with sticky fire although in the end it does nothing but add pizzazz besides sticky fire is expensive at the alchemy shops,”

“But I didn't use sticky fire, I’m just using voiceless magic,”

“That’s incredible,”

“Yes but I can only do this for about ten minutes before I’m completely drained of mana and the sword keep getting damaged,”

“Mmmmm here try using my great-sword,”

“OK but I’m telling you it’ll get damaged,”

“Just do it,”

He took the great-sword and lit it

“Make the fire as hot as you can,”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,”

He turned the flame until it was hot enough that he wanted to let go of it but he was no stranger to flame as his mother constantly made him cook the tortillas on the stove back in his first life. Having to flip the tortilla using your bare hands was hard at first but eventually he grew to ignore the heat

“That’s weird the sword isn't getting damaged,”

“That’s because my sword is made of pure Axaprium,”

“And I’m supposed to know what that is,”

“It’s also known as the metal that not even a dragons bite can bend, It’s extremely expensive but it has a high heat resistance and also never loses its edge no matter how many times it’s hit,”

What if I had a katana made of this then it wouldn't break or lose its edge no matter how many heads I decapitate

“How much money?”

“More than you’ll ever see in your lifetime, my sword came from the kings personal treasury,” said Myles as he took the sword away from Edin

Of course it is

It was finally his first day in a while that he had nothing to do.

Finally a day to relax if all goes well that is

He was on his way when He saw an old adversary of his

Luke stared at him

Oh shit did he see me

He tried to walk away before he was called

“If it isn't my little cousin Edin,” said Luke

“Oh Luke Long time no see buddy,”

“Well if you must know I've recently been knighted at the tender age of sixteen,”

Tender?

“Isn't that great cuz,”

It’s not like you payed the man to knight you

“I hear you’re still a squire to some Sir Myles,”

“Well yeah I mean he’s only the best tourney knight in the kingdom,”

“Whatever,”

“Yeah well take care I've gotta go,”

Edin immediately left the area and went towards his destination

He was able to find the whereabouts of the women who had been raped by Mr. Gibbs son. She was apparently sick with the king’s irritation which was a disease that had symptoms of a fever but it would take several months until the person finally died. Although there was a cure it cost a gold coin which the family could not afford. He had the potion from the apothecary in his pocket.

Her and her three children lived in a small shack only five minutes away from the house he had bought for his thieves

He felt bad for the lonely retired strategist so he wanted to know how the situation really was, he was after the truth

He reached the small rundown shack and knocked on the door

“We don’t have any money go away!” said the voice of a young boy

“No were not supposed to say anything so they think no ones here,” said a young girl

“Oh right, I mean nobody’s home!”

“Brother it’s too late for that,”

Edin had to keep down the urge to laugh

“Our brother isn't very smart is he?” said another voice belonging to another boy

“Shut up,”

“I’m just here to help your mother with this cure I've got here,” said Edin from outside the door

“Well might as well open the door,”

The door was opened slowly

Edin had seen the pictures of Mr. Gibbs son as a child standing on the furniture of Mr.Gibbs house

The boy who opened the door was the splitting image of his father albeit he had a smaller nose. This kid was definitely a product of rape

“Who are you?”

“I've come to adopt you,”

“Eh really,” said the boy

“Just kidding, just think of me as your older brother,”

“We don’t have an older brother,” said a small boy no older than six

“That’s right,” said the little girl

These two seem brighter than their brother

“It’s all right I know your grandfather,”

“Yeah but we don’t,” said the little boy

“Well let me introduce myself I am Edin freestone squire to sir Myles Townway and only thirteen years of age,”

“Um William and I’m eleven,”

“Nice to meet you I’m Stacy and nine years old,”

“Logan six years of age,”

“Well a pleasure to meet you all but let’s try giving this to your mother,” he said as he took out the small bottle

“Eh that’s,”

He walked up to a women lying on the floor in the corner of the small shack

She was asleep but had a pained face. He brought the potion up to her lips and let her drink

He then picked her up in a princess carry.

Edin was physically fit but he was still developing the muscles of a man but thanks to his body strengthening he was able to easily carry their mother

“Well then get your things and follow me,”

“Where are we going?” asked William

“To your new home depending on the old man’s answer,”

“Well we only have the clothes on our backs,” said stacy

The kids were dirty and dressed with nothing but rags

“well then let’s get going,” he said as he walked out of the shack

They walked for a while until they reached Mr. Gibbs mansion

“Are we there yet?” asked William in an annoying tone

“William stop annoying him,” said Stacy

“Agreed we’ll get there when we get there.” Said Logan

They reached the mansion

“William open the gate,” he instructed

“Um Stacy I have a key in my pocket can you get it and open the door,”

Mr. Gibbs found it a bother to open the door so he gave a copy of the house key to Edin

Stacy opened the door and he walked in

“Oi what are you doing here and who are these people?” said Mr. Gibbs confused

“Just point me somewhere I can set her down,” he said

“The second room on your right upstairs,”

“Stay here kids ,” commanded Edin

He walked up the stairs and into the room and laid the women on the bed. He then returned back downstairs.

“Kids stay here while I and the old man talk in his study,”

He and Mr. Gibbs walked into the study

Mr. Gibbs sat on his chair

“So who are these people?”

“Well they’re your grandchildren and that lady was their mother,”

“Like hell they are!!!”

“Really the black hair and hazelnut eyes don’t seem similar to you,”

“That woman ruined my son’s life,”

“That’s besides the point old man those kids are definitely part of your family regardless of the situation!”

“Fine your right the kids have no fault in this but that woman,”

“That woman is sick in bed so until she wakes take that time to think about the questions you’ll ask her because maybe your son wasn't so great as you thought him to be!”

“Fine I’ll raise the kids but their mother staying here will depend on her answers,”

“That’s all I’m asking for Old man,”

He walked out of Mr. Gibbs study

“OK kids I’m gonna get going, you’ll all be staying here with your grandfather ba-bye,” he said as he walked out of the mansion before the kids could respond

He was on his way towards the castle.Everything was going great.He had set up his business and helped Mr Gibbs with his problems but something was tugging at the back of his mind

Oh that’s right

“THAT SON OF A BITCH GOT KNIGHTED AT SIXTEEN!!!” SCREAMED Edin in the middle of the lonely dirt road

Although sixteen wasn't the youngest since the record was being was a man who was knighted at fourteen it still showed that Luke had skill when most others were being knighted in their late teens or early twenties

Luckily the sun was still up so as soon as he arrived at the castle he sped off to find Myles

He found Myles still on the training yard

“Whoa what’s wrong Edin?” asked Myles as Edin was catching his breath

“I wanna be knighted!”

“You’re still a boy so I can’t,”

“I want to be knighted,”

“Well I suppose you can enter this year’s squire tourney,”

“squire’s tourney?”

“yeah well theirs squires who believe they should be knighted so the king holds a tournament every year for squires and the winner is knighted by me as I represent the king,”

“That’s great,”

“Yeah well it’s also a way for the king to get some extra cash because the entrance fee is ten gold coins,”

“That’s fine as long as I can beat that bastard,”

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