Chapter 20: Icebreaker
Twenty minutes later, inside Jeremy's house...
Everyone was exchanging some words together for the reason that they had the same fate. Also, they would be working in Jeremy's 'organization' soon.
So, it was better to know each other more.
As a result, everyone was currently standing in groups of 3 or 4 people while talking and expressing opinions with one another.
"I see... So, your name is George, Owen's youngest brother, and you are Matthew, the middle child. My name is Charlotte Rosenburg; you can just call me Charlotte."
"..."
"..."
George and Matthew, who were in front of Charlotte, nodded their heads in understanding.
For their ages and appearance, George looked to be around 13 years old with a skinhead, moderate height compared to someone his age, and he looked pretty adorable at first glance. As for Matthew, he was 15 years old, an average teenager that you can find along the street.
'Whatsoever, they looked different from the muted Owen.' Charlotte thought to herself.
"Let me introduce those people to you. Here... you guys look over there, the short old guy with white hair talking to your grandpa and grandma is my grandpa, Sebastian. He is my father's father."
"..."
"..."
The kids nodded their heads in acknowledgment.
After that, Charlotte pointed her index finger to another group of people who were also talking to one another, like her grandpa's group. She pointed them out one by one.
"You see that beautiful woman with blonde hair and hourglass body? She is my aunt, Suzan Howell. As for the kind old woman with white hair standing beside my aunt who is talking to your mom and aunt, she is my grandma, Penelope, my father's mother."
"..."
"..."
The two kids nodded their heads once again.
Seeing that, Charlotte pointed at a group of 3 people at the living room corner and continued.
"As for those two middle-aged people who are talking to your uncle, they are my mother and my father. My mother's name is Emma, and my father's name is Frank."
"..."
"..."
The kids then took a quick look at the short couples who were talking to their uncle, Bob.
"And the group at that corner, the fiddled man's name is Samuel; he is trying to flirt my two besties. The woman on the left is Grace, and on the right is Amelia."
"..."
"..."
Afterward, the kids scrutinized Samuel carefully because they had often heard about Sam from their brother, Owen. Then they took a look briefly at the blonde-haired Grace and the red-haired Amelia.
Then the two kids nodded their heads like the previous times.
"Well, I'm quite thirsty; you two want some water?"
"..."
"..."
"By the way, have you kids eaten? How about some snacks?"
"..."
"..."
Those earlier reactions of the kids had finally caused Charlotte to be unable to take it in anymore.
She had been the only one talking for quite a while now. Meanwhile, the kids only nodded at her words and questions without saying or asking anything back at all.
Those were not natural reactions...
Well, it might be natural when someone their ages met with a stranger, but Charlotte couldn't tolerate that.
"Why don't you say anything or ask any question, kids? You only nodded your heads for a while now, didn't you?" She asked questioningly at the two kids who were standing in front of her.
"..."
"..."
Seeing the demanding stare from Charlotte, the kids knew they had no way out.
Then George and Matthew looked at one another's eyes for a brief moment before they came into an agreement that Matthew would be the one who clarified Charlotte's doubt.
"It's because Owen told us not to talk or ask back at you." The older brother, Matthew, answered truthfully to clarify Charlotte.
"What!? Why? What else did he tell you about me?" With a deep frown, Charlotte inquired further.
"He told us that you are a bigmouthed monster. So, we should keep our thoughts to ourselves while talking to you. Or else, we will get absorbed into an eternal, endless loop."
Hearing those statements from Matthew, Charlotte's eyes widened in astonishment, then her cheeks and eyes twitched continuously.
"..."
"..."
"O...WENNN!! Why did you tell the kids. Like. THAT!??"
With a darkened face and pouted lips, Charlotte shouted in the direction of the sofas where Jeremy and Owen were sitting while watching a top box office movie.
When Owen, who was engrossing in the movie's intro, had heard Charlotte's voice, his body suddenly stiffened up.
'What happens...?'
'...'
'Do those two lads tell her? If it is so, then... I'm royally fucked up!'
Owen thought horribly to himself and prepared to run away from this cursed house as soon as he got a chance.
However...
*Ding Dong* *Ding Dong* *Ding Dong*
Before Owen could even stand up and run to the door according to his great escape plan, ringing sounds came suddenly from the house's entrance.
Those bell-ringing sounds interrupted every conversation and activity of the people inside.
At that moment, everyone wondered who was coming at this time... after Jeremy had already finished the demonstrations for quite some time.
'That person must be quite daring to come at this time.' They thought.
So, everyone was turning their heads in Jeremy's direction curiously to see what this was about.
Was that person really late to the event today?
Or was that person unrelated to them in the first place?
Jeremy, who was the center of the attention, frowned a bit at the interruption of his enjoyment.
'...[Mana Wave Detection]...'
Jeremy recited the spell soundlessly.
Then there was an invisible wave of mana whizzed into the direction of the entrance.
A split second later, the feedback came back into his mind showing a general but unclear image of the surroundings around the entrance.
Jeremy saw two middle-aged men around 40 years old in front of his house. Then he thought for a bit about who they were.
'They are the two security guards of this area... What do they come here for?'
Jeremy raised one of his eyebrows after realizing that they were actually security guards who usually patrolled around this block area.
*Sigh*
'What a nuisance.' Jeremy sighed and thought annoyingly.
Then with the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, Jeremy stood up and walked to the entrance.
Not long after, he reached the door; he opened it up and saw the two people in front of the door.
Jeremy nodded at the two and gestured for them to state their purposes.
"Are you mister Lakota, the owner of this house?"
The guard from Jeremy's left asked after seeing Jeremy's gesture to speak.
"Yes, it's me."
Jeremy said plainly while looking at the left guard.
"We had received a total of 4 complaints from your neighborhood. They all said that there was a sound akin to an explosion reverberating from your house's area. So, we have come here to inquire and request for a simple inspection of your house." The guard on the left stated his purposes directly.
'That sound must be from my Mana Bolt spell. Hmmm... He looked to be superior of the right guy...' After hearing the guard's statements and sizing up the two guards for a bit, Jeremy thought to himself.
"I see... The sound was actually from my friends and me renovating the garage next to this house. Please excuse me." Jeremy replied to the guards casually, then he prepared to close the door.
But within his mind...
'Well, this is already the best answer I can give, considering they may want some proof. Like that, I can lead these two people to see the garage and tell them that the sound originated from remodeling the ceiling and the walls. Also, I have those people as eyewitnesses and accomplices."
When the guards had heard Jeremy's reply, they got a bit dubious and skeptical at his reasons. According to Jeremy's neighbors' complaints, the sound they had described was something like an explosion or a gunshot.
So, the two guards exchanged a glance with one another. The guard on the right raised one of his eyebrows and shook his head in skepticism.
When the guard on the left saw the sign from his subordinate that they had thought the same thing, he decided to inspect Jeremy's house to see if he had illegal guns or explosives within his house or not.
Well, they had the necessary contract and agreements to inspect his house after all. When Jeremy's parents had bought the house in this community, they did sign a contract about allowing inquiry and simple inspection.
Then the guard on the left interrupted Jeremy, who was going to close the door, "Hold on... According to the reports, the sound reverberating from here is not quite the same as your recount. So, if you don't mind, we would like to do a quick inspection of your house. What do you say?"
'Tsk... They also want to check the house huh?' Jeremy clicked his tongue inwardly in annoyance.
'As I've thought... It is really a nuisance. But it can't be helped; I have to abide by the community's norms for now. Then, after they find nothing in the house, they will request to inspect the garage without a doubt... Sigh...'
Jeremy thought and sighed to himself, but on the outside, he was still showing his nonchalant attitude that seemed to be uncaring of the current situations.
"Sure, do as you see fit and be quick with it."
He casually gave his affirmation to the guards to inspect his house and was about to turn his body halfway to let the guards in.
Still...
"What's the matter?"
The voice of an old man interrupted the three people at the entrance.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone