The news of Shirou beating up a bunch of kids spread quickly throughout the village of Buena.
Buena Village was just a small place with only a few dozen families. They saw each other all the time, so news traveled very quickly.
Plus, Shirou didn't try to hide anything. He had Lilia tell the kids' parents that they had been beaten up, so the story quickly spread throughout the village.
Even Paul and Zenith, who were out on patrol, heard the news and rushed back.
"Shirou, you little punk, get out here!"
Paul stormed in, looking for Shirou.
He acted like he was really mad, hands on his hips, standing straight in the doorway.
Paul had clearly heard from the village what Shirou had done. Seeing how badly the kids were hurt, he, as a knight lord, couldn't believe someone could do such a cruel thing to a bunch of kids. Many of them had black eyes and swollen faces, and couldn't even get out of bed.
Even if Paul didn't know what had happened or why Shirou had done it, just seeing the result was enough. As the lord knight of Buena Village, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
"Oh, you're back, Paul."
Shirou was calm when Paul arrived. He had clearly expected Paul's reaction and wasn't worried at all. In fact, he seemed unusually relaxed.
"Do you know what you've done?!"
Paul saw how calm Shirou was and started to feel a little unsure, but he quickly shook his head, deciding that he was right. "You beat up so many kids in the village, and most of them are the kids of people we know. How could you do that to them, and use all your strength? I taught you swordsmanship so you could bully the weak?!"
"Bully the weak? Paul, do you think I was bullying the weak?"
"Of course! You're a middle-level Sword God Style Swordsman. Hitting kids your age is like hitting rats. If you're not bullying the weak, then who is?"
"So, Paul, do you think what I did was unjust?"
Shirou looked at Paul calmly. His will didn't waver because of what Paul said. Instead, he used a calm, steady mind to challenge Paul in some way.
"..."
Seeing Shirou's eyes, which were as firm as sharp blades and couldn't be swayed by anything, Paul felt a strange sense of panic. He didn't know why he would feel panic towards a child, but he definitely felt it.
As the saying goes, anger rises from the heart and evil comes from the guts. When panic spreads, it turns into real anger. Paul couldn't control the anger that filled him.
But he still wanted to give Shirou a chance, so he tried to control his emotions and said loudly, "Shirou, do you admit you were wrong? What you did was unjust!"
"I don't think anything I did was unjust."
Shirou shook his head. "But maybe you're right, Paul. Justice isn't really a fixed idea. It changes depending on the situation."
"I... I don't understand what you're saying."
Paul looked confused. He didn't expect Shirou to say something so philosophical.
Shirou shook his head. "Anyway, what I mean is, maybe I did do wrong. I've already betrayed the justice in my heart. But even so, I won't admit I was wrong. Even if I've gone down the wrong path, I won't regret my decision."
"You mean you don't regret beating up those kids?"
"That's right."
"Shirou!!!"
Paul lost it. His anxiety and anger reached their limit, and he impulsively raised his hand and punched Shirou, sending him flying.
Paul was a high-level Swordsman, so he was stronger than Shirou. Plus, Shirou clearly wasn't trying to dodge, so he was thrown against the wall.
"Shirou!"
"Brother!"
Rudeus and Sylphy had been watching from the side, afraid to come out because of Paul's anger. But when they saw Shirou get hit, they couldn't hold back anymore. They rushed out and stood between Shirou and Paul.
"Rudy, Sylphy, what are you doing?"
Paul was stunned. When he heard the news from the village kids, he only heard that Shirou had beaten them all up. He was so angry that he didn't get all the details before rushing back.
So, he never expected that Rudeus and Sylphy would stand up to protect Shirou.
Did they also participate in bullying the kids?
"Sir."
As Paul was confused and unsure what to do, the red-haired maid, Lilia, finally came in from outside.
She had trouble walking. After telling the adults in the village what had happened, it took her a long time to slowly make her way back to the house.
When she came in, she saw Paul hitting Shirou.
She immediately understood what was happening and quickly told them what she knew.
"Are you saying Shirou beat up those kids to protect Sylphy?"
Paul was surprised and finally understood what had really happened. "But why did Shirou hit them so hard...? Some of those kids might have scars for life..."
"Master Shirou probably did it on purpose."
Lilia sighed. She seemed to remember the violent aura she had sensed when she first met Shirou a long time ago. She realized that the violence that didn't belong to a child was still rooted in Shirou's heart and hadn't disappeared.
But she wasn't afraid of Shirou because of it. After this incident, she was even more sure that Shirou's violence wasn't just pointless evil.
On the contrary, it was because he was kinder than anyone else and had a strong belief in justice that he showed that strange side.
"Did it on purpose? Why?"
Paul couldn't understand.
"Most of the kids in the village see Sylphy as a demon because of her hair. That way of thinking is rooted in their minds by the adults, and it probably won't change for a long time. Even if we send those kids away today, they might still hurt Sylphy in the future."
Lilia explained, "Master Shirou taught them a lesson with such violent methods, so those kids will probably realize their mistake from the bottom of their hearts and never dare to hurt Sylphy again."
"This..."
Hearing Lilia's words, Paul finally understood.
He looked at Shirou in the distance with a complicated expression. He saw that Shirou had stood up again and was looking directly at him.
"Paul, you can keep hitting me."
Shirou looked calm. "Because this is really my fault. I knew that using violence was wrong, but I still did it. And I definitely won't apologize for it. Because as far as I'm concerned, if anyone offends my friends and family, I'll use the same methods as today to make them pay the price. I won't tolerate it!"
"...Shirou."
Seeing the boy's determined face, Paul didn't know what to say.
His face looked bitter, and his expression changed from pale to red because he was so shaken.
Especially when Sylphy and Rudeus stood up and desperately begged for Shirou.
"Paul, just hit me too. I helped Shirou with magic. I'm part of this too!"
"Me too, brother did it all to protect Sylphy. If you're going to punish him, punish me too!"
Seeing the two kids completely on Shirou's side, Paul was speechless.
He realized that he might really be wrong.
Even though he thought of himself as a mature adult, he had made an unforgivable mistake and wasn't acting like a father should.
"...I'm sorry, forgive me, Shirou. I was wrong."
Paul lowered his head and apologized for his violence.
After hearing Lilia's words, he already felt that Shirou hadn't done anything wrong.
The methods could have been better, but if Paul had been younger, he might have done something even more extreme.
Protecting family is an unquestionable justice for anyone.
Even if the whole world denied that it was justice, Paul, as a member of the Greyrat family, as family, had to stand by Shirou's side.
"No, Paul, you should still punish me."
Shirou shook his head seriously. "The knight lord's son beat up the village kids and didn't get punished. Instead, he was protected. This could have a huge impact on your reputation and might even lead to you losing your position as a knight."
Rumors are always terrible. Even if Shirou thought he hadn't done anything wrong, no one knew if the public would see it that way.
Even in this feudal medieval era, a bad reputation can often destroy a person.
"Hehe, what's there to be afraid of, Shirou? Do you think I can't support you if I'm not a knight?"
Paul smiled confidently. "I'm a high-level Swordsman. Even if I lose my position as a knight, I can still go back to being an adventurer. It's easy to make enough money to support my family."
"Then I'll go be an adventurer with you."
Shirou smiled, showing that he was ready to accept the consequences.
The father and son smiled at each other and went to the village side by side.
But when they got to Buena Village, the expected chaos and demands for punishment didn't happen. Instead, they saw something completely unexpected.
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