Fighting monsters was something, but fighting humans were different… With that in mind, Edward wanted to make sure that Kate wouldn't participate in any wars. She had some firepower and knew magic, so it wasn't a problem if she could face the enemies or not. Billy could understand that, even in that world, if he could avoid it, he would try his best to prevent his siblings from getting his hands dirty with human blood. Even more so if one day he has kids.
"Well, we can avoid that," Billy said. "Talk with those that you think that want to help and then made them leave the town at night while only a few people will be aware of it. That way, Kate will never hear of this. Naturally, I will go as well and since I am being distant lately they won't notice for quite a while."
"That is a bit… hiding things from my daughter isn't something I would like to do," Edward said while showing a troubled expression.
"You can't have your cake and eat it… I suppose that this isn't the best comparison now, but you have to choose," Billy said. "What do you want? The safety of your daughter or some or let her go and risk her life. I am not her guard and I am not confident that I can protect her in a war."
"What about you? Hiding this kind of thing from your friends will let you in a bad position," Edward said.
"I can handle that much, it is fine if they ended up hating me as well," Billy said.
Edward felt even more troubled after hearing that. It sounded like Billy couldn't care less about what his daughter thinks of him. To make things even more complicated, he didn't want to send his daughter to help, but he was going to send someone else's son… that was hypocrisy.
"You should hurry up, I am departing tonight," Billy declared.
"Just promise this, that you will try your best to return if you see that the battle is lost and bring your friend with you, we will deal with the aftermath together," Edward said.
"If Jean loses, I don't think we will have much chance of repelling the enemies with our numbers, but I suppose that is fine," Billy said.
There was no point in a suicidal charge, and besides, as long as he lives, Billy might be able to pull something off later. Billy left the room and then wondered what he should tell the girls. In the end, he didn't have much time to talk and said something stupid.
"So, what was the letter about?" Kate asked.
"The contents are confidential… it is man's talk," Billy replied.
They frowned when they heard that, but thanks to his poker face, they soon lost interest in the subject. In the end, not to raise any suspicions, Billy stayed with them until noon. On the way back home, though, he began to feel bad for hiding things from his friends. He thought that he didn't care about what those kids thought of him, but that wasn't one hundred percent accurate. He knew Alexander, Lily, and Natalie for almost ten years, after all.
Already back at home, Billy began to pack his things wondering what he should tell his family. He couldn't ask his mother to lie in case the girls show up and ask for him, so that was a problem. Still, things also got complicated when his father returned earlier than usual and began to pack as well.
"Edward informed us about the situation, Nikola is also going to make sure that his son will return in one piece," Drew said.
"Dad…" Billy said.
"Just because you defeated me once, it doesn't mean that I can face the same odds," Drew said. "Besides, this is a mission to make sure that the enemies won't reach our town. We will have to protect them… I won't let those two see their home being burned down or destroyed."
"What about everyone?" Billy asked.
"Your mother and grandmother will understand if we keep quiet about it…" Drew said. "Putting your friends aside, Edward is also worried about the possibility of the word of us leaving passing to the peddlers."
Billy didn't consider that, but for their help to be as effective as possible, then they needed to travel hidden as much as possible. In any case, it was a bit too much to leave for war without telling the others what they were going to do when there was a chance that they couldn't return, but it was unavoidable.
Things were more silent than usual at their dinner table, and the twins were quieter because they could tell that the atmosphere was different.
"We are going on a trip with no precision to return, and we need all of you not to mention this to anyone," Drew said.
"I understand… be careful on your journey," Camilla said.
"Try not to cause too many problems to your son," Anna said.
"Ugh, mother… that is…" Drew said, a bit shaken.
"Bring us gifts when your return!" Samara said.
"A cool spear will do it," Samuel said.
The mood lived up a little, so Billy felt ready to leave without feeling down too much. They left around midnight alongside Nikola and based on the last time he had checked, it seemed that Alexander had surpassed his father as well. Still, even though his son was already considered an adult by the tribe's standards, he still was going to make sure that his son would return.
They traveled in silence throughout the entire night and some other people joined them. Most of them were members of the hammersmiths tribes. Edward asked only them because it would be suspicious if too many people from several tribes were to disappear.. At the same time. In the end, they only had a force of thirty on their side… it didn't seem like a number that could affect a battlefield where thousands would face thousands…
