Others Summon, I Forge Beast Armor

Morning. Luke woke up in an unfamiliar bed. His last memory was dozing off at some unknown time, and now he was here.

His uniform reeked after everything he had dealt with; otherwise, it was pleasant waking up somewhere new.

Mr. Blackstone had promised to take him to the Blackstone residence, so this had to be the place. The room also made sense for it. It was like a chamber in a castle, with a four-poster bed.

A knock came from the door before a servant entered carrying a set of clothes. She looked nothing like a maid. Her uniform was ostentatious, and her hair was styled. She also had a pretty but average face.

”Good morning, Master Luke. These clothes were prepared for you,” she said, placing them down. ”Mr. Blackstone has invited you to breakfast with him and Lady Lucretia. Please take a bath first and come downstairs when you’re ready.”

”Thank you. I’ll be there,” Luke replied.

Once she left, he freshened himself. As for his uniform, he summoned his gauntlet and burned it. Something that filthy shouldn’t exist any longer.

After that, Luke changed into the clothes and headed downstairs, enjoying the decor of the castle from the stairs to the walls and to the ceiling until he arrived at the dining room, larger than the Kingsleys’ dining room.

Mr. Blackstone was seated at one end of the dining table while Lucy was seated at the other. For just the two of them, that was an unnecessarily large table. The food served smelled great, but Loki and Lucy were already eating before Luke arrived. When they noticed him, they simply asked him to join them. It didn’t seem like they had a custom of waiting for visitors before eating.

But Luke must understand they weren’t treating him as a visitor.

Mostly Mr. Blackstone. Lucy, on the contrary, was nervous with him around.

She was happy that Luke was rescued from the Bureau, but that was different with him inside their home. Her body started to get hot whenever she remembered they were closer.

Luke waved at her, and Lucy waved back with a flinch-smile as Luke sat in the middle of the table and broke his fast.

Luke had the appetite of a bear. When he was a baby, he drank three times the milk Raven and Vivian did. As he grew, he would eat whatever leftovers from his sisters, finish his own food, and then ask for another plate.

All the maids in the kitchen, including Alice, loved having him around because he would help them in exchange for a chicken wing or breast.

Luke wondered if Lucy had those kinds of childhood memories from this place.

The Blackstone residence didn’t seem like the best place for a vibrant child.

The Kingsley household was always full of people, noise, servants, children, and activity. This place was the opposite. Maybe that was why Lucy came out so pale.

”Ehem. Surely you two aren’t the only ones living here, right?” Luke asked.

Loki Blackstone smiled, marking Luke as both smart and daring for noticing and speaking about the empty table and the echoing castle. ”Don’t you learn history at the academy? We Blackstones are rather small.”

”Why is that the case? Could it be because of the war with the Blackhearts?”

”I’m glad you know that much. So they do teach history at Montclair...”

Luke scratched his head and looked at Lucy, who watched their conversation. He had to admit he barely paid attention during history class.

”There are only four Blackstones left,” Loki continued. ”My grandfather, my cousin who serves in the Confederacy, and then Lucy and me. That makes us the only two active members of the family here.”

”But your family is thinning. Isn’t it mandatory to make sure the bloodline continues?”

”Of course. That’s why, as a widower, I’m looking for my second wife from the Vickery family,” Loki replied, adjusting his bib. ”On the other hand, you could also help solve the issue.”

”Me? What can I do?”

Luke looked at Lucy, who looked just as confused.

Why did her father think Luke could help solve something like that?

Meanwhile, Mr. Blackstone enjoyed their confusion and their innocent teen faces.

”You and Lucy are both young and have no lovers, last time I checked. So, I was thinking the two of you could help multiply the family and bring more Blackstones into the world, even if you have Kingsley blood.”

Luke: ( ;ↀ⌓ↀ)

Lucy: ”Father!”

The table shook as Lucy jumped to her feet, unable to bear what she just heard.

Mr. Blackstone looked innocent despite her outburst.

”Lucy, aren’t you the one who told me you liked Luke, and would want you two to have four babies whom you’d name Logan, Luna, L—”

”AURGHGH! STOPEEET!”

Lucy screamed over Loki to drown out those names she remembered choosing herself. Her feet felt cold, and she wished the floor would open and swallow her.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Luke looking as confused as a cat that had been dropped into a bathtub.

”This is unreal. I’m going to my room.”

And she did.

Luke remained at the table, still trying to understand what had just happened.

No one denied that noble families cared about longevity, and none more so than the Blackstones, whose numbers had fallen so low. At this point, marriage would be less about affection and more about making sure the family continued and had enough people to protect its name and position.

But Luke didn’t expect the subject to involve him.

He was a Kingsley by blood, albeit banished from the family.

Was this how desperate the Blackstones were, or was Loki specifically targeting him?

”Mr. Blackstone, you must understand that although I may not look the part, I still have Kingsley blood. Haven’t our families been at each other’s throats for years? Cedric once said that it is impossible to get a good match with any Blackstone.”