The Heavenly Knight

Chapter 11 - Family Honor

Haruki Enjou was currently sitting with his father in a private room. Haruki Enjou’s father’s name was Haruki Jun.

Haruki Jun lived in the same city, but his house was quite far from Haruki Enjou’s home. Upon hearing that his son had taken in a stranger whose origins were unknown, Haruki Jun went to Haruki Enjou’s house two days after Shinra Kazan’s departure.

"Enjou! I really can’t believe it—how could you possibly give our family name to a child whose origins you don’t even know!" said Haruki Jun.

“What’s the problem, Dad? Is it wrong for me to take in that poor child and give him our family name?” asked Haruki Enjou.

"Wrong? You’re asking if it’s wrong? Of course it’s all wrong, Enjou!" Haruki Jun stood up, speaking harshly to Haruki Enjou.

“Do you think I’ll accept that mysterious adopted son of yours as my grandson? No way! I won’t acknowledge him—remember that well!” said Haruki Jun with a furious expression.

“It’s up to you, Father, whether you want to acknowledge Haruki as your grandson or not, but to us, he’ll always be our son!” said Haruki Enjou, who continued to acknowledge Shinra Kazan as his son even though Haruki Jun would not acknowledge him as his grandson.

“Kazan? Don’t attach my ancestral surname to that child. Remember, the Haruki family is a respectable family—not some street gang! Take that to heart, Enjou!” said Jun.

“I’m sorry, Father. It’s true that our family used to be respected, but back then, the community deeply despised us,” Haruki Enjou said.

The Haruki family had long been one of the most respected families, but the community disliked them because they used to be very arrogant and always looked down on others, especially the poor.

Haruki Enjou realized this; he did his best to change everything and tried to convince the community that the Haruki family could still change.

Haruki Enjou always helped the poor by distributing alms to those in need.

Haruki Enjou never looked down on the poor; he always respected everyone—both the old and the young—and as long as they were human beings, he treated them with kindness and courtesy.

This greatly flattered the King, who praised Haruki Enjou; in the King’s view, Haruki Enjou was the best of all the officials.

However, Haruki Enjou’s actions nearly led to his downfall because of the King’s tendency to flatter him.

Several officials, consumed by jealousy, hired a mercenary knight to kill Haruki Enjou, and this incident occurred right after Haruki Enjou had just married Sayuri Kazane, the daughter of a wealthy merchant from the Sayuri family.

Fortunately, he was being guarded by Kenzou Arata, so Haruki Enjou and his wife escaped death.

Haruki Jun’s face turned bright red; he immediately stood up and pointed at Haruki Enjou in a rage.

“How dare you speak so insolently, Enjou! How dare you speak ill of our family’s name? Have you forgotten that it is this very family that has made you the most respected person?” said Haruki Jun, glaring at him.

“What kind of ‘honor’ are you talking about, Father? Is being shunned by society considered honorable? That’s not honor—it’s a disgraced family!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Smack!!!

His father slapped Haruki Enjou, and the sound of the slap caused Sayuri Kazane to rush over to him.

“Enough—stop this argument!” said Sayuri Kazane.

"Don’t interfere, daughter-in-law. This is our family’s business, so you’d better go inside!" said Haruki Jun, who was still upset.

"Father-in-law, if you want to blame Enjou for adopting that child, you’re wrong! I’m the one who asked him to adopt the child and give him our family name, so just take it out on me!" said Sayuri Kazane.

“You…!”

Haruki Jun raised his hand again, about to slap Sayuri Kazane, while Sayuri Kazane immediately closed her eyes and braced herself for the slap from her father-in-law.

Before Haruki Jun’s hand could reach her, Haruki Enjou grabbed his father’s wrist. “If you so much as slap Sayuri, I’ll never forgive you!” said Haruki Enjou.

“You still dare to defy me, Enjou? Just for the sake of that street-child wife and child, you dare to defy your father, who has cared for and raised you to become the person you are today?”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t want to defy you. Slap me as much as you like, but never hit Sayuri—she’s pregnant!” said Haruki Enjou.

Haruki Jun looked back and forth between Sayuri Kazane and Haruki Enjou, which took him aback. “Pregnant? Your wife is pregnant?” asked Haruki Jun.

“That’s right, Dad. Sayuri is in the early stages of her pregnancy! So please don’t hurt her or even make her sad, because if that happens, my child might never be born,” said Haruki Enjou.

Haruki Jun looked closely at Sayuri Kazane; he could see that there was indeed something different about her face.

Slowly, Haruki Jun’s anger subsided, and his furious expression gave way to a gentle smile.

“You should’ve told me this from the start! Now I’m happy because I’m going to have a real grandchild! But… ah, never mind. Son-in-law, you’d better get plenty of rest and don’t overwork yourself!” said Haruki Jun, whose demeanor had shifted by 70 degrees.

“Dad…!” Haruki Enjou wanted to bring up Shinra Kazan again, but Sayuri Kazane stopped him to prevent another argument.

“Please forgive my behavior earlier! Enjou, take your wife to rest! Now I’m going home to share this joyful news with our branch family!” said Haruki Jun. Then he hurried off, eager to share the news with his extended family.

“Sayuri! Why did you stop me from talking about Kazan?” asked Haruki Enjou.

“Come on, Enjou, don’t make things even more complicated. Just let it be if your father won’t acknowledge Haruki as his grandson! I’m sure he’ll come around eventually, and your father will even come to love Haruki more than his own grandson!” said Sayuri Kazane.

“Why are you so sure of that?” asked Haruki Enjou.

“I’m sure because I’m his mother!” said Sayuri Kazane.