"The Battle Of Valokia?" asked Ashley, seemingly interested.
"The massive war included the entire Universe but the major players of it were the Valkyries and the Husks," explained Ysabeau.
"The most significant war in the history of everything. One that turned the tide of Mages altogether. Because we allowed a child to get experimented on..." murmured Mavislin, hugging Ashley,
The young girl quickly shook her head, as if she was trying to shake off the memories of those past years. Ashley sighed and gave the little girl a little kiss on top of her forehead.
"Not fair! She never lets me do that!" pouted Minwoo, obviously jealous at the affection Mavislin was allowing from Ashley.
"Try asking permission or talking to her first before touching."
Little Mavislin giggled slightly as she snuggled closer to Ashley.
"Double standards."
"It's called 'understanding how girls work'. You should try that," replied Ashley, sarcastically.
"Yea, whatever. You tried to kill her, so I don't understand why she likes you so much now."
"To be honest, neither do I. But I ain't wasting my energy on overthinking," said Ashley,
The young girl closed her eyes and drifted off in her sleep.
"So what's your plan now?"
"Does it look like I have a choice?"
Ashley folded his arms in frustration.
"And besides, you took away my Hornet, a couple of weeks ago. He had been sent on a mission to kill Mavislin but the only news I got is that he was gone. That's why I came to do the job myself, but then this happened," explained Ashley, cracking his neck.
"We sent him to the nearby village to get a sense of proper work and not just begging and stealing for food. Or anything to do with killing, really," explained Ysabeau, heaving a sigh of relief.
"Waste of a good assassin, in my opinion," replied Ashley, nonchalantly
"Well, he won't do any good if he keeps being in the mafia for so long. How about giving him a chance to fully understand what it means to have a childhood?" asked Minwoo, looking at the Valkyrie's sleeping face.
"After all, not all kids have to go through a rough childhood like us."
"Us? You had the grand time of your life, Minwoo. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you'll never understand what it means to be a sewer rat within the domain," complained Ashley, slowly getting furious at the Marquess.
"I wasn't born with a silver spoon. It was shoved down my throat at birth. Know the difference."
It was rare for Minwoo to get angry, especially at something so trivial like a comment. It seemed to hit the right nerve in angering the calm man.
"What difference did it make? You lot kicked me out because I was unwanted. Why should I bother with you lot?"
"Because we need to work with the Mafia in order to restore things to its original place," explained Ysabeau, calmly.
"How about this, Ashley Dalles."
Ashley froze as he heard his full name. He hated that last name. Gives him a bad taste in his mouth and hurts his ears.
"If we help to resolve the Husks problem in the Underworld, will you join us? After we resolve the issue, of course," proposed Ysabeau.
"Hmm..."
"Please?' asked a very cheeky Valkyrie as she decided to wake up in his arms.
"I'll say yes if I can have her as my daughter," replied Ashley, with a blank stare towards Ysabeau.
"I'll kill you with my bare hands first."
"Come on! At least let me be her elder brother. I've always wanted a little sister," joked Ashley, as he ruffled the small girl's chestnut locks.
"Big brother!" cheered the little girl.
Ysabeau shook her head and left the room to inform the rest of Ashley's agreement. Minwoo looked at Mavislin in disbelief.
"Why do you like him more than me?' asked Minwoo, pouting.
"Because Ashley's nice. He smells good too," said the happy girl, burrowing into his chest.
"That's creepy..." complained the two brothers.
"What she means is that you remind her of home. Perhaps her dad had a similar body built and personality as you, Ash," explained Gillian, sitting down in front of the two.
"Well, shall we discuss how we should deal with the Husks problem in the Underworld?" asked Gillian.
This Mage does not like to waste time when it comes to dealing with the tasks on hand.
"Sure, but first, I've got a little secret of my own," said Ashley, hugging the girl tightly.
"Spit it out, Ash."
"Let's just say I'm not all human."
"No wonder Mavislin preferred you instead of Minwoo," replied Gillian.
"You hate Mages, yet you are considered as one?" asked Minwoo, confused.
"I don't suffer from Acute Hyperopia, as what people always thought so."