"What's the big idea?!" Luka yelled as he blocked Tero's attack.
"How many..."
"What?"
"How many people have you killed?!" Tero was pinning down Luka with his sword.
"What are you talking about?!" Luka yelled back.
"Answer me!" Tero used his other sword.
Luka turned his sword and blocked Tero's attack. "I killed ten humans when they broke in at school."
"That's not what I am talking about! You… you are the same as them!"
"I have no idea what you are talking about! Get off me, or I will take this as a threat and kill you."
"Someone like you can't kill me."
Luka glared at Tero and pushed him back. "Want to give a try?"
After staring at Luka's face for a while, Tero put his swords back in his sheath. He helped Luka get up and uttered, "I am sorry. it's just… you smell the same as them."
" I seriously have no idea what you are talking about."
Tero sighed as he patted Luka on his shoulder. "What do you think about the monster from before?"
"What do I think? It looked very gross."
"I know, right? But I wasn't talking about that."
"Can't you talk in a simple way?"
Tero nodded ."Let me rephrase my question, How are these monsters, impurities, and demons born?"
"From the negative emotions of humans?" Luka replied instantly.
"Do you seriously believe that?"
"Huh?"
"If what you say is correct, then what about us exorcists? We aren't considered human, but we are pretty much the same as them."
"That's right."
"Then do you believe that exorcists are born just to defeat impurities?"
"..." Luka started wondering.
"What about all these impurities? You say that they are born from negative emotions of humans, then what about negative emotions of us exorcists?"
"...."
Tero walked to the edge to pick up his dagger from before. "Are these impurities only born just to get purged by us exorcists?"
"I don't know." All those questions made Luka doubt and more confused.
"Is that what our role is? To defeat impurities?"
"I don't know."
Tero picked up his dagger and inserted it into his belt. "Yes, you don't know, but you have to know. You have to know the truth behind this world."
"Even if I know all that." Luka made a sad expression on his face as he mumbled, "What can a magicless boy do?"
"Use your power. You still have no idea how dreadful your power is."
"Wait, I am lost again. What are you talking about?"
"I will tell you properly once we have time, but for now, let me say this; the monster from before wasn't born by some negative emotions of humans."
"Impossible. There is no way--"
"It was created."
"Crea...ted?"
"Yeah, it was created… by the devil."
"Devil?"
"Yeah"
"Umm… What is a devil? I have read about them in books but don't know how they look or their traits."
"Man, you really don't know anything, huh?"
"Shut up and tell me!"
"Devils are just like humans, just like us, but similar to impurities and monsters."
"Huh?" Luka furrowed his eyebrows.
"It's just that they have their own conscience, and they can blend well with us."
"So you are saying there is another reason for the creation of impurities?"
"That's what I said."
Luka shrugged his shoulders and walked down the stairs.
Tero followed him. "Let me apologize for earlier; I didn't mean to do that."
"It's okay. As long as you didn't do anything to me, you should be fine" Luka jumped over some stairs. 'If he had done something to me, Ana would have killed him.'
"You are a pretty nice guy. No wonder they both are head over heels for you."
"Mind your own business."
As Luka was jumping down the stairs, something came under his foot. "What is that?"
It was a small rectangular box with a gift wrapper wrapped around it.
"That's mine" Tero snatched it from Luka's hand as if it was something very important.
"..." Luka was surprised by Tero's aggression.
"Luka, Tero, did you find anything?" They heard a familiar voice calling out to them.
Ana and Liz were on their way to check upstairs.
"Yeah, we did, but we already took care of it. What about you, found something?" Luka questioned.
"We did too. It was the same monster as that day, and there were two of them."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, we took care of it. What about you, you guys okay?"
"Hmm. Alright then, today's mission ends here." Ana looked at Tero and said, "You can go home now. I will report it to the leader tomorrow."
Tero nodded and left.
Once Luka, Ana, and Liz reached the ground floor, Luka glanced at Ana and Liz. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"
"You have been acting weird for a while," Ana commented.
"Ana," Liz pulled Ana's hand and whispered something to her.
"Oh? Jealousy?" Ana said with a smug look on her face.
Luka's face twitched seeing that familiar smug face. "Stop smirking."
"Jealous Luka is so cute."
"I know, right?" Liz supported.