The kids watched in astonishment as that imposing woman cast such a look on that scary man and stood tall while talking to him. They couldn't even imagine how she was able to do something of the sort. Whether she was crazy or courageous, they didn't know, but it was truly impressive even for naive kids like them.
Both the girl and the boy held their breath in anticipation as they stared at that scene, not moving a single inch of their bodies.
The leader of those people kept staring at her closely. He seemed about to say or do something, but hesitated. It was already shocking that she could answer him in such a way, but to make that mighty man falter... That was something nobody else could do. At least, not a normal human.
"Do you really think that your boyfriend is considering the consequences of his actions? Do you really think that he has something else in mind other than the selfish desire to enter enemy territory just to save his poor little brother? Are you naive enough to really believe that he is fighting for the sake of our race?" he said, his voice leveling several decibels after each questioning.
Valory got silent for a moment. It might look like hesitation, but it wasn't. Her eyes were still staring at Baltazar's black eyes without a hint of fear or uncertainty. In truth, it seemed like she had the answers to his questions in the tip of her tongue.
"I believe in him, Baltazar. I know that he is dirtying his hands and harming his body for the sake of your race because he wants a better future where we can prosper. If destiny put the fate of our race in the hands of his brother, it is just a funny coincidence that you are using to incriminate him."
Baltazar grunted loudly and pointed his finger at her face.
"You better not forget who needs to be treated with proper respect here, Valory. Don't go overboard with me! Watch your tongue and choose the tone of your voice carefully," he warned as he narrowed his eyes.
Valory breathed in and out again, closing her eyes for a moment. Her challenging expression changed to her solemn one from before. Also, her voice got back to that respectful and serious tone that she showed in her first sentence during that scolding.
"I am sorry, Sir. I got worked up."
He nodded his head at her, feeling satisfied.
"We are in the middle of a war, Valory. Each step we take carries a huge risk. If we go running in this harsh and dangerous path without a care in the world, we will surely perish. Desperation and recklessness are the worst sins of the soldiers; even the most talented soldier of the world will fall if he acts in such a manner. Mark isn't an exception," the leader stated with a severe tone of voice while walking in front of the line of subordinates.
"For now, because I like Mark a lot, I will leave him be. Let him do whatever he wants. However, he is not coming back here again, at least for a while. Also, I do not want any of you trying to help him. That's a battle that we will need to fight alone. If the angels ever wonder whether we are making a movement against them and raiding their territory, we are done.
"This area that we could dominate is already walking on thin ice, we have enemies from all sides, and the negotiations are going really bad. We don't need another problem on our back. Did I make myself clear?"
""Yes, sir!"" all of them shouted, though Baltazar noticed that Valory didn't say it out loud.
'Frankly... just how can this woman believe so much in someone? How can she act as she understands him better than anybody else can? That's just bullshit!'
Though he thought like that, deep inside he could see in her eyes that her feelings were truthful. She, indeed, bore no doubt in her heart towards Mark. And, indeed, Valory was the person that understood him the most.
With light and hasty steps, she left the room before anyone else did.
Everyone looked at her with suspicion but guessed that she was walking like that because she was angry or something. One girl in particular, with short blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a gentle expression, seemed worried about Valory. She was concerned that her friend was going to do something reckless just like Mark did.
"What are you doing here? Just get out," Baltazar said, dismissing them with one hand as he took a worn-out chair and sat on it, rubbing his face and beard with both hands.
It was clear that their leader was very tired, no wonder he was acting like that. It was the responsibility of all the group to prevent something like Mark's escape to happen, they were a team, after all. They shouldn't have let Mark go away. It was their fault as well.
'I should go talk to her before she does something that she will regret afterward,' the girl with short blond hair thought, hurriedly walking towards the exit of that room.
Meanwhile, the kids were already going downstairs, jumping the steps dangerously and running away with all their might. They were so absorbed by the adrenaline of the previous events that they hadn't noticed that the reunion just had finished.
As they ran, suddenly both of them felt someone grabbing them by their collars and lifting them from the ground. They felt like their hearts froze and their minds went blank.
The boy had a shocked and panicked expression on his face. The girl still had her distant and carefree eyes, no uttering a single moan or grunt after being caught.
The person holding them turned their bodies slowly, making the children look at her.
"If I hadn't noticed you two peeking from the door right from the start, you would be in real trouble, you know?" Valory scolded them while walking away as she heard steps coming from the staircase.
She hastily brought them to the exit of the building, slapping each of them on the neck before letting them go away.
"You better not tell your mother what you heard here. You know that she will punch Baltazar in the face and things will get complicated," she advertised. "If I ever dream that the conversation we had reached her ears, the next slap I will give you will separate your soul from the rest of your body!"
The boy energetically nodded, tears accumulating in his eyes. The little girl was just looking into space, impassive about what was happening. Generally, she only heard what the little boy beside her had to talk about, the other people were irrelevant to her.
"Kai, just one more thing," the brown-skinned woman called him out, making the boy look over his shoulder. "Since I will keep this secret of yours, do me a favor..."
She approached them again and took a necklace out of her pocket. It had a shiny gem of the same color as her eyes.
"Give it to Mark if you ever find him in the city. I know that you two can't be noticed by the Paladins, so you walk a lot around there even though it is prohibited. And that's another secret I have about you, then you ought me this favor two times more."
Kai nodded his head.
"Yes, aunt Valory."
She dismissed them as she turned around. Her face stiffened once she saw a blond petite woman standing behind her.
Her slender body of slight curves and tanned skin nearly couldn't be noticed in the shadows of the poor illuminated building. One of the windows let the pale light of the moon enter, reaching her light blond hair and liting up her dark blue eyes. Her figure seemed almost angelical, which was ironic due to their true race.
"I didn't know that you were the type of adult who knew how to manipulate kids," she said with a light chuckle.
Valory could leave her stern expression and serious self aside and smile as well with her bright red lips.
"Hehe, that's a specialty of demons, isn't it? Manipulate people, I mean. You know well about it, right, Lily? After all, your gentle and innocent look serves as a facade for your true persuasive self."
"Ah, I don't know what you are talking about~. Don't be silly~"
After that brief exchange of words and another round of giggles and chuckles that were too weak to show any hint of true joy, both of them fell in silence.
Lily opened her arms as she gave a step towards Valory. She wore a bitter expression and a helpless smile.
"I... didn't show up here just for some silly jokes, you know? Come here..."
Valory finally let that strong facade of hers fall apart completely as she ran towards Lily and hugged her. The latter hugged back, tears running down her face as well as she caressed her friend's back with fondness.
"Everything will be okay, Valory...", she muttered. "Mark will surely come back. He always comes back..."
Lily felt guilty and useless at that moment. Useless for having nothing but empty words to say to her best friend. Guilty because it was her fault that Mark could leave the suburbs on the previous fateful night.
The agony and sadness of her beloved Valory were due to her cowardice.
And now... even she herself couldn't believe in her own empty words.