Mincs paced around the Rasanto estate in a jumpy state. "Why aren't they back yet?" she whispered to herself, her thoughts consumed by Jakel and Mar. It had been nearly three hours since they left to destroy Wolfdale, and she was getting quite worried for them.
"What do those two mean to you?" Mincs suddenly heard an unmistakable voice ask. She turned around to see Orian standing there with a grin across his face. Startled, Mincs stopped pacing and stood respectfully, albeit nervously.
"Ah, hello Orian, uh... Sir Orian? What should I call you?" she asked, her nervousness evident in her voice. Orian lightly snorted before walking slightly closer to her. "Orian is fine. However, I just asked you a question," he said as Mincs went "Oh!" before replying, "They're just my friends. We've known each other for years, you know," while rubbing the back of her head.
"Is that all they are to you? Just friends?" asked Orian, leaning forward a bit to meet Mincs at eye level. She took a step back, feeling a bit uneasy. "Yeah? If you think I love one of them or something, then I don't. At most, I see them like my little brothers," Mincs explained, trying to clarify her feelings.
Orian crossed his arms and smirked. "But you still do care about them. So, do you want me to tell you what happened to them?" he asked, observing Mincs's wide-eyed reaction.
"Eh? Happened to them? Oh no! Are they dead?" she exclaimed, slightly panicked, as Orian's smirk widened at her reaction.
"No, they're not dead yet, but neither of them are doing good, let's say," he replied. Mincs clasped her hands together in a begging motion. "Could you please tell me what happened to them?"
Orian's eyes scanned her entire body before he replied, "Sure, I can. But let's find somewhere a bit less stuffy." With that, he turned away and started walking. Mincs nodded in agreement before following along.
After walking for a minute or so, Orian stopped and stood in the front garden of the Rasanto estate. Turning around to look at Mincs, he snapped his fingers and said, "They were both beaten by a girl that snaps her fingers often," he stated matter-of-factly.
Confused, Mincs furrowed her brows. "What do you mean? Is the demon a girl?" she asked, trying to make sense of Orian's cryptic words.
Orian chuckled lightly and shook his head. "No, no, this girl is far, far more dangerous than a demon. Then again, I suppose I have seen and fought one before," he remarked, his tone casual as he shrugged his shoulders.
Mincs only grew more puzzled as he spoke. "I don't understand. How can a girl who snaps her fingers be more dangerous than a demon?" she asked, her confusion evident in her tone. But before Orian could reply, Mincs shook her head and redirected the conversation. "That doesn't matter. Where are Jakel and Mar now?"
Orian smiled as he answered, "They, much like all the other mercenaries I sent, ran away." Hearing this, Mincs was taken aback. "Huh? That can't be true. Neither of them backs down from a fight, no matter who it is!" Then, after a second, she realized what she had said, so she quickly and nervously added, "Other than you, of course. Ha, ha, ha."
rian couldn't help but chuckle at her words. "No wonder your nickname is The Joker, hah. Anyway," he looked her in the eyes again before continuing, "They did fight and put on a good show. But in the end, they were hilariously outmatched. They didn't stand a chance. Not only was the girl significantly out of their league, but she also had an elf and an angel helping her as well."
Mincs's eyes widened once more as she went agape. "An angel? Like the one with wings sprouting out of their backs and a halo?" she asked in disbelief.
"Not quite. He had pure white wings, sure, but no halo," Orian clarified. Mincs was interested in this, but for her, now was not the time. "Then why did you say Jakel and Mar ran away when they fought despite being so outmatched?" she asked, getting back on track.
"Well, simply put, while they did fight, after they lost, they decided to run away instead of dying," Orian explained. Mincs gulped nervously as she asked, "Did you want them to die?"
Orian grinned as he replied, "Not necessarily. But remember what I said when I gave them the order to destroy Wolfdale?" Mincs thought back and remembered. "You said that if anyone escapes, you would find them and kill them," she said as Orian's grin deepened. "Correct."
"Um, could you not?" Mincs squirmed uncomfortably, her voice filled with anxiety. "I mean, go ahead and kill the rest, but could you, you know, let Jakel and Mar go?"
Orian, with a sly grin, mockingly went into a thoughtful pose, his hand resting on his chin while he closed his eyes, as if contemplating her request. "I don't know, my orders were clear..." he said, his tone teasing as Mincs clasped her hands once more in a pleading gesture. "Pretty please? Could you not kill them?" she pleaded earnestly.
Orian opened one eye, his gaze lingering over Mincs's body again. "Sure, I can, but you will have to do something for me," he said, his smirk growing wider as Mincs let out a sigh of relief, her hand resting on her chest.
"Thank goodness. What do I have to do?" she asked, her voice tinged with nervousness as Orian leaned in close, his breath warm against her ear. "You just have to put that body of yours to good use," he whispered, sending a shiver down her spine, before he drew away, his smirk remaining on his face.
Mincs looked down at the ground, her mind racing, while Orian's smirk deepened at her reaction. But then, "Aw, I was hoping to save myself for marriage, but whatever, if this makes you leave them alone then, I'll do it," Mincs said with a resigned tone, not showing much concern, which made Orian lose his smirk.
"What do you mean?" Orian asked, squinting his eyes at Mincs, who replied with a surprising level of nonchalance, "Well, you asked me to sleep with you to save those boys, right? I'm down for whatever if it's to save those two, so let's go find a more private area. Unless you're one of those guys who likes to do it in the open? Don't worry, I won't judge," she said with a smile and a casual shrug of her shoulders.
"That's not how this was supposed to go," Orian said, his annoyance palpable. Mincs, initially confused, quickly caught on. "Oh, I see! You're into that type of roleplay! Okay, then let me get into character," she said, clearing her throat dramatically. "No! Please leave me alone! I don't want this!" Mincs exclaimed, placing a hand to her forehead and chest, backing up slightly. Orian, seeing her theatrics, shook his head and chuckled, though this time, he wasn't entertained; he was annoyed.
"Are you making a joke out of this?" Orian asked, his tone low and threatening. Mincs immediately dropped her act. "Uh, I'm sorry, but you just asked me to—" she began, but Orian cut her off abruptly. "I know what I demanded, but why are you reacting like this?" he asked, anger evident in his tone. Mincs shrugged, scratching her head. "I don't know how else I'm supposed to react. Am I supposed to take this more seriously?" she asked, genuinely perplexed.
Orian was upset to say the least. The reason he brought her out to the front garden was to degrade her after she accepted his request. He wanted to break her character, but now, with this unexpected reaction... He forced back on a smirk. "You can leave. I won't do anything to Jakel and Mar."
Mincs looked surprised but quickly smiled. "Thank you, Orian!" she said gratefully. Orian clenched his fists, his irritation simmering beneath the surface. "You're welcome. Now, get back to your patrols," he instructed, his tone curt. Mincs nodded before starting to walk away, but she paused and turned around before saying, "You know, you're not as bad as I thought you would be." Orian barely held himself back from cutting her right then and there. Instead, he flashed a fake smile before turning away as Mincs left.
Orian could have killed her. He could have ended her for making him feel this annoyed, this angry. He sighed deeply. "This place is just full of people who evoke these emotions," he muttered to himself. He didn't end Mincs because it would have been a hollow victory. He would find a way to break her, not now, but eventually. "Maybe if I kill Jakel and Mar in front of her, she'll break," he whispered to himself as the wind began to blow, his raven-black hair flowing in its wake. "Well, well, well, looks like they've arrived early."