Vince walked to the door and found two city guardians approaching the house.
They were males who looked like they were in their early 20s. They stopped right before the door.
"Are you the homeowner?" the blond man asked. His hair was parted to the side, with one side slicked back while the other fell loosely. He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
He offered Vince a friendly smile. "Ah, sorry for the sudden intrusion, we're just conducting a random inspection. We are chasing a criminal and we think he might be hiding in one of the houses here."
"Yes, this is my family's house."
Vince noticed that the man beside the one with glasses looked like a statue. The man had tousled dark copper hair that almost looked black, its bangs nearly hiding his eyes. He was as tall as Vince, with blank black eyes and lips pursed in a line. He looked sleepless and morbid, like he was from a gothic anime.
Fiona flew behind Vince and peeked over his shoulder.
"Meow."
Vince glanced at the cat flying beside him and noticed Fiona giving the copper-haired guy puppy eyes. What? Was she trying to look cute?
"Are you going to inspect the house? You can go inside," Vince said, knowing how the rules worked.
When city guardians conducted random house inspections, citizens couldn't refuse. They had to oblige and respect the job of the city guardians.
"Thanks." The blond guy smiled at Vince and pushed the center of his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger.
Vince stepped aside and let the two men enter. Mrs. Rosen had just stepped out of the kitchen, and upon seeing the city guardians, she hurried to her son's side.
"What's happening? Are they here to capture someone?"
"It seems like it," Vince replied as he watched the blond guy check the first floor while the stiff copper-haired guy went straight upstairs.
He looked at Mrs. Rosen. "Did someone come by before I arrived?"
The older woman shook her head.
"I was alone, waiting for your father's return so we could have dinner together."
It didn't take long before the two city guardians finished the search. They walked toward the door where Vince and Mrs. Rosen were standing.
"Is the criminal from this town?" Mrs. Rosen asked worriedly. She was a second-class awakened demon, but she didn't have magic affinity and couldn't defend herself against those who could use magic.
It was the blond with glasses who answered. He held a gentle expression on his face, as if he were the kindest person on earth.
"No, but we know he's hiding somewhere in this town. Don't worry, madam, we, the city guardians, will make sure to capture that criminal tonight. The others are checking the houses and guarding the town's borders, so he has no chance of escaping."
Mrs. Rosen bowed several times. "Thank you, thank you, kind sir!"
"Since the criminal isn't here, we shall go ahead. Thank you for letting us in."
Vince noticed that the cat beside him was eyeing the copper-haired guy with malicious intent, as if he were a delectable meal she wanted to taste. Vince's eyes narrowed, thinking that the cat must have been lying when she said she didn't eat demon flesh.
"Please keep yourselves safe, city guardians," Fiona said in her cute voice.
Vince looked at his pet servant. So suspicious…
Once the two city guardians had stepped out of the house, Vince stood by the door and watched them walk away.
The front yard was silent, and Vince's eyes wandered around for a moment before his gaze fell on the two city guardians who were about to open the small gate of the house.
"Wait."
The two halted and turned on their heels.
While the copper-haired guy looked annoyed and impatient, the guy with glasses was quick to say, "Oh, do you have any questions? We're in a hurry, though."
"I think you should check something before you leave."
This time, the copper-haired guy, who looked more like a vampire than a demon due to his overly pale skin and sleepless look, finally spoke.
"What else is there to check? Your house isn't big, and we've covered every corner inside. Also, we know the scent of the person we're looking for. Your house doesn't have a trace of his scent."
"Well, one can cover his scent if he intends to hide."
Vince smirked and pointed at the big haystack in the front yard. He had noticed it earlier when he arrived, but when the city guardians showed up, he got an idea.
"Take a look and find out. Who knows, you might find a rat hiding there?"
The copper-haired guy, whom Vince had nicknamed 'Dracula' in his mind, nodded at the blond guy, and the latter walked toward the haystack.
Though Vince couldn't see the power class on Dracula's forehead, he knew that he must hold a higher rank than the blond guy based on that brief exchange.
Dracula looked really bossy and grumpy, as if he couldn't wait to finish his job for the day and sleep in his coffin. How many days had it been since he last slept? Vince was curious, but he knew he'd better keep that question to himself.
Before the blond guy could reach the haystack, it exploded, and the hay flew everywhere. The man who was hiding inside quickly jumped over the fence and ran away.
The blond guy didn't waste a second and followed the man.
The copper-haired guy was about to follow as well, but he turned to Vince again.
"How did you know he was hiding there?" His tone was suspicious, as if hinting that Vince had something to do with the criminal.