Night began to fall; the stars shone weakly, giving special place to the moon, which on that occasion shone beautifully.
Munch "I see, so...." Munch "That's what the new king did."
"That's correct; that's the reason why, aside from Leo and the Mr. Lenorio, there are no other men in this town; I'd even say in the other towns there's not a single man."
Pricilla continued explaining how the current world worked to Marlo while he chewed a steak she prepared for him.Marlo was starving, so she decided to cook a heavy meal for him. Seeing Marlo devouring that steak seemed funny to Pricilla.
"You know Marlo..."
"Hmm?"
"At first I thought you were a boy of few words, but, now I see, you're a quite talkative and entertaining boy."
Munch Munch "really?"
"Yeah, and also very masculine..."
"Cough cough" Upon hearing that statement, Marlo couldn't help but choke.
"I mean," Priscilla continued her face blushed, "it's been a while since I saw someone as carefree as you. Un, am... And also I love your confidence when you speak; how do I say it? Is kind of refreshing."
"I see," Marlo mumbled, still chewing on the steak.
"Did I say something weird?"
"No, not at all."
The two were silent for a moment, although what was striking was Priscilla's faint blus; it seemed they both grown closer in such a short time.
"Hey Marlo, that thing we did before... Have you done that with other girls?"
men were rare to find in the sothern regions of Paldes, however in the capital of Paldes the La Candida Rosa, more men were abundant. However, Priscilla was very embarrassed to share this fact to Marlo.
Marlo remained silent for a moment, with his usual expressionless face, although beads of sweat ran down his temples. He sensed a strange intensity in Pricillas's gaze, but he didn't know the reason.
Priscilla's eyes had their charming sparkle, and she lowered her head. "Ahahaa, I know, it's a weird question, right? Excuse me."
Marlo sweated profusely upon seeing the reaction but still wore his usual deadpan face. He cleared his throat and said, "Yes, it's the first time I've done that with another person. "Well," h added, muttering "I think..."
"Marlo.... Do you feel anything special for me or...?" This time Priscilla's eyes seemed sharper.
"I... Well"
"Mm?"
"..."
"Kyaaaaaa!!"
"Please don't yell. I'll take responsibility. I'm a knigth after all."
"N-not that! Look at the window." She kept screaming, pointing with her index finger and hiding behind Marlo.
At the window hovered what appeared to be a young man; however, there was something off; his eyes were completely blood-red and his skin was ghostly pale. Saliva dripped from his mouth as if he were a rabid animal.
Crashhh! The window shattered, as if an intense force had hit it.
Marlo took a battle stance to protect the grim Priscilla; however, once the dust dispersed, they noticed that young man lying face down on the floor along with the piles of glass from the broken window.
Huh? "Leoo!" Priscilla exclaimed filled with alarm, recognizing the boy.
Priscilla, without a second thought, approached to see the state he was in.
"Leo, what happened to you? Leo!
Seeing in the state he was more clearly, Priscilla brought her hands to her mouth in shock. His tearful eyes looked tired, while on his neck he had a bruise, as if someone tried to strangle him.
Tap tap tap...
"!!!!"
Slow, menacing footsteps echoed throughout the house. The person approaching with a murderous aura spoke while laughing, "Oh, don't worry about him, my dear Priscilla, that Leo is a wimp who cries for anything! Guhahaha"
"Mr Lenorio?"
The mayor completely ignored Pricilla and approached the almost dead Leo to kick him mercilessly as if he were trash. "Why don't you stop being a sissy and become a man once and for all, eh Leo?"
"Please, Mr. Lenorio. Stop! I don't understand what's going on, but if he did anything wrong, I'll pay the price for it."
"Pay the price you say, guhehe, ridiculous! Now I have the power to decide the fate of worthless people like him." Said the mayor as the ring on his hand shone ominously.
Marlo positioned himself between the mayor and Pricilla. "Hey, Priscilla, remember what you told me about the King? Take a look at that man's ring. It's definitely related to the kingdom." And added muttering, "It's an amulet..."
On Lenorio's head there was a dark ornated ring; there was a raven-like design because the head and the feathers of the black bird were carved in the metallic main structure; at the center of the ring there was a glowing purple gem; that symbol was unmistakably related to the new king, Lombardo.
Priscilla's eyes widen in astonishment. Stepped forward and placed a hand in the mayor's purple robe, her hand shaking. "It can't be... Mr. Lenorio, your relatives were also executed by that monster, weren't they? So Why?"
The mayor's sinister smile deepened, both corners of his lips curved. The small man sneered "Fool!! Of course I swore my loyalty to King Lombardo; what else could I do? end up like your pathetic father? Where did his noble deeds lead him? Do you believe his death was heroic? You're too naive! In this world, power is everything!"
"...!!!"
"Now that I think about it" muttered the mayor, scanning slowly Priscilla's figure while licking his lips in an unpleasant manner. "You said you'd pay the price, didn't you? If so, I wouldn't mind having a little fun with that enchanting body of yours, guhehehe."
The disgusting man extended his filthy hands towards Priscilla as he breathed heavily, imagining all sorts of fantasies.
"Mm? W-what's going on?" However, before he could carry out his disgusting fantasies, his arm stopped a short distance away from Priscilla.
The mayor turned his gaze to see what was happening, when he found Marlo holding his arm with a cold gaze full of murderous intent.
The mayor hesitated, feeling as if he was looking at death itself.
Then, turning to Marlo with a contemptuous look, he said, "So this is the one the new king is looking for?" He's just a mere kid, well, whatever...
"It's me you're looking for, right? Leave them alone, and please take me to your leader" Marlo said this time in a calmer tone.
"Oh, you don't intimidate me with your— what?"
The mayor looked puzzled by Marlo's exclamation; however, he didn't dwell on it and agreed to take him to his leader.
Priscilla looked at Marlo with a gaze that seemed doubtful; maybe she thought Marlo would fight.
But Marlo answered, almost mumbling to Priscilla, "A true knight knows when to fight and when to hold back; I'll cut this problem at the root."
The mayor, took another good look into Marlo's eyes; however, upon seeing them, he became uneasy with those deep eyes. He felt Marlo was a subdued beast; he was subdued, yet he was still a beast.