Chapter 53

Verandez swallowed hard, feeling a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach as he sat across from Orian. They were still in Verandez's living room, the only difference being that Kit had brought Marcus along out of fear. Marcus stood behind the couch, ready to protect Verandez if Orian made any sudden moves.

"So, uh, what is it that you wanted to discuss?" Verandez asked nervously, eyeing Orian warily.

Orian leaned forward, his expression unreadable. "Remember the mercenaries I sent over to test the demon's strength?" Verandez nodded cautiously as Orian continued, "Well, they never reached Wolfdale." He leaned back on the couch, surprising both Verandez and Marcus.

"What do you mean by that? And how do you know?" Marcus interjected, his gaze fixed on Orian with suspicion.

Orian put his hands in the air and shrugged casually. "How I know is a secret. If you find out, beating me will suddenly become a lot easier," he explained with a smirk. Marcus couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"Then can you tell us what happened?" asked Verandez, his tone tense with anticipation.

Orian chuckled in response. "Did you think I wanted to talk just to say that the mercenaries never reached Wolfdale? Of course, I'm going to tell you what happened to them," he said, crossing his legs casually on the couch.

Marcus, growing impatient, cut in sharply. "Then how about you do that instead of wasting time?" He demanded.

Orian waved off Marcus's remark with a dismissive gesture. "Whatever," he said before turning back to Verandez with a smirk. Verandez braced himself, knowing that whatever came out of Orian's mouth next would likely be bad news.

"Looks like you'll have to increase all of our pay, because we're no longer just dealing with a demon, but an angel as well," Orian stated matter-of-factly, causing both Verandez and Marcus to widen their eyes in alarm at his words.

"A-a-a-a-a-an angel?!" Verandez exclaimed, his words stumbling over each other in shock.

"Yup, an angel," Orian confirmed casually, as if discussing the weather rather than celestial beings. Verandez continued to stammer, trying to process the unexpected revelation.

"That is a bold thing to say. What proof do you have?" asked Marcus, his stoic demeanor punctuated by an undercurrent of tension, a rare display for him.

"I can't really show you proof without revealing how I know in the first place, so you'll just have to take my word for it," said Orian with a shrug.

Marcus clenched his fist, his hand moving restlessly as he struggled with his emotions. Part of him wanted to attack Orian then and there. Orian noticed Marcus's reaction but remained unfazed, but after a final unclenching of his fist, Marcus regained his composure and simply glared at Orian. "Fine, let's say we believe you. Then what?"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Orian replied casually, waving the situation off.

"Wha-what do yo-you me-mean not worry about it!?" Verandez exclaimed, still stuttering in disbelief.

"Hey, look at you! You can yell at me now, that's some sweet progress!" Orian said, playfully pointing finger guns at Verandez, who didn't even know how to react anymore.

"Why should we not worry about the angel?" Marcus asked, a vein popping on his forehead.

Orian looked at him with evident amusement in his pink eyes. "Because you can kill that guy pretty easily with that sword of yours," he explained, his gaze trailing down to the sheathed saber on Marcus's hip. "The angel mainly fights by blocking attacks with his wings and then counter-attacks, but I'm sure that your Magi-Slayer blade can cut off his wings no problem," Orian continued.

Marcus squinted at him, asking, "How do you know for sure?"

Orian shook his head. "I don't, but it's just a gut feeling, you know?" he said before smirking again and adding, "And besides, the angel isn't the most significant new threat we're facing."

"What? Di-didn't you just say tha-that the angel stopped all the mercenaries before th-they reached Wolfdale?" asked Verandez, feeling a migraine coming on from the stress.

"Nope, I didn't say that. I implied it, but I definitely didn't say it," replied Orian nonchalantly, inspecting his fingernails with a cheery expression.

"Then what is the most significant threat?" asked Marcus with a heavy sigh, his frustration palpable in the air as Orian put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful way before asking the both of them, "Does a teenage girl with white hair and gray eyes ring any bells for either of you?"

Verandez and Marcus glanced at each other before both of them turned to Orian and shook their heads. "Figured as much. Well, she's the biggest threat to us, yes, even to me," Orian explained, leaving Verandez and Marcus wide-eyed for the second time in the past five minutes.

"E-even to you!?" Verandez exclaimed, his throat beginning to give out from the constant yelling.

Orian nodded. "Yeah, even me," he said once more, his pink eyes glinting with a mixture of confidence and amusement, as Marcus, wearing a stoic expression, crossed his arms over his chest. He looked down at the ground, lost in thought. After a contemplative moment, he gazed back up at Orian. "Do you have a plan to fight against her?" he asked.

Orian smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Of course I do. No matter how powerful I become, I'll always have plans to face someone possibly stronger." Marcus nodded and took a deep breath. "Tell us what it is," he said.

Orian leaned on the couch's armrest, his head resting on his hand, exuding an air of casual confidence. Just as he was about to open his mouth, a sudden clicking noise was heard. Verandez went into his pocket and brought out a withered pocket watch with the initials L. D. delicately etched on the back of it. "Oh, it's already 2:30," Verandez said as he pressed a button on the watch to stop the clicking, his fingers moving with a practiced familiarity.

"Oh, lunchtime already?" Orian asked, sitting up straight once more. Marcus, slightly exasperated, responded, "It seems that way. Now, tell us your plan."

Orian waved him off. "Later. Let's go have lunch, or we could just discuss the plan over lunch."

Marcus sighed, relenting, "Fine." Verandez looked between them, realizing that his opinion held little weight in the decision-making process. They would discuss their plans over lunch, whether he liked it or not.