The happy trio left the pastry shop after filling themselves up.
They kept walking and investigating, unaware of the gazes that were fixed onto them.
"What should we do next?" Vera held Valentine's arm on one side while Fayette licked what seemed to be the equivalent of a lollypop.
Investigating their surroundings, she spotted something with her genetically enhanced eyes.
A demon, far away, behind the stool of a shop, glancing at them.
Her eyes shone and immediately fixed on it as hard as she could, it could be anyone else, there are hundreds of demons here... but the moment she regarded him, the cloaked demon left his place.
...
She kept trying to search for him harder but, a sudden pain came into her eyes!
"UGH!"
!!!
Fayette's sudden grunt made the trio stop as Valentine had been chatting with Vera.
"Faye!?" That grunt was enough for Valentine to get on guard and take out a knife!
"Calm down... h-honey it's just... my eyes..." The blonde moved her hand around her eyes, they pained.
When she lifted her gaze up, Valentine noticed some tears of blood coming out of her eyes.
"Are you okay, Faye?" He immediately tried to clean them up with his own bathrobe and even Vera looked worried now.
"I... don't know... this has never happened before... I was just using my eyes... V-Vale I think we're being followed." She said those words after her eyes had been completely cleaned.
"..." Those words immediately flared all of Valentine's instincts as Vera also stood up on guard, prepared to draw her knife.
"Let's go back to the Hotel." She said, perhaps they had exposed themselves too much already... they had gotten plenty of information so it would be better to go back now.
But destiny didn't have that in store for them.
When they were mumbling, a big demon with wings and armour walked by, his gaze fixed in Fayette!
He stared at her up and down as if analysing a diamond.
Valentine immediately got in between and the demon lifted his eyebrows in amusement.
'Demon Soldier…' the reaper mumbled, just with this size, he's definitely not a common demon.
"How amusing... do you think you can protect that woman if I try, human? You've got everyone fooled but… clearly, you're new here~" The demon's husky voice resounded and the gossiping started.
***
"Oh, he's so dead!"
"Challenging Lord Bellcroft, no no… even if you're a protector..."
***
The demons gossiped with amusements while the scarce humans there only gave them a pitiful gaze like saying, God Bless 'ya.
Quite ironic for a demon to say that, ain't it?
"We don't want trouble…" That's all he could say as the girls also got on guard, he messed up and only now did he realise.
It had been such a simple action, but that's all they needed.
No human that has been here for long would threaten a Demon Soldier or even dare stand in front of it.
He recalled those human's reactions when they saw Lucretia go into the shop.
They made themselves small, not big.
This simple act of giving them away as newcomers… newcomers that completed the forest in less than ten years and therefore, humans with strong souls.
'Shit!' Anger couldn't help but seep through his eyes.
What a stupid mistake!
"You don't want trouble human? But you already have trouble… My name is Bellcroft and I'm guard of this city." The demon approached and towered over Valentine.
He was at least three feet taller…
Fayette and Vera wanted to intervene but simply couldn't… this demon, he is so… Intimidating.
"This city's Marques decreed it anti-violence… But as a guard, I CAN use violence to apprehend those I deem criminals!" The Demon's smile became wicked!
Faster than a phantom, the guard extended his fist forth!
!!!
'Fast!'
With that impressively great size, the demon moved as nimble as a phantom!
But if this demon is some breed of a phantom, Valentine is nothing short of a ghost!
*FIIUUSH!!*
Under the stunned gazes of everyone including his women, Valentine evaded the man's fist!
*BOOMM!*
The intimidating fist impacted the ground with a bang and created a big mark on the floor!
Fayette retreated pulling Vera, she had an exasperated sight on her face.
'That fist! It can kill anyone easily!'
Valentine wasn't concerned by this, like a craftsman he grabbed the demon's arm, he tried to swing it but Valentine propelled himself with his arm amidst the swing and landed on the demon's shoulder!
…
Silence.
…
"I'm telling you, I don't want trouble."
The knife sunk in the Demon's neck and the whole world stopped.
Valentine grit his teeth, they exposed themselves too much, but what else could he do? If he didn't show some leverage, they'd be stepped on.
He had seen this demon's eyes when he regarded Fayette as if she's his object.
He'd slice the throat of anyone that dares to look at her with those eyes and ACT on it.
...
Everyone looked at the occurrence with astonishment and even the demon was left rooted in place!
"Y-You…" He said, feeling the sharp knife against his skin, not threatening at all but still… this human managed to outpace him even if just for a brief moment!
"You're not normal… you're indeed an undercover protector... how about this, I'll let you go for now, with one condition."
Valentine remained silent not taking the knife down.
"Five hours… The battle to the death in the coliseum, if you win I'll let you go, if I win… I'll have your soul!"
"Valentine, don't!" Fayette, hearing this wanted to make him decline but…
"Deal." Valentine retracted his knife and fell from the Demon's shoulders.
"I hope you won't chicken out, if you don't know the address, ask for the location of the Westburn Trial Ground…" Bellcroft huffed with amusement, staring at the three of them as if they were treasures rather than humans… then walked away with heavy steps.
"V-Vale are you sure about this? That demon is too strong and also fast! How is he even that fast with such a big body!?" Fayette approached first and took his hand.
'And that's supposed to be just a guard!?'
"I think we should just sort out our stuff and leave the city, you don't need to fight him, Vale!" Vera grasped his other hand tightly, not liking the idea of her crush fighting that monster.
She didn't even think her body would remain after a single fist!
"We can't leave this city until we get all the information we can about the netherworld, I have the impression… life won't be as kind once we leave." Valentine spent a few minutes reassuring them as they walked.
In the end, a shaking Fayette could do nothing but relent... the trouble is already there.
"If you're going to fight then you can't do it in a bathrobe… We have to get some equipment." Vera stared at the humans and demons, humans always wore equipment, damaged and battered while Demons were almost always clean and pristine.
It was enough to tell the difference in status.
"We have to get clothes, armour and guns... if they have guns... anything to make the odds greater!" Vera paid attention to the shops, looking for any place that could sell weapons, there weren't many... obviously, weapons are not a commodity in here.
She didn't want him to fight.
"Vale please reconsider... we can still leave! he's not an opponent we can just fight with knives! he destroyed the ground with a single fist!" Fayette seemed to have had enough of bravery, she wasn't about being brave, she's about survival.
And right now she felt as if her beloved was just placed on death row!
Valentine exhaled a deep breath as the three stopped with demons walking back and forth by the sides, almost blurry.
"Trust me, Faye... I can do it... this is our chance, that demon called me a 'undercover protector'... I don't know what that is, but that's likely the reason why he proposed this 'duel'... he can't hurt me directly if I'm this 'undercover protector'... this can be the only chance we have to learn more about this place before leaving... if we leave this city like this... we won't make it, we don't have the knowledge, weapons, clothes... nothing... I won't place the two of you in those circumstances, got it?!" He shook her shoulders violently as if trying to make it go into her head.
"..." She could only bite her lips and accept it.
Vera also didn't have words to say, he's right.
He took the two of them and gave them a kiss on the forehead.
"Let's go... we don't have much time. I'm going to be okay, I won't leave the two of you by yourselves here, but you have to trust me and cover my back, alright?"
"Okay... I trust you, Vale." Fayette managed to pull out a smile, he has done way more ridiculous things.
Perhaps beating this monster is not that much for him as she's making it look.
