"…And perhaps the number of Inférius will keep increasing day by day. So, if you're just a civilian, I recommend staying home if a portal opens near where you live."
The journalist said that. Sitting on the library sofa, Slady ate a piece of brownie he'd bought in the morning.
"I hope that doesn't overload the girls and Ferinish. Listening to their complaints is a pain." (he murmured)
"Admit it, Slady. You just can't stand being ordered around by Ferinish to massage her. You're a submissive boyfriend!" (Truth commented with a mocking laugh)
Slady rolled his eyes, unbothered.
"What can I do? Ferinish is the one who tells me what to do." (he shrugged)
"Good that you know!" (she mocked again)
Arriving at the kitchen, Slady took off his overcoat, leaving only his short-sleeved black-and-red shirt. He put on an apron and let his hair down from the braid, tying it in a bun.
"Cooking, doing a little work in the library and managing my wife's money…" (he murmured, beginning his work)
"I think it's the other way around, Slady. Ferinish is the man and you're the woman in the relationship!" (she laughed again)
"Shut up!" (he tried to swat her with the wooden spoon, but his hand passed through)
"Ah?! Better not forget I'm inside your mind, cutie! But I won't bother you anymore." (she disappeared)
Suddenly, there was a knock at the library door. Slady stopped what he was doing and began walking between the bookshelves.
"I haven't opened the library yet…" (he murmured)
When he opened it, the image of the hunter, Aurora, stood before him. She was surprised by Slady's domestic scene, but ignored it.
"You are really very clever, aren't you?"
"No, I'm just a librarian."
Without asking permission, Aurora entered the library and began to walk through the place. The woman stared at the man, nodding her head toward the kitchen.
"I respect dedicated men. Go work in the kitchen while I talk to you."
'Being ordered around again…' (he thought)
As they walked between the shelves, Slady felt Aurora's attentive gaze on him. Then, upon arriving in the kitchen and going back to his work, he asked:
"What did you mean when you called me 'clever'?"
"You know…" (she sat in a chair)
"I'm someone who likes to understand those who interest me. So, before I returned home, I placed some very small cameras to spy on you…" (she began)
"But apparently, someone with very good vision managed to find them and managed to access them to the point of getting into the camera in my house." (she finished)
Slady remained silent, continuing to cook. Aurora opened a refrigerator and poured out a bottle of wine she had there, placing it into two glasses.
"I don't care about that, to be honest. I deserved it. But I still have a big question. Slady, who are you?"
Slady put a lid on the pot and sat across from Aurora, taking a considerable sip of the wine.
"Why that question, Aurora?"
The woman narrowed her eyes at being called by her name, answering:
"I don't like being called by my name. But considering my interest in you, I'll allow it…"
"But if you want to understand my doubt, Slady, it's that in my view, for someone to have the trust of a Hunter of Destruction, and to have ties with Ferinish Lawhell and even Elisa and Shaphira — who are both hunters who, despite being new to the field, showed very good performance — they must be someone special…" (she drank a sip of the wine)
"And I would even think that Ferinish trained them, considering she is your partner. But from what I've observed, the girls are still getting used to the maternal figure's presence. So, the only person who might have trained them long enough to make them so strong… is you, only you…"
"So, to sum up my reason: someone has to be special to gain the trust of people so powerful and, above all, very experienced at training their adopted daughters. Returning to my question: who are you, Slady?" (she asked with a calm smile on her lips)
"You are really impressive, Miss Sinhaygter. But I'll be direct in my answer: I am someone you will never truly get to know."
He stood up, turned his back, and returned to his work in the kitchen.
"If you want to get close to me, Aurora, I will be the friend you deserve. But if your curiosity, or your interest in me, starts to affect my family…"
Then he looked at her coldly.
"I will make you meet my true self. But you won't be alive to tell anyone about it."
A shiver ran through Aurora's body; she stood and placed her hands on the table.
"According to you, I'll be going down a hole that may have no way out where I come out alive. But I'll take the risk. Of course, I won't let my interest in you affect your beloved family, only you will be affected, whether positively or negatively."
Turning to look at her, Slady adjusted his apron, covering the pot with the lid again.
"That's how I prefer it, and I add: I don't want it to affect anyone I'm close to. If you want to attack someone, let it be only me."
Then, from Aurora's coat fell a listening device, which landed in Slady's mechanical hands.
"And of course, no cowardly tricks either, Miss Sinhaygter." (he destroyed the device)
The woman clenched her fists, slightly frustrated. But she nodded her head in agreement, matching his tone.
"I am a leader and an honorable person, Slady. I wouldn't lose my reason to attack you. But if you are bold enough to move against me, Mr. Slady, I will use my equipment to finish you."
Turning toward the library exit, she began to head out. Slady followed at her side. The tension between them was enormous, but it was noticeable that a spark of respect was beginning to arise.
'This man is far from just an ordinary librarian; he must be hiding something that even his closest ones can't know.' (Aurora thought)
'I recognize his good intentions from now on, but I won't allow him to get close enough to know beyond my deepest secrets.' (Slady thought)