"Darryl!"
A small figure ran and bumped into him with a force that knocked some air out of his lungs.
"Take it easy, Niko." He smiled at the young boy hugging him.
He nodded towards Anya's men, who initially threw a suspicious look towards Flint and looked around the room. The younger children seemed overjoyed seeing his return, and his heart ached knowing that he probably would not see them for some time. Although they were not siblings, they had gone through high and low water together.
A small pair of hands tugged on his shirt. He turned around to find a curious, wide-set pair of eyes set on a small face.
"Darryl, where did you go?" A little girl with tightly curled hair asked innocently.
"Hm... I went away to the mountains for a bit under Anya's order. Did you cause trouble for Brother Erik and Sister Lila?"
She puffed out her chest. "No! Of course not! Mia is a good girl!"
Darryl smiled and patted her head.
His eyes landed on Erik and Lila, who were standing in the corner watching him. He approached them. They were among the older children who naturally took on the role of rearing the younger ones, and the closest ones to Darryl.
Lila looked up at him in concern. "Are you okay, Darryl? Anya didn't ask you to do something too difficult?"
"What did Anya tell you to do?" Erik instead asked straightforwardly.
"I'm okay, Lila. Hm...it's a bit difficult to explain, but I will be travelling with the two gentlemen that you saw yesterday. So.. I won't be coming back soon, but I promise I will be back." He tried to inject some confidence into his voice.
"What!"
"Darryl, are you sure?" Lila's voice was full of apprehension. "Those two people from yesterday... they are nobles, aren't they? Do you think you can trust them? Who knows what they've done to the missing children..."
"Wow, hey, I'm kinda hurt you're lumping me together with those people, you know."
The three children jumped as they did not notice Flint's presence that suddenly appeared behind them. Erik immediately tried to shield Lila behind him, eyeing Flint with wariness. Flint threw his hands to the air in a surrender gesture.
"Sorry, kids, I didn't mean to surprise you."
"Ah, this is Flint Blackthorne, everyone. He is a mercenary, not a noble." Darryl hurriedly introduced him.
Flint smiled bitterly as Erik and Lila still stared at him in doubt. "Can you guys stop being so suspicious? I grew up in a place like this, you know. Anyway... what was that about missing children?"
***
"Magistrate Frederick, I'm surprised to see you here." Armand lightly performed a greeting towards an old man sitting beside the elderly woman referred to as Istaroth by Lady Mizan.
The tall, lanky man wearing spectacles stood up and returned his greeting. "We meet again, Lord Commander."
Seraphine looked at Armand. "Someone you know?"
"Yes.. I'm surprised, I thought you knew everything, Lady Mizan."
"What nonsense. How can a human know everything?"
Magistrate Frederick briefly raised his brow, taken aback at the exchange between the veiled young lady and the Commander of the Holy Knight. He had never heard anyone, even an Archon, answer the Lord Commander in such a manner. But Armand did not find it disrespectful; instead, Frederick could see a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. He turned to observe the young lady, who carried herself with an effortless confidence that could come across as arrogance, though she did not seem to notice it herself.
He had gotten this kind of indifferent, assured feeling that left little room for doubt from some people before, and they were all mages - extremely powerful people whose passion often transcended worldly stuff such as money and class.
In fact, this feeling closely resembled what he felt every time he faced Istaroth, who was still sitting quietly sipping her coffee.
Unsure of her identity, Frederick performed a light bow towards Seraphine, which was surprisingly returned. "Frederick van Lutmer, Magistrate of Dohara, at your service. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady..?"
"Mm.. you may call me Seraphine."
"??"
Armand's head turned towards her so fast, she thought he could have pulled a muscle. "Seraphine? Is that your first name?"
"? Yes?"
"Why.. why didn't you tell me?"
"Ah, did I not?"
Armand's head spun. He had never met someone like her - at times, she could be powerful, knowledgeable, and even mystical, but other times, he felt like talking to a child, or someone lacking a bit of common sense. His mood soured a bit, although he was not sure why.
"And is Mizan your last name?"
Seraphine touched her lips in contemplation. "..yes, you could consider it that way."
Armand let out a big sigh and closed his eyes.
Frederick watched the exchange in great amusement. He had met the Commander a couple of times in the past, and he had always seemed very composed, almost stony-faced if not for a constant benevolent smile on his lips.
The young lady called Seraphine Mizan was also an interesting character, to be able to interact with the Commander in such a way. She did not show any reaction towards the mention of 'van Lutmer' or the Magistrate of Dohara. He had never heard of the Mizan family, but with the rise of many influential merchants and artisan families nowadays, he was not surprised.
Seraphine noticed that Armand's mood had taken a turn, but she was not sure why. Instead, she turned towards the old lady. "It seems there's something we need to discuss."
Only then Istaroth put her teacup down and stood up. "Yes, indeed." She gestured towards a VIP area at the back of the private dining room. "Young man, would you kindly accompany the Magistrate for a chat?"
That was a clear instruction for them to stay. Armand nodded. He had some questions to ask the Magistrate too.