The young man in front of her, David, was far too naïve. Trusting demons? What a joke. Lux understood herself that demons cannot be trusted. They are lying creatures of evil that would turn on you the first chance they get.

That’s what happened to her parents.

It was a dark evening, she could still remember clearly. She found it difficult to breath, and she knew her time was coming. Her parents tried to hide it from her, but she had known the truth. It wasn’t hard to figure out if all the doctors and nurses looked at her with sorrowful and pitiful eyes.

They had tried everything from various treatment techniques to medicine from all around the world. Noting worked. It was as if God has abandoned her.

Although her parents were both devoted believers of the church, they’re love for her was far greater than their belief. On that night, they summoned a yellow eyed demon to save her life while they thought she was sleep. After a long bargain, the demon came to her side, and placed its hand on her forehead. At that moment, something seemed to have been removed from her body. She found breathing to be a bit easier and less painful.

Yet, the demon had a sinister smile across it’s face. It turned towards her parents… Her father tried a cross against it. but it was to no avail. His head flew up into the air, and landed by her side.

She didn’t know what to do… She was terrified, and could only look helplessly as her mother backed away from the demon. She had shut her eyes for a moment to wish that it was all a dream, but when she opened her eyes once more, her mother was dead on the floor.

The demon moved towards her, its yellow eyes glowed in the dark. Every second felt like an eternity. She had escaped death just moments prior, but it all seemed like a cruel joke… Until a silver blade stabbed out from the chest of the demon.

Recalling up to this point, Lux looked at the young man in front of her once more, he looked angry. For what? Because she had spoken the truth? The information they could have gotten from the demons would have been lies anyways.

“I don’t fully trust demons. I know I have to take their words with a grain of salt, but does it really hurt so much to pay them the minimal amount of respect and earn at least some information? Any information is better than what we have right now!” David questioned her back, his eyes unwavering.

To be honest, that wasn’t the answer she was expecting. She had expected a speech about trusting demons because thy had saved the children or because they seemed like nice people. But he… His answer was full of bitterness, and showed wariness towards the demons. Now that she come to think about it, he had a point. Any information is better than none. Was she perhaps too clouded by her own disgust?

No. That couldn’t be it. The young man in front of him must know something more. That’s why he’s willing to gather information from those vile fiends.

“What do you know about this all?” she asked. There was no point in asking in a roundabout way anymore. Asking directly would be the better choice here.

“… What do you mean…?” he replied. He clearly hesitated there.

“You’ve been hiding something important. Spill it out,” she continued to question him. Her intuition couldn’t have been wrong, especially with those traces of evidence supporting her.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Hiding things? What makes you think that? I really want to save Helly,” he replied calmly with his demeanour changing back to the pro calm one he had before they had left the village.

“Who exactly are you?”

“I’m David Ng, someone whose trying to save Helly.”

“More?”

“I’m seventeen, nearly eighteen. I’m a high school student and I’ve known Helly pretty much all my life.”

“So how did you come to know magic?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’d be a start to prove that you have nothing to hide.”

“I…” David seemed to hesitated for a moment before replying. This definitely added to his suspicion. “I…”

“Hi-kaa-rii-channnn!” Before David could finish his sentence, a girlish voice ran out from behind them.

The four of them turned to look at the source of the voice. It was Merzula and Mazul alongside their father. Tch. And she was so close to getting some information out of David.

When the children and their father got to them, David was extremely surprised by their actions. All of them had prostrated themselves onto the floor in front of them.

“I’m extremely sorry for what happened back at the village. he way we have reacted was certainly uncalled for, but please forgive us,: Matire said sincerely with his head out and neck exposed. “I would be willing to pay for it with my life. Just please spare the children.”

An awkward silence filled the air for several seconds. It was once again Hikari that tried to dispel the tension, “It’s okay hahaha. Please stand up.”

As Hikari spoke, she reached out to help Matire and the children up, but that action was stopped with a glare from Lux.

Without anyone helping them, the demons remained prostrated onto the ground. Seeing this, David walked over and reached out a hand,” It’s fine. Don’t worry too much about it. The fear and disgust for exorcists is only natural. I can understand that much.”

Matire lifted his head up and looked at him, but didn’t get up. Instead, he reached out his empty palm as if waiting for David to do something.

“Slice the palm of his hand with a knife, make sure he bleeds. Or burn his palm. It is their tradition,” Lucifer said to David, explaining Matire’s action to him.

David followed Lucifer’s advice and pulled out the knife from his pocket, and lightly sliced the palm of Matire’s hand, but still ensuring that it was deep enough to open a bleeding wound, “It’s okay. Please stand up.”

Matire did stand up afterwards. It seems like Lucifer was not mistaken and that was what he was looking for. “I thank you for your kindness and understanding,” he said as he took out two large rucksacks and handed them to David. “Inside are provisions that should be able to last three days as well as a bit of money. It’s not a lot, but it’s all we can manage right now. Please accept this.”

David took them in his hands and then handed one over to Hikari. They looked inside.

Within the rucksacks were various neatly wrapped packages that smelled really nice. Inside the rucksack that Hikari held was also a large chunk of smoked meat, and within the one David held was a fancy pouch.

He opened it to see what it contained. It was a pile of small golden coins.

“We cannot accept this,” David said as he tied up the pouch once more and handed it to Matire.

Matire pushed it back away from him, “This is all we can offer you, therefore please accept this. It was wrong of us to show such hostility when you have saved my children.”

“Even then we cannot accept this,” David looked towards the three exorcists to se their reactions. It seemed like Hikari thought the same as him, while Lux was reluctant to accept anything from demons. She was still sceptical of him considering that the demons had coincidentally interrupted them just as he was about to explain. Guang was the only one who merely silently watched the exchange emotionlessly, as if it doesn’t concern him at all.

“Please do not refuse any more. We will not take back the reward we have given out, as it is the least we can do for our saviours,” Matire replied firmly. Then turning towards his children he said, “Thank them once again.”

“Thank you for saving us!” Merzula and Mazul said energetically.

David was at a lost here. He wanted to stuff the money back to Matire, but it seems like he was all too determined to have them keep the rewards. It would instead worsen his mood if David was to refuse any more, and if his mood was refused, he was afraid that it would hurt his side of the argument against Lux.

This essentially left him with no choice. He thanked Matire and placed the pouch back within the rucksack and said, “Thank you for everything.”

“No, thank all of you for saving Merzula and Mazul.”

“Yes, thank you for saving us!” Merzula and Mazul said once more.

“Then, allow us to wish you a safe trip. And may fortune be with you,” Matire said before leading the children and leaving.

David turned to Lux, and saw that she had a complex expression on her face. Although she originally had a disgusted expression, the expression on her face now was nothing like that, it was more akin to confusion…