The Hope family home remained one of the nicest in the city, having undergone several renovations.

Valentina's garden is bigger and more beautiful than ever, with new types of flowers of different colors and even mushrooms for the amusement of her beloved spirits who make that garden their home. Now even the little spirits that she treasures and cares for so much can be seen even in the morning, although this does not happen very often. On several occasions, many people came to the house begging to be allowed to see the spirits because until now they had not had the opportunity to see one.

The Hope family has no problem with anyone from outside visiting them and even playing with the spirits. But always under the surveillance of a family member and this is because on more than one occasion there were those who maliciously tried to take the spirits and use them as merchandise, offered on the black market the spirits are very expensive, apparently among people of high society and nobility it is fashionable to have these kinds of spirits as pets.

These people were expelled and considered as ''Not welcome to Gignit'' because they are of the same ilk as all those who are capable of even hurting anyone who lives in Gignit in order to earn some gold, that includes kidnapping people or local spirits.

This only applies to visitors from outside, as those who live in the city are incapable of harming each other, and that includes spirits. The Hope family will not allow them to hurt the little spirits that Valentina raised with so much love and dedication.

Among the family members, Selestia and Christopher are the ones who make visitors follow the most protocol when they see the spirits, such as: Keeping their hands very clean in case they want to touch them. They will not let them dirty the little ones, also not bothering them if they do not want to be touched. Selestia and Christopher adore the little spirits, they have been playing with them for years, they are extremely jealous of their little friends.

These two have just passed in front of the garden/home of the same ones who, upon noticing that their playmates were passing by the house, came out to greet them, eager to play, fluttering around both of them.

-Not now, guys- said Christopher in a very good mood, giving them his best smile -we are very busy. I promise I will play with you later-.

The spirits seemed to have not paid the slightest attention to Christopher's words and this caught Selestia's attention. The spirits always obeyed to the letter everything that Christopher told them, but this time it was not like that and they literally ignored him.

-What's wrong with them?- asked Selestia, watching as a few of them piled up and flew in front of Christopher, more precisely towards his chest area. They even seemed to want to get in between his clothes. She found it extremely strange because in her opinion, the little ones never did this kind of thing. In fact, for her, it's the first time she's seen them like this.

It seems that Christopher had something among his clothes which is of great interest to the spirits.

-Christopher, what do you have there?- she said. -It seems you have something they want to see-.

Without wasting any time, Christopher simply stretched the collar of his top garments, calling out to his friend, "You can come out." Pixie poked her head out a little shyly, turned around, and saw all the spirits surrounding her. It seemed like they were watching her.

She took off from the safety of her "lair", flapping her wings she approached the spirits who surrounded her in a very friendly manner.

-That's a Pixie- said Selestia, somewhat amazed by the beautiful magical creature.

Both the Pixie and the spirits focused their attention in the distance, right towards the area of the big tree. Before leaving, Pixie seemed to say a lot of things to Christopher as if she was waiting for his approval or something.

-It seems that Dry has called them- said Selestia- and she asks for your approval to go-.

Christopher nodded, because it couldn't be otherwise. The only times when the garden spirits went away was precisely because Dry had called them for some reason. Then he nodded, smiling at her. "You don't have to ask my permission. If you want, just go. The spirits will play with you as much as you want."

Pixie's eyes seemed to have lit up at Christopher's words. She approached his cheeks, giving him a tender kiss and then flew away with her new friends towards the big tree.

-It seems that he has grown very fond of you- Selestia joked-my brother is a real casanova of magical creatures-.

-Selestia- he called her in a tone that conveyed a certain air of seriousness. Here was when his beloved sister understood that Christopher was not in the mood for games, the information he brought really had to be very important and crucial -we must not waste time and I need the whole family to be gathered to transmit to everyone some substantial information for...- he raised his eyebrows and even frowned, Selestia thought that her brother was totally furious -...the safety of all our people-.

For a brief moment, so brief that the concept of a second loses its meaning, Selestia felt afraid of her own brother, because he himself, without realizing it, radiated a certain air of total fury. Although it was not she who felt the fear, but rather her body. But since the feeling of fear lasted so little, she was unable to notice it. They entered the house.

Over the past ten years, the Hope house has had to be remodeled to be worthy of a Governor's home. The walls are white and like many of the houses in Gignit are covered with grass on the roof area, obviously a whim of Selestia and Valentina. Square windows which open from the inside out, currently all the windows in the house facing the front are open so that air can enter and ventilate the home.

Some wooden ornaments as frames on the edges of the windows.

Lots of pots, large and small, with plants of all shades adorned every corner of the house. There weren't too many, nor too few. The number was enough so that the plants didn't end up ruining the view of the interior.

The house was about two stories tall, not including the ground floor, and they also had a basement where they kept weapons, armor, and many other things.

On the ground floor there is the kitchen, dining room, guest bathroom, living room and some more bedrooms.

On the first floor are the bedrooms, the family bathroom and a spare room for visitors to spend the night. There is also the terrace where they sit in the evenings and enjoy the scenery.

On the second floor is Alexander and Valentina's office. Here they do the work of Governors, make decisions and do the paperwork for the city. The procedures and many other things.

The room has a much larger window compared to those on lower floors, through which you can see the landscape of the beloved city.

- Mom and Dad are home, aren't they? - the question was directed at Selestia, but rather because in her opinion she must have run into them when she woke up. - I think they were planning to stay at the office all day today doing some paperwork.

Selestia answered immediately -I don't know, although as you say, the two of them would stay at home to finish signing some papers for the guild. I woke up before them and went out to wait for you to come back and scold you for not taking me on your mission- she frowned -I've told you many times to let me know when you would go on one- it's not that Christopher needs help or anything like that to finish the PORCELAIN rank missions. It's just a whim of Selestia.

After the events involving Roger and his sister, Christopher, he smiles again. Selestia always managed to make him smile at the times when he has the most tension and worry, she manages to at least make him smile. Whatever the reason. It's not that she was a clown or anything, but she hates seeing her brother with so much tension and sinking into worry, just like he does anything for her. She does anything for him.

He sighed, feigning boredom. "I know, I'm sorry. I promise to make it up to you." He winked at her as they climbed the stairs.

-You better- she also pretended to be angry when in truth she just wanted to laugh- or your pretty sister will be very angry-.

This is how these brothers show their immense affection for each other. They may not be biological brothers, but who said that brothers have to be biologically related to each other to love each other? The bond that unites them is as powerful or even more so compared to that of blood brothers. They adore each other like true brothers, they care for each other and treat each other as one.

-Sis- called Christopher- you are the best- he was really grateful that she was always able to cheer him up.

Selestia just smiled at him the moment they both entered the office.

...

Drops of sweat hit hard and mercilessly against the desk. The couple side by side and both with the same expression drawn on their bitter faces, worry, restlessness, boredom among other similar feelings.

-They're back- Alexander clenched his fist tightly, worry saying goodbye giving way to the next feeling that took over his expressions, fury. -DAMN IT!- With fury he hit the desk hard. The impact caused it to break in two, even Valentina's part did not come out unscathed since the desk was big enough for two people to fit on it.

The many important papers flew around. Pencils and inks fell to the floor. Books skipped over to where Christopher and Selestia were standing. And speaking of the Elf, Selestia was in almost the same condition. She trembled with anger at the thought of the wretched slavers kidnapping her people and doing with them whatever they wanted.

-Damn them...- she muttered under her breath and was only heard by Christopher who looked at her from the corner of his eye. He knew his sister's kindness and the love she has for the city and every person who lives in it, the current situation would only make her bring out her bad side.

-You two calm down- Valentina said, because Selestia and Alexander had completely lost their cool. Both felt the supreme desire to go out into the forest to find the slavers and finish off each and every one of the wretches who intend to harm the people of Gignit. Because of that Valentina had to put things in order, luckily Christopher seemed to be much calmer than his father and sister. Although she knew that deep down the young man was seething with rage.

Well, it was he who witnessed a gruesome scene of torture. He saw the corpse of a Demi-Human girl tied up, destroyed and with her throat slit. A young human boy suffering for his sisters and a Demi-Human girl being horribly hurt.

-Alexander- she called her beloved soulmate, making him regain control of himself -we must analyze the situation and take more drastic measures regarding the entry of people from outside-. It seemed as if Valentina was the one with the coldest head -I propose not letting more people from outside into the city until we can verify if our people have really been kidnapped or if they have not had any luck yet-.

-That would be very suspicious- Alexander stood up from his seat and walked to the window located just behind them. He looked out at his city with a sigh -even though the situation warrants it, right now would be a terrible time to not allow people from outside to enter- Alexander was truly serious. In these cases, his family simply remains silent and listens, because it always takes away a good analysis and some plan to follow.

-We shouldn't close our doors waiting for everything to pass because that would be very suspicious for the slavers, if we don't let people in anymore they could simply give up and leave. THAT WOULD BE THE BEST SCENARIO!- his family nodded. Alexander turned to them although now with an extremely sharp gaze.

-Now... the worst case scenario would be that they have achieved their objective and have been able to take our people. If we close the doors, they will most likely give up and leave... with our people- and this was the worst case scenario-

-Besides, that would be bad for the city's economy because buyers and merchants from abroad contribute a lot- Alexander.

It wasn't that they wouldn't look for them, but by closing the doors the chances of finding them would decrease because the envoys would stop coming and trying to carry out their objectives. In this way it would be more difficult to find them.

If they leave the gates open, the envoys will keep coming, which will increase the chance of capturing one of them and forcing them to confess the location of their hideout or camp. This could be the best move.

-I see- said Christopher- as long as the gates are open they will continue sending their slaves with the same objective as always, to kidnap our people. When we confirm that one of the many slaves coming from outside are sent by the slavers we can capture them and make them confess-.

-It will be very easy to convince them to cooperate with us. All slaves who are treated badly by their masters have the desire to be free. We will offer them the freedom they long for in exchange for giving us some information- Perhaps Alexander is sounding too cruel by using their freedoms as a bargaining chip. But it was the only way to get them to cooperate. Slaves with abusive and heartless masters usually have an immense fear of being scolded by their masters. You can use this to your advantage.

-Dad- Selestia called with her face plunged in doubt -it's about the gate, if you allow all those people to enter, won't our people be at risk? Are you trying to say that we will put our friends in danger in order to capture the envoys? I do not agree- Selestia had a very good point with what she mentioned, it was like saying that they would use the others as bait to attract the hunter.

If this was the plan, using their people as bait to capture them was not very convincing, especially since they would put people in danger.

-I love that you are such a sweet Elf- Valentina smiled as she approached her, ruffling her beloved daughter's golden hair -you don't have to worry too much, daughter, we know what we're doing. Do you really think that your father and I will allow them to even lay a hand on our people?- She looked at her husband who seriously returned the gesture.

-We love this city and all of our people, everyone here is our family and we will not allow anyone in our family to be hurt- Selestia nodded at her mother's words, she reproached herself for having thought that her parents were not looking at all possible angles to protect their people.

-We still have some problems that we need to solve- Alexander sighed, not one of boredom but rather one that was simply releasing some tension -the first and most important thing would be to find the slaver you confronted, son- with that said Christopher clenched his fists because just remembering the conversation with the guy made his blood boil -if we catch him we could use him as a hostage against other slavers-.

-I hope you forgive me son, but I have no plans to send you in search of that person, you know why- Alexander crossed his arms.

-Don't worry, dad- nodded Christopher -apparently that guy is a silver rank, the only reason why, I think, I came out alive from our confrontation was because apparently my attack added to his failed way of using runic magic tired him out excessively- he looked down somewhat defeated -I'm sure that bastard could have annihilated me if he had his mind set, even without the possibility of using his hands-.

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-Adventurers of higher ranks are very strong- added Valentina pretending to make clear something that her son already knew, even so and out of respect she listened to every word said by her mother -there is no way that adventurers of ranks lower than silver can defeat him, even if they were injured-.

-That goes for you too, Selestia- added Alexander -I hope you don't go into the forest to look for the slaver, even though you are very strong, you won't be able to stand up to a former SILVER rank adventurer. Remember that you are also still a PORCELAIN rank adventurer-.

She nodded very seriously because her father was absolutely right - I am aware of my abilities and no matter how strong my magic is, I will not have a chance against a SILVER rank adventurer or ex-adventurer. They are far superior to me-.

-I'm glad you understand that- Valentina sighed with relief, she knew her sons too well. Both had a certain temperament and hatred towards anyone who hurt others. Now she had to focus on a solution regarding the former adventurer -now dear- she called - we would only have to find out how to find that guy, it is very likely that if we find him we could find the root of the problem. With that it would be much easier to know if they have already kidnapped someone from our city-.

Both of them had to think of something regarding that - You're right about that, but how could we find it? Should we ask the guild to send our high-ranking adventurers to comb the area? - Alexander.

-What do you say about sending the Elf sentries? They know the surroundings of the forest better than any of us- Valentina.

From Selestia's point of view, both options sounded too good. Either sending out Gignit's own SILVER-rank adventurers or sending out the Elf sentries, they would have a good chance of finding the guy.

Christopher analyzing the situation and as his father said finding that bastard is of vital importance. Remembering every word that his father had said to him he seems to have remembered something -dad- Christopher, they looked at him and his face was with a slight smile somewhat nervous. -That guy was losing blood in torrents and I doubt very much that until he reached a safe place he stopped to treat his wounds-.

-I don't understand- said Selestia.

-What I mean is that we have two beings who would have a better chance of finding that bastard if they sensed the blood trail- Christopher.

Valentina's eyes were wide open and she even thought of herself as a fool, apparently the idea proposed by the Young Lord really did add up to a lot of solutions - you're right, they could find him without any problem.

-That's a good idea, son- Alexander congratulated -thanks to the fight he had with you, that guy must have impregnated the environment with the smell and trace of his blood, if that's the case, those two will be able to find him without any problem-.

-But what if the slaver is affiliated with some association?- added Valentina and once again the tension took hold of each of them. She was right, if that were the case it would be very difficult to capture him because reinforcements would be on the agenda, although it would also confirm that there is a whole trafficking network operating on the outskirts of the city.

It seemed that Christopher was the one in charge of releasing all the tensions with his verbal contributions - in fact, Mom - said - something tells me that this guy works alone... -.

"Why do you say that?" Selestia asked while her parents just listened.

-At no time did that subject ask for help, he did not use a single communication device to call his reinforcements, nor did he send any signal to the skies to reveal his location or the fact that he was in danger- the path to the front approaching his parents' desk.

-But it could also be that he didn't ask for help simply because of some stupid pride and not wanting to be the laughing stock of his friends for being cornered by a single person- his parents nodded, their son was right. Even Selestia thought the same, a former silver-rank adventurer could still retain his pride, asking for help in that kind of situation could be a totally irreparable blow to his pride.

-Maybe before fighting you he would have already had a fight against some powerful beast and that's why he wasn't able to use more magic attacks and his only option was to attack you that way- added Selestia in an attempt to contribute something useful to the matter.

-Or maybe he really is alone- Christopher mentioned again. -Dad, Mom- he called his parents. -You know better than we do that slavers prefer to work together with other slavers, because this way slave hunting is more fruitful for them. After selling them, the organization shares the profits, thus managing to maintain trust among themselves and obtaining a certain hunting territory provided by the leaders of the organization- he sharpened his gaze. -Am I wrong?-.

Alexander and Selestia looked at Valentina, as she was almost sold by the damn slavers in the past. It was thanks to Alexander and his rescue group that they failed in their goal of selling her to a powerful rich man. -When I was captured I learned a little about how slavers operate, I don't know what the hierarchy of the organization would be like. But you're right when you say that they operate in groups of slavers and have no qualms about calling for reinforcements if they are overwhelmed by the objective-.

As Valentina had said, she had been captured by slavers in the past. That was due to a horrible betrayal by someone she held in high regard and trusted blindly.

-But that doesn't mean that the one you fought was strictly fighting alone- Selestia -there is a possibility that their orders were not to come back until they had some "merchandise" with them or else they could face consequences... after all, this is the way of thinking of those trash- once again, everything mentioned about Selestia were truly useful ideas.

-Then the best thing we could do and to get rid of any doubt would be to speak directly with those who were slaves of that subject- Christopher

-Son- called Alexander- what do you say those two are called? Roger and Macky, right?- he leaned forward- do you think you could bring them in, we'll just ask them a few questions and then set them free-.

Christopher clenched his fist very tightly because for a moment he remembered how the subject had laughed and claimed to want to torture those poor, already tormented souls - right now they are both in Doctor Wayne's clinic, he is treating them himself. I asked him that when they are both ready to leave, he should send me a message and I would go pick them up myself - he looked at his parents somewhat sadly - I wanted to let them sleep in the house because I would feel very bad if they slept in the street, I know that being slaves they should be used to it by now, but even so it is too much... -.

-Perfect- Alexander celebrated as Valentina ruffled her son's and Selestia's hair. Alexander continued -They will spend the night here, we will ask them a few questions and depending on what they tell us we will see if we send those two in search of just that slaver or we will need to send an entire rescue squad if he gives us information about a base-.

-I love that you are such a good person- Valentina touched her forehead with her son's.

-We still have to inform the population about the kidnapping situation- said Selestia -How can we get the message across to our people alone?-. -It would be wise to tell them to go accompanied for a while if it is a matter of helping a slave from outside-.

-Our people have a very kind heart, I highly doubt they will follow this possibility to the letter- Valentina.

-The best thing would be to inform the adventurers' guild and our security corps- Alexander thoughtfully sat back down at his command post -we will inform the guild leader who loves this city, he has the records of every adventurer who resides here, plus he adores Gignit because he has one of ours as a partner- Selestia and Christopher raised their eyebrows while Valentina laughed because it was information that was not in her possession.

-We will have him inform only the adventurers living in our city about the situation- Alexander added before Selestia spoke up. -But will it be possible for only our adventurers to be informed?-.

-The guild leader has his ways of doing things- said Valentina -We will continue with the security force, first, the leader and commander of all of them, Herman, will be informed-.

Christopher immediately thought of his best friend Sebastian and that he obviously wouldn't be left out of the question.

-He will be in charge of transmitting all the information relevant to the situation to the leaders of the four main divisions- Alexander raised a finger as if he were giving a lesson to some students, although the gesture was simply out of habit.

These four main divisions were, so to speak, the army of the city of Gignit. Every city must possess an army so that they can defend themselves against such situations and even worse.

Gignit's security corps consisted of the following divisions:

*Magic Warrior Division: It focuses mainly on all those beings who are experts in close, medium or long distance combat using hand-to-hand attacks with the techniques they know as well as magic. There is everything here, swordsmen, magicians, fighters and so on. Someone who only focuses on a single fighting style is considered a true idiot. That is to say, even if one prefers to be a magician, he must also have extensive knowledge in the art of hand-to-hand combat and with weapons.

A warrior, someone who fights using weapons or martial arts, must have in his arsenal various magic spells. Knowledge in both branches gives one a great advantage over the other when it comes to choosing the winner of a fight.

It doesn't matter if one chooses to be a wizard, a warrior, an adventurer, a knight, or something else like a thief or a criminal. They will always have the obligation to learn all forms of combat if they want to survive the fights.

*Archer Division: In this division the majority are Elves, although that does not mean that humans, Demi-Humans or Beastmen belong to the same. In this division everyone is very experienced in the use of the bow and arrow or any form of throwing weapon.

But that doesn't mean they are useless at all, because when it comes to engaging in close combat using weapons or magic, it is clear that they are also fierce fighters. This division is responsible for reducing threats as much as possible with long-distance attacks, with a veritable barrage of magic-soaked arrows if necessary.

*Exploration Division: This division is made up of all those who are given a particular mission that is not within the domain of the guild. Their missions are all exploration-related, and are mostly given to a single person or a group of up to a maximum of four people.

The task of this division is extremely important, as they explore areas where there is a great danger of death, observing the beasts that roam the area and reporting their discoveries.

As a final note, those two beings that were recently mentioned are part of the "Ten Strongest" as well as the exploration division. Although they are in charge of night explorations.

*Guard Division: This division is the one that maintains order on a day-to-day basis within the city. There are too many cases where residents have clashes and fights, all of which come from outside. Unfortunately, and in the majority, it is human beings who provoke the altercations.

The city guards are highly respected and enforce the laws, but that doesn't mean they are intractable beings or anything, because as long as you don't break the law they will treat you in the best way possible.

The guards and sentries that man the walls are also part of this division, most often working with the archer division.

-I think it's not necessary to give the complete information to the civilian population because we could cause fear in all of them, anyone would feel panic and terror just thinking about being a slave again...- and Valentina was more than one hundred percent right. Fear would have the population in total anxiety. Even if they trusted that the Governors would protect them, that didn't mean they were completely calm. Fear would overcome them by far.

-I think you're right- added Selestia -it's better to find a way to make the civilian population simply be more alert, such as against robberies or something like that-.

-Well, that's not a bad idea, little sister- Christopher nudged her ribs as she retorted his lack of seriousness in a moment of such tension, when ironically he had previously asked her to be serious. -Christopher, stop it! This is not the time- she complained.

The parents looked at each other, both now sitting in their respective places behind the destroyed desk. -Alright, you two- called Alexander -there's no need to worry about the situation. We'll have everything under control soon, so you better go eat something or rest, since from what I noticed, you two woke up very early. You're probably very hungry-.

At that moment, both Christopher's and Selestia's stomachs demanded food as soon as possible or they would suffer the consequences. They both looked at each other, blushing due to the slight embarrassment they felt.

-That's right guys- Valentina wrapped her right arm around Christopher's left arm and the other around Selestia's right arm- your dad has a lot of work to do, we should leave him alone so he can start as soon as possible-.

-Ok Valentina?- called Alexander with a twitch in his eye while a pleasant breeze blew the sheets of paper lying on the floor -A-aren't you going to help me? You know I can't do it all by myself, right?-.

Before turning and leaving with her children who had looks full of compassion towards their father, she left a few last words of encouragement - you can do it, dear! - and turned around at full speed, pulling her children before she felt the slightest hint of guilt.

-QQ-How evil you are...- Alexander was left with all the work.

...

Outside the house, right in the garden area where Valentina gave a sigh that emanated a certain air of freedom.

-Don't you think it's very cruel of you to leave all the work to Dad?- Christopher commented nervously, watching his mother who only smiled maliciously.

-FUFUFU- she joked, covering her mouth with elegance, pretending to be some kind of noble from the big cities -it's my revenge- she raised her eyebrows with some glamour -the last time we had work up to this point, he abandoned me using as an excuse that a pack of Chimeras was approaching the city and he had to be in front-

A drop of sweat ran down Christopher's neck because he knew that was the most far-fetched excuse and lie his father could have ever told. It was Selestia who was in charge of giving an explanation so that we, the readers, could understand what he meant.

-Dad- Selestia sighed- everyone knows that it is totally impossible for Chimeras to travel in a pack, just by looking at each other those magical beasts start fighting to the death trying to proclaim themselves the owner of the territory-.

-This is my revenge- Valentina smiled maliciously again, imagining her husband right now crying while being crushed by a huge mountain of papers which she had not yet had the chance to take a look at.

"Mom, you really can be very cruel if you put your mind to it," Christopher joked, earning a somewhat childish rebuke from his mother.

-Well, he also left me alone with the horrible paperwork- he wrote in the air and moving his fingers, imitating the movement of writing a bunch of things -after that, it was impossible for me to move my hand for a few hours-.

-I know- Christopher mentioned turning around while a malicious smile appeared on his face -he deserves it-.

Valentina did the same -just like that-.

"They look like children," Selestia complained. "Remember that we are facing a very complicated situation, our friends could be taken by the slavers at any moment," she complained again, her voice filled with a very perceptible anger.

Valentina smiled, she loves her daughter's seriousness and desire to protect the city so much. In part that way of being is what makes her charming -I know that, daughter- she said -but you must keep in mind that nothing good will come from thinking too much about it. I'm not saying that you shouldn't worry, but try to relax- approaching her daughter and holding her ears stretching them very gently, this is the way she calms her and it has always worked for her -we will not let anything bad happen to our city-.

Once again Valentina's techniques for calming her children have worked, and to perfection. The way she uses it on each of her children is different, with Christopher it works by stretching his cheeks while with Selestia it would be by stretching her ears. When Valentina or even Christopher did this to her, Selestia immediately adopted her spoiled and childish mode. Making faces and pouting.

"I know," she complained tenderly, pretending to cross her arms and looking to the sides.

Valentina was getting what she wanted, to completely calm her daughter, she just needed a little more -you know- she said as she stopped pampering her daughter -you have truly become the kindest and most beautiful of all the Elves, you make me so proud and I am very sure that your mother who is waiting for us in heaven is too-.

Selestia's eyes became completely glassy and she was about to shed a few tears. She smiled as best she could and hugged her. "Thank you, Mom." Valentina felt her daughter's gratitude come from the depths of her soul. She considered her as her true daughter and Selestia considered her as her true mother.

"Do you forget that you have a human son?" Christopher complained, but it was obviously a joke, he just wanted to annoy both of them a little.

-Is anyone jealous?- Selestia commented, looking at him mischievously. -Are you afraid that Mom loves me more?-.

"I was just kidding," Christopher complained with a grimace.

-What the hell, is my cute human son jealous?- Valentina's eyes shone with the intensity of a thousand exploding suns as she took one step at a time approaching her son -There's no need for you to be jealous, my cute Christopher- she said the moment the young man's face acquired a strong carmine hue -You will always be mommy's spoiled boy-.

As Selestia laughed Christopher was squeezed by Valentina, he couldn't do anything so he just let her be. Although Valentina's actions weren't exactly to embarrass her children, rather it was simply to reassure them. Although Christopher knew how to pretend quite well, he knew that he was also quite worried about the situation. He knew him too well, he raised him for fifteen years to not know when she was lying and when she wasn't.

-Lady Valentina- a call completely diverted everyone's attention. They interrupted Valentina's mother and children's moment which caused her some annoyance. Since they had both turned fifteen this type of situation decreased greatly because her children avoided being treated this way. Valentina would not pass up the opportunity to be cuddly with her loved ones and just when the opportunity presented itself someone came and interrupted them. Even so, she did not show the slight anger.

-It's the guild's messenger- thought Christopher to himself, thinking that the guild's visit was very strange -something bad must have happened these days and the guild will need my parents' help or permission to make any move... it must be because of the slavers- good deduction on the part of the young Lord. Unfortunately, he was extremely wrong, the news that the messenger brings with him is almost as serious as the kidnapping problem.

Selestia seemed to sense a certain aura of fear and concern around the messenger. She looked closely at the man's brown eyes, who had hair of the same shade and was currently wearing civilian clothes. What caught her attention was the golden letter in the messenger's hands. According to Selestia, the aforementioned letter must contain a truly important message.

According to the subject's aura, what he said there was not at all something good.

-I see that you brought me a letter, I assume it is addressed to my husband and me. Is it from the guild leader? - direct and concise, getting to the point quickly because like her daughter she could feel a certain tension around the subject - What happened? -.

The messenger looked at the children, apologizing immediately -I'm truly sorry Lady Valentina, but my orders are that only the current Governors are aware of the information and that you then transmit it to the others in case you want to do so- then he looked at the brothers again, apologizing -I'm truly sorry Lord Christopher and Lady Selestia, but I cannot disobey the master's orders-.