"This room is pretty decent," Kei said. "As expected of the best inn in Veritas."

He sat on the bed and closed his eyes. Kei like to meditate when he was tackling a problem that needed immediate action. He sat there for half an hour before a knock on the door brought him out of his stupor.

"Come in."

The door opened and Little John entered the room. He has a frown on his face and Kei knew that something was wrong.

"Something doesn't feel right," Little John said. "This feeling, I've felt this before."

Kei made a gesture and Little John nodded his head. The two of them took out identical bracelets from their storage bags. This was an invention that was made by Little John's father.

It was an artifact that allowed two people to talk via telepathy. However, its effective range was only 5 meters. Little John's father called it a failure because he was aiming for something that could be used to communicate with another over great distances.

Although it was deemed as a failure, it was more than enough for the two young boys to talk without worrying about others overhearing their conversation.

{Explain,} Kei said. {What do you mean that you have felt this feeling before?}

{Do you remember 'that' time before we met?}

{That time, are you saying…}

Little John crossed his arms on his chest and looked at him seriously. {We may be dealing with those kinds of people.}

{Bloodline Hunters,} Kei clicked his tongue. In his mind, Bloodline Hunters were all scum that should be wiped out from the face of Eleison.

They started as a bandit group and later became an organization that spanned the entire continent. They were always looking for rare bloodlines to sell at the black market.

Some of their captives were turned into slaves, others were used as experimental subjects. However, there were some hunters that took things to the extreme and 'collected' the true bloodlines from the blood of their captives.

The process of blood extraction was a very painful one and only one end awaited those who were unlucky enough to fall into their hands. A slow and painful death.

At most, they would be able to collect a few drops and they would sell it to the highest bidder. Those who acquired these rare bloodlines used it to create abominations that only obeyed their command.

{If what you say is true then this is going to be very troublesome.} Kei pinched the bridge of his nose.

A sigh escaped Little John's lips. {Kei, we need a plan.}

The two talked for more than an hour and Little John left the room with a troubled expression. Kei, on the other hand, left the inn and went to the Adventurer's Guild of Veritas.

Unknown to the two of them, Tifa and Milfa were having a very important discussion in their own room.

"What do we do sister?" Milfa asked. "Should we leave without telling them?"

Tifa sighed. She knew that they couldn't stay with the two boys who saved them, but where should they go? What should they do? There were many questions on her mind and the answers were nowhere to be found.

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"For now, let's wait," Tifa said. "We'll decide on our next move when morning comes."

Milfa nodded her head. She knew what her sister was thinking; and the only thing she could do was trust her.

"The sun will set in an hour. I wonder what that little goblin is doing," Milfa muttered absentmindedly.

Tifa heard her sister's careless words and smiled. "Do you like him?"

"Huh? Like who?"

"Like Kei."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Milfa said while stuttering. "Who would like someone like him?"

Tifa covered her lips with a hand and suppressed her laughter. Milfa pouted and pinned her down on the bed. The two rolled on the sheets and their laughter reverberated in the room.

Milfa lightly pinched her older sister on the cheek. "Don't think that I don't know that you're interested in Little John."

"I am interested in him."

"Because he is handsome?"

"Yes, very handsome," Tifa replied while grinning. "How about your little goblin? Why do you like him?"

Milfa blushed and averted her gaze. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"He make me feel safe for some reason."

Tifa raised an eyebrow at her sister's reply. There were a few boys back in their village that liked her sister, but she just ignored them. 'Makes her feel safe…' Tifa thought about the young boy who looks like a goblin.

Indeed, there was something about him that was different from the other boys she had met in their village. He had a certain charm that was hard to describe. The way he moved, the way he talked, the way he presented himself.

Tifa's lips curled into a smile because she found the reason why Milfa was smitten with Kei. 'Confidence. That boy is radiating an aura of confidence.'

"Why are you smiling sister?" Milfa asked. "Don't tell me that you like him too?"

"Who knows? Kei is cute so…"

"No! You can't like hi-"

Milfa covered her mouth with her hand. She was surprised that she raised her voice against her sister. For some reason, the thought of her sister liking Kei made her heart ache.

'Is this jealousy?' Milfa thought. 'I'm jealous of my sister?'

Tifa was taken aback by her sister's sudden outburst. This was the first time she acted like this and it was because of a boy. 'It seems that she likes him more than I thought.'

Milfa fell sideways on the bed and covered her face with her hands. She was blushing and she didn't want her sister to see her face. Tifa knew that now was not the right time to poke the hornet's nest and let her sister be.

Sounds of knocking were heard on their door and Tifa approached it carefully.

"Who is it?"

"Sorry to disturb you our esteemed guests," the manager of the inn said. "Dinner is ready. Would you like to have them in your room or would you rather have them in our inn's dining room?"

Tifa opened the door and looked at the manager. "There were two boys with us…"

"Two boys?" the manager said with a frown. "There was only this handsome man in the dining room. I believe his name was John or something."

"Little John."

"Ah! Yes, it was young master Little John," the manager said. "The young boy that came with the three of you left the inn a short while ago."

Milfa approached the door and stood beside her sister. "He left?"

"Yes. I don't know where he went, but he'll probably be back soon."

"Very well, we will follow you to the dining room."

The twins followed the manager to the inn's dining room reserved for special guests and marveled at how luxurious it was. Little John waved at the two of them.

"Let's eat. I'm hungry."

Tifa sat beside Little John while Milfa sat across them.

"Where is Kei?" Milfa asked.

"There are a few things that he needed to take care of," Little John answered. "Don't worry he'll be back soon."

Little John gestured for the manager to serve the meal. The staff of the hotel moved efficiently and soon the table was laid out with delicious dishes. They left after finishing the task; leaving only the manager behind.

"Please enjoy your meal," the manager said. "Call for me if you need anything else."

He bowed to the three of them before leaving the room.

"Let's dig in," Little John said while heaping piles of food on his plate. The twins were more reserved, but they chose the dishes that looked delicious. The three ate their dinner until they were full.

Meanwhile…

"It's been half an hour. Let's check on them."

"Yes, My Lord." The lady with the staff bowed to the man in front of her.

The two of them went to the inn's dining room. When they opened the door they saw the twins and Little John collapsed on the floor. The man smirked and caressed Milfa's cheeks.

"What a very beautiful girl," the man said without looking at the woman. "I will train these girls as my personal maid servants."

The woman with the staff didn't say anything and passed two black collars to the man. The man gently clasped the collar on Milfa's neck and did the same to Tifa. When he was done, he pricked his fingertip until blood started to come out.

He smudged his finger on the two collars and they glowed bright red.

"Sleep my little darlings," the man said affectionately. "The moment the two of you wake up, your new lives will begin."