"Well, fancy seeing you two here," said Ago, embarrassed. His situation made him look like a tiny rat who had been caught by a large cat.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LsrM05FkR
"How did you--" started Eva.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEhw6VhwB2
"He's a fool for following you two Lieutenants," cut off the burly man.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaUcAXMTEZ
"A holy man like him should learn to stay with his books and songs."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLR3hZiY9lr
"Huh!?" exclaimed Ago. The perplexity on his face proved he didn't know how to take that remark.
"Anyway," began the man. "If you let my partner and I go without any trouble, and I won't kill the priest. If you don't, I'll snap his pretty neck, here and now."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpMKFwYHRH
"Excuse me, but I'd rather not be called pretty if you'd mind..." butted in Ago.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0pZOA0Itw
"Shut up," replied the man, his teeth gritting together.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmifJSkwoWW
"Hmm...." mumbled Ago, who stroked his chin as if he was in deep thought.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00W8KgaYC6
"What do you mean, 'hmm'?" grunted the man.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqg2qkafzM2
"Well, you didn't say please, my highly odiferous friend," chanted Ago in a teasing manner. His voice was innocent and gentle, even more so than usual.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV54LnfoiWk
"Odiferous?"441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsl4T7yMdiD
"My morally troubled man, it means you smell nasty," noted Ago. He glanced at the stained and rough leather jacket the man wore. "And your attire isn't complimenting you, either..."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xcjFsqD40
"What the--?!"441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgyN63kLzC
"You should probably think of burning that shirt you're wearing sir, it may cause an airborne plague."
"That's enough!!" screeched the scraggly man. He directed his gun at Ago and shot. The bullet flew and grazed his head.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7mBw28ZFh
"Ago!!" screamed Eva. Her hands began to glow once more.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNI5ppZl3G
"Sister Eva, please stand down," whispered Ago. He looked at her with blood dripping off his face and gave a cryptic yet gentle smile. "I'll take it from here."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjUD4vNqlP
"Huh?!" grunted the burly one.
Ago placed his right hand on the burly man's hairy forearm.
"GAHHH!!!" bellowed the man. His arm began to bleed, and in his shock, he dropped Ago.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8OU1qkDYn
"I was hoping to be much kinder today..." whispered Ago, who had landed on his feet. He wiped off a small, bloodstained blade.
"Get them!" shouted the scraggly man to the other five men with him. They rushed towards Ago, Tsubaki, and Eva with different assortments of weaponry.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDngbOdcGql
"Sister, Brother...please stand aside for now," spoke Ago. "I'll take care of the situation quickly."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CNv1XJNU9
"But why?" asked Eva, confused and concerned.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRcAQDPwA9
"Miss Evangelique, I suggest we listen to him," replied Tsubaki. "He is our superior, after all."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tCJJQxnpu
"But Ago is a Hitsujikai!" exclaimed Eva. "He's a part of my team!"441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2msW3LkfT4
"That is true," responded Tsubaki. "However, he is also a Lieutenant...Kioku Kitsune's most powerful Lieutenant, to be more precise."
Evangelique stood still. Her breath felt as if it had been taken away by the shocking surprise.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMOWUoTJkE
Ago was a Hitsujikai, a man who swore to Elohim, the Creator of All Things, to teach and guide in truth and love as according to the Sacrytheola, or Sacred Scriptures. It was his task to evangelize to all lost souls and reflect the mercy of Kaithé, the Divine Savior.
But he was also a Lieutenant, whose tasks often held no gentle outcome.
"He said it's his conviction," said Tsubaki. Eva looked at him. "Ago has two callings. On one hand, he is a shepherd. His task is to guide his flock and to protect them from destruction. On the other hand, he is a soldier. He has to leave his sheep in order to preserve other sheep."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUyZflrSR2
"And sometimes, in order to protect those sheep, you have to fight wolves..." murmured Eva.
She looked at Ago again, who stood still and tall. His adversaries were sprawled on the ground, wounded.
"Finally, it's done~" sighed Ago, stretching out his arms and yawning.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9zWZf7kUA
"D-Did you kill them?" asked Eva, frightened by the surprising side of Ago.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm28wmpayX
"Of course not," replied Ago. He looked at the men with hurt eyes. "I just made sure they won't be able to hurt anyone ever again. We still need to question them about the attack on the tavern, after all."
He smiled at Eva with his cherubic, princely smile. Evangelique felt a cold chill crawl down her spine.
"Brother Tsubaki, help me tie these men up," said Ago, taking a strong rope from a leather pack on his side. "Brother Hakujou and Mitsuru-daya are sure to come for them soon."441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioinxMg9IT
"Will do," replied Tsubaki. He walked over to help Ago apprehend the criminals.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6G55BAEiLW
"Evaaaaaa!!!" shouted Yasha. She ran up to Eva and hugged her tightly.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4exyDTKhmx
"Where did you go!?" added Althia. Both she and Yasha were very concerned.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIinkFp8vOo
"You didn't get hurt, did you?" asked Cyril, who grasped onto her hands.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR71Vx2LUeL
"No, no, I'm okay, really..." answered Eva quickly. "Ago may need some attending to, though. Since he got sho--"441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAU7phBB8C
"Since my shoes got unable to balance on the snow and I tripped!" butted in Ago. He looked into Eva's eyes, silently urging her to remain silent about the incident in the alleyway.
"Ah, yes," replied Eva stiffly. "He had quite a bad fall!"441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBXPTYii9U
"Did you now?" asked Augustine.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMg12veDtB
"It was bad, but I'm sure it was all his clumsiness," began Eva. "He's so clumsy, he puts a landing albatross to shame!"
Cyril, Yasha, and Althia chuckled at the remark. Tsubaki, who stood nearby, watched them giggle.
"Oi, that was uncalled for..." pouted Ago. Eva giggled in reply.
Augustine watched as they all laughed, only to soon glance at Ago's dirtied robes.
In unbelief and an undisclosed resent, he turned to look at Eva, hoping that one of his greatest fear hadn't become a reality.441Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEtP9sU7jL
