Killian narrowed his eyes at the figure that slowly rose from the bed. Petals of roses dropped from his bare chest as he sat up but Killian didn’t expect what he saw.

It should have looked ridiculous but it didn’t. This person was another orc yet he felt his tendrils lose their agility at his mere presence. He knew he couldn’t be ordinary.

"You are a demoted angel too, aren’t you?" Killian’s eyes narrowed at his green skin, and soft curved horns. It was a possessed body but it looked like he had always been in it.

The person smiled softly, head tilting slightly. "Demoted angel?"

He sounded amused, studying Killian like one might observe an interesting animal.

"And here I thought my introduction to others would be more dramatic." His voice was light, almost playful.

He stretched his hand lazily. "Do I not look like an orc prince to you?"

Killian didn’t blink. "Is an orc prince something anyone wants to be? Especially for an angel like yourself."

The orc let out a soft chuckle. He didn’t sound offended or seem even capable of being offended. He leaned back.

"I suppose that depends on who you ask."

He rested one hand against the bed. "You see orcs as lesser, don’t you? It’s written all over your face when you look at me."

Killian didn’t respond. His silence was answer enough. He was well aware of his prejudice against monsters different from humans. It wasn’t something he would deny.

"Answer my question directly. I have more."

"Straightforward. I like that." The orc shifted on the bed, leaning more comfortably on a bed pillar.

"Yes, I am a demoted angel, as you said." His tone stayed casual. "Cut off from the Goddess. Abandoned. Cast aside."

He spoke dramatically but his voice didn’t hold any bitterness, and that was the part Killian found strange.

"So you come here?" Killian looked around the room.

Seeing as the orc was in bed with multiple orc women and wanted to be declared a Prince, it was clear he chose another species to have fun with after his descent from grace.

"Here I am free." The orc’s smile widened just a bit. "Free from the Goddess and her expectations."

The orc continued, his voice still light. "I don’t see orcs as less than anything. Unlike you. They have untapped potential so I’ll raise them. Let them stand where humans stand now."

Killian’s stare stayed flat. He could understand why that would be possible. Monsters that could use mana had hidden potential, just like Thistle.

"But you become enemies with humans?" he asked.

The orc shrugged. "I don’t particularly want them as enemies," he said simply. "I just... root for orcs."

Killian went quiet, after exhaling. His eyes scanned the room briefly before his gaze returned to the orc.

"You should know why I’m here."

The orc blinked, his expression shifted from amusement to confusion. He tilted his head completely horizontally so much that it looked creepy.

"You are here to kill orcs like any Warden," he said slowly. "But now, do you say you want to fight me directly? Even knowing what I am? I am not interested in killing you though but if—"

"I don’t care what you are." Killian snapped instantly, agitation rising in his chest. One of the reasons for his agitation being he could sense the shift in mana around the temple caused by the orc.

He couldn’t tell if it was the bloodlust that Lady Helen had mentioned but he felt only a little bit and it crept him out.

"I’m here for my sister. The Fire Warden that was taken," he said clearly to avoid any more misunderstanding. If after being clear, his intentions were ignored, then he could decide. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The orc’s brows lifted slightly. "Sister?" His eyes lit up like a bulb turned on in his head. "Ah, that one."

Killian stepped forward. "Where is she?"

There was something almost like hesitation. The orc leaned back, one arm casually wrapping around an orc woman beside him. "I sent her away. As a present."

The silence between them stretched.

Killian’s fingers curled.

"Explain what the fuck that means," his voice wasn’t loud but it was on the verge. He couldn’t have come all the way for nothing.

The orc didn’t seem bothered by his tone.

"A colleague of mine, another demoted angel. He wanted a Warden he could possess. Unlike me, he doesn’t bother asking for consent."

Killian just stood there, feeling helpless.

"I had an orc volunteer," the angel continued, as if they were having a conversation. "They agreed to give up their body. Devotion is a powerful thing."

He smiled faintly. "But my friend? He prefers humans. The last one didn’t work. Too weak and fragile. Also a little stubborn."

Killian’s chest tightened as he remembered Juda and the yapping angel who took over his body. "So you sent a Warden just doing her duty to him?" he asked, voice lower.

The angel’s smile widened. "Oh, she’s strong enough to interest him. She seems obedient too, so he can work around—"

"Don’t call my sister obedient!" He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, standing inches away from him.

"How hypocritical to say you don’t want to involve humans, but you kidnap a human Warden? You angels are all the same."

The angel blinked, then looked down. "Hmm..." He reached beside him and picked something up.

"At first, I just wanted to tease him and give him some useless girl, but...." He tossed the item to Killian.

Killian caught it instinctively. His breath hitched when he saw it was his sister’s badge.

"I noticed this," the angel finished. "B-Rank. To me, D-Rank and B-Rank aren’t very different. Only A-Rank and S-Rank catch my attention. But now, she’s being transported to him."

Killian stepped away from him.

His mind racing for different possibilities. George tracked the signal and her location with the badge but now that it was away from her, it greatly narrowed their options.

His jaw clenched.

’Think! Think, Killian!’