"But Ma... I mean, Papa," Grey asked with genuine confusion showing as she tilted her head slightly to one side, "you told us before that we are not supposed to eat people at all, under any circumstances."

"And I still think exactly the same way right now," I replied, turning the whole of my attention directly toward her while keeping a serious expression fixed on my face. "Why exactly are you asking me this question?"

Grey’s eyes sparkled with a dangerous kind of curiosity as she continued speaking.

"Can we... eat the bad people then, if we happen to come across them?"

Ugh.

The moment those words left her mouth, she released just the tiniest hint of bloodlust that rippled outward through the air like an invisible cold wave.

She truly carried the deep essence of a titan inside her innocent-looking form.

Isabelle almost flew away right then and there in that instant, her tiny wings fluttering rapidly in sudden alarm.

"Uh, if you ever feel that you are truly in trouble, Grey Ivy," Titania soon took over the conversation in a smooth and quiet authoritative manner, stepping forward to continue where I had left off, "if people start to scare you badly and try to harm you even after you have pleaded with them several times to stop, then yes, those people are definitely bad and deserve no mercy."

Hm.

The way Tania’s eyes softened just a little as she spoke made it feel as though she was drawing those words from some painful experience buried in her own past.

And I had never heard her speak with such... seriousness. No, such maturity. She’s normally no much different than a middle school first year.

"So... we can devour the bad people?" Briar asked again, her blue eyes widening with innocent hope as she leaned her body forward ever so slightly.

What was it exactly with all of them and this strange, persistent infatuation with the idea of eating people?

{Though Master has successfully averted this particular outcome, the titans are normally parasitic creatures by their very nature and live by taking people’s life force. It is no longer necessary at all for their survival, but they still seem to retain that lingering taste for people.}

"Fine," I answered Briar carefully after taking a moment to think it over, choosing each word with deliberate caution so there would be no misunderstanding, "it would be very bad actually if you simply went around eating people randomly, even if they happen to turn out to be bad ones.

"But... if you find yourself caught in real trouble and you cannot escape from it without using some form of violence, then I guess you are allowed to eat them in that specific situation only."

And with that single decree of mine now hanging clearly in the air between us, all six of the young titans visibly relaxed their shoulders at the exact same moment. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Their faces lit up with a really strange and almost gleeful kind of happiness that sent a subtle wave of disturbance running straight down my spine.

They were seriously relieved to have been permitted to feast on flesh.

Heh.

But little did they know that I actually had very little intention of ever leaving them alone with regular people out there.

And even less so with any so-called "bad" people who might cross their path.

They should be perfectly satisfied with drawing from my own life force instead of anyone else’s.

After all, I contained the equivalent of millions upon millions of people’s worth of energy deep within myself.

(Author’s note: little did HE know that simply allowing them to eat bad people was more than enough power for them to eventually cause severe havoc wherever they went.)

"Ah, Isabelle," Titania turned gracefully toward the petite, green-haired fairy who was still standing cautious near the doorway, "please clothe them properly in cute dresses, okay? Make sure they look presentable and feel comfortable at the same time."

"Yes, your Majesty," Isabelle replied with a quick and respectful bow of her head.

Tania seem to have regained her cheerfulness again.

I’m glad.

But Isabelle still seemed far from having grown accustomed to the presence of the titans around her.

Her small frame was tense and her movements way too cautious whenever they were near.

Well, only time would truly tell how things would develop from here onward.

After all, they were not actually that bad once you spent a little time with them and got to know their true natures.

As the titans began to follow Isabelle away from the main area, their footsteps echoing softly through the grand space, I and Tania were left alone together in the vast throne room.

The heavy, vined doors closed behind the group with a deep, resonant thud, sealing the two of us inside the quiet grandeur of the chamber where only the faint sounds of distant activity could be heard.

"Uhm... Benjamin?" Titania called out to me in a coy voice, her tone light and playful yet carrying a hint of something deeper beneath the surface as she tilted her head slightly to one side.

"Hm? Yes?" I turned toward her fully, shifting my attention to her as I waited to hear what she wanted to say.

"At the meeting earlier, Vaelora scolded me quite a lot, you know," she continued, her words coming out with a small pout forming on her lips as she recalled the event.

"C’mon now, try not to worry her too much next time," I replied gently, offering a reassuring smile as I spoke.

"I know, I know! I mean, the reason she scolded me so much was because... well, because I was spacing out during the whole thing..." Her eyes locked directly onto mine then, holding my gaze with an intensity that made the air between us feel just a little warmer. "I missed you already, even in that short time apart. What was that important thing you wanted to show me, by the way? You mentioned it before everything else happened."

Ah, yes, that was right before Dynamis had arrived and interrupted everything!

"Of course," I said with a soft chuckle, gesturing invitingly for her to come closer as I settled myself more comfortably in a couch nearby.

"Come here and sit on my lap. It is something I remembered that kids absolutely love back in my world, and I thought it might bring a smile to your face as well."