"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKvgV0inLm
"How did you--" started Eva.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNzs4MuUv6
"He's a fool for following you two Lieutenants," cut off the burly man.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkncmD9Z6E
"A holy man like him should learn to stay with his books and songs."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFFwdXZX0t
"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."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRUEbxK6gw
"Excuse me, but I'd rather not be called pretty if you'd mind..." butted in Ago.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCz6fPN2VNd
"Shut up," replied the man, his teeth gritting together.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NINhWMAFR
"Hmm...." mumbled Ago, who stroked his chin as if he was in deep thought.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdYGvSag6U
"What do you mean, 'hmm'?" grunted the man.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0QEZVsmGP
"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosogRcYvRO
"Odiferous?"632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lkWOjr87A
"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..."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOL8TCteus5
"What the--?!"632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0o8QCnAyy
"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNOtPd5s7p
"Ago!!" screamed Eva. Her hands began to glow once more.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllkin48lZ2
"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."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBVNOXLFkG
"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYK3sFh2pj
"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQet28QOt2w
"Sister, Brother...please stand aside for now," spoke Ago. "I'll take care of the situation quickly."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LH0OaJAZ2
"But why?" asked Eva, confused and concerned.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSgOd7OdTf
"Miss Evangelique, I suggest we listen to him," replied Tsubaki. "He is our superior, after all."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ByQoIaYqT
"But Ago is a Hitsujikai!" exclaimed Eva. "He's a part of my team!"632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpG8edvPdp0
"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGSATrNdms
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."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhljVfH0Vs4
"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBPAN6LYSF
"D-Did you kill them?" asked Eva, frightened by the surprising side of Ago.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl50svDFJdu
"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."632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0YKkXDRGN
"Will do," replied Tsubaki. He walked over to help Ago apprehend the criminals.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJt3PMaXbG
"Evaaaaaa!!!" shouted Yasha. She ran up to Eva and hugged her tightly.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO2n48I6jK
"Where did you go!?" added Althia. Both she and Yasha were very concerned.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIFWiD1jNR
"You didn't get hurt, did you?" asked Cyril, who grasped onto her hands.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxf6FefOka
"No, no, I'm okay, really..." answered Eva quickly. "Ago may need some attending to, though. Since he got sho--"632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkpqY8NlqS
"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!"632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4vTCSjonR
"Did you now?" asked Augustine.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7sWSNHjzJ
"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.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaauNTnxn3q
