Following that "pleasant" encounter with Azrael, Freya felt considerably "joyful," for she had unintentionally gleaned some answers.
Azrael, the cold, solitary Hunter, in truth possessed a soul as pure and candid as a child's.
It could be said that she was the only person aware of this "human" side of Azrael, given that he never spoke to anyone in the guild, except for the necessary details concerning the missions he had undertaken over the years.
Freya sensed the enormous burden Azrael carried, and for some strange reason, she almost felt she shared it.
The reason for this was not as straightforward as it seemed.
Now outside Azrael's room, Freya sighed, her left hand clutching a red pendant bearing the guild's symbol.
That pendant marked her rank and all the blood she lost for her fight against monsters.
Red signified one of the highest echelons, inferior only to Black and then White.
Only three hunters were on the black rank, whily only 1 was on the white one.
White was equivalente to the absence of Sin - the purity.
Someone who had vowed his entire soul and body to the guild, and the strongest.
Every time Freya looked at the pendant, she was reminded of her past: from her escape from her royal family and the burdens of a corrupted, pre-determined life, to her meeting with Azrael, just before someone recognized their unique talent for slaying vampires.
Freya drew a breath before heading toward the room where the children were staying.
She walked on, crossing the Hall, where she saw Lu Mo and Kymrith sharing a glass of wine.
"I did what you asked, Freya, but that man is frighteningly stubborn," Kymrith said, noticing the elf.
Freya shifted her gaze toward her, a look both cold and cordial.
"Thank you, Kym," she replied.
"You're welcome. That'll be fifty gold coins," Kymrith joked.
"Oh, give me money too, thanks," Lu Mo chimed in.
Freya gave him a look bordering on annoyed.
"Shut up, you useless imbecile. Next time, use that staff to beat yourself over the head when you're about to say something stupid," she retorted before continuing toward the children's room.
Her tone was "peculiar," serious and playful all at once.
Kymrith burst into a loud laugh, while Lu Mo wore a somewhat mischievous, almost challenging smile.
"Haha... you never change," Lu Mo said, long accustomed to Freya's "aggressive" style.
Freya continued walking until she reached her destination.
Knock knock
Freya rapped on the door.
"Who is it??" asked a soft, feminine voice: Elarwen.
"It's me, Freya, Aurea! Open the door!" Freya said, her voice almost maternal.
"Password!!" exclaimed another voice: This was Valtherion.
Freya was pleasantly surprised.
The children had remained on guard, despite knowing they were in the safest place in the world.
"Such good children," she proudly thought to herself.
"Master Valtherion, open the door!" Freya said, playing along.
Almost instantly, the door flew open.
Valtherion and Elarwen immediately rushed out, clinging to Freya's legs as if she were their lifeline.
They hadn't seen her for only a few minutes, but to them, it had felt like an eternity.
"Hey...! Settle down... hahaha...!" Freya said, affectionately stroking their heads, somehow reciprocating their deep affection.
Their purity, innocence, and goodness warmed the elf's heart, bringing confusing memories of her own family to mind.
Or rather, she had never received affection in this way.
She was the third-born daughter of the lineage of King Asmodius, one of the Original Elves, and founder of the kingdom of Yongnem, the cradle of the white magic used to this day.
But Freya was born with a special gift: an exceedingly high sensitivity that allowed her to see past the artificial love and the life that was expected of her.
She had never received any form of love or familial affection.
She felt everything was fake, pre-written, and therefore, the affection of Elarwen and Valtherion made her feel good—almost like... a mother, or an older sister.
This behavior came naturally to her, and she couldn't explain it. Nor could she explain why she felt so connected to Azrael.
"Mistress... what should we do now?" the small Valtherion asked, still clinging to her.
"Now, you just need to rest. Tomorrow will be a new day, and we'll see then. I came to make sure you didn't need anything in the room," Freya said.
"Mmm... I don't think anything is missing..." Elarwen said, detaching herself from Freya's leg.
Valtherion, however, remained attached for a few more moments.
"Are you sure nothing is missing?" Freya asked.
Elarwen and Valtherion nodded.
"But... I want to wash," Elarwen said, looking at her clothes.
Freya glanced at both of them and noticed they were quite dirty.
"Perfect, so be it. How about a nice, warm bath?" Freya said, her voice sounding genuinely happy.
She looked forward to doing these simple things.
The eyes of the two children sparkled.
"YESSS!!" they said in unison.
"And so it shall be!" Freya exclaimed, smiling.
"Perfect... I have a great plan in mind... But I guess that I need Azrael right now..." She whispered to her mind, mischievously.
She was gonna ask Azrael's hand to help the children.
In her mind, she thought about only one thing: a way to spend moments with Azrael and see how he would behave in "normal" moments.
To be specific, it was her way to help him.
Azrael is probably the strongest vampire slayer, but he struggles in living "daily life" moments.
She sometimes found that funny.
A perfect hunter who is scared of living a normal life, according to her.