After my talk, I went to check on the new arrivals. They had been placed in the room right next to Hainekou's, which was perfect. It meant I could visit her right after. The hallway was quiet, and I felt a little nervous as I stood before their door. I took a deep breath and pushed it open gently.
When I entered the room, I saw six people inside. They were all children, most of them looked to be around my age.
They were scattered around the simple room, some sitting on the beds, others standing defensively in the corners. The air was thick with fear and suspicion.
The first one my eyes landed on was a girl with long, flowing black hair and eyes that were just as dark.
She had features that looked Japanese, but there was something about her that was not quite right.
To be honest, she didn't feel human at all. But she didn't feel like a devil either. It was strange, and I couldn't figure out what she was.
The second was a girl with blonde hair and empty blue eyes, like deep pools of still water. She also looked human, but I could tell she was different. She was staring at me with a strange intensity, almost like she was wondering if I would make a good meal. It was a bit unsettling.
The third was a boy with messy, reddish hair. A large, jagged scar ran down the side of his face, starting from the corner of his mouth.
He looked completely feral, ready to pounce at any moment. This look was made even stronger by the fine, light-brown fur that covered his arms and face.
If I had to guess, he was a Fanalis, a race of werewolves known for their strength. They were very rare, close to extinction even.
The fourth was a girl with short, bright pink hair and sleepy golden eyes.
She looked like she was about to fall asleep right where she stood and seemed to be the youngest one here. But the most interesting thing about her was the pair of wings on her back.
They were leathery and shaped like a dragon's wings. She was most likely a half-dragon.
We would need to find out who her parents were, because that could cause serious problems later on.
This led me to the fifth one. It was a boy with small horns poking out from his head and long, spiky black hair. His whole body looked a bit unstable.
Wisps of gray gas seemed to leak from his skin, almost like he could turn into a cloud of smoke at any second.
He was probably a mix between a goat-type werewolf and a gas elemental, a very strange combination.
The final one was a little girl with red eyes. The strange thing was, she had more than just two. Above her main eyes, there were two other, smaller sets.
Her hair was tied up neatly in two small buns, and her skin had a faint, hard-looking shine to it. She was probably a mix between a human and an insect-type creature.
That meant she would be an outcast to both species. Being raised as a slave on top of that… I could only think that she was truly unlucky.
"Hello," I said, my voice a bit shaky. "Is everything okay? Have you all eaten already?"
A low growl came from the reddish-haired boy. "What do you want from us?" he snarled, his eyes full of hate. "Are we your new pets? Or your slaves?" The other children glared at me too, their faces showing different levels of anger and fear.
"I don't want anything like that from you," I said calmly. "My family, the House of Barbatus, doesn't stand by while children are treated like property. We saved you all because it was the right thing to do, and because Hainekou asked us to."
When I mentioned the name of the other ex-slave who had run away, I saw a few eyebrows raise in surprise.
"Big sis Hainekou… is she alive?" the sleepy-eyed girl with pink hair asked, her voice small and hopeful.
"Yes, she is. She's safe in the room right next to this one. You can all go see her after you answer a few questions for me," I promised.
"First, I would like to know your names. Second, I need to know if you have any family members who might be looking for you. To be honest, that's all I need to know."
This time, the boy who looked like he was made of gas spoke up. "And why should we trust you? Why should we answer your questions?"
"It's simple," I explained, trying to sound reassuring. "We need to know if anyone out there is searching for you. If there is, we will do our best to send you to them. If not, we will need to figure out what to do next. We would help educate you and make sure you can live properly when you are strong and old enough to take care of yourselves."
"And why should any of us trust an inferior life form?" the black-haired girl asked. Her voice was cold and full of disdain, which was a surprise coming from someone who looked so normal.
"Simple," I said, standing up a little straighter. I let a little bit of my confidence show, that deep-down certainty that seemed to be a part of this body.
"Because as long as I am here, you have nothing to worry about. I swear on my word that I will do exactly as I say. I swear on the name of Joseph Barbatus, the next head of the House of Barbatus, one of the Duke families of the devil race." As I spoke, I felt a faint pressure fill the room, a small sign of my power.
They all still looked suspicious, but my oath seemed to have an effect. They finally gave in and decided to accept my words.
The goat-like boy let out a strange laugh, "Shuololololo, fine then. My name is Ceasar Clown. I am a pawn and a mix-blood between a goat-type werewolf and a gas elemental. My father died before I was born, and my mother left me. It is the custom among her kind, so I don't have any family to go to." He looked to be about my age, maybe a year older or younger.
"My name is Epsilon," the blonde-haired girl said. Her voice was flat and her blue eyes never blinked.
"I am a pawn, or at least that is what that fat man used to call me. I don't have any family to speak of. I am a mix-blood between a Mimic Slime and a Predator Slime. Both of my parents were killed when I was sold as a slave to that man. He thought I could become quite powerful with time, so he kept me." It was a shock to hear a slime talk so clearly. Most were just mindless monsters that were targeted for extermination.
The black-haired girl sighed, looking away from me. "I really don't want to talk to you, but I guess I have to. My name is Gamma. I am a pawn and a Doppelganger. I don't have parents anymore. That man killed them both when he found out they were pretending to be devils to get better treatment in his territory. I have been his slave ever since." I winced when I heard that. To be punished for trying to find a better life was just cruel.
"My name is Zeta," said the little insect-like girl in a tiny voice. "I am a pawn. My mother abandoned me when I was born, and I don't remember anything before being in the old master's dungeon. I had to look after his gardens at night, to make sure no bugs destroyed it." She shivered a little.
"Please don't ask me to stay out during the night. I don't like being in the dark and cold alone."
She looked so small and fragile, she couldn't be more than three years old, for Lucifer's sake.
Despite her strange eyes and hard skin, a powerful urge to protect her washed over me. I wanted to just hug her and tell her everything would be okay.
"Okay," I said, my voice suddenly soft. I couldn't stop myself. "From now on, you can call me big brother. I will protect you, little sis."
The other kids all looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care. She was just too cute, and the thought of her being all alone in the dark made my blood boil. Again, I partially blame this body for having such a soft spot for insects.