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‘But... why? I don’t...’

‘Like I said, we don’t always agree with one another. That extends to more essential questions, as well. Such as whether or not human lives are even worth protecting in the first place.’

‘That... that sounds horrific...’

‘You see? If we tread into a battlefield, we’ll almost certainly encounter other reapers with servants. And frankly, you are nowhere near ready for that. Their servants will stomp you into the dust.’

‘Aren’t I unkillable, though?’

‘You are, but I’m not. And until you’re able to protect me, we’ll be keeping our heads low. I may be a grim reaper, but I don’t have a death wish.’

‘O-okay...’

‘But there is a reason why I chose Brighton specifically,’ said Garovel, hesitating slightly. ‘There’s something... unsettling about this city.’

‘Unsettling? How do you mean?’

Garovel gave a strained expression. ‘I’m not sure. There’s a presence in this city I’ve never felt before. And it’s hiding. I think we may be able to draw it out, given time.’

‘Oh... Hmm.’

‘Did you have any other questions? Feel free to ask me anything.’

Hector bit into an apple. Chewing used more muscles than he realized, and he felt his neck and face aching in protest. ‘Actually, there is something. That woman from last night... were you... I mean... were you going to let her die...? In order to catch the murderer, I mean. If I hadn’t interrupted, would you have--’

‘Whoa, whoa, hold on now. The plan was to have the police catch him in the midst of torturing her, not with her dead body. The reason he came so close to killing her was because you spooked him by knocking on the door. Otherwise, he would have been torturing her all night, which would have given the police ample time to arrive.’