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~~((The National Puppy Day Special -- page 6 of 14))~~
Hector was reluctant to say anything more now. If he picked the wrong thing or phrased it the wrong way, then Hanton might realize his mistake.

'I assure you,' said Hanton, 'the only thing we care about now is maintaining the peace of this small haven that we have created for ourselves.'

"...How many of you are here?" Hector asked.

'Five.'

"So few?" Hector cocked an eyebrow. "My reaper sensed many souls earlier."

'Ah, yes, well... we employ numerous humans here. And my children often make multiple avatars for themselves to play around with.'

Avatars, huh? So that's how they thought of their human illusions. "Do your employees know the truth about you?"

'Some, not all. Those who have been with us the longest, who have gained our trust.'

"And I guess you just wipe their memory if they ever find out accidentally, eh?"

Hanton made no response.

Another thought occurred to Hector, and even though it didn't seem immediately relevant to the situation, he just had to bring it up. "The King mentioned... that he once had a marriage interview with a girl named Pauline Gaolanet some years ago."

'Ah. Yes...'

"...What was the plan there? I'm assuming she's a Sparrow, too, right? Why would you try to have her marry a normal human?"

'That was... a delicate situation.'

"How so?"

'In her youth, Pauline was quite the little troublemaker. She created an avatar identical to my own and visited Joseph Belgrant to organize a marriage interview with his son, William.'

Hector's eyes widened, and he glanced at the still-frozen King in his suit of iron armor. "She really wanted to marry him?"

'It was a game to her. A childish one. She did not understand the full implications of her actions.'

"But she understood well enough to fool Joseph Belgrant?"

'What can I say? She has always been a bit too clever for her own good.'

Somehow, Hector couldn't help snickering a little. "You must've been relieved when it didn't work out."

'Oh, you have no idea.' Surprisingly enough, Hanton actually seemed to share a bit of Hector's amusement.