16 The Ark Of A New Visitor

The next day, it was slightly better for everyone. Mavislin had gone back to her usual cheery self as Baldwin made extra for both last night's and this morning's meals.

"Feeling better?" asked Ysabeau as Mavislin gobbled down on dessert.

The small child nodded as she pointed upstairs.

"Sure, you can play with her for a bit."

The happy child quickly finished and rushed upstairs to play her with plushies.

"Never thought food could calm a crying Valkyrie down," murmured Baldwin, shaking his head.

"At least something calmed her down."

As everything became silent, another being was set to join the family. The mysterious new visitor rapped on the huge door several times, only to have it swung open by the Old Chapel herself.

"Well, so much for the hospitality," mumbled the visitor, as he stepped into the area.

The Old Chapel seemed to have a temper on this person as she swung open the front door once more. It looked like she was about to kick him out if he insulted her one more time. The Marquess pay no heed as he went further in.

He was wearing a black robe from the Asian continent. He was slightly built, around the same height as a teenager but could be older. He had a pale, white complexion, similar to Mavislin's skin color. His boots made a distinctive sound as he tried to find the occupants of the house.

"You finally came, eh?" asked Baldwin, putting his hands on his hips.

"You were the one who called for me. I got your letter late, by the way. Should work on the messaging service," commented the man, sitting down onto an empty chair.

He then got back up as he heard two pairs of footsteps coming from the kitchen and dining room.

"And who is this supposed to be?" asked Ysabeau, back from cleaning the rest of breakfast.

"Minwoo Dalles, nice to meet you. M' lady," greeted the man, kneeling to give a gentle kiss on Ysabeau's hand.

The poor woman looked shocked while Gillian came right over and smacked the poor man away from his wife.

"Don't get any ideas, White Rat," warned Gillian, seemingly pissed.

"It's only a formal gesture. There's no need to be so angry," shrugged Minwoo, sitting back down.

"Hmph. I should be cautious around you, White Rat. Or should I say, Earl Dalles," said Gillian, staring at the nonchalant man in front of him.

Minwoo wagged his finger disapprovingly.

"No longer an Earl. Promoted to Marquess."

"Makes no difference to us," chimed the three of them.

Minwoo rolled his eyes. He had almost forgotten he was in the presence of non-humans.

"Besides, why have you called me here?" asked Minwoo.

"Well, thought it could be good to contact some humans about the current situation," explained Baldwin, waving some reports at him.

"Hmm... Not much I can do about it. The Congregation's still reigns supreme. Until they fall, I won't be able to be of much help," replied the Marquess, dejectedly.

"You daft thing! I don't need your help with the Mages. Why would I call a human to that? We can fix that ourselves. It's the humans that I need you to fix," explained Baldwin, pissed at how thick one's skull could be.

"What do you need me to do to fix humans?" asked a rather confused Minwoo.

"Don't say as if they were made from wood. I need you to restore order to humans who have fallen from the normal community," explained Baldwin.

Minwoo looked at the man questioningly.

"Fallen from normal society?" asked the Marquess, once more.

Baldwin gave a firm nod.

"The humans have segregated themselves into two groups of people. One good and the other evil, is the most basic term I can come up with," replied Baldwin, looking right at the Marquess.

"And why should I know this?"

"Because as the future leader of the Campania domain, you should be well aware that not all humans are the same," warned Baldwin.

"Think about it. If you were to have both sides of the coin, wouldn't that make you such a powerful leader? You would be able to fix so many problems. Allow the two groups to work together. You could answer to all your peoples' needs and wants," offered Gillian, looking the Marquess.

"The only reason why the Congregation is now falling apart is that they are unable to control the balance between good and evil within their organization," replied Ysabeau.

"So, you're telling me to pick a side of who should I control?"

"No, I'm telling you this so you can gain control of both types of humans within your domain. If you can get both on your side, you won't be dealing with so much rioting and protest as of now."