"I'll go ahead first to tell the boss about you folks! Jin, Ruthless, Zazie, show the way to our friends and keep 'em safe!" Hayato instructed.
"Roger" Jin replied.
"Awahh..." Zazie said, as usual, while I just looked at him and nodded. Hayato then started running at such a speed that it almost blew my hood, but I held it.
Jin started leading the way and we had finally arrived at the Paradise Hideout.
"This is our hideout." I said as I gestured to the place. They all were in awe as they looked around.
"I'm not good with this kind of thing, but this was once a hidden village of an ancient demon clan, something like that. The other demons don't know about the ruins, so they don't come around." Jin explained.
"Let's care for the injured first." I said and Jin led the way to the infirmary where we had placed Chris and Dominic.
"Everybody else, come with me." Jin said as he started walking up the stairs.
"Welcome~" a girl greeted us with a smile.
"Whoa! The fugitives are here, dude." a boy said as he looked at us.
"Hey, isn't that the 'Hooded Savage'?"
"No way, it's really her!"
"You're quite popular with the kids, aren't you?" Jin looked at me as he chuckled.
"Indeed..." I said as I looked at those who were talking about me.
"You must be tired, here's some tea. We have some sweets too." a girl offered a tray with sweets on it.
"Emma, the boss wants to meet the leader!" Hayato came back and called Emma.
"I'll be back soon!" Emma announced as she started following Hayato to the boss's office.
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"Boss, she's here." Hayato said as he knocked on the big door.
"Come in" they heard a voice say from inside the room.
"Thanks, Hayato. You may leave now." the boss said.
"Yessir!" Hayato said before leaving and closing the door behind him.
"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?" the boss asked. Emma couldn't believe her eyes. And then a tear escaped her left eye.
Emma sprinted towards him and quickly engulfed him into a warm tight hug.
"It was so hard, Norman! But I never gave up, I kept going!" Emma cried into his chest.
"All this time, I hoped we could meet again...I'm glad you're doing fine, Emma." Norman said as he gave into the hug.
"It's like a dream. You're alive! You're alive." Emma continued to cry.
"You're really Norman, right? Really? You're not a look-alike or, or a ghost or anything?! How? Why? They took you at that time!" Emma started to squeeze his face, catching Norman off guard.
"I was sent to a different farm than the others. And there, I became another kind of cattle. And you.." Norman grabbed Emma's cheek but he didn't feel her left ear, making him widen his eyes.
"Ah, this? I left it at the Grace Field House. But we did manage to escape and we brought Ray along with us!" Emma grinned.
"I see...you did well." Norman smiled.
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"Would you like to meet the boss? I'm sure he would be happy to see you." I offered. They seemed hesitant but agreed and I started leading the way.
Instead of knocking, I just kicked the door since I knew Norman wouldn't really mind. I do that a lot.
"These are my friends!" Emma gestured to all of the people that I have brought.
"Wow, you've found a lot more. This is one big family now!" Norman exclaimed.
"What's going on here?" Don mumbled as he looked at Norman with wide eyes.
"Waaait, Minerva is..." Lannion paused.
"It's that boy from Emma's picture." Violet whispered.
"But didn't that boy..." Gillian paused.
"22194...24194...22194...24194" Adam started to mutter once again.
"You're alive? You're really alive?" Nat started to tear up.
"Norman!"
"You survived!"
"I'm so glad!"
"Ray..." Norman mumbled as he looked at Ray with soft eyes. Ray walked up to him and slapped him.
"Oh boy, you're terrible. You didn't even say hi before my punishment. You got to see great things, didn't you?" Norman held his cheek.
"Yeah, thanks for that." Ray started to tear up and his tears finally escaped and started to run down his cheeks.
"Norman, where's Y/n?" Lannion asked making them all look at Norman.
"Ruthless..." Norman looked at me.
"Yes?" I answered.
"You didn't tell them?" Norman asked and I stayed silent for a while. I can't
"I don't want to" I replied. I can't bring myself to.
"Tell us what?" Emma asked. Norman sighed and walked behind me and placed his hand on my head and the other on my shoulder.
'What's he planning to do?' I thought and I felt my hood being pulled down. I gasped and the rest gasped.
"Y-Y/n!" the children ran to me and hugged me. I felt tears ran down my eyes. Are they going to judge me once they see what I have become?
I smiled and patted their heads. Emma then grabbed me into a hug and I hugged her back, she released and grinned at me with her eyes closed.
"I missed you so much...thanks for guiding the kids back there and thanks for helping us get here. It was difficult without your comforting but I managed to survive." Emma thanked me with tears streaming down her eyes and I smiled.
"Y/n?! Is that really you?!" Don ran to me and he started shaking my shoulders.
"Y/n? I'm so sorry we couldn't help you escape but I'm glad you're all right!" Gilda pushed Don off and hugged me. I smiled and patted her head and she let go of me.
"Y/n..." I heard Ray call for me. I hummed in response and he ran to me and wrapped me in his arms before lifting me up in the air.
"R-Ray?! What are you doing, put me down, you dummy!" I blushed in embarrassment.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I had changed my clothes into clean, fresh ones.
"No way...it's that girl we saw at the shelter!" Violet pointed out. I looked at her and smiled.
"Y-Y/n, what are those things on your forehead?" Emma asked as she looked at my horns.
Ray put me down and his eyes widened when he looked at them. The room went dead silent.
Ashamed, I awkwardly staggered backwards as I held my sleeves.
"Stuff happened at the lab. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." I apologized for some reason, embarrassed that they saw me like this.
"But hey, I'm stronger than I was before. I'll be able to protect you all from now on." I bargained, gripping my sleeve.
I never wanted to be like this.
I'll do everything I can to protect you all.
Just don't leave me again, please.
"It doesn't matter what you are, you're still our Y/n." Emma smiled and hugged me, erasing the idea of them leaving me.
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"Is that so? Phil and the other kids are still in the house...but you all did very well in making it this far. Meeting the Grand Valley group is very fortunate. From the bottom of my heart, I'm happy." Norman said.
"I apologize for not getting there in time. If I had been quicker, maybe I could've saved them." I looked at the ground, ashamed of myself.
"Don't say sorry! This is on the Ratri clan!" Gillian said which made me smile.
"And you? Where have you been, Y/n, Norman?" Gilda asked.
"You said it was a different farm, but how was it?" Ray asked as he hugged me from behind.
"We were in Λ7214. A site for experiments on cattle children" I replied as I pulled down my shirt that revealed my mark.
"That mark. It's just like Adam's!" a girl pointed out as she pointed her index finger to Adam.
"Lambda 7214. A brand new farm in the Westernmost area"
"So you three came from there?"
"And how did you leave it?" Ray asked.
"Y/n, is it okay?" Norman asked for my approval, I smiled and nodded, telling him that it was okay.
"I gathered some comrades and I got in touch with a Minerva supporter, he told us about this place. Y/n got experimented on daily. And one day, they managed to inject a few drops of demon blood in her and she pretty much killed everyone in there, including both demons and humans. Using that time, I escaped with everyone. " Norman answered.
Later on, Norman explained his reason for becoming the new Minerva and he explained what a demon truly is.
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"Well then! We can take it easy and discuss the details later." Norman said with a smile.
"Ara ara, You all must be tired, let's focus on resting for now. I believe your rooms are ready for you. Norman, lead the way." I said as I placed my hand on my cheek.
"Roger, captain!" Norman replied jokingly which made me giggle.
"Y/n! Y/n! Carry me!" Jemima exclaimed as I smiled and carried him in my arms. I pulled my hood up and started following Norman.
"It's the boss?!"
"The boss..."
"Minerva, really?!"
"It's the Hooded Savage!"
"She's carrying a child!"
"What are they both doing down here?"
"Are they a couple?"
"Now that you mention it, they're always together"
"Hey Norman, Y/n, everybody seems shocked to see you." Don whispered to us. Norman chuckled while I giggled.
"That's because it's so rare. Normally, Norman would stay in his room while I only went out for missions or when I patrol." I explained.
"Oh! Here we are." Norman gestured towards a huge building.
"For the moment you can use this and the next building however you want. Go ahead and eat something good." Norman offered.
"Make sure to take plenty of rest. No playing for a while! Make sure to eat a lot!" I instructed and then I felt a tug on my hoodie. I turned around bent down with a smile on my face.
"What is it?" Norman asked as he bent down as well.
"Norman, here you are the boss, right? And Y/n here you are one of the strongest. Hayato talked about it and we saw everybody amazed. You're both incredible people, the boss of this hideout and you're now a strong person who is still kind and gentle. If Norman's Minerva and Y/N's Ruthless. Then, what should we call you? Mister Minerva? Boss? Ruthless? Hooded Savage?"
"I see what you mean. But Norman is just Norman and I'm just Y/n." I simply answered.
"Really? Really?!" Jemima asked and I nodded and suddenly, a lot of children jumped on us making my hood fall down, but I could care less.
"I didn't expect that. I guess even after this growth spurt you're still not very strong Norman." Don sweatdropped.
"And no matter how strong Y/n is she's still the Y/n we know" Gilda smiled.
'It's really them...my joy...my source of happiness!' I thought as I got crushed by the children.
"And here we are!" Hayato opened the door and froze when he saw the commotion.
"It's been a while, Anna. How are the children?" I asked and she suddenly started crying.
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"This is great! Your family is wonderful, Emma." Norman said as he looked at her.
"I'm glad...you haven't changed at all. You're really Norman." Emma smiled.
"Now I know you're alive and you'll be our neighbor! Oh, I don't want to sleep now! Let's have a rematch, Norman! You're next, Y/n! You too, Ray!" Emma suddenly pulled a chessboard out of nowhere.
I giggled as I touched the pin on my hair. I smiled and looked at the two. Ray and Emma have grown so much...
"Put this away and go to sleep!" Ray scolded.
"You always say that and end up playing anyways." Norman and Emma both said at the same time which formed an irk mark on Ray's forehead.
We were playing a 2v2 match. Ray and I against Norman and Emma. After 1 whole hour of our very stressful competition, we all fell asleep in the middle of the game.
Emma laying on Norman's left shoulder while I laid on his right shoulder. Ray slept on my lap as my hand was on top of his head.
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"Good morning, boss" Vincent knocked on the door before opening it.
"Good morning, Vincent." Norman greeted with no smile but a stern face.
"Did you enjoy your reunion?" Vincent asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Yeah sure, thanks to you too. I heard you stabilized Chris and Dominic. You have my gratitude." Norman said as he started writing on something.
"Disappointing. You're already back to the usual then. They said the boss looked like a completely different person yesterday. In addition to this, they also said that Ruthless was carrying a child with a smile on her face. She never smiles unless it's killing those demons. It was quite a commotion. I was curious to see it too." Vincent smirked.
"You mock me. Enough idle chatter. I'm changing the plan. Have you heard Hayato's report?" Norman asked.
" 'Along the way, we infiltrated a mass-production farm for supplies, however, the security was reinforced and we were found out' " Vincent repeated Hayato's words.
"Yes. And moreover, they found out that humans were behind it. The demons even managed to realize that the Grace Field escapees still survived." Norman mentioned.
"Does this ruin everything?" Vincent asked.
"No. However, I would like to be the one to strike first. We'll move on to the plan a bit earlier. I now have more reasons to act fast in any case. This revolution has to be one without spilling blood. Well, the blood of cattle children at least." Norman finished writing a letter.
"Take this letter to them. Make the usual arrangements for a meeting and please hurry." Norman politely ordered as he handed him the letter.
"Yes, boss. At once." Vincent said as he grabbed the letter and headed out of the room.
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"Nor-" before Emma could finish what she was about to say, she stopped as she saw 3 unfamiliar faces in Norman's office.
"Who the hell?" Barbara looked at them.
"Oh!" Emma completely forgot to introduce herself.
"I am Ray. Pleased to meet you." Ray introduced himself.
"And I'm Emma! We came from the shelter B06-32" Emma introduced herself.
"These are the fugitives that we were talking about who joined us yesterday." Vincent informed.
"Ah yes! From Grace Shield!" Barbara said with a smile.
"Field." Vincent corrected Barbara.
"Want a bite?" Barbara showed them her large chunk of demon meat.
"Uh...no" Ray sweatdropped.
"We're good for now, thanks!" Emma politely declined the offer.
"Excuse me, but...do you know where is Nor- where the boss is? We have something to discuss and..." Emma got cut off.
"Boss is out right now. Urgent business and all that." Cislo answered Emma's question.
"I see, we'll come back later then." Emma said but before she left Cislo stopped them.
"Naw, wait a minute. Let's have some tea or somethin'. I've been meaning to get to know ya'll." Cislo said as he dragged the two and forced them to sit down.
"The kids from the Grace Field House." Barbara said as she massaged Emma's shoulders while Cislo massaged Ray.
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(A/N: Eyoo! So just to clarify something, the people who know about your horns are Norman, Cislo, Barbara, Vincent, Ray, and the others. Hayato, Jin, and a few escapees of Lambda 7214 who saw you fighting all those demons know about it's well. Anyways that's 2622 words for you. Peace out!)