[There's probably just one piece of information that could be considered important.]
Feeling satisfied that he asked, Christian continued listening.
[While there's some miscellaneous information about the other side of the world that you might find important among the many things there, the most concerning detail is that there are a lot more people from outside this world, and it's not just the United States facing this situation.]
[Most importantly, most of them come from different worlds.]
"Hmm," hearing the confirmation of his theory, Christian wasn't surprised this time. Instead, he began to think about the implications and how he could use the situation to his benefit.
In the end, knowing he didn't have much time to look into things about other countries, he decided to delay that for later. Instead, he started skimming through the report about the DSA to see if there was anything he needed to look out for or take note of.
However, he didn't get far, as after just a short time, he heard his sister's voice, following the sound of something breaking.
He stood up, intending to see what was happening, as he feared they had gotten into some kind of fight, despite how their relationship seemed to have improved a little after their conversation alone yesterday. But when he saw Eva enter the living room with an embarrassed expression, he immediately realized he had misunderstood the situation.
"What happened?" he asked lightly.
"Well, I wanted to help her a little with preparing breakfast, but it seems my help wasn't needed," Eva explained.
Hearing her sulky tone, Christian, doubting the situation was really as simple as she made it sound, couldn't help but ask, "Really now? You don't mean you made her do even more work by breaking the utensils and then she snapped?"
"Kuhm, not to that extent?" Eva responded, her questioning tone and guilty expression confirming Christian's suspicion. He couldn't help but laugh at the situation; it seemed household chores were truly not Eva's strong suit.
As Christian teased her, time passed, and soon they found themselves at the dining table, eating breakfast. With the moment feeling just right, he decided to bring up the topic of the assassin woman, Nina, and explain what he had uncovered.
"Well, I knew most of what you said, as I already had a long talk with Nina."
Hearing what she said after he finished explaining everything, he was surprised and inadvertently said, "Already? With that kind of history, I thought her talking would have been a lot harder."
"Yes, like you said, her mouth was shut at first… But with a bit of threatening, coaxing, and some sincerity... nothing couldn't be solved."
Looking at her smiling face as he heard her answer, Christian wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for the assassin woman this time.
"Anyway, there are some different parts from the story I heard from her, not to mention she didn't know anything about the other side, even though she seemed to hold her suspicions."
"Which part is different?" Curious, Christian couldn't help but ask.
"About the accident. It wasn't an accident, but something done by the older children there."
"Not all of them were just six years old after all. In her first year there, according to her, regardless of age, they were grouped together. It wasn't until the second year that they started separating them, based on age and other criteria, making proper divisions."
"Really? When did you even find the time to hear this kind of detail?" Christian, now clearly impressed, couldn't help but ask, especially since she had come to his house the morning right after the incident, even if it was late.
"As soon as I arrived home, I interrogated... I mean, talked with her."
Hearing the ongoing conversation and the laughter of her brother, Annabelle, munching on her food, didn't know what to say at first. It was a topic she had mixed feelings about, after all.
She still held a small grudge against the woman, who had no qualms about pointing her blade at her brother if given the order.
But, most importantly, Annabelle believed that Nina's misfortune and bad circumstances didn't justify her killing acts. At the end of the day, Nina was a cold-blooded assassin who had likely killed many people.
Maybe, when Nina was a child, there might have been an excuse for her actions, but what about now? She was an adult in her twenties, after all.
It's not like she didn't understand the meaning of her actions.
So, Annabelle found herself wondering: was it really right to be so careless? Even if there was a difference in ability between Nina and her brother, and that gap would only continue to widen with time.
She didn't know how Eva could judge the situation, or what she saw in Nina that made her want to keep her around. But Annabelle felt she couldn't stay silent any longer, so she spoke up. "Is she really worth compromising our morals... and our safety?"
Seeing that she had captured both of their attention, Annabelle pressed on. "If it's for a bodyguard or something similar, she's too weak. I mean, now that we know about these supernatural abilities, would a normal assassin, no matter how elite, really be up to the job? With the dangers we could face, she'd probably struggle to handle it. And if it's for assisting you in some way, you can always hire others later."
"Really, with Iris's help, you could search for competent and loyal people... You could even look for individuals with special qualities."
Annabelle's voice grew firmer as she continued, "So, it doesn't really have to be her. And if you're considering not killing her out of pity, then, you can just do that. She can go on and do whatever she wants. I don't think our paths would cross again, anyway."
Eva, her face thoughtful but undeterred by Annabelle's disapproval, replied, "Nina is someone who's likely capable of training in essence techniques. So, even if she's not useful now, and hasn't even been tested yet… looking at her record, she would probably be useful later."
Christian, listening to the discussion about the talent test, couldn't help but recall that he still hadn't looked into how they actually conduct it, and realized he needed to find out the exact method later, especially since he still had to test his sister's talent to determine whether she could practice these techniques. As for himself, he wasn't concerned either way.
"If you're trying to draw lots based on luck, there are other options," Annabelle said, still unconvinced. "I still don't see why it has to be specifically her. And what about the other issues?"
'I actually haven't finished yet,' Eva grumbled inwardly, growing increasingly aware of Annabelle's impatience.
She could feel just how stubborn and inflexible Annabelle could be when her brother wasn't involved. Still, having come to terms with her after yesterday's conversation and reaching some understanding, Eva tried to be the one with bigger heart, accommodating, and continued her explanation.
"If it's about the danger, there's really no need to worry. With her character... even when she was used as a tool, or when everyone around her tried to kill her personality, she was still obedient. Then, when someone extended a sincere hand toward her, gave her warmth, treated her like a normal human being, and finally gave her a place to belong… would she really stay the same? I don't think so."
"But if it's about morality, honestly, I don't have much to argue. But I don't think either I or Christian care that much, as long as she proves herself useful to us."
"Anyway, the basis of my decision isn't just all of this... it's my feeling after talking with her. I felt she could be useful."
On the verge of being convinced, Annabelle felt a twinge of dissatisfaction when she heard the word "feeling." She thought it was irresponsible of Eva, but before she could voice her thoughts, Eva continued.
"Things are not like before, when I told Christian not to kill her, hoping she might become useful if we ever had to face off with Damian Slate or his father... where she was meant to be a precautionary measure."
"Now that we are running away, she would have lost her value... that would be the case in a normal scenario."
"But I feel like we can still take her with us, which is why I'm having all this debate."
Christian, who had remained silent throughout their entire argument, was suddenly reminded of something he had forgotten to mention, and couldn't help but speak up. "Eva, I was meaning to ask you. But, are you sure about bringing Sophia along later... not to mention this assassin woman?"
"I'm not even sure how trustworthy Sophia is, after all."
Having essentially taken over his sister's turn in the conversation, Christian looked at Eva and asked, "Is Sophia, your maid, really trustworthy?"