Aeron stood at perfect attention while Edward and Malvin finalized the thick stack of paperwork on the desk.
"Alright, with all that done, you can finally head out of Ironhelm," the captain said with a heavy sigh. "I don't know whether to be worried that we won't have you defending the city, or be relieved I don't have to deal with you for a while."
Aeron tilted his head slightly, his expression completely blank. "But we're friends, Captain Malvin. Why would you be relieved?" he asked in his usual, deadpan tone.
Malvin shot him a deeply annoyed glare. "Scratch that. I will definitely feel relieved without you here."
Edward let out a quiet chuckle from his seat. "Now, now, you two. As fun as your usual routines are, this is a serious assignment."
Malvin pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Ugh. You're right, which is frustrating," he muttered. Dropping his hand, he looked up at Aeron, his expression shifting to something strictly professional. "Do you understand exactly what you have to do?"
Aeron gave a sharp nod. "Yes, I understand. I have to find and close all the portals near the city first. Then, I have to go and deal with the Demon Lords that have managed to set up strongholds," he recited, his voice as flatly neutral as ever. Despite his lack of inflection, he truly did grasp the gravity of what was being asked of him.
Over the past month, Ironhelm had been subjected to infrequent but persistent demon raids. While the city's forces didn't find it particularly hard to defend against the attacks, the constant battles had become an unnecessary, grinding drain on their resources. Combined with the numerous strongholds and camps the demons had established around the world, crucial trading routes had been severed, hurting supply lines and crippling the city further.
Using the vital information recently extracted from the two captive Demon Knights, leadership had decided that a highly capable operative needed to be sent out to dismantle the portals and eliminate the commanding Demon Lords. Naturally, that operative was chosen to be The Strongest of Ironhelm: Aeron Wight, The One Feared By Death. Today, that deployment was finally made official.
Malvin nodded firmly at Aeron's response. "Good. We want this situation dealt with as fast as possible."
Edward folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward. "Of course, we know you don't know much about the outside world. Because of that, we have decided to assign someone to travel with you as a guide." He turned his attention toward the closed door leading to the Deputy Chief's office. "You can come inside now, Officer Noemi."
Hearing the title Officer Noemi spoken aloud made Malvin feel slightly physically ill. It was a harsh reality he was simply going to have to get used to.
The door swung open, and his sister, Noemi Ashborn, stepped into the room. She wore a crisp, pristine Ironguard uniform. Her grey hair was styled perfectly, her standard-issue equipment sat securely in its proper place, and her red eyes were filled with sharp determination.
She came to a halt and delivered a stiff, formal salute. "Officer Noemi reporting for duty, Deputy Chief Edward."
"Wow, I wish I was that put together," Aeron remarked in his standard, flat deadpan.
Edward offered a small nod. "Officer Noemi, while not having been outside much, just like you, has done extensive research and studying on the outside world. Despite her knowledge being purely technical, it's far better having that on hand than going out completely blind."
Noemi stepped forward to formally introduce herself to Aeron. "I look forward to working with you," she said, deliberately extending her left hand to shake.
Aeron accepted the handshake smoothly. "Captain, she's so much better than you," he said, turning his blank stare toward Malvin. "She even knew to shake with her left hand with me."
Malvin gritted his teeth, trying his absolute best to ignore the jab. "Now that you've introduced yourselves, and you know the parameters of your assignments, I suggest you both head out as soon as possible."
Both officers nodded.
"Don't worry, Captain. I'll take care of this as quick as usual," Aeron stated—a sentiment that absolutely did not fill Malvin with any confidence.
"We'll be done before you finish your next batch of paperwork," Noemi added.
Malvin just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just get out already."
As the two officers turned and walked out of the room, the door clicking shut behind them, Malvin slumped slightly and rubbed his forehead in exhaustion.
"I'm honestly surprised that you agreed to send her outside with him," Edward remarked, looking across the desk at the captain.
Malvin let out a long, tired sigh. "Yeah, well, she's honestly safer out there with him than she would be here in the city, so I'm not hung up about that." He paused, his expression shifting into a deep grimace. "The only thing I'm worried about is if the two of them, someway, somehow, end up meeting... Xain."
Malvin dropped his hand, looking instantly, deeply regretful. "Goddess, I just said that out loud, and now I have a terrible feeling it's actually going to happen," he muttered, not knowing just how right he would eventually be.