The old man and the young man played off each other, mocking the cloaked woman and the Exorcist Association. I wondered if they knew each other beforehand, or if they'd planned this little performance.
I saw the curls peeking out from beneath the woman's hood tremble slightly. She was probably furious.
The young man was still laughing. The old man turned to the cloaked woman, having seized the initiative, and asked outright, "Do you represent all exorcists? None of your leaders seem to have abilities like yours, do they?"
The challenge made the cloaked woman tremble with anger again.
"Actually, we represent the Association in negotiations with you."
A figure appeared out of thin air behind the cloaked woman.
This time, there was no dramatic entrance through a giant wooden door.
The woman simply appeared behind the cloaked one. She wasn't wearing a cloak, but a tight-fitting dress that accentuated her slender figure. She had curly hair too, but hers was fiery red. Her features suggested mixed ancestry, and she looked to be somewhere in her twenties or thirties.
The old man glanced at the newcomer. "You are..."
"Carlan," the woman replied.
"Oh." The old man nodded.
"Who?" the young man asked.
"The Exorcist Association's representative for the East. That's her title, but as far as I know, this is her first time in an Eastern country. She used to be in charge of the eastern regions of your Western countries." The old man continued in his role as the one doing the introductions, showing off his extensive knowledge.
Carlan didn't seem surprised. She calmly nodded. "That's right. The situation has changed, and we can only spare people to come here and deal with the problems you can't handle."
Her words made everyone around the table look up slightly.
"If