Jack’s face morphed into anger at being insulted but when Enrique placed his hand over his shoulder he calmed down a little and spoke with displeasure.
"Still... why should we sacrifice ourselves in a war that is not of our concern? We can simply exit the dungeon after a few days once everything on the outside cools down."
Lucifer laughed in his face at that point.
"I haven’t seen more selfish creatures than humans... People outside are waging a war to free you and the people imprisoned like you... and you’re taking their efforts for granted..."
"There’s also a numbered demon outside meaning that if someone as powerful as Enrique could go outside and fight for the humans you could be sure that the humans win.
"Otherwise you’ll remain rotting here for the rest of your life. Either way, do what you want to... I don’t think you’re any different from demons now that I’ve seen your true face."
Anna quickly grabbed Lucifer’s hand to shut him up but the damage was done, Jack flew into a rage.
"YOU NYECHISTYY!!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!?????"
The only reason no harm was done was because Enrique held him back with his powerful arms.
"A numbered demon you say..." Enrique repeated with a serious gaze. "Do you know what his domain is?"
Lucifer nodded, "Although I don’t have direct confirmation, my guess is that he can multiply in some way."
"....troublesome..." Enrique said, his grip on his spear tightening.
"ENRIQUE!!! Don’t tell me you’re going to accept that demon’s request and thrust us all into death!!"
"Most of us can’t even fight properly, let alone fight against the demons who’d imprisoned us until recently!!!!" Jack shouted out loud as several people looked at Enrique with fear in agreement.
"Let us not be divided Jack... as long as I’m here, nothing will happen to us all... we can all return to our homes safe and so-" Enrique tried reasoning gently but he was cut off.
"That’s it! I call for a vote! Either we accept this demon into our midst or we leave right now! You can’t have both!" Jack shouted over.
Lucifer didn’t particularly understand why Enrique didn’t just beat up Jack and make him shut up if he was so powerful...
But in the end Lucifer just frowned and didn’t say anything, after all it wasn’t his place to argue with the people of this messed up village who wanted to choose confinement over freedom.
If they decided that it was better to stay imprisoned he’d gladly stay with them, after all he had his mother now. There wasn’t anything particular in the world that he wanted anymore.
Of course, if he could choose he would choose freedom with his mother, but he’d learnt the hard way that the power to choose often only lay with the powerful.
’And I’m nothing but an autistic glow torch right now.’
"Everyone! What do you say, do you want to leave the Refuge and partake in a war that was never ours to begin with!?"
Laura immediately raised her hand because she wanted to meet her son along with Anna who trusted her son’s judgement. Lucifer raised his hand too just so that their count would be a little bigger.
But when a few people attempted to raise their hands Jack’s glare shut them down, even before they could raise it halfway.
And so finally, after a minute or so of silence, Jack spoke in a smug tone, "There. We’re not going anywhere now."
Enrique grunted before speaking in a low almost smoldering tone as if he were an angry giant.
"Then we’re leaving first thing tomorrow since whatever the war is about, it would’ve died down by tomorrow and that’s final."
Enrique was clearly angered. But he kept himself under control and didn’t say anything beyond that, instead he turned towards Anna and gestured to her to follow him along with Lucifer.
No one else dared to say a thing.
’It seems he does know a thing or two about abusing power.’
Anna pulled Lucifer along and before he left, Laura whispered a soft thank you making him feel a little guilty.
The people cleared a way for Anna and Lucifer to follow Enrique with some even cursing under their breath.
But Lucifer ignored them and followed his mother and the seemingly gentle giant who had decided to play the pacifist route in the game.
As they walked through the Refuge, Lucifer noticed several kids looking at him curiously while hiding behind their parents.
So he looked at one particularly shy kid and made a scary face, which was not particularly difficult given his partially burnt lips and hair, before scaring her, "Boo!"
The kid stumbled backwards and fell before she began crying causing Anna to pull him closer and whisper in a strict tone, "You’re not helping...!!!"
"There’s nothing to help. These fools have already drawn all the conclusions there are to draw."
"Still!!! Behave!!!" Anna insisted in a low voice causing Lucifer to grunt in disagreement but he didn’t say anything else for now.
The village from the inside felt warm to Lucifer even if its current inhabitants were cold, at least there were no corpses here and the rotting smell he’d lived with nearly all his life had vanished.
There appeared to be various open grounds scattered around that Lucifer assumed served various purposes like children playing, the adults training etc.
The houses were all thatched with pointed roofs.
’Does it even rain here?’ Lucifer asked himself while looking at the seemingly permanent light fixture at the top of the dungeon.
They soon entered the largest house at the centre of the village.
There was a furnace in the yard outside and Lucifer could still see the coals smouldering inside, it had clearly been running until recently when it was interrupted due to his arrival.
The door to the house was decorated with a curtain of small polished shells which surprised Lucifer a little after all, where could you find shells in a dungeon unless it was sea themed?
But as he passed inside he was forced to put the matter aside because he found himself face to face with Enrique.
"Come, Lucifer, please, sit." Enrique said politely while dragging a chair for the two of them, seemingly having forgotten all about his anger.
Lucifer looked at Anna, and only when she nodded did he approach the chair and take a seat.
He looked around the room, there were several little trinkets, rings, chains, spears, swords, all no doubt the work of his mother’s husband, the artificer.
There seemed to be a few furnishings in the room, with a few chairs, a table and a cot, but that was it.
There seemed to be a bedroom too, which disappointed Lucifer a little since there was only one of it which he let show on his face clearly with a glare sent his mother’s way as she chuckled.
In the end Lucifer’s gaze finally landed on the man of the moment, Enrique.