One thing I learned quickly while being in Hell was that most people did not care for their princess.

I checked over my shoulder and scanned the surrounding area protectively as I kept a tight grip on my spear.

Charlie isn't naive. She knew who her people were and what they were capable of, but that she still tried her best to help them whenever she thought someone would truly appreciate it. This meant that a good lump sum of sinners had taken her kindness for granted which would lead to a disappointed Morningstar for a good few hours after. Did it stop her from still trying when she could? Absolutely not. The demon wore her heart on her sleeve and would rather die than give up an opportunity to help someone in their time of need.

The streets we were walking had waves of people that seemed to part like the Red Sea as I glared at anyone who looked at the demon beside me the wrong way.

But word seemed to float around quite quickly that the youngest Morningstar had a new ally and they were not meant to be messed with. At least when I was around.

"I would ask you to lighten up a little but with us meeting up with arm's dealer Carmine, some of the people in this area are a little too kill-y for my liking." I nodded toward Charlie with a sense of determination filling my chest with ease.

I have sworn to myself once I realized that I could use my training for an actual sense of good in this world that I would protect her with all my body and soul. I would be her armor when her heart was due to be harmed. I would be her protector when the chips were to fall.

And I came to terms quite quickly that if I ever needed to give up my second life for any reason, it would be to keep Charlie safe.

"I'll protect you, princesa." I smiled to myself as I watched her lips stretch into a tiny little grin from the corner of my eye.

"And I'll always appreciate it, angel." I fought to keep my focus as a small blush took over my cheeks.

I also came to terms that Charlie Morningstar was my one true weakness and that if she kept calling me that sacred nickname, I will explode from the inside out in the best way fucking possible.

"Why are you meeting this woman, by the way?"

"Father wanted me to check in with her and see how things are going with the arms dealing district of this ring. He doesn't want too many weapons being pushed around and Carmilla doesn't want too many to fall into bad hands so they like to compare numbers and statistics every so often to make sure Hell isn't too stabby and everything." I nodded as I inched a little closer to the taller woman.

"So basically a check-in to make sure things are still going the way they both want?"

"Yep," Charlie popped the 'P' with a smile as she looked over toward a certain direction and gave a small wave. I looked over toward where she staring to see a small group of children waving excitedly toward her. As if on cue, a few of the children smile gleefully before running off as if to tell all their friends that the Princess of Hell herself waved to them. "The children in this area are precious despite how armed and guarded a lot of the parents here can be. They're probably the most excited out of the rings to see my father and I when we stop by to visit their Overlord."

"Probably still got a good bit of innocence thanks to some overprotective parents." I chuckled a little to myself before scanning over the area once more for any dangers. "Little things like that deserve to have a peaceful bit to their life, after all."

"I completely agree! Demons and their spawns deserve to have a bit of normalcy despite their predicaments. I think that's why leading to Carmine's main compound is so oddly peaceful. They know she will protect those she loves and she expects the same from her people in the area." Charlie bought the binder her father gave her to her chest as if hugging it in place. "She after all is also a mother like most of the others in the area here."

"An Overlord is a mother? But she's a sinner, right? How could that be?"

"Not a lot is known about her connection to her daughters other than the fact that she treats them like they are like the fruit from the forbidden garden. Theories have been told they are her biological daughters from her living life who ended up in Hell just like their mother who has now sworn to protect them better in this life than she did in the living. Others have theorized that she adopted them from fallen sinners she once knew when she first came to Hell." She shrugged as she halted suddenly and I came to a stop alongside her. "But one thing is known for sure, the Carmine's are tight-knit and they are never apart from one another. She cares for her daughters and they care just as much about their mother. This means they comply pretty easily with Dad's wishes and make conversations with them pretty brief unless they find something interesting about you." She turned on her hooves and gestured out toward the large building beside us with a smile. "Carmine's compound, quite high-tech, right?"

Extremely.

I looked over the details of the outside of the building with a skilled eye. Cameras that looked as if they scanned for any sense of danger being placed toward the door hung highly above where the doors were due to open. It looked as if the building itself was made from angelic steel to keep from any form of danger out of the compound as well as to keep whatever was inside, in with much reinforcement.

"Definitely an arms dealer's hideout," I murmured my words as flashes of my father's home country flooded my mind. Images of guarded steel-enforced buildings with armed men at the ready just before its gates flashed before I shook my head lightly to force the memories away. "Seems like something doesn't change much when transitioning to Hell."

"Been to many compounds like this when you were on Earth?"

"I lived in El Salvador during the gang wars that were occurring after the civil war that happened in the 1990s. I lived on Earth during the aftermath through the early 2000s. There were compounds like this every so often depending on the area that you lived in and who you ran with." I looked over the details of the building once more before placing my spear on my back through the holster that Charlie had gifted me. "My father was in the military ranks so we would be stationed at military compounds quite often in my childhood. I only ever saw arms-dealing hideouts when I snuck off into the lower city."

"You know," She started with a smile as we walked side by side up to the main camera outside of the compound. "I think this meeting might be a little longer than normal because I think Carmilla is going to enjoy talking to you about these types of things. I heard she was raised in a similar situation which is why she's cautious with her weapons and her status." Charlie turned her attention toward the main camera with a smile before holding up the binder for the camera to see. "Afternoon, Carmilla! Father sent me to speak with you today due to his tight schedule but he gave me everything he knew you wanted to go over. Vaggie here is my friend and came as a sort of protection since it has been a while since I came to this district. I hope you don't mind." She bowed a little to the camera and as if responding to her positively, the large set of doors slid open with nearly little sound. I walked beside Charlie silently as I calculated for any possible threat as we entered. A set of large lights illuminated the room as I heard the doors slide close behind us. I scanned the room to see that it was a quite large entryway toward an upper floor with a wide staircase. At the top of the staircase stood a tall grey-skinned woman with bright red eyes and a proud grin.

"I don't mind at all." Her accent was heavy but easy to understand as it curled with her words in just the right places.

So this is Carmilla Carmine. Arms dealer of Hell.

Her hair was long which shimmered like silver under the high lights of her compound. Her black attire seemed so simple in comparison to the shining silver boots she wore that I could swear looked as if they were sharper than angelic steel. The woman walked slowly down the stairs which only allowed the presence of two smaller women behind her to be known.

"Always a pleasure to see you, princess."

"You as well, Carmilla!" A smile appeared on my face as I enjoyed the overall tone of respect that was coming from both women in the conversation. "Nice to see you two as well! It's been a while since I saw Odette and Clara in person."

"As you know, things get quite busy before an Execution Day and my daughter and I do our best to not allow the weapons to get too overran by the people."

"Which father truly appreciates!" I nodded alongside Charlie as Carmilla seemed to look me over.

"But I will say that during the commotion I was not told about your new friend here. Vaggie, was it?" I gave a stern nod before putting my arms behind my back.

"Yes, ma'am. Vaggie Motha to be exact." I allowed my accent to articulate my name accordingly which made a pleased look appear on her face.

"Aye. ¿Ascendencia española? ¿De donde?"

"El Salvador. Not too far from Comalapa Air Base."

"Ah! A mocosa military." I smirked at her assumption before straightening my posture ever so slightly.

"Am I that obvious? Mi padre estaría orgulloso." This caused the woman to chuckle in response which only caused Charlie to smile between us like someone being overly joyful about two friends getting along for the first time.

"I had a feeling you two would get along! Father thought so too."

"Not all too often I can enjoy the familiarities of my living culture. It's a true joy to see that it continues so vividly."

"Not many people care to learn either. Princesa here is the only person I met in a while that was willing to try and learn Spanish when unnecessary." Carmilla gave a large smirk as she looked over toward the demon beside me.

"Ah, so you finally got the motivation to practice, huh? Here I thought Odette and Clara were just going to tease you endlessly until you got the drive." I felt a small blush paint my cheeks and Charlie gave an embarrassed giggle in reply.

"Y-Yeah! Vaggie has been living with me since the last Execution and I hear them speak it to themselves at times so I wanted to try and see if it I could get a hang of it! It's much harder than I was expecting in all honesty."

"Always a sucker for pretty eyes and nice smiles, this one." I felt my blush deepen approximately twenty shades as Carmilla gestured toward the demon beside me. "None the less, your father gave you his statistics, correct? I've been dying to hear what he's been able to scavenge from the Pride District. I've got this sense that those bastardos have been hiding from me."

"Y-Yes, I got it all right here in his binder." Carmilla and Charlie started to walk together up the stairs as the younger being was fiddling with the pages of her father's research. "He did do some work in that ring where he was doing calculations of weapons per person per capita and I don't think you'll be very happy about it." I zoned out their conversation while walking shortly behind the two women along side Carmine's daughters.

"Been in Hell for long?" The one with glasses adjusted her frames slightly as she spoke barely above a whisper seemingly to not disrupt the work of their mother. "I've heard rumors of Charlie having a fallen friend, but I wasn't expecting them to be true."

"That obvious, huh?" I gave her a smirk as relaxed my stature around the younger sinner. "Only about five months now. Long enough to get a decent idea of the area and everything and when to not let my guard down."

"Well luckily for you, mamá seems to like you, so you won't have to worry too much in our domain." The sister with a darker skin tone spoke this time as she leaned in her sister's side to speak at the same whisper. "I'm Clara, by the way. Tells ya pretty quickly this one is Odette." She squeezed her sister for emphasis.

"Glad to meet your acquaintance." I gave them a simple nod as Odette just smiled knowingly in return.

"Oh by how mamá was speaking, we won't be just acquaintances. I expect she'll be inviting you both over whenever she's free. Not very often she finds interest in someone outside of her friends in the Overlord circle."

"Good to know I made a good impression." I looked over toward Charlie and Carmilla who were leading the way to the large doors at the top of the large stairs. "Charlie spoke very highly of Carmilla on the way here and Lucifer spoke of how she's one of the most levelheaded of the bunch."

"Mamá's reputation is quite accurate to her true character." I nodded along with Odette and I couldn't help but agree. "She has a knack for being able to read the character of others too and it seems she thinks we'll do you as well. Just keep on her good graces and all will be okay."

"I will do my best. My only care is Charlie's safety anyway." I noted how Carmilla looked over her shoulder to give me a knowing look as if she was listening to our conversation all along. I felt that blush from before intensify once more as I tried my best to keep my cool in the Overlord's compound.

If there was one more thing I learned in Hell, it was that some people could read others like a book.

The Overlord gave me a wink before turning her attention back toward Charlie.

And Carmilla Carmine was most definitely one of them.