Chapter 317: The Advent of the Angel (2)

‘Could that be one of the higher angels I’ve only heard about?’

A dry wind blew in.

Solitas, the young red dragon, stood in the dry breeze blowing from the northern dam construction site of the estate, lost in contemplation.

‘This is serious.’

Suddenly, the events from earlier came to mind.

It had been an ordinary day.

He was sweating in his master Dwarf Corgidus’s workshop.

He had been processing a precious stag’s antler.

Focusing intently on creating a complex design.

He was making a star-shaped ornament, concentrating all his attention.

Then he suddenly felt it.

‘A storm of holy and overwhelming mana. A pure and unstoppable radiance that seemed to cleanse everything. It was the first time I felt such an aura on my skin.’

It was clearly unusual.

He instantly lost his focus.

The nearly completed stag antler star ornament was ruined.

But there was no time to regret.

He jumped up.

He ran out of the workshop.

Ignoring his master Corgidus’s calls from behind.

He thought it wasn’t the time to care about trivial matters.

He flew straight to the dam construction site.

And there he fell into deep thought.

‘I sensed such auspicious mana that I doubted it, but it really was a higher angel descending.’

A higher angel.

Even a young dragon had only heard of them.

But one thing was certain.

‘They must be stronger than me.’

He recalled his mother’s teachings from his hatchling days.

‘Angels are strong, she said. Especially because they are very difficult to inflict damage on, making them particularly troublesome. So, she said that an ordinary dragon would at most be able to fight on equal footing with four lower angels or one mid-rank angel.’

But the angel who descended on this estate seemed much stronger than that.

The two flaming rings spinning and blazing behind him were proof.

‘I remember that. I was taught that only higher angels possess those marks.’

So the being that descended is a higher angel.

An opponent he couldn’t defeat no matter how much he struggled.

And the angel’s aura was not friendly.

That was the problem.

‘I feel a sacred yet hostile aura. Could it be that he came here because of Lloyd Frontera? Because he froze the time of the rest of the world outside this estate? Maybe that’s why. What happens now? Could it be that this estate will be destroyed?’

Countless anxious thoughts raced through his mind.

Just in case.

If the higher angel decided to bring divine retribution and destroy this estate.

And it turned to ashes.

‘That can’t happen!’

Solitas shook his head vigorously.

‘I haven’t learned all the jewel processing techniques from Corgidus yet. If this estate is destroyed? Then there will be no more sludge accumulating in the sewers, my job of processing it will disappear, and I won’t be able to learn jewel processing in return.’

His pessimistic imagination continued.

‘Then I won’t be able to escape being clumsy. I won’t be able to process jewels properly. I won’t be able to pile jewels in my nest. Without jewels to feed my future offspring, I won’t be able to propose to anyone.’

He would remain single for life.

‘…Absolutely not!’

Desperate emotions surged within him.

Solitas made a decision.

‘I will watch the situation here. If that human Lloyd is attacked, then I will join the fight. I must protect this estate.’

For the sake of his future marriage.

Even if the opponent was a higher angel.

He would face him courageously and boldly.

Besides, with Javier and the Bone Dragon around, they might have a chance.

As the young red dragon reaffirmed his resolve.

Suddenly.

Right beside him.

A lazy and leisurely voice poked his ears.

“Hey, you? Don’t get involved with an angel lightly.”

“…Huh?”

Solitas was startled.

The voice came so suddenly.

He didn’t realize anyone had approached him.

Solitas turned around at the speed of light, eyes wide with alarm.

“Who are you!”

“Oh. Dragon King.”

“…”

The young red dragon saw him.

A man sitting carelessly on the grass.

With a slouched posture.

Half-open eyes as if he couldn’t be bothered to fully wake up.

A voice so lacking in enthusiasm that it seemed tiresome even to engage in conversation.

He looked like the epitome of laziness, as if the word itself had taken a half-hearted human form.

But Solitas did not lower his guard.

He couldn’t be fooled by the man’s appearance or demeanor.

Whoever approached him without him noticing must possess some kind of ability.

He couldn’t make a rash judgment.

He asked in an even more vigilant voice.

“I asked who you are.”

Boom…

The question came with the dragon’s inherent oppressive presence, pressing down on all sides.

But the man sitting lazily just yawned.

“Yawn. I told you. Dragon King.”

“Dragon King?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re saying you’re the great and holy Verkiss? Someone like you?”

“That’s up to you to decide. Anyway, don’t get involved with angels, okay? It will just make your life as a dragon more tiring.”

“…What?”

Solitas hesitated.

Verkiss smirked with an incomprehensible smile.

“Satan in Hell will at least pretend to obey if you show them overwhelming power. But angels are different. They’re all stubborn to a fault. If they don’t agree, they rarely change their decision once made. They’re inflexible like iron-clad bureaucrats.”

“What does that mean…”

“But for a higher angel to descend so openly in the mortal realm, it means something has been decided and they’re here to execute it. So don’t get involved, kid. Your abilities won’t bend the angel’s stubbornness. You’ll just end up being marked by the higher-ups in the Celestial Realm, making your life more troublesome.”

“It doesn’t matter. But calling me a kid. Who exactly are you?”

“I told you. Twice.”

“Dragon King? You’re saying you’re the great and holy Verkiss?”

“Yeah.”

“How dare you! Do you think you can impersonate him and get away with it?”

“Oh, so troublesome. Should I just kill him?”

Verkiss’s face showed an intense weariness.

He found it tiresome to explain or persuade.

He just lightly flicked his finger.

Snap.

A ripple of mana emerged from his fingertip.

It instantly enveloped Solitas’s entire body.

“…What?”

The young dragon’s eyes widened in surprise.

A change occurred.

Puff.

A puff of smoke enveloped Solitas.

When the smoke cleared, Solitas was gone.

Instead, there was only a small red lizard left.

“This is your punishment. Stay like this for a day.”

“…!”

“Now do you believe me?”

“…!”

“Good. But it’s too late to nod now.”

“…”

“Isn’t it better to stay quietly like this? It reminds me so much of Salamander. You look alike. Our little one took Sal with him when he traveled.”

“…”

“Anyway, I have to fulfill the Dragon King’s membership benefits. If my beneficiary dies, I have to give them an extra life. That’s why I came all the way here even though it’s a hassle. So let’s be quiet, okay?”

“…!”

Solitas, now a lizard, nodded desperately.

And he was inwardly shocked.

By the complex meaning of Verkiss’s words.

‘…Wait.’

A chill of awe swept over him.

Solitas swallowed hard and looked around the dam construction site.

‘A beneficiary? Someone receiving the Dragon King’s support? Could it be Lloyd Frontera? And today… is he supposed to die?’

‘Should I just… kill him.’

The 3rd-Class Left-Rank Angel.

Raphael, the Director of Lower World Inspection, thought to himself for a moment.

He couldn’t help it.

Because of Lloyd standing before him.

‘This human is offering a false prayer. And his attitude is as detestable as Satan.’

Or perhaps even worse than Satan.

As a higher angel, he could feel it.

The prayer Lloyd was offering while kneeling.

There was no pure and sincere heart in that prayer.

Instead, it was filled with a personal desire to gain immediate benefits.

It was even shameless.

“So now, this is a formal complaint, right?”

“…”

Lloyd Frontera’s gaze and smile as he looked up at him while praying felt utterly detestable.

Raphael clenched his fist involuntarily.

‘How dare he. Using prayer like this.’

He did not like it.

This was not what prayer was meant for.

‘Prayer is the last earnest resort for a being in the Lower World to seek help from the Celestial Realm. When they can receive help from no one else. When they have no one else to lean on. When they are utterly alone. It is the last chance to rely on the heavens.’

When one harbors such desperate feelings.

Only then does the heaven listen to the prayer.

The earnest and heartfelt prayer becomes a formal complaint received by the angel.

Then the angels review and handle the prayer complaint.

‘Most of such prayer complaints are approved. Because they are pure and sincere prayers. Even if the results are not immediately visible in the present life, they are bound to come true in the next life or after death. That is why true prayer is precious and invaluable. But… to use such prayer like this.’

Raphael shuddered with disdain.

He didn’t want to accept this prayer complaint.

But he had no choice.

“…Fine. I will accept your sincerity.”

The criteria for accepting a prayer complaint were whether there was sincerity in the prayer.

But in the blatant prayer Lloyd had just offered?

Annoyingly, there was sincerity!

‘Even if it’s not a pure and sincere heart, even if it’s born out of personal desire… sincerity is still sincerity.’

Sincere personal desire.

It made him more annoyed and resentful.

Naturally, the Left-Rank Angel’s gaze at Lloyd held a faint light of contempt.

“So, you are requesting to cancel the demolition of the Jewel of Truth?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lloyd promptly nodded.

He clenched his fist tightly with a sense of triumph.

‘It’s done. Success.’

The prayer strategy he tried on a whim.

He had subtly utilized the contents of the notice the Left-Rank Angel had read earlier.

And it worked.

Now it was time to seal the deal.

Lloyd looked up at the angel and said.

“I formally request a complaint. Please cancel the demolition order for the Jewel of Truth.”

“Do you have a basis for your cancellation request?”

“Of course.”

Lloyd took a deep breath and said.

“In fact, I’m puzzled. I don’t understand what harm building the Jewel of Truth on this land would cause. Of course, I understand your concern about the possibility of it being misused, as it is a miraculous building that answers any question. But on the contrary, isn’t it possible to use the jewel well to benefit those around it?”

“Continue.”

“Yes, thank you. So, I ask you to allow the construction of the Jewel of Truth and cancel the demolition. If you’re still worried about the jewel being misused, we can set a condition.”

“What condition?”

“How about having an angel descend to supervise every time the jewel is activated?”

“You’re saying you would operate the jewel under the supervision of an angel?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“…Understood. I will submit your complaint to the Celestial Realm. Please wait.”

The Left-Rank Angel Raphael stepped back.

He closed his eyes.

Through the halo above his head.

He contacted his superior in the Celestial Realm.

He conveyed Lloyd’s complaint.

And soon received a response.

He opened his eyes.

He looked down at Lloyd.

But his gaze had changed.

It was cold and resolute.

His words to Lloyd were the same.

“Lloyd Frontera of the Lower World. The Celestial Realm has responded to your complaint. To put it briefly, your request to cancel the demolition has been denied.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The Jewel of Truth, Aotearoa, is a building with the potential to reveal celestial secrets. Therefore, it is designated as a top-priority demolition target in the Celestial Realm, and the cancellation is not possible without special reasons.”

“Wait, just now you said special reasons…”

“Your personal circumstances were not recognized as special reasons. Moreover-”

The angel’s gaze at Lloyd grew colder.

“As previously stated, under Article 8, Section 3 of the Special Measures Act for the Maintenance, etc., of Illegal Buildings, if a prayer complaint is dismissed, the demolition order is to be executed immediately.”

“…”

“That is all.”

With that, the Left-Rank Angel moved.

In an instant, he passed by Lloyd.

He approached the jewel without giving him a chance to stop him.

He ascended to the top of the nearly completed jewel.

He raised the mace of judgment.

He was ready to strike the top of the jewel.

But at that moment.

“Wait a moment!”

A rough breath.

A desperate figure blocking his path.

Lloyd, who had somehow rushed over, blocked the angel.

But he no longer knelt or prayed.

Instead, he raised a shovel.

Aimed at the angel’s brow.

As if to say, strike the jewel only after striking him first.

He stood with wide eyes, determinedly holding his ground.

‘Of course! This is ridiculous!’

He felt wronged.

He couldn’t let the jewel be demolished like this.

He wanted to prevent the restoration of fate.

He wanted to protect the Countess, Julian, everyone.

He wanted to live a happy life with those who became his family.

But he couldn’t let the jewel be demolished so absurdly here.

With that determination, he blocked the angel.

He had to stop him somehow.

Convince or dissuade him.

He had to prevent the angel from striking the jewel.

If necessary, he was willing to be struck first.

He wouldn’t move, no matter what.

With genuine determination, he bit his lip and glared at the angel.

But at that moment.

“Lloyd Frontera of the Lower World. Are you trying to obstruct the execution of the Celestial Realm’s duties?”

“…What?”

“This is your final warning. Step aside.”

The angel’s cold voice pierced his eardrums like a dagger.

Lloyd glared back at the angel without answering.

“…”

I won’t move.

No, I can’t move.

So think.

What can I propose to this uncompromising angel?

What words can shake him and stop him?

Think.

Use your brain.

More desperately.

More wisely.

‘Think, please!’

He racked his brain desperately.

But before he could come up with anything, the angel’s cold sentence fell.

“I understand your intention. Therefore, I hereby inform you that what happens from now on is of your own doing. Lloyd Frontera of the Lower World has attempted to obstruct the angel’s execution of the demolition order by force. This act constitutes a grave obstruction of official duties, and thus, you are subject to summary punishment.”

“…What?”

The angel’s cold and resolute voice echoed.

At that moment, Lloyd saw it.

Smash!

The angel’s mace was descending.

It tore through the space.

It aimed to crush both him and the jewel.

It was coming down relentlessly.

It was too fast.

Too decisive.

There was no room for negotiation.

“…!”

Lloyd’s eyes widened.

He could see the path of the descending mace.

His senses, amplified by Sword Master syndrome.

Thanks to it, he could see everything about the mace rushing at him.

The grip of the angel holding the mace, the movement of his body, the shift in weight balance with the movement.

He felt everything.

But he couldn’t react.

‘…My body can’t keep up with my senses.’

His senses were close to that of a Sword Master.

But his body was still at the advanced level of Sword Expert.

So it was.

He could see the mace coming.

He could see it so clearly.

But his body couldn’t react.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t dodge.

No, he couldn’t even think about dodging.

His body felt like a slug.

Thanks to it, he realized.

‘I can’t avoid this.’

What would happen if he got hit by that?

He didn’t want to imagine.

But the mace was relentlessly rushing at him.

Tearing through the air, breaking space.

Steadily and decisively.

Aiming for his head.

‘This is crazy.’

It was absurd.

Was his head going to be crushed like this?

Had he struggled so far just to end up like this?

So he involuntarily let out a laugh.

At that moment, a flash of light exploded before his eyes.

Clang!

“…!”

Had he been hit by the mace?

For a moment, he thought so.

But looking again, he realized he hadn’t.

Someone was blocking him.

Someone was standing in front of him.

Facing the angel with a raised sword.

Blocking the angel’s mace with a single blade.

With a stern and cold voice, the figure declared to the angel.

“Javier Asrahan, knight of the Frontera County, will summarily execute the intruder who threatens my lord’s family.”