Chapter 320: Many a Little Makes a Mickle (1)

“…What?”

Clang!

An unexpected situation.

Left-Rank Angel Raphael paused.

He was shocked.

It felt like something that should never happen had occurred.

He witnessed an incredibly unreal sight.

‘The flames of the flaming rings… extinguished?’

He couldn’t believe it.

In the thousands of years since he reached his current rank, this had never happened.

But Raphael quickly understood the cause.

‘It’s my fault. I uttered a curse.’

Even if only briefly, he couldn’t control his emotions.

It was the greatest rage he had ever felt as an angel.

He couldn’t suppress it.

He couldn’t dissolve it.

He couldn’t envelop it with a generous heart and kindness.

He ended up uttering a vulgar and disgraceful curse.

Thus, he sullied his purity.

The cost was heavy.

Thud!

‘…Argh!’

An immense impact struck his back.

Javier’s full-powered sword strike hit him from behind.

The Grand Master’s storm of auras swept through his entire body.

Boom!

“…!”

A flash before his eyes.

His entire body felt electrified.

His strength drained away.

Unconsciously, he fell to his knees.

“Ugh… Mm…”

Was my legs always this weak?

Was the mace I always carried this heavy?

Raphael finally realized the situation.

‘Did I lose?’

He found himself rolling towards the base of the Jewel.

He felt himself falling, unable to move.

He felt pathetic.

His whole body trembled.

He wanted to stand, but his legs wouldn’t obey.

Fortunately, thanks to his angelic body, he wasn’t sliced apart by the sword strike.

But it was the most serious injury he had ever sustained.

‘So this is a Grand Master of the Lower World.’

It was astonishing.

When the flaming rings were blocking the attacks, he merely thought they were remarkable.

But experiencing the strike with his body, it was beyond incredible.

It was awe-inspiring to the point of giving him goosebumps.

But he was?

‘Utterly pathetic.’

He had been careless.

He thought he was a high-ranking angel of the Celestial Realm.

His opponent was just a human from the Lower World.

He was confident today’s duty would be easy to handle.

He believed it and finally became complacent.

‘I underestimated the task.’

He had never failed any duty before.

He always handled everything flawlessly.

So he thought today would be no different.

But the result was different.

‘Lloyd Frontera. Javier Asrahan. What kind of humans are they?’

As his strength drained rapidly like an ebb tide.

With his consciousness gradually fading.

Raphael reflected on the cause of today’s failure and repented.

Meanwhile, he could faintly hear the voices of the two humans coming towards him.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Except for my ears getting dirty.”

“…Tsk. Still, you got a breather thanks to me.”

“By the way, Lloyd, you were too reckless.”

“Reckless? How?”

“Just now. If I had been a bit later, you would have been hit by the mace.”

“I trusted you.”

“…”

“Really. I thought if I pissed off this angel, made him curse, and created a weakness…”

“You believed I would handle it?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“What? Don’t you believe me?”

“Of course not…”

“Just believe it this once. So, what do we do now?”

“Indeed. Shall we tie him up with chains?”

“I don’t think that will work. He’ll probably break free as soon as he regains his strength.”

“You have a point. Then what’s your plan?”

“Well, we need to have a chat first.”

The sound of footsteps approaching him.

Lloyd Frontera’s cautious question directed at him.

“Hey, angel?”

“…”

Shameless.

Utterly shameless.

But Lloyd Frontera’s shameless words continued.

“Well, honestly, it’s a bit funny to say this given the situation, but Left-Rank Angel? When you think about today’s situation, it’s something you started, right?”

“…”

“To be perfectly honest, isn’t that correct? You threw the first punch… I mean, you tried to hit me first. So, we had no choice but to defend ourselves to protect our bodies and property.”

“…”

“So our response was, strictly speaking, self-defense. You understand that, right?”

“…”

I don’t want to understand.

I don’t care about his nonsense about self-defense.

‘I only descended to the Lower World to perform my duties.’

It was a decision made by my superior, the Chief Angel.

A decision reached after lengthy meetings by Department Heads and Directors, the Ground Angels.

So what about me?

I just had to execute the administrative order that was handed down.

But now, what was my situation?

‘I failed. No, I am about to fail.’

This was my first such experience.

I hated it.

I hated being powerless on my knees.

I hated the human in front of me chattering away, oblivious to my plight.

‘Will this block my promotion?’

Maybe it would.

After all, I was a 9th-grade angel exam pass.

The only reason I climbed this high was my flawless execution of all my duties.

But now, that record was about to be blemished for the first time.

‘Is that why I feel sad?’

Raphael thought quietly.

No, the blemish on his record wasn’t sad.

But the thought that he would be unable to achieve greater things for the Celestial Realm and the world was scary and sad.

That’s why.

‘I can’t fall here.’

I will achieve more.

For the order of the Celestial Realm and the world.

I will work harder, strive more, and create a better world.

For that, I must not fail.

I must gain higher positions and authority.

I must work harder to become a servant for this world.

‘That is my purpose of existence!’

Raphael made a resolution.

He couldn’t abandon his duty here.

He had to do something.

‘Even if it means not returning to the Celestial Realm for the next 10 years!’

It didn’t matter.

He had lived for tens of thousands of years.

Ten years was just a blink of an eye.

So he took action.

Whoosh!

At the moment Raphael made a fierce resolution.

The angel’s halo above his head shone brightly.

It quickly settled on his head.

It was absorbed into his body.

Massive holy power filled his entire body.

Like exceeding his limits.

It exploded.

Boom!

“…!”

An overwhelming burst of holy power emanated from Raphael’s body!

Lloyd’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden explosion.

He quickly raised his arms.

But by then, his feet were already off the ground.

No, his entire body was being hurled through the air by the explosion.

“…Lloyd!”

Javier’s urgent shout echoed faintly in his ears.

Instinctively, he reached out in that direction.

Javier must have reached out too.

It was true.

Javier’s hand brushed his fingertips.

That was all.

“…!”

They brushed, passed, and missed.

Javier’s figure quickly faded away.

‘What the hell.’

With the sharp senses bestowed by the Swordmaster Syndrome.

He could perceive every moment in slow motion.

He was being thrown away from Javier.

Further from the ground.

Amidst the deafening noise and shockwaves.

He was hurled through the air, feeling every bit of gravitational shift.

Finally, he crashed against the edge of the Jewel’s peak.

Thud!

“…!”

Did my entire body shatter?

Does getting hit by a truck feel like this?

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t move a finger.

He lay sprawled out.

‘Huff… Ugh…’

He barely held onto consciousness.

Luckily, he wasn’t dead.

He quickly awakened his mana heart.

He flowed mana through his body.

He checked himself.

Luckily, no bones seemed broken, no organs ruptured.

But he couldn’t stand or move his limbs.

The impact was too severe.

‘Damn it. That angel. Why is he so tough?’

That bastard, despite being struck by Javier’s sword.

Despite falling to his knees.

He never expected such an explosion.

He never expected the angel to rampage like this, looking even more vigorous than before.

‘Did he absorb the angel’s halo?’

It seemed so.

Through the aftermath of the holy explosion.

He saw the angel ascending with wings of light.

The blow he suffered from Javier seemed to have vanished.

His entire body was enveloped in radiant light.

Even the raised mace was the same.

‘Damn it.’

Is he trying to destroy both me and the Jewel in one strike?

Lloyd, panting, struggling to rise, but still lying pathetically, turned his head to glance at the angel.

And he saw it.

The back of Javier, standing between him and the angel.

Struggling to block the angel’s mace.

Boom!

Shockwaves raced in all directions.

Javier’s entire body shuddered.

He was pushed back several meters by a single blow.

Meanwhile, the angel?

He didn’t budge.

Javier’s brow furrowed slightly.

“…”

His grip tingled.

His mana heart and circuits all trembled.

Just once.

Blocking the mace just once did that.

‘He’s different from before.’

Javier’s eyes filled with tension.

The angel shrouded in light.

He felt like a different opponent.

In every aspect – speed, power, everything – he was on a different level.

The recent strike proved it.

Even if the angel had used his full strength.

Even if Javier had rushed to block it.

He hadn’t expected a single strike to push him back so far.

Javier assessed the angel’s level calmly.

‘Now, even without the flaming rings, he’s on par with a Grand Master.’

He had no way of knowing how it happened.

There was no time to figure it out.

What needed to be done was clear.

‘I won’t retreat.’

Javier’s hand gripped the sword tighter.

A cold determination gleamed in his eyes.

He would not retreat from this position.

No matter what, he would protect Lloyd and the Jewel.

Above all, he would protect Lloyd at any cost.

He made a resolution.

Then, suddenly.

A question arose.

‘Why?’

Why did he want to protect Lloyd?

Why did he go so far to shield him, even risking his own safety?

It suddenly seemed strange.

‘Because he’s the lord’s son? No. That’s not it.’

Lloyd is not the real one.

He’s a fake.

So technically?

He’s not the lord’s son.

So the duty to protect the lord’s family isn’t a reason to protect him.

‘Then why am I so eager to protect him?’

He didn’t know.

But at the same time, he realized it anew.

It was a simple matter.

‘Because he’s someone I want to protect. He is my true lord in my heart.’

Because he’s a friend.

He wanted to protect him.

He sincerely wanted to protect him with all his might.

‘So come at me.’

Javier’s eyes were filled with firm resolve.

The sword gleaming with a brilliant aura pointed at the angel.

He stood tall, exuding an unyielding spirit.

He declared with his whole body that he would not retreat.

That he would protect Lloyd at any cost.

Simultaneously, an unexpected message appeared before Lloyd’s eyes.

Ding.

‘…Huh?’

Lloyd, who was losing consciousness, barely held onto it at the sudden notification sound.

He lifted his drooping eyelids.

And saw it.

[Javier Asrahan has finally realized his affection and sincere loyalty towards you today.]

[Javier Asrahan’s thoughts about you have changed significantly.]

[In Javier Asrahan’s heart, you have moved from being ‘someone he must protect out of duty’ to ‘someone he sincerely wants to protect and follow’.]

[Javier Asrahan’s affection for you has increased by +45.]

[Current relationship with Javier Asrahan: +68]

[You have gained 810 RP due to the significant improvement in your relationship with an important character.]

[Current RP in possession: 9,385]

[Javier Asrahan’s intimacy level with you has risen from <Ordinary Favor> through <Ordinary Intimacy> to <Special Friendship>, a 2-stage increase.]

[As a bonus for the intimacy level increase, you have gained an additional 200 RP.]

[Current RP in possession: 9,585]

‘Wow.’

An unexpected message.

But the messages didn’t stop there.

Ding!

[Valeradi Blanc, the Captain of the White Spear Cavalry, has been inspired by Javier Asrahan’s actions.]

[Valeradi Blanc has already internally regarded you as his lord.]

[Valeradi Blanc takes up his spade to fight for his lord.]

[Valeradi Blanc’s affection for you has increased by +1.]

[Current relationship with Valeradi Blanc: +59]

[You have gained 9 RP due to a slight improvement in your relationship with an important character.]

[Current RP in possession: 9,594]

‘What.’

Lloyd’s eyes widened.

Sir Blanc?

Against the angel?

He was stepping up to fight?

But that wasn’t the end.

As if smiling at him with wide eyes.

Numerous messages began to appear endlessly.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Deputy Captain Orlando roars.]

[Orlando raises his spade, eager to join the fight to protect you.]

[Orlando’s affection for you has increased by +2.]

[Orc Warrior Arosh snorts as he sees you in danger.]

[Arosh flexes his muscles, dropping everything to run towards you.]

[Arosh’s affection for you has increased…]

[Elf Archer Sirocco perks up his ears.]

[Sirocco, remembering the deep, savory taste of the pork belly you once grilled for him, decides he cannot lose such a precious friend.]

[Sirocco joins the lonely battle to assist Javier in protecting you.]

[Sirocco’s affection for you has increased…]

[Engineer Rexton eagerly grabs his pickaxe.]

[Engineer Travers shouts to protect the young master.]

[Engineer Evoke…]

[Orc Warrior Tuarek…]

[White Spear Cavalry member Blazer…]

Ding… Ding!

Countless, truly endless messages kept appearing.

Five hundred White Spear Cavalry members.

Hundreds of orc warriors and elf archers who had come to assist with the dam construction.

Numerous engineers who had sweated alongside him.

All of them were stepping up to protect him.

Their affections were rising bit by bit.

Although each individual’s RP was minuscule, like dust particles.

Altogether, they numbered nearly two thousand.

As a result, a tremendous amount of RP accumulated in real-time.

‘This is…’

Lloyd swallowed dryly.

So, the RP that would instantly elevate him to the realm of a Swordmaster began to pile up like a mountain.