Chapter 325. The Fallen Angel in the Guest Room (2)

“Um, well, if you let me stay here, how about I provide you with news from the heavens?”

“Oh, news from the heavens?”

“Yes. You said you needed help, and that you’d let me stay if I provided it.”

“That sounds like a good start. Please, elaborate.”

Lloyd cleared his throat, trying to suppress the grin that threatened to spread across his face. However, he couldn’t stop the joyful dance his tongue was performing inside his mouth.

‘Perfect. Just perfect.’

The fallen angel in front of him was naive, untouched by the corruption of the human world. Applying a bit of pressure, Lloyd got exactly what he wanted. The angel showed his inexperience in negotiation, just as Lloyd had hoped.

“Please, tell me more in detail. Well, I can’t return to heaven right now because I’ve lost my angel’s halo, but I can still communicate with the heavens to some extent. Especially since I’m quite an important angel.”

“Does that mean you can receive directives from your superiors?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“Then you can inform me of any further reactions or decisions from the heavens regarding the construction of the Jewel of Truth?”

“I suppose so.”

Raphael nodded, and Lloyd tilted his head.

“But is that allowed?”

“Pardon?”

“Angel, no, Raphael?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you an angel of the heavens, and a rather high-ranking one at that? Is it alright for you to divulge information to me?”

“Well, since I’ve lost my angel’s halo, I’m technically on a sort of administrative leave.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m merely relaying the decisions made by my superiors. How you use that information is up to you. So, the heavens wouldn’t particularly object to it.”

“That’s a relief. But can I trust you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Couldn’t you lie to me about the heavens’ directives?”

“Lying?”

“Yes.”

Lloyd nodded.

“You could pretend to cooperate while secretly planning to demolish the Jewel. Isn’t that possible?”

“I have no intention of doing that.”

“Why not?”

“Because of what you said. I began to question whether the unilateral decision to demolish the Jewel without consulting you was truly the right thing to do.”

Raphael smiled kindly. His honesty was evident. Despite the shame of his first failure, he felt a sense of unexpected relief.

Regardless of the success of an unjust duty, what would it mean? He even questioned his long-held sense of duty. He pointed to his flaming halo.

“Besides, I cannot lie. If I speak falsehoods, I lose my purity. As you saw before, when I cursed, the flames of my halo disappeared.”

“Hmm.”

“If you still have doubts, you can test me now.”

“Can I?”

“Of course.”

Raphael confidently offered. Lloyd pretended to ponder for a moment before suddenly extending his hand.

“Here, this is my hand. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

Raphael answered, and the flames of the halo didn’t waver. Lloyd continued with another question.

“Then, the second test. Javier, who fought you. He has an outstanding appearance, right?”

“Very much so.”

Raphael answered as if it was obvious. The halo’s flames remained steady. Lloyd’s third question followed swiftly.

“I also have a rather handsome appearance, objectively speaking. Is that correct?”

“Y-Yes.”

The flames of the halo flickered and went out.

“…”

Raphael fell silent with embarrassment, and Lloyd’s eyes filled with tears. After a moment of silence, Lloyd’s shout of frustration burst forth.

“Is that halo broken or something?”

“…”

“It must be broken. Completely unreliable. Hahaha!”

“…”

“Maybe the purity thing is a lie. It just flickers on and off based on feelings, right? I almost got fooled.”

“Here, take this.”

“Why are you giving me a handkerchief?”

“Wipe your tears…”

The flames of the halo reignited.

“…”

Tears rolled down Lloyd’s cheeks, but he had to admit it. The halo seemed to be functioning properly. This meant he could trust the truthfulness of the heavenly information Raphael would provide.

‘Good. I got exactly the card I wanted.’

Despite an unexpected blow to his pride, Lloyd felt satisfied. The fallen angel who wanted to stay for ten years had given him the valuable card he hoped for.

‘There was a mention in the novel The Iron-Blooded Knight about how heavenly angels can maintain contact with the heavens in any situation, receiving directives from above. If this guy stays here, the most straightforward help he can offer is maintaining that contact.’

Receiving real-time information about the heavens through Raphael, learning the decisions of the heavenly authorities in advance, and preparing for the heavens’ responses were crucial.

‘The completion of the Jewel is imminent.’

They were already in the final stages of construction. Just a bit more effort, and the Jewel would be complete. Then?

‘We use the Jewel immediately.’

Once they figured out the method to prevent the phenomenon of destiny restoration, they could proceed. If the heavens took more drastic measures, they could dismantle the Jewel if necessary, having already gained the knowledge they needed.

Lloyd made up his mind. Complete the Jewel and find out how to prevent the phenomenon. Endure until then. Knowing the heavens’ plans in real time would allow him to resist or delay as needed.

Lloyd’s mind was made up, and he smiled with satisfaction.

“Alright, I believe I can trust you.”

“Really? Then, can I stay here?”

“Yes, provided you keep me updated with real-time news from the heavens.”

“Understood. I look forward to working with you.”

“Excellent. Now, let’s draft a contract.”

“…What?”

Lloyd pulled out two blank sheets of paper.

“What’s this?”

“A contract. A lease agreement.”

“…”

“Any promise or deal should be written down. That’s common sense. It might not be so in heaven, but here on earth, it’s survival of the fittest.”

“…”

“First, let’s summarize what we verbally agreed upon.”

Lloyd expertly began drafting the contract. Raphael, taken aback by Lloyd’s thoroughness, reluctantly placed his seal on the paper.

Thus, the lease agreement between two contrasting beings was finalized.

Two more days passed.

The dam and the construction site for the Jewel were thoroughly cleaned up. The area had been a mess after Raphael’s descent and the ensuing battle. It took quite a bit of effort to tidy up, but the cleanup was swift.

“Of course. No time to waste. Let’s get back to work! Undead Corps, today’s chant!”

[Overtime!] [All-nighter!] [Overwork death!]

Lloyd worked the Undead Corps tirelessly. Fortunately, they didn’t need food or sleep. They were an impeccable labor force, seeing overwork as a virtue.

‘They do enjoy resting and playing, but the situation demands urgency.’

The completion of the Jewel had to be rushed. Any delay could lead to more drastic actions from the heavens, possibly resulting in the Jewel’s demolition right before completion.

‘We must hurry. It’s a race against time now.’

With a determined heart, Lloyd resumed construction as soon as the site was cleared. The remaining parts of the dam were built up, adhering strictly to the design.

The dam was made robust enough to withstand external forces. It was designed to handle the pressure, impact, buoyant forces, wave pressure, and sediment pressure effectively.

But that wasn’t all.

‘This isn’t just an ordinary dam to store water.’

The Jewel would operate within this dam’s reservoir, generating enormous waves.

‘We can’t just withstand the waves.’

No matter how sturdy, the dam couldn’t withstand the overflow caused by the Jewel’s activation. Thus, a pathway for the waves to flow out naturally was prepared.

The central upper part of the dam was deliberately lowered and made pointed, resembling the spout of a milk carton.

‘This allows the waves to flow out while minimizing pressure on the dam.’

Like how milk flows out smoothly when you tilt a carton, the waves generated by the Jewel would flow downstream through the spout.

‘I’ve run countless simulations and verified this.’

Lloyd was confident it would work as intended. He also accelerated the final construction of the Jewel of Truth, ensuring the exterior decorations matched the design precisely.

The dwarf artisan, Cogidus, was a great help in this process.

“Hey! You can’t carve it like that!”

Red Dragon Solitas, who had become the artisan’s apprentice, spent all day carving the relief decorations on the Jewel’s outer walls under Cogidus’s guidance.

Everything proceeded smoothly and swiftly. Lloyd’s job satisfaction as the overseer of the construction site increased daily.

Meanwhile, Javier’s suspicion about Lloyd grew stronger.

“That’s why I’m telling you, Lloyd-nim, you seem very suspicious.”

“What?”

Another outrageous claim. After finishing a day’s work and completing site inspections, Javier spoke in his usual cold tone, making Lloyd raise an eyebrow.

“Suspicious? About what?”

Could Javier have discovered Lloyd’s true identity? The thought made Lloyd’s response unintentionally sharp.

But Javier remained calm and continued.

“Your abilities.”

“My abilities?”

“Yes.”

“What about them?”

“A few months ago, you were just a Sword Expert. Now you’re a Sword Master. How?”

“Oh, that.”

Phew, thank goodness. Lloyd inwardly sighed with relief and chuckled.

“You noticed, huh?”

“Of course. I saw the aura on your shovel.”

“You saw me strike the angel with it?”

“Yes. That’s not all I saw.”

“What else did you see?”

“I saw the angel move strangely, almost as if under your control.”

“That was a misunderstanding.”

“I don’t think it was.”

“It was. How could I, with just some ability, control an angel?”

“Hmm.”

“Think about it. Doesn’t make sense, right?”

“True. I must have overestimated you, Lloyd-nim.”

“…”

“No way someone like you could do something that extraordinary. It makes sense.”

“…”

“Still, how did you become a Sword Master in such a short time?”

“…”

Javier fell silent, deep in thought. Lloyd sighed and forced a smile.

Fortunately, it seemed like Javier wasn’t overly suspicious about the rapid advancement to Sword Master or the use of the Attack Design option.

‘He finds it odd, but he’s not pushing it too much. The Attack Design doesn’t show, so I can just deny it. As for becoming a Sword Master, it was an emergency. It’s strange, but it can’t be helped.’

Lloyd decided to just tough it out and smiled at Javier.

At that moment, a voice called out.

“…Lloyd Frontera!”

From the direction of the Frontera family mansion, someone with radiant wings flew over.

It was Raphael, announcing important news with urgency.

“The heavens have issued new directives regarding the Jewel of Truth!”