Chapter 13 – Angel Descent

A week had passed since the advent of Aylia, the Goddess of the Broken World.

The “Outer God War,” which had left deep scars across Pleiades, was more or less wrapping up.

“So they’re finally going back.”

Atop the castle wall, Fran spoke, and Belkian, wearing the mask of a plague doctor, slowly nodded.

“They’ll be in no state to come out and fight. For a while, the East will likely be in turmoil with internal strife. The empire will eventually collapse, too.”

Having lost its focal point, the Azure Dragon, the empire was certain to splinter into several factions.

According to the spies’ reports, the signs were already beginning to show.

“You know, it’s just like during the Disaster War. It feels like we get all pumped up for a big fight, but then their leaders get taken out and the whole thing just fizzles out.”

“Is that not a fortunate thing? An all-out war would only lead to more bloodshed. People would just die.”

Whether in the West or the East, a human life was a human life.

Belkian detested pointless death—no, he hated people dying even if their deaths had value.

Because of this, Fran swallowed the cheeky joke that had reflexively come to mind: Since you’re a vampire, old man, isn’t more bloodshed a good thing?

There was a line one shouldn’t cross.

“Anyway, it’s a relief. I think we can start heading back to Paragon soon.”

“Yes, we must return. Now that you mention it, let’s leave at once.”

“Huh? Now? Right away?”

“There’s no point in dragging our feet. Besides, isn’t there a place we must stop by on the way?”

Fran blinked for a moment at Belkian’s words, but then nodded as if she remembered.

“Oh, right. Right. We have to stop by the Holy Nation. They’re putting on an angel show or something?”

“…It is a ritual, not a show.”

“Same difference. Fine, let’s go quickly. It sounds like fun.”

As Fran hurried him, Belkian let out a sigh and summoned the Phantom Steeds.

He had long since given up hope of Fran ever maturing.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay, old man.”

Giggling, Fran, ever the druid, skillfully mounted the saddleless Phantom Steed and settled into her posture. Belkian set the steeds off.

Towards the Yudelia Holy Nation.

Fran and Belkian soared into the night sky.

*

The border region between the Sailun Kingdom and the Argon Empire.

Riding in a swift four-horse carriage, Kaplan gave a bitter smile.

It was because of the situation in the seat directly across from him.

The Rogue Master, who had shaken both the empire and the kingdom.

The Heavenly Sword Saint, the youngest Sword Saint in the continent’s history.

The Conqueror of the Southern Sea, who had swept away the pirates of the south.

It was a scene of heavyweights, whose reputations alone would allow them to hold their own anywhere on the continent, sitting side-by-side.

One would imagine it to be a heart-pounding sight, but the reality was completely different.

“Here, Lucas, say ‘ah’.”

“Nope, he’s not eating Scarlett’s, he’s eating mine. Isn’t that right? Huh? Lucas.”

“Ahaha…”

The Heavenly Sword Saint was caught between the Rogue Master, who was offering him a piece of apple on a small fork, and the Conqueror of the Southern Sea, who was offering him a hand-peeled tangerine from the other side. He could only laugh awkwardly.

The rumor that the three of them were… involved… was already a well-known story among those in the know.

But as expected, was there not a vast difference between knowing something and seeing it with one’s own eyes?

It was also why Kaplan himself preferred to be out in the field instead of being cooped up in his lab, buried in documents.

No, this isn’t the time to be thinking about fieldwork.

The important thing was the scene before him.

Scarlett and Kaisa, as if on purpose, refused to look at each other, their gazes fixed solely on Lucas. Breaking out in a cold sweat, Lucas seemed to make up his mind. He first took a bite of the apple Scarlett offered, then immediately, like lightning, ate Kaisa’s tangerine.

It was so fast that to an ordinary person like Kaplan, it looked almost simultaneous.

But the two women who had offered the fruit were no ordinary people, and they knew perfectly well which one Lucas had eaten first.

“Hee-hee.”

“Tch.”

As Scarlett hummed and grinned triumphantly, Kaisa pouted and huffed.

“Uh… last time, I ate what Kaisa offered first, so this time, Scarlett’s…”

Lucas tried to explain in a small voice, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.

As expected, every situation has its own hardships.

Being loved by two such beautiful women isn’t all sunshine and rainbows—

—then again, I can’t really say that. Let’s just call it a worthy hardship.

Replacing his bitter smile with a warm one, Kaplan (51, single) looked out the window.

The warm sunlight somehow reminded him of Cordelia.

It’s been a while since the founding declaration day.

Were the two of them doing well?

As if to ignore Lucas, who was now kissing Scarlett’s and Kaisa’s cheeks in turn to placate them, Kaplan simply gazed out the window.

*

Lying prone on a large, tamed bird, Kirara hummed a tune and swished her tail gently.

She was on her way to see her beloved masters, so a smile naturally formed on her lips even when she was just sitting still.

They’ll praise me a lot, right?

She had accomplished a great deal in the recent battle.

She had saved a lot of people, too.

It hadn’t been widely recognized due to the sheer overwhelming presence of the First Sword, who had broken through the imperial capital’s center alone, but it was no exaggeration to say the battle itself had taken place across the entire capital.

Kirara had participated in the fighting on the capital’s outskirts, and without her, the number of casualties would have been at least several thousand higher.

Still… the damage was just too great.

The battle on the outskirts, while large in scale, hadn’t resulted in that many casualties.

It had been a close-fought battle where neither side had a clear advantage. But it was a completely different story in the center of the capital, where the First Sword had infiltrated.

A lot of Sword Masters died, too.

A total of eight of the empire’s Sword Masters had stood in the First Sword’s path.

Of them, three had died, and two had suffered career-ending injuries and were forced to retire.

Of the remaining three, two—Leon and Sara—were so severely injured that it seemed they would need a significant amount of time to rehabilitate.

“Hoo…”

Thinking of the dead and injured, Kirara’s tail and ears drooped, but only for a moment.

To soothe her gloomy mood, she unfolded the portraits of her masters that she cherished so dearly, and a bright smile returned to her face.

I have to get there quickly and lie down on Master’s lap.

I’ll ask them to stroke my head and back, too.

And I’ll ask for the Churu that Master Yuder made.

Beginning to grin, Kirara shook her tail and gazed into the distance.

It was still a long way off, but for some reason, she felt as if she could already see the Yudelia Holy Nation.

*

“Young Lady, do we really have to do this?”

“I don’t know. Yuder said we have to.”

Inside the villa serving as the temporary palace of the Yudelia Holy Nation.

Dahlia, who had changed into the stage costume Yuder had prepared, asked with a face that screamed of awkwardness. Cordelia replied with a broad smile.

Her words made it sound like she was reluctant but had no choice because Yuder had ordered it, but anyone could tell from her expression that Cordelia was in full agreement.

The stage costume Yuder had prepared.

It was the kind of light, white, and flowing dress that left the shoulders completely bare, the type one commonly associated with an ‘angel.’

Dahlia fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, her face a mess as if she could die from how exposed her legs felt. Cordelia, on the other hand, thought with a very satisfied expression.

Nice one, my Yuder.

Dahlia in a skirt.

What a rare sight this was.

“It’s okay, Dahlia. You’re pretty.”

Just then, Maia, dressed in a nearly identical outfit, spoke with sparkling eyes.

It was a gaze Cordelia was vaguely familiar with, as it was the one Yuder often had when he was dressing her up.

So Maia was the original.

In any case, it was Maia.

Normally, befitting a maid, she wore her hair neatly tied up, but today was different.

She had let it down completely, letting it hang long. Her hair, which had been beautiful even when it was ash-gray, now seemed to truly shine after turning silver.

Wait, or is Maia just that pretty?

She had known Maia was pretty before, but now that she was properly dressed up, her beauty was truly on another level.

Sorry, Sylvia-unnie. I think Maia is prettier.

Sylvia was considered the greatest beauty of the North, but she couldn’t seem to hold a candle to the current Maia.

Even as a human, Maia had been a delicate beauty with fine features that strongly evoked a desire to protect her. But after becoming an angel, her ‘pitifulness’ had reached a god-like level, to the point where she could melt people’s hearts just by standing still.

Moreover, hadn’t Cordelia herself made a few adjustments at Maia’s request?

Maia, so you were conscious of it.

Cordelia glanced over Maia’s subtly changed figure and let out an uncle-like laugh before turning back to Dahlia.

Yes, my Dahlia is pretty too.

She didn’t have the flashy appeal of Maia or Sylvia, but even as a human, Dahlia had been a beauty brimming with healthy charm.

After the angelic transformation and a touch of Cordelia’s handiwork, just like Maia, a beauty who was a joy to behold was born.

“D-don’t tease me, Maia.”

“I’m not teasing. You’re really pretty, Dahlia.”

As Dahlia spoke, her face beet red as she clutched the hem of her skirt, Maia replied in her unwavering voice, her expression unreadable as usual.

This naturally made Dahlia even more embarrassed, and she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“Your brooch is crooked.”

“Oh.”

At Maia’s comment, Dahlia quickly tried to fix her brooch, but Maia was a little faster.

Silently approaching Dahlia, Maia straightened the brooch on her chest, while Dahlia, blushing, could only stare at Maia’s long, slender fingers.

“Heeheehee.”

Watching the two of them, Cordelia let out another uncle-like laugh, then clapped her hands and said.

“Anyway, we need to rehearse properly, so both of you, bring out your wings. And your halos.”

“Ugh… Yes, Young Lady.”

Dahlia still seemed embarrassed, fidgeting with the hand holding her skirt, but she obediently brought out her wings and halo.

Maia, too, swept her hair back and brought out her wings and halo.

“Woooow…”

The sight of wings of light unfurling beneath her scattering silver hair was truly fantastical.

Maia’s appearance with her halo and wings was so beautiful that even Cordelia, a woman herself, felt her face flush.

But why did she sweep her hair back?

A small question popped into Cordelia’s head, but regardless of her query, Dahlia let out a stream of pure admiration, and Maia showed a small smile that was a mixture of shyness and satisfaction.

“Alright, alright, let’s look at the script and start the rehearsal.”

Giggling, Cordelia opened the script Yuder had made.

The stars of this ritual were Dahlia and Maia, so the embarrassment was their burden to bear, not Cordelia’s.

So she could relax and enjoy watching the two of them squirm—

“Huh?”

“What is it, Young Lady?”

At Maia’s question, Cordelia stared intently at the script instead of answering right away.

And then—

“Hey! Kang Yuder! Why am I in this?! Huh? Why am I in this?!”

The Yudelia Holy Nation.

The Pope’s residence.

To Cordelia’s furious interrogation, Yuder replied with his usual sly expression.

“Hmm? Isn’t it obvious? ‘The Goddess of Love, Cordelia, sends down two new angels, and the Saintess Cordelia, the goddess’s earthly agent, welcomes them.’ See? There’s even a scripture passage for it.”

Finishing his words, Yuder flaunted an open scripture, and Cordelia’s eyes went wide with surprise.

There really was a passage in the scripture.

“Hey, when did you print this new version? And when did you add the illustration?”

“Today.”

“Agh, seriously! You’re annoyingly competent!”

It seemed he hadn’t just made one copy.

“Oh, that’s right. It’s already been mass-produced. We have to hand them out to people at the ritual. You know this costs a fortune to produce, right? And you know we can’t back out now, right?”

“Agh, you bastard. You’re a real bastard.”

“What can you do? It’s already printed. Anyway, I’m counting on you, Cordelia.”

As Yuder spoke with a radiant smile, Cordelia waved her hands in frustration and shouted.

“I hate you! I don’t like you!”

“It’s been a while since I heard that. Such a nostalgic sound.”

Cordelia was thoroughly provoked by Yuder’s actions as he chuckled and pulled her into an embrace, but as always, it was a perfect siege.

In the end, Cordelia could only slump her shoulders and pout.

“Just you wait.”

“I’m sorry. Should I make you something delicious? Hmm? Is there anything you want to eat?”

“…A parfait.”

“As you wish. I shall have it ready for you tonight.”

“Haaah… I really hate you so much.”

“But that’s part of my charm, isn’t it?”

“What is this lunatic talking about?”

Cordelia spat out a curse, but her face was already smiling.

And two days later, in the afternoon.

The Descent Ritual, announcing Dahlia and Maia’s scripture debut, began.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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