Thalia hesitantly raised her head and looked at the blue smoke.
Soon, a woman’s white and smooth legs emerged from within.
Ziffnel, who had obtained a body in the human world to contain the heavenly being, slowly and gracefully took one step at a time. Soon, the angel of mercy and love, boasting a voluptuous figure worthy of being called the ultimate beauty, had fully descended into the human world.
“Hmm, maybe it’s been a while since I’ve been here, so it feels a bit awkward. The air also seems a bit tasteless.”
Every time she took a breath, her beautiful feathers fluttered, and three pairs of pure white wings, each one filled with heavenly majesty, spread out splendidly behind her.
Seeing Ziffnel fully present for the first time since her childhood, Thalia steadied her tense heart and cautiously walked toward the angel she served.
She licked her dry lips and opened her small, cherry-like mouth.
“Ah. Lady Ziffnel, your representative, Thalia, congratulates you on your descent… Hach!”
She sneezed as the feathers brushed past her nostrils just as she opened her mouth. Embarrassed, she tried to speak again, but countless feathers spouted from Ziffnel’s wings, forcing her to keep coughing.
“Ech! Oh, that’s not it… Etch!”
“… ….”
In the end, her sneezing stopped as if by magic, only after Ziffnel hid her wings with a sullen expression.
The lakeside fell into an awkward silence.
Only Sword Devil Renelle, who had been watching from hiding without revealing any sign of herself, trembled at the sight.
“What, what? What’s with that giant chicken?”
It seemed the alcohol from last night was still affecting her.
***
“… So, are you saying that high-ranking devils have been unleashed by the Saint and are wreaking havoc on this world?”
“Yes. Wretched beings who twist the world’s providence and attract evil. The 24 voids that once disturbed the world in the distant past have revealed themselves once again.”
The lakeside was covered in a light fog.
At the angel’s shocking words, spoken as she walked slowly along the path while breathing in the slightly chilly air, Inquisitor Thalia Ziffnel could only press her lips together, mulling over what she had just heard.
Ancient evils that devoured the world and turned illusions into reality.
The bloodied face of the woman who had become her childhood nightmare flashed through Thalia’s mind. She bit her lip, steeled her resolve, and lifted her head to look at Ziffnel.
“Well, in that case, we should all work together to seal them again. Aren’t they abominations that attract evil just by existing? Yes! Brother Julius and Brother Krail… And with the power of the angels, it won’t be a problem to show the majesty of the Holy Age again.”
Thalia spoke in a hopeful voice, recalling the faces of her brothers with whom she had played all those years ago.
Ziffnel, who had turned to look at her, let out a deep sigh as she gazed at the pure white lake, named after her purity.
“Unfortunately, that is not possible.”
“Uh, why? I don’t know about myself, but if Brother Julius and Brother Krail join forces, there is no one in the world to fear. Even more so if the angels also come forward.”
“Thalia, my lovely representative.”
“…Why? Why are you saying that?”
She instinctively understood.
The words that would leave a beautiful angel’s lips could be nothing short of cruel.
But in the end, Thalia could not suppress her curiosity and did not stop her ears. Seeing this, the angel merely spoke the truth calmly.
“There are two people who were actively involved in this matter. One is Saint Erman, and the other is Krail Reynell—your second brother.”
“That… That can’t be possible.”
“And Julius Tapnel broke the laws of heaven and accepted Cecil Lionelta. No, an ancient devil released from its seal. He accepted the bet with the ‘Emperor’s Nightmare’ and fell prey to her temptation.”
Thump—
Thalia’s legs lost their strength, and she collapsed.
She had been a faithful believer with no doubts. Unable to accept the treachery of Julius and Krail, she desperately racked her brain, trying to refute the angel’s words.
“B-but Cecil walked under the sun just fine! And after drinking Priestess Emily’s holy water, she was fine… And again… There was something… Yes! She also wielded the sacred flame. This must be a mistake…”
“Thalia.”
The Emperor’s Nightmare was a transcendent being who had stepped onto the throne of Godhood.
Even if she hadn’t completely broken her seal, such limitations did not matter to her.
Thalia desperately denied the fact that the wife of the brother she loved was a devil.
However, the angel mercilessly continued to speak the cold truth. The black-haired girl could not control the feeling of betrayal coursing through her body, and nausea overtook her.
“… It must be truly shocking to you. Your precious family was taken over by the devil you despised so much.”
“… Priestess Emily… Priestess Emily followed Brother Julius. I’m sure she noticed something strange and is guiding him back to the right path by now…”
“The adoptive son and daughter of Lord Rom—Brukin and Emily—are well aware of the current situation, yet they chose to ignore it. They have never been particularly concerned about the devil-sacrifice ritual from the beginning.”
Thalia’s last bastion of trust collapsed.
The angel’s representative, unable to control her trembling body and ragged breathing, eventually raised her head and pleaded with the angel for an answer.
“Then… then maybe this situation can still be fixed, right? If everyone—everyone—has fallen prey to the devil’s whispers, what on earth should I do?”
Ziffnel smiled slightly at the sight of the maiden praying to God with tears in her eyes.
Yes, this was why she had made Thalia her representative.
Unwavering hatred toward devils.
Sometimes, such hatred was necessary.
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