Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 020
Chapter Title: Two Fortuitous Encounters (2)
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Suddenly, an angel appeared before my eyes, and I quietly gripped the dagger at my waist.
'An angel? Was there an angel in the original story?'
Her beauty was enough to leave any onlooker entranced.
But I couldn't let my guard down. The fact that she existed in this place, which had been a sealed chamber just moments ago, meant she could be a monster spawned from the dungeon.
I took up a cautious stance, watching her movements closely, ready to activate the Talisman if needed.
However, the angel showed no sign of wanting to fight. She simply stared at me with a flustered expression. Soon, her half-open lips began to tremble.
-Clang!
With a loud metallic clatter, the Breath of the Morning Star fell to the floor. As I glanced that way, the angel opened her mouth in even greater panic.
"Ah, th-that..."
Her voice trembled endlessly. Her eyes, meeting mine, darted around lost for direction.
-Flap.
The next moment, the angel huddled on the altar and covered herself with her wings, as if trying to hide from me.
"......Huh?"
The angel's wings quivered. A small mutter leaked out from between her feathers.
"......Um, so, what was I supposed to do in a situation like this? The manual. It was definitely in the manual. Let me see, if unavoidable contact with a lower-dimensional being occurs, select one of the following five examples and perform memory manipulation....... B-but that possessor isn't a being of this dimension, right? Huh? Then what do I do?"
Her small, rapid voice was hard to make out clearly due to the mumbled pronunciation, but from her demeanor, it seemed this angel before me harbored no hostility. No, beyond that—she looked downright scared.
"Hey."
"Eek!"
At my call, her feathers bristled as she huddled even tighter.
"What do I do? If the Blissful Heavenly Demon finds out I made contact with the possessor......"
"What?"
I doubted my ears at 'that word' from the angel's mouth. But there was no way I'd mishear such a distinctive term.
"Hey."
I called out to the angel.
"Hey. Angel."
No response, so I called again.
"Stick your head out a bit. Look over here."
At my persistent calls, she peeked her head out from between her wings. Her eyes were even glistening with tears.
But pity was the last thing on my mind. Rage overshadowed any such sentiment.
"What did you just say? Right now."
"Y-Yes?"
"Don't play dumb. You clearly mentioned the Blissful Heavenly Demon."
I drew my dagger and strode toward her. No thought of potential danger crossed my mind. Though she was an unknown entity, my head was burning with fury, clouding rational judgment.
The angel backed away with a frightened look. But this was a sealed space on all sides. After just a few steps, she hit the wall and stared at me with trembling eyes.
-Grab!
"Kyaa!"
I seized the angel by the collar. It wasn't much of a collar on her thin garb, but I roughly gripped the fabric near her neck. Her chest ended up exposed, but now wasn't the time to care about trivialities.
The angel offered no resistance. It wasn't just a lack of will—it seemed she physically couldn't resist. Yet even her compliance did nothing to quell the boiling rage inside me.
"Are you one of the Blissful Heavenly Demon's underlings? What business does that hack's lackey have here? What, does it piss him off that I'm hogging this fortuitous encounter, so he sent you to retrieve it before I can claim it?"
"......I cannot tell you."
"Cannot tell me my ass. It's written all over your face."
Her brazen attitude fueled my anger further.
Now he's meddling even with fortuitous encounters that were originally there. The pettiness was so absurd it only made me laugh.
"Hey, just one question."
"I-I cannot answer any questions—"
"That bastard—what the fuck did I ever do to him to deserve this shit?"
I demanded of the angel. Was pointing out a measly plot hole, leaving a few comments, getting into one argument such a grave sin?
Was it reasonable to yank a perfectly fine person into this godawful world over something so trivial and sabotage every damn thing they tried to do?
I bellowed at the angel in fury, but she just averted her gaze and shook her head.
"N-No matter what you ask, I cannot answer."
"......Hah. Fuck it."
I slammed my dagger down with all my might.
-Crack!
"Eek!"
The blade embedded in the wall right beside her head. Gritting my teeth and applying pressure, shards of crystal rained down.
'Even after all this threat, no resistance. So she really can't resist.'
That meant I held the upper hand. I tightened my grip on her collar and growled lowly.
"What's your name?"
"A-Arael......"
"Good. Arael. Contact him right now."
"P-Pardon?"
"Contact the Blissful Heavenly Demon. As his underling, you must have some way to reach him. I'll settle this face-to-face."
"I-I might die if I do that......"
"Or would you rather die by my hand right here?"
I pulled the dagger and pressed it to her throat. She screamed and burst into tears.
Intimidating an opponent who couldn't even resist. But I felt no qualms. Morality and ethics had long evaporated amid my seething wrath.
"I-If you kill me!"
Realizing I was serious, she cried out desperately.
"I-If you kill me, the Blissful Heavenly Demon will know immediately! The other angels too!"
"Perfect. Then he can come here, and I'll settle it with him directly."
"No! No matter what you do, the Blissful Heavenly Demon cannot appear before you! No other angel will come either! W-We angels are strictly forbidden from contacting possessors in the first place—"
"Oh?"
I grinned at the intriguing info. She belatedly covered her mouth in shock, but too late—I'd heard it.
"You're forbidden from meeting me? Then you're totally screwed right now."
"Th-That's......"
I pieced together the situation as she faltered.
'This angel is the Blissful Heavenly Demon's underling. Her goal was probably to retrieve the Breath of the Morning Star.'
'From his perspective, he couldn't stand seeing me monopolize the encounter and thrive. Typical petty motive.'
'But why send a minion instead of coming himself? As the original author, he should be godlike in this world. Couldn't he just snatch the bracelet from afar or erase it without sending anyone?'
'Come to think of it, he said he "can't" appear before me, not that he "won't." Does that mean even a divine being like him has unbreakable constraints?'
'Looking back, his sabotage has always been indirect. Messing with my stats or skimping on quest rewards, but never direct harm.'
'Even gods can't intervene directly. Classic transmigration novel trope. If that's the actual limitation, and that's why he sent a minion instead......'
This situation must be an unexpected contingency even for the Blissful Heavenly Demon. That's why the angel was panicking like this.
Realizing that, a smile crept onto my lips.
This might turn out to be a far better fortuitous encounter than the Breath of the Morning Star.
"Killing you will alert the Blissful Heavenly Demon immediately, which means he doesn't know yet that I've met you, right?"
"......I cannot say."
"You'd better answer properly. Or I could stab you somewhere and check for myself."
"Ugh......"
Her face twisted. I'd noticed it before, but this angel had zero talent for hiding her expressions. Her face gave away exactly what she was thinking.
"......Yes. Neither he nor the other angels are observing this place yet. B-But if you kill me, you won't get off unscathed either!"
"Save the bluff. If he could harm me directly, he'd have done it ages ago. He doesn't want me dead—he wants to watch me struggle and flail. That's why he's pulling this petty stunt to steal my encounters. Right?"
"......"
"Keeping quiet won't help. Your face says it all."
I picked up the Breath of the Morning Star she'd dropped. A soft gasp escaped her lips.
"One question. Which is worse for you: failing to retrieve this bracelet, or the Blissful Heavenly Demon finding out you've been exposed to me?"
"......Being exposed."
"Then we're in business. Want to make a deal?"
"A d-deal?"
I shoved the bracelet in her face as she tilted her head in confusion.
"I'm keeping this bracelet. Tell the Blissful Heavenly Demon I got to it first or whatever excuse works. In return, I won't try contacting other angels or him through you. And I'll keep quiet about your identity being exposed."
"......Understood. I'll do that."
"Good. Bonus: next time he pulls some petty scheme like today, tip me off beforehand. So I can prepare."
"Th-That's impossible!"
She cried out with a desperate expression.
"You're asking me to spy? I can't do that! I'd definitely get caught!"
"That's not my problem."
"How could you......"
"You don't watch me 24/7, do you? Just slip me a heads-up when no one's looking, like now."
"It's not that simple......"
She trailed off, glancing at me. Probably hoping I'd cut her some slack, but no chance.
"Better decide quick. Drag it out, and the Blissful Heavenly Demon or another angel might notice."
I flashed a grin, making it clear I had no intention of mercy. Her face grew even more distraught.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A grand temple of white marble.
-Hummm.
Space warped briefly, and a glowing blue gate appeared before the temple.
One angel emerged from within. Arael, having just passed through the gate, let out a deep sigh.
She glanced back at the gate. Beyond it, the glittering crystal cave lay empty. The possessor who'd intimidated her moments ago was already gone.
Bubbling resentment made her bite her lip hard.
Thirteen angels who assisted this world's creator in managing it. Among them, Arael was the youngest, newly ascended.
Her very first mission: retrieve the Breath of the Morning Star.
It was an element meant for a distant future, not the present. She'd been drilled on its importance by the angel who assigned her. Failure was not an option.
Yet she had failed.
And not just any failure—she'd been exposed to the one possessor she absolutely shouldn't have met.
Arael's body trembled. If her sisters or the creator who made her an angel learned of this, severe punishment awaited.
Especially since Ahn Su-ho was the creator's particular favorite. Worst case, she might face erasure.
The thought nearly brought the tears she'd been holding back.
'I should have opened a gate and fled the moment I saw him. Then this wouldn't have happened.'
Angels couldn't directly harm mortals. It was an unbreakable law of the world. At best, managerial powers allowed memory wipes or mental influence—but even that failed against possessor Ahn Su-ho.
The proper response had been to bolt. But hindsight was useless now. She'd already been exposed.
"Arael? You're back."
She turned at the voice behind her. Her expression soured further.
"How was your first trip to the mortal realm? You were so excited for your debut mission. Care to share your thoughts?"
Snow-white short hair like a pristine tundra, golden eyes gleaming with intellect. Above her head, a halo even more radiant than Arael's slowly rotated.
"Ramiel sister......"
Ramiel. Second in the hierarchy of thirteen angels, she was the one who'd given Arael this mission.
Facing her, Arael's body shook naturally. Hierarchies existed even among angels. And now, with a failed mission, her timid nature couldn't maintain composure.
"Arael. Why are you trembling? Something wrong?"
"W-Well......"
Arael squeezed her eyes shut. No point hiding it—she confessed her mission failure straight.
Of course, per Ahn Su-ho's advice, she omitted meeting him. To Ramiel, she said, 'A possessor got there first and took the bracelet.'
"......I see. So that's what happened."
Arael eyed Ramiel warily after her report. Her fate hinged on the reaction. Even as an angel, cold sweat beaded in her palms.
"It's unfortunate you failed, but unavoidable. Good work, Arael."
"P-Pardon?"
The unexpectedly straightforward response left her stunned.
"Your failure was because the possessor beat you to the dungeon, right? I set the retrieval time, not you. You just followed orders, so this failure is ultimately my responsibility."
"R-Ramiel sister?"
"No need to worry, Arael. I'll tell the Blissful Heavenly Demon it was my oversight. Good job on your first mission—you must have been tense. Go rest now."
Arael, expecting harsh punishment, struggled to process it. Only after Ramiel reassured her twice more did she dazedly turn away.
Watching Arael fly off limply, Ramiel smiled faintly.
'Sorry to do this to you, Arael. Failing her first mission will scar her for life.'
But it was necessary. Any other angel would have succeeded, even with the delayed timing.
'I'll face temporary confinement for taking the blame, but it was essential. To overcome the trials ahead, he absolutely needed the Breath of the Morning Star.'
Ramiel had assigned Arael knowing she'd fail. She hadn't anticipated the angel's existence being exposed, but it worked out better.
The angels' existence and their inability to harm him directly.
That knowledge would be a crucial benchmark for Ahn Su-ho going forward. Anything helping him, even slightly, satisfied Ramiel.
Using angelic powers, Ramiel gazed down at the mortal realm. Ahn Su-ho had exited the dungeon, bracelet on his wrist.
She smiled deeply at the sight.
'Please keep struggling hard.'