“…Ugh.”
After stepping out onto the street, Angela cautiously glanced back at the mansion she had just escaped from.
The further she got, the less she could sense the intense aura that had been present before.
However, the lingering remnants of that aura still remained, fueling Angela’s vigilance even now.
‘To think I’d encounter someone with such a heavy burden of sin in the mortal realm…’
This wasn’t the first time she had faced someone with such a profound sin.
Back when she was still a yawning angel in Heaven, there had been an invasion by demons.
Each of them carried immense sin, and as if to prove it, they mercilessly attacked and destroyed the angels.
And among them, the ones with the deepest sins could only be subdued after the archangels intervened…
‘How…? How can a mere human from the mortal realm, not even a denizen of Hell, carry a sin heavier than the demons that even the high-ranking angels struggled against?’
For Angela, this was something she couldn’t overlook.
Sin was a measure of the evil influence one could have on the world.
It proved the potential for harm, and to prevent future danger, such beings had to be eliminated beforehand.
Even if it hadn’t fully manifested yet, it was only a matter of time.
For Angela, who carried the mission to eradicate evil from the world, Jeremiah was a being that had to be eliminated.
‘Yes, I must defeat her. Even if it’s to save Sebastian, who’s being toyed with by that woman…’
Sebastian. The one who had shown kindness to her when she first descended to the mortal realm, lost and confused.
Angela felt a deep sense of gratitude toward him and believed that repaying that kindness while protecting him, a good person, was her duty as an angel.
‘That wicked woman…! How dare she enslave such a pure-hearted person with her power!’
Though she had retreated for now, unable to harm him, she was determined to find a way to save him from the clutches of that evil woman.
With her resolve firmly set, Angela wandered the streets, pondering every possible means to achieve her goal.
‘I’m not strong enough yet. To eliminate someone with such a heavy sin, I need more power than I have now.’
What she needed was faith.
Specifically, faith directed toward her would amplify her strength. But as she thought about it, Angela couldn’t help but recall her first days in the mortal realm and felt a deep sense of frustration.
‘Gathering followers who will support me… Is that even possible?’
Though everyone shared the same faith, Heaven was a place where all faiths gathered without discrimination… So why did the inhabitants of the mortal realm differentiate their beliefs and reject one another?
In such a contentious environment, finding someone who would specifically support her was no easy task.
It was while she was wandering the dark streets, disheartened by this reality, that someone approached her.
“Oh, oh… Finally, I’ve found you.”
A voice filled with excitement, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.
Turning her gaze toward the source, Angela saw a man in a black hood approaching.
No sin was visible on him.
Having just encountered someone with immense sin, this fact alone made her guard lower.
“Who… are you?”
“Hoho, don’t worry. I’m just a humble lamb searching for someone to serve.”
As he spoke, the man clasped his hands together.
A light emanated from his hands, a clear sign that he possessed a pure heart.
Holy power. A noble force that only those whose faith had reached the heavens could awaken.
“You… have walked a path of endless goodness.”
Yes, someone with such a pure heart could never bring harm to the world.
The light he emitted was clearer than any other believer Angela had met in the mortal realm, and she felt her trust in him growing.
“Hoho, compared to an angel, I am but a humble servant.”
The clergyman responded to Angela’s goodwill with humility.
Then, after glancing around, he asked her a question.
“But, angel, why are you wandering the streets alone? If you’ve descended to the mortal realm, shouldn’t there be believers who recognize you by your side…?”
“Ah, well…”
What was there to hide from someone she already trusted?
Angela explained everything she had experienced without holding back.
She had descended to spread goodness in the mortal realm, but the clergy here had rejected and driven her away… Perhaps something an angel should be ashamed of.
“I see… The churches failed to recognize you and rejected you…”
The clergyman listened to her story with a serious expression, then sighed and expressed his regret.
“How ironic. Churches that gather to pursue righteousness fail to recognize the one who truly embodies their faith and reject her…”
“Is it… normal in the mortal realm for people to have different religions?”
“With as many people as there are, there are as many ways to see the world. In a way, it’s inevitable. But when you think about how those in Heaven watch over everyone equally, it’s truly lamentable that people try to impose forms on faith.”
The clergyman answered Angela’s question with a tone of sorrow.
Then, in a more serious voice, he firmly urged Angela to agree with him.
“You must feel the same way, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
“That even though everyone shares the same faith, they differentiate its form, disrespect each other, and engage in conflict… As an angel who wishes for the world’s peace, this must be something you never wanted.”
The clergyman spoke as if he understood her.
But Angela could only respond hesitantly.
She had only just descended to the mortal realm, so there was still much she didn’t know.
Even if they had rejected her, their faith was still genuine, and they were pursuing their own righteousness. To say they were wrong… As an angel, she needed to approach such thoughts carefully.
“If you believe it’s wrong, then please guide me to fulfill that purpose.”
As Angela pondered, the clergyman quietly extended his hand and urged her in a gentle voice.
“Come, take my hand.”
“Ah, yes…”
Her thoughts still in disarray, Angela absentmindedly took his hand.
But the tingling sensation she felt from his touch made her frown.
“Ugh…!”
A strange power flowed through his hand and into her.
A power so vile it could only be described as evil—something she would never expect from a holy clergyman.
‘This is… demonic energy!’
Black magic.
A human-modified version of the power wielded by demons.
Though as an angel, she should have been wary, Angela didn’t pull her hand away.
Because she sensed no sin from him.
If he were using this black magic to bring harm to the world, sin would have manifested. But all Angela saw in him was a pure and noble heart.
‘There must be a reason. A reason why such a noble person would dabble in demonic power.’
So Angela accepted his power without resistance.
Without a single ounce of defiance.
Until the power eroded her mind and subdued her consciousness.
“…Hoho, the time has finally come.”
As time passed, Angela stood there, her consciousness lost.
The clergyman, with a deep smile on his face, spoke to her.
“Now, angel. Let us go together.”
To bring true salvation to this world.
On a journey to create a ‘unified world’ free from any conflict.
***
After Angela left, I followed Jeremiah to her room.
There, in the open closet, were black magic tomes and various tools related to them…
The traces of her involvement in black magic were evident.
“How long have you been practicing black magic?”
“Since before I summoned Sebastian. There wasn’t much else for me to do in this mansion.”
Of course. To summon a demon from Hell—and not just any demon, but a general of the Demon King’s Army—required no small amount of skill.
Naturally, it wasn’t something one could achieve with half-hearted effort, so practicing black magic must have become a part of her daily life.
Though until recently, even I hadn’t noticed any signs of it…
“And recently, something happened…”
“…Miss.”
“I don’t remember it well, but something dangerous happened to me, right?”
Yes, she must have noticed.
No matter how vague her memories were or how much she tried to suppress them, the lingering sense of unease couldn’t be erased.
“Sebastian can’t always protect me. So I thought I needed the power to protect myself.”
Her clenched fist gradually tightened.
From the helplessness and fear she felt when I wasn’t there.
“Because I cherish the life I have now.”
As much as she valued the life we shared, the thought of losing it terrified her.
“If… my family or someone else threatens me, I need to have the power to fight back.”
Yet, her gaze toward me was filled with uncertainty.
Of course.
For someone as fragile as her, the awareness that she might be walking a wrong path was inevitable.
“Is it wrong? To practice black magic while wishing for a peaceful life?”
Was it not born from a vague desire for revenge?
With the whispers of demons that once sought to corrupt her now gone, the awareness that she had dabbled in forbidden power couldn’t be erased.
What answer could I give to such a delicate master of mine…?
“As a servant, how could I deny the choices of the one I serve?”
There was no need to ponder. The answer was already clear.
“If you hadn’t practiced black magic, I wouldn’t be here now. My deepest wish was fulfilled simply by being summoned to this world. To judge you by mortal standards would be laughable.”
“…Sebastian.”
“And haven’t I already told you? No matter what path you choose, I will walk it with you.”
If she wished for a peaceful life, I would help her build it.
If she sought revenge… If the world’s malice toward her left her no choice but revenge, I would walk that path with her.
For she had already become my master.
Because of her, I could maintain my identity as a human, not a demon.
“…Thank you for supporting me, Sebastian.”
Jeremiah smiled quietly, expressing her gratitude.
It was a relief that she seemed to have shed her guilt, but there was still something bothering me.
While I accepted her learning black magic, if that black magic symbolized the sin she carried, it meant she would be at odds with the beings of Heaven.
Perhaps she had the potential to become a calamity in the future…
To leave such a woman, still unfamiliar with mortal life, alone…
“Are you worried about her?”
As I pondered how to resolve these thoughts, Jeremiah approached me, having noticed my gaze fixed out the window.
“No, it’s just…”
“You’ve been looking out the window since earlier.”
Ah, my anxiety must have shown.
I forced a smile and confessed what I had been hiding.
“I’m not certain, but… I feel like something unfortunate will happen if we leave her alone.”
After all, she had no one to rely on.
There were surely many who would approach her with malicious intent.
If she were manipulated by them and ascended to become a calamity, now might be the only time to prevent such a future.
Yet, the reason I hesitated to go to her was that my priority was Jeremiah.
“But since she might pose a threat to you, getting further involved…”
“Go.”
“…Miss?”
“I’ll be fine. The security around here has been tight lately, and I have the power to protect myself now.”
Her unexpected words left me stunned.
Yet, she smiled as if it were nothing.
“And I trust Sebastian.”
She approached me and took my hand, which had been hanging limply.
Her gaze showed no hesitation.
As if she had already sensed my feelings for her…
“You invited her to the mansion for my sake, didn’t you?”
Yes, at some point, we had come to trust each other.
Realizing this, I squeezed her hand once, then let go and headed out of the mansion.
“I’ll be back soon.”
I was certain she would be waiting for me when I returned.
With that confidence, I stepped out into the street, summoned Baskerville, and took out something I had been carrying.
It was one of Angela’s feathers, collected just in case.
“Baskerville, track this scent.”
The pursuit that followed was frantic.
In the brief moment I had taken my eyes off her, she might have already taken her first step toward becoming a calamity.