Gordon Alexander, formerly of the Aires Special Operations Unit.
He lived a life filled with sin.
At first, he believed he was willing to dirty his hands for the nation and the greater good.
However, as he aged and retired, he joined the mercenary business for reasons far from that grand.
If he truly wanted to do the right thing, he could have quietly engaged in volunteer work or humanitarian aid.
His desire to remain on the battlefield could merely stem from an addiction to harming others under various justifications.
In the end, he could not forget that time and fell from a noble Forest Keeper to a mere murderer.
Not at anyone else’s will but his own.
So he thought he would surely fall to hell if it existed.
Without a doubt, he believed so.
—–
As the sensations slowly returned, so did his consciousness.
As he recalled some of his sensations, he quickly remembered his last moments.
‘Ah, am I dead?’
At the moment of death, he always thought he was ready.
Thus, there was no regret.
The end of this miserable life brought him a sense of relief.
Yet, the inexplicable coziness and refreshing feeling in his body were truly strange.
Having long passed the prime of his physical condition, his body, which had been subjected to harsh training in his youth, was now a decaying corpse, festered despite having some muscle left.
But now, it felt wonderfully refreshing, as if he were dreaming.
However, that was a sensation that did not fit with the idea of hell.
Surely, hell was waiting for him.
At that moment.
“Hmm, something seems off. Did my prayer go wrong? My body has definitely healed…”
That was not at all the terrible voice he often heard in nightmares.
It was as sweet and dreamlike as a gentle woman’s voice.
Feeling something strange, he slowly began to lift his eyelids.
The first thing that came into his view was the figure of a woman.
What stood out were the cat ears and the platinum blonde hair of the woman from behind.
Startled by the unknown silhouette, he let out a sound akin to a groan.
“…Where is this…?”
Having heard his murmured words, she put down the book she was reading and turned her head.
“Ah, it seems you’ve come to your senses. I’m relieved.”
She turned to him with a bright smile that seemed to comfort him.
In the face of her appearance, he couldn’t help but be captivated, particularly by her eyes that looked like they were set with pure gold and emeralds.
Her dreamlike aura made the place feel unreal.
Yet, this was undoubtedly reality.
He began to recall the stories he had heard lately.
Just a few months ago, the ‘Missing Persons Return Incident’ in the Rienne Forest.
The individuals involved in that incident collectively described a figure known as the “Angel.”
“She was a stunningly beautiful woman with platinum blonde hair and golden wings, radiating brilliant light.”
“When she woke me from death, I felt refreshed as if I had awakened from a long slumber.”
Gordon had dismissed those claims as nonsensical, but seeing the woman before him, he was convinced.
She was undoubtedly a divine messenger.
She must be the “Angel” they were looking for.
“You are that angel… I thought I was going to hell…”
“What, what did you say!?”
—Bam!
At his words, the woman immediately punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.
——-
“Y-You said angel!”
Luke, who knocked him out so quickly, was now anxiously pacing alone.
He had no time to elegantly use his slip.
It seemed that after using his divine power, his mind was clouded and foggy, increasing the chances of making miscalculations.
Luke was shocked that the first words the awakened old man uttered were “angel.”
Why did that word come out first when he suddenly looked at him?
‘Could it be that the halo was still visible? Or the wings?’
In a hurry, Luke checked the top of his head in the mirror and felt around his back, finally sighing in relief when he found nothing.
Fortunately, it seemed he had not made such a foolish mistake.
In the end, it was fortunate to confirm his lack of such features.
“Phew…”
Luke let out a big sigh.
As long as the halo and wings were not showing, he could somehow gloss over it.
Angels, as everyone knows, are completely fictional entities passed down through a few traditions.
The only beings with wings attached to human-like bodies are monsters like harpies.
Moreover, no race has wings growing out of their backs.
Unless it’s a polymorphed being.
In fact, those who claim to be angels are all just dragons in polymorphed forms.
They are accustomed to magic, including polymorphism, since dragons are granted the right to use magic from birth, unlike humans, making it easy for them to deceive people.
To be fair, they are a race tasked with mediating the mid-realm by the goddess, so they do not greatly differ from the “angel” image spread among humans, but Luke was understandably sensitive about such matters.
‘But why would they mistake me for an angel without wings or a halo?’
Luke frowned as he looked at him.
“Could it be that you mistook me for an angel just because I’m beautiful? That would certainly make me quite angry.”
It was already stressful recently, and he absolutely did not want to be courted by an old man.
Moreover, he was not an angel but the goddess herself, who was said to be a divine messenger.
So, he certainly was not an angel either.
“Haah…”
Luke sighed again as he used healing magic on the unconscious man’s face.
“It seems that avoiding this power is the right answer.”
This should be a power to avoid as much as possible; it was not the type that would improve with practice.
It felt like the more he used it, the bigger the problems became.
—–
After Gordon, who was calling himself an angel and talking nonsense, woke up, Yerna decided to send him back, while Luke hid in another room during the meantime.
“Haah, this is really annoying…”
It was quite bothersome and difficult that every time he used this power, his rationality dulled, and his emotions surged.
Not only could he not use magic properly, but his mind also felt just as clouded, which only intensified his frustration.
Moreover, he had to change all his clothes because he had grown unnecessarily.
“That body is a burden, huh?”
It was Dayton who comforted Luke.
“Thanks for comforting me, Dayton.”
Luke smiled in relief at Dayton, who patted his shoulder.
He had no idea why he was feeling this way and had no solution in his mind, but Dayton’s encouragement was undoubtedly a big help emotionally.
‘Seeing me in this state in front of another man…’
Dayton had never seen Luke struggling for such a reason before.
It was a concern that did not match the always self-possessed, intelligent, and composed Luke.
Well, it was a worry commonly experienced by girls during their adolescence, but in Luke’s case, wasn’t it too extreme?
Luke seemed to take on the emotional mindset of a girl at that age as his body grew.
Still, it must be extremely tough from Luke’s perspective.
People’s minds follow their bodies, after all.
As an example, he was a completely different person now than he was when he was weak from not eating properly, having been forged through practical experiences and intense training.
But what about Luke?
Being a chimera, he transformed into a dragon against his will, then (though he’d only seen it in pictures), became a cat, suddenly grew up—his mind must be in chaos.
How much does he hate being so different from others?
Especially if it is a body gained through painful experimentation, devoid of his own will.
He would probably never empathize with that.
“But why have you been avoiding my gaze since a while ago, Dayton? Or is there something on that wall?”
“Umm, well… it’s nothing.”
Dayton couldn’t continue.
Hadn’t he suddenly grown too much in all aspects?
‘Damn, why do chimeras grow up so fast?’
Luke was ten years old.
Though it hadn’t been half a year, he was indeed his daughter.
And wasn’t there Yerna by his side too?
So he definitely shouldn’t get any strange thoughts.
“Or did I do something wrong? Or is it because I look like this that you don’t want to see my face? Maybe, you still haven’t gotten over that time I expelled you?”
“T-That’s not true!”
“Then why do you keep avoiding me? You’ve even turned your body away…”
Dayton, panicking as Luke clung to him, pushed him away with increasing strength.
Even though he was a daughter, they did not share blood and had only recently started living together.
Before that, he had considered her a child and had no thoughts, but now that she had grown up, didn’t she really look like another woman?
Especially with a body as grown as hers getting closer, it became difficult for Dayton to handle.
‘Why is she acting this way today?’
Was it because of the affection deficit caused by the pressure of her increasingly mature body?
He didn’t know.
But as it stood, he felt a sense of guilt that he could not do anything inappropriate to Yerna, even if he wasn’t sure why.
“Stop, why are you doing this?”
“Ugh, don’t hate me; I’ll do well… Is it because I haven’t called you Dad? Should I call you Dad from now on…?”
“Ah, I’d love to call you that, but it just feels weird with that body! Please stop!”
In an effort to stop Luke, who kept sticking to him, Dayton grabbed Luke’s arms to prevent further closeness.
Even so, Luke was gently pushing forward with his unique strength, so no matter how strong Dayton was, his veins were popping as he genuinely tried to push her away.
“Ugh…”
In that moment.
“I just took him back, Dayton. Now… Wait, what are you two doing?”
What Yerna saw was Dayton, who was holding Luke’s hands and pushing against her, and the appearance made her expression freeze cold.
“Are you touching my daughter? You brutish man?”
“Uh, Yerna? Wait a minute. This is a misunderstanding.”
But Yerna’s action was faster than Dayton’s excuses.
-Slap!
‘See, Yerna moves before excuses!’
It was probably the first couple’s quarrel after their marriage.
