Raphael the Throne was a renowned angel with an unrivaled reputation. Was it because he possessed special powers? Or because of his irreproachable personality? No. In the distant past, Raphael used to be like the rest of the angels. He belonged to the Angels choir, the lowest of the ranks, spending all his days studying at the Angel Academy. Raphael had aspired to pass the heavenly public official examination until he luckily succeeded and became a public official of the heavens.
That was how ordinary he was, and those around him expected nothing more from him. Since Raphael had merely just passed the examination for the Angels choir, everyone believed that his career would follow the standard path: To be harassed with complaints coming up from the lower realm until he was promoted to an Archangel. Only this time, he'd be harassed by Principalities angels. And if he was unlucky, he would end his career as one of the Principalities angels. If he did okay, he'd join the Powers. That was the typical career track for angels. But if he got lucky, he would be one of the Virtues angels until he honorably retired. This was a realistic and ordinary future to dream of, and everyone expected nothing more from Raphael.
But Raphael proved them all wrong in contrast to his unremarkable performance as a student. When he was left to deal with complaints, Raphael showed a completely different side of him. He became steadfast in his job and never procrastinated on any task that was given to him. Every complaint that came in the form of prayer each day was fielded and resolved like clockwork, and the administrative measures, once decided, were executed on the spot without exception or concession. No form of compliment or flattery could curry favor with him, and his principled work ethic eventually prompted him to boast an unrivaled productivity among his peers.
As a result, Raphael's career advanced at a historic speed. In less than 100 years since he was appointed as part of the Angels, he was promoted to be an Archangel. Within 50 years, he rose to join the choir of Principalities. This shocked everyone.
But that was just the beginning. He continued to excel in his job and showed exemplary skills in managing corruption in all the offices he supervised. The offices managed by him served as a leading example for others to follow in heaven. Eventually, the stigma that heavenly officials were lazy sleazebags disappeared.
Thanks to this, Raphael earned countless commendation medals and awards and became a superstar among the panel for promotion. After he advanced above the choir of Powers and Virtues, high-flying Raphael easily joined the Dominion before becoming one of the Thrones angels in just a few thousand years.
His career flourished once more when he earned the position of the "Director of Inspection of the Under Realms," equivalent to being the right-hand man of Gabriel the Seraphim, the highest-ranking angel in heaven. Raphael had started out as part of the Angels but climbed up to the rank of the Throne. His rapid advancement hadn't stopped, however. Chances were that he could become a Cherubim or Seraphim. Appropriately, Raphael's presence exuded a distinct air of magnificence in heaven, and that hadn't changed as he stood in front of the Frontera Fiefdom.
"Hmm." Raphael's emerald eyes raked over the creatures past his iridescent light. Countless humans. Skeleton soldiers. The Bone Dragon. Lines formed in between his brows.
Skeletons. Bone Dragon. I can't believe there are so many creatures that defy nature, and what is worse is the humans. They are not terrified by these creatures. What happened here...?
The place was a mess, and Raphael wondered why.
A strong mana has been used to freeze the flow of time. This is giving me a headache. That human in particular.
Raphael's gaze stopped at one spot, and he saw the man shudder at his gaze. "I am making this inquiry as part of my duties as a public official of heaven. Are you Lloyd Frontera?"
Frontera? Frontera... Frontera...?
His voice emitted a divine ripple that spread across the surrounding area, causing the skeleton soldiers and the Bone Dragon to tremble. The same went for Lloyd.
Ack!! My ears!
Lloyd's body firmly trembled against his will. The booming echo of the divine voice from this strange figure in front of him was too much for Lloyd's ears, which were overly sensitive due to his swordmaster syndrome. It felt like his ears were about to burst.
"Argh... Yes. And?" Frowning, Lloyd finally managed to answer. Deep down, he wanted to bicker and protest the thoughtless intrusion, which could have potentially caused an accident or injury. But he suppressed the desire when his vigilant mind noticed the holy light glowing around the figure and the imposing aura he gave off in his voice.
I don't know what he is, but he's surely someone important. I shouldn't thoughtlessly antagonize him now. First, I'll figure out who he is and what he wants.
Quickly reading the room, Lloyd asked, "Excuse me, but who are you?" He frowned, the pain in his ears still there.
"I am Raphael the Throne, the Director of Inspection." Raphael frowned, too. "Lloyd Frontera and the silver- haired human beside you. I take it that you two have recently visited Hell. You both reek of its stench."
"Th-that's-"
"It is all right. That is not the reason I came down." Raphael flatly interrupted before Lloyd could explain himself and held up a holy scroll in his hand. After opening it in a dignified manner, he recited its content in a steadfast and solemn voice. "An order to demolish an illegal structure of the mundane world. Developer. Human Lloyd Frontera. Demolition building. The Jewel of Truth. Aotearoa."
"Excuse me?" Lloyd shot a look of surprise.
"The following structure," Raphael nonchalantly went on, "Has been banned from construction due to its ability to reveal secrets that must not be revealed. Therefore, as per Paragraph 1 of Article 8 in the Special Enforcement Act of the Maintenance of Illegal Architecture and Paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the Executive Order under the same act, I hereby decree the demolition of this qualifying structure."
Bazed by the news, Lloyd said, "Wait, please wait..."
Raphael ignored Lloyd. "Notice. In the event you object to the demolition order, you can file a complaint for the cancellation of the order through a desperate prayer within 30 days of the demolition order being issued. However, per Paragraph 3 of Article 8 of the abovementioned law, the demolition must take place if your plea is dismissed."
"What is happening?" Lloyd let out an exasperated sigh.
"In other words, the Jewel of Truth you are currently constructing is a class one illegal structure in the upper realms. As such, you must cease its construction at once and demolish it."
Lloyd cocked his head in sheer confusion, trying to make sense of this senseless interruption.
At last, Raphael folded the scroll and looked at Lloyd. "Are there any objections?"
"Yes!" Lloyd bellowed at once. How could he not? He didn't know what else to say.
What? The Jewel of Truth is illegal? What in tarnation does he mean? Why should I stop my construction and demolish the jewel?
This didn't make any sense to Lloyd. He had worked hard to collect the key construction materials for the Jewel of Truth. He was nearly about to finish its construction.
This angel turns up from the sky and says what? That I must demolish the jewel because it's illegal? What does he expect me to do? Kneel down on the ground and obey his order because the decision came from the higher- ups in the heavenly realms or wherever it was. Like heck, I would. Ha! This is outrageous.
A sudden desire to slap that bastard of an angel with his shovel came over him for blurting out such nonsense. Lloyd wanted to demand why he needed permission from them when the construction was happening in his own world. He wanted to kick the glowing creature out of his fiefdom for trespassing on his territory.
But Lloyd decided not to do that. Instead, he let go of the shovel. Instead of raising his voice, he cleared his throat. Instead of kicking the angel out, he relaxed his eyes and put on a friendly expression on his face. And he feigned an ever so gentle smile.
"Excuse me? Mister Throne Angel?" Lloyd's voice sounded desperate.
"It's Raphael," remarked Raphael calmly.
"My, okay. Mister Raphael?" asked Lloyd pleasantly.
Raphael didn't say anything.
Taking this as a sign to continue, Lloyd added, "It must have been very difficult to come all the way down here with your busy schedule. Have you had a chance to eat?"
"I did."
"Haha, you did? How about then having a cup of tea as a snack? It must be your first visit here in a while." Lloyd smiled.
However, Raphael was adamant. "I already had a cup."
"Oh, I see..." Lloyd was starting to run out of ideas. "Then how about we move over there to the break room and have a calm discussion about this matter in more depth? I just happen to put down a comfy sofa."
"I would rather talk here."
"Ehem..."
Lloyd feigned his harsh cough as if he was spitting up blood. He was extremely rattled. It wasn't the angel's abrupt emergence or the demolition order that rattled him the most. It was something else.
This one's a straight arrow.
Lloyd perceived that this angel was unyielding and steadfast. But he didn't give up. Still putting on a friendly smile, he tried to cut a deal with the angel.
"Ehem," said Lloyd. "Then may I ask you something?"
"If you have an inquiry to make, go ahead."
"Yes. If I build the Jewel of Truth here, is it going to harm the upper realms you belong to?" asked Lloyd. "It will not. But your realm will be greatly impacted by it."
"Pardon?"
"The Jewel of Truth," explained Raphael, "is a structure that gives you insight into the secrets of the future. These secrets have the potential to bring chaos and tragedy to countless groups of creatures here."
Nodding, Lloyd replied, "Aha. Is that why the structure has been banned?"
"Indeed." Raphael nodded seriously. As for Lloyd, he thought...
What a load of crap. He's stopping me because it can potentially cause danger? Then you might as well get rid of the knives, too! It's a tool that can lead to murders, after all!
Lloyd felt wronged. Who do they think they are to determine such dangers and order him around? Suppressing the righteous anger surging in him, Lloyd smiled calmly. "Um, then, can I not use it carefully? Moreover, the said structure was something that already existed in the mythical ages."
"Until it was destroyed after being determined as an illegal structure."
"That is because of the great war that broke out-"
"The great war itself," Raphael adamantly refuted, "Took place because of the intervention of the heavenly realms. The event was given as an opportunity for the creatures of this realm to demolish the Jewel of Truth with their own hands."
Not getting what Raphael meant, Lloyd asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"We are done talking, so I will execute the demolition order at once."
"Excuse me?"
Instead of explaining further, Raphael immediately jumped into action, catching Lloyd by surprise. The angel passed him, flew in the direction of the Jewel of Truth, and held up the giant mace. His intent was clear.
Crap! Really? He's going to demolish the jewel just like that?
This angel was absolutely incorrigible. His ruthless actions reflected his belief that all mundane creatures had to acquiesce to any orders from heaven. This was the part that flipped Lloyd's lid.
What a load of crap!
Lloyd wondered if this was what it was like for people who got kicked out of their homes by malicious land developers. He felt a sharp surge of anger, and before he knew it, he was dashing forward with a shovel in his hand. He passed the workers who were in shock from the angel's appearance, jumped over the construction equipment and materials, and stood in front of the angel.
But Lloyd didn't express his anger. Instead, he opted for a course of action far wiser than that. He suddenly got down on his knees. With a pious gaze toward the angel and in a genuine and altruistic voice, Lloyd thus recited his desperate plea.
"I pray to the Father, the Son, no, to the sky, cloud, wind, and all the pure souls of this land, including the angel in front of me!"
"What...?" Raphael flinched. Prayer? Now? Like this? Unperturbed by Raphael's gawping, Lloyd continued to speak aloud his pious prayers.
"Yes, I am. I lift my desperate prayer to you, dear angel. I will pray now, tomorrow, and the day after that. On and on. I will pray here until you grant my prayer until my hands and knees wear away into nothing. Will my prayer then reach your ears someday? If you say yes, which I beg you to, I will shed tears of repentance in sheer gratitude and praise your mercy."
"H-hold on..."
"That is why I continue praying! I will not stop until my desperate prayer reaches your heart! Right here! Endlessly! I shall pray!"
"Excuse me? Wait, stop for a moment." Flustered, Raphael stopped Lloyd. With a serious look on his face, Raphael asked, "Tell me, are you lodging an official complaint through this prayer?"
"Yes," Lloyd nodded right away. "Didn't you say it just now? That I can appeal for the cancellation of the demolition order through a prayer?"
Raphael didn't say anything.
Reading Raphael's expression on his face, Lloyd replied, "It appears that my prayer has reached the heavens. I am very relieved."
Still, Raphael didn't reply.
Lloyd smiled in satisfaction. Raphael's eyes, on the other hand, held a glint of dismay. And he wondered if this human might be a demon.
