Thwack!
A bell tolled in Raphael's head. To whom was this bell tolling? He wondered. Was it for himself who ended his first failed mission? Or for the lowly human who fiercely fought him? Or for the mundane world that would soon descend into chaos from breaking the order of Heaven?
It's funny.
Raphael found himself bursting into laughter. There was no way to explain his collapsed state, how he ended up in this condition, nor what caused him to fail his mission so tragically.
I need to stand...
But Raphael was out of energy. Drained. He had emptied all the energy he acquired by absorbing his ring.
I was undeniably defeated.
He had thought about when his first failure would occur. But he never even imagined it would involve a mere human who used a shovel as a weapon. That part was the most ridiculous part to him.
"Ha. Haha... Ha." Amid his fading vision, Raphael turned to the side and found Lloyd looking down at him. "Lloyd... Frontera… Do you really insist on killing me and treading the path of evil?"
"No," drawled Lloyd." I'm not going to do that."
Raphael stared at Lloyd.
"Why would I tread the path of evil from here?" The corners of his lips rose a little.
“..."
"That's one serious and ridiculous question."
Raphael continued listening.
Lloyd went on, "I don't have any plans to kill or put an end to you. I'm worried about what would happen afterward if I do that. Come on, please just let us have a discussion. That is, before you pass out."
"What now..." Raphael blinked hard, the eyelids feeling heavy. He couldn't understand what this human wanted if his plan wasn't to kill him and tread the path of evil. "Talk about... What..?"
"I would like to talk about who's liable for this ridiculous situation and the cause behind it."
Lloyd chuckled as he flopped on the ground at Raphael's side. "I made it clear to you a while ago, do you remember? I don't want to get into a conflict with you. However, you proceeded to attack me first, and that's why this happened. Wouldn't you agree?"
"That doesn't make any-"
"Doesn't make any sense?" put in Lloyd irritably. "It's the undeniable truth and fact of the matter. Tell me, did I attack you first? No, right? You started talking about the obstruction of justice or whatever it was and then attacked me. Am I wrong?" Raphael refused to talk. He only blinked.
"Haa..." Lloyd flared his nose. "You really know how to push my buttons. I'll give you that. Here's what happened. You appeared out of the blue to demolish the Jewel of Truth. When I resisted, you threatened to kill me by smashing my head with that absurd-looking iron mace over there."
“...”
"Let me ask you one thing," continued Lloyd. "Is the heavenly realm made up of thugs?"
"Of course not," defended Raphael indignantly.
"Then why did you do it?"
"Well, for the good of the public-"
"Good of the public?" Lloyd raised his voice. "What good?"
Speaking ever so slowly and heavily, Raphael began to present his case. "It was a decision to maintain order in Heaven and this world, as well as for the best interest of the public," Raphael spoke without hesitation. Even though he was losing strength and fading deeper into unconsciousness with every passing second, his voice sounded completely firm. "It is a banned structure. I mean, the Jewel of Truth. The heavens have forbid it from being built in this realm... due to its potential to reveal dangerous secrets. That's why it can't be built here... That was the final decision, so it's only right for the jewel to be demolished."
"It's not right," Lloyd opposed curtly after listening to Raphael's argument.
"Excuse me?"
Lloyd noticed a slight flutter of surprise in Raphael's eyes. "Why is it right?"
"What kind of drivel are you talking-"
"Excuse me," Lloyd said as he raised a finger at Raphael. "Mister Angel. Drivel? Do you even hear yourself? For the good of the public? To maintain order? That's why it was not authorized for construction? Who made this decision?"
"Well, of course, the heavenly realm-"
"Okay, so those gentlemen up there. Did they come down here and even try having a single conversation with us?"
"That is..." Raphael broke off.
"No, right? So, what do you mean by for the good of the public? You all unilaterally made a decision, came to a conclusion, and determined what would happen next. And then, boom! You came down like a bolt of lightning and ordered us to accept your decision because it came from the heavens. Can you really say that behavior aligns with public interest and order? Come on now."
“...”
"Think about it from our perspective," went on Lloyd. "It's irritating. It feels like I've been given the middle finger after all the work I poured into building the jewel. Did you even stop to consider that?" By now, the confidence in his voice started to sound more emotional and irritable. "Seriously, I'm getting more pissed from talking about this. Look now. Is this how you always did your job? This duty of yours as a public official. Was it always carried out this way?"
"That is..." Raphael stopped short before finishing his sentence.
"I'm right. That's exactly how it is. You've always carried out your work like this," Lloyd continued. "Please answer honestly, Mister Angel. Have you ever bothered to listen to the people impacted by your work? I'm sure you never even allowed them to give their input."
Despite Lloyd's accusation, Raphael had nothing to say.
"I'm asking if you ever thought things from other people's perspectives."
Raphael clamped his mouth shut. He wanted to defend himself against the human who had dared to argue with an angel. But somehow, his mouth remained shut tight and refused to budge. Meanwhile, Lloyd continued to speak.
"Did I say anything wrong? I didn't. That's why you have nothing to say. You've always looked down at us from Heaven in the sky, made decisions without any outside input, and forced orders on us. That's how it's been until now. Without exception. Please do correct me if I'm wrong."
“...”
"I'll ask you one more time." Lloyd paused for a second. "Do your actions really uphold public interest and order?"
"O-Of course-"
"It upholds the public interest and order of your realm," Lloyd completed Raphael's sentence.
Raphael was speechless. Lloyd's words left no room for argument. In his silence and fading consciousness, Raphael looked back on his past and his countless successes in completing his duties as a public official. Upon reflection, something became crystal clear.
What that human said isn't wrong.
In hindsight, the human's words were right. He had never bothered to hear the opinions of those impacted by his work during the countless years he spent dealing with an even greater amount of civil complaints. He never considered or asked for their perspective.
I've merely been a robot that mindlessly completes tasks and follows orders from my superiors.
Was that really to promote public interest? To maintain order? Perhaps Lloyd was right, Raphael thought. He was only upholding the public interest and order of his realm.
"I..."
I don't know. I really don't know, Raphael thought. Raphael didn't know what to say. Why his heart suddenly felt bitter. Everything was a blur now. With that final thought, he lost consciousness. Raphael the Thrones. An icon who achieved rapid career advancement and historic success. This marked his first failure and coma.
♣
Coma. Dizziness. Where am I? Why am I lying down? And why do I feel comfortable right now?
Raphael slightly opened his eyes, and the light blinded his vision. But it wasn't sunlight in his eyes.
It's back. My rings of fire.
The two rings floated over his body and were burning with holy fire as they did before. They were warm and reliable, ready to protect him at any time. Raphael felt relieved at this sight.
What a relief. I thought I'd permanently lost them.
Raphael suddenly recalled how he used a curse word for the first time in his life. Consequently, he defiled his purity and lost his rings of fire. But now that the fire was back, he figured that his impure heart had been completely cleansed once again.
Hold on. What about the human?
Raphael shuddered when he started to regain his memories of what he experienced bit by bit.
I was about to demolish the Jewel of Truth, but someone interrupted me... And when I tried to punish Lloyd Frontera...
He had been defeated. By being struck in the forehead with a shovel. His first loss. He had even fainted!
Raphael bolted upright in bed at the frightening memory, dropping the white blanket covering his body to the side. This shocked Lloyd, who was sleeping beside the bed.
"Hmph? Ugh, you surprised me," muttered Lloyd as he wiped his lips.
“...”
"Oh, I must have dozed off. That is, while nursing you."
Raphael simply stared without saying anything.
"I am telling the truth. I'm not sure if you know, but I've been suffering from terrible insomnia lately. Haah. Yet, I still fought against my fatigue and nursed you. Doesn't that make you feel touched?" Lloyd yawned as he stretched his arms.
"You nursed me?"
"Yes." Lloyd chuckled as he wiped off the sleep from his eyes. "I'm serious. You slept like a baby after you passed out."
"Yesterday?"
"Yes. It was yesterday when we got into a bloody fight against each other."
"And you chose not to kill me?"
"Why would I do that?" Lloyd shrugged. "To be honest, my knight wanted to do just that, seeing how dangerous you are. He said that you might attack us again. But, well, as you can see, I'm a generous man."
Raphael cast an alarmed look.
"Ha..." sighed Lloyd dramatically. "I can genuinely say that I have a generous heart. Up until yesterday, you were swinging mace all around and trying to destroy years' worth of my work. But here you are, in my guest's bedroom, being nursed by me while I fight against my fatigue. Ahh, I should actually charge you a lodging and medical fee, you know."
Raphael merely continued to stare at Lloyd, feeling slightly dazed. Listening to this man's chattering, it became clear.
I was truly defeated.
But it looked like the man had forgiven him. Raphael knew that the human had plenty of time to kill him while he was out for an entire day. But Lloyd didn't do that and took care of him instead.
"Then," Raphael found himself speaking up. "I will stay here for a while."
"Eh?" Lloyd softly jerked back in surprise.
"I mean, instead of returning to Heaven, I'd like to stay in your fiefdom for around ten years."
"Wait, hold on—"
"Yes?"
"I'm saying out loud that I need to charge you, and yet, you announce that you will stay here for ten years? Mister Angel, where are your manners? Were you some sort of thug in Heaven?"
"No." Raphael found himself grinning. After organizing his thoughts, he added, "Even if I want to go back now, it is impossible. I lost my halo."
"Halo?" asked Lloyd. "Oh, you mean the ring on your head?"
"Yes. An angel can't enter Heaven without it. It's like a travel pass."
"Then-"
"Don't worry too much," put in Raphael. "It'll re-appear on its own after ten years."
"Isn't ten years too much time?"
"To angels, ten years is equivalent to a period of one month for humans."
"You know a decade is considered a very long period of time here, right?"
"I will be all right. I am an angel." Raphael smiled gently as if he was doing Lloyd a favor.
"No," said Lloyd, almost chuckling. "I'm saying this because it's not okay for us."
Lloyd gave Raphael a dumbstruck look.
What the heck? What? Why is he trying to leech off us now?
But even before Lloyd could give a flat rejection, Raphael spoke first. "To be honest, it's because of the advice I heard from you yesterday."
"Eh?"
"The piece of advice you gave me before I passed out."
"Advice..." Lloyd searched for his memory.
"You told me yourself about how we angels carry out our duties… and that we never consider anyone else's perspective when making a decision. That we never think about those who are impacted by our work."
Lloyd remembered.
"I wanted to deny your words when I first heard it," went on Raphael, "But when I thought over them, you had a point. It made me look back on my work." A remorseful smile suddenly appeared on Raphael's mouth. "It was a shocking revelation. I always thought I was helping the world, but I realized it could've been for my self-righteousness and pride all along. As such, I plan to reflect on what to do from here, what attitude I should have while carrying out my duties, and what I will do if I have a disagreement with my supervisors during this process."
"Oh, so you want to stay here to heal and think over your concerns for free?"
"Yes, I don't know what answers I will find, but I have around ten years to organize my thoughts."
"Um... You know I didn't permit you to stay yet."
"Then, are you going to kick me out?"
"That depends on how you will be able to help us," casually answered Lloyd.
Obviously! I'm not going to take in a useless leech! My house isn't a homeless shelter!
As such, Raphael would have to pay for his meals and prove his worth. This went without saying out loud.
Even Dragon King Verkis, who seems to be doing nothing all day, is contributing in his own way. He's my sponsor in any case.
And here was Raphael, an angel with nowhere to go, declaring he would stay in his fiefdom for free. There was no way Lloyd would approve of this senseless announcement. Lloyd shot a deathly glare at Raphael, who flinched. It was the angel's first time receiving this unfamiliar gaze with such an oppressive force coming from it.
Unaware that the prickling guilt in his heart was due to the pressure Lloyd put on him, Raphael finally made a promise and gave what the other wanted in return. "Well, if you let me stay here, then I will..."
