"Um, well, if you let me stay here, then I will... provide you with news from Heaven. How does that sound?"
"Oh, news from your realm?" asked Lloyd. He was piqued.
"Ah, yes. Since I need to provide help for you to permit my stay here."
"We're off to a good start. Please elaborate on what you said. Ehem!"
Lloyd forced himself to cough so he could stop the corners of his mouth from rising. But he couldn't stop his tongue from hula-dancing in his mouth.
Great. This is perfect.
Lloyd had a faint suspicion about the angel's naivety. And as expected, his hunch was proven correct. Raphael had a pure heart that hadn't been tainted by the evils of the human realm. He knew this by the other man's inclination to quickly give in to his demand with a petty attitude and just a little bit of pressure. Just like now.
"Elaborate?" said Raphael. "Hmm, what should I say? Even though I cannot return to Heaven because I lost my halo, it's still possible for me to communicate with them to some extent. This is especially true as I hold a fairly important position."
"Does that mean you can hear guidelines from your superiors?" asked Lloyd
"Yes," affirmed Raphael. "It's something like that."
"Then," gulped Lloyd, "Does that mean you could inform me when any additional decisions or reactions come from the heavens regarding the Jewel of Truth?"
"I assume so." Raphael nodded.
Suddenly, Lloyd became curious. Cocking his head to the side, he asked, "But are you okay doing so?"
"Come again?"
"Mister Angel, no, Raphael."
"Yes?"
"The thing is, you are an angel from above with considerably high status. Are you sure it's all right for you to provide me with intelligence on your realm?"
"Ah, yes," replied Raphael, understanding what Lloyd was referring to. "Since my work was suspended the moment I lost my halo."
Lloyd nodded. "Hmm.."
"I am simply informing you on the decisions made by the higher-ups, and it is up to you to decide how to use it. Moreover, they will likely not discourage me from doing so."
"That is a relief on my part," replied Lloyd. "But how can I trust you?"
"What... do you mean?"
"You could be feeding me false information on purpose."
"Lying, you mean?"
"Yeah." Lloyd nodded his head again. "You could pretend to be cooperative, only to demolish the Jewel of Truth behind my back."
Raphael looked Lloyd in the eye. "That is not true. I have no plans of doing that."
"And why is that?"
"Because of your words. It's questionable to me whether the unilateral decision to demolish the Jewel of Truth without discussing the matter with you all was right... I've developed some doubts about it, you see." Raphael smiled gently.
Raphael was speaking from his heart. A part of him obviously was crestfallen over the first failure of his career, but on the other hand, there was a sense of liberation in his heart to his surprise. He also came to perceive his occupational calling with a bit of resignation as it became plain to him that his success was wrongfully earned.
Pointing at his fiery ring, Raphael said, "I am born to only tell truths, not lies. I lose my purity the moment I lie. You have seen it. How the fire on my rings went off the moment I said a curse word."
"Uh-huh."
"If you are still doubtful, you can test me."
"May I?"
"Of course." There was confidence in Raphael's voice.
Lloyd thought for a second before extending his hand out. "Okay. This is my hand. Is that right?"
"You are right." Raphael's answer, being truthful, didn't extinguish the fire in his rings. Lloyd followed up with another question.
"On to the second test, then. The knight you went up against before. He is a good-looking man. Is that right?"
"I cannot agree with you more." Raphael's answer, which sounded very natural, didn't extinguish the fire in his rings this time as well. Lloyd rushed to move on to the third question.
"Objectively speaking, I, too, am a man with a decently handsome appearance. Is that right?"
"You... are right."
Puff. The fire on his rings was extinguished.
Suddenly, an air of embarrassment hung in the room. Tears welled up in Lloyd's eyes.
A second later, the awkward silence was broken by Lloyd's enraged shouting. "I think your rings are broken!"
“...”
"That's right," insisted Lloyd. "They're broken. Those things are totally unreliable. Hahahaha!"
Raphael put on a pitying smile.
"Honestly, doesn't it seem that the fire on your rings comes and goes just based on your mood, not purity? Right? That's it. My, you spooked me for a second."
"Excuse me, here." Raphael was holding a handkerchief.
"What's with the handkerchief?"
"I don't know what you are thinking," comforted Raphael. "But please wipe the tears off your face..."
Fwish! The fire in his rings returned. Larger drops of tears rolled down Lloyd's cheeks. At last, he was forced to admit it. The angel's rings of fire were working properly. There was no doubt that he could fully trust the information Raphael delivered to him.
Great. I've got exactly what I wanted.
Even though he was hurt by the unexpected truth bomb, Lloyd was quite satisfied with the deal he was able to squeeze out from Raphael, who planned to settle in his fiefdom for the next ten years.
The novel mentioned that the angels could communicate with the heavens in any situation they were in and receive instructions from their superiors. So, I thought that the most simple and effective way for Raphael to help me inside my fiefdom would be by keeping up with any updates from Heaven.
It was possible that receiving updates on what was happening inside Heaven in real-time and thus being able to prepare a response made this the most important piece of information for him to obtain in the present.
The construction of the Jewel will be completed soon.
He was moving into the final stage of the construction before being interrupted, anyhow. As such, with a little more effort, it'd be completed soon.
I'll use the jewel right away once it's finished being constructed.
He just needed to find out how to stop the restoration of destiny. And then what?
In the worst-case scenario, the heavens might issue a stricter measure. But I don't care. If the risks are too high, then I'll go and destroy the building myself. By then, I'll have received the solution to stop the restoration of destiny.
That was Lloyd's conclusion. All he needed was to construct the Jewel of Truth and find out how he could stop the restoration of destiny, and being updated on the situation in Heaven was critical to take action if they decided to push forward with the demolition. The chances of successfully stalling or resisting them only increased if he could plan ahead, and that was impossible without receiving intel. With that thought, Lloyd smiled with a glow of satisfaction.
"Whew, all right. You seem reliable enough."
"Is that so? Can I stay here, then?" asked Raphael joyfully.
"Yes, on the condition that you keep me updated in real-time on whatever is going on in Heaven."
"I understand. Please take good care of me."
"Haha, me too." Lloyd flashed a big smile. "Okay, then, should we draw up a contract?"
"Excuse me...?"
Lloyd didn't respond. He instead fished out two blank pages of paper.
Raphael tilted his head in confusion. "What's that?"
"Can't you tell? It's a contract. A lease agreement."
“...”
"Like everything else," explained Lloyd, "Any promises or transactions should be recorded down in the form of contracts. That's common sense. Maybe this isn't the case in Heaven, but only the strongest make it out alive here."
“...”
"So, to summarize what we've agreed to a moment ago..."
Lloyd's aptitude for drawing up a contract allowed the whole process to be completed in no time. Raphael, flustered by the other man's attitude, dazedly stamped the contract. Just like that, the lease agreement between the two opposing sides was signed and sealed.
♣
Two days passed. During this time, the construction site was neatly organized after becoming a mess from the fight that ensued after Raphael's arrival. There were quite a large number of workers, so the clean-up was able to be swiftly completed.
"Of course, there's no time to take a break! Now, let's get to work. The Skeleton Corps! Chant your slogan!"
"Overwork!"
"Burn the midnight oil!"
"Work until you die!"
The Skeleton Corps was put to backbreaking labor all throughout the day and night. They were completely fine with the schedule, even without any food or sleep. They were model laborers who believed that working overtime late into the night was the greatest virtue of all time.
I mean, of course. They like to rest and have fun too. But I've got to focus on the situation at hand.
The construction of the jewel had to be finished swiftly. Otherwise, the heavens could make another decision to demolish the Jewel of Truth right before its completion.
So, I have to hurry. It's a speed war from now onward.
Lloyd made a firm resolution. The construction resumed the moment the final piece of trash was picked up. The remaining parts of the dam were put up nicely and solidly to endure any water pressure it would experience.
I can't trap water inside it like a regular dam. So, I should do this.
This was the very reservoir where the Jewel of Truth would be operated, which meant that a huge tidal wave would occur.
It can't hold up the wave by force.
Lloyd once did the math and concluded that the dam's sturdiness alone wouldn't be able to endure the force of the wave. As such, he decided to lower the center top area and create a sharp protrusion, the design being like a carton of milk with an open edge.
The sharp opening will minimize the water pressure and allow water waves to flow out.
Like how a milk carton spills the liquid through its pointy opening, the wave would trickle downstream from this hole when the Jewel of Truth was in operation.
I've done countless simulations already and completed all the inspections.
Lloyd was absolutely certain that it'd go as he intended. At the same time, he put his back into the final stage of the jewel construction. The architecture's facade looked exactly like the Tomb of the General, a large pyramid, and Corgidus was an immense source of help here.
"My goodness! You can't dig like that! Come on!"
Solitas, receiving tons of earfuls from Corgidus, continued to imprint decorations on the wall. Just like this, every process was done smoothly and swiftly. Lloyd's level of satisfaction increased day after day as he supervised the scene. At the same time, Javier's doubts toward Lloyd grew deeper as well.
"That is why I am telling you," Javier said, "I find you very suspicious."
"What?" What in the gibberish is this now? Lloyd frowned when he heard Javier speak in his usual icy voice as the two made their way home after a day of work. "Suspicious? What is?"
Could it be that Javier noticed that I'm not real? Lloyd asked himself. The twinge of guilt made his voice edgy. Javier, however, spoke in a calm voice.
"Your skills," replied Javier.
"My skills?"
"Yes."
Lloyd gulped. "What about them?"
"Up until a few months ago, you were barely able to become a high-level sword expert."
"Oh, that?" Lloyd felt a swell of relief. "As expected, you realized it before I even told you."
"Of course," replied Javier. "I have seen the aura formed on the tip of your shovel."
"You did? When I struck the angel on his head?"
"Yes, but that is not the only thing I saw."
Lloyd became tense again. "What else did you see?"
"I also saw the angel's unnatural movements, as if he was being manipulated by you."
Lloyd decided to play ignorant. "Yeah, you're delusional."
Javier was offended by this. "I am not delusional."
"You were mistaken," huffed Lloyd. "What am I? Some sort of superhuman? A magician? And even if I'm one, you really think I could control no other than an angel?"
"Well…"
"No matter how you look at it, doesn't that seem ridiculous?"
Javier suddenly realized Lloyd was right. "Indeed. In hindsight, I must have gone mad and overestimated your abilities."
“...”
"Indeed. You are not capable of such things. Well, I supposed that the rank of a swordmaster isn't difficult to get with some luck amidst an extremely pressing situation like fighting an angel."
“...”
"But the ability to control an angel?" Javier coolly spoke. "I must have lost it for a second. I mean, who are you? You are merely Master Lloyd. Ha! Logic and common sense compel me to conclude that you are absolutely incapable of such a feat."
“...”
"Um, but, Young Master."
"What."
"Why are you tearing up?"
"No, I'm not. My eyes are just shiny."
"And your nose bridge is red."
"I caught the flu."
"Your lips are trembling too."
"Must be my nerves."
"Why?"
"Because of you, my goodness. You put me down like this all day, every day. You're a heartless monster."
"I told you many times before, but I have never used violence against you, Master Lloyd."
"Tsk, you are brazen."
"That is your specialty, may I remind you."
"That's correct," chuckled Lloyd. He was relieved. It looked like Javier didn't cast too much suspicion on Lloyd's extremely rapid growth and the Attack Design skill used against Raphael.
I mean, I can feel that he thinks it's strange, but he's got no choice but to trust me. And the Attack Design is not easily detectable, so I can just pretend to be ignorant. But as for becoming a swordmaster in a few months... Tsk. Oh, well. I couldn't think of a better solution given the situation, so there's nothing I can do now even if he found it odd.
Lloyd concluded that he should just act shamelessly. He was about to present his shameless defense when...
"Fellow over there! Lloyd Frontera!"
It was Raphael flying with his wide-open wings from the Frontera manor.
"The news you have been waiting for! An update about the Jewel of Truth! An additional measure has been enacted by the heavens!" cried out Raphael as if he was announcing urgent news.
