"Hmm...?" Stopping, Gabriel thought to himself...
What is with this sudden change in his attitude?
Until a moment ago, the human was cautiously watching for Gabriel's reactions, afraid he would say the wrong thing, slight him, and be punished. The man's effort to appease him was obvious, as was his careful and measured demeanor. However, now...
All I did was tell him the truth: every angel, regardless of their rank, is merely someone who works for the heavens. We are not, and should not be, objects of worship. That's what I told him, and now...
There was now a dramatic shift in the man's attitude. He was no longer looking at the angel's face, and his careful expression and demeanor had vanished.
Gabriel was completely taken aback by his abrupt change. "What...? You want to sit down and nitpick why my argument is nonsense...?"
"Yes. Please forgive me, but that's what I would like to do," Lloyd licked his lips before launching into his rebuttal, which he had prepared and let marinate in his head like a well-aged wine on his entire way to Heaven. "First and foremost, please allow me to ask you a question. Regarding the Jewel of Truth that your realm is taking an issue with, may I know when the building was made illegal?"
"Based on the mundane realm's standard of time?" asked Gabriel with a frown.
"Yes."
"That is easy. Exactly 4,640,655 days, twelve hours, twenty minutes, and sixteen seconds ago," counted Gabriel.
Lloyd looked up, thinking. "Oh, um, then... 12,714 years, one month, and fifteen days ago?"
"Yes, something like that."
Lloyd gave a nod. "Then, the Jewel must have been determined to be unlawful before I started its construction?"
"Indeed."
In a thoughtful tone, Lloyd remarked, "But why didn't I receive any notice or instruction at the time I started. the construction?"
"What?" Gabriel was taken aback by Lloyd's sharp question.
Lloyd's knife-sharp criticism continued. "I clearly remember. No one notified or warned me in any way that the Jewel of Truth was an illegal structure when I decided to start this project. That certainly seems like an issue, doesn't it?"
Gabriel frowned, starting to sense where Lloyd was going.
"Think about it," Lloyd continued. "The Jewel of Truth has been outlawed by the heavens. To build that would be a very serious crime. Thus, whoever breaks the law will get into a lot of trouble for it in the future. That's what the Throne angel who came down to my fiefdom told me."
"That is of course-"
"Oh, sure," Lloyd interrupted without giving Gabriel a second to defend himself. "I know where you are coming from. I already heard about the potential the Jewel has to leak sensitive secrets about Heaven. Doesn't that make the problem even worse? Why wasn't I warned during the initial phase of the construction when the Jewel is highly illegal to build?"
Gabriel was speechless. Lloyd was the one who constructed an illegal building, so he was in the wrong here.However, he was also the one raising his voice now. What was even stranger was that Lloyd made perfect sense! Lloyd's voice grew more confident. "I say this is a problem. You said the Jewel was outlawed and under strict regulation. If that was the case, shouldn't you have popped up just as I was about to build it, saying, 'You can't do that, my friend!?""
"Young man, you see-"
"No, I'm not done yet," insisted Lloyd. "Do you see how wronged I was? I had no idea. Nobody told me about any of this. There were no warnings or notices. So, how was I supposed to know the Jewel had been outlawed?"
Gabriel didn't say anything.
"I'm not lying. I merely thought that it would be amazing to build such an amazing piece of architecture from the mythical ages!" Lloyd's voice sounded like a wronged, innocent victim.
"Um, I am sorry about that. However-"
"Please," Lloyd said dismissively, waving his hands. "Listen to me first. No one informed me that the Jewel was outlawed, so I poured all my blood, sweat, and tears into its construction. In the end, only to be informed that I was building an illegal structure and had to destroy it Otherwise, I'd be punished. What in the world is this situation?"
Gabriel readjusted himself in his seat. He did not enjoy this conversation.
"Please put yourself in my shoes. Isn't it only natural for me to be annoyed?" "Um, about that-"
"I would appreciate it if you don't cut me short," replied Lloyd curtly.
"Oh, sorry, I thought you were asking a question-"
Lloyd clapped indignantly. "Because that's how unfair the whole thing is to me. Don't you think you'd feel the same way if you went through something similar? I'm sure you'd complain too."
This time, instead of replying, Gabriel remained silent, for he didn't want to provoke Lloyd again.
"Answer me, please," demanded Lloyd irritably.
"Can I... give you an answer now?" asked Gabriel carefully.
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Whew. You are an unusually difficult person to deal with," confessed Gabriel as he sighed.
"I'd appreciate it if you said I was assertive instead."
Gabriel ignored the suggestion. "What are you going to do if you get on my bad side from how you're behaving right now?"
"You promised that it won't happen," reminded Lloyd with a smile.
"Whew..." sighed Gabriel again as he laced his hands on the desk. "I regret giving you that promise."
"Promises are meant to be kept."
"And that is why I am regretful." Gabriel held back a bitter smile. He couldn't believe that this sort of person even existed. However, Gabriel understood where Lloyd was coming from. "So, you're arguing that the demolition order was issued too late. Am I correct?"
"That is exactly my point." Lloyd gave a nod. He could tell his strategy was working. He forcefully pushed forward his point with an aggressive tone to address his current situation. He then moved on to the topic he had in mind as soon as he got the impression that his plan was working. "I have no plans to object to your decision. I am confident there's a reasonable justification and explanation for it. So, I don't think the decision is inherently unfair. It's just that..."
"Just what?" Gabriel echoed when Lloyd paused midway.
Lloyd locked his gaze on Gabriel's. "I'd like to stress that the issue at hand is the lack of advance notice or warning from Heaven, which only came through seconds before the Jewel's completion. This administrative blunder brought me great harm despite the fact that I had done nothing wrong."
"Hmm. Harm, you say," mused Gabriel. "Can you cite a specific example to prove your point?"
"Of course." A corner of Lloyd's lips rolled upward. "First, the construction of the Jewel of Truth and the dam required massive amounts of capital and labor, and more than anything else, time was the greatest expense out of everything."
"Time, you say?"
"Time," affirmed Lloyd. He was being genuine here. Speaking truthfully, he added, "First, I would like to disclose my reason for building the Jewel of Truth. It was to stop the restoration of destiny."
"Hmm, I see. Keep going."
"Yes, thank you," expressed Lloyd heartily. "I was forced to travel around various parts of the continent to collect all the key materials for the construction, from the Mermaid Kingdom in the Arctic Sea to the City of Magenta, to Tyrannus's ice cave, and to the Great Plains of Klamath in the Northwest. I even had to take a trip to another dimension."
"That...must have required quite a bit of effort," empathized Gabriel.
"Not just effort," retorted Lloyd. "The amount of time it required was ridiculous, too. That was what I spent all my time on while trying to find a way to stop the restoration of destiny."
Originally, Lloyd's plan was to present his case in a calm and collected manner. But as he spoke on, a wave of anger surged in him.
"And yet?!" Lloyd bawled indignantly. "After wasting my precious time going through all the trouble of traveling around the continent, I succeeded in collecting the key materials for the construction. And just as I was about to build the Jewel of Truth and discover how to stop the restoration of destiny... Bam! A Throne angel appears and tells me that I should destroy my work."
"Hmm, that is..." Gabriel broke off.
"What do you say now that you're hearing it from me? It crossed the line, yes?"
“...”
"That's my exact point. "You should have notified me when I was collecting the Jewel of Truth. But in reality, you didn't. So, as a result, I am forced to demolish the Jewel of Truth that I built to stop the restoration of destiny before accomplishing the goal."
This time again, Gabriel said nothing.
"All my money, time, and effort until now has been for nothing. Not a single thing. The opportunity cost of it all is also equally immense. My life has been ruined. And it's all thanks to you for not providing an advanced warning before ordering a demolition." Lloyd let out a heavy sigh.
Gabriel suddenly felt a prickle of guilt. "Umm... Are you saying that you want to be compensated for your investments because of the lack of notice?"
"Yes, Your Grace, that is exactly my point," Lloyd said, looking up and nodding firmly. "The matter has been keeping me up at night. My investments have been wiped out, and I'm about to face the full wrath of destiny. Where should I express my grief now? Right here. To you. Who else other than the just and merciful Minister of Angels?"
"I, of course-"
"Yes, you don't have to say it. I know who you are. You are the angel who oversees all the creatures of the mundane realm, such as me, with your endless grace and kindness. So, I beg you. Please save me just this once. Please?" Lloyd clasped his hands together.
"But save you how?"
"Please agree to the conditional demolition of the Jewel of Truth."
"Conditional... demolition?" asked Gabriel.
"Yes." Lloyd realized his time had come. In a serious and bold tone, he replied, "As I have told you a while ago, I don't object to outlawing the Jewel of Truth. I trust that there is a reasonable justification behind this decision from Heaven. As such, I give my full support to the demolition order. I plan to abide by it. That is the rule, after all."
"But so?"
"I would like to request a probational period on the demolition order, given that I already spent a great deal of time on the Jewel because there was a lack of advance notice about its illegal status."
"A probation period?" This was something Gabriel didn't expect to hear.
"Yes." Lloyd's voice softened. "I'm asking you to provide a probational period for the demolition until I can stop the restoration of destiny for good."
"Hmm," mused Gabriel, "You are asking me to prevent the work you put into the Jewel of Truth from becoming a loss for the reason you constructed the building in the first place."
"Yes." As the conversation progressed, Lloyd was relieved that Gabriel was a quick-witted man, fitting his ministerial position. Lloyd then continued with his hands clasped together as if he was praying. "Dear just and merciful minister, who works all day and night to maintain the order and betterment of the world. I beg you to ensure that this menial creature from the mundane realm is not harmed as a result of the heavenly realm's administrative blunder. Please have pity on me... And another thing..."
Gabriel lifted his brow. "One more thing?"
Lloyd nodded.
"You have another demand?"
"Yes." Lloyd nodded as if that would be obvious. Adding a tablespoon of shamelessness to his desperate prayer, he asked, "I would like to request just one more condition."
"Why is that?"
Lloyd reasoned, "The probational period is simply a way to protect the investments I have put into the Jewel so far. What I would like to request now is compensation for the damage I've experienced."
Gabriel's brows lifted higher with dismay. "Are you saying that there's more damage than what was discussed so
far?"
"Yes," affirmed Lloyd as he gave a nod. "Emotional damage."
Gabriel couldn't believe this.
"I was forced to come to Heaven and speak alone with such an incredibly impressive individual like yourself, the Minister of Angels. I am merely a lowly human from the mundane world. Has it ever occurred to you how mentally traumatizing this would be for me?"
Gabriel, however, wasn't convinced. "As far as I know, you met the King of Hell."
"Goodness," Lloyd said, waving his hand. "How can he possibly compare to you? You are the Minister of Angels. How could the King of Hell compare to you... Hah, that is complete nonsense."
“...”
"And so, the damage left to my mental health was just as extensive, advantageous-I mean, unimaginable. The aftermath of the experience may force me to be bedbound for several days once I return to my world. Yes, that is how great and mighty you are."
Gabriel suddenly felt remorseful.
Noticing the blank expression on Gabriel's face, Lloyd asked, "Minister? Hello?"
Even if he called, Gabriel didn't reply.
"Why are you so quiet, My Grace?" asked Lloyd one more time.
Gabriel flinched. "Oh, sorry. I was lost thinking about how I allowed a scammer like you inside my office."
This time, Lloyd didn't speak.
"Well," Gabriel remarked, "I have heard your senseless groveling. It was impressive. But there is one thing I am forced to admit, and it is your claim on the damage you received."
"Ah, yes."
Gabriel let out a sigh. "Although I am not entirely sure about the emotional damage, it is true that a Throne angel has attacked you and caused a scene. This incident also disturbed your construction. Am I right?"
"Yes." Lloyd nodded his head.
Gabriel then smiled, and now it was benevolent. "Good. Your argument was valid in any case. Without a doubt, our mistake has caused you harm. As a result, I made a decision. I will accept your request."
Lloyd's heart started to beat faster. "That means..."
"I will give you the probational period. Not only that, I will favorably consider your other request. So, tell me. What is this additional condition?"
When Gabriel agreed to his terms, Lloyd inwardly cheered in his heart as he saw Gabriel's benevolent smile. However, he made sure to keep his lips tight, telling himself that he needed to keep his calm and refrain from acting rashly. He focused his attention on the final missing piece to his plan, which Lloyd was about to finally obtain from Gabriel.
"I would like to ask for your full cooperation to attain the Tears of Summer, the second divine item of the House of Magentano."
