Chapter 79 Arc 2 - Welcome To Eden, Jacob

Jacob looked up at Araniel and exclaimed. "The moment I gained power... I do this." he gestired at the bloodbath in Flarecrow's dining hall. He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the sword's hilt. Tears slowly dripped down his cheeks. "I deserve to die. I am a monster."

"Oh boy, there's no reason to cry over spilled milk." she chuckled. "Well, spilled blood in this case." she was still holding the blade, not allowing Jacob to pierce himself.

"Let go..." Jacob exclaimed, trying to push harder. But the sword wouldn't budge.

"Are you sure you want to do this over people like this?" she pointed her free hand toward the bloodied body of Zerek Flarecrow. "Don't you think they deserve it?" she asked.

He remained silent but listened.

"Besides, weren't that jerk planning to kill you?" she pointed at a blood puddle under Markz's seat. He wanted to use a fireball spell on a person who he thought couldn't use magic." she sighed. "Look, if a fireball hit a person without mana, it would kill him."

"Is... Is that true?" Jacob whispered, looking at the blood stains on his hands.

"Of course," she replied with a chuckle. "A blast from a fireball would instantly kill a regular person. You were justified for self-defense."

"I suppose," Jacob chuckled awkwardly, but he was still not fully convinced. He made the sword disappear and leaned against the wall. "I thought getting mana would be the greatest gift I could ever receive, but..."

"But what?" Araniel asked, her tone a little irritated. "This power is indeed the greatest thing that has happened to you so far."

"But..."

"BUT WHAT?!" Araniel lost her patience as she grabbed his collar. "If you hadn't had your weapon, you would be dead, not them!"

"Yes..." Jacob said, closing his eyes. "But I am still a monster."

Araniel let go of him and moved away from him. "So what?"

"Huh?" the question startled Jacob. "You don't care?"

"Why should I?" She shrugged. "I am a monster as well." she spread her wings, making Jacob startled.

"W-What the..." he exclaimed, finally realizing that the girl in front of him had wings. He tried to step back, but behind him was a wall.

"Relax..." She chuckled. "I am not going to harm you," she told him while taking a step closer. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have stopped you from ending yourself."

He looked at her, worried. Then asked. "Can you tell me what you want from me?"

She smiled as she was waiting for this question. She bowed slightly and said, "Let me introduce myself first; my name is Araniel, and I am an angel."

"An angel? What's that?" he questioned, as he had never heard this word before.

"An angel is a destructive deity," she explained to him. "They are known to be violent, cruel, and utterly merciless beings."

"And you?" he asked.

"I'm just like that." she smiled. "And I want you to join me." she extended her hand to Jacob. "I want your help serving our king Lucifer. I want you to come with me and help us protect Eden."

He gulped hard as he stared at her palm before asking nervously. "Lucifer?"

"That's right." she grinned. "The king of all angels."

He thought about it for a minute and realized he no longer lived in the Holy kingdom. If authorities caught him, they would surely execute him for killing three nobles. He took Araniel's hand and said, "Alright, take me with you."

She nodded and smiled, happy to see him accept her offer. "Good boy." she patted his head, making him flinch. "Let's go."

A portal appeared beside them, and they walked in. They arrived in a room filled with statues of Lucifer. She gestured to Salathiel and asked, "Eh, when is Lucas coming to Eden?"

Salathiel shrugged, "Not sure. I think he will be trying to turn our sister into an angel."

Meanwhile, Jacob stared in awe at the beauty of the statues. They were covered in gold and rubies, depicting the king as he was during the first war against the god. "Wow..." he muttered in admiration.

"Yeah." Araniel agreed, looking at the statues."Do you like it here?"

"I love it!" he exclaimed in excitement. "This is the king?" he pointed at the statue close to him.

"Indeed, these days, he goes by the name Lucas Ciffer." Araniel explained.

"Whoa. What kind of person is he?" Jacob asked.

"Well, he is an angel," Salathiel said while joining the conversation. "So he is pretty quick to anger."

"Oh..." Jacob was a little worried about that but decided to stay quiet.

"Lucas is also a teenager now," Araniel said. "a little younger than you. So I bet you two will get along."

Jacob raised his brow in confusion. "He's my age?"

"He reincarnated here fifteen years ago," Salathiel quickly added after seeing Jacob's confused expression.

"I see, reincarnation." Jacob nodded, trying to look as if he understood everything. He gazed through the window and saw Eden's gardens filled with trees, a river, and a large variety of flowers. "It looks beautiful."

"It is." Salathiel agreed.

"Come on; we have to show you your living place." Araniel said while walking out of the room. The hero boy followed her.

"Isn't it weird to have a statue of yourself?" Jacob asked curiously.

Araniel laughed. "Nah." she then smirked, "It's not like he wanted these statues."

They entered another room, where Jacob found a table with several chairs around it. A bed was placed in one corner, and a wardrobe stood in the other. His clothes were folded neatly inside. On a small shelf, he saw a few books, some scrolls, and a vase full of water. Beside the table was a bookshelf full of ancient books.

"Wow," Jacob murmured. "How did you guys arrange everything in such a short time?"

"We have our ways," she chuckled, then asked, "Would you like something else in your room? Or maybe, you want a larger room? Or a house instead?"

Jacob quickly shook his head, "No! No! This is perfect!" he exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much."

"Well, it's nothing." Araniel shrugged. "You're welcome."