Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Why would I do this?

The child did nothing wrong.

Perhaps, as he said, if given a little more time, everyone will change.

Azazel had this premonition at the time, and frankly, he wanted to wait and see.

But why should I treat him so cruelly?

The answer is very simple.

Because we must avoid being tainted by their "sins".

Azazel believed himself to be a being who manifested the glory of God, and therefore could not act arbitrarily without restraint.

Angels themselves have no emotions, which is why they depart so ruthlessly.

Just like always.

Forever and ever, so long that even the duration is unclear – an eternity.

All I can tell myself is that's how things are.

Until his fellow leader, Sangyeongsha, came to him and said, "I'm afraid you won't agree to do this. I will bear the punishment for this great sin alone."

According to the rules, Azazel should have immediately rejected him, or fought him, and then taken him to the heavens.

however,

He said, “Let me swear an oath with you, let us curse each other, and promise not to give up on this plan, and that we will definitely do it.”

That was the beginning of the fall from grace.

That was the beginning of all sin.

“That was what Samyansha and I thought. But Samyansha was more determined than me, and even joined forces with Rahab to try to protect the people of Egypt in his own way. As for me... after I accepted the punishment and realized that I had done wrong, I was weak and, together with Satan in Paradise Lost, raised my sword against the one who had shown me mercy.”

“Therefore,” Azazel’s gaze was fixed firmly on Draco’s red eyes, “please cooperate with me.”

"You, who have had a direct connection with God and were even His closest disciple, deserve this title from me—"

"'Queen of Pop'".

577: Found you! (6k)

Eri made up her mind to protect Luce, who called her "older sister".

Previously, because there were many more people at the Kuonji residence, Eri always left early and returned late in order to avoid running into them as much as possible.

But now, Erise has begun to observe Novia... or rather, she steps in to stop him from going to Luce.

Or you could say the world has shrunk to the point where it can only hold one person, but that's too ambiguous, and Eri would never think that way.

early morning,

When sunlight shines through the frosted glass of the bathroom, it bathes everything in a hazy, warm light.

Eri held her breath, crouched at the corner of the corridor, only peeking out half her head, her eyes fixed on the half-open bathroom door.

Novia was standing in front of the mirror, holding a toothbrush in one hand and half-embracing the silver-haired girl who looked like she hadn't woken up yet in the other.

Kama.

"I need to open my mouth, ah—" Kama's little head bobbed as if he were dozing off, mumbling incoherently, "Um... Ma... Ma... I..."

Because she was talking, white toothpaste foam spilled from the corner of Kama's mouth, but Kama seemed unconcerned. In fact, she didn't need to care, because Novia wiped it clean for her with a towel.

"You can't judge a book by its cover, how disgusting!"

Eri cursed him in her heart.

They could lay a hand on a child who looks so young; they're the worst of the worst!

And to make someone call for "Mommy" while they're not fully conscious? What kind of unheard-of, utterly perverse and twisted sense of humor is this?!

Eri almost couldn't control her urge to rush in, grabbed the man by the collar, and questioned him about whether he could be normal for once.

She may have misunderstood something; Gamo's mother referred to herself as such, not as Novia.

However, despite her inner grumbling, Eri had to admit that Novia must have some tricks up her sleeve to get to this point.

Immediately afterward, as Novia finally settled Kama and prepared to leave the bathroom, another figure, like a boneless vine, silently coiled around her—

Meilushin.

The strongest dragon had absolutely no sense of being the "strongest" at this moment. Like a large koala, she clung to Novia's back, resting her head affectionately on his shoulder, and commanded in a matter-of-fact and unquestionable tone: "Novia, carry me. To the restaurant."

"You have legs, and if all else fails, you have wings to fly."

"I don't want to walk. I'm tired." Melusin's answer was concise and clear. She even adjusted her posture to make herself more comfortable.

Novia seemed to want to say something more, but in the end she just sighed, carried the "large ornament" on her back, and walked step by step toward the living room.

Eri frowned slightly as she watched. Although she was used to it, she couldn't help but complain in her heart.

Why are they both like this? Are they covered in some kind of super glue? Or are they both mollusks without bones?

However, Eri felt a little nostalgic for this kind of natural intimacy and boundless dependence.

At noon, the sun is just right.

Eri hides behind the sliding door to the kitchen and, just like she did that morning, observes the scene in the living room through the crack in the glass.

Novia was sitting leisurely on the sofa.

Meanwhile, Metatron, the angel who called himself "Sloth," was sprawled out on the other sofa like a dying salted fish, clutching a game console in his arms. The screen was flashing with brilliant lights, but his fingers hadn't moved an inch, clearly having entered a half-asleep, half-awake standby state.

"host……"

Metatron let out a weak, nasal groan, his voice as soft as a lump of melting mud.

"I'm hungry..."

Upon hearing this, Novia didn't even turn her gaze to Metatron, simply replying, "There's instant noodles in the kitchen."

"But I don't want to move..." Metatron said in a pitiful voice, glancing at Novia with his lazy golden eyes. "My hands are so sore, my arms are so tired, I have no strength left... Master, could you make me a bowl of soup? It's in my room, please..."

Eri couldn't believe her ears.

Where did the month-long slack attitude you gave me and Kuonji go?!

At least back then you did your own food delivery, how come you're such a lazy, unproductive, and NEET who needs to be fed?

Eri thought that Novia would refuse without hesitation this time, or at least say something sarcastic.

After all, there are limits to tolerance.

And the more I look at them, the more they seem like little kids... oh, I almost forgot, most of them do look like that.

At the same time, Novia got up and went into Metatron's room. At this moment, Eri noticed a sly glint in Metatron's narrowed golden eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly, as if some plan had been realized.

Before Erise could figure out what Metatron's expression meant...

Novia emerged from Metatron's room a few minutes later with a dark expression on her face and a steaming bowl of instant noodles in her hand...

Eri then noticed that there seemed to be two small, big-headed figures on the bowl and chopsticks.

Immediately, Metatron's eyes lit up the moment he smelled the aroma of instant noodles. Like a lazy cat that had sniffed out dried fish, he struggled to sit up from the sofa, staring longingly at Novia, practically drooling. Then, quite naturally, he picked up his chopsticks, used the tips to lift the noodles, circled them around the rim of the bowl a few times, carefully blew on the rising steam, took a bite, and then handed it to Novia.

Then, Metatron tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth, as if waiting to be fed.

The result is naturally——

"Aww."

Metatron laughed happily, his mouth stuffed full of noodles, his cheeks bulging, and mumbled, "It's...it's still the best food the master feeds me..."

Eri watched all of this with a blank expression.

She was tired and didn't want to complain anymore.

I just think this place should perhaps be renamed "Center for the Breeding of Useless People" to be more appropriate.

"Speaking of which, where is Lilith?"

Just as Eri was calculating in her mind which important member was missing from this "breeding center" so that she could have a mahjong table, a voice with a mocking smile suddenly rang out silently behind her.

"Hooray! Lilith, I've caught a little mouse that's been diligently spying on us!"

"Ooohhhhhh!"

Eri was terrified and turned around abruptly, only to see Lilith, who was always licking a lollipop, standing silently behind her with that kind of smile that made it impossible to be angry.

“Tell me, my lovely little Erise,” Lilith said, putting her arm around Erise’s shoulder without a word. With an intimate and irresistible gesture, she dragged her out of the corner where she was hiding, like picking up a cat that had done something wrong, and pulled her directly in front of Novia. “What interesting thing have you been sneaking around looking at? Let me see it too.”

In the hall, all three people's eyes were focused on Erise.

Eri's face flushed red instantly, from her neck to her ears, like a mouse caught in a spotlight, so embarrassed she wished she could disappear into the ground.

"I...I was just passing by! Yes, I just happened to be passing by!"

Eri stammered and gave an excuse that even she herself couldn't believe.

"Oh? Just passing by?" Lilith's smile deepened. She extended her black-gloved index finger and gently tapped Erise's burning forehead. "Does passing by require you to cling to the door like a startled gecko, even lowering your breathing to the lowest possible rate? Little Erise, lying isn't something a good child does."

Novia sighed as she looked at Eri, who was almost bursting with shame and anger.

"Erise, if you have any questions, you can just ask me. There's no need to go through all this trouble."

The attempt to evade responsibility was a complete failure.

Eri took a deep breath; the awkward atmosphere made her too afraid to stay any longer.

However, she remembered Luce's innocent and trusting smile, her clear and melodious "Sister," and the sudden sense of responsibility that had arisen in her heart.

Suddenly, a strange, almost tragic courage surged from the depths of Erise's heart and swept through her entire body.

do my best!

The black-haired girl suddenly raised her head, her clear blue eyes looking directly at Novia with unwavering determination and fearlessness for the first time.

"You..." Eri's voice trembled with nervousness, a tremor she herself was unaware of. "Before, were you very close to a girl?"

Novia glanced at Eri Se at that moment.

No matter how you look at it, that disgust for her own 'fickleness' is still there, so she probably just suddenly found some possibility somewhere, which is why she asked that question.

Then,

After thinking for a moment, Novia answered by referring to the Roman era.

On the country lanes of Antioch, the saint Martha, who wielded an iron fist capable of shattering mountains and whose smile was as bright as the sun, yet showed no mercy to herself during training, was naturally very close to him.

Therefore, Novia nodded: "I guess so."

Upon hearing this, Eri's heart tightened, and she involuntarily held her breath.

After all, she was once possessed by the Demon King, and the two shared a body, which meant they were intimately close with almost no secrets or distance between them.

No, no, we can't judge it like that! We can only say that this guy's talent for womanizing has been there since he was a child! Yes, that's it! Don't overthink it.

"Do you two often bicker?" Erise lowered her voice even further, as if afraid of hearing some terrible answer. "And you two even participated together in... a very large-scale, well, you could say a martial arts tournament?"

During the grueling training, Novia would naturally argue with Marda, but each time she was suppressed by Marda's iron fist. As for duels, Tarasque was considered to be on a large scale.

So Novia nodded again, her eyes even revealing a nostalgic smile.

Eri felt like she couldn't breathe.

Subconsciously, he recalled the argument he had with the Demon King, and the memory of apologizing in public during the Holy Grail War also surfaced.

They overlapped.

All the details began to overlap wildly at a terrifying speed.

"Then... what kind of person is she?" Eri asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

“Charming and incredibly gentle. Of course—” Novia changed the subject, “it would be even better if she could listen to others finish speaking instead of attacking them without saying a word.”

Eri recalled that when she was little, she impulsively injured a classmate during class due to a misunderstanding. Even though it was her fault, she was 'taken care of' by everyone around her because she didn't have a Servant. The classmate who was truly innocent and whom she hit apologized to her in a broken voice.

If only the victim were resentful, if only the victim were very unhappy, if only the victim would hit themselves—

No, that classmate genuinely believed that she, who was completely innocent, was the one in the wrong, and that Eri was 'not at fault' for injuring her. Even her servant came to apologize to Eri.

When Eri told the Demon King about this, she ended up saying something that she found incredibly sentimental and cheesy: "I do hope that Eri can grow up properly."