"Hmm~ hmm~"
Lucoa hummed an unknown tune as she walked, looking quite pleased.
Beside her were Kobayashi and Tohru. Kobayashi still found it a bit unreal—everything was resolved in just a few hours? Could that angel really be reliable? Was there nothing wrong with the documents in her hand?
"Whoa—!"
Suddenly, the document in her hand transformed into light and merged into her hand, making her yelp in surprise. A faint mark appeared on the back of her hand before slowly fading away.
"Relax, that's just proof that your credentials have been officially registered in the Heavenly System~"
Lucoa reassured her, and Kobayashi let out a sigh of relief. As for Tohru—
"Don't cling so close, Tohru! It's too hot!"
"But I've been away from Kobayashi for so long, I want to savor your scent~"
Tohru clung to Kobayashi even tighter, rubbing her face affectionately, creating a strangely romantic atmosphere.
"What do you mean 'so long'? It's only been a day! Let go! It's hot, you're sweaty, it's so uncomfortable—don't you know that?"
"It's fine, it's fine~ We can just bathe together when we get back~"
Tohru continued to act spoiled, making Kobayashi even more annoyed.
"Hey, Lucoa, do you really know this so-called Rostal Ignatius Woods?"
"Well, what do you think?"
"If this Demon King was so famous and once ruled over all races, how come I've never heard of him?"
"That's why I said he was from an ultra-ancient time, nearly forgotten by history. Maybe it's just a legend that got passed down."
Lucoa's answer was obviously evasive, making Tohru pout unhappily.
Just then, Lucoa's phone rang. She took out an old-fashioned mobile phone from her chest.
"Huh? It's from your father, Tohru."
"Huh?"
So soon? Did they already find out about her situation? Were they calling to have Lukoa take her back? The thought made Tohru nervous.
Lukoa answered the call.
"Something abnormal has happened to Ignatius Woods' legacy. Something sleeping inside might awaken, Lucoa!"
A deep, serious male voice came through the old phone. It didn't seem related to Tohru, making her sigh in relief, but then she quickly realized.
Ignatius Woods' legacy?
Tohru looked at Lucoa and noticed that she had once again fully opened her heterochromatic eyes. Her expression turned abnormally serious, as if she was hiding something deep in her gaze.
So that so-called Demon King really did exist.
"Rostal Ignatius Woods, huh? A long-lost undead resurfacing? Meh, whatever. No need to overthink it—if something happens, the gods can deal with it~"
The one speaking so lazily was none other than Gabriel, who lay sprawled on her bed, playing a rare, limited-edition game.
Although Lukoa's Lucoa's made it seem like the Demon King's existence was uncertain, Gabriel could tell—Lucoa's world definitely had such a figure in its history.
If a Demon King who once ruled over all races—including gods—had truly died, why had he suddenly reappeared in a neighboring realm?
More importantly, how did someone that powerful die in the first place?
Gabriel had asked Lucoa this before, and Lucoa had muttered to herself, "There was no one in the world who could have killed him."
Yet somehow, he was dead. Clearly, there was a deeper story behind it.
"Ahhh, whatever. As long as it doesn't interfere with my gaming, manga, and novels, I don't care~"
Gabriel scratched her head in frustration and spoke in her usual carefree tone.
Speaking of which, where were her annoying friends?
Of course, she had kicked them out. What, did they expect her to treat them to dinner? They were already noisy enough, making it impossible for her to enjoy her game properly.
"This game is really something, huh? As expected of a big-name developer like Malz!"
Right now, Gabriel was playing an RPG called Chronicles of the Realm, an early-access version that hadn't officially been released. Without special connections or insider access, getting a copy was nearly impossible.
Once she finished playing, she could even sell it for a high price—after all, for collectors, an unreleased version of a game was a highly valuable treasure.
But damn, why was it so hot?
"Ugh…"
She glanced at the air conditioner, it wasn't running. When did it turn off? She grabbed the remote and pressed the button. No response.
"No way…"
Sweating from the heat, Gabriel muttered in frustration.
Even though August had passed and autumn was approaching, it was still ridiculously hot.
"Dammit, in this weather, no AC is a death sentence!"
"Why create a season like this? Don't those gods ever think properly? Damn it!"
Gabriel grumbled in frustration, but for now, the only option was to call a repairman. However, at this hour, they were probably off work already.
She would just have to endure it. The residual heat from the day would soon dissipate a little, and the night would be somewhat cooler.
However—
Buzzzzz—
An incredibly annoying sound reached her ears, and then Gabriel noticed an evil, bloodsucking creature perched on the skin of her shoulder.
Smack!
She slapped down hard, but the result—she missed. Instead, her skin turned red, and a small, swollen bump was clearly visible.
Buzzzzz—
Buzzzzz—
More of them.
Smack! Smack! Smack smack!
"You damn beasts, how many of you are there?! Damn it!!!"
She had already been bitten multiple times, and Gabriel was furious.
"Heavenly Barrier, humph!"
She activated her holy power to envelop her entire body; let's see how these damn bugs could still suck her blood now!
However, the mosquitoes were completely unfazed and continued to bite her skin.
"As expected, it's useless! Damn it!"
Unless it was a special situation, divine power wouldn't take effect, this was to prevent angels from recklessly abusing their power in the lower world.
Gabriel was about to lose her mind.
She should have just shamelessly begged Vignette to help clean her room earlier, then there wouldn't be so many mosquitoes.
What to do? Maybe she should just crash at Vignette's place for the night.
Bang!
Gabriel had already arrived at Vignette's apartment, but as soon as Vignette glanced at her, she left behind a single sentence—"No soliciting."—before immediately slamming the door shut.
Clearly, Vignette had no intention of letting her stay over.
Then what about going to Raphiel's place? No way. That black-hearted angel would definitely pull some kind of prank on her, and just seeing Raphiel's smiling face would piss her off. The happier Raphiel looked, the more frustrated she'd feel.
Then maybe Satania's place? Yeah, right. She'd rather sleep in a doghouse than crash at that idiot demon's house.
"Ahhh, it's so hot! I wish I could live in a big mansion, with maids serving me, high-class desserts, a grand bathhouse, a full set of gaming equipment, endless manga, and…"
Gabriel wandered the streets, muttering her completely unrealistic fantasies.
Wait—such a place does exist!
She couldn't live there permanently, but occasionally crashing there wasn't a problem.
That place was the Sawamura residence!!!