AVARITIA (Greed)

Archangel Michael, sitting in the middle of an amphitheater full of angels, finally spoke with a cautious expression.

(Author’s Note: Archangel – Head of the Heavenly Army and Commander-in-Chief.)

“It’s not a good idea to move fast. It is safer in many ways to organize, then send troops with Raphael in the lead.”

“Sir Michael.”

“Speak.”

Kamael, who gained the right to speak, spoke with much difficulty. Through the long blonde hair that hung over his shoulder, his beautiful face was distorted, revealing a shadow.

“It is my fault for not protecting the castle properly. But we can’t just let it go like this.”

The end of his low-pitched voice trembled. It was the same with his turquoise blue eyes that were shaking with such intense emotions.

“The devil… Don’t you know why Oscar took Annette?”

When Oscar’s name was spoken, the whole amphitheatre trembled. One could hear the summoned angels murmuring here and there.

They gathered after hearing the news that Kamael’s sister had been taken away by the devil. Recently, there was news that some demons were entering the celestial world and hurting lower angels after breaking the long ceasefire between the heavens and the demon world, but this was the first time the name of the main character was specifically mentioned.

Oscar.

He was born as a hybrid between Lucifer, an arrogant fallen angel who was exiled to the Demon Realm, and Lilith, who was originally a human, but sold herself to an evil spirit and became a demon of lust. It was not enough that Oscar inherited all the aura from his parents, but he already boasted unrivaled cruelty from an early age which amplified his power.

He teamed up with Satan, the greatest enemy of Lucifer, who reigned as the king of the demon realm. When Oscar took his father, Lucifer, off the throne and sealed him under a valley of ice, he was less than a hundred years old, nothing more than a young demon born in the underworld.

His mother, Lillith, tried to seduce her son and failed, and after being brutally torn apart by his hands, she was imprisoned in a place called hell’s dump. It was a place where it would take at least a thousand years for her to recover her strength.

The power of the young demon, which expanded its strength in an instant, was vast. Oscar grew up by absorbing all the evil that arose after brutally trampling and killing demons that opposed him in various places. Currently, his power is by far in the lead among the most prominent demons in the magic world.

“He will… He will eventually have Annette’s heart.”

“Kamael.”

The archangel raised his hand to stop him, but all the angels in the hall had already heard Kamael’s bitter murmur. There was a silent tension in the large circular space within the open sky.

“It is far from the virtue that an angel should possess to be swayed by the delusions created by the devils.”

The one who broke the silence and opened his mouth with a calm voice was Gabriel, an archangel and the head of the noble angels. Kamael shook his head in denial. Contempt for the devil flashed in his eyes.

(Author’s note: 7 angels who are called guardians of faith. They serve to prove and promote the existence of God).

“I can’t believe the filthy noises they’re making. I just don’t think they had any other reason for taking Annette other than the angel’s heart.”

Again, a heavy silence flowed into the space full of angels.

An angel’s heart.

They also knew about the profane song floating in the middle realm recently. The role of angels did not stop at praising and glorifying God’s power in heaven. Angels were also the ones who knew best about what was happening in the middle realm because it included monitoring humans who were vulnerable to temptation and likely to sin.

The content of the song was roughly this.

An angel will fall into the temptation of the devil and give its own heart, and the demon with that heart will split into several and unite the demons that rise like dogs. The devil who has the angel’s heart in its hand will conquer hell and then take over the heavens to become the only god in this world.

It was certain that someone maliciously spread it to insult and mock the heavens. The problem was that after the song spread, demonic provocation broke out and they invaded the heavens after a long truce.

After Oscar, the son of the fallen angel Lucifer, forcibly removed him from the throne, the underworld was thrown into chaos with demons rampaging to take his place. And it was obvious that Oscar was at the forefront of that. The prediction that he would eventually ascend to the throne after subjugating or killing the seven devils, who wielded enormous power in the current demon realm, had long been a fact amongst the demons.

(Author’s Note: Refers to small demons with relatively weak power. Most of them are demons that have no form.)

“At this rate, Annette is in danger. Please make your decision.”

Kamael had experienced first hand that the rumours about Oscar were not mere rumours. The eyes of the devil, who killed the angels one by one as if enjoying a game in front of him, were terribly cruel. The slender dagger that blocked his spear was forged by Oscar from a single one of his feathers. It was unimaginable with ordinary magic.

“It’s clear that he must have been deliberately targeting Annette from the start.”

After entering Heaven, Oscar sent all the demons he brought to the west of Heaven. That’s why the entire border guard, including Kamael, was urgently summoned to the sudden invasion of the devil. After concentrating all the armies of the angels guarding the border to one place, Oscar leisurely headed towards the eastern end. If he had not been signaled that his castle spire, which he had built up with holy power, had broken, Kamael would not have even noticed the invasion of Oscar.

“Do not underestimate the power of angels. Kamael. Anael is not as weak as you think.”

Gabriel persuaded him in a calm tone, even mentioning Annette’s angelic name. Kamael barely suppressed his frustration.

(Author’s note: angels will change their names when they become adults and receive a rank.)

“Annete has not even been officially given a rank. Those dirty devils… What’s more, do you think she can win against Oscar?”

“Kamael. I know very well what you are concerned about, but Anael’s Eucharist, which I confirmed with my own strength, was not lacking in quality. She looks weak, but she can be strong enough.”

Gabriel continued to speak quietly towards him, with little change in pitch.

“The reason Anael, who was ready, had been delaying receiving her rank was because she respected your opinion, who reported that her holy power was still lacking.”

“Annette and I, who were born at 1 o’clock on the same day, are like one body. If anyone knows her condition best, it will be me.”

“Kamael. Now, are you saying that my judgment as the archangel of authority is wrong?”

The tone was low and quiet, but the sound of quietly rebuking him was clearly revealed in it. Kamael’s beautiful blue eyes were distorted. He continued to plead with the other elder angels that filled the hall.

“Annette is very curious. She wants to learn anything. She doesn’t know the feeling of fear. She is like a child in the human world. Clear purity, so she can be tainted by great evil. How can a person who cannot distinguish the line between evil and good intentions become an angel of authority and prove God?”

Angels here and there nodded to agree with his opinion. It was not easy to put it in their mouths, but they could guess what Kamael was afraid of. A long time ago, the spark of the event that led to a ceasefire between heaven and demons was the emergence of a fallen angel.

Angels with insufficient holy power were more likely to easily fall for the devil’s temptations. Gabriel, who saw the agitation of other angels, raised his voice a little as if trying to dispel the controversy.

“I understand that you care really deeply about Anael, but I am still against moving hastily.”

“Sir Gabriel, but…!”

Archangel Michael raised his hand to stop Kamael, who jumped up from his seat.

“Kamael. Excitement is far from a virtue an angel should possess.”

Michael’s words could not be heard in Kamael’s ears through his anger. What’s the point of illusory virtues now? Would you waste your time talking about the virtues of an angel even in the moment of war with the devil with a sword?

As he breathed roughly, his strong armor-clad chest fluttered.

“Please allow me to send troops. I’ll take the lead.”

“Kamael. The demon’s provocation towards the heavens has a long history. Sending troops in a hurry now would instead show that the heavens care about these absurd rumors.”

Kamael’s golden eyebrows gathered in the middle of his forehead. The archangel continued to speak calmly.

“Think of the number of angels in heaven. If the heavens were to be thrown into chaos, the damage would be indescribable. Since you’ve led a considerable number of legions to protect heaven, I thought you could guess why we’re not sending out troops as soon as possible, but it seems you lack training.”

A dark shadow fell over Kamael’s blue eyes, which used to shine like jewels. He became an adult and immediately after he was selected for the Border Guard Division. When it comes to training, he was told to push his body day and night every day. So he lacked training? Kamael’s beautiful expressionless face hardened.

“Are you saying that it is more important to prevent chaos in the heavens than to have an angel who represents the power of God lose her heart to the devil and die?”

Michael was silent for a moment with still eyes. Kamael just looked at him with a face of disapproval, urging for an answer. The archangel’s words resounded in the large space with a still but certain vibration.

“Kamael. What you say now has meaning. Remember why we exist.”

The most basic duty of angels was to maintain peace in the heavens under the power of God. Even if there were sacrifices involved in the process, willingly accepting them was also an attitude an angel should have. Kamael clenched his fists in disbelief.

“There is no way that a tragedy that happened a long time ago will never happen again. Do you really not know that you may be neglecting the signs of even greater chaos?”

His blue eyes blazed as he looked back at the angels gathered in the conference hall. Most of the elderly angels who attended the urgently convened meeting were those who participated in the war against the demon realm long ago.

It was impossible for them to forget the moments of slaughter they experienced and saw with their own eyes. They barely blocked them with all their might to declare a truce and solidify the boundaries. Kamael only felt frustrated because they did not realize that the birth of the demon, Oscar, would once again blow a bloody wind into the heavens that had been quiet.

“Remember your position, Kamael.”

The voice of the archangel was not loud, but it was impressed in the minds of the angels who filled the conference hall.

“Even if it becomes as you said, it will also be the will of the Absolute.”

Kamael bit his lips hard. His view was blurry as if a haze was raging in front of him. Was it also God’s will that Annette, who was as clean as snow, who did nothing wrong and was taken to the dirty devil’s den? The archangel continued as heat erupted inside him.

“I heard that Anael did not rebel. Kamael, what do you think is the reason?”

Kamael’s clenched fists trembled. He was struggling to contain his rage that was about to explode.

“God alone knows the consequences of her actions. I think she will fulfill her angelic duty. Kamael. If you don’t stop your stubbornness, you’ll have to keep in mind that you’ll also have to take responsibility for the consequences after that.”

Only then did Kamael realize that the eyes of the angels were all on him. He was always cold and cool-headed, so their eyes showed concern that he would lose his reason. This was why nothing would be solved. He had to hold it in. Wasn’t he best at enduring his bursting desire?

Kamael barely lowered his stiff head as he recalled the time he had been thinking about many times in his mind. His long, beautiful blond hair was stretched to the ground.

“…I await the disposition.”

When Kamael answered, the archangel looked at him with a worried expression and finally, opened his mouth.

“We will meet again in ten days to decide about the matter on Anael.”

When the archangel left his seat, the angels filling the conference hall also spread their wings. Then, one by one, they turned into bright lights and disappeared into the air. Kamael remained in place like a stone statue even after all the angels finished leaving, and only after a long time did he slowly raise his head.

There was a faint coldness in his blue eyes that seemed to be mixed with a mysterious color. This could not be it. It’s not enough to have Annette taken away in front of his eyes, and it didn’t make sense to do nothing and wait for her death.

Thump. Thump.

As he walked out of the meeting room, a pale blue flame slowly burned from the sharp spear from behind his back.

“…What are you going to do?”

Slowly, two lights settled back in the empty space when no one else was there.

“I’m going to wait and see.”

“Kamael is a strong angel. Currently, there is no one within the Legion of Angels who can match his power.”

Michael was also well aware of what Gabriel was concerned about. Strength was sometimes in line with arrogance. Among the angels, it was not that there were no arrogant ones in their natural character.

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However, even before he became an adult, Kamael, who already excelled in many ways, had been controlling his powers well. He was so flustered that he forgot his duty. It was the most basic of the basic principles that weapons should not be displayed in the meeting hall where the angels were gathered.

Flames shone brightly from the blue spear behind Kamael’s back. A small sigh flowed from the lips of the person who watched Kamael soaring into the air with three pairs of large wings one after another.

“Yes. So I’m even more hopeful that he’ll overcome it on his own.”

That would be the result the Absolute wants. He longed for Kamael to prove his faith. Losing an angel as brilliant as Kamael was not what anyone wanted.

***