Konrad followed the duke's daughter and climbed into the carriage.
Lily lay motionless on the soft cushions, almost as if sleeping. But he had seen this before—her soul was somewhere very far away. Welf would usually roll his eyes and shrug it off, but now?
He checked her pulse, then sat down by her side, resting her freckled face on his lap.
"I'm here, too, you know," Gabrielle noted with an expectant grin.
Blood rushed into his face.
"I'm not doing anything," he choked out a whisper, as if Lily weren't in a coma. "I got a lap pillow on our way here, too—only returning the favor."
Why did he even make up excuses? They were dating—sort of.
And Gabrielle kept referring to him as her husband-to-be, which reminded him—
"What grandiose plans you angels had for me?" he asked, his gaze stuck on Lily's bare stomach.
Her skimpy tribal outfit left little to his imagination.
"Nothing complicated—you must deal with Maou Midori," Gabrielle said, "plain and simple."
"You mean kill him?" Konrad narrowed his eyes.
"Well, if you convinced him not to destroy us all, that'd work, too." She shrugged, but her eyes flashed with something he couldn't quite place. "But if it were up to me, he'd die."
Figures. And until today, he thought that guy wasn't even real.
"Why won't you kill him then?" He crossed his arms. "You made your point—you could destroy me without trying hard. But now you want my help?"
"Things aren't always simple," Gabrielle sighed, looking at the ginger on his lap. "Who would've thought I'd ask a demon's help to fight another one of her kind, too."
"Please enlighten me."
Konrad uncrossed his arms, one palm landing on Lily's stomach.
He meant it as a protective gesture, but—
Her skin was so soft and warm—before he realized, he started to caress it in a slow, tentative circle. It took the archangel's smirk to bring him back from his personal heaven.
And that flash in her eyes—was that jealousy?
"Maou Midori—who is very much real—plans to overthrow the gods. All the gods, everywhere. Don't even ask why, I hate to admit it, but I know little about his motivations or capabilities."
"But you still want me to kill him," Konrad scoffed. "What if you're wrong?"
"I am not," she said, eyes unflinching. "He wants to brute-force his way across planes of existence—the only thing missing is power. But he is very close, and his intentions are clear."
"Which are?" he asked. "I thought he was a hermit far to the east. Or an exotic dancer."
"He's a sorcerer. And while not the most powerful, he developed a unique spell to banish anyone stronger than him. Like my brother—and five more angels trying to stop him."
"What? He banished Lu? When?"
"No, my other brother—not that Lucifer would pose him any threat," she clarified. "And this is why I don't know much about him. I was too afraid to go near—"
"So, you want me—a weakling—to fight someone who scares you?"
Konrad raised an eyebrow.
Then he glanced at the comatose Lily. What was her part in this?
Why would a demon fight her kind for the angels who hate her?
"His spell is a threat to me—not his power," she repeated.
"What stops him from banishing me, too, though?"
"You have nowhere to go—Lily and I exist on other planes, too. You're only present in this world, no anchors elsewhere," the angel claimed.
But from her tone, she knew more than she let on.
"And?" he probed, but the angel rolled her eyes.
"Don't make me read your mind. If you have actual questions, ask them," she scoffed.
Konrad had many. So much, in fact, that he didn't even know where to start.
"Do you expect me to drop everything and go find this Maou guy? Is that why your brother reincarnated me? And what is Lily's part in all this? Did you know I've met her before?"
"No, no, and yes. She never fails to mention her claim on your soul."
That explained exactly nothing, but Gabrielle continued.
"You can't fight Maou as you are now. I want you to become stronger," she explained. "Having an army or a noble title at your disposal will come in handy, too. That's also why I'll marry you."
"You are actually serious about that?" he scoffed, but the angel flashed him a smirk.
"If you're worried about my place in your harem, you can take me right now."
Take—was that a sexual offer, or a challenge?
With Lily's head already resting on his lap, no less. And he'd only lost his virginity days ago.
Which—now that he finally remembered—happened before.
They dated in his previous life, too, and the ginger was his first back then as well. But she dumped him, and everything went downhill from there.
He'd have a few questions for Lily when her soul returned, for sure.
"Your thoughts are so loud," Gabrielle complained, rubbing her temples.
Not her, too—
"Even Stella's mind wasn't screaming this much—now I'm definitely not in the mood," she said.
That sent a jolt through him, almost making him jump.
"Stella," he yelled, forgetting about the executioner completely. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing?" Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. "Why do you care about her? She's back with the inquisitor now—and I've also dealt with the bishop they sent to kill you."
That was more than he could've comprehended.
"A-a bishop? Why'd you let her go?! She saw through the tower's illusions—"
"Yes, exactly that's why." The archangel nodded. "Freckles here saw a future where Maou wouldn't make a move until he knew the Green Mage was gone. Ask her for the details later."
It made no sense.
"You want me to stop him—but you caused all this to have him make a move?"
No matter how he spun it. There was still a lot the duke's daughter hadn't told him.
"My bad," she sighed, "He's a threat either way, and in a year or two, he'd topple heaven. But this way, he'd come here first, and give you a chance to confront him."
"B-but Zoltan—and Eytjangard. What will happen to them now?" Konrad demanded.
"They're under my protection," Gabrielle claimed with a smile. "No matter how the duke despises that little scammer, he might still be of use to us, so I'll keep him safe."
"But what about the Church?" His eyes narrowed.
The Inquisitor didn't care about nobility or titles—only strength could stop him.
And the Green Mage, whom he feared—now that he knew the truth about him—
"They're in no position to do anything in Aset." The angel shrugged. "You'll keep them too busy here—and retake Halaima to become even stronger. Then you'll be ready to face Maou."
Yes, that was his plan, too, but she put way too much trust in his capabilities.
At this point, he'd only start fixing Nimrod's mistakes.
"This is a lot," Konrad said, shaking his head. "And let's say, I'd believe you. But if you're an angel, why don't you shut the church down? And what Lily has to do with any of this?"
"I've nothing to do with this world's religion," Gabrielle claimed. "And—why don't you ask her?"
Konrad glanced down to see the little ginger stretching with a smile.
She was wide awake, enjoying his caresses—and wouldn't say a word.