"-It is quite the tragedy. The weird thing is, nobody is able to determine just what went wrong-"
Click
"-The Heavenly of Aloha was a rather new ship with its last service record showing no problems-"
Click
"-The investigators are looking into possible sabotage by unsavory individuals as a probable cause of the sinking-"
"-This tragedy has shaken up Ryoukuu High School, which has just lost a lot of its students and staff in the tragedy-"
Click
"-even after a month has passed, the parents of the 233 children and the families of the faculty that passed away-"
Turning the TV off, Cleria Belial looked towards her boyfriend, seeing that he too shared the same worried look that she probably held.
"...This reeks of supernatural influence."
Cleria nodded her head.
"My contacts in the underworld say that the devils were not involved in this. But I don't know how much of that I should trust. At least, my family is not involved in this, that much I can trust, since I asked my uncle about it and he told me that much."
"Then, is it the Fallen Angels? Or maybe the Shinto?"
"I do not know, but we cannot rule them out. Especially after how active the heaven's system has become these days."
Masaomi looked down at his phone contemplatively.
"I called Touji. He told me that something significant was happening in the Vatican and that we might be called to the headquarters soon for something. But he also confirmed that the church had nothing to do with this incident either."
"However, our spies did pick up some kind of movement from the Grigori in the area, along with significant activity from the Five Clans of Japan."
Cleria's eyes widened at those words as she nearly jumped to her feet.
"Masaomi! Tokyo and Kuoh are practically neighbors! We need to get out of here before something bad happens again-"
Masaomi caught his girlfriend in a hug, making her clutch him tightly out of fear. A trauma born from nearly dying to her own race and nearly losing the love of her life.
"Calm down. Did you forget that we are currently under the protection of Lord Aetherion? Whoever is responsible for that attack on that ship won't dare to attack this place, especially when the protective spells around this place reeks of holy energy of absurd levels."
"....But, what if an Ultimate-Class being shows up?"
Masaomi simply gave his girlfriend a confident look.
"So what? I think Lord Aetherion can easily handle them."
Cleria fell silent as she felt that her boyfriend's words might be right, given that Aetherion is a Seraph with twelve wings, which meant that he must be at least Ultimate-Class in strength.
And given the holy energy and the sheer pressure of his existence that she felt with her 'Worthless' ability, it was clear that he was not some ordinary Ultimate-class being either. He was probably at the pinnacle of that rank in raw power alone, which does not take into account how versatile he could be, given what she has seen so far from him.
"Then, should we tell him about this-"
"Tell him what?"
The couple jumped as the voice rang out in the room, followed by a burst of light which, strangely, did not harm Cleria as much as she had expected.
Once the light faded, Seraph Empyrean and the Cherubim Gatekeepers were revealed to the couple.
At once, the two bowed, making Seraph Empyrean give Masaomi an uninterested look while not even acknowledging Cleria's presence.
"Rise, child. No need for such formalities."
"Now, tell me what you were talking about."
Masaomi did not hesitate for a second before he spoke in detail about everything that was going on.
A month ago, a human cruise ship called 'The Heavenly of Aloha' had been sunk off the shores of Japan under suspicious circumstances, with he majority of the victims being from the Ryokuu High School of Tokyo.
The fact that the ship sank under suspicious circumstances, and that those in the know claim to have sensed abnormal energy signatures in the area.
The speculations that Masaomi and Cleria had about the situation, and the worries that they felt.
How the identities of the few surviving children from that school year's class were being hidden by unknown forces.
He did not leave anything out and spoke clearly, making Seraph Empyrean scratch his chin in thought while the Cherubim Gatekeepers looked at each other with a hint of something in their eyes.
"Interesting. So, you theorize that it is either those Traitors or the so-called Shito who are responsible for this tragedy based on the limited information you have?"
"Yes, Lord Empyrean. Cleria and I think that they might be trying to conduct some kind of experiment. We reached this conclusion because of how many organizations around the world have been mobilizing their forces and locking themselves away from being affected by the Heaven's System that had suddenly become more active than normal."
"Hm. A probable theory with good evidence backing it up. Very well. I will look into this."
Masaomo gave the angel a surprised look, making the angel chuckle
"I know what you are thinking, Masaomi Yaegaki. But rest assured. Such minor matters need not be brought to the Lord's notice when the Gatekeepers and I can easily handle such investigations."
Turning to the Cherubim Gatekeepers, Seraph Empyrean asked in a commanding tone.
"What say you? My comrades?"
""""""""We are the spears of the lord!""""""""
"See? Forget about this issue and concentrate back on your own task of finding a secret way into the Underworld."
With those words, the angels once again disappeared into the air, flying straight towards Tokyo.
"...Well, I guess that's that? How about we relax for a bit before we get to it?"
Cleria shook her head at her boyfriend's teasing look but gave a fond giggle as he pushed her down on the couch.
'I guess the investigations into a secret entrance for the Underworld can wait for a bit. I hope Lord Aetherion won't get angry about the slight delay.'
Cleria did not know that said angel had already found a way into the underworld on his own and was undergoing an identity crisis at that very moment.
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1