"I…"
Her tone was weak even as she prepared to give her decision on the choices that now stood before her.
The God of Death watched her with curiosity, his hands still hanging at his sides, yet his fingertips were gripping the edge of the chair.
"I'll help him…"
Eleanor exhaled hard after speaking, the finality of her words cementing her statement as the unalienable truth.
Regardless of what was to come, she would support that choice and uphold her promise.
In her life, the ones closest to her met the most unfortunate ends, whether it be the girl she once considered her closest friend, Mia, or the upper-class Olivia; both of whom died right before her eyes.
This time, however, she would not sit idly by as the world ripped and tore at her friend, the young boy with whom she had bonded over weeks at sea, a new anchor in a vast ocean of foul ones.
As she certified the vow in her heart, she looked across the table, noticing a sigh escape the lips of the deity.
"『How predicable…』"
Turning his eyes downward, the black-haired man seemed to reflect on her words, determining the best course of action for the future.
After a moment of prolonged silence, he raised a single finger to about nose height while focusing his gaze on the girl.
"『Master the Holy Arts… Rebuild your core…』"
Tracing a circle in the air, he continued speaking.
"『If you cannot accomplish these things, then your fate will have already been predetermined.』"
Hearing his ominous foretelling, Eleanor shifted in her seat while thinking about how the deity was now acting.
He changed the way he is speaking to me… It's like he's almost disappointed.
Around her, the air whistled as he pushed himself away from the table, standing up tall.
"『One last thing.』"
A single droplet of the odd, multi-colored fluid fell on the bushes, a short flash of light following soon after.
The seating area made of hedges suddenly began to blossom into flowering azaleas, a sweet scent permeating the girl's nose.
Similar to the odd drink that Lady Prudentia had given to her at the Angelic Headquarters, which tasted like Honey Water, the smell was one dear to her above all others.
Looking up at the man in surprise, she watched as he smiled one final time.
"『Once you've uncovered the secret of the graveyard, perhaps you'll be ready to return to your homeland.』"
With those words, his pitch-black wings surrounded his body in a veil of darkness that devoured the light around them.
A moment later, when the feathers receded and fell to the ground, the deity had vanished, the owl that had been on his shoulder gone along with him.
Eleanor stared as she processed his final message, remembering the request he had made when masquerading as the Angel of Humility, and, apparently, still wished for her to complete.
If he is a god, then why does he rely on me to check on something within his own domain?
The question puzzled the girl, for even if it were something that the gods themselves couldn't resolve, the Angels certainly could do a better job than herself.
Furthermore, there were also multiple former Sea Kings and beings from other worlds with strength far surpassing the blonde-haired priestess, yet he chose her of all people to go.
Could it have something to do with my return? A secret tunnel back? A tool to help me grow stronger?
The possibilities were intriguing, but when compared to what he had truly said, she couldn't quite make sense of it.
No… He said once I've uncovered whatever 'secret' is hiding there, I'll be able to safely return, right?
Analyzing his statement word by word, she stared silently at the flowers before her, the smell soaking into the air and through the greenhouse.
New life sprang up all over the place, whether it be new sprouts peeking from the soil, fresh leaves swaying on the branches, or baby animals hatching from their eggs; the environment could only be compared to a flourishing ecosystem.
Taking a breath in, the smell of the sea washed over Eleanor once more; the month without its aroma one of the longest she had ever felt.
…
"AGH! Dammit, that ain't right!"
Abraham yelled out in annoyance, his tiny face fuming with anger.
Tightly grasped within his small palms was a pool cue resting against the table, its tip just ever-so-slightly to the left.
Before hitting the shot, he had already known what would happen next, his centuries of experience something that couldn't be beat.
Finishing the movement that he had already committed to, he surged forward with the long cue.
Clang!
As it collided with the miniature white ball, he watched with an overwhelming wave of sadness and irritation as it slid across the cloth surface and collided with the 8-ball.
He closed his eyes as he heard it tumble into the hole, the gleaming yellow one he was aiming for still sitting on the table.
"Tough luck, sprout!"
The grumpy elder in a child's body was struck hard on the back by a larger man, his relative height compared to the boy being more than four times.
Throwing his cue down on the ground and stomping on it until it was in splinters, the boy threw a bag of money towards one of the bouncers loitering nearby, the gruff man nodding happily as he counted the winnings.
Turning towards the door as he had done numerous times, he prepared to storm out; however, not without leaving the last word.
"I'll win my damn money back, just you wait! I got friends in higher places than your undropped balls!"
The big man furrowed his brow at the blatant disrespect, the comment hitting far too close to home for his weak ego.
Reaching downward with a frightening smirk, he grabbed the broken pieces of wood and turned towards the exiting child.
Taking a stance, his grin became a scowl as he wound his arm backwards.
"Damn brat!"
Then, with impeccable force, he whipped his arm forward, launching the projectiles at a speed faster than one could react.
The black-haired boy was none the wiser, his eyes focused on the exit before him, not the incoming barrage of shrapnel.
Reaching his head in seconds, their sharp edges were mere millimeters from digging straight through his flesh and blood, destroying his brain right after, and returning him to a Spore to be dropped into this world once more.
Yet, in the very final second before such a fate could take hold, a weak golden light flooded the chamber.
Shing!
A sudden aroma reminiscent of salt entered the minds of the crowd, their heads aching and their vision hazy.
The large man who had thrown the debris hastily wiped his face with his sweaty hand, his eyes darting around the room in search of his target.
However, much to his surprise, the sight of an 8-ball rolling over the floor greeted him instead, its black reflective surface glimmering too perfectly in the dim lighting.
Behind him, a random drunken man laughed at the scene, his finger darting out.
"Haha! It's one of his dropped balls!"
…
The small boy stared up at his rescuer with an odd expression.
"You can teleport? Hell, you can even create miracles already? How much have they been teaching you up there?"
Pointing upwards, Abraham laughed at the blonde-haired girl who simply shook her head at him.
"It wasn't me."
Watching as the child's face contorted with confusion, she gestured towards the corner where a figure slowly emerged.
It was an Angel, of course, a True Angel at that, one with long black hair and beautiful green eyes that reflected the scene before her.
Abraham looked her up and down before sighing hard, his face clearly wrought with disappointment.
"I'd thought this damn priestess had become useful, but it turns out she's still only good enough to bring me unwanted attention. What is it that you want from me, Strixen?"
Addressing the Angel of Providence herself with such dismay was certainly an interesting choice; however, she simply smiled.
"I wouldn't seek out a problem personally. It's she who made me do all these fun miracles to free you from your self-made predicament."
She sneered as she spoke, showing a similar level of displeasure at seeing the child as the child felt at seeing her.
Once again, a man who could never leave himself without the last word mumbled something quietly under his breath.
"I must've made you a fortune with the thousands you and your Angels have stolen from me…"
The black-haired woman's cheek twitched.
"Steal? We haven't stolen anything from you! You are simply a pathetic little—"
Eleanor stepped forward.
"P-Please stop arguing… I can't handle watching a toddler and an adult debate like this."
Both of them swiftly turned to face her with bewilderment, then doubt, then acceptance.
After a few seconds of silence, Lady Strixen spoke up.
"Well, I'll be leaving. I was only here to assist you, but now that it is settled, I'll return to observing from the shadows."
Shooting one more glare at Abraham, she started to dissolve back into nothingness; however, a sudden shout from Eleanor stopped her.
"Wait! I need you too!"
She paused, her hands cloaked in light, but the glow quickly faded out before the teleportation could take effect.
"You need me…?"
There was genuine surprise in the woman's voice as her green eyes turned towards the young girl she was guarding.
From the side, Abraham laughed at her stupidity.
"Did you think she would ask you if you weren't needed? She got like ten other backup Angels ready to help, from what I've heard, yet she asked the one whom she knew the least? I'm sure that's totally a likely story!"
Looking slightly betrayed, the True Angel gazed over at the blonde-haired priestess, who only nodded shyly.
"I-I need both Lady Strixen and Mr. Abraham's help on something…"
The two didn't react, only continued staring as if waiting for her to finish.
Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, Eleanor spoke directly to them with a resoluteness that strongly contrasted with her previous stutter.
"I need a test subject and an overseer to experiment with my corruption and healing powers…"