Mendicore and I immediately walked toward Hellraider. At a glance, the black and thick fur seemed to come from a certain animal. Why did it feel like I was familiar with an animal that had such fur?
"Did someone give you that black fur as a gift, sir?" I asked.
"I don't know..." Hellraider answered briefly.
Mendicore moved slightly closer to observe it and seemed to analyze what kind of feather it was and where it came from.
"From my observation, this looks like fur from an animal similar to Groth. Wait, could it be..."
I immediately realized something.
"Isn't this Greslan's fur???" I guessed.
"That's correct Johann, just as I suspected. Ehhh... have you met Greslan???" said Mendicore, slightly surprised.
I then told again about my encounter with Grelmure to Greslan in the open grass field near the palace before. When I told how Hellraider drove Greslan away by growling back at it, Mendicore turned to look at Hellraider. I also said that Hellraider and I already knew who Greslan was from Gruzhnil. I saw Hellraider seemed slightly confused by Mendicore's reaction.
"Truly, this is beyond reason. But it is likely that Greslan gave its fur to Sir Hellraider as a form of acknowledgment of his existence..."
Hellraider looked again at the Greslan fur. It seemed what Mendicore said made sense. Was this a form of respect from Greslan to Hellraider because he didn't kill him like in The Mayhem gameplay?
"What do you want here...???" Hellraider asked me and Mendicore.
Oh... I almost forgot our purpose here.
I then explained the history of the three archangels, Ruciphar who rebelled and created hell, Marsiel whose sons became the founders of the Grivendal empire, Geriel and High Heaven that were not as pure as everyone thought, the first invasion of hell thousands of years ago, and the possibility of another invasion because there was no strong figure left to fight it.
I told it as briefly as possible and this time Hellraider seemed willing to listen.
"I will destroy them all with my own hands..." said Hellraider firmly.
He immediately stood up from the bench and brought the Greslan fur into his house.
I could already predict Hellraider would said that. I was sure he could stop the massive demon invasion once again. That black fur was not only a sign that Greslan acknowledged him, but also trusted that Hellraider could protect Grivendal.
I suddenly remembered again the later part of The Mayhem story, where Hellraider used that fur as his cape symbolizing the unofficial leader of The Graendall. Would he do the same this time as well?
"It seems that's enough wandering for today. Let's go back home." I said to Mendicore.
Mendicore created a portal again, perhaps not wanting to walk all the way back even though it could be done on foot.
When we arrived at the yard, we saw a go-kart parked again.
"Did Commander Gruzhnil and Sir Grelmure come here again?" asked Mendicore.
"It seems so. I hope they haven't been waiting too long." I replied.
We entered the house and found only Gruzhnil talking with Sherubiel in the lounge. Gruzhnil seemed happy that I had finally arrived.
"It seems you are very curious about our planet's existence, Johann. You already know what truly happened in Grivendal's history, right?" said Gruzhnil.
I fell silent for a moment. It seemed Sherubiel had told him about our purpose. That made sense, because if she had said we were just strolling in the city, Gruzhnil would have questioned why she didn't join us.
"Y-Yes commander, but I promised to keep it for myself..." I answered nervously.
"Don't be afraid Johann. I already know the real facts about the Grivendal empire. You did the right thing keeping it secret because this is indeed sensitive for our people." said Gruzhnil.
I felt relieved hearing that.
Gruzhnil then explained that the purpose of his visit was to inform us that tomorrow angels from High Heaven would descend to planet Grivendal. They would arrive at the central plaza near the temple. He got this information directly from High Priest Grishal.
Sherubiel seemed tense hearing this. Mendicore remained silent.
"At first I wanted to ask whether Sherubiel and Mendicore would attend. Maybe this could be an opportunity for you to return to High Heaven..." said Gruzhnil.
I had already expected they would not want to return, especially Sherubiel.
"...But if you still feel comfortable staying here longer, that is fine. However, if they come looking for you, we must hand you over. Are you ready to accept that?" he continued.
We had discussed this possibility before. But as Mendicore said, it was unlikely High Heaven would take them back.
"Perhaps it is better if Sherubiel and I stay here, Commander Gruzhnil. If they want us, we will be ready to face them." said Mendicore.
"Very well then. You will not attend the welcoming ceremony."
"Excuse me commander. Will I be attending as well? And Sir Hellraider?" I clarified.
I actually wanted to attend to see the High Heaven race with my own eyes. As for Hellraider, it was unlikely he would come.
"Oh... if you want to attend, that is fine Johann. Someone will pick you up a few hours before noon. As for Sir Hellraider, I don't think it's necessary to offer him since this is outside his domain."
I immediately agreed. After chatting for a while, Gruzhnil left for headquarters.
That night, while Sherubiel and I were enjoying the dinner I made, Mendicore advised me.
"I will just remind you for when you are there later, Johann. Even though you know their greatest secret, you must maintain your composure and expression. High Heaven authority can read facial expressions very keenly and may become suspicious. Do not let yourself be interrogated by any of them!"
"Alright, thank you for reminding me."
The next day, I prepared myself in formal attire like when attending the palace banquet. Soon, the same go-kart horn sounded, signaling someone had come to pick me up. I said goodbye to Mendicore and Sherubiel and went to the door. I thought it would be Grelmure again, but I was surprised that it was Gruzhnil.
"Shouldn't the commander already be there ensuring the ceremony preparations are complete?" I asked as I sat in the go-kart.
"Everything is ready, Johann. Grelmure was asked by the Priests to handle other matters. I no longer have urgent tasks, so I decided to pick you up." said Gruzhnil.
I smiled hearing that. I truly felt treated almost like family by Gruzhnil.
"Forgive me if this question is too personal. Are you married or do you have a family?" I asked while we were on the road.
I actually already knew his story from Grelmure, but I wanted to hear his reason directly.
"You must be wondering why I am not seen with a woman or children, right? The answer is I have never married, Johann. Not because I dislike women, but because I must always be ready to protect the Grivendal empire from the demons of the realm of terror."
I suddenly remembered Mr. Thebes crying about having no one capable of facing the demon invasion in the future.
"Do you know what truly happened to the first emperor Ghremolus, Commander?"
Gruzhnil glanced at me briefly and returned his focus to driving. He took a deep breath.
"Yes, I already know. And that is why I have not wanted to start a family. If I had one and they were killed by demons during an invasion, I would not be able to bear it..."
"Honestly Johann, I'm not even sure I could defend Grivendal if that happened. But when Sir Hellraider came with you, I felt a miracle had descended upon us. That is why I am willing to do anything, even at the cost of my life, to keep him on our side. The Graendall and I are very grateful to you for helping change his perspective." he continued.
I was deeply moved hearing his confession. It made sense. If Gruzhnil were consumed by anger and revenge after losing loved ones, he could become another Hellraider.
Finally we arrived at the ceremony location. It was a vast grassy field with a large marble stage in the center, flanked by tall golden Roman-style pillars. At the center stood a pyramid-shaped altar.
The place was already filled with nobles, high-ranking Graendall members, officials, and Priests. I saw High Priest Grishal standing near the altar.
I looked at the sky, which was cloudy, not clear as usual. Why did the sky look like this when they were about to arrive? Was this a sign, known only to me who understood their "dark" secret?
Soon, a beam of sunlight pierced through the clouds, forming a large circle and revealing blue sky. Then more light appeared, creating holes in the clouds.
After that, bright yellow circles appeared in those openings. It felt like portals similar to Mendicore's but massive. From those portals, large spacecraft emerged. Their designs were strange, alien-like and predominantly white with golden ornaments.
Ohhh... were these the spacecraft of High Heaven???
I remembered in The Mayhem gameplay, their ships looked like this when Hellraider attacked their fleet.
Luckily Gruzhnil didn't bring Hellraider here, because he might have reacted violently, even if he did not fully remember them.
Everyone quickly formed ranks according to their groups. I stood among The Graendall with Gruzhnil beside me.
Soon, from one of the ships above the altar, a bright pillar of light descended.
As the light faded, I saw five figures standing on the altar. They all had wings, with the central figure being the largest.
Yes, they were angels of High Heaven, and this was my first time seeing them with my own eyes. I immediately recognized the largest one in the center.
He was Archangel Geriel. His appearance was exactly as in the game. Nearly five meters tall, humanoid, wearing a white robe with golden ornaments. His wings were large and shining white. He had fair skin, long straight white hair, and green eyes.
If I set aside my negative thoughts about him, Geriel was indeed the most handsome angel because his face resembled a human. The others looked more alien-like, with pale skin, flattened noses, and hooded heads.
Ruciphar, who was once an archangel before becoming a demon, was also handsome in the game. I had never seen Marsiel's face. Perhaps he was both handsome and masculine. If so, the human woman who married him was truly fortunate, though she died after giving birth to the empire's founders.
Everyone present knelt before Geriel, including me. Geriel smiled and asked everyone to stand. His voice was deeply charismatic.
I looked at Geriel again with mixed feelings of admiration and resentment for the truth he had hidden all this time.