At the entrance to the Garden of Eden, Mika Misono held her weapon, blocking Otto from stepping inside.
For a villain like Otto, he would never have the chance to enter Heaven unless some extraordinary means were used; Hell was the place where people like him belonged.
Lierre had sent Otto's soul into Heaven not just to prove its existence to him, but more importantly, because she wanted to see what choice Otto would make from now on.
Otto had just said that if Heaven existed, he would no longer attempt to desecrate Kallen's soul.
However, the Obsession that had sustained him for five hundred years stood in direct contradiction to that.
After this trip to Heaven, Lierre wanted to see how Otto would choose to proceed.
Would he choose to let go of his past Lingering Attachment, attempt the impossible by trying to seize Kallen's soul from her hands, or choose to find another path—returning to the old road of charging the tree?
"The 'purpose' that sustained your arrival here has been achieved. It is time for you to leave; you are not welcome here."
Mika Misono gently raised her Red Cross Sword, the tip pointing directly at Otto. A blood-red light shot into the sky from behind her, staining everything in the vicinity with a crimson hue.
Otto felt as though he were being targeted by an ancient, predatory beast. His Spiritual Body instinctively screamed a frantic warning at him to immediately distance himself from the girl and that sword.
But he knew that the other party had no intention of killing him immediately.
"It seems I've narrowly escaped with my life."
Otto breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. His gaze moved past Mika Misono's figure, looking toward the entrance of the Garden of Eden with desperate longing.
This was the closest he had ever been to Kallen.
"Next time we meet, I will surely slay you!"
Mika Misono had no intention of letting Otto linger. With a casual wave, she brought down the long sword capable of easily extinguishing stars.
Clang!
The vision in Otto's eyes was instantly filled with light like Fresh blood.
The expected pain did not arrive. Accompanied by a sudden sensation of weightlessness, the moment his vision restored, he found himself back at St. Freya.
Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
"Now, do you still want to resurrect Kallen?"
Lierre put away the Cross Necklace, her small hand propping up her snowy cheek as she looked at the pensive Otto with a touch of interest.
When the same question was posed again, Otto found himself at a loss for how to answer.
Should he give up?
But how could an Obsession that had carried him through five hundred years be set down just like that?
Very quickly, Otto associated this with the uniqueness of Cecilia and the others.
If he changed the fact of Kallen's death to extend her life, would that count as a different kind of resurrection?
This way, there would be no need to desecrate Kallen's soul again, and he could avoid drawing God's wrath.
Though Otto didn't know the exact extent of the Lord's power, he could infer a thing or two from Michael. That was absolutely not an existence that humans could contend with.
The confusion in his eyes quickly dissipated, as if he had refound his original heart. Otto returned to his former composure once more.
"I will not give up."
His tone was incredibly firm.
"I think I understand your line of thinking." Lierre showed an "as expected" expression.
In the end, Otto was still going to charge the tree.
But as things stood, this was the only option Otto had left.
"Then, my respected Lord Acting Overseer, may I invite you to help me fulfill this Obsession? In return, I can give you everything I possess." Otto extended a sincere invitation.
The person before him seemed to hold no small status in Heaven; otherwise, Archangel Michael wouldn't have let a villain like him off so easily.
Looking at it this way, the origin of the ability to summon Cecilia and the others, as well as the panacea, seemed to have a clear explanation.
His trip today had definitely not been in vain.
"I'm just an ordinary summoner. I can't help you with that. You'd better look for someone more capable."
Lierre waved her hand dismissively, using the persona she had fabricated as an excuse to reject him without hesitation.
As God, I'm currently still hiding in the Garden of Eden clutching the book of Revelation.
Right now, I'm just a harmless, delicate girl who can only call people over to help.
Seeing that Lierre's rejection was so absolute, Otto did not press the matter further.
However, he hadn't given up on getting Lierre's help; he simply felt that the time wasn't right and it wasn't suitable to continue pushing for it now.
"That truly is a pity."
Otto proactively changed the subject, saying, "Then let's return to the main point. Regarding your marriage to Theresa, have you two decided on a date? Or perhaps I should help you pick an auspicious day and organize an engagement banquet first?"
Otto, who had almost suffered a collapse of his mental state, was now in an excellent mood after restabilizing his resolve.
The person he was most concerned about was Theresa. He believed that with Lierre's protection, even after he eventually died, no one would dare bully Theresa easily.
"Why are you more rushed than I am?" Lierre's brow arched. I specifically avoided this topic, so why are you bringing it up again?
Are you that eager to sell Theresa off?
Otto sighed softly. "Theresa is no longer young. If she doesn't start a family soon, she'll become an old maid that no one wants. As her grandfather, I really can't bear to watch my granddaughter grow old alone."
...
...
"Achoo!"
Theresa suddenly sneezed for no reason, scanning her surroundings with suspicion.
She felt like someone was talking behind her back.
"Lady Theresa, it's been cold lately. Please take care of your health and don't catch a cold. Would you like me to brew a cup of hot tea to warm you up?" Rita offered her concern.
"I'm perfectly healthy. No need to trouble yourself, Rita." Theresa patted her chest to prove she was in peak condition.
Looking at Theresa, who had a cute face and was deliberately acting like an adult, Rita gave a heartfelt smile.
After not seeing her for many days, Lady Theresa was still as cute as ever.
At that moment, both of them simultaneously received a text message from Otto.
After reading it, they looked up at each other, and Rita spoke first: "The Lord Overseer is calling for us. Lady Theresa, let's go together."
"Alright, let's go quickly!"
Theresa also wanted to get back to Lierre's side as soon as possible to see if she had caused any more trouble while she was away.
Before long, the two of them returned to the room.
"Grandfather! Lierre didn't say anything out of line, did she? If she did, I apologize on her behalf." Theresa walked quickly to Lierre's side, then spoke as a precaution.
"Not only did the things you worry about not happen, but I also have to thank Lierre for pointing me in the right direction and pulling me back to the right path before I went too far wrong," Otto thanked her sincerely.
Otherwise, due to a fatal information gap, he might not only have failed to save Kallen but would likely have died under Michael's sword.
"That's good, that's good..."
Theresa breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she found it unbelievable, looking at her grandfather's expression, it seemed Lierre really had been of great help to him.
Though she didn't know the specifics of what had happened, as long as there was no conflict, everything was fine!
"I plan to see a few old friends, so I won't disturb you two any longer."
As Otto got up to leave with Rita, he gave Theresa one last mention: "Theresa, discuss the engagement date with Lierre as soon as possible. When the time comes, I'll be able to organize the engagement ceremony for you."
After saying that, Otto and Rita turned and left with a flourish.
"..."
Theresa turned back to look at Lierre, who had an expression that said, I did my best.
"Don't look at me like that. I worked very hard to stall for time. Besides, I only started this, but you were the one with your foot on the gas. Aside from stalling, what else could I do?" Lierre said, spreading her hands with an innocent face.
She was just a pure, kind-hearted girl without any malicious intentions.