Laysandra was confused. More than confused, she was scared.

  Anyone would be if the angel known as “The Judge” was sitting beside them, calmly drinking tea.

  Rias had slipped out through the back door the moment she saw something outside the window. Before leaving, she told Laysandra to handle things because she was the next highest authority after Helena. At the time, Laysandra hadn’t fully processed what Rias was saying. Rias claimed she needed to go to the Merchant Guild for urgent work and simply ran off through the back door.

  Only now did Laysandra understand what she had been pushed into.

  “You traitor. You absolute traitor. Leaving me alone in this mess? If I survive today, Rias, you’re finished.”

  She lifted her teacup and took a sip, but the tea felt heavy in her throat. Swallowing was harder than it should have been.

  Elowen stood behind her in silence. Laysandra didn’t know her well yet, but her presence offered some reassurance. At least she wasn’t alone. Still, hosting an angel felt like handling something volatile. One wrong move and everything could explode. That was how it felt in Laysandra’s head.

  No one spoke.

  The silence stretched until both cups were empty. The faint sound of porcelain touching saucer felt louder than usual.

  Elowen broke the silence first.

  “May I refill your cups, my ladies?”

  Riona waved her hand lightly. She took out a white handkerchief and wiped her lips in a calm, controlled motion.

  Laysandra forced an awkward smile.

  “Ah, no thank you. I’m quite fine.”

  Elowen lowered the kettle and returned to her place behind Laysandra, ready if needed.

  The silence returned.

  Riona wasn’t looking at Laysandra at all. She was gazing out the window. Night had already fallen. When Riona arrived, it had still been evening.

  Laysandra, on the other hand, wasn’t looking outside. She was listening.

  Faint voices drifted from beyond the estate gates. A crowd had gathered just to catch a glimpse of the archangel. Diamantia wasn’t strictly a religious kingdom, but Thymera’s faith held enormous influence across the continent. There was even a holy land fully devoted to her name. People feared and worshipped angels in equal measure.

  None of that helped Laysandra right now.

  What should I say? Should I confess something?

  A small shiver ran down her back.

  Confess what? Stealing Sir Rob’s snacks? That’s not worth divine judgment… right? Calm down. She’s an angel, not a devil. Why are you acting like you’re already condemned?

  She slowly let out a long breath, trying to steady her heartbeat.

  Then Riona spoke, her voice even and neutral.

  “Is Helena your friend?”

  Laysandra’s calming breath got stuck in her throat. She started coughing immediately.

  “Kh—kh—! She is—! Cough!”

  Her eyes watered. The coughing only worsened because she was panicking.

  Elowen quickly stepped closer, one hand steady on Laysandra’s back. Somehow, a glass of water was already in her other hand. She passed it forward without a word. Laysandra grabbed it and drank too fast, nearly choking again, but eventually the coughing eased.

  When her vision cleared, Riona was standing right in front of her.

  From that angle, Riona looked even more imposing. Calm. Straight posture. No wasted movement.

  For a second, Laysandra’s brain shut down completely.

  Is this it? Am I dying?

  Riona gently placed her hand on Laysandra’s head.

  Elowen did not move. She sensed no hostility.

  “Easy now,” Riona said quietly. “Do not fear me, my child. I mean you no harm.”

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  Something warm spread through Laysandra’s body. The tightness in her chest disappeared. The irritation from coughing vanished like it had never existed. Even the leftover panic dissolved. Her mind felt clear and light.

  Riona continued, her voice still calm.

  “My reputation has earned me a harsh image. But my blade is meant for those who refuse to repent. I have no reason to harm someone who understands her own faults.”

  Laysandra looked into Riona’s eyes. For that brief moment, they did not look cold. There was warmth there.

  Then Riona withdrew her hand and returned to her seat. Her expression settled back into neutral distance.

  Elowen felt the faint trace of divine power lingering in the air. It was a small miracle — nothing complex. Healing, calming, easing tension. Even priests could perform miracles. But Riona’s was far stronger and more precise.

  Silence returned.

  This time, it felt different.

  Laysandra was the one who broke it.

  “I met Helena a few weeks ago,” she began slowly. “From the start, she felt strange. Not in a bad way. Just… like she was looking at everything from somewhere else. When she saved me and others from the Night Wolves, she didn’t feel like a normal person. She felt more like a great savior than someone I could even stand beside.”

  She paused, thinking.

  “At first I didn’t think much of it. I thought she just lived in her own world. But somehow, without noticing, I stepped into that world too. I don’t know when she stopped being someone who saved me and became my friend. All I know is that now I’m standing beside her, dealing with the chaos she causes.”

  Riona listened without interrupting.

  Laysandra hesitated before asking, “May I ask why you’ve come for her? As her friend, I want to know.”

  Riona glanced briefly at Elowen. Earlier, Elowen had asked the same question and been refused. But the intent behind Laysandra’s question was different. It wasn’t suspicion. It was concern.

  This time, Riona answered.

  “To be honest, I do not know everything myself,” she said. She placed Thymera’s letter on the table. “I received this from Her Majesty yesterday. Goddess Thymera has ordered me to grant Helena the honor of joining the ranks of angels under her authority.”

  She spoke plainly.

  “I have come to bring Helena to the Divine Realm so she may fulfill what Her Majesty has chosen for her. I do not fully understand why she was selected. But once Her Majesty has spoken, her life and fate are no longer entirely her own.”

  Behind Laysandra, Elowen’s pupils widened slightly.

  Turning a human into an angel? She had never heard of such a thing.

  If Riona was telling the truth, then it was possible.

  Laysandra, on the other hand, felt a completely different kind of fear.

  Helena… as an angel?

  That sounded like the worst possible combination.

  She could already imagine disasters in the Divine Realm.

  Before anyone could respond, the door suddenly burst open. A maid rushed in, breathless.

  “Lady Elowen! Lady Helena has just returned. I saw her entering the estate!”

  ---

  Outside Helena’s estate, Helena herself was standing a short distance away, holding her stomach with a faint look of annoyance.

  “I really shouldn’t have eaten that much,” she muttered.

  All the bread excitement had vanished. In fact, the thought of bread now made her uncomfortable. It was an old habit. Whenever she liked something, she overused it until the excitement burned out completely. Now she felt that if she saw another loaf, she might actually throw up. For at least three or four days, bread was banned from her life.

  She had spent the last hour walking around the city, blending into the crowd. But people had been staring at her more than usual. Some gave her strange looks. Some glanced twice. Some looked away awkwardly.

  Helena knew why.

  After becoming a Perfect Human, her body and face had changed. No weakness remained. No imbalance. She didn’t wear makeup, yet her features were unnaturally precise. It wasn’t beauty in the normal sense. It was perfection.

  Some people didn’t find her pretty at first glance. But if they looked a little longer, something about her face felt off. Too symmetrical. Too exact. It had a quiet pull.

  On Earth, it hadn’t caused much trouble. Here, it might.

  She didn’t particularly mind.

  It didn’t take long before she reached the area near her estate.

  Then she stopped.

  A massive crowd stood in front of the gates.

  Helena blinked. “How many people is that? One thousand? Two? No… more like three thousand?”

  It looked like a festival. Food stalls. Tents. People pushing forward just to look toward the estate gates.

  “Is there a carnival I don’t know about?” she muttered.

  The real problem was how to enter her own home. She couldn’t even see the main gate clearly from here.

  “Should I just bring out a truck and run through them?” she thought for half a second. “No. They’re not mutant zombies. What are you even thinking, Helena?”

  Her gaze moved across the crowd until she spotted someone familiar.

  Krome.

  An A-rank adventurer from Jinn’s clan. He was currently buying food from one of the stalls.

  Helena pushed through the crowd and slapped him hard on the back.

  “Yooo! Krome!”

  Whatever he was eating went straight down the wrong pipe. He started choking.

  Helena gave him another firm slap. He coughed once, then swallowed properly.

  Krome took a few deep breaths before turning around. His eyes widened slightly. Someone had approached him without triggering his senses.

  Then he saw it was Helena.

  Before he could speak, she asked, “You good? Or need another slap?”

  “I’m fine,” Krome replied, still catching his breath. “Just surprised.”

  “Is Jinn here too?” Helena looked around.

  “No,” Krome said. “Clan Master is on an emergency subjugation quest. He left the capital for a few days.”

  “He left you behind?” Helena leaned closer and whispered dramatically, “Maybe he didn’t want to split the reward. You’re A-rank too, right?”

  Krome’s eyebrow twitched. “Are you badmouthing the Clan Master?”

  Helena smirked. “No, no. Just exploring possibilities.”

  Krome sighed. “Please don’t joke like that. I’ve been with Jinn for years. He’s not that type. And I can tell you’re just looking for someone to tease.”

  Helena placed a hand on her head. “Ah. Caught that quickly, huh?”

  “It wasn’t subtle,” he replied. “But seriously, don’t say things like that. It creates misunderstandings.”

  Then Krome asked, “Did you come to see Lady Riona too?”

  “Lady who?” Helena blinked. “I just came home.”

  She pointed toward the estate, though the gates were barely visible.

  Krome laughed. “That’s a better joke than the last one. But I already know that estate belongs to some super rich noble called the ‘Lady of Gold.’”

  Helena froze.

  “Wait. What?” She stared at him. “Who?? And what kind of cringe name is that?”