My memories were fragmented. He held me and headed somewhere. Every time I fussed about it, our lips met. Then he gently caressed my cheek and mumbled something. Ilya desired me like a person frantic with thirst.
The memories flickered through my mind and quickly evaporated. I almost lost my consciousness. Then, suddenly, the fresh scent of grass brushed my nose. It felt like the wind had blown. A soft blanket touched my skin. Then, I embraced his firm body and shared a kiss that I had become accustomed to, repeating it several times.
The consciousness was dragged further and further into the black abyss. The mind, which had been suffering the whole time, wanted endlessly for the sweet break that suddenly came. So, I just followed my instincts. Other than that, I couldn’t do anything.
However, it was impossible to fall asleep. I think I even cried from the frustration of it. Having someone to indulge my whims made my heart incredibly soft and vulnerable.
Ilya wasn’t with me at every moment. He often left, and I would groan and suffer alone like a person tormented by fever. It was a terribly painful and lonely time. I was steadily becoming accustomed to Ilya’s warmth.
And then, one day.
“You’re doing something annoying again.”
Someone else’s voice, not Ilya’s, was heard. Soon, a soft touch touched my cheek. When I lifted my eyelids halfway, I saw a bright red suit. Only then did I slowly realize who the other person was.
Ozworld.
I didn’t have enough energy to call his name, so I was lying down as if I were dead, and Ozworld touched my cheek.
“You were so greedy for mana before, but now you’re as lazy as a sloth.”
Shut up. I tried to cover my ears, but my hands were easily grabbed.
“The same scenes have been repeated so many times. It’s time to come to your senses and show us new developments, Miss Theresa.”
I want to rest more. I want to sleep.
“Hmm.”
Ozworld sounded like he was agonizing about something. Then he suddenly started kissing my fingertips, the back of my hand, and my wrist one after another. As I twitched my fingers from the tickling sensation, he turned and kissed my cheek, eyelid, and forehead.
At the same, a completely different energy from Ilya’s mana flowed into me. It was a wonderful sensation as if stars were pouring down. I was immediately fascinated by the new energy and embraced Ozworld in a hurry. A low sound of laughter was drawn to me and settled in my ear. I wanted more. I wanted more and more.
Ozworld covered my lips with his thumb. “You’re greedy.”
I wanted to absorb as much of his energy as I desired, but my attempt failed, and I became irritable. Ozworld teased me by kissing his own thumb. I wasn’t in a rational state. Only emotions and instincts remained, making me more childish and vicious than a young child. So, I clenched my fist firmly and swung at Ozworld, but he blocked it effortlessly.
“You will soon come to your senses, although you may not remember this moment.”
Ozworld held me in his arms and touched my cheek and earlobe. Contrary to his saying that I would come to my senses, my consciousness quickly faded away. This time, I felt like I could really fall asleep.
“Killing Ilya would make it much easier. Just because you’re the creator doesn’t mean you have to feel responsible.”
I uttered this word even though my mind was fading away. “Shut… up…”
Ozworld smiled as if it were ridiculous. “You will soon realize that you shouldn’t trust your creation anyway.”
Then he kissed me on the cheek and whispered in a low voice. “Let’s sleep for a moment and get up later.”
I quickly lost my consciousness.
* * *
It has been a week since Theresa disappeared. It seemed like no one would care whether that low-level angel disappeared, but that wasn’t the case.
“Greetings, Lord Ilya.”
A high-level angel blocked his path with a calm expression and greeted him with a stern expression.
“What’s going on?”
“I heard that Theresa was sent to another department, but since I couldn’t see her in any departments, I took the liberty of coming to inquire about her whereabouts.”
Ilya scanned the male angel slowly. Did he say his name was Yosep? The angel, who had approached Theresa for impure purposes in the hallway the previous time, remained strong in his mind.
Ilya opened his mouth with a cold expression. “Why are you looking for Theresa?”
“Because my colleague suddenly disappeared.”
“She didn’t suddenly disappear. She left to carry out another task. Are you dissatisfied with my decision?”
Yosep tightened his grip on the hem of his own clothes as if he wasn’t satisfied with Ilya’s answer. “…I was presumptuous. I apologize.”
Ilya coldly passed Yosep and entered the office. Delios, who had been following him in silence the whole time, carefully opened his mouth. “Quite a few angels, including Yosep, are curious about Theresa’s whereabouts. Even the chief of staff said she was a worthy worker in the Central Headquarters.”
“Did they think I purposely kicked her out to a rough place?”
Because of what Ilya had done so far, everyone assumed that Theresa had been captured and sent to a harsh place like the ice land.
Ilya was overcome with unpleasant emotions that he wasn’t aware of and spoke harshly. “Have they all been fascinated by an angel?”
Theresa was only a low-level angel. Although her appearance was outstanding, there was nothing particularly desirable about her. Yet, why did everyone show interest in that low-level angel? What did they feel about her?
“Theresa is in my care. So, if an angle shows unnecessary interest, take action.”
It meant to penalize them.
“I understand.”
It wasn’t the end of Ilya’s strange behavior.
“Starting today, I’ll stop testing the matching rate.”
After Theresa disappeared, the number of people tested was drastically reduced to 10 per day. Now, he wants to stop it altogether?
“Are you saying you’re going to abandon that project?”
Ilya tried to say yes but swallowed his words. If he answered like that, the Senate would not remain silent. “No. I will suspend it temporarily. Because it’s urgent to deal with other issues.”
He was the type of person who wouldn’t change his mind. Also, he never abandoned the cause for personal reasons. But today, Ilya committed both things at the same time. Now that he realized who he really wanted, he no longer wanted to waste time looking for a female angel to imprint on.
Delios was secretly happy about it. “Then I will tell them to stop immediately.” He still absolutely supported Ilya in imprinting Theresa.
As Delios left, the office was in silence. Ilya was dealing with urgent tasks when she suddenly realized he was controlling too much. He was tired. He no longer felt like working for the dimension he had no attachment to. There were only two reasons for him to save this dimension. It was for the survival of Clyde and Theresa. That was all.
Knock, knock. Ilya turned his head in the direction where it came from when he heard the sound and made eye contact with Clyde, who was coming in through the window.
“Don’t come creeping in like a thief.”
“You’re arguing about pointless things.”
Clyde crossed the office as if he were walking through his own bedroom and approached Ilya’s side. The two held hands and greeted each other with a brief hug.
“It’s been a while, right?”
“Yes.”
Ilya frowned as he glanced at his twin, who bore no resemblance to him. “I already told you to wear your uniform when you come to the headquarters.”
“There’s no problem if I wear less of that.”
Normally, Ilya would have pulled out a spar uniform and handed it to him to put on, but at that point, he stopped intervening.
Clyde thought this was a big deal. He asked, looking around as if to check who was in the office. “I heard you’re busy checking the matching rate with female angels. Is that right?”
“I stopped for today.”
“I can’t believe you changed your decision. What happened? Are you nearing your time to die?”
It was a joke, but Ilya didn’t answer. Because he felt he was really going to die soon.
Clyde went to the sofa, lay down, and asked in a flamboyant tone. “So, why did you call for me?”
After hearing the truth about the heavenly world from Samuel, Ilya sends a magic message to Clyde. He did that to ask him to take care of Theresa after his death. But his plan went awry.
Ilya sat in an elegant position on the other side of Clyde. “I contacted you to make sure you weren’t in an accident.”
“What an accident? Do you know how busy I am because of the heavenly world’s stupid system?”
Ilya smiled self-helpfully. In the past, even if Clyde said that the heavenly system was absurd, inferior, and narrow-minded, he listened to that and let them out in one ear. But now he agrees. The heavenly world is wrong. He felt his stomach twisted whenever he went to work at the central headquarters for a place like this.
There was a moment of silence. Clyde quietly gazed at Ilya as if to memorize him for a long time, carefully taking in every detail.
Ilya asked straightforwardly. “What’s wrong with you?” Just as Clyde quickly noticed that Ilya was different from usual, Ilya also noticed that Clyde was strange.
“Just, it occurred to me that you and I look very different. No one would know that we’re twins.”
Clyde said it as a joke, but he felt bitter. Now he knew why Ilya and himself were different. This was because they weren’t born according to nature but were formed this way. Still, they were brothers. Clyde thought that was enough and changed the subject.
“I plan to stay in the central city for a while, so please help me find accommodation.”
Clyde was banished from the Tower of Light, so he couldn’t enter it. He suddenly thought of a place where he could stay. “By the way, was the house still there? You know, the house we built on an empty island when we were young.”
Ilya’s expression changed minutely the moment he brought it up. “I got rid of it. Stay at a hotel in the central city. The cost will be charged to me.”
“Really? That’s too bad. It’s been a while since I wanted to see that house.”
Clyde went to the window as if he had finished his business and waved his hand in a position where he stepped on the frame. “I’m going.”
Ilya was displeased with this unexpected act but watched Clyde disappear until the end. Suddenly, a sigh came out.
Ilya had been trying to somehow correct the short-tempered Delios, the unique Mari, and the unruly Clyde into individuals suitable for the heavenly world. That was also the case with Theresa. Unknowingly, he became infinitely indulgent towards the people he cared about and eventually let them do as they pleased. In a moment like this, he realized the fact that he shared the same blood with Clyde.
Ilya disliked free-spirited angels. But in the end, what he came to love was their unrefined freedom. A freedom he could never possess himself.
My memories were fragmented. He held me and headed somewhere. Every time I fussed about it, our lips met. Then he gently caressed my cheek and mumbled something. Ilya desired me like a person frantic with thirst.
The memories flickered through my mind and quickly evaporated. I almost lost my consciousness. Then, suddenly, the fresh scent of grass brushed my nose. It felt like the wind had blown. A soft blanket touched my skin. Then, I embraced his firm body and shared a kiss that I had become accustomed to, repeating it several times.
The consciousness was dragged further and further into the black abyss. The mind, which had been suffering the whole time, wanted endlessly for the sweet break that suddenly came. So, I just followed my instincts. Other than that, I couldn’t do anything.
However, it was impossible to fall asleep. I think I even cried from the frustration of it. Having someone to indulge my whims made my heart incredibly soft and vulnerable.
Ilya wasn’t with me at every moment. He often left, and I would groan and suffer alone like a person tormented by fever. It was a terribly painful and lonely time. I was steadily becoming accustomed to Ilya’s warmth.
And then, one day.
“You’re doing something annoying again.”
Someone else’s voice, not Ilya’s, was heard. Soon, a soft touch touched my cheek. When I lifted my eyelids halfway, I saw a bright red suit. Only then did I slowly realize who the other person was.
Ozworld.
I didn’t have enough energy to call his name, so I was lying down as if I were dead, and Ozworld touched my cheek.
“You were so greedy for mana before, but now you’re as lazy as a sloth.”
Shut up. I tried to cover my ears, but my hands were easily grabbed.
“The same scenes have been repeated so many times. It’s time to come to your senses and show us new developments, Miss Theresa.”
I want to rest more. I want to sleep.
“Hmm.”
Ozworld sounded like he was agonizing about something. Then he suddenly started kissing my fingertips, the back of my hand, and my wrist one after another. As I twitched my fingers from the tickling sensation, he turned and kissed my cheek, eyelid, and forehead.
At the same, a completely different energy from Ilya’s mana flowed into me. It was a wonderful sensation as if stars were pouring down. I was immediately fascinated by the new energy and embraced Ozworld in a hurry. A low sound of laughter was drawn to me and settled in my ear. I wanted more. I wanted more and more.
Ozworld covered my lips with his thumb. “You’re greedy.”
I wanted to absorb as much of his energy as I desired, but my attempt failed, and I became irritable. Ozworld teased me by kissing his own thumb. I wasn’t in a rational state. Only emotions and instincts remained, making me more childish and vicious than a young child. So, I clenched my fist firmly and swung at Ozworld, but he blocked it effortlessly.
“You will soon come to your senses, although you may not remember this moment.”
Ozworld held me in his arms and touched my cheek and earlobe. Contrary to his saying that I would come to my senses, my consciousness quickly faded away. This time, I felt like I could really fall asleep.
“Killing Ilya would make it much easier. Just because you’re the creator doesn’t mean you have to feel responsible.”
I uttered this word even though my mind was fading away. “Shut… up…”
Ozworld smiled as if it were ridiculous. “You will soon realize that you shouldn’t trust your creation anyway.”
Then he kissed me on the cheek and whispered in a low voice. “Let’s sleep for a moment and get up later.”
I quickly lost my consciousness.
* * *
It has been a week since Theresa disappeared. It seemed like no one would care whether that low-level angel disappeared, but that wasn’t the case.
“Greetings, Lord Ilya.”
A high-level angel blocked his path with a calm expression and greeted him with a stern expression.
“What’s going on?”
“I heard that Theresa was sent to another department, but since I couldn’t see her in any departments, I took the liberty of coming to inquire about her whereabouts.”
Ilya scanned the male angel slowly. Did he say his name was Yosep? The angel, who had approached Theresa for impure purposes in the hallway the previous time, remained strong in his mind.
Ilya opened his mouth with a cold expression. “Why are you looking for Theresa?”
“Because my colleague suddenly disappeared.”
“She didn’t suddenly disappear. She left to carry out another task. Are you dissatisfied with my decision?”
Yosep tightened his grip on the hem of his own clothes as if he wasn’t satisfied with Ilya’s answer. “…I was presumptuous. I apologize.”
Ilya coldly passed Yosep and entered the office. Delios, who had been following him in silence the whole time, carefully opened his mouth. “Quite a few angels, including Yosep, are curious about Theresa’s whereabouts. Even the chief of staff said she was a worthy worker in the Central Headquarters.”
“Did they think I purposely kicked her out to a rough place?”
Because of what Ilya had done so far, everyone assumed that Theresa had been captured and sent to a harsh place like the ice land.
Ilya was overcome with unpleasant emotions that he wasn’t aware of and spoke harshly. “Have they all been fascinated by an angel?”
Theresa was only a low-level angel. Although her appearance was outstanding, there was nothing particularly desirable about her. Yet, why did everyone show interest in that low-level angel? What did they feel about her?
“Theresa is in my care. So, if an angle shows unnecessary interest, take action.”
It meant to penalize them.
“I understand.”
It wasn’t the end of Ilya’s strange behavior.
“Starting today, I’ll stop testing the matching rate.”
After Theresa disappeared, the number of people tested was drastically reduced to 10 per day. Now, he wants to stop it altogether?
“Are you saying you’re going to abandon that project?”
Ilya tried to say yes but swallowed his words. If he answered like that, the Senate would not remain silent. “No. I will suspend it temporarily. Because it’s urgent to deal with other issues.”
He was the type of person who wouldn’t change his mind. Also, he never abandoned the cause for personal reasons. But today, Ilya committed both things at the same time. Now that he realized who he really wanted, he no longer wanted to waste time looking for a female angel to imprint on.
Delios was secretly happy about it. “Then I will tell them to stop immediately.” He still absolutely supported Ilya in imprinting Theresa.
As Delios left, the office was in silence. Ilya was dealing with urgent tasks when she suddenly realized he was controlling too much. He was tired. He no longer felt like working for the dimension he had no attachment to. There were only two reasons for him to save this dimension. It was for the survival of Clyde and Theresa. That was all.
Knock, knock. Ilya turned his head in the direction where it came from when he heard the sound and made eye contact with Clyde, who was coming in through the window.
“Don’t come creeping in like a thief.”
“You’re arguing about pointless things.”
Clyde crossed the office as if he were walking through his own bedroom and approached Ilya’s side. The two held hands and greeted each other with a brief hug.
“It’s been a while, right?”
“Yes.”
Ilya frowned as he glanced at his twin, who bore no resemblance to him. “I already told you to wear your uniform when you come to the headquarters.”
“There’s no problem if I wear less of that.”
Normally, Ilya would have pulled out a spar uniform and handed it to him to put on, but at that point, he stopped intervening.
Clyde thought this was a big deal. He asked, looking around as if to check who was in the office. “I heard you’re busy checking the matching rate with female angels. Is that right?”
“I stopped for today.”
“I can’t believe you changed your decision. What happened? Are you nearing your time to die?”
It was a joke, but Ilya didn’t answer. Because he felt he was really going to die soon.
Clyde went to the sofa, lay down, and asked in a flamboyant tone. “So, why did you call for me?”
After hearing the truth about the heavenly world from Samuel, Ilya sends a magic message to Clyde. He did that to ask him to take care of Theresa after his death. But his plan went awry.
Ilya sat in an elegant position on the other side of Clyde. “I contacted you to make sure you weren’t in an accident.”
“What an accident? Do you know how busy I am because of the heavenly world’s stupid system?”
Ilya smiled self-helpfully. In the past, even if Clyde said that the heavenly system was absurd, inferior, and narrow-minded, he listened to that and let them out in one ear. But now he agrees. The heavenly world is wrong. He felt his stomach twisted whenever he went to work at the central headquarters for a place like this.
There was a moment of silence. Clyde quietly gazed at Ilya as if to memorize him for a long time, carefully taking in every detail.
Ilya asked straightforwardly. “What’s wrong with you?” Just as Clyde quickly noticed that Ilya was different from usual, Ilya also noticed that Clyde was strange.
“Just, it occurred to me that you and I look very different. No one would know that we’re twins.”
Clyde said it as a joke, but he felt bitter. Now he knew why Ilya and himself were different. This was because they weren’t born according to nature but were formed this way. Still, they were brothers. Clyde thought that was enough and changed the subject.
“I plan to stay in the central city for a while, so please help me find accommodation.”
Clyde was banished from the Tower of Light, so he couldn’t enter it. He suddenly thought of a place where he could stay. “By the way, was the house still there? You know, the house we built on an empty island when we were young.”
Ilya’s expression changed minutely the moment he brought it up. “I got rid of it. Stay at a hotel in the central city. The cost will be charged to me.”
“Really? That’s too bad. It’s been a while since I wanted to see that house.”
Clyde went to the window as if he had finished his business and waved his hand in a position where he stepped on the frame. “I’m going.”
Ilya was displeased with this unexpected act but watched Clyde disappear until the end. Suddenly, a sigh came out.
Ilya had been trying to somehow correct the short-tempered Delios, the unique Mari, and the unruly Clyde into individuals suitable for the heavenly world. That was also the case with Theresa. Unknowingly, he became infinitely indulgent towards the people he cared about and eventually let them do as they pleased. In a moment like this, he realized the fact that he shared the same blood with Clyde.
Ilya disliked free-spirited angels. But in the end, what he came to love was their unrefined freedom. A freedom he could never possess himself.
