533 Disagreemen

"You are Lord Nehemiah's messenger, and she is the one beloved by Our Highest Lord. So why did you obstruct me? Why do you treat me as an adversary?"

Noirciel's manner of speaking had always been indifferent, but this time, it was easy to tell that she was very upset. Her voice rose into a wail. "Aren't we on the same side?! Why then did you beat me up?!" [1]

'For someone who's supposed to be apathetic, you're quite emotional, aren't you?' Baiyi could not help feeling amused.

The current situation was nothing to laugh about, though. Baiyi could not stop the angel from wresting control of Lulu's body, even if this fragment of his spirit cooperated with Lulu's. The golden barrier around Lulu was frail; Noirciel could easily crush it, along with Lulu's spirit, if she wished to. For some reason, however, Noirciel considered the brittle barrier a line she absolutely could not cross.

There was no chance that the shield would scare her off. After all, it was the product of someone that was clearly a novice at using theurgical spells. Noirciel believed that the brittle barrier was a mark of the One True God. Thus, she was worried that she would cross this mortal, who she thought her master loved.

Baiyi had wondered why the angel held back when they fought. He understood now, though; the angel did not wish to harm Lulu's body.

This was quite the discovery. It was Laeticia that cast the barrier spell on the plush toy, not the One True God [2]. How could an angel mistake a spell cast by a mortal, during a practice session, for one that was cast by a diety?

Furthermore, Noirciel mistook Baiyi for the messenger of a god. Baiyi had no idea who Nehemiah was; the only thought that came to mind was that talkative War God, but he was not sure they were the same person. The angel was mistaken, though. Attie was the War God's true messenger. Just when did he agree to take up that position?

After poring over this matter for some time, Baiyi reached a conclusion: this angel was just a klutz! She got confused easily and lacked the self-awareness to know she had messed up!

This was something Baiyi could take advantage of. He was uninterested in clearing things up for the angel.

The plushie looked down at Lulu and whispered, "Are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

"No," Lulu whispered back. She took the plushie off her head and hugged it tightly. "She has been rather friendly, but she will not leave me alone or let me back out. She wants me to relinquish control to her."

"Pfft! Don't listen to her. She's only going to wreak havoc out there."

"I know," Lulu said, smiling faintly. "I saw everything, including the fight you both had. I told her to stop, but she wouldn't listen. If you didn't overpower her, I might have…" Lulu went quiet, unable to finish.

It was obvious that Lulu had been cheering Baiyi on. Noirciel was an angel, an immortal being, sent here by a god. She repelled the demons that attempted to invade Lulu's beloved town, Aegir, but Lulu knew little about divine beings. However, she considered sorcerers worthy of unwavering respect.

"It's okay. Let us focus on this standoff. I'll try to persuade her," Baiyi replied, after which the plush toy turned to face Noirciel.

"Look, if we're on the same side, then tell me what you came here to do. We might be able to work together."

"I came to investigate anomalies," Noirciel replied.

'"To investigate anomalies!" She said that like a dollar store Reimu Hakurei. Is everything an anomaly to rectify? Why don't you give me an FGO summoning talisman, little shrine maiden?' Baiyi sneered in his mind. On the outside, however, he asked, "What kind of anomalies?'

The angel's reply was, once again, straightforward. "Time."

"Time? Well, tell me. What do you think 'time' is?"

Noirciel did not immediately answer. She seemed to think about it for a while issuing a ditzy reply, "Time is the chronicle of the past and the progress to future."

'That doesn't make much sense,' Baiyi thought. He was about to rephrase his question when the angel continued, saying, "My task is to ensure that time is going in the direction it was destined to, so that those in the future do not suffer disorder and chaos. As Lord Nehemiah's follower, surely you understand the importance of this."

'Understand what now? I don't even 'understand' if Nehemiah is a man or a woman! Besides, isn't that fella supposed to be the God of Space? How can you expect a God of Space to be connected to Time?' Baiyi had many questions to ask. Every word that escaped the angel's lips were just as confusing as the last, and Baiyi did not know what the entire picture was. If he still did understanding anything after talking for a while, he decided not to keep up his act.

As Baiyi tried to organize his thoughts, the angel said, "Now that you know what my task is, please step aside so that I may continue my work."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. There has to be some other way, right? Would you entertain the thought of switching hosts? How about asking that little cleric friend of yours to get you another Elect that's suitable?" Baiyi suggested.

"Cleric? Elect?" Noirciel cocked her head in confusion. This made her resemble the 'cool but klutzy cute girl' archetype. It was obvious that she had never heard these terms, which humans invented, before.

"Yea! You see, this girl is really important to me, so can you just leave her alone and find someone else to possess? After that, I won't get in your way, and you won't get in mine; we all live happily ever after. Sweet deal, right?"

However, Noirciel shook her head firmly. "That is impossible. Once a host has been selected, it is impossible to switch to another." Visibly irritated, she raised her voice, saying, "Please, Nehemiah's messenger — the one favored by My Highest Lord — I need you to step aside. Do not impede my work!"

"No, no. I insist we negotiate," Baiyi frantically replied, trying his best to come up with a scheme to get out of this situation. His suit of armor, who had been up-to-date with its narration, asked Mia and the Emperor for help.

"Oh, this is tough. You know I'm not an accomplished charlatan; lying is not my forte." The situation also left the Emperor helpless.

"I'm bad at it, too," Mia said.

"Maybe you need bait to lure her out of that body. Like, say, if she leaves that body now, I'll let her take up any position in my government. I'll even allow her to choose anything from my treasury that she fancies!" The Emperor suggested.

"Oh? Is this an offer that someone who, supposedly, doesn't care about his future spouse would make? You're basically offering up your treasures to her, treasures that were difficult for you to get a hold of!" Baiyi exclaimed. "That being said, there is a problem. Do you think an angel would give a s**t about the lowly items in this world?"

"Okay; power and money are nothing to an angel, huh? Then, how about the crowned jewels of my heart?" The Emperor replied, producing a very fine box, which he opened. Within this box were several card-sized paintings. They were so beautiful, anyone would consider them masterpieces.

"Tell her that she can pick three — wait, two — no, one of these, my most treasured possession!"

'What the hell?! This is low! The life of your future lover is at stake, goddamn it, and cards are all you can come up with?'

"Oh, is this not good enough?" The Emperor groaned. He looked at the small cat atop his hands with a sad expression and slowly said, "I… I guess she can also… have Mr. Whiskersfluffer…"

'Why is that bloody cat part of the deal? How did you manage to make the worst turn worse?! Holy s***, you have completely inherited the persona of that geezer in the future!' Baiyi screamed in his mind. What the hell made him think that he could rely on this silly old man?

Unlike the Emperor, Mia was serious. "Mr. Hope, you could suggest that she inhabits a suit of armor, just like a Soul Armature."

Baiyi marveled at the idea. 'Not bad! We can make an angel version of Soul Armatures — one that'll be on our side, as well. Sadly, we won't be able to appreciate her beauty anymore, but that's beside the point,' Baiyi thought.

Short on time to negotiate, and already at his wit's end, Baiyi did not spend too much time thinking Mia's idea through. It did seem like a viable solution to the current conundrum — as it could appease the angel for the time being. "How about we give you a suit of armor to possess?"

Noirciel's expression turned hostile, and with a cold voice, she replied, "You're suggesting that I place my soul into a suit of armor? How… Even if you're Lord Nehemiah's messenger, how could you make such a blasphemous suggestion?!"

'Oh no. What did I say?' Baiyi panicked. He had not expected to enrage the angel with his suggestion.

Noirciel looked like she had had it. With a chilly tone, she said, "I apologize for what I am about to do. I am afraid an examen is in order."

The angel soared into the air and pulled out chains made of dazzling pearls. Without hesitation, she threw the chains at the kitty plush toy.

"You want a fight here? Don't you know who I am? Do you really wish to cross Lord Nehemiah, thereby incurring his wrath?!" Baiyi bellowed, but the angel did not listen. She controlled the pearly chain of light to bind the noisy plush toy.

When the plush toy was bound tightly, a wave of emotion crossed Noirciel's face: terror, dread, confusion, wariness, and even despair. Her face had become a window to her wind, through which one could see the storm raging in her mind.

This was the kind of storm a small anomaly like Baiyi could create.

In a crazed manner, Noirciel began to mutter, "Witness… Chaos… A counteracting flow… Law… I see… No, this cannot be!"

After what seemed like a long time, Noirciel looked up and wailed, "O' Lord Nehemiah, how could you allow your messenger to do such things?"

It took some time for Noirciel to calm down, and when she did, she glared at the kitty plush toy — who was tightly bound — and said, "I must fulfill my task to correct time, even if it means suffering my Lord's punishment!"From Touhou Project. A shrine maiden whose approach to youkai extermination is "shoot first, ask questions later".