Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Today had been a very long day.

Harlan had woken up extra early because it was the grand opening of Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant. He thought the name was a little bit ridiculous— it was too wordy for his tastes. But his boss— Amelia— had said that it could just be shortened to Bucky’s... which honestly had the opposite problem in that it was only a single word that conveyed nothing.

He thought a middle ground between the two would work much better. For example, something like Bucky’s Restaurant rolled off the tongue so much better. But maybe it was just his own personal preference, and he might just be totally wrong. He was just a former city guard, after all.

Anyway, his job was to serve tables, so he had no say in naming this restaurant. That was up to both Amelia and Xakor to decide. He did his job, and he tried his best to do it well. He even set up additional tables and chairs out front to accommodate more customers.

Harlan had expected a large crowd to gather— relatively speaking for a village like Wolfwater. After all, this was a restaurant owned by Xakor the Patron of the Culinary Sciences. Everyone across the world had heard of him. And a large crowd did show up.

But so did an angel. Harlan thought it was ridiculous. He almost refused to believe his eyes. However, he couldn’t stop and gawk at the sight because he had work to do. In fact, his workload was only exacerbated thanks to the angel’s appearance.

The restaurant was at maximum capacity. No— it had exceeded maximum capacity. There were so many customers squeezed into the small building, the former guardsman had no moment of respite. He barely even took notice of the angel because he was so busy rushing from table to table.

...until the angel suddenly jerked to its feet and raised a lance.

Even Harlan couldn’t ignore the unfolding scene any longer. He watched, listening to the conversation for a moment. But the angel suddenly swung its lance to the ground.

There had been a flash of light. Harlan thought he died. But when he blinked his eyes back open, he realized he was still alive. The angel hadn’t vaporized him to ash, instead creating a rainbow-colored dome around the bar.

He stared at this powerful magic. An angel’s magic. That which he had only ever heard tales and stories about. And he wasn’t the only one who looked on, awe-struck. Everyone in the restaurant could only gape at the sight. And they had questions.

Were they safe? And what happened to Amelia? What happened to Noele? What was the angel trying to accomplish here in Wolfwater?

Harlan didn’t know. He wished he could peer into the dome and overhear more of their discussion. He hoped that everything was alright. He pursed his lips— and he heard a cluck.

Bucky stepped out of the kitchen, tilting her head at him expectantly, before looking towards the crowd. Harlan blinked, then steeled himself. He cleared his throat as he spun around.

“Right, back to work,” he said. Clapping his hands loudly together, he spoke for all to hear. “There’s nothing to worry about folks—”

—--

This conversation had been incredibly stress-inducing for Noele. She wasn’t even sure if it would be resolved peacefully once the angel produced its lance. And if it came down to a fight, she wasn’t sure who would come out on top.

Certainly, Amelia was incredibly strong. Noele had seen it for herself. That was why she had apprenticed herself to the brown-haired woman. But Guardian Angel Z357 was... an angel.

One of the very same angels who had descended from the heavens long ago and liberated Vacuos. In the beginning, there was darkness. And it was an army of angels who brought light to the four continents.

So Noele wasn’t sure who would win— she didn’t want to find out either. She just hoped that the confrontation between her mentor and the angel would be resolved peacefully. At first, it didn’t seem like that was a possibility. But now, it was starting to look like there wouldn’t be any conflict between the two.

“Because—” Amelia uncrossed her arms and spoke casually. “I killed the Voidgod.”

The blonde girl steadied herself against the bar, sighing in relief as she heard her mentor’s words. While Noele didn’t exactly know who this Voidgod was, she knew that Amelia had spent a long time— ten years, at the very minimum— fighting against the Void. And the term Voidgod was self-explanatory enough, so it clearly only meant one thing.

Guardian Angel Z357 must have known who it was as well. It was an angel— it was the World System’s sentinel. It had to be all-knowing, especially when it came to the Void. Hopefully, Amelia’s words was enough to finally assuage—

Who is that? Guardian Angel Z357 asked, cocking its head.

And Noele tripped over her stool as Amelia blinked.

—--

“You’re... not serious, are you?” I said flatly.

But Guardian Angel Z357 just took another step forward, narrowing all twelve of its eyes. Explain yourself, it demanded.

I massaged my temples as I sighed. I was expecting some sort of a reaction from the angel. But I wasn’t expecting confusion of all things. Seriously— I thought that this whole mess would be resolved with just that.

Guardian Angel Z357 glanced between us. It didn’t move its head. Its eyes just darted between our faces.

I understand, it finally said. I will have to investigate further beyond the rifts and the blessed to discover the truth.

“Yeah, go and do your job. Let me do mine too.” I leaned against the bar counter.

The angel drew bak as it reached for its lance. My brows snapped together when I saw the broken bits of the floorboard lying on the ground.

I apologize for my inconvenience. I shall take my leave now—

“Wait, before you go,” I quickly said and caught Guardian Angel Z357 by the arm. “Don’t forget— you have to pay me back for that.” I pointed at the splinters at the angel’s feet.

“Amelia!” Noele exclaimed with a horrified look.

But the angel didn’t lash out at me. Instead, it calmly replied, I do not have any of this planet’s currency.

“Then you’ll have to find some other way to make amends,” I scoffed as I drew back.

Guardian Angel Z357 didn’t give an immediate response. Its twelve eyes just continued zipping around in different directions before finally settling back on me. It spoke slowly.

And... how can I make amends? it asked as Noele blinked.

A smile slipped onto my face. The blonde girl just looked on as I tapped a finger on my chin. I had an idea. It might have been a silly idea. But it was certainly an idea, and it could work. So I made the suggestion anyways.

“How about this— you work for me to pay me back for the damage you caused.” I gestured past the angel as Noele bobbed her mouth

She wanted to protest, but I didn’t let her speak. I continued waving at the broken floorboards as I spoke simply.

“Harlan is too overworked and he needs an extra pair of hands. I’m not asking you to work for me for a month or whatever— just until I find a second employee. How about that?”

It was a ridiculous suggestion. I knew it was ridiculous, but the benefits of having an angel working here was too much to pass up on. It was the best advertisement in the world— even more so than having Xakor’s name slapped onto the restaurant.

Noele quite clearly thought it was ridiculous too. She tried to work her jaw, but no words came. So she just watched as Guardian Angel Z357 continued standing there in silence.

“What do you say?” I pressed the angel. “You’ve falsely accused me of a lot of things, and I still helped you out. You owe us at least that much.”

Noele pursed her lips. “Amelia, I don’t think—” she started, but Guardian Angel Z357 cut her off.

Very well, it said as her jaw dropped in shock. I accept.

“What?!” she exclaimed, but I ignored her.

I smirked and patted the angel on the shoulder. “Alright— glad to have you on board. Now your first job is...”

I glanced down as the angel’s gaze followed mine. The both of us stared at the broken floorboards at our feet.

“...clean up this mess.”

MelasD

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