Why Did You Summon Me?

The next morning, the High Priest found Noirciel snoring again on the observation deck, and realized that he had to wake her up, again.

This time, the High Priest was calm and happy, for some reason. When Noirciel descended, she was haughty, detached, and difficult to handle, but after two days in the clock tower, she had become a bit more easygoing, like a little girl. The change was not a big one, but it pleased the High Priest all the same.

The Pope and others did not share this sentiment, neither did they think they could stand seeing Noirciel do anything else that was unbecoming for angels described in the scriptures.

“I pray that you find salvation one day, Your Grace,” the High Priest murmured before walking towards the angel.

He woke her up gently, and she turned her groggy eyes to his and asked, “Huh? It’s… time?”

The High Priest dropped to one knee — the proper position in which to address an Angel, whether they conformed to one’s expectations or not — and replied, “Yes, Your Grace. We’ve prepared a carriage for you. It’ll be our honor if you accepted it.”

“Oh-kay.” Noirciel’s expression lit up with excitement at the news. She looked as curious as any little girl would on their first carriage ride.

The carriage was quite grand, quite fitting for an angel. It was also riddled with many formations, created to suppress an angel’s immense Divine Energy. The Pope had deliberately modeled the carriage after a birdcage, hoping that Noirciel would feel trapped within it and fly into a rage. He would then lead the enraged angel to Baiyi. [1]

The High Priest, who Noirciel found the easiest to talk to, was in the carriage, as well. The ride was a silent and bumpy one, which did not stop for bathroom breaks. Nevertheless, Noirciel said nothing; she just silently stared at the window.

The carriage windows were completely tinted and could not be seen through, a modification made on the Pope’s orders. Although Noirciel could not see through the window, she continued to stare at it.

Throughout the journey, the High Priest racked his brains for an excuse with which to explain why the angel was been treated so badly. In the end, he could not come up with anything; there was just no way for the Church to justify its actions. Thus, with a heavy voice, the High Priest said, “Your Grace, please pardon the Pope. He… He is very devoted to his cause and standards of right and wrong, and he diligently follows the teachings in the scripture…”

The High Priest’s words startled Noirciel for a moment, but she calmly replied, “I’m a sinner. A sinner has no right to condemn nor pardon anyone.”

‘So… does that mean we are forgiven or not?’ The High Priest wondered.

Suddenly, a crusader knocked on the door of the carriage and said in a low voice, “Your Grace, we’re detecting a high-level energy signature ahead. The devil will be here soon.”

“Praise the gods. He really is coming!” The High Priest exclaimed. “Don’t just stand there; inform the apostle. The time for battle is nigh!”

The Church’s leaders did not hold Noirciel in high regard, and they also did not believe that she could complete such a task by herself. Therefore, they dispatched fifty templars and a saint, who could also use Word of God, to accompany the angel.

These reinforcements were the sharp knives and pointy forks brandished when a foofaraw breaks out at a banquet; there was little doubt that they would cause significant damage. All Noirciel had to do was to play the part of the teacup that started it all.

Although Hope the devil was renowned for his powers, the Church believed that angel working with a saint could take him on. Hope should be dealt a terrible blow, which he would need a long time to recover from — enough time for the Church to summon another Angel. The new angel would be smart and powerful enough to finish what this angel could not, after which he would rid the world of darkness, once and for all.

The Church’s strategy looked foolproof on the drawing board, but the High Priest still had his misgivings about it. stratagem seemed solid back on the drawing board, but the High Priest was skeptical. Out of all the baits that the Church left dangling, Hope had chosen a marquis’s event, which was to be held at a remote, private hunting ground. The choice made it obvious that Hope had concocted a plan of his own.

The High Priest was right; Baiyi had not come alone. Three Voidwalkers had come with him, including the Charlatan Walker, who had insisted on helping, as this was within his area of expertise.

The High Priest could not bear to see Noirciel — an angel he had spent many months to summon — get killed out in the field. “Your Grace,” he said, “Please do take care. If the situation turns dire, please flee instantly, okay”

Noirciel did not reply, though. She looked in a certain direction even though she could not see through the carriage. Her wing was immediately unfurled, and she flew out of the carriage, destroying half of it in the process.

“Hurry! Follow Lady Noirciel!” The High Priest ordered the reinforcements.

However, neither the templars nor the saint moved. They stood still, staring at the one-winged angel, who was struggling to stay airborne.

The Church’s upper echelon had been really secretive; none of the reinforcements knew that they had been guarding an angel the whole time. When the shock wore off, surprise took its place. Everyone could only stare at the angel get closer to the ground, despite doing her best to soar.

Fortunately for Noirciel, she had learned her lesson the last time she had tried to fly. This time, she from her last, painful fall. This time, she did not try to ascend too high, flying just a little above the ground. Noirciel was a bit shaky at first, but she did not fall this time.

When Baiyi flew over the angel, who was hovering close to the ground, had to look up to see him.

According to the Church’s scripture, the only beings angels looked up at were gods.

Baiyi and three Voidwalkers behind him slowly floated down to the ground, and soon, he was standing right in front of Noirciel. “Well, we meet again,” He said in greeting.

“Indeed, Nehemiah’s vassal. The sands of time have brought us back together,” Noirciel replied. She had become cold and detached once more, unlike how careless she had been back at the clocktower.

Just as he had rehearsed with the Charlatan Walker, Baiyi replied, “Please allow me, as Nehemiah’s representative, to formally greet you and Lord Tylemus, o’ respected Vassal of Time.”

The ruse was not without risk, though. Baiyi had no information on Nehemiah, neither had he met any of his followers before. No one would know if Nehemiah had instructed his vassals to address others in this manner.

The Charlatan Walker had asked him not to fret over this, as every lie had a chance of being seen though, no matter how carefully-crafted and believable it seemed. A true master of trickery would not waste time creating foolproof lies; they would, instead, focus on dealing with whatever issue comes up after the lie has been told.

Fortunately for Baiyi, Noirciel was gullible. “My apologies, but I cannot return Lord Nehemiah’s greetings on Lord Tylemus’ behalf. I am now a sinner and no longer Time’s vassal.”

This made things much easier. Momentarily, forgetting his script, Baiyi asked, “What happened?”

Noirciel was startled by the question, making Baiyi wonder if he had just made a mistake. However, to his surprise, the angel honestly replied, “It seems Lord Nehemiah has yet to inform you of my fate. You see, shortly after using my Lord’s power without his permission, I was ousted for my disobedience. My inability to protect my purity against earthly attachments has made me unable to redeem myself…”

Noirciel briefly glanced at the collar around her neck, after which she looked up at Baiyi.

Although Noirciel was wearing a blindfold, Baiyi could sense the sorrow emanating from her. “Was it because you sent me back home?” He asked quietly.

The angel nodded sadly.

‘I knew it. This idiot never had the right to directly influence time!’ Baiyi thought. Noirciel’s situation was something some prisoners on earth would understand: being framed for a crime by the police and declared guilty. In the past, when Noirciel realized that Baiyi was the anomaly she had been sent to investigate, she used the power of her god without consent, so she was forced to wear the angels’ version of the ‘Cone of shame’.

One would expect the angel to fly into a rage when she met the person that made her suffer, but Noirciel just looked on sadly, instead.

‘ Is this all because of the fearsome reputation of this Nehemiah guy? Is he so frightening that even an angel would be scared to cross his vassal despite all the vassal had done to her?’ Baiyi wondered.

Whatever the case was, Baiyi was at an advantage. “I apologize, but this is all according to Lord Nehemiah’s unfathomable will. He has not made his divine plan clear to me, I cannot tell you the reason for your ordeal,” Baiyi said. “Nevertheless, I can offer you the apology of mortals, and if you agree to join me, I can make it all up to you.”

All the angel had to do was accept his offer. If she did, Baiyi would take her back to Da Xue, bribe her with the best snacks, confectionaries and other material luxuries, and slowly squeeze her!

Squeezing all the useful information she had out of her. He definitely would not do anything else.

To his shock, the clumsy Angel shook her head sideways. “My time in this realm is limited, and there is still something I must do,” she replied firmly. Suddenly, her face lit up as though she had just remembered something important. “Wait a second. I remember now… No, Lulu remembers now. You’re Mia’s father! Do you know where she is? I really want to see her. No. I mean, Lulu really wants to see her!”

‘Is… Is this Angel suffering from a dissociative personality disorder? And, why is everything going back to Mia again?’ Baiyi wondered.

As though Noirciel had read his mind, she explained, “My time I had to possess Lulu’s body exceeded the limit, causing her spirit to fuse with mine. This is the source of my corruption and the reason I’m denied salvation.”

“Oh, so if I do this …” Baiyi brought out the kitty plush toy from his pocket.

The Angel squealed in delight, and excitement overwhelmed her. Without warning, she jumped at the plush toy, intent on snatching it away, but Baiyi was faster. He raised his arm high, and Noirciel, reacting late, ran right into his chest.