24 A Cute Girl Named Penny
Tenshi was awake, a cute black cat with two tails purred on his chest while his wings were wrapped around her.
After raising his hand, he began to touch Kuroka's ear softly, which caused her to purr even louder.
"Grrr…" The large blue beast sleeping to his right, glaring aggressively at him.
Tenshi responded, "Haha... Come here," as he proceeded to stroke Liya's chin, which made her pleased with Kuroka... at least for a time.
The sound of Tenshi laughing roused Kuroka from her sleep, and she yawned and stretched her back as a response.
Tenshi looked downcastly at Kuroka and lamented, "Your condition was not showing any signs of improvement."
"Nya~" Simply rubbing her cheek against Tenshi's wings helped Kuroka relax, and it also reduced the amount of agony she was experiencing from her injuries.
…
Tenshi, who was dressed in a dreary black robe, was traveling in the direction of a sizable city.
Tenshi's mouth dropped open in shock as he looked at the enormous city and mumbled, "To think there would be a city in Hell."
"Hello there, brave traveler!" Tenshi turned his head to the side as he gazed at a young girl who was lugging around a heavy basket.
The little lady had beautiful blonde hair, and her eyes were a deep purple color, giving an impression of a cute girl.
"Yes?" Tenshi responded after noticing that the girl was wandering about Hell all by herself.
The little girl approached and requested, "Would you mind helping me out a little bit?"
Tenshi responded "sure," as he approached the girl and helped her hoist the basket she was holding.
When the young girl saw that Tenshi could move the basket with just one hand without any difficulty, she remarked, "O you are really powerful!"
Tenshi shrugged, asking, "So, do you have a name?"
The cute petite girl cocked her head to the side and exclaimed, "Oh!" I never said my name! You may refer to me as Perry."
Tenshi's lips raised unconsciously, being near this joyful girl.
"PERRY!" Suddenly, a resounding shout emerged from behind a gate, and it was followed by the appearance of a robust man wearing a tool belt that included several blacksmithing implements.
Perry was startled and became rigid as she turned to look at the man who was almost charging toward her.
The man remarked to Penny with a serious expression, "Young lady, you are in big trouble," as he grasped her hand.
Penny bowed her head and the smile that had been on her face before vanished. She then glared at him accusingly before turning her head and saying, "I simply wanted to help you... so you would have more time to play with me."
The expression on her father's face softened. He went on his knees, and gave his daughter a bear embrace and said, "Penny, I was scared. When you disappeared in the morning, I assumed the worst."
Penny's anger remained unchanged, and she showed it by pouting her baby cheeks and averting her gaze, which caused Tenshi and the father to chortle.
"Hello, you can call me Aldrin. Thank you so much for helping my daughter," Aldrin remarked as he extended his hand for a handshake.
Tenshi gave the man a friendly grin and shook his hand, judging him to be a decent human being.
"Oh, that's a really firm hold. My forge is available to you if you are interested in doing some work," Aldrin remarked.
After taking a quick look at the tool belt, Tenshi was able to deduce that Aldrin is a blacksmith.
"No thank you, but I was seeking for a blacksmith for myself," Tenshi then responded, "I need armor and a weapon, and of course I will give you a handsome price."
Aldrin puffed himself up with pride and announced, "They call me the best blacksmith in all of Elturel. Follow me!"
The group soon arrived at the city gate, and thankfully, thanks to Aldrin, Tenshi did not have too much trouble entering the city.
However, when he entered the city, he became aware of a faint magical presence that seemed to be nearly scanning him. When the guards arrived at Tenshi, beads of sweat were flowing down their foreheads as they began to look at him.
'They picked up on my magic, did they?' Tenshi reflected on his surroundings as he strolled through the prosperous city.
Tenshi is able to boast with confidence that his magic is on par with that of a High-Level Devil. Because of his awakening, his magic level is now very near the High Level.
After consuming a large number of demons, he was eventually able to achieve High-Class Devil in mana, despite the fact that his physical stats are only those of a Middle-Class Devil.
"Please come inside, and just allow me some time to open the store…" Aldrin mumbled, "I wasn't able to open my business because I was so busy looking for Penny," while casting an accusatory glance at Penny, who was being very shy.
Penny's expression changed dramatically as soon as she saw Aldrin enter the storage room, and she said in a cheerful voice, "OH! Are there any stories that you could tell me?"
Tenshi's mood was brightened once again by the sight of Penny resuming her often chipper manner, which brought a smile to his face.
After locating a seat, he sat down and said, "Well... I'll tell you one tale, BUT before I do, you owe it to your father to make amends. He was quite concerned about you."
Penny grudgingly bobbed her head, and Tenshi said, "I know you are a clever girl. Have you ever witnessed a creature that was as tall as a mountain?"
Penny gave a little shake of her head, flicking her two pigtails to the side.
"Once upon a time, I came face to face with a terrifying beast... It was the size of a mountain, and it had a terrifying lion head, dragon-like wings, pointed tails, and green ozzy poison shooting out of the tail An-"
Tenshi's narrative was abruptly cut short as she heard the sound of metal things falling to the ground.
As the man stammered his way inside, he inquired in a confused manner, "Y-You saw one of the seven beasts that rule the lands?"
"You mean Pride" Tenshi suddenly had the realization that this middle-aged guy knew of the seven deadly sins.
The grimace spread over Aldrin's face as he looked at Tenshi and questioned, "It appears you knew its name... Don't tell me it left a mark on you?"
Tenshi just raised his robe, and a massive, black-infested slash mark was scared on his chest. Everyone, even Aldrin, could feel the menacing power flowing off of it.
Penny's inquisitive and upbeat demeanor led her to inquire, "What does that mean?" despite the fact that she did not find it repulsive in the least.
"It is a challenge... That curse will continue to rob you of your life while gradually growing you stronger and stronger until it ultimately kills you," Aldrin said in response.
Tenshi's heart skipped a beat as he took in this new piece of knowledge for the very first time. He did not get the sensation that he was losing strength or dying slowly.
'Wait my Battle Mode,' you said. Tenshi finally comprehended why every time he entered into fight mode, it gave him incredible strength and complete control of his shadows, but once he exited the form, his body would slowly start to experience a feeling like being burned.
"It would seem that you have figured it out... You have such strength that you are able to get its mark and even its name... It's no surprise that Elias and Jake caused no commotion at the entrance." Aldrin remarked this as he picked up a ball that resembled a crystal and brought it close to Tenshi.
Aldrin said, "Place your palm on the crystal," in an excited and forceful manner without realizing it.
Even though Tenshi had a favorable opinion of Aldrin, something about the way he spoke made him uneasy.
"I'm Really Sorry About That... I couldn't contain my excitement." Before proceeding, Aldrin expressed his regrets. "This will provide you with some fundamental information about yourself, but worry not, as I am unable to access any of it other than your level and whether or not you are a demon," he said.
Tenshi put his faith in his intuition, which led him to realize that Aldrin was telling the truth.
He waited patiently while also feeling a little amount of excitement as he placed his palm on the crystal ball.
Within a short while, writing began to surface inside:
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥: 𝟓 (𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐫)
𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞: 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫.
𝐀𝐠𝐞: &%&^)*&^ —-----> 𝟏𝟗
𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞: *%*^&%*% (𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥)
𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬: 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡
𝐒𝐮𝐛 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬: 𝐍𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 (𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰)
𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝
▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
Aldrin said, "Oh, you are really powerful, nearly one of the strongest here."
Tenshi wanted to know, "Who is the strongest, and what level are they?" since he was curious.
In response, Aldrin said, "His name is Elijah the Cruel, and he is the commander of Hellrider, last known he is level 14."
Tenshi pretended as if he was already familiar with the topic in order to avoid seeming out of place.
"Elijah... as well was given the same curse; it was the cause for his power... but it was also the reason why he became... cruel," Aldrin stated.
While Tenshi has no interest in meeting this Elijah, he does want to go across the city and see all it has to offer.
"Do you have any specifications of your armor?" Aldrin remarked this as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk as well as a tiny stone tablet.
After giving it some consideration, Tenshi said, "Can you tell me what sort of metals you work on?"
Aldrin swept his gaze over Tenshi from head to toe before speaking. "I don't want to seem disrespectful, but metals like Star Metal, Celestial Metal, Adamant, Mithral, and other metals like that are uncommon and highly costly," he stated. "Therefore, I recommend that you make your armor out of steel and use silver and infernal iron for your weapons."
Tenshi bowed his head; his present garb consists of little more than leather armor and a cloak that covers the lower part of his face. Both of these items were "borrowed" from the victims he had previously slain. Even though he was big, ripped, and frightening to look at, his clothes seemed old and were of poor quality.
"What exactly is infernal iron, though?" Tenshi questioned, thinking that the name sounded somewhat menacing.
"Well... it's the only way to put an end to those annoying Demons, as well as the Damned. Although killing anything with that weapon may send the souls of the killed to the River Styx, where they will reincarnate as demons."
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A/N: I am sorry, this chapter was written in a rush. So there could be some spelling I have missed while rereading. Enjoy the chapter.
What should be the weapon of MC's choice?
Sword
Spear
Odachi
Glave (my preference)
Anything else you recommend?
I have already selected his weapon of choice, but it's possible to change my mind.
