Chapter 43

Jakel was lying against a tree with his head down and his limbs bound with a white and gold rope that the angel had pulled from Heaven's Inventory. The rope had the unique ability to freeze mana circulation around the body, rendering it impossible to use magic. The angel glanced at the motionless Jakel, pondering, *I doubt he would even want to use magic in his current state.*

"What happened to him?" Zee asked, her curiosity piqued as she observed Jakel's subdued form. She had initially intended to return to help Xain, but she knew Grace was far stronger than her and opted to stay behind.

"Ask the brat when she gets back," the angel replied with a huff, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Just thinking about it pisses me off," he muttered, his other hand moving unconsciously as if he were holding a cigarette.

"What are you doing?" Zee questioned, noticing the angel's hand movements.

The angel glanced down at his hand and clicked his tongue. "Tch, a bad habit, that's all," he replied dismissively.

As they talked, a howl of pain echoed through the forest, catching their attention. "That's the guy you and the kid were fighting, I assume?" the angel asked, turning his gaze toward the direction of the howl.

Zee nodded in confirmation. "Yes, it is," she affirmed, a bit taken aback by the intensity of the sound. While Mar had howled in pain when she had stabbed him earlier, his cries had never been as loud or filled with agony.

"Considering who she's fighting right now, I doubt he's doing well," the angel remarked, his thoughts filled with concern for Mar. *That brat's probably putting him through torture right now,* he mused, his perception of Grace bordering on that of a demon, a true one unlike the priest.

"Grace really is strong, huh?" Zee commented, turning to the angel for confirmation.

"She is, to an almost ridiculous degree," the angel agreed, avoiding direct eye contact with her. Zee pondered for a moment, her finger tapping her chin. "Someone like her, born into a village like Wolfdale, really is lucky," she remarked, and the angel nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, another howl echoed through the forest, louder, longer, and more agonizing than before. Zee instinctively covered her elven ears, the sound piercing through her senses. "What's going on there?" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with alarm.

"Michael knows what!" the angel replied, also covering one of his ears as the howl intensified. The howl gradually grew more broken and raspy before abruptly ceasing. They both stopped covering their ears, tension hanging in the air. "Is it over?" Zee asked, her gaze fixed on the direction of the howl as the angel remained silent, his thoughts consumed by the question, *The hell did you do to him, brat?*

"Boo!" Zee suddenly heard from behind her, causing her to jump and let out a startled yelp. She spun around to see Grace standing there with a mischievous grin on her face. "What is it?" the angel asked, clearly alarmed by Zee's reaction. He turned around to face Grace, who was now chuckling softly.

"Why did you do that!?" Zee exclaimed, her heart still racing from the sudden scare. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to regain her composure. Grace grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Thought it would be funny to spook you," she said with a playful wink, knowing full well that she had succeeded in startling Zee.

The angel let out a sigh, clearly exasperated by the antics. "Where's the kid and the merc?" he asked, his tone betraying his impatience. Grace snapped her fingers twice with her left hand, summoning Xain and the unconscious Mar, still in his lycan form, beside her. Xain blinked several times as he looked around, clearly disoriented from the sudden blink.

"Wow, that felt weird," he commented, rubbing his eyes in confusion as he tried to adjust to his new surroundings.

Zee went to Xain's side, concern evident in her voice as she asked, "You're okay, right? Nothing happened to you?" Xain scratched his cheek nervously, letting out a few chuckles. "Oh, trust me, stuff happened, just not to me," he replied, glancing over at the unconscious Mar with a hint of sympathy.

"Don't worry, it's not like anything bad can happen to him with me being there," Grace interjected, inserting herself between Xain and Zee. Xain raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Didn't I get punched by the angel while you were right next to me?" he pointed out, and Zee nodded vigorously in agreement. "That's right! You didn't protect him then," she said, a victorious tone in her voice, prompting Grace to look annoyed.

"I was surprised that time! And besides, it's not like you did anything either, elf," Grace retorted, pointing a finger accusingly at Zee, who shot her a glare. Xain sighed inwardly, thinking, *Oh goddess, not again,* already dreading another argument between the two. He quickly distanced himself from Zee and Grace, hoping to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. "So, uh, can you fill me in on what happened with Jakel over there?" he asked the angel, gesturing towards the tied-up Jakel.

The angel sighed heavily, still clearly annoyed by what Grace had done to Jakel. "Let's just say we didn't beat him in a fight," he replied, his frustration evident in his voice. Xain couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine at the implication.

"She probably psychologically destroyed him, I assume?" Xain suggested, surprising the angel, who raised an eyebrow in response. "How'd you know?" he asked, genuinely curious. Xain shrugged, analyzing the situation. "He doesn't look like he's injured in any way, so I assumed you guys didn't beat him physically," he explained, gesturing toward Jakel. "Also, judging by the way Grace taunted and fought Mar, I can tell that she's someone who knows exactly what to say to verbally destroy her opponent, even to this degree."

The angel was taken aback by Xain's astute observations. "Holy shit, you're not just a dumb kid. You actually have some smarts going for you," he remarked, impressed. Xain looked slightly annoyed at the implication of being considered unintelligent. "Why did you think I was dumb in the first place!?" he retorted, his frustration evident. The angel shrugged casually. "You just give off that vibe, you know?" he replied nonchalantly.

Xain pouted like the teenager he was before turning his attention back to Jakel and Mar. "Whatever, we need to question one of these two about Verandez. The question being, which one?" he said, scratching his head in contemplation.