"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I am Michael, the leader of the Angels," the man introduced himself to Richard and the others.
"Hello! I am one of the Four Great Seraphs, and my name is Gabriel – the Guardian of Heaven's Throne!" the remaining girl introduced herself.
"Since you both introduced yourselves, it'd be rude if I didn't. Let me introduce myself—I'm Richard~." Richard cheerfully said as he gestured toward the empty seat in front of him. Jeanne sat beside him, glaring at Michael and Gabriel, while Gawain stood behind like a knight, curiously observing the two Seraphs.
"So, what do I owe Heaven that brings both Seraphs here to see me~?" Richard said as he pulled out some tea cups.
Hearing Richard's question, Michael looked a bit embarrassed. He had sensed the presence of a saint in the human world—a presence that was deeply familiar to him. It was the presence of Jeanne, one of God's most faithful followers.
He and Gabriel came here immediately afterward. Both had to conceal their presence because Kuoh was currently devil territory. They wanted to meet Richard but encountered a barrier that blocked them. Although Michael could've destroyed the barrier easily, he thought that would be impolite.
"Richard, I'm truly grateful that you accepted this meeting," Michael replied politely, then continued,
"In truth, there's no serious issue. Gabriel and I just wanted to check on a few things."
"What do you want to check?" Richard asked.
"Firstly, I've wanted to meet you for a long time," Michael said.
"Meet me? Is there something special about me that made you want to meet me~?" Richard asked playfully.
"My Joker, Dulio Gesualdo, told me about you. It left me with many questions I've been wanting to ask. But only now have I had the chance to speak with you directly," Michael said honestly.
"Oh, then what are you curious about, Michael-sama?"
"Just Michael is fine," he replied, then continued,
"I'm curious about how you possess Excalibur. As far as I know, you're not related to the Church. And the Excalibur you use is different from the Church's—it's stronger and contains immense holy power. How did you come to possess it, especially when we didn't even know of its existence?"
"Oh, so that's it. The simple answer is—I have my own version of Excalibur~. But I won't explain any further. Everyone has their own secrets, after all."
Michael felt suspicious hearing Richard claim that he had his own Excalibur. He turned to Gabriel to confirm if Richard was telling the truth.
"He's telling the truth. He's just not telling the whole truth," Gabriel pouted adorably as she looked at Richard, who simply smiled in amusement.
"Information is a weapon, Miss Gabriel. And every man should keep a few secrets for himself~," Richard said, then turned to Michael.
"So what's the second reason you came to see me?"
"It's because of her." Michael and Gabriel both looked at Jeanne with sorrowful eyes.
"What does this have to do with me?" Jeanne responded irritably. Her tone caused tears to start rolling down the cheeks of the two Seraphs. They seemed to understand how deeply she had been hurt.
"I don't know how she ended up here, but… she is my sweet child. She served our Father and followed His teachings since the day she was brought to us as a child. And when she grew up, she devoted herself completely to His word," Michael said sadly, looking at Jeanne. Strangely, this caused Jeanne to raise an amused eyebrow.
"I blame myself for not coming to save you. I blame myself for ignoring our Father's teachings, and I blame myself for committing such sins in the first place. I understand you may hate us, but I came here to make amends for our mistakes," Michael continued. This time, even Richard and Gawain raised their eyebrows with interest.
"Ugh, whatever. I don't care anymore. I have my own life now and new things to dedicate myself to," Jeanne crossed her arms and responded neutrally as she looked toward Richard.
"Thank you, Sir Richard. Thank you for protecting her," Gabriel spoke this time, clasping her hands together as if in prayer.
"If Jeanne is here, then the one standing behind… even though I don't know how he's here, that presence… could it be Sir Gawain? One of King Arthur's knights?" Michael smiled at Gawain, who returned the smile.
"Yes, I am Gawain, one of King Arthur's loyal knights. However, my loyalty now belongs to someone else."
"That someone is… him, right?" Michael looked toward Richard. He tried to identify Richard's presence but couldn't, though something about it felt familiar.
"King Richard I. Richard the Lionheart. Or you could say I'm his descendant," Richard replied. Gabriel pouted again, knowing he wasn't telling the whole truth. Michael simply nodded. He had suspected Richard was connected to King Richard, and the answer confirmed it.
"It's been a pleasure speaking with all of you. I hope we can build a closer relationship in the future," Michael said, feeling it was time to leave. He was satisfied with how the meeting had gone. Suddenly, Gabriel spoke up.
"Even though I can't see your soul, I can feel that you are a good man, and you possess the holiness of the Saints. Would you like to join the Church?" Gabriel looked at Richard with innocent, hopeful eyes. Michael beside her shared the same hope. It would be wonderful if these three individuals joined the Church—and even better if they became angels.
"Gabriel is right. Angels can now reincarnate others into angels. What do you think about becoming one?"
Contrary to their hopes, Jeanne frowned in displeasure, Gawain remained neutral, and Richard suddenly burst out laughing.
"FfffHahahaha…" Richard's laughter startled Michael.
"Mou… it's not that funny…" Gabriel mumbled, trying to look serious—only making her even cuter.
"May I ask why you're laughing, Richard?" Michael inquired.
"Hahaha… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude," Richard said.
"Then why did you laugh?" Gabriel asked, knowing his laughter was aimed more at her than at Michael.
"Well, my answer is…" Richard paused dramatically, building anticipation, "Of course not!"
"But why?" Michael asked, clearly confused.
"To be honest, I have nothing against becoming an angel. But I doubt I could keep those white wings," Richard replied truthfully. He wasn't pure enough to be an angel, and if he ever fell, he'd become a fallen angel.
"Why did you laugh?!" Gabriel asked, curious.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Um." Gabriel nodded shyly.
Richard sighed. Gabriel was too innocent and pure. She seemed more like a child than an angel.
"Even though I don't hate Heaven, honestly, the Church is ridiculous," Richard said seriously.
"God is kind and merciful, right?" Richard began, receiving a nod.
"Then why does the Church—His so-called raft on Earth—preach violence and murder?"
"Huh?" Michael raised an eyebrow.
"The Church clearly divides good and evil, claiming its words are always right, while everything else is wrong. Every member of the Church is supposedly good and kind—and above all, infallible," Richard continued, narrowing his eyes. "Take the Holy Sword Project, for example. The Church was basically recycling children into weapons. All in the name of kindness and righteousness. I wonder why that is?"
"And that's not all. Do you know about a nun named Asia and what she had to endure? Is that the Church's version of goodness?"
Hearing this, both Michael and Gabriel became visibly saddened. They couldn't refute him—everything he said was true.
"I… Father said that humans should choose their own fate. And… and we shouldn't interfere…" Gabriel tried to defend the Church with a trembling voice, but Richard interrupted her.
"I understand that. But I still can't bring myself to like the Church. That's why I refuse. While I want to have a good relationship with Heaven, the Church goes against my principles," Richard answered again, causing Michael to sigh while Gabriel looked as if she were about to cry. She blushed adorably as she looked at Richard, trying to hold back her tears.
"I'm truly sorry for what the Church has done. Some things have happened that we couldn't control. But regardless, thank you for not hating Heaven. I hope we can work together in the future," Michael said with a sincere smile before glancing at Gabriel, silently telling her it was time to leave. Gabriel still looked like she wanted to stay and talk to Richard more, maybe even persuade him, but in the end, she obeyed Michael and left.
"Miss Gabriel, I apologize for being harsh with you. I'll make it up to you," Richard said, feeling a little guilty for being too blunt. Gabriel smiled upon hearing his words.
"Sir Richard, I'll come visit you again soon."