"Miss, may I take a moment of your time?"
Just as Jibril was watching groups of Werebeast and humans devoutly worshiping the stone statue at the center of the plaza, a man's voice came from behind her.
"I'd like to introduce you to our Holy Mother and Savior."
Although there were many people around, Jibril could sense that the man was definitely speaking to her.
Turning around, she saw a man in a black robe holding a book bound with animal hide. Raising an eyebrow, Jibril examined him from head to toe.
"You... don't seem like an ordinary human."
Like discovering an exotic creature, Jibril eyes sparkled with a hunter's glee.
For a brief moment, she felt an urge to cut off the man's head and add it to her collection.
Though she had little interest in weak races, if an individual was interesting enough, she wouldn't mind adding one more trophy.
However, the aura from this man vaguely resembled Origami Tobiichi, which made her suppress her burning curiosity.
Among all these humans, only this one felt different. That meant he was likely someone important in Origami Tobiichi plan.
If she were to kill him now and Origami came to demand an explanation later, it would be quite troublesome.
"Your perception is quite sharp," the man smiled faintly, completely unaware of how close he had come to death. He continued, "I am a Corpse Hunters, a warrior of the Spirit God, Lord Mio Takamiya, and also a missionary."
"Corpse Hunters?"
"Yes," he chuckled. "Humans fused with ghoul crystals are known as Corpse Hunterss. You look unfamiliar—your first time leaving your tribe and visiting this marketplace?"
Jibril nodded.
She wasn't human, of course, but she didn't mind pretending for the sake of convenience.
Sure enough, once the man assumed Jibril was a human visiting the market for the first time, he coughed lightly and took on a more solemn demeanor.
Every major outpost and marketplace had a contingent of Corpse Hunterss.
They were not only responsible for maintaining order, but also for demonstrating the power bestowed upon humans by Mio Takamiya.
Humans from other tribes were their prime targets for conversion.
This was one of the missions Origami had entrusted to them.
So when the missionary saw Jibril standing in the plaza, he immediately approached her.
"Allow me to introduce you," he said, pointing reverently toward the giant statue in the plaza's center. "This is Lord Mio Takamiya, the chief God of the Spirit race, the original Godkind, and the loving mother who granted us humans strength."
As he spoke, the man turned his hand over, and a dark mist took shape in his palm, forming various images.
" Remnant essence?"
As a high-ranking race, Jibril could see through the nature of this power at a glance, and she furrowed her brows slightly.
The Flugel had no fear of Remnant and did not require protection when venturing outside.
But that didn't mean they were completely immune.
When the war god Artosh created them, he inscribed a barrier against Remnant into every Flugel's body, preventing ghoul essence from approaching.
However, if that barrier failed for any reason, Remnant essence could still harm them.
If it corrupted their wings—where Spiritenergy was most dense—it could lead to serious injuries even for a Flugel.
So when she saw that Remnant essence could be controlled by humans, Jibril instinctively became more cautious.
But even more than fear, what filled her heart was curiosity.
"The Spirit God granted you the power to manipulate Remnant essence?" Jibril asked excitedly. "Has she appeared?"
"No, our Lord has not yet appeared in person," the missionary said. "She still slumbers. The one who granted us this power was her messenger—one of the three Great Angels, the Angel of Light."
"Angel of Light?"
"Our Lord has several angels under her command. The Angel of Light is one of them."
Holding the beast-hide book against his chest with reverence, the missionary continued, "The Angel of Light, Origami Tobiichi, is our Lord's most beloved angel. She was given a sacred mission—to bring hope and fire to humanity, allowing even a spark to become a wildfire. The Angel of Machinery, Schwi, hails from an ancient race and possesses infinite wisdom. She created weapons for humanity, so we need not fear beasts and darkness."
"Origami Tobiichi... Schwi..." Jibril repeated, nodding slowly, her mind quietly processing.
Origami really knew how to spin a story.
It hadn't been long, yet she had already appointed missionaries and even created scriptures and legends for preaching.
She had even claimed herself to be the Angel of Light under the Spirit God Mio Takamiya. That was practically playing with fire.
If Mio ever awakened—if she happened to be a kind-hearted God, perhaps it'd be fine.
But if she were short-tempered, Origami would definitely pay the price.
Still… who was this "Schwi"?
Had the Spirit race birthed another representative?
Jibril put her doubts aside for now and casually replied, "Your Lord is amazing—having two angels to serve her."
"Not just two," the missionary said warmly. "At her throne stands yet another—Jibril, the Angel of War. She once worshiped another god but ultimately submitted to our Lord. One day, she will sound the bell marking the end of the Great War on our Lord's behalf."
"Amazing, truly amazing," Jibril said with heartfelt admiration.
She had never thought much of it before.
But now, she suddenly felt that Origami had quite the audacity.
Without so much as a consultation, she had rewritten Jibril allegiance, turning her from Artosh god-slaying weapon into the Angel of War under Mio Takamiya who would end the Great War.
"Under the guidance of the Angel of Light, the entire southern part of the Lucia Continent now believes in our Lord," the missionary said joyfully, mistaking Jibril awe as interest. "Next, we'll turn our eyes north and intervene in the conflict between the Forest Elves and the Dwarfs."
"If you're willing to become a follower of our Lord," he added, "I can give you a wooden effigy for worship. And if you wish to contribute further to ending the Great War, you can apply to become a Corpse Hunters like me and obtain the same power."
"Thank you for your kind offer," Jibril replied with a cheerful smile. "But there's no need. Though I've only just learned this, it seems I've been a follower of Mio Takamiya for a very long time."
"...Huh?"
The missionary was puzzled, unable to make sense of what she meant.
Then Jibril snapped her fingers. The concealment spells on her halo and wings vanished instantly.
"Let me introduce myself," she said with a gentle smile. "My name is Jibril—the Angel of War you mentioned."
"Could you take me to see Origami Tobiichi? I have some... angel matters I need to discuss with him."