Irium

As I hear that and stop seeing the visions of his past, I try to calm myself down over what I had seen and ask him, "What year was it that that all happened?"

"And how does knowing that benefit you?" The doctor asked with a disapproving look.

"Please, just answer!" I say, pleading him for an answer.

He sighs as he answers me, "2010."

"And what year have you come back from?"

"2020."

"I-I see." I can"t help but feel curious as to what else happened with them.

"Where is Grimma in 2020? And, the rest of your family what happened to them?" I ask.

"Hah!" He sighs. "Grimma died shortly after that incident. My wife, Jason and Kylie died too, though that happened 5 years later. Irium is still alive in 2020. But, he doesn"t remember me or the rest of them."

"What!?" I find myself surprised to hear that.

"I had to rewrite his memories. So, he believes that his mother had died when he was five, his father had left him when he was ten, and that he never had any siblings."

"…" I can"t say anything. How can I? Doing something like that – is just so cruel. But, how can I say that to him, the one who would have felt the cruelty of rewriting those memories the most?

"I didn"t leave him completely unprotected though." The doctor says, "I added in his memories a part where his father had taken a loan from a mafia lord and that mafia lord allowed him to live in that house because he was a kid. In 2020, he still believes that he will need to someday earn and return all the money his dad owed that lord. With that excuse added though, I could make Grey or Jessica visit him from time-to-time playing the part of the lord."

That"s good. At least, that"s something positive in all of this, even though that is based on a lie too.

"Why … can"t you show me the rest of it?" I ask while looking directly at him.

"Oh, are you that interested now, Ms. Roswaisa?" The doctor says with a mocking smile but that smile soon fades away as he gives me the answer, "I"m afraid I can"t stay here for too long now."

"Huh!?"

"I could have showed some more but I knew you would have questions to ask either way and I didn"t want to leave it all up to your imagination, so I made sure I had time to answer your questions." He told me, "But now, I"ll need to go."

"But-"

"Just remember two things, Ms. Roswaisa." He says with a grim look, "You have to learn Absolute Frost Requiem, it"s for the benefit of everyone in the world that you do. Second, you have to never trust Dues ex machina."

He says and turns around, "Almost forgot, this isn"t something that would be necessary to do, but if you come across those two men again, ask them their names. Particularly, ask the more handsome one his name. And after that, think calmly what you should do."

And then, he disappears.

*****

Making Adonia Evans a powerful mage will lead to Roswaisa becoming a more powerful Angel than she was, and that will lead to a better result against Aknin Vielos. With that whole plan in our mind, I and Danny are ready to leave h.e.l.l and return to Earth.

Just before we do that though,

"I have one favor to ask, Danny. Don"t summons Cerberus or any other creature from h.e.l.l in your endeavors if you can." Lucifer says to him as he bows a little.

"Uh … sure, but why?" Danny asks, a little taken aback.

"h.e.l.l is in dire need of these beasts these days." Lucifer tells him as he straightens his back.

"Oh, that so? Alright!" Danny gives him a thumbs-up as he says that.

"Thanks!" Lucifer returns his thumbs-up.

"…"

"Um, Mr. Glice," Lucifer asks as he turns to me, "Is there a particular reason that you are staring at me?"

"I am just wondering how you became such a feared deity in our world with that kind of att.i.tude." I bluntly tell him.

"Why? Is there something really wrong with my att.i.tude?" Lucifer asks.

"Yes, you act like the king of demons and more like an old grandma living in a farming village." I plainly say so.

Seeing Lucifer becoming rock as he hears that satisfies me enough and I start walking towards the portal that is supposed to lead us out of h.e.l.l.

"Danny, let"s go." I yell.

"Y-yeah!" He says while looking at Lucifer (who is still a statue) with an awkward smile. Then, as he catches up with me, he whispers in my ears, "That was kinda harsh."

"Why?"

"I mean, you called Lucifer an old man despite his young appearance. Do you know how much effort he puts into trying to look young?"

"However much it is, it is just waste of effort." I plainly say, "If anime has taught me anything, it is the fact that old men are bada.s.ses."

I mean, Inuyashiki is an entire show about an old man who is bada.s.s doing some bada.s.s stuff.

"And besides," I say, "Trying to look young is stupid, especially when you have got a great face like his."

Danny says awkwardly, "It"s kinda weird to hear that out of someone like you."

"Why is that?"

"Just that it sounds like something an elder sister will tell you when she scolds you for trying to play with her make-up."

That … kinda … sounded right.

"You are an only child though, from what I know at least."

I mean, I am an only child from what I know too. I have never had an "Ara Archan", I mean, Onee-chan, and neither have I ever socialized with anyone who did, so I don"t know why that sounded accurate to me. Anyway,

"Let"s get out of here already."

"Y-yeah!" He agrees with me and we step into the portal.

As I step into the portal, the one thing I need to make sure of is not coming in contact with Roswaisa. From what the Doctor said, he will tell her to kill me, or try to at least, for the sake of making a connection with me. That could be troublesome.

And of course, the first thing I see as I come back to Earth is Roswaisa.

"What the-" Danny tries to give a generic surprised reaction while I sigh.

"h.e.l.lo, Angel-san. Please tell me if you want to kill me or not."

"Kill … you?" Roswaisa asks with her hands at her chin as she leans on the railings of the roof we have ended up on, "Why would I do that? More importantly though, there"s something that doctor wanted me to ask."

That doesn"t sound anything I want to answer then. Before I say it though,

"Let"s see, uh, yeah," she looks at me and says, "You are more handsome."

Thank you! I mean, I know that already, but thank you!

"So, what"s your name?"

Why is this routine starting to remind me of all those times Danny"s girlfriends left him for me?

"Well,"

Doesn"t seem like she"ll let go unless I give her an answer so, here goes,

"Irium Glice."

*****