"Yes, thank you very much… Um, Michael-sama. This may be rude, but may I ask you something?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
"Why did you choose me as the 'Ace'?"
Michael-sama had agreed without hesitation, and Irina asked him why she had been assigned the role of 'Ace'.
In a deck of playing cards, the Ace often carries a special meaning—sometimes the strongest, sometimes a symbol of uniqueness. Perhaps that was why she couldn't understand why she had been given such a role, something close to even a Joker in significance.
Back when I was alive… Irina-san was, at best, simply "above average" in ability.
"Let me ask you this. When you open a box of playing cards in the human world, which card is on top?"
"Umm…"
"The Ace of Spades."
Before Irina could answer, Shirone spoke instead.
Michael nodded and raised one finger, continuing his explanation.
"That is correct. Among reincarnated angels—the 'Brave Saints'—I believed the face of the group should be someone who embodies that symbol most purely. Angel Irina, you are cheerful, honest, deeply faithful to the Lord, and able to befriend anyone. That is why I placed you as the 'Ace'. I sincerely hope you continue to serve as the face of the Brave Saints."
"Yes! I will do my very best from now on!"
Irina responded brightly, deeply moved that Michael had evaluated her so highly.
If one looked closely, tears were already spilling from her eyes.
Of course she'd cry… when someone she respects most values her inner self like that.
It was only natural.
Meanwhile, Crom Cruach pressured Issei, completely ignoring timing or atmosphere, demanding that he "fight as a dragon." However, upon hearing "I'm tired, so not now," he simply withdrew his blade and left.
That was consistent with someone who would end a fight early if he felt the opponent wasn't giving their full strength.
Now, the remaining issue was Yaegaki's fate.
"Um! Michael-sama! Please show mercy to Yaegaki-san! What he did is unforgivable, no matter what. I'm not saying don't punish him—but please, don't kill him!"
"Michael-sama, I also ask the same. His motives trace back to our own sins in Kuoh Town… I cannot bear to see a capable subordinate executed again under the Church."
"P-please! If he dies here, I won't even understand what it meant for my Excalibur to save his heart!"
Issei pleaded for leniency, and Touji and Irina bowed their heads beside him.
Michael's expression softened, part relief, part concern for his compassionate subordinates.
As a leader, it was clearly a difficult problem.
Many of the Church exorcists who had been in Kuoh Town at the time had either retired due to mental strain or been reassigned to high-ranking positions as "rewards."
The former could still be covered up. The latter… was far more complicated.
And among the casualties were individuals connected to the current head of the Bael family.
If they learned Yaegaki was still alive, they would likely demand execution and refuse any compromise.
And that kind of political shouting match would never end cleanly…
"Michael-sama. If the Bael family is going to cause trouble over whether he is alive, I may have a proposal."
"Oh? That would be helpful. What is it?"
"Something that will be faster to show than explain."
I stepped forward and placed my hand on Yaegaki's chest.
"…W-what are you doing…?"
His face tensed as he recalled everything that had happened during the earlier chaos with the Fruit of Knowledge incident.
"Please don't move. Relax~"
I tried to speak gently to ease his tension.
Somehow, he only became more tense.
"Yaegaki-san, let me ask you a question. From the Bible—'Where is eternal rest granted?'"
"'…Only in death?'"
The moment he answered—
BOOM!
I struck his heart with the impact of the Sixth Secret Sword Technique: Poison Moth.
"Guhh!?"
His heart stopped. He collapsed unconscious.
"IKKI!!!! I already get what you're doing, but could you STOP doing it like that?! The guy just got kicked in the face by Shirone earlier, and now THIS?! What did he even DO to deserve this?! Is he cursed or something?!"
Issei finally snapped into full complaint mode.
Honestly, he was getting better at predicting me.
"Michael-sama. If we wait fifteen minutes after cardiac arrest, a human is essentially confirmed dead. After that, we can report to the Bael family that the perpetrator died in Heaven while under custody. That should solve the issue."
"…I see. That way, we do not need to lie. Lady Rias, is that acceptable?"
Michael turned to Rias, who had ties to both the Devils and the Bael family.
After a sigh, she nodded.
"…Yes. Leaving a source of conflict between Heaven and the old Bael family would benefit no one. I will accept it."
Thus, it was decided.
Michael agreed as well.
Yaegaki would likely be placed under confinement from here on.
At least those who knew his face… were nearly gone.
…Or so it should be.
"Still, Ikki… do we really have to be that cautious of the old devil factions?"
"Not just them—the so-called 'old devil mindset' in general. Honestly, they've done nothing but drag us down. Want examples? Excluding this Church case… there were attempts to disrupt the truce summit between the Three Factions, terrorist support during Diodora's incident targeting international VIPs, and during the magical beast crisis, many nobles abandoned civilians and fled. They even latched onto the bloodline obsession around the former Lucifer's son. I can't find a single redeeming trait."
Rias immediately stopped me.
"Wait—how do you even know nobles fled during the beast incident? That wasn't in the Underworld news."
"…Ah. So they did flee."
Nobles and their so-called "noblesse oblige." What a joke.
Rias sighed and gave up pressing further.
Then someone ran toward us.
"Everyone~! Are you all okay?!"
It was Gabriel, one of the Four Seraphim.
She had apparently been in the Human World on duty and got locked out during the battle.
Issei immediately focused his aura into his eyes.
"OOOH!! OOOOH!! THAT—THAT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ANGEL IN HEAVEN—HER—HER BREASTS ARE—!!"
Warning sigils for Fallen prevention flashed around him.
"…Ah, right. That's his 'transparent vision' ability…"
"IS THIS REALLY THE FIRST THING YOU'RE USING MY POWER FOR?!"
"It's fine! You know I was seriously deciding between dress-break vision, clairvoyance, and low mana talent allocation!"
"You absolute idiottttt!!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Shirone and I simultaneously struck Issei on both sides of his head, knocking him unconscious.
We dragged him away as we left Heaven.
==========
Christmas had arrived.
Though the world tends to celebrate Christmas Eve more loudly, we spent the night of Eve through the morning of Christmas Day running across Kuoh Town.
Touji-san had to sit out due to yet another encounter with Yamata no Orochi's poison, so Irina worked twice as hard in his place.
Sairaorg was sprinting across the surface world, and Kuroka used time acceleration magic on reindeer, turning them into absurd "fast-forward reindeer"—completely ruining the festive aesthetic, though no one complained.
There were simply too many deliveries.
We dressed as Santa, carrying dimensional-storage gift sacks, and somehow finished everything before sunrise.
When we returned to the Church, we could only smile—half exhausted, half delirious.
Church members immediately went into morning duties without sleep.
Rias and the others would be called out again at night, so they took a short break until the afternoon.
They even had a meeting beforehand to figure out how to survive the workload.
I honestly respected that.
With deliveries finished, I, Kuroka, and Ravel had free time.
We planned a small party later that night, so until then, we were essentially off duty.
And yes, Kuroka and I were currently on a date.
It was Christmas, after all.
Shirone and Ravel had already had proper dates, so this time it was Kuroka's turn.
Of course, I would still spend time with all of them during and after the party.
"I suppose it would be rude to intrude here," Ravel had said with a smile when sending us off.
Next Christmas… I should make sure I have time for everyone. But after this year's chaos… is that even realistic?
That question lingered in the back of my mind.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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