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Chapter 131. The Pain Of Corporate Slave

"I’d like to confirm something simple first... Are you Gabriel?"

[That’s right… I am Gabriel.]

Whoa... The Grimoire is actually speaking. Hilalda, whose mouth is moving on its own, looks extremely displeased. But unlike Lucifer, who can project a voice directly from her body, it seems Gabriel can’t do something similar. After all, Gabriel once mentioned that constructing a body with magic power is theoretically impossible.

"Were you called one of the Seven Great Celestials?"

[Yes. Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, Remiel… and me. Together we made up the Seven Great Celestials, the strongest force among the heavenly beings.]

"I see..."

So Lucifer’s words were true after all. Not that I doubted her, but it’s always good to verify these things.

"I want to ask something… A lot of people around me seem to have powers similar to those of the Seven Great Celestials. Could they be gathering for some specific reason?"

[Hmm… Perhaps it’s just a coincidence?]

Really? That’s just a coincidence?

"It’s not to counter Cladius or anything like that?"

[Cladius... That’s a nostalgic name. Yes, I do wish to see it destroyed someday. But it’s not a foe one can easily kill.]

Well, of course, it’s an apocalyptic dragon. If it were that easy to defeat, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.

[Cladius was defeated three times in the past when we Celestials combined our powers, but—]

"It was?!"

Wait, what?! I thought Cladius was this undefeatable, invincible being!

[It has been defeated, yes. But it’s a monster that absorbs negative emotions and revives in this world over and over again. To completely destroy it, we’d have to expel its very existence from this world.]

"If that were possible, someone would’ve done it already. Besides, those watching from the outside wouldn’t allow it."

[Lucifer… Back then, I thought your talk of beings watching from outside the world was nonsense. But after countless cycles of reincarnation, I’ve come to understand that such higher beings may indeed exist.]

"Finally. But if even ordinary Celestials can sense this, it means those beings are heavily interfering with this world."

If this world is a sandbox for those higher beings, then they’d usually avoid detection. But because they keep meddling when things don’t go their way, even those inside the sandbox are starting to notice their presence. Lucifer, being unique, recognized them from the start. But now, even Gabriel, an ordinary Celestial, can perceive the distortions caused by their interference.

"Did those beings create this world?"

"I don’t know. But I doubt they have any lofty intentions like managing the world and making it better. They’re more like children cruelly tearing the legs off insects out of curiosity."

[If such beings exist and they alter the world on a whim, then it makes sense that Cladius keeps reviving despite being defeated.]

Ugh… My head hurts.

I glanced back at Princess Elissa, who looked confused. Probably because this is all new to her: the Seven Great Celestials, higher beings, Cladius... I haven’t explained much, have I? Hilalda seems equally dissatisfied, glaring at me while touching her throat.

[Lucifer’s Contractor, if your wish is to defeat Cladius, then we will help you. With the power of the Seven Great Celestials and Lucifer, it’s not impossible.]

"I haven’t met Sariel or Remiel yet, but Michael was aware of me and stayed silent. Still, mentioning Cladius and Gabriel’s name should provoke a reaction."

So Michael just ignored us? Is that what you’re saying?

"But what about Sandalphon?"

"I don’t know someone like that."

[You know of Sandalphon?]

I know of him, sure, but how do I explain it?

"It seems my contractor fought to the death with someone wielding Sandalphon’s power."

[I see… Indeed, someone fit to be Lucifer’s contractor would never get along with Sandalphon.]

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, what’s that supposed to mean?"

Can we stop picking fights at the same time, Lucifer? I thought Gabriel was this serene Celestial who manipulates water, but… is she secretly Hilalda on the inside?

"…Actually, you’re more similar than I thought."

"Hey."

Princess Elissa, who had been silent until now, suddenly turned on me.

"It’s true that a Grimoire and its user often share similar personalities. Celestials who merge their souls with humans also seem to adopt traits of their contractor’s personality… Maybe souls influence each other?"

"Then wouldn’t that mean you’re similar to this Gargaliel or whoever?"

[Gargaliel… Oh, that workaholic who’s all serious on the job but turns clingy and annoying afterward, like a two-faced corporate slave?]

"Hold on a second."

That sounds less like a personality issue and more like someone tired from overwork and acting giddy at night. Or maybe they’re the type to work hard but become unbearable at after-work gatherings.

What kind of "work" do Celestials even do?

[Celestials don’t always fight; we have regular work too.]

"Gargaliel often fought alongside Raphael, but he also worked under Michael. I remember his clinginess more than anything."

[I mostly recall him with a dead expression on his face.]

Wow… If the Seven Great Celestials are like this, no wonder a middle manager like Gargaliel ends up that way.

If the Grimoires’ original Celestials personality is reflected in Princess Elissa, then… what will happen to her?

"…Am I going to end up becoming a corporate slave? Will I annoy people after work?"

"Aren’t you already annoying people? Annoyance is subjective, after all."

"Excuse me?"

Well, I don’t mind it that much, to be honest.