The One Behind the Scenes

East Balam, Gura In City.

In the sitting room of Klein's hotel suite, the pale yellow carpet, gray-white walls, and moonlight beyond the window turned into vivid blocks of color. Five figures appeared, crowding the already cramped room.

As soon as her feet touched the floor, Angel laboriously climbed onto an armchair against the wall and sat there, unwilling to move.

She had not used the "Betrayal" Charm in the end, so her Spirituality was far from exhausted. But passively maintaining her Incomplete Mythical Creature Form for so long had still left her drained, her limbs weak. All she wanted was to close her eyes and sleep.

At least nothing went wrong in the end. Mr. Azik came back alive and didn't turn into the cold Death Consul... At that thought, Angel looked toward Azik. His hat was gone and his black hair was somewhat disheveled. He had just taken one hand off Klein's shoulder. Pressing the other to his forehead, he rubbed it and said with a smile:

"You should have heard me choose the last option. That lets me keep all the memories I cherish now, rather than become someone you wouldn't want to see.

"But I still need a long sleep to heal the damage to my soul. It might take days, or it might take years. Unlike my previous rebirths, though, I'll keep my current body. After all, I'm not even forty yet. Heh."

He smiled gently, but Angel and Klein both looked grave. Neither could laugh.

"There won't be any other problems, will there? What if that woman was lying to you?"

After a moment, Klein asked the question carefully.

"She wouldn't lie to me. That isn't a matter of trust. Rationally speaking, she could have taken what she needed outright, yet she still gave