Chapter 222: Embarrassed, False angels project.
Harapan remained kneeling at the side, his posture so rigid it was almost unnatural.
Especially the moment Mize called out for Cahaya's name, he knew something was up.
He did not move an inch, his presence like a silent statue, perfectly aware that this moment was not his to intrude on, 'So she feared Mother this much huh'
He silently thought, head bowed.
The stage, for now, belonged solely to Cahaya.
Mize lowered herself slightly, her hand reaching out without hesitation.
Under Cahaya’s wide and stunned gaze, Mize’s palm landed on her head, the touch light at first, then steady as her fingers rubbed gently through her hair. “Do not fear me,” Mize said in an even tone, her expression softening.
“You choosing to be a person was the right choice rather than choosing to be a dog.”
"I don't mind, it's natural to be unwilling when living"
The words struck harder than any scolding could have.
Cahaya’s lips parted, but what came out was a broken sound instead of a proper answer.
“I… Uhh…”
Her eyes widened further, darting as though searching for the right response, for something that would justify herself.
She swallowed heavily, pressing down all the excuses she had prepared in her head.
None of them mattered anymore. None of them seemed necessary.
Mother doesn't seem to be... Upset?
She lifted her trembling hand to her head, to the spot where Mize’s palm had rubbed only moments ago.
The warmth still lingered faintly.
“M-mother isn’t angry at me?” Her voice cracked with a mixture of disbelief and hesitation.
Her fingers pressed into her hair as if to confirm the reality of that touch. “I am… I am not in deep trouble?”
“I am not sure,” Mize replied, her lips curving into a small, knowing smile as she tilted her head slightly to the side.
There was no rush in her words, just a calm weight that forced Cahaya to listen. “Try asking the man beside you. After all, he’s your target for a potential husband, no?"
The sentence fell like a stone dropped into a still pond, rippling through the air around them.
“A-ah…” Cahaya’s voice faltered.
Her head stiffened, and though she clearly wanted to look, she stubbornly kept her face pointed forward, refusing to turn toward Harapan.
In seconds, her face turned beet red.
Smokes fuming out, her plans exposed directly, like a slap to the face.
And from now on, her tough tsundere's act might not work anymore.
On the other side, Harapan’s eyes twitched as if he hadn’t heard correctly.
His posture did not change, his back still bent, his forehead still lowered toward the floor, but his mind reeled.
Target?
Potential husband?
Me?
The words echoed inside him in disbelief, rattling his composure.
Slowly, against his own will, his gaze drifted sideways.
Just a small peek. Just enough to catch sight of her expression.
Her face was flushed a deep crimson, the color spreading furiously across her cheeks.
She bit down on her lip, teeth clenched tight, her whole body tense.
The moment her eyes caught his, her embarrassment turned instantly into something sharper.
“What are you looking at, brat?” Her voice came out harsh, cracking at the edges, more defensive than angry.
But then...
“Ark—!”
Her retort was cut short by a swift, precise chop to the crown of her head.
Mize’s hand struck lightly but with enough force to snap her out of her act.
Cahaya winced, clutching the top of her head, fearfully looking up in silent protest.
Mize only shook her own head in exasperation, her expression not unkind, but clearly unimpressed. “Stop with the tough act,” she said flatly, her voice carrying a finality that left no room for argument.
“Figure things out after this.”
The air settled again, silence spreading between the three of them.
Harapan kept his head bowed, his thoughts tangled.
Cahaya rubbed the sore spot on her head, her cheeks still red despite her scowl.
And Mize, stared at the two, sighing...
With another chop as Cahaya tried to glare at Harapan again, Mize smiled.
"0_0"
Cahaya jolted in place, stiff like a startled cat.
Her head dipped quickly,, though her cheeks were already crimson.
Harapan, watching from the side, couldn’t hold back a laugh.
The boy pressed his palm over his mouth, shoulders trembling as he giggled, his eyes squinting mischievously.
“Pfft—sorry, sorry,” Harapan said between breaths, though the amusement lingered.
“You really look like a tomato right now.”
“Y-you—!” Cahaya’s voice cracked.
She snapped her head away from him, her face only burning redder.
Her lips pressed together in frustration, the heat crawling to her ears.
Mize couldn’t help the small smile forming on her lips.
Watching the two bicker so naturally tugged at something in her chest.
She folded her arms lightly, a faint laugh escaping.
‘It’s like seeing me in the past,’ she thought, glancing to the side as if memories came flooding back. ‘Being teased by Liam like that and not knowing where to put my face…’
Her smile softened, but she quickly pulled her focus back.
There was no time to sink into recollections.
The purpose of her visit wasn’t just to watch these two act like children.
It was time for business.
Mize exhaled slowly, her expression calming.
She shifted her gaze to Cahaya and Harapan, the playfulness fading from her demeanor.
“Alright. Enough teasing. Let’s move on to what matters.”
Her tone carried no sharpness, but the change was clear.
She came here for a reason, to create something which the Church can use, and to balance the power between the Church and the Broken Blade Legion.
Both Cahaya and Harapan straightened, their earlier banter dissolving into silence.
Cahaya clasped her hands before her, lowering her head, while Harapan coughed awkwardly and tucked his hands behind his back.
Mize’s mind ticked.
She thought of the Broken Blade Legion’s seed of life, trying to find some inspirations from it.
'Since there's a mishap in the seed of life's creation, forcing the two to procreate in order for it to work. I naturally can't do the same here... '
'Harapan and Cahaya... I doubted these two would be willing enough to go that far based on their current relationship' Mize hummed.
Forcing?
That wasn’t her style.
She had no intention of binding these two into some endless cycle of forced procreation.
Her style was to let them be free, the luxury of choice.
‘Pointless,’ she mused, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face.
'And besides, that’d be a waste when there are so many other ways to shape possibilities.’
Her thoughts circled, weighing ideas carefully, until she finally landed on the answer.
A gift.
That was why she had come in the first place.
Something not crude, but something the Church could actually treasure.
Her eyes slid toward the crystal standing tall behind her. Its faint glow reflected in her pupils, and the corners of her mouth curved.
“I don’t need to ask what this does,” she said softly, though not really to them.
Cahaya blinked. “Mother know already?”
Mize’s gaze lingered on the structure, her voice calm. “Of course. I can see it clearly. A machine for creating your so-called angels.”
Her certainty left Cahaya without words.
It wasn’t difficult for Mize.
Even if she hadn’t asked, she would have known.
Her clones walked the world as her eyes and hands, and nothing they witnessed remained hidden from her.
She knew of the false angels.
She knew their appearances, their weaknesses, and their origins.
She also knew whatever was going on between Cahaya, Angela, and Lyshell.
But for now, her focus remained here.
“False angels, huh…” Her tone was quiet, but the words echoed faintly in the chamber.
As her fingers worked with subtle motions, crafting the beginnings of the gift in her mind and through her will, she occasionally lifted her gaze upward.
Through the darkness above, several levels of space stacked high, she could see shapes moving in a dark space above them.
A dim, flickering light revealed them.
Unholy creatures lounged in a wide circle, hunched over, tearing into bloody remains with no care for cleanliness.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
‘Humans…’ she realized.
The scraps of clothing amidst the feast,, these weren’t random.
They were bandits, raiders, warbands, outlaws who had plagued the roads of the open world outside the territory.
Mize tilted her head, not particularly moved.
If Cahaya chose to use these people, she didn’t object.
To her, they had abandoned their humanity long ago.
Her gaze returned to the artificial creations that this place produced.
Pale skin. White hair, white brows, even white irises.
Their beauty was carefully shaped, their tall frames complete with the spread of feathered wings.
They looked like flawless statues brought to life.
Yet Mize knew better.
They were more than that.
Weapons.
There was a reason why they were kept here inside this tight locked chamber under the ground.
“They look perfect,” she murmured to herself. “But they aren’t perfect at all.”
The thought lingered, "They feed on human meat too huh, what a flawed creation it is... "