Everything suddenly made sense to Leona. All those coincidences at the academy weren't accidents at all. Tripping during the entrance ceremony. Getting caught in Rean's experiment and setting her hair on fire. Fighting him during the cultural festival. None of it had been random.
Rean immediately protested and reminded her of the part she conveniently skipped: the time she dumped water on him, forcing him to give his matriculation oath soaking wet. Or the misunderstanding where she attacked him even though he'd done nothing wrong, leaving him with a bruised face for two full weeks. All thanks to Leona.
The two quickly fell into their usual back and forth bickering. The angel completely broke down, apologizing non-stop and calling herself useless and incompetent, dragging even her true form into the self-hate spiral.
When Leona asked what exactly the angel wanted them to do, the little angel answered nervously that Leona had to give birth to the child who would save the world.
Leona's mind went blank. Of all people, it had to be Rean. The thought alone was a nightmare. Besides, she was a knight sworn to protect the nation, and pregnancy would interfere with everything she'd worked for. But if saving the world required sacrifice, she was prepared to make it.
Stiffly, she asked if they should just do it for the sake of the world, awkwardly holding up her finger as if proposing the deed.
Rean snapped back that maybe the knighthood department had questionable standards, but he wasn't sleeping with someone out of obligation. Leona exploded, furious that he dismissed it so easily after she'd forced herself to say it out loud. She accused him of being the one who should feel embarrassed.
That was when the angel screamed.
She declared that a loveless physical relationship was absolutely not the solution. The child had to be born from true love to vanquish the coming evil, or the plan wouldn't work at all.
Leona immediately shouted that there was no way she could ever fall in love with him.
Rean, now frowning, asked what exactly this evil was that threatened to destroy the world. The angel explained that the demon king would soon descend upon their world. She admitted her avatar body was designed to awaken once the demon king's seal weakened, and the recent appearance of demonic beasts proved it was already happening. These creatures existed only to kill, spread chaos, and amplify negative emotions.
Rean thought it through and suggested that if they eliminated the demonic beasts, they could prevent the demon king from descending altogether. Leona agreed instantly, without hesitation.
Rean added that he didn't believe he was capable of loving anyone. But even if he somehow were, he would never wish for his child to suffer for the sake of saving the world. Which was why Leona proposed handling it themselves and wiping out every demonic beast.
The angel admitted it wasn't impossible, but facing the demon king directly would be extremely difficult. She still believed it would be far easier if they simply fell in love.
Rean calmly rejected that idea. If that was the angel's wish, then he would continue acting exactly as he always had. To him, if three years of forced romance planning hadn't worked, then even three hundred years wouldn't change anything. He would never fall in love with Leona.
Rean proposed finding their own way to save the world, keeping the romance route as a backup plan in case everything else failed. Leona agreed, and the two sealed the decision without hesitation. And just like that, an alliance was formed, one that was absolutely not what the angel had wanted.
The angel disappeared, but not before warning the two that she had been holding back on her shipping goals because they were minors. This time, however, she was going all out and making full use of something called dimensional streaming.
Of course, neither of them had any idea what that even meant, so they simply continued their journey to the temple.
A priest guided them inside and asked them to wait, explaining that High Priest Nathaniel was still offering his prayers. Rean hadn't expected to immediately run into someone as big a fish as Nathaniel. Leona looked confused and asked if Rean even knew who that was. Rean reminded her, though with obvious judgment, that this was basic knowledge from chapel lectures back at the academy.
Leona shrugged it off instantly. No one actually listened to those lectures, and she said it like it was common sense.
Anyway, Nathaniel was a high priest favored to become the next pope. He'd made history just last year by becoming the youngest high priest ever, and the entire continent had been obsessed with him ever since.
Leona's eyes widened as realization hit her. This must be that guy. The one known as Sylvian's Gift, the rumored dreamboat whose face alone was said to bring peace to the continent.
Rean dryly pointed out that she didn't know his name, yet somehow knew his face by reputation. Leona, completely unashamed, replied that rumors traveled fast. She admitted she was excited to finally see him in person and even planned to ask for an autograph.
Rean glanced at her and felt an unfamiliar irritation rise in his chest. The reason was painfully obvious. She was practically grinning like a fool just because Nathaniel was handsome. That alone annoyed him more than he wanted to admit, especially since she'd shown zero reaction to him this entire time.
It was jealousy. He simply wasn't ready to acknowledge it.
Nathaniel soon approached with a gentle smile, apologizing for the wait as he greeted them warmly. Leona introduced herself politely, and Nathaniel commented that he'd heard of her unwavering dedication, which had become an inspiration to women across the continent. He said he'd been looking forward to meeting her.
The way Nathaniel smiled at Leona was something Rean had never wished to witness, for far too long. Shoving Leona aside, he stepped forward to introduce himself as well. The high priest praised him, saying he admired how his magical research had improved lives across the continent despite his young age.
Rean casually accepted the praise and was about to respond when Leona snapped at him, telling him not to act arrogant in front of the high priest. Rean fired back instantly, pointing out that she had no right to lecture him on dignity after throwing punches at him. He called her an ignorant brute.
Things escalated fast. Leona bristled. Rean asked what else he was supposed to call someone who drooled over a man's face, or would she prefer airhead instead? Nathaniel hurried to intervene before the situation completely derailed.
That was when a notification screen suddenly appeared in front of both of them.
Endgame Shipper said: OMG, I actually like the high priest better. Can I switch ships?
Only Rean and Leona could see it. Nathaniel, thankfully, remained completely clueless. There was no doubt about it. This had to be the angel's doing.
Grabbing Rean's arm, Leona quickly apologized to Nathaniel and dragged him out of the room. Several more notification screens popped up immediately, filled with bizarre usernames like Mini Fandom, Captain Trashbag, Pure Love Only and Cavity King, all reacting enthusiastically to Rean and Leona holding hands, or what they called a romance baby step.
Once they were alone, Rean observed that it seemed like these unknown beings were actively discussing them. Another message popped up from Ruler of the Night, who was instantly blocked for inappropriate content. Then High Performance Juicer praised the stunning visuals of the two Central Division rookies, calling it entertaining to watch.
Leona finally lost her patience and shouted for the angel to show herself. Rean doubted yelling would work, but the angel appeared anyway, floating nervously in midair.
The angel admitted she had started something called dimensional streaming. After failing repeatedly, she'd asked for help, and hadn't expected such a massive audience. When Rean demanded an explanation, the angel clarified that she'd opened a dimensional channel, allowing celestials, or gods, from other dimensions to observe them. She added that the old system was boring, so she tweaked it. That was why the gods could now send messages directly.
Then she proudly announced that these gods were officially supporting her.
Rean groaned. Somehow, the situation had gotten even worse. It wasn't just one chaotic angel anymore. Now they had an audience of unhinged gods following their every move.
The angel defended herself, saying she knew where to draw the line. Besides, she'd burned through three years' worth of divine power to launch the stream, so it wouldn't last long.
Leona, surprisingly, seemed happy. She pointed out that some of them said she was cute, and honestly, they didn't seem that bad. Rean wondered if he was the only sane person left. Leona reasoned that it wasn't like these observers could actually do anything to them.