Sandalphon took Gabriel’s hand. “Lady Gabriel, are you alright?”

Gabriel tilted her head, glancing at my hand. “...What happened?”

Did she forget everything? What was that cat-like behavior?

While I scratched my chin, Sandalphon gave me a concerned look, not suspecting my headpats.

How nice of her.

“We’re here. Come, Michael and others are waiting for us.”

The sixth realm, Zebel, was as vast as the seventh. Several houses were built to occupy almost half of the space. Each one oozed a mix of holy and classy feeling.

Gabriel dragged me by hand, the clouds muffling the sound of our feet. I couldn't help but compare her to Maya with how much energy she had. I also noticed another oddity in Gabriel’s behavior. In the light novel, she acted more mature, like an airhead onee-san. Well, right now, she was airhead but a bit too immature. The time gap and God’s death might have played a big role in her development.

I passed several mansions and arrived at a giant dome-type structure.

“This is the meeting room for Seraphs,” Sandalphon said. “Are you interested in meeting others?”

“Asahi will meet my siblings, won’t you?”

“Sure.”

What do I have to lose by meeting some pretty angels?

Under their guidance, I walked through the massive gateway. A strange feeling enveloped me. As if I walked through some ripple of sorts. Before I comprehend it, I found myself in a white room with several men and women sitting around a large dining table decorated with mouthwatering dishes.

Michael stood up, followed by the other Seraphs. Although his droopy eyes felt like he’d fall asleep any moment, the handsome Seraph managed to give a friendly smile.

“Please, join us.”

I took a seat and smiled. The Seraphs sat back and whispered amongst themselves. Particularly focused on my race, though some of them called me cute. I’d prefer charming over cute…

(You’re charming…)

‘Go—’

(And cute.)

‘...’

(Ufufu, you’re everything, My Love.)

This yandere goddess…

“Let us talk after the small banquet held for our Lord’s guest, Asahi Marikawa,” Sandalphon said and grinned at her fellow Seraphs.

The whispers died, and everyone looked at me. I thickened my skin and took a first bite of the angelic delicacies. It was still inferior to Grayfia and Saeko’s cooking. Their food contained some magic that never bored me.

After I finished eating, some angels walked and served more food. As I was about to deny, the angel took off the lid.

“Apple…?” I blinked my eyes in skepticism. Are these apple slices supposed to be the dessert? Hold on, is this forbidden apple that grows in the Garden of Eden? The one Adam and Eve ate.

Michael chuckled at my surprise. “These are the finest apples of Heaven.”

Gabriel nudged me with a wink. “Try them.”

I put one in my mouth and chewed. The crunchy slice melted in a moment of bliss, making me squint.

So good…

I couldn’t help but grab another slice, then one more. The female angels yelped with their hands on their cheeks, their halos flickering between golden and black.

I finished the dessert before they fell and let out a sigh. That was dangerous. The Seraphs almost fell for a strange reason.

A small discussion followed, where I shared some polite words with Uriel, Raphael, Metatron, and company. It was necessary since they’ll be my subordinates once God steps down from his throne. It also reminded me of my old days as the young master.

I shook my head and glanced at Sandalphon. She also turned to me with a smile.

“Shall we go now?”

I gave a quick nod as my answer. We were only at 6th Heaven. The rest is gonna take quite some time.

“Let’s go!”

With Gabriel’s company, I headed for the next Heaven. This one was a massive facility.

“This is our current research facility… and the former home of Governor Azazel and his subordinates.”

Azazel, huh. A fellow assman and one of the few characters who deserves my respect.

“Asahi wants to go inside?” Gabriel asked, looking between me and the facility.

“Nope. Is this all on this floor?”

“Yes,” Sandalphon replied. “Lord made this for Azazel to research various things such as equipment, weapons, potions, and anything that piqued Azazel’s interest.”

“Next floor, it is then.”

“Alright!”

Down we went to the Fourth Heaven. The elevator opened with a chime. The scene outside was different from my expectations.

A garden.

I jumped to measure the size, even then I could only see waves of green landscape. This entire realm was a massive forest with a giant tree overlooking it.

“Wow…”

“Um, that would be the Tree of Wisdom, which brought the ruin of Adam and Eve.”

“Adam and Eve?” Gabriel’s eyes darted from tree to tree. “Who were they again?”

Sandalphon gave a wry smile. “The first human couple our Lord created.”

“Oh, right. I wasn’t created by then.”

“Neither was I.”

That's an interesting fact.

“What did they do in this massive place alone?” Gabriel asked. “Did they not become bored?”

They fucked like wild animals, duh.

Sandalphon tapped her cheeks. “They ate the fruits and fought the animals?”

Why are these women so innocent!? I’m gonna change the fucking system first, so they won’t fall for having a lover. There is nothing better than having a lover. It’s gonna improve productivity, reduce stress, making them more optimistic—

(Calm down, Love. You’re generating negative desires!)

I put on my poker face and faced the women’s stare.

“What are you thinking?”

Gabriel asked the same through her sharp eyes.

“That tree looks good. Can I have its fruit?”

Sandalphon shook her head. “Lord forbid everyone from touching the Tree of Wisdom.”

“Damn.”