Azekiel kept the diary in his storage ring as well and continued going through the room.
He ultimately walked to the wardrobe and opened it, which was the last place for him to check. He remembered that there was something even more important in the wardrobe that he had to retrieve. It was very important, but in his haste last time, he had to run away without taking it.
Other than his mother, his reason for coming here was also to take back something.
He opened the wardrobe, which had no lock on it. There were some clothes inside the wardrobe, properly folded. All of these clothes were quite short for him now.
Even his childhood clothes were kept safe by a good mother.
Under the bundle of his clothes, he discovered what he was looking for. He pulled out what seemed like a thread that was attached to a pendant.
The small crystal pendant looked quite ordinary. In fact, such pendants were sold at very cheap prices, even though they were somewhat different.
"What is that?" Lia asked Azekiel when he pulled out the pendant.
"It is my past," Azekiel answered, glancing at the pendant. "This was the pendant that I had when my mother found me at her door..."
"It's possibly the only thing I have that belongs to my past. A cheap accessory." He smiled, feeling slightly amused that one of his most precious items was this useless pendant that seemed like a knockoff product.
He kept the pendant in his pocket before closing the wardrobe.
"What's your most precious item?" he asked Lia as he left the room, going down the stairs once again.
"My most precious item?" Lia found herself thinking quite a lot when it came to her deciding just what her most precious item was. She had never thought about it like that, but now that she was asked, even she wondered just what her most precious item would be when she was alive.
"Ah, I think it must be that..."
"And what would be that?" Azekiel asked, smiling wryly.
"My first spellbook that I was given. It was what made me walk the path of witchcraft. So if there's something so important in my life, I believe it would be that... My very first spellbook."
"Do you still have that?" Azekiel asked.
"I'm a spirit. You think I could have carried a book from the material realm to the spiritual Realm? I lost everything that I held dear. I'm just a Spirit now," Lia answered. "My first spellbook is forever lost in time."
"Fortunately, I can still use my spell since I've memorized all of them. And now, thanks to that apple, I can also use my spells in the real world without being summoned. That old man... He really did a lot of favor on me by making my life a bit more fun."
"The old man, huh? He certainly helped us in one way or another, but he was also hiding something important. We still can't be sure if he's a friend or a foe who is luring us into a trap. We must be careful when it comes to dealing with him. So even if he helped you, don't think too much of it."
Azekiel left the house and stood at the entrance, waiting for Raphael's arrival. For some reason, Raphael still hadn't arrived, which was slightly surprising. It had been a really long time since Raphael left. All he had to do was follow the man to find where he was staying. Something like this shouldn't have taken this long.
"Maybe that man didn't go to the place where he's staying and is roaming around instead?" Lia suggested another possibility for the delay. Since Raphael was supposed to locate his residence, it could explain his delay in return.
"Maybe. I'll wait a little longer."
*****
In another place, the winged man had actually returned to the castle. Lia was wrong about her assumption. Raphael had already located where the man was staying, but he still didn't leave.
Instead of going back like this, Raphael followed the man inside the castle. Since he was already here, he wanted to explore this place a little more now that he had an opportunity.
It was good if they knew the place where he was staying, but it was better if they knew the exact time, as that meant they would attack them when he was sleeping.
That could make things even easier. As a strategist, Raphael wanted to reduce the risk to Azekiel as much as he could, even if it meant selecting a cowardly method of winning a war. Even if it meant attacking a sleeping Enemy, it wasn't wrong as long as it led them to victory.
Moreover, since the man was supposed to be stronger than the Soul Demon, it was also much better to avoid a straight conflict with him.
There was another reason for Raphael to enter the castle. At the moment, it was only their assumption that the man was the leader of this army, but it wasn't confirmed. Just like Lenora led them to this man, Raphael wanted to see if this man was going to lead them to the real leader or not.
Raphael entered the castle easily, and followed the men who went to the main hall. That's where the man stopped. Instead of going further, he stepped right there. He sat down on the couch, making himself comfortable.
"It seems he's the Leader indeed. There is no one else here," Raphael came to a conclusion.
The man didn't go back to the bedroom, which was a disappointment, but at least he could be sure that this man was their target.
"If you mean the leader of the Army that attacked Earth, then you're right. I'm the one in command here," the man answered, not even bothering to open his eyes.
Hearing his response, Azekiel was taken aback. The man could hear him? How? He was in his spiritual form! It should be impossible for anyone to see or hear him other than Azekiel!
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