The freckled boy introduced himself as Tetor, but he did not utter a single word about his affiliations or background beyond that.
If there were an angel capable of moving like that, she should have at least heard rumors about him back at Ares Palace, yet she had never even heard of his existence, let alone his name. If that were the case, Tetor might very well be some sort of trump card kept in reserve by Lord Ares. Surely Lord Ares was convinced that the Fly God was lurking somewhere in this area.
"Is there really any point in watching a human like that?"
Even as she asked, Tetor had been trailing that blond human male with the seemingly harmless appearance at a steady distance for a while now. She knew there had to be a reason. Moreover, the way he gazed at that blond human from afar with an emotionless expression carried an undercurrent of fierce obsession. In other words, Tetor currently regarded that blond human as his top-priority surveillance target.
To begin with, the man was a human aiding monsters, meaning he might have some connection to the Fly God. If so, he didn't seem particularly strong, so the best course of action would be to capture him immediately, drag him back to Ares Palace, and interrogate him for answers. Yet Tetor did nothing but persistently watch the blond human. Unable to make sense of it, she had let that question slip out.
"At least for me, the answer is yes," Tetor replied with a lonely expression.
"Do you know that human?"
"...More importantly, it looks like he's on the move."
Deflecting Ramiel's question in a hushed voice, Tetor resumed trailing the blond youth.
When he confirmed that the blond youth had entered the colosseum, Tetor suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Is the trial starting...? Could you wait just a little longer?"
He looked up at the sky and began muttering under his breath.
"No, thank you for your consideration, Lord Asta."
Sure enough, after giving a slight bow toward empty air, Tetor's face twisted in anguish for a fleeting moment as he clenched his teeth.
"You need to pull out of here right now!" he ordered sharply.
"Huh? You're telling me to turn tail and run from mere monsters? As if I'd ever agree to that!"
She wasn't about to back down. This was a direct order from Lord Ares. She absolutely had to see it through. He was probably aiming to hog all the credit for himself, but things weren't going to go his way.
"Don't come crying to me when you regret it."
Pierced by his cold gaze, she swallowed hard despite herself, but retorted,
"Is that a threat? Self-centered behavior on the field. I'll be reporting this to Lord Ares later as well."
Clicking his tongue softly, Tetor stepped into the colosseum.
The inside of the arena was thick with sweltering heat. In the central martial ring, a one-eyed giant and an ogre were locked in combat.
What a low-level struggle. Even an unnamed rank-and-file soldier of the Ares Army would be more than enough to handle them. There was no way the Fly God, who had overwhelmed even Lord Ares, could be in a place like this.
"How pathetic. Lord Ares really was overthinking things."
The moment she muttered that thought aloud, her eyes met those of the blond human. Her own blunder had exposed her to their target. She bit her lower lip at such a massive failure.
Sure enough, the blond human stood up from his seat and started walking toward them. In that split second—
A shrill bell began to toll violently.
"Attack! Attack! It's an attack by the Demon King Army!"
A frantic, screeching cry erupted from a trumpet-like device. Was that a magical tool for communication? It was one thing for the wise human race to possess such technology, but it had no place in a city of monsters.
No, more importantly, did they just say an attack by the Demon King Army? Did that mean they had gotten caught up in a clash between the Mortal Realm's demon race and the monsters?
"So this is as far as it goes..."
Tetor muttered softly, tore his gaze away from the blond human, and tucked Ramiel under his arm. Darting out of the colosseum, he leaped several times until reaching the rooftops, where he set Ramiel down. He then grabbed both of her shoulders. As she felt a slight bewilderment at Tetor's terrifyingly grave expression, he spoke.
"There's no time to explain. Take my advice. Get out of here immediately. If you're unrelated to this trial, you should safely—"
Tetor's words cut off before he could finish, and his figure vanished without a trace.
Was that teleportation magic just now? He had been spouting nonsense about a trial, but the attackers were ultimately just the Demon King Army—merely one branch of the human race. No matter how much they might be enhanced, to high angels like Ramiel, they were nothing more than gnats buzzing around.
(In the end, you just want to keep all the glory for yourself!)
This Demon King Army raid and that blond human. According to Ramiel's intuition and Tetor's extraordinary demeanor, both were intimately tied to that Fly God. If she fled back to Ares Palace without achieving any results, she would become the laughingstock of the other angels. If things went poorly, she might lose Lord Ares's favor completely and face demotion.
(It'll be fine. They're just the demon race; I can handle whatever comes.)
It was possible the demons had been granted power by the Fly God. However, no matter how much mere demons were enhanced, there was no way a high angel like Ramiel would lose. Gnats were, after all, merely gnats. Falling behind the likes of the Demon King Army was unthinkable.
(If I confirm the Fly God is in this city...)
The Heavenly Army will surround the place immediately, the Fly God will be subjugated, and Lord Ares's honor will be restored.
(The only issue is whether I can get away if the Fly God spots me, but...)
On that front, Ramiel had her Ring of Return. With this, a single thought was all it took to return to Ares Palace, and if she used her [Cloak of Invisibility] just to be safe, there wouldn't be much danger. Currently, Ares Palace was protected by a powerful barrier erected by the Heavenly Army, ensuring that no outside god could enter without Lord Ares's permission. Even if she were spotted, taking refuge in Ares Palace would resolve everything.
Just as she thought. There wasn't the slightest reason to cower. Right now, she needed to watch how the situation in this city unfolded.
(Lord Ares, please watch over me! I shall return with good tidings without fail!)
Swearing loyalty to her master, Ramiel chose to remain at the threshold of hell.