An older man with long gray hair and a scrawny frame clutched his head as he went over the events happening around his House.
His brown eyes were long sunken into his face due to advanced age.
He was Duke Volt, and he was neck deep in trouble, not only were his debts eating him alive, but the Chruch of Chrunus was angry at his lack of contributions to glory of Chrunus.
It was not good.
It was not like he intentionally avoided paying tribute to Chrunus, and yet he his paladins keep knocking at his door.
What could he even do?
They were mostly members of 1st legion, and thus they were incredibly potent, so powerful that his entire guard couldn't even take down a single Paladin of Chrunus.
It truly was maddening.
Despite being a duke and a member of the senate he had been forced to pay tribute to a damned church of Chrunus.
It was one of the main reasons he had even decided to live outside the capital.
His only real vice was a tendency to indulge in the act of gambling; he had lost tens of thousands of gold on his addiction, and yet he did not care.
He was old and so won't live to suffer the consequences, despite these consequences rapidly approaching.
To Volt's great fortune, as a member of the senate and highest nobility, not even the Chruch of Chrunus would kill him without a very good reason; however, they could force him to make favors for them.
To which he was quite open, it was not like he was never open to bribes.
Any debt could be paid with a favor, vote for a ruler the church wishes for, or denounce someone; it was all the same.
'And yet those Paladins keep appearing at my damn door.' His eyes wandered to the ruined door of his office.
Paladins of Chrunus had a tendency to break walls and doors instead of opening them.
He let out an audible sigh before walking out of his office, he needed to prepare to depart to Valar soon, as Duke Milan of House Sapphire had summoned him.
He produced the letter he had received, it would take him at least 2 days to travel to Valar, 2 days that he really did not wish to travel for.
He put his hands behind his back as he made his way out of the manor and into his front yard.
The pristine greenery had traces of stomping.
"Those damn Paladins have no respect!" He shouted as he looked over his yard.
It was ruined enough that he would need to pay at least a hundred gold coins to repair it.
Not only that, they had killed most of his guards once they burst into his mansion.
It was like he was not one of the most important people in this kingdom.
With a sigh, he turned back to the mansion entrance. He needed to prepare for travel to Valar.
However, just before he went back in his home, he heard a voice.
"Duke Volt, I assume." A stern and powerful feminine voice reached him.
His eye twitched.
'Why do people keep barging into my manor...?' With a sigh, he turned towards the voice.
His eyes widened at the beauty in front of him however, he had to keep his cool, he was a duke after all. "Yes, and who may you be?"
***
Raguel bowed slightly before making her way out of Topaz Manor, it was a rather productive event; Duke Jole had given her directions to every other house, for which she was thankful.
The more she spoke to him, the less she considered nobility a threat; perhaps they could be judged less harshly in the future.
However, she reminded herself that this was a mere exception and not the rule.
In a blink, she was gone, appearing where Father had created her before.
She stretched towards the sky for a moment before changing her form once again.
Her form shifted and changed just enough to accommodate large golden wings.
With a flap, she rose far into the air, flying far above the clouds.
Raguel crossed her arms as she scanned the ground, 'Jole had warned me about Volt, I do hope it is an exaggeration.'
She focused on the direction of Volt's Mansion before flapping her wings, launching herself forward with supersonic speeds.
BOOM
A massive sonic boom echoed in the air as a Supreme Angel made her way towards another noble.
What usually would be days of travelling could be traversed in seconds by Angels.
In mere moments, Raguel found herself above Duke's mansion.
She took a moment to observe, her eyes sweeping over the battered fields and elegant mansion.
'Did his estate get attacked?' Raguel tapped her cheek.
If he had been under attack, that meant he could be made to submit more easily; those who were on the verge of cracking could be bought with a tub of glue.
With grace befitting a Supreme Angel, she landed right behind Volt.
She crossed her arms, taking a stance of someone holding utmost authority, "Duke Volt, I assume."
Volt turned towards her with wide eyes.
"Yes, and who may you be?"
Raguel's lips curled into a small smile. "My name is Raguel, the Judge. I am Queen Aurelia's Teacher and now a messenger."
Volt blinked, "The Princess of Fools? A queen?"
Everything that was happening now seemed irrelevant; no, it felt stupid.
"That incompetent woman... A queen?! You must be kidding me. This is why House Sapphire called me to Valar, huh?" Despite looking like he was about to burst out laughing, he kept it down as one would expect of a duke.
This woman must have been insane, however, he was confident he could get her to act in his interests.
"Please follow me, Lady Raguel." He gestured for her to follow him before leading his way inside the manor.
"And excuse the mess, Paladins of Chrunus made sure to break my doors..." He chuckled slightly.