"...Thank you. Although I really don't understand why...thank you." Raynare said sincerely, honestly touched by his gesture. She turned to Azazel in order to get the information she required.
Azazel for his part was somewhat regretting the fact that he didn't really put 'conditions' for what can be asked by his favor.
"Alright alright...sheesh. Kids these days are so..." Azazel grumbled while rubbing his scalp in annoyance. "But! I need you all to promise with your lives that this information will not leave your lips! Am I understood? If you break this promise...then I get to butcher you in the most horrific ways possible." the fallen leader finished with a bloodthirsty grin.
Needless to say, everyone agreed to the terms.
The Governor General nodded at this and began his explanation.
"To be blunt, your mother is a very sick woman Raynare. There is also very little anyone can do by this point in order to heal her as well." Azazel started, he immediately raised his hand up in silence in order to forestall the younger fallen's objections to his words.
"Let me finish before you say anything, I will only say this once. Your mother...according to your guardians, she wasn't always been like this am I correct?" Azazel asked, which got a hesitant negative from the younger fallen. "She very much acts power-hungry now, as if she craves more and more despite the fact that she can't handle it...quite greedy don't you think?" the eldest fallen asked, but received blank stares in return.
The fallen leader sighed and continued.
"Your mother is a victim of one of the Seven Deadly Sins; Greed." Azazel finished and received a wide eyed stare from his audience.
"Eh!? But I thought that the 'Seven Deadly Sins' were just one of God's many impossible expectations for us! That's what we were taught while in fallen territory in the Underworld!" Raynare shouted in shock. But Azazel shook his head and continued his explanation.
"We thought so for the longest time...but it turned out that there was more to it than that. We only discovered this after the end of the Great War, where there were several fallen angels that exhibited...an abnormal amount of hatred towards our former enemies. To the point where they wouldn't even listen to my own orders...some of them even had to be terminated because of it." Azazel said somberly, before shaking the memories away.
"Anyways, we eventually learned that the symptoms were very much correlated with the 'Seven Deadly Sins'. The 'disease' would result from an overabundance of one of the emotions among the 'Deadly Sins', which would then begin to warp the personality of the individual to fit the criteria of the 'Sin'. If you feel too much 'Wrath' then eventually you will begin to feel nothing but 'Wrath'. The same applies to each and every 'Sin'." the fallen leader explained quietly.
Raynare was speechless, she never heard of such a disease that ran rampant among her people before. But suddenly...quite a few things made sense.
Like why her mother changed as much as Kalawarner-nee claimed she did.
Why there were so many fallen that would fall into many negative extremes...even when compared to their devil counterparts.
"Wait, I can kinda understand why angels don't fall into these 'diseases'...but why don't the devils?" Naruto asked with a confused facial expression. This stuff was really complicated for the blond right now.
Poor Issei was pretty much getting his brain fried right now too.
"I'm not too sure myself. Perhaps it was the fact that the original Lucifer and his followers gave up their right to the power of light energy and the protection it offers. We fallen angels have light energy without the protection of God...so maybe that's why we are susceptible to it. But that is me just speculating, the fact is that we have no idea. We also have no idea how to actually help those who are victim to the 'disease'..." Azazel responded, but looked up at the furious Raynare who stood up and was now towering over someone who can squash her like a fly.
"So that's it!? You hide the fact that there is this impossible to heal disease occurring and that it's hopeless!? Fuck no! Why don't you spread the word of this disease so that people could actually be aware of it!?" Raynare snarled at her superior in anger.
The Governor General just regarded her coldly for a moment before responding.
"Hoh? Tell me...how long do you think fallen angel society has been existing? If you don't know... quite a bit more than a millenia, while still retaining the culture of the first group of fallen angels. Our society was built on living life without any constraints or any true moral qualms...how much of a shock do you think that that society would go through if they learned that they have to restrain themselves unless they want to get this new disease? Let me answer the question for you...the answer is a very big shock. Really...I'm pretty sure that a civil war would start because many would believe that I'm lying. But rather than pointing fingers at me...I think you should be more thankful Raynare." Azazel finished with narrowed eyes at the younger fallen.
Raynare looked taken aback for a moment before looking at the older fallen warily.
"Um...why do you say that Azazel-sama?"
Azazel gave her a cryptic smile before replying.
"Because there is a correlation for many who fall to a 'Sin'...and their parents. This trend is only broken when the offspring personally see the 'sin' transform their parents into something they're not. In short, perhaps it's because you saw what 'greed' has done to your mother...that you subconsciously stayed away from it this whole time. If you weren't aware of that danger on the other hand...it's very likely that you would have turned out just like your mother." Azazel finished bluntly.
The thought genuinely scared Raynare, she could have turned out just like her mother if she didn't see the consequences of 'greed'? Her life could have been very different...
The eldest fallen finally turned to Naruto in annoyance, obviously displeased that he had to give out the information that he had.
"Happy now Naruto?" Azazel asked with a slight glare.
"Very much so. Thank you for your cooperation Azazel-san." Naruto retorted smartly, he then glanced at the currently introspective fallen angels. "But what are you going to do with them now?"
Azazel scratched his head for a moment before replying. "Well I've accepted little Raynare's proposal...so I will take her with me, her former guardians will not be harmed either. Vretiel will be placed under house arrest as well without being harmed. As for every other fallen angel involved with this...well I think I better try and find the source of their dissatisfaction. After all...there are undoubtedly more of my subordinates who think this way."
Naruto nodded at this logic, he wouldn't make a fuss about it then.
"Welp! This was fun Naruto! I've learned about a few interesting things today, so I think it's about time we take our leave...come on Raynare. You three come as well, I have use for you lot yet." Azazel spoke up while grabbing Vretiel's unconscious body.
The weaker fallen looked at each other warily before moving to their leader's side. Raynare glanced at Naruto for a moment before giving him a nod of acknowledgement and moving to Azazel's side as well.
"Hey Raynare-san."
Raynare looked at Naruto quizzically.
"...Even though I was talking to Issei at the time...I think you should know." Naruto began with a grin.
"Nothing is over...until it's over."
The young fallen just regarded the blond for a moment, then she nodded and turned away from him resolutely.
With them all gathered around him, Azazel spread his wings and enveloped them all before winking at Naruto.
"I'm expecting to hear great and interesting things from you Naruto! Don't let me down!" he called out before disappearing, with black feathers being the only proof that he was ever there to begin with.
The room was silent as the fallen angels left the scene, but the silence was broken when Naruto turned around to address who was left.
"Well, this was a very eventful day I think. So I think it's best that we leave this place so that we can all get some rest right? Especially before the civilians of Kuoh Town realize that a forest is gone." Naruto said while scratching the back of his head.
He quickly turned to leave the underground cavern so that he could go home.
"Not so fast Naruto."
Fuuuuuuuu...
Naruto internally cursed as Yuki grabbed his shoulder before he could leave, he was really hoping that she forgot...
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