Becoming The Strongest Angel With A Saintess System-Chapter 32: The Celestial Banquet, Part Six

The world looked different through Grace's Aura Sight.

Colors were sharper, movements more defined, and that blue-purple aura around the mysterious angel practically glowed like a beacon.

[Got you.]

Grace kept her eyes fixed on the grey-winged angel, trying her absolute hardest not to be obvious about it. The stranger was tall and elegant, mingling with her Veil friends like she belonged there. No one else seemed to notice anything off about her. Just Grace and her freaky new angel power.

She took a step toward the suspicious figure, but a booming voice stopped her.

"THERE SHE IS! OUR LITTLE DEMON SLAYER!"

[Oh no.]

Seraph burst through the crowd, a pack of gold-and-red clad Bravery Sisters trailing behind her. Grace barely had time to adjust her wings to the half-raised position before Seraph grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug that lifted her feet off the ground.

"C-can't breathe," Grace wheezed.

"HA! Just strengthening those lungs!" Seraph dropped her back to her feet and stepped back, giving Grace a once-over. "Look at you! All fancy in your dress!"

Grace quickly pressed her closed fist to her heart, then extended it forward – the proper Bravery Sister greeting.

Seraph grinned approvingly.

"You remembered! All that training paying off, I see!"

Diana, still hovering nearby, rolled her eyes.

Grace glanced past Seraph's massive shoulders, searching for the suspicious angel. She was still there, watching the toast preparations with a too-perfect smile.

"Seraph, I need to—"

"Come! Meet the rest of your Bravery Sisters!" Seraph cut her off, dragging her toward the group of warrior angels.

Grace greeted each one with the proper ritual, all while trying to keep the suspicious angel in her sight. The Bravery Sisters were enthusiastic, slapping her on the back and asking detailed questions about her demon fight that she barely processed.

"Did it really explode into light?"

"Was the blood black or purple?"

"Can we see your hidden sword technique sometime?"

Grace nodded and smiled, answering on autopilot.

"Yes. Black. Maybe later."

Just as she extracted herself from the Bravery Sisters, another voice called her name.

"Grace! There you are!"

Mara approached, surrounded by a group of blue-robed Compassion Sisters. Her massive chest bounced with each step, drawing stares from several nearby angels.

[Great. More interruptions.]

Grace quickly lowered her wings fully and placed her hands in prayer position before opening them outward like a book. The proper Compassion Sister greeting.

Mara beamed.

"Perfect! Venus said she'd been teaching you the greetings, but I didn't believe you'd master them so quickly!"

"I had a good teacher," Grace said, still trying to keep an eye on her target. The suspicious angel had moved closer to the edge of the crowd, sipping her nectar with a bored expression.

Mara introduced Grace to her fellow healers, who were much calmer than the Bravery Sisters but just as curious.

"Your energy flow is fascinating," one said, peering at Grace like she was an interesting specimen.

"Have you tried healing demons and purifying instead of killing them?" another asked.

"Would you visit our healing halls sometime? We'd love to study—I mean observe—your techniques."

Grace nodded politely to each one, growing increasingly anxious as she saw the suspicious angel slowly moving toward the outer edges of the grand hall.

[She's trying to slip away!]

"I really should get back to—"

"Grace, darling~!"

[... You've got to be kidding me.]

Venus glided through the crowd, a group of pink-clad Love Sisters following in her wake. They moved like water, drawing appreciative glances from angels of all factions.

Grace braced herself. The Love Sister greeting was the most awkward one.

Venus approached, and Grace forced herself not to flinch as the beautiful angel cupped her face. Venus pressed her lips to Grace's right cheek, then her left, and just outright kissed her lips.

[A kiss is just a kiss. A kiss is just a kiss. A kiss is just a kiss. A kiss is just a kiss...]

Grace's face burned hotter than a blacksmith's forge, but she managed to return the greeting to Venus, though she couldn't bring herself to do more than a quick peck for each kiss.

Venus laughed softly.

"We'll work on your technique, little one."

The other Love Sisters greeted her similarly, each kiss making Grace want to sink through the floor. Venus's sisters were just as gorgeous as she was, and just as forward.

"Such soft lips."

"Your blush is adorable."

"We should arrange some private lessons."

Grace was pretty sure her face would be permanently red after this. But worse than the embarrassment was the fact that she'd lost sight of the suspicious angel in all the commotion.

[Where did she go?]

Grace stood on her tiptoes, scanning the crowd desperately. The other angels continued chatting around her, but their voices faded to background noise as she searched.

Then she spotted it – that blue-purple aura, now near one of the side entrances. The mysterious angel was smoothly excusing herself from a conversation, gliding toward a balcony that overlooked the endless sky.

She was leaving!

Grace glanced toward the dais where Celestia stood, preparing to begin the toast. The protocol was clear: stay with Celestia, alert her to any threats, follow her instructions.

But by the time she got Celestia's attention and explained everything, the angel would be long gone.

[What would Seraph do? Well... She'd probably just run after her.]

Grace made a split-second decision.

"Excuse me," she muttered to Venus. "I need some air."

Venus raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Don't be too long, little one. The toast is about to begin."

Grace slipped away from the group, weaving through the crowd as quickly as she could without drawing attention. Her silver dress sparkled in the light, making her more noticeable than she would have liked.

The suspicious angel had already disappeared through the archway leading to the balcony. Grace followed, heart pounding in her chest.

As she passed through the archway, she heard Celestia's voice ring out behind her.

"Angels of the Dominion, raise your glasses..."

Grace left the ceremony behind, stepping out onto a wide crystal balcony that seemed to float among the clouds. Night had fallen, and countless stars twinkled above.

At the far end of the balcony, silhouetted against the starlight, stood the angel with the blue-purple aura.

Waiting.

[Well, I wanted to find the hidden threat. Though, naybe I should've thought this through a bit more.]

Too late to turn back now. Grace squared her shoulders and walked forward to meet whatever fate awaited her.

---

{Diana}

Diana slouched at the corner table, already regretting her decision to wear this stupid golden dress. It was too tight across the shoulders and kept riding up when she moved. At least she had a glass of that divine nectar stuff. It tasted like honey and fire and made the endless small talk almost bearable.

Almost.

Two Love Sisters had been eyeing her for the past ten minutes from a nearby table. The blonde one kept "accidentally" making eye contact, while the brunette had a smile that suggested all kinds of things Diana pretended not to think about.

Diana took another sip and held the blonde's gaze for three seconds before looking away. Not interested enough to act on it, but just enough to keep the game going. Keeping Love Sisters interested was basically a sport among the Bravery Sisters. A very fun way of passing the time.

"Having fun?" Seraph's booming voice ruined whatever subtle thing she had going as she dropped into the chair beside Diana, somehow making it look tiny.

Diana scowled.

"I was."

Seraph followed her gaze to the Love Sisters, who were now pretending to be deep in conversation.

"Ah, Venus's girls. Always good for a distraction." Seraph grabbed an entire pitcher of nectar from a passing attendant and refilled Diana's glass before pouring herself a generous portion. "But not why I'm here."

"Why are you here, then?" Diana asked, already dreading the answer.

"Answered any prayers lately?"

Diana's grip tightened on her glass.

"No."

"Any plans to?"

"No."

Seraph leaned back, her chair creaking in protest.

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"It's quite a bit of time, Diana."

"I'm aware."

"The rookie's been here little more than a week and already answered one."

Diana shot her a glare.

"Good for her."

"Look," Seraph's voice dropped, losing its usual boom. "What happened on that mission wasn't your fault."

Diana looked down, biting the insides of her cheeks.

"I ran," Diana said flatly. "I left them behind."

"You survived. There's a difference."

"Tell that to the humans who didn't make it. The humans who were looking to me for salvation!"

Diana's right hand started shaking.

Seraph sighed, the sound unusually soft coming from her massive frame.

"So how long? How long until you get back out there? Answer prayers, fight demons, do what you were made to do?"

Diana shrugged.

"I don't know. But I've got all the time in the world, literally. The prayers can wait."

"The mortals can't."

"There are other angels."

"Not many as good as you."

Diana snorted.

"There's the rookie. Everyone seems to think she's going to save us all."

"Grace is... different." Seraph conceded, taking a long drink. "And, to be honest, she does show promise. But she lacks your experience. Your honed instincts."

"My instincts?" Diana laughed bitterly. "My instincts told me to run. Some warrior I am."

"Your instincts kept you alive when a Primal showed up. That was a smart move."

Diana opened her mouth to argue, but something across the room caught her eye. Grace was slipping away from the Love Sisters, moving toward one of the side balconies with surprising determination.

[Well... That's weird.]

She watched as the rookie glanced around furtively before disappearing through the archway.

"What is it?" Seraph asked, following her gaze.

"The rookie just ditched the toast. Headed for the east balcony."

Seraph turned to look just as Celestia raised her glass.

"Eh, maybe she needed air. These things can be overwhelming."

"Maybe."