Summoned As A Mere Nobody-Yet Possesses An SSS-Rank Ability-Chapter 244: Second Encounter with Fallen Archangel

"Oh—right. Sure. Thanks," Nolan said.

The maid bowed again and closed the door behind her.

The moment she left, Nolan let out a long sigh and threw himself onto the bed.

"Aaaah... finally. A decent bed..." He buried his face into the blankets. "Sleeping in that stone house was torture... This—this is heaven."

He rolled onto his back, arms spread out.

"And... finally... I can take a proper bath," he muttered to himself, smiling as he stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah. A real bath. Perfect."

Nolan sat up on the bed, letting out a long exhale as the tension finally drained from his body. After a moment, he stood and began unfastening his clothes, taking them off slowly and neatly folding them aside. He stretched his shoulders with a quiet groan.

"Finally... after everything that happened... I can relax a little," he murmured.

He looked around the luxurious room, the polished stone walls reflecting a soft glow from the lamps. "Humans, dwarves... I guess I’m finally getting along with them. Who would’ve thought?"

He pulled off the last of his travel-worn gear.

"The dwarves probably think I love humans or something," he said with a small laugh. "But honestly... it’s good. Building relationships with other races... it matters."

He walked toward the bath door, bare feet whispering across the stone floor.

"And now that I’ve helped free the dwarves... starting my path as a merchant is actually possible."

He paused, thinking deeply.

"I’ve saved enough gold coins to start my own merchandise business. I could supply swords, armor, and potions to adventurers. Not just in the Empire, but in villages like Sindra... and other cities too."

He smiled faintly at the thought—an ambitious future forming clearly in his mind.

"And pharmacies... multiple shops. A proper trade network. As long as I keep generating income, I can build something real."

Nolan placed a hand on the warm wooden door of the bathing room.

"Not only that... King Rovanis granted me a huge reward after saving the Empire. Enough to start a kingdom of my own."

His eyes sharpened with determination.

"A kingdom where monsters I’ve tamed can live safely. A place humans can live too. A monster nation... strong enough to defend itself. Strong enough to shelter the people I care about."

He opened the bath door, steam drifting out from within.

"In my old world... life was rough," he said quietly. "A janitor with barely enough pay. But here... I won’t let myself stay small. Not when I’ve been given the chance to build something great."

He stepped inside, setting his folded clothes aside.

"No matter how much I have," he whispered, his voice firm, "I won’t stop until I’ve built it all."

With that, Nolan walked into the bath.

Then, after a while, while Nolan was still taking his bath, the sound of water echoing softly through the stone halls, Lyra, Celia and Linda slowly tiptoed into the lounge room. The three girls kept glancing over their shoulders, making sure no dwarf guards were watching them sneak around.

Celia whispered, "Okay... I’m just going to wash my stuff real quick."

Linda shook her head violently. "No, no, no—I’m going first! I don’t want to be the one waiting outside with dirty clothes!"

"What? But we’re both still wearing our clothes!" Celia hissed. "Shouldn’t we... you know... take them off? Use towels? If someone sees us, it’ll be so embarrassing."

"No way! Absolutely not!" Linda whispered loudly. "That’s too embarrassing! If Master Nolan saw—"

"Well... if Master wants, I could actually—" Celia began, face turning red.

But before she could finish her sentence, everything in the lounge suddenly changed.

The air thickened—heavily, like invisible pressure crushing the room. A cold, overwhelming aura spilled from the corridor, instantly pushing both girls back a step. Both their bodies trembled as an unnatural wind swept through the lounge, rattling cups and shaking the lamps on the walls.

Something was coming.

Dark feathers drifted into the room—slowly, silently—each one humming with magic.

And then, a figure stepped out of the swirling aura.

A being with a human-like face, obsidian-black wings, and a dark, ancient-looking robe. His presence alone made the walls creak.

Lyra, Celia and Linda froze, unable to even breathe.

At that exact moment, the bathroom door slammed open.

"Huh?! What’s happening out here?!" Nolan rushed out, wearing only a towel around his waist, water still dripping from his hair. "Why is the aura density so high—?!"

He stopped mid-sentence the moment he saw the figure.

"You again," Nolan said, eyes narrowing.

"Yes," the winged figure answered. "We meet again."

The Fallen Archangel Kelvin stepped forward, wings unfolding like blades of night.

"Master... w-who is this?" Celia asked, trembling.

"I know him," Nolan replied.

"I know him too," Lyra added sharply from behind him. Her voice was low, almost a growl. Her presence appeared without warning—golden eyes glowing, her Divine Behemoth aura rising like a tidal wave.

Kelvin turned toward her with a mocking smirk. "Ah... the rumors were true. A Divine Behemoth, tamed by a human. Your dignity truly has fallen."

Lyra clicked her tongue. "Watch your tone, Fallen Archangel Kelvin. You have no right to speak of dignity. You were cast out—stripped of holiness, stripped of purpose. You’re not an Archangel anymore. You’re nothing but a wandering wretch."

Kelvin’s expression twitched, but he forced a smile.

"Does that matter? Whether I’m fallen or not, the heavens rejected me. I have nowhere to return. The Almighty threw me out—abandoned me. If the only path back to power is through the demons... then so be it."

His wings stretched, shaking the air with their oppressive presence.

"I will walk the path of darkness if that’s what it takes to rise again."

"So... it’s you again," Nolan said, eyes narrowing as he stepped forward, still dripping from the bathwater. His towel clung to his waist, but the pressure in the room was so immense no one could care about modesty right now.

Celia and Linda huddled behind him, trembling.

Kelvin’s wings folded slightly. "Celia. Linda. You two should already know this feeling. The sensation that your lives were being threatened."

"When... was that?" Celia whispered.

"The day I brought you both to Sindra," Nolan said quietly. "The very first day you decided you wanted to follow me."

Their eyes widened as the memory rushed back.

"That moment, when we went to get you clothes... you suddenly couldn’t see. Cedric the shopkeeper couldn’t see either." Nolan continued, voice dropping lower. "Someone cast a spell that blinded you. That someone was aiming to kill you."

Celia covered her mouth. Linda’s knees shook.

"A demon appeared that day," Nolan said, eyes hardening, "and I killed it. But before I could finish the job... he appeared."

Kelvin didn’t speak. His eyes lowered, wings folding like shadows.

"He appeared from a portal. And even though back then I wasn’t a Chrono God, I still snapped my fingers and stopped time." Nolan clenched his fist. "But he broke through it. He dragged the demon away, back to the demon realm."

Celia and Linda gasped.

"You mean—?"

"Yes," Nolan said coldly. "Kelvin saved that demon."

Kelvin finally looked up. "I didn’t come here to fight. I came to retrieve something. You’ve killed two Ironkind demons. And the last one... you didn’t just kill it. You took its core."

He pointed at Nolan’s chest.

"That core is still with you. I want it back."

"Oh?" Nolan tilted his head. "So that’s your reason for showing yourself."

"Yes. Please give it to me," Kelvin said. "I would like to take it."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you," Nolan replied. "But I’m not handing anything over. If you want it—take it by force."

Celia and Linda stepped back, gasping.

Kelvin exhaled, shoulders slumping. "I cannot. You’re right. You’re stronger than me now. If you stop time today, I won’t break through it. I’ll freeze... and you could kill me. I’ve fallen from grace. I can age. I can wither. But..."

His wings trembled.

"...the Demon Lord will soon resurrect."

Lyra’s eyes sharpened.

Kelvin continued, "And when he returns, humanity will fall. He will be a hundred times stronger than when he fought the previous Celial—the hero before you. That Celial was nowhere near your level, Nolan... yet he still sacrificed his life just to seal the Demon Lord away. Not kill him—seal him."

Nolan’s expression hardened.

"And you think a demon, even one strengthened by a hundredfold, can surpass me?"

"I don’t know," Kelvin said honestly. "You are strong. As strong as a god. Maybe stronger. But the Demon Lord is not an ordinary demon."

Nolan felt his fingers twitch. Lyra stepped forward.

"Master," Lyra said, her golden eyes glowing, "he speaks the truth. The Demon Lord is not like the typical horrors of the underworld. He was born from impossible origins—a fallen Archangel, Lucifer himself... and a Demon Queen."

Celia and Linda froze in shock.

Lyra continued, "He’s... monstrous. Even as a child, when he first appeared in the human world, he was strong enough to rival me in my true Divine Behemoth form.