God of creation system : The apocalypse

Chapter 27 : Lunch with a Guardian Angel

As we stepped out into the hallway, many of the soldiers we passed saluted Ataparag.

Ataparag responded with a warm smile and a polite greeting. It was then I realized how deeply she was still respected as a leader and a general.

Suddenly, it crossed my mind to ask her if it was true that she was a general in Sei's forces, since she hardly looked the type to throw herself into battle. "You know, it's still surprising to find out you're a general, especially given how un-general-like you look."

"What do you mean I don't look like a general?" Ataparag asked, tilting her head.

"Ah... please don't take it the wrong way. I'm not judging you, but from what I knew, a general in Sei's forces commands tens of thousands of troops. Yet you mentioned your team only has fifty members."

"Ah... that?"

A moment later, she explained that she was a general assigned to this specific town. Guarding the town isn't particularly difficult because other generals rotate through each area every single day.

"The Queen specially formed my team just for my specific mission."

Unlike other generals who finish missions and travel across all the territories claimed by Sei, she needed far fewer personnel simply because her job was to secure the borders.

Even so, there were times when her unit was dispatched to other towns every hundred days to spell whoever was stationed there.

"I have the smallest ranks because the vice-commander doesn't give me heavy combat missions. Most of the time, I'm just tasked with delivering reports sent from the territorial borders," she added.

Come to think of it, she was basically treated like a token general. Didn't she realize the massive gap between the thirty thousand troops commanded by other generals and the fifty soldiers she was given?

"Just the numbers alone make it suspicious."

It made me wonder if Aoi didn't trust Ataparag's leadership either, despite her being a general, seeing as a regular army captain commanded more troops than she did.

What baffled me was how everyone still recognized her as a general despite her glaring weaknesses—especially since she didn't look particularly strong or clever.

Still, knowing that their primary job was just routine patrol worked in my favor if I ever ended up assigned to her team.

"Mr. Nathaniel, would you like to grab something to eat outside before we head back to the dorm?" she offered.

"Ah... er, that sounds fine by me, but aren't you supposed to report back to your duties?" I asked.

"Hmm... my only duty is to patrol the town and check on my guards one by one. So I actually have plenty of free time," she replied.

" Her job is way too easy for a general, " I thought to myself. I " 'm starting to seriously doubt how she ever got promoted to one of the highest leadership positions in the kingdom's army."

Moments later, we exited the building and I accompanied her on her town patrol.

The sun was scorching hot, but we kept walking and patrolling, making me realize that my life here wouldn't be easy either.

As we walked, Ataparag continuously explained things to me, pointing out buildings and common gathering spots.

"We usually hang out around this plaza because it's always busy. We need to keep an eye on people's movements here and ensure their safety."

She was so eager to explain and show off their dedication to maintaining peace in the town, but as far as I knew, this was a heavily guarded city where you had to show an ID just to step foot inside.

It was also protected by an anti-magic barrier that limited the use of crimson items. The moment anyone attempted to use one, they would immediately be subjected to a high-level sealing spell, making it easy for the soldiers to apprehend any troublemakers.

In short, her subordinates had virtually no real work to do other than watch the citizens and wait for the day to end.

After a few more minutes, we walked into a diner, and she invited me to eat with her.

It was spacious, with each table well-spaced and separated from the others. It had a diverse crowd of customers from various races, and many of the patrons looked just like me.

"Why don't you find us a seat while I line up to place our order?" she instructed me from the queue.

I agreed and walked all the way to the back until I found an empty table for the two of us.

"This spot should be fine."

As I sat down and waited, something caught my eye at a nearby table.

I was completely shocked by who was sitting there—it was the last person I expected to see. I couldn't possibly imagine finding the exact person I was looking for in a place like this.

It was none other than the angel Koko, casually dining at a neighboring table with a young man.

"You! So this is where you've been, Koko!!" I yelled.

"Huh?" she replied, acting as though seeing me was the most mundane thing in the world.

Of all places, I never expected to run into her in a diner like this, eating away as if she were simply on vacation in this world.

A wide array of delicious dishes lined her table, and she was clearly enjoying herself, completely ignoring my presence.

"Hey! Don't blank me like I'm not standing right here," I shouted.

"Do you have any idea what I went through yesterday? I almost died, and here I find you just enjoying yourself?" I said angrily.

She paid me no mind and went right back to eating, which pushed me to stand up and march right over to their table.

"I've been looking for you since yesterday!"

"Oh... Why's that? Ah... wait, wasn't your mission made clear to you?" she remarked.

She suddenly chuckled, her tone dripping with mockery as she began to belittle me for desperately wanting to go home. "Don't tell me you're scared and just want to run back home? You really are a weakling. Hahaha."

I gritted my teeth in pure irritation. True to form, she was just laughing at me and making fun of me.

However, she bluntly told me that she couldn't and wouldn't do that; if she took me back, she'd be forced to return too, ruining her mission of guiding me.

"But you aren't guiding me at all! You're just doing whatever you want here while my life is in constant danger," I fired back.

"Nah, aren't you tired of that old topic? I told you, you don't need to be scared of this world because you possess powerful abilities."

"Are you serious? You call that useless power system you gave me a powerful ability?"

Infuriated, I explained how utterly useless the power system was, especially with its absurd condition requiring someone to genuinely thank me.

"In this world, who do you honestly think is going to thank me?"

"Well, how should I know? Is that really my problem?" Koko replied coolly.

Her attitude was ice-cold, making it seem like her only goal was to disrupt my life and turn it into something more 'exciting' and 'meaningful.'

"Aren't you happy to be in this world? Don't tell me you're going to waste your new life here being a coward and a loser all over again?" she taunted.

I froze at her words. It struck a raw nerve, but I couldn't argue with her because deep down, I knew I had been a loser back on Earth.

A moment later, Ataparag hurried over to calm me down, telling me to keep my voice down because the whole diner could hear me.

"Oh come on, Nathaniel, your voice carries all the way to the counter. You can't draw that kind of attention, especially while I'm on duty," she scolded.

Koko noticed my companion and flashed a mischievous grin, commenting that it looked like we were both enjoying our time here.

"You were complaining so much earlier, and now I catch you out on a date with a pretty girl bright and early."

"A-A-Date?!" Ataparag reacted in shock.

Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red with embarrassment.

"Oh no, Mr. Nathaniel, this won't do. I cannot possibly go on dates while I'm on duty!" she stammered frantically.

"Don't listen to a single word that crazy woman is saying, Miss Ataparag," I muttered.

Koko noticed we hadn't ordered any food yet due to the long line and generously offered to share her table.

"I bought way too much food after winning the tower tournament! Come on, pull up a chair and share my meal," Koko bragged, waving us over.

"Oh... so that's why you disappeared yesterday? You were playing games at the tower."

She didn't deny it, casually explaining her plan to enjoy her stay here and try out new things.

She mentioned she had spent thousands of years waiting in a boring place in cosmos, followed by over twenty-five years of watching over me on Earth, so as far as she was concerned, she deserved to treat herself.

"Wait, is it my fault you had to do that? Do you think I asked to have a stalker?"

"What? It's insulting to be called a stalker by a loser like you! But fine, maybe it wasn't strictly your fault, you could at least show some consideration," she retorted.

"Do you even hear yourself?" I asked in disbelief.

I couldn't fathom how the words coming out of her mouth belonged to a divine angel.

"You know what, Miss Ataparag, let's just join her and finish the food she bought so she can at least make up for what she put me through."

"Huh? Are you sure? Isn't that a bit embarrassing?"

"Don't be embarrassed, especially around her. She owes me big time—she's the exact reason I ended up in this world and almost got killed," I said bitterly.

We took our seats and started grabbing some food. As we ate, Ataparag looked at me curiously.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking... who is she, and what is your relationship to her?"

Before I could even open my mouth, Koko jumped in to answer the question with a playful smirk.

"I'm Koko, and Nathaniel is my son."

"S-S-Son?! She's your mother, Mr. Nathaniel?" Ataparag gasped in astonishment.

"Oh... nah, actually, I'm his father," Koko corrected instantly.

"Father?! B-B-But... you're a woman?!" Ataparag shrieked in utter bewilderment.

"Cut the crap!"

I slammed my hand onto the table, demanding that Koko stop her nonsense—especially since Ataparag actually looked like she was starting to believe it.

I finally let it slip that Koko was a heavenly angel, and exposed how she was abusing the divine powers at her disposal.

"Huh? She's an angel?" Ataparag blinked, completely dumbfounded.