Chapter 276: Necessary Lies

The moment Fauna and Cecilia emerged from the portal, the blinding shimmer of the frozen world was replaced by the warm golden daylight of the surface.

But even though they were out, Cecilia’s mind couldn’t stop replaying that final moment before they left. The way Lady Nadia’s usually calm eyes had hardened, her voice turning colder than frost when she told Fauna to leave.

"Um...Lady Fauna?" Cecilia finally asked, still hesitant. "What was that just now?" She gestured vaguely toward the glowing rift behind them. "I thought Lady Nadia was always calm, you know. Perfectly composed, stoic, untouchable."

"But I swear I saw...something. It almost looked like she was angry or jealous. Or was I imagining things?"

"Oh, you weren’t imagining anything, dear." She said. "That was real. Nadia really did get quite cross a moment ago."

She placed a hand on her hip and sighed playfully.

"And honestly, that’s mostly my fault."

"Your fault? How?" Cecilia tilted her head before also hesitantly adding, "This may be an invasion of privacy but is possible to know why Lady Nadia doesn’t show much emotion, even though it’s quite obvious she feels things deeply."

"...Y-You can also just ignore me if I’m prying too much."

"Oh, you’re alright, dear, it’s not that big of a secret or anything. Not to mention I already consider you to be a part of the family."

Fauna said casually which made Cecilia’s heart race

"As for the reason she’s the way she is..." Fauna began, her tone turning softer. "Well, you see, Nadia almost never gets angry. She’s the picture of restraint."

"But that doesn’t mean she’s emotionless. Far from it. She’s actually...full of emotion."

"It’s just that she’s had to hide it all her life."

Cecilia frowned slightly, listening closely.

"When we were little..." Fauna continued, smiling faintly at the memory. "...Nadia was actually the most expressive one out of all of us. The most playful, too."

"You could read her face like an open book. She’d pout when she was scolded, grin like a fool when she was happy, and sulk dramatically when she lost a sparring match. She couldn’t even tell a lie if she tried"

Fauna chuckled under her breath, her eyes growing distant with nostalgia.

"Lady Nadia? Playful?" The image was so absurd Cecilia almost laughed. "I can’t even picture it."

"Well, I most definitely can since she used to have the cutest smile ever, that I could never forget!"

Fauna cheerfully said before her smile dimmed, her gaze lowering a little.

"But...things changed." Her tone grew quieter, touched by sorrow. "Because of her blessing."

"You mean the SSS-class blessing...Apocalypse Imperium: Dominion Over Heaven and Earth? Cecilia’s expression softened.

"Yes..." Fauna nodded. "...and the problem is her blessing is tied directly to her emotions. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the reaction."

"If she’s happy, the ground quakes. If she’s angry, mountains split. If she cries, meteors fall from the sky."

"That...that’s terrifying." Cecilia’s breath caught.

"It is." Fauna said sadly. "So she learned, for everyone’s sake, to control it. To bury it. Every smile, every tear, every heartbeat—locked deep inside, where the world can’t be hurt by it."

"So she had to suppress everything...even joy?" Cecilia’s eyes grew glassy.

"Yes." Fauna nodded gently. "And she’s done it for so long that now...even if she wants to express herself, she can’t. Her face just doesn’t know how anymore. Sometimes I think she’s forgotten what it feels like to smile naturally."

"T-That’s...heartbreaking." Cecilia’s throat tightened. "All this time, people have called her cold, heartless, unfeeling...when really, she just can’t show it."

Fauna sighed deeply.

"Exactly. And that’s what makes it even sadder. She carries the world on her shoulders, yet people only see the frost, not the fire underneath."

For a long moment, the two stood silently in the snow. But then Fauna’s tone lightened, and she smiled warmly.

"But don’t worry too much. There is one person who can still reach her."

"Who?..."

Fauna grinned knowingly and looked toward the portal still flickering behind them.

"Mika." She said softly. "He’s the only one who doesn’t need words, or expressions, or explanations."

"One glance, and he understands her completely, as if her thoughts are written across her face just for him."

Realization dawned in Cecilia’s eyes, while Fauna giggled, covering her mouth as she added,

"And he’s the only person who can make her feel again, too. The rest of us could never get that reaction out of her. Not even her own daughter. But when Mika’s involved..." She playfully puffed her cheeks and pouted. "...oh, she reacts plenty."

"You saw it yourself. She was practically glaring daggers at me just now. That’s jealousy, pure and simple."

"Jealousy?" Cecilia echoed, half-stunned.

"Oh yes." Fauna said with an exaggerated nod. "Nadia can act all calm and all, but she’s just as human as the rest of us. She’s also particularly possessive when it comes to Mika. She loves him deeply, even if doesn’t fight for him openly."

"So that’s why she kicked us out...?" Cecilia’s cheeks flushed.

"Yep." Fauna smirked mischievously. "She wanted her own time with him. After all, I’ve already had mine." She winked teasingly. "And I suppose she wasn’t too happy about that."

Cecilia could only stare, her mind spinning from the revelations.

The Battle Angels—beings she’d once seen as perfect deities—were far more human, far more complicated than she’d ever imagined.

And now she couldn’t help but wonder what was happening inside now...what Nadia was saying to Mika and what emotions, long buried beneath that frozen composure, were finally beginning to surface.

—

Right now, even Mika was wondering what Nadia was thinking.

Had she figured him out? Had the truth somehow leaked? Was this going to be that confrontation?

He almost opened his mouth to ask if she had found out everything, when Nadia suddenly spoke first.

"Do you have some heavy worry on your mind right now, Mika?"

The question caught him off guard. He blinked, then forced a small, nonchalant smile.

"Oh, I most definitely do." He said, tone casual. "Someone like me, with too many responsibilities, always has something on his mind. My head’s like a storage room full of worries."

"...you could say they clog up the place."

It was a clever deflection, the kind he’d used countless times before. But Nadia didn’t look convinced. She simply stood there, the wind brushing past her hair, her expression unreadable.

"I know you probably do." She said softly. "With who you are and everything you’ve been through, you must be carrying a lot you never tell us. That’s probably why you left us all those years ago—because of those very same worries."

Mika’s smile faltered. The light tone slipped away from his voice as he hadn’t expected her to bring up a heavy topic like that made him feel guilty

But then Nadia shook her head.

"You don’t have to talk about that now." She said gently. "If you ever want to...I’ll listen. Anytime. But what I’m asking about is today." Her voice softened further. "You look troubled. Something recent has weighed you down, hasn’t it? I can see it in your face, it’s the look of someone whose plans went wrong."

Mika blinked in mild disbelief, then touched his cheek in reflex. "Was it really that obvious?"

"Not at all." Nadia said calmly. "Normally, no one would notice. You’re a master at keeping your emotions in check. If you don’t want people to know what’s going on, they never will. But..." She tilted her head slightly. "...I’m like you in that regard. Just as you can read me without my showing anything, I can read you the same way."

Her words disarmed him more than he cared to admit.

"I can tell something’s troubling you." She continued softly. "You’re thinking about someone—or something and you’re conflicted. I just want to know if you’d like to talk about it."

Mika stared at her for a long moment, then chuckled quietly under his breath.

"You really are impossible to get past." He said, a wry smile forming. "Now I remember why they call you the world’s greatest negotiator. You could squeeze the truth out of a stone."

Nadia didn’t react. She just waited and for a while, he said nothing. He weighed the idea of brushing it off, of keeping his thoughts locked away like always.

Normally, Nadia would’ve let it go.

She never pried, never forced her way into his business.

But tonight...he actually wanted someone to talk to.

He shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Until—

"...Alright, you win." He said finally. "You’re right. There is something."

Nadia folded her arms, waiting quietly.

"It’s about a girl." He began. "Someone I’ve been close with lately."

Her eyes flickered, though her expression remained calm.

"She’s...cheerful, bright, ridiculously kind, the sort of person who makes everyone feel lighter just by being around. We’ve gotten close, really close. But..." He sighed. "No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get past a certain point with her."

"She sees me only one way, like a friend or something just short of that. I want more, but she’s completely set on seeing me as what I am now."

"I’ve tried everything to change that, but nothing works." He gave a small laugh, half self-deprecating. "And now I’m stuck."

"But I actually do know one thing that would work—a method that would absolutely shift her perspective. But..." His eyes lowered. "...it’s dishonest. It would be using her innocence against her.A bit scummy, even. And I hate myself for thinking about it."

"Of course, it won’t hurt her, not at all. But it’ll be deception nonetheless. And I just...I don’t know if I should. I hate myself for even considering it. But I also can’t stand being stuck like this."

"So that’s what’s been on my mind." He looked back towards her, expression clouded. "Whether to give up...or do the wrong thing for the right reason."

Nadia thought for a moment, then asked simply,

"If you use this method—will it harm her in any way? Physically, mentally, emotionally?"

Mika shook his head quickly.

"No, not at all. It’ll confuse her at first, sure. Maybe even surprise her. But it won’t hurt her. If anything..." He paused, then smirked faintly. "...it might bring her a lot of pleasure instead."

At that, Nadia’s eyebrow arched just a little higher—but she didn’t press for details.

"Then..." She asked. "Do you believe this will make things better for both of you in the end? That you’ll both be happier once it’s done?"

"Without a doubt." Mika said. "I’m sure of it. If this works, it’ll change everything for the better. She’ll finally see me differently. We’ll both be happier than we are now."

Nadia considered this quietly. Her crimson eyes softened. Then, with a decisive tone, she said,

"Then do it, Mika."

He blinked, surprised by her bluntness. "What?"

"Do it." She repeated. "Even if it’s dishonest, even if it’s a trick. If it won’t harm her and it’ll bring about something good—then it’s the right thing to do. Sometimes lies are necessary to reach a better truth, after all"

Mika tilted his head slightly, half-smiling.

"That’s...a surprisingly lenient take from you."

Nadia looked out across the frozen battlefield, her expression faintly wistful.

"It’s not lenience." She said softly. "It’s experience."

He waited silently as she continued.

"Back in the early days, when we explored the other worlds, Fauna used to ask me about the settlements we passed. Sometimes we’d get reports of entire villages massacred."

"And I knew that if I told her the truth, it would crush her. She’d blame herself. So I lied. I told her everyone was fine. That help was on the way."

Her voice grew softer, almost a whisper.

"It was a horrible lie that I said over and over again. But it let her smile again. And that smile...was worth the lie."

She turned back to him, eyes steady.

"So I understand what you mean. Sometimes, to protect someone’s light or to create something beautiful—you have to bend the truth. If your intent is pure and no one gets hurt, then do what you must."

Mika studied her quietly, then smiled genuinely this time.

"You really are the voice of reason, aren’t you?"

Nadia shrugged faintly.

"I just learned that life isn’t always as righteous as people wish it to be. Sometimes a necessary lie is the kindest truth."