"Why has your expression changed like that, Johann? Aren't you the one who understands Lord David the most since you first came to Grivendal?" Gruzhnil asked suspiciously.
"Uhhh... n-no, commander. I'm just afraid that you and the others will keep even more distance from Sir David. He might be worried that he won't be able to enjoy gathering together like we did at that festival."
"Oh... I understand how you feel. But when we were informed about this, my view of The Great Lord David became different. He has been directly chosen by Archangel Marsiel and must also become the absolute symbol of protection for our civilization. However, I will still try to interact with him as the same Lord David from before." Gruzhnil smiled.
Hearing that, I could only return a faint smile and go back to my office. That day my body was busy with my daily duties, but my mind kept replaying Gruzhnil's words. I understood that Grivendal had worshipped Marsiel for a very long time, but that didn't mean that if Marsiel moved into David's body, they should transfer their worship to David. I knew that the granting of divine power was solely for him so that Grivendal would not be destroyed by that catastrophic invasion. If I try to tell this matter to David, most likely he would ignore it again like before.
The next morning in weekend, I went to David's house with my personal driver. I had already told him to behave normally even though he already knew the news about David. In front of the house, the place was once again crowded not only with soldiers but also government officials. I walked through the crowd of worshippers without feeling that I needed to wait for them to finish first. The guards still allowed me to enter.
Inside, the Priests were seen worshipping an empty throne. I glanced at David working in his equipment room. I approached him, and David was wiping down his Grunginus Spear. He immediately glanced at me when he noticed my presence.
"Sir David, can you go out with me again today?"
He immediately stored Grunginus in his 'magical' weapon slot and turned toward me.
"Let's go..." he answered flatly. I smiled, and we walked out together.
Outside, the guards knelt and bowed when they saw David. As we passed through the crowd, they instantly shifted into positions as though they were about to prostrate themselves. I felt extremely put off by their behavior. I glanced at David's expression again, and he appeared to ignore it. As we sat in the backseat, I told the driver to take us to the monument tourist site at the foot of the mountain near the capital. During the drive, I noticed that the driver's hands seemed to be trembling slightly. I let out a very small sigh and told him to drive carefully.
After some time, we arrived at our destination. David and I walked toward the monument near the cliff. There were still visitors there, and they immediately bowed upon seeing us and made way. We sat on one of the benches facing the view of the capital. The weather was bright with a few clouds, so it was not too hot.
"I brought you here because Sir David used to often look out from the hill toward the distant scenery ahead of you. Do you still like it now, sir?"
David, who was looking ahead, only nodded once.
"Sir, do you know that all the people of Grivendal are worshipping you even more because they have learned that you possess the soul and power of Archangel Marsiel? They have regarded Him as their ultimate protector since ancient times, and now you have inherited it..."
"I have never seen you as a God who must be worshipped. I once told that you were originally just an ordinary human like me, forced to survive and fight against the demons of Hell. I'm very grateful that Sir David can still live like a normal person even though you have received such immense power." I continued while looking at him.
David returned my gaze with his expressionless face for a moment before looking forward again.
"My answer is still same... Let it be..."
David's words felt like the usual answer he always gave. Deep in my heart, I wanted to hear that came from his true feelings. However, I could not force David to reveal them. To me, he still carried the identity of Hellraider. I had to accept that David would never be able to completely return to living like a normal person. His immense influence was a burden that he would have to carry forever. I was certain that he had never wanted any of this himself. Perhaps my role here was simply to make sure that David's human side would not be drowned out by that.
After being satisfied with observing the scenery from the foot of the mountain, I invited David to a movie theater located in the city center. Once again, when we arrived, the visitors immediately bowed to David, and the theater manager personally came over and gave us top priority in choosing which movie to watch that day. Honestly, I was confused about what David's tastes were.
"Sir David, would you like to watch a particular movie?"
"Whatever you want..." he answered while glancing at me.
I then looked through movies from various genres. In my opinion, it seemed unsuitable to invite him to watch an action movie. In the end, I chose a family drama movie, and we watched it in the VVIP seats. I thought the movie was excellent because its emotions ranged from happiness, sadness, fear, and anger to heartfelt warmth. Occasionally I glanced at David, and he appeared to watch seriously from beginning to end, although once again he showed no facial expressions.
After the movie ended, David unexpectedly invited me to eat somewhere, and it turned out to be the restaurant where I had once given him a burger. I was quite surprised because David was observant enough to remember the place. When we entered, all the customers who had been chatting suddenly fell silent and looked toward us. The same waiter from before immediately ran over, bowed, and escorted us to an empty table that another customer had been about to occupy.
"Does Sir David want a burger again?" I asked when we about to order.
"No... That..." he answered while tilting his head toward a picture of food similar to pizza.
Oh... So he wanted to try another type of food. I had thought he only liked burgers based on the small details from the game.
"All right, sir. As for me, I want fried chicken this time."
Fortunately, our table was in a corner against the wall, so I was not bothered by other people constantly bowing to David. After we finished eating and left the restaurant, the sky was already beginning to show dusk. It seemed that we had spent enough time enjoying ourselves for the whole day. As we headed home by my driver, I deliberately got off once again in front of David's house.
"Did you still enjoy today's activities, sir? Maybe you want try to spend time together with Sherubiel and Mendicore next weekend..." I asked.
"Yes..." he answered flatly.
I smiled broadly and said goodbye to him. Once again, he stood there silently watching me until I arrived at my apartment. I was certain that David would remain David no matter how much power he gained.
That night, I gathered with Sherubiel and Mendicore on the balcony of my apartment. I told them everything about how David had changed in the eyes of Grivendal's society and about the activities David and I had done that whole day.
"Yes. Just as I suspected, Lord David now fully possesses the soul and power of Archangel Marsiel, and naturally the people will immediately worship him because Lord David is living among the people of Grivendal." said Mendicore.
"But... from what Johann said, it seems that there has been no significant change in Lord David's personality after that, right? He still seems like the same person that we first met, doesn't he?" Sherubiel assured.
"You're right... In my opinion, we don't need to fear that Sir David will suddenly change without reason. If he suddenly became expressive, that would be extremely strange, hahahahaaa..." I laughed.
Sherubiel chuckled softly at my answer. I told them that next week David would be joining the three of us for another day of fun. They looked happy and eagerly awaited it. We ended the conversation for the night, and I prepared myself for sleep.
***
While I was sleeping soundly, I felt myself standing on some kind of plain. When I opened my eyes, the scenery had completely changed and was no longer my room, causing my eyes to widen in shock. I stood upon an endless expanse with absolutely nothing around. The ground consisted of gray stone, and the cloudy sky was the same color.
My breathing immediately became rapid because once again I had been moved somewhere without explanation. Wait... could this just be a dream? The place felt strangely familiar. I tried to remember it while turning around. I was startled again when I saw that someone else was here as well.
There was David standing some distance away with his back facing me. His movements resembled someone who had become utterly exhausted. I approached him to ask where we were. When I called his name, he suddenly turned his head and glanced at me. His face displayed a mixture of anger and exhaustion that had been suppressed for a very long time. I stopped immediately and stared at him with fear and confusion.
What had happened to him? Why had David suddenly become like this?