Chapter 19

"Good riddance," Zerro huffed as he returned to Han's side, finally noticing Celestia's deteriorating state.

Kneeling down beside her, he placed a hand on her forehead. Celestia groaned softly, her skin hot to the touch compared to his cold hand.

"We need to get her back to your apartment before she gets worse," Zerro informed Han, who nodded in agreement. Carefully, he scooped Celestia up into his arms, holding her close as they began their journey back.

Walking side by side, an awkward silence settled between them, broken only by the occasional sound of clearing their throats.

"I never actually had the chance to say this but..." Zerro trailed off, catching Han's attention. The younger boy looked at him with curiosity, raising an eyebrow in anticipation.

"I'm sorry."

Han's reaction was immediate. He almost stumbled over his own feet, nearly dropping Celestia in the process. Regaining his balance, he straightened up and stared at Zerro in disbelief.

"W-Wait... you're sorry?" Han stammered, seeking confirmation from the demon.

Zerro responded with a glare and a faint blush, clearly embarrassed.

"I'm not saying it again," Zerro muttered before stomping off. Han watched him go, still in shock, before hurrying to catch up.

"Wait!" he called out, his voice echoing in the empty alley.

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In the next few days, Celestia slowly recovered from her fever, with Han diligently by her side the entire time. He made sure she was well-fed, changed the damp towel on her forehead regularly, and tended to her every need.

"You really like her, don't you?" Zerro's question caught Han off guard. He glanced over at Celestia, checking to see if she was asleep, before turning to Zerro with a startled expression.

"That's not it—"

"Oh, come on. I can see the hearts in your eyes every time you talk to her or even interact with each other," Zerro interrupted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at the flustered angel.

Han didn't know how to respond and instead released a sigh, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the conversation was too much to bear. His head hung low, a clear sign that he had admitted defeat to the other's claim.

"Yeah, but I don't think Celestia sees me that way," he said, his voice tinged with a glint of disappointment. His eyes reflected a deep sense of longing, yet resignation.

Zerro, unable to contain his frustration any longer, released a groan.

"Are you kidding me, she—" Zerro started, his voice rising in frustration, but he stopped mid-sentence as Celestia's form stirred.

The earlier conversation vanished, both turning their attention to her as she slowly opened her eyes, her expression dazed from sleep.

"What time is it?" she croaked, her voice rough and dry from a lack of water.

Han quickly helped her sit up and handed her a glass of water.

"It's just past eight," he said gently, watching as she took a sip.

Celestia nodded, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. Zerro, unable to let go of his confusion, frowned deeply.

"I still don't understand how your power transferred to me," he muttered, voicing the thought that had been nagging at him.

Celestia had no clue herself and looked down at her hands, which rested in her lap. She didn't have the time to ask her real mother when they met in her dream, so now she was stuck trying to figure out the power she held inside of her.

She could make contracts with more than one person, a rare ability. Zerro had told her in the past that a weapon contractor could typically only make one contract with another being. If a weapon contractor forced another contract to be made, they would die. But in Celestia's case, that wasn't true, as witnessed by both Han and Zerro.

The anomaly puzzled them all, and Zerro's frown deepened as he continued to ponder the situation. Han, sensing Celestia's unease, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We'll figure this out together," he said softly, his eyes meeting hers with a promise of unwavering support.

A flash of light brought Celestia's attention to the balcony doors of the apartment. Her eyes widened as she saw, from her perspective, two figures descending from the sky to the center of the city.

"Han, what was that?" she asked, her voice tinged with alarm. Han, equally bewildered, shook his head, his eyes fixed on the spot where the figures had landed. "I don't know," he replied, his confusion mirroring hers.

Zerro, initially inclined to dismiss the event, suddenly froze. His breath hitched as he detected a familiar aura emanating from the direction of the fallen figures. His eyes narrowed with recognition and urgency.

"I need to go," he said abruptly, rushing out of the apartment without a proper explanation.

He ignored the calls from Han and Celestia, his mind singularly focused on the mysterious presence that had just arrived.

Zerro leaped over the railing and flew down from the seventh floor of the building, ignoring the cries of shock from the pedestrians below. He landed smoothly and immediately took off running at full speed towards the location where the two demons had entered the town through the portal in the sky.

"Xander... Lucifer... I'm coming," he muttered to himself in a determined tone.

A gleam of worry flashed in his eyes as he sensed their auras, which were faint instead of strong. This unexpected weakness troubled him deeply, pushing him to quicken his pace.

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"How are you feeling now?" Han asked, sitting on the sofa next to Celestia, who had changed her posture to a sitting position. He watched as she released a sigh, her form relaxing somewhat.

"I'm better," she answered simply, but Han could tell something was still bothering her.

"Why don't you seem happy then?" he questioned further, his eyes searching hers for an answer. Celestia was caught off guard, not expecting him to notice her inner turmoil.

She sighed again, her gaze dropping to the tattoo on the palm of her hand. "I have all this power, but I don't know how to use it. And I'm not even strong," she mumbled, her voice tinged with sadness. "Either you or Zerro end up rescuing me like some damsel in distress every time I face a strong enemy. All I can do is kill a bunch of low-level demons, and that's it."

Han's heart ached for her.

"Celestia, you're not a damsel in distress," he said softly.

"You've been given this power for a reason, and figuring it out takes time. We're all still learning. And you're stronger than you think, more than just physically. We believe in you, and you should too."

Han placed a hand over hers, startling the girl and she looked up and into his eyes, noticing the warm gleam in them.

It wasn't until a moment later that Han noticed the tears building up in Celestia's eyes. He began to panic, thinking he might have said something wrong, but then Celestia leaned forward and engulfed him in a hug. A bright red blush covered his cheeks as he grew flustered.

"C-Celestia?" he stuttered out her name, but she only tightened her grip around him.

"Thank you," she whispered, her words causing him to relax and return the hug. They remained in that position for a moment until Celestia moved back and gazed at Han with a genuine smile.

"You're a great friend."

Han's smile faltered for a second, a flicker of heartbreak crossing his features. He quickly masked it with a happy facade, but Celestia noticed the brief change.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her concern evident. Han shook his head, looking towards the door as he heard a knock, grateful for the distraction.

"It's nothing," he said, rising to answer the door. "Let's see who that is."

Han went over to the door and opened it to see Zerro, along with two other demons he didn't recognize. They were heavily injured and leaned on the former Prince to keep from falling.

"A little help would be nice," Zerro huffed. Han muttered an apology before moving to help the blonde-haired demon inside, while Zerro brought in the other.

"Xander... and you're... Lucifer? What are they doing in the human world?" Celestia exclaimed, looking back and quickly standing up in surprise as she recognized the two demons she had met in the other world.

Han and Zerro gently placed the two onto the sofa. Xander released a groan as he sat down, while Lucifer grunted, his body covered in bruises.

"We didn't have anywhere else to go," Zerro explained, catching his breath.

"They were attacked and barely escaped with their lives."

Celestia approached the sofa, her eyes filled with concern.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her voice soft and filled with worry.

Lucifer looked up at her, his expression pained.

"We were ambushed," he said hoarsely.

"A powerful enemy... they knew exactly where to find us."

Xander nodded weakly, wincing in pain.

"They found out I helped Prince Zerro get into the kingdom and summoned me there to kill me," Xander explained in one breath, his voice tinged with both pride and pain. "But Lucifer saved me before they could do it. I knew something was going to happen to me, so I brought one of my portal gadgets with me in case I needed to escape. So... here we are." His proud smile quickly disappeared as a wince escaped his lips, the pain from the beating he received evident.

"This is the only safe place, so if you don't mind us living here then..." Lucifer mentioned, looking up to Zerro, who then turned to Celestia. However, she pointed at Han.

"This apartment doesn't have room for any more residents," Han revealed, sending an annoyed glance at Zerro. "I'm already sleeping on the floor because Zerro here doesn't want to share the bed with me. Celestia has been using the sofa, so there isn't any room for you to sleep."

"I don't even want you in the room. For an angel, you snore like a beast," Zerro complained, causing Han to glare at him, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Alright, calm down. I have a solution that can give everyone a room and lots of space," Celestia interjected, stepping forward and earning everyone's attention.

"Astonia told me that whatever Rosella owned would be inherited by me since it was written in the will she wrote years back," the black-haired girl explained, a smile forming on her face as she noticed Han's expression lightening up.

"That means..." Han trailed off, anticipation evident in his voice as he waited for her to finish.

"We can live in the mansion," Celestia declared, her words met with a mixture of surprise and relief from the others.

The prospect of having ample space and a safe haven brought a sense of hope to the group, dispelling the tension that had lingered moments before.