Chapter 26

Hansel went to the underground boxing ring. He doesn't plan on fighting, for he fears he might mistakenly kill someone.

He placed a bet on one of the fighters he believed would win and watched the fighters quietly. While the fight was going on, a man stood next to Hansel.

"Who do you think would win?" he asked him.

Hansel needed clarification as to why this man was talking to him, but he answered. "The one without a shirt," he said.

"Why?" the man asked.

Hansel clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You sure do ask a lot of questions," he said, annoyed.

"I'm curious; they both look equally skilled, so what makes one bet better than the other?" the man said.

"He knows where to hit, and he's read his opponent's movement," Hansel said, crossing his arms. "If he read takes his chances now, he would be able to beat his opponent in less than a minute."

They both watched and just like Hansel said, within the next minute, his pick won. 'I got my money,' Hansel thought.

"Baal," the man called him just as he was about to leave.

Hansel paused and turned in surprise. His eyes widened. "How'd you know that name?" he said.

The man chuckled. "I gave you that name," he said. "It's a shame you couldn't recognize me at first glance.

"Your Highness," Hansel whispered. He didn't believe he would be seeing the Demon King, his father, here.

"Go and collect your money," the man said. "Meet me outside when you're done."

Hansel never expected to find his unfilial demon father here. He wanted to leave quietly without anybody noticing, but he realized that the Demon King didn't have any mana on him; he seemed like an ordinary man.

Curiosity got the best of him, and now he's sitting in the VIP section of a club with the Demon King. "I was certain you were going to teleport away," the Demon King said, chuckling. He opened a bottle of whiskey and poured it into a glass. "Want some?"

"No," Hansel refused politely.

The Demon King shrugged and poured himself a glass. 'Still an alcoholic,' Hansel thought warily, glancing at him.

"You haven't changed one bit, Baal. Still wary of my presence. You never tried to hide it."

"Forgive me for not being able to trust you," Hansel replied snarkily.

The Demon Lord laughed wholeheartedly, not offended by this. "Let's cut out whatever it is we're doing," Hansel said firmly. "What do you want?"

"Can't we catch up? We haven't met since our last life."

"Please stop trying to act familiar with me; we only met face-to-face once in our past lives," Hansel said. "State your business, Your Highness."

The Demon King's friendly nature completely disappeared. "I want you to serve as my niece's bodyguard," he said in his business tone.

"How much?" Hansel said not thinking twice.

"You aren't going to ask why I need you to do this?" the Demon King said in surprise.

"It's none of my concern; I need the money as well, so how much are you paying for my services?" Hansel said blankly.

"Ninety dollars per hour, every day, eight hours a day."

Hansel calculated how much he would be getting: approximately two hundred and sixty-two thousand a year. "Okay," he said.

"Great," the Demon King said. "Meet me at xx-xx tomorrow evening," he said.

~~~~

Hansel returned home feeling better; he'd made money and gotten a job from his unfilial father. When he opened the door to his apartment, he saw Astrea standing there with Nathan.

He noticed Astrea's hair and eyes were black as night, and she had the markings of the fallen around her arms.

He frowns and walks towards Nathan, who is expecting him to be happy. "Come with me," he said angrily, then looked at Astrea. "Sit down. Lilith, get her some soda from the fridge."

Before Nathan could speak, they both disappeared, appearing together in Nathan's pocket dimension.

"You are angry," Nathan said, not understanding why Hansel was upset with him.

"You brought her back to life," Hansel said angrily.

"I thought that's what you wanted?" Nathan said, frowning.

"I never said I wanted you to bring her back to life!" Hansel exclaimed.

"But you didn't want her to die," Nathan said.

"Nathan," Hanel called his name firmly. "I didn't want her to die, but I didn't ask you to go into the depths of the afterlife to bring her back to life," he said. "Where would she go now? She has nowhere to go; she can't return to the Himmel Realm because she's fallen. I know for sure that her mother wouldn't accept her, and her father, if he ever loved her, wouldn't be allowed to take care of her anymore."

As Hansel spoke, he felt his stress levels rising and his aura was increasing.

He saw that Nathan wasn't saying anything and he felt frustrated. "Do you at least have a plan for her?" he asked. "Aside from trying to use her bringing her alive to make me happy, did you have a plan for her?"

Nathan nodded out of impulsivity. He had no plans for Astrea. He didn't think this far. "I'll take her back to—"

"You'll take her to the other world so that they can kill her? You know how much they hate those like her?" Hansel said, upset. He then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Nathan felt uneasy. He didn't think Hansel would be unhappy with him and felt he should have done nothing.

He can't change Astrea back to how she was previously. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that far," he said, bowing his head.

Hansel felt like he was with a child instead of the man who killed multiple gods. "Come here," he said, gently.

Nathan didn't respond; he didn't move, and Hansel walked over to him, and held his face, forcing him down to his height. "I am upset with you," he said. "Do you know why I am upset with you?" he asked.

Nathan nodded in response. "I want to hear why you think I am upset with you," Hansel said.

"Because I brought Astrea back to life, making her a fallen angel, and I didn't plan what next to do with her," Nathan said in a quiet voice.

Hansel smiled and released him. "Good," he said.

"You're no longer angry?" Nathan asked in surprise.

"Staying angry would not help our situation," Hansel explained. "I need a plan," he said.

"Plan for what?"

Hansel sighed. "Well, I plan on incorporating the demons into society; my parents would teach Varrine how to read and write, get a job for the others, and move to a bigger home. I guess I have to add Astrea and send her to school."

Nathan was stunned. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because they wouldn't leave unless I return to the Abyssal Realm to claim the throne of the Demon King," Hansel said.

"And you don't plan on doing so?" Nathan asked him.

"I'll figure it out once Jamie graduates high school," Hansel said.

"You plan on doing it?" Jamie asked.

"No," Hansel replied. "I don't know," he said, now sounding unsure.

"It doesn't matter," Nathan said. "I'm not leaving your side."

Hansel's face slowly turned red and he laughed lightly. "Why are you laughing?" Nathan asked, smiling

"Nothing; it's just that even though you're who you are, you're one of the sweetest people I know," Hansel said.

Nathan became flustered, and his heart began beating fast. He was about to speak, but his voice cracked, surprising both of them.

Hansel laughed at him loudly. Nathan cleared his throat in embarrassment. "I have an idea of a temporary residence for everyone."