Chapter 17 Guardian Angel.

Alice gazed at her Grimoire for a moment, filled with both excitement and a hint of sorrow. Azmodiel leaned in and whispered, "You did it." Those words reminded her that she wasn't entirely alone. When she looked up, she saw what she believed to be a sincere smile. She proudly presented her Grimoire to her angel, but as she moved, she noticed their hands were still intertwined.

Startled and flustered, she pulled away from Azmodiel, releasing his hand and turning her back to him while clutching her Grimoire. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her heart, which felt like it might burst out of her chest.

Azmodiel, mustering the remnants of his patience, said, "Shall we head back inside so you can rest a bit?" But before he could finish, Alice was already on her way home, not saying a single word to him.

Something within the being started to pity the young girl. She was experiencing so much, one event after another, without a chance to pause. For now, his attempts to manipulate her could wait. For the moment, his only concern was staying by her side and maintaining her trust. The rest—plans and schemes—could wait, at least until he could examine the contract.

Back at home, Alice sat in a chair in what seemed to be a small living room, while Azmodiel took a seat across from her, extending his hand. "May I see it?" he asked. Alice returned a soft glance and handed the Grimoir to him.

The being held the book in his hands. Perhaps it was because his master permitted him to touch it, or perhaps because the magic regarded him as an extension of Alice. While one interpretation was more demeaning than the other, what mattered now was that he could touch and examine the Grimoire—exactly what he needed at the moment.

As he opened the book, a faint silver glow flickered briefly before it appeared as an ordinary book. Though it was ornate and elegant, there wasn't much visible magic in it. To an untrained eye like Alice's, the first page would seem like a series of lines and drawings without apparent meaning. But to an ancient being like Azmodiel, it held significance.

While the guidelines for spells weren't clearly outlined, the key detail was unmistakable. This was a pact, an agreement sealed by conceptual chains—a pact that seemed to have no escape and bound him indefinitely to the girl.

In an attempt to ensure the owner understood more than he did—since Grimoirs are designed for their owner's interpretation—Azmodiel presented the first page to Alice. Unfortunately, she naturally knew how to execute the spell. Similarly, as the being explained its magic, she could grasp the general idea. Beyond the bindings and protection conditions, there were no secrets to uncover for now. Perhaps later, if they found a more skilled magician.

At this moment, Azmodiel let out a small laugh, releasing a hint of frustration and stress. This possibly made Alice a bit uncomfortable, as she shrank shyly into her chair.

As a gesture of kindness, Azmodiel extended his hand toward her. "I'll repeat—it's not your fault, though it seems it'll take you some time to believe it." Those sky-blue eyes now looked at Azmodiel with a mix of emotions.

Despite his lack of poetic talent, Azmodiel attempted to reassure the girl in the best way he knew how. "You know what a Grimoire is, don't you?"

Alice nodded. "It's the gift of the Mother Goddess, the connection to magic." Her answer couldn't have been more perfect, giving Azmodiel the ideal segue for his next proposition.

The angel stood and placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "Then we understand the importance of our encounter?"

As a girl who had spent so much time immersed in books, reading about heroes and champions of legends, how could Alice not want to be like the people she read about?

How many heroes in those legends were blessed by gods or cared for by magical beings who believed in their potential? For Alice, it felt as though she had suddenly become one of those protagonists.

"It seems the Mother Goddess not only gave you the gift of magic," Azmodiel said, making his way around the chair to stand behind the girl, "but also believed that for your mission, whatever it may be"—he began brushing her hair away from her neck, leaning in to whisper—"you would need this humble servant by your side."

Alice had been destined to follow the path of magic ever since awakening her Grimoir. But she knew that path would be dangerous and lonely. After all, books never mentioned that learning magic was easy.

Reflecting on it again, Alice realized, just as Azmodiel had said, that her Grimoire was clearly not normal—it had summoned an angel, of all creatures.

This could be considered Alice's first selfish thought, but she couldn't be blamed. In one night, she had lost her mother, her entire village, and everything she had ever known. In exchange, she had gained a Grimoir and her angel. Even if that wasn't truly the case, it was how she saw it.

Alice couldn't help but wonder—what was so wrong about wanting to hold on to what the Mother Goddess had given her? Even if it wasn't a gift, but something she had paid the price for. These emotions felt foreign to her, and perhaps they were, but she chose to let herself be influenced. It was only with Azmodiel's presence that Alice managed to stay composed, resisting the overwhelming loss and sorrow.

Regardless, Alice knew she couldn't remain in what was left of Palo Verde. Beyond the fact that living in a ghost town wasn't healthy, she now had a somewhat clear goal—or at least, something resembling one. Alice wanted to learn magic.

Among the many conversations Alice had with her mother, there were more than a few occasions when they discussed the topic. In a world where magic was real and gods even bestowed blessings upon mortals, it was natural to wonder what one would do if faced with such a situation.

Back then, Ana had asked her beloved daughter what she would do if she awakened a Grimoir. To Ana's surprise, Alice said she would stay in Palo Verde and try to learn magic on her own. Her reason was as simple as it could be: Alice didn't want to leave her mother to study magic in some distant city.

In a way, Alice's answer didn't surprise Ana. Her daughter had always been like that—too noble and loving. However, Ana wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea. As unlikely as it seemed that Alice would awaken the ability to use magic, Ana didn't want her daughter to waste such a gift if it ever happened. So, even though it was a hypothetical scenario at the time, Ana made Alice promise not to squander her gift.

Alice was ready to fulfill her promise and embark on her journey, but she didn't know where to start. With her heart barely able to bear the loss of everything she had ever known and loved, the presence of her new angel became too important to let go of. At the very least, with Azmodiel by her side, Alice wouldn't feel so alone moving forward. A part of her still believed this was too good to be true, but she wanted to cling to this little fantasy of hers, no matter what.

Even so, Azmodiel was still a beautiful and powerful angel—a being of divine creation—and Alice didn't feel comfortable imposing on him. At the very least, she wanted to say something.

"Azmodiel, I know it was never your intention to be summoned, and I deeply regret the bond that ties you. But I've lost everything—my mother, my home—and I can't face this alone. I promise to do everything I can to learn about magic and the secrets of my Grimoir so that you can be free one day. Until that day comes, would you be my guardian angel?"

Azmodiel felt a subtle compulsion at that moment. Even the restrictions binding him recognized Alice's request as something more than just an order he had to obey. For the first time since meeting Alice, Azmodiel felt a hint of affection for the girl. For him, having the ability to choose was the closest he had ever been to true freedom.

With no other ideas or plans to rely on at the moment, Azmodiel decided to earn the goodwill of the girl he was bound to, knowing it would give him more room to maneuver for his eventual freedom. And if that failed, he could still find ways to influence or even corrupt the girl if he stayed by her side long enough.

Given the circumstances, Azmodiel displayed all the grace of an angel and the sinfully seductive charm of a demon as he responded. "It's quite the opposite, Alice. I believe there's a reason for all of this. There's no way fate brought us together on a whim. I believe the ritual failed because I'm meant to be your guardian angel. There's no doubt you're a special girl, Alice. Both you and your Grimoir are extraordinary, and I believe it's my duty to care for you and ensure you reach your full potential."

"I would be honored to be your guardian angel (or demon), Alice," Azmodiel replied, keeping one word to himself.

And so, with Azmodiel's response, their journey began. What kind of changes would their meeting bring to the world? How far would their journey take them? It would be terribly rude of me to answer those questions, but one thing was certain: in this world full of magic, gods, and mysteries, anything was possible.