This chapter has now been re-written, though changes were minor.

"You know, now that I think about it, how exactly did we get past that gate? I get that Melona used a disguise, but well enough to fool the guards like that?"

Airi sat perched on a tree branch above Church, who sat against said tree, her legs dangling near his head. "You know that's something I can't tell you, Church."

"Why am I not surprised to hear that?"

The redhead looked down at Church irritably. "Is this something you're going to hold against me forever?"

Church said nothing in reply, feeling a little guilty that he was indeed holding it against her. Airi had made it perfectly clear that the things she hid from him were not a matter of trust. Being irritated with her over this did nothing but make him a bad friend.

So instead of answering he cast his gaze out to the castle in the center of a lake in the distance. It was a formidable structure, with several towers, thick stone walls, and a long bridge that connected it to the land across the water. According to Airi, this fortress belonged to none other than the ruler of this region, Count Vance. It was the first castle Church had seen since coming to this world, and it was a towering reminder of the era he found himself in compared to his home.

Despite the number of interesting things to look at considering his target of observation, Church still turned his thoughts to Melona as he and Airi resting on the grassy knoll they had claimed as their observation point. The rose colored woman had left to scout out the castle several hours ago. Church was aware that such recon meant infiltration would be the next step, but he had no idea why Airi and Melona wanted to do such a thing, since they had not deigned it necessary to tell him. Church tried to suppress his bitterness at being left out of his friends' secrets, but the out of his depth soldier found it difficult to do so. He disliked being left out of the loop because it forced him to be subjected to events rather than have a hand in them. Having no control over what was happening made him feel vulnerable, and vulnerability was akin to being dead.

He raised his head to face Airi, who was still sitting on the tree branch above him, lazily twirling her finger around a lock of her scarlet hair. At that moment, she couldn't have been any cuter even if she tried. Aware that the redhead was lost in her own thoughts, Church took advantage of the moment to appreciate the woman above him. Not that he hadn't done so already in the time he had known her, but he never got tired of it. How could any man grow bored with such a beauty to enrapture them?

However, such thoughts brought forth a very particular question that gave Church no small amount of concern. Airi was unbelievably sexy, there was no denying that. But the fact that she was so aesthetically pleasing to the eye made Church question his relationship to her. He couldn't help but wonder if the only reason he cared about her as a person was because he had first cared about her looks. Had she been plain or even ugly, would he have bothered getting close to the person underneath that? Was the only reason he had bothered to be her friend because she was so attractive?

In fact, the same was true with everyone he had met thus far. Alleyne was drop-dead gorgeous, and Nowa was a incontestable cutie of the highest caliber. He had grown very close to them, but would he have if they hadn't been as stunning as they were?

Church liked to tell himself that he wasn't that shallow. That the basis of his relationships in this world thus far weren't just superficial. But just looking at the facts made it difficult to dismiss the notion. Everyone he had formed some sort of attachment to was a beautiful, physically sensational woman. All in all it made him seem like he only cared for the superficial.

But then again, was that even wrong to some degree? Didn't everyone have an initial interest in another person based on what they looked like? Was it wrong to form a real, meaningful relationship with someone even if it had started from nothing more than aesthetic appreciation?

He pondered this for several minutes, either feeling worried or disgusted that such a thing may have been true. He felt like some sort of sleaze, considering his carnal feelings for the women he had met thus far. Was that really the grounds for all the relationships he had made so far?

"Church? Are you alright?"

Shaken from his self-accosting thoughts, Church looked up at Airi, who was gazing down at him in concern. The sight of her worry for him reminded Church that they had established themselves as friends with one another. And that made him feel good, but he couldn't help but remember the saying that a man having a platonic friendship with an attractive woman was supposedly impossible. And gazing at those enrapturing green eyes under that fringe of scarlet red made for a fairly strong argument in support of that notion. Was Church glad they were friends? Of course. Would he consider himself one of the luckiest men alive if they were more than that? Absolutely.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Airi frowned a little, clearly unconvinced by his response. "You don't look fine. Is something bothering you?"

Church looked away from Airi as he answered, pretending to focus his gaze on the castle once more. "I'm just tired is all."

His obvious evasion only caused Airi's frown to deepen further. She was reluctant to admit that his worries concerned her. It was another reminder that she was growing more and more attached to someone that conflicted with her existence on an integral level. But she couldn't help herself. Airi had been a nearly perfect servant since the day the Swamp Witch had resurrected her. She served with utmost loyalty, attacking who she was supposed to attack, sabotaging who she was supposed to sabotage.

In short, she had been the tool she was intended to be, and she had been more or less alright with that. But Church had brought out more of the humanity she had once possessed. Being around Church made her feel less like a malevolent spirit and more like the human she had once been. And she liked being able to finally feel that way. The Swamp Witch had no need for humanity. But Church encouraged her to smile, laugh, and just be herself. She had told herself that such things held no meaning for her now being a spirit, but upon finding them again she realized with ease that she still valued her humanity. And a big part of that humanity was the friendship she had formed with the man that had brought it back to her.

Church heard Airi leave her perch and take a seat next to him, at which point he turned to face her. He was met with a gentle smile that just slightly upset the typical rhythm of his heart. He was positive that her smile could melt the entirety of the Arctic Circle.

Thankfully Church didn't have to say anything first, because he was too entranced to do so anyway. "You know Church, I don't think you're as good of a liar as you think you are."

Fairly certain that wasn't an insult with the tone it was uttered in, Church smiled. "I think it's a variable skill. Maybe I'm just not good at lying to you?"

"I think it'd be better if you didn't think you had to lie to me in the first place."

Church experienced a brief flare of anger at that, amplified by the nonchalant manner in which Airi said it. He knew she meant no offense, but he couldn't help the caustic reply he gave. "Well it'd hardly be fair if I didn't reciprocate your lies, would it?"

He regretted his choice of words the moment he saw the look of hurt on Airi's face, but it was too late to take them back. As for the redhead, she had no retort. After all, she was lying to Church on a fairly regular basis, and even her reasons for doing so were mostly selfish. At first she had gone out of her way to hide her identity because she felt it would be more hassle than it was worth to reveal it. But now she wanted to keep it secret because she was afraid of how he would react upon discovery.

She told herself that someone like Church wouldn't turn on her for such a reason, but no matter how many times she told herself that she was still scared to tell him the truth. How did one even go about that? 'Hey, we've known each other for a while now, sorry I didn't tell you before but I'm actually a sinister spirit that works for an evil entity and has done terrible, awful things?'

She didn't want to risk losing the first person to care about her in what felt like forever by revealing her true nature. And that being the case, did she have any right to be angry at him for getting upset with all of the deception?

As for Church, he tried to rescind his words even though he knew they couldn't be taken back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

Airi kept her eyes away from him as she answered. That mere words had cut her so deeply was worrisome. Sure, she admitted that she thought of Church as a friend, but that he held enough worth to hurt her with one sentence hinted at the possibility of much greater value. "Yes you did. You just didn't mean to say it out loud."

The two of them fell into silence at that, Church inwardly berating himself for saying something foolish and hurting Airi's feelings, and she pondering the nature of her growing relationship with the man next to her. This silence lasted for a minute or two, but it allowed Church's earlier concerns to fester further, and eventually he had no choice but to get an answer to his own self-evaluating questions.

"Airi, am I...shallow?"

Clearly, Airi had not expected their mutual silence to be broken so soon, and she was unprepared for any question, never mind one such as this. "What?"

"Do you think I'm shallow?"

The girl across from Church gave him a peculiar glance. She was unsure why Church would ask her this. Surely he wasn't insecure about something so obviously wrong. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"Because I feel like I am, obviously."

There was essentially no hesitation in Airi's next question. She couldn't fathom where this was coming from on Church's part. "OK... why? What would make you feel like that?"

Church glanced over at the woman next to him, blushing as he dwelt on the answer to her question. Obviously he already knew what it was, but he didn't quite want to say it. "N-no reason..."

Not that hopelessly naive, Airi leveled a pointed glare at him. "How can you expect me to give a fair answer if you won't even tell me the real reason you feel like this?"

Not being one to delude himself when the truth was obvious, Church sighed, figuring that he may as well be honest with her, even if it was embarrassing. Besides, she deserved that much after criticizing her a few minutes ago.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are Airi?"

Despite the fact that this was a question, Airi was unable to answer immediately. After all, she still had to process what had been said. She had been called beautiful. In all of her life, this marked the very first time anyone had ever said something like that to her. Her mortal life had placed her as a servant that no one cared for or noticed. Her afterlife had likewise made her a servant to an entity that only valued her as an instrument. In her two decades of existence no one had ever said something like this, until now.

"W-w-what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm making my point about why I feel shallow."

Even though she was still reeling from an honest compliment about her looks, Airi decided to stay silent and hear Church out, since he was clearly saying something important to him. That said, Church was going all in. If he was going to be honest he may as well take it to the fullest.

"I mean... you're like, the most stunning redhead I've ever met. Your hair is beautiful, your eyes are gorgeous, you proved just now that your smile is incredible. And... well, I hope you'll take this for the compliment it is, but your body is phenomenal. I'm sure that sounds perverted, but it still has to be said. Calling you sexy would be a criminal understatement."

Airi was almost positive that her entire face was red. Where was all of this coming from? Had Church always thought these things about her? And did he really believe them? He thought she was that attractive? He thought she was... phenomenal?

With Airi so incredibly shocked by what she had been told just now, Church continued, trying to focus on the problem itself before the huge embarrassment of what he had said initially, even though it was truth. "What I'm saying is... I feel shallow because... because I think those things about you. And I can't help but wonder if I... if I was only interested in getting closer to you because of that."

It was weird for Airi to be involved in a serious conversation after having been complimented so openly on her looks, but she found that the more important issue at hand was Church's obviously misguided feelings.

"I'm no less guilty than you are, if what you're saying is really something wrong."

Church cocked an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

"W-well... I thought you were handsome the day I first saw you. And that was long before I was as close to you as I am now. Does that make me shallow?"

"N-no, I didn't mean-"

"What else do you like about me?"

Caught off guard by this pointed question, Church didn't have the right answer ready. "H-huh?"

Airi tried to maintain some semblance of passivity even though her words made her blush. "Y-you said you think I'm beautiful. Is t-that all you like about me?"

"O-of course not! I mean, y-you're... sweet. And kind. A-and smart! I mean, you're a great person all around, is what I'm saying..."

Having heard exactly what she wanted to, Airi smiled shyly at her conversational partner, finding a most unexpected warmth in her chest and all the things Church had said about her today. "T-then it's not shallow is it? You've made it obvious already that you care about me as a person. It's... not like it's wrong to appreciate someone's looks at the same time, is it?"

"I-I guess not..."

With the entire point of their conversation wrapped up in a neat little bow, the duo was left staring at each other as a combined blushing mess, both of them having learned just what the other thought about them. For Church it was simply an appreciative realization that he was actually attractive enough to be noticed by someone he considered way out of his league. Airi had to question it a lot more deeply.

She knew this brief conversation had affected her greatly. Before it had started she was convinced that she only cared for the man in front of her as a friend, and that he only cared for her in the same fashion. Now she couldn't stop thinking about what he had said about her, and more importantly, how those things had made her feel. No one had ever praised her appearance so much in such an earnest manner. And the fact that it was coming from someone who cared for more than just her looks in the first place made her heart swell with pleasure.

"C-Church, you... you really think I'm that b-beautiful...?"

Unsure of how they had gotten here but thanking every deity that they had, Church gave his answer, not noticing how close the two of them had sidled together over the course of the past few minutes.

"O-of course, I meant every word..."

By now there was scarcely more than a few inches between them, and Airi was struck with a familiar urge that she had indulged many times in the past. She had often leaned in for a kiss with someone, but for the sole purpose of draining them of energy. It was always a practical affair that she engaged in because it was critical to her existence more than being a matter of desire.

This current urge was entirely the latter. And even though her brain said she wasn't supposed to feel this way for a plethora of very good reasons, it wasn't enough to subdue this desire to entertain this flare of affection she was experiencing. She had never kissed anyone before without the intention of harming them and sustaining herself. At this exact moment, she was insatiably curious to find out what a real kiss was supposed to be like.

"Yoohoo, I'm back!"

The shrill declaration of the trio's only absent member immediately brought both Church and Airi back to reality. The heat of the moment was immediately dissipated and the two people it had enraptured realized they were getting caught up in nothing more than a moment. This realization was made especially prominent for Airi.

What on earth was a I thinking? I... I don't feel that way about him. I barely even know him well enough for it. To think I almost made a mistake that grave just because he had some nice things to say about me.

Despite this rationalization, Airi noted that she was sufficiently disappointed in Melona's untimely interruption. Love had eluded her for the entirety of her life. And though she knew what had just occurred between her and Church was hardly love, it was certainly the humble beginning of something like it. And even though she knew it was a bad idea for many reasons, she couldn't honestly say the idea didn't hold some appeal for her. But for now, she buried it entirely, telling herself that she had simply gotten caught up in the heat of a silly moment. They were just friends, and friends that weren't even really honest with one another. Something like that didn't have the potential for being more, surely.

In an effort to return to some semblance of professionalism, Airi rose from her spot on the knoll and walked towards Melona, who was standing at the bottom of it. She had apparently made it back to them some time while they were distracted. The green eyed maid sent a meaningful glance back to Church as she moved, hoping he would take the hint and stay where he was instead of trying to get in on their conversation. Though it earned a clearly displeased look from him, Church stayed where he was and allowed Airi and Melona to speak in privacy.

"So, what did you find out Melona?"

The Slime peeked over Airi's shoulder to see the sour expression on Church's face. "I found out that Church gets really disgruntled when we hide things from him."

Reminded of the bitter words Church had uttered to her before their mildly romantic conversation, Airi sighed in defeat. She really didn't like having to continuously lie to the man, but there was no choice. She was just too scared to share the truth lest it turn him against her. "For a while there I think I actually made him feel better. Then you came back."

"Geez, sorry I interrupted whatever freaky stuff you were about to get up to. Invite me next time."

Airi offered the Slime a glare in return. "I was being serious Melona. Don't make a sick joke about it."

As for Melona, she cocked an eyebrow at her. "Who said it was a joke? I get frisky sometimes too. And I'm not gonna lie, Church is good looking enough for it."

While she wanted to be even more irritated at that, Airi found herself unable to ignore a burning question that she was almost too embarrassed to ask. "Um... how exactly? No offense, but... aren't you kind of... lacking the organs needed for a sex drive? Or... the organs to even have sex...?"

The Slime rolled her eyes, gesturing at her impressive bust. "What, you think I can make these but not anything else? I've been imitating humans for a long time Airi. Long enough to be able to copy them perfectly inside and out."

Airi found this explanation confusing and more than a little unsettling. "Uh, what...?"

Deciding on a demonstration rather than another explanation, Melona held her forearm in a position where Church wouldn't be able to see it if he looked their way. In a moment her arm was perfectly representing the venous system and bone structure of an actual human arm. "This is what a human arm looks like under the skin. I could totally do the whole skeleton and all the organs of the human body, but I'm assuming this is evidence enough for you. Did I mention I can do nerves? My point being that I can easily imitate everything I would need to physically enjoy sex. Any other questions?"

Mildly disconcerted by this information yet also truly intrigued by it, Airi decided to let it rest. "OK, I'll take your word for it. Anyway, did you actually learn anything or not?"

Allowing her arm to return to its typical state, Melona crossed it with the other. "Of course I did. And it's good news too. The Thundercloud General just left a few hours ago, and she should be gone for several weeks at the very least."

To her relief, Airi agreed entirely with Melona's statement of this being good news. "That's great! With her out of the picture everything will be much easier. All we have to do is sneak in and all things considered that'll be easy."

Melona took this opportunity to point a finger at Church when he wasn't looking. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Airi frowned in dismay, realizing that Melona was bringing up a fair point. "Dammit... can't he just stay here? I mean, this shouldn't take us that long."

"You mean it shouldn't take you that long. You never even really told me what the mission is. I don't see why I have to help."

The Infernal Temptress glared at her comrade in arms, but for the most part she was just appalled by her obliviousness. "Yeah, and you think that's how Master will see it? If this whole thing goes to hell and she finds out you didn't put any effort into its success, the worst punishment will go to you."

As much as Melona didn't want to concede on that, she knew Airi was right. And even though she disrespected the Witch on many levels, she still respected the level of power she wielded.

"Fine, then let's hurry up and get this over with! Stupid Swamp Bitch..."

The insult to their mutual master earned Melona a glare from her fellow servant, but Airi said nothing on the matter and instead returned to the topic of occupying Church for the next few hours.

"Ugh, the nearest town is several miles away, and I don't trust Church to make it there himself. I'm sure he can just stay here until we're done, and then we can come back for him."

Melona looked back at Church as well. "Do you really think he'll stay here and do nothing for several hours? That's so boring."

Airi rolled her eyes, wondering why Melona would attribute her own childishness to everyone else. "Church isn't you, Melona. It's not a matter of fun, it's a matter of necessity. He'll stay because I asked him too."

"Pfft, what are you, his mom? I don't think he really views you as a figure of authority, Airi."

While she didn't want to admit that she was using her feminine charms to her advantage, Airi smirked at her ally. She was fairly certain 'the most stunning redhead' in the world could convince Church to do something just to make her happy.

"Do you think this is something we should interfere with?"

Hachiel looked over to her blue-haired friend, who hadn't answered her query. Both of them hovered among the lofty clouds of the sky, where at least one of them was keeping a watchful eye on their targets below.

"Nanael?"

The handicapped angel appeared to be sleeping, which was a peculiar sight since she was in the air. The visage earned a tired sigh from Hachiel.

"Never mind. I don't even know why I would ask you..."

Having decided that Nanael wasn't going to be much help at the moment, Hachiel continued her observation alone. It would seem that the Swamp Witch's servants were leaving their regular companion all by his lonesome. And of course, by regular, Hachiel was referring to his abilities, and not the fact that he had an otherworldly aura and a shielded mind. She had attempted to ascertain the man's thoughts many times since her first try, having come to him in the night when he and his companions slept. However, she was blocked each time by some force that was not his own. Strangely, the force that blocked her attempts seemed... angelic. Whatever forces the barrier was composed of, it was not demonic or of a cursed nature. Indeed, it had the same aura that many angelic powers emanated. This intrigued Hachiel, but for the time being, she had no plausible explanation for the phenomenon, and therefore decided to save it for her report to the Seraph.

A grumbling from her partner distracted Hachiel from her somber thoughts. Hoping that Nanael was finally waking up, Hachiel turned to address her, but as she did so, she discovered that all the napping angel had done was roll over in her sleep.

Church kicked the rock at his feet, sending it on a one-way trip towards the giant lake that surrounded Vance castle. It plopped in without much resistance, and the splash it made was relatively small. Even the sound of the impact was absorbed by this wide open area, and the noise seemed quieter than it should have been.

His mind briefly registered the fact that it was paying a lot more attention to these tiny details than usual. Perhaps it was an attempt to distract himself from thinking about how his friends had seen him as a liability. Being a burden was not something Church was accustomed to. He was used to being serviceable: used to being reliable, and even needed. As an elite soldier of a carefully hand-picked team, that was the norm for him. But here... he was seen as little more than a charge who wasn't valuable in the slightest. At least as far as any type of operation was concerned.

It made him angry. Furious even. To realize how utterly useless he was in his current state inspired bitter feelings. If only he could get his hands on some sort of familiar equipment; a firearm, some type of explosive, or something he actually knew how to use. But alas, there were no such things in this world, as far as Church knew. And so, he was condemned to be little more than a setback for his friends.

But ultimately, he told himself that his uselessness was a product of his own inaction. After all, he was only as useless as he allowed himself to be. There was nothing stopping him from making himself useful save his own decision not to do so.

And with that in mind, Church began to scheme, though he was not sure if he was looking to aid Airi and Melona's mysterious task for their sake or simply because he needed to give himself some sort of practical meaning.

"Sir! She's back!"

The Lance Corporal that guarded the portal between the Vance territory and the Queen's lands looked up from his whittling on the shaft of his spear. Coming his way from Vance territory was General Claudette on horseback, with a group of soldiers following likewise behind her.

"Already? How strange..."

Private Myles cast a look of confusion at his senior guard. "What do you mean, Sir?"

"Well, the day after we let the 'General' through here, the patrols circulated the news that General Claudette hasn't left the territory in nearly a month."

It took a few moments for Private Myles to wrap his head around this. "So then... who was...?"

"Exactly."

Both soldiers fell silent as Claudette and her entourage approached. The commanding woman came to a stop in front of the gate, and scrutinized the troopers before her with her serious green eyes. "Why isn't this gate already open, soldier? Surely you saw me coming long before now."

The Lance Corporal eyed the General and her troops with suspicion. "We sure did General. But we aren't going to let you through without the proper examination this time. You'll have to forgive me."

Claudette cocked an eyebrow at the senior soldier in question, confused by his choice of words. "This time? What do you mean?"

"You should know, General. You went through less than two days ago."

This piece of information made Claudette go silent. After a few moments of deliberation, she turned to face her lieutenant. "Turn around. We're heading back to the castle right now."

Without a single word of dissent, her lieutenant relayed the order immediately, getting the entirety of her small entourage to turn on their heel. Claudette also followed suit, but before taking her leave, she turned to face the Lance Corporal once more.

"If you ever address me with that tone again, a demotion will be the least of your worries."

The Lance Corporal's face paled as he watched his most high commander leave. Private Myles looked on with terror. "I-I thought this was supposed to be the least stressful assignment available..."

Church had been irritated to discover that the very first gate of the bridge that lead to Vance castle was heavily guarded by soldiers. He had been hoping to at least set foot on said bridge without having to cross a security checkpoint. But considering the lack of stealth his current plan entailed, he supposed it didn't matter if he encountered soldiers now or later.

He had already decided that he didn't have the skills necessary to stealthily infiltrate the castle. So what better way to infiltrate a heavily fortified defense than to have its own soldiers bring you in? With that goal in mind, Church waited patiently for a soldier clad in dark grey steel and white cloth to approach him, since he was standing rather conspicuously in front of the gate.

The young female trooper looked on him with obvious confusion, since, from her point of view, there was no reason for a peasant to be this close to the castle in the first place.

"State your business."

Church briefly contemplated assaulting the woman since he needed to do something to get himself arrested, but he decided against physical violence in case it earned him a sword through the abdomen as recompense. Instead, he decided to test the waters of what would or wouldn't be enough to get him incarcerated.

"Your entire country is a filthy shithole that's a breeding ground for weaklings and spineless cowards, the Count's daughter is a whore and the Queen is going to trample all over your pathetic excuse for a country."

The soldier's jaw fell open in shock at hearing all of this, but beyond staring at the speaker with incredulity she did nothing. Unsure if slander against the higher power was good enough, Church decided to rely on what he had learned from Airi in earlier conversation.

"And... I know the whereabouts of Leina Vance...?"

Apparently throwing the wayward daughter's name out was enough to get the soldier back on the ball again, as she was quick to level her blade at him. "You know such a thing?! C-come with me! You will be brought before the Count at once!"

With that, another soldier came down to flank him on the way across the bridge, and Church smiled to himself at his first success. Unfortunately this was the easy part, and he had to admit in hindsight that he may not have thought this plan out to the degree that he really should have.

Mostly little dialogue changes here and there.