“See you tomorrow.”
“Kyuung!”
I logged out of the game and stretched when the doorbell rang.
It was Lea.
“Hello?”
“I’m at your door, Yuna. Could you let me in?”
“I’ll be right there!”
As I headed toward the door, a thought suddenly hit me.
Doesn’t Lea already know the code to my house?
Opening the door, I saw her waiting in her workout clothes.
“How about we exercise together, Yuna?”
“Exercise?”
And with that, I was promptly “kidnapped.”
She brought me right next door, to her place.
I didn’t think much of it, but as soon as I stepped into her living room, I regretted it.
Who would’ve guessed she’d set up an entire home gym in her living room?
“From now on, we’ll work out together every evening! It’s for your health, Yuna!”
“Every day!? That’s too much!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. It took a while to set all this up, you know.”
With a bright smile, she explained that the reason she hadn’t invited me over sooner was because she’d been turning her living room into a gym.
It was terrifying.
She said it was all for my health, so I couldn’t even argue.
I changed into the clothes she gave me and stepped onto the scale, gripping the handles and stretching out my arms.
After a moment, the machine indicated it was done.
Lea’s expression wasn’t good as she looked at the results.
“To think it’s this bad…”
With a serious look, she pointed out that I had less muscle than an elementary schooler and started poking my soft, squishy arms.
If there’s one thing I can confidently say, it’s that my body is as squishy as it gets.
“Since it’s your first day, we’ll just focus on stretching. And you’re having dinner here, alright?”
“Yes…”
And so began my descent into fitness hell.
Thirty minutes felt like an eternity.
“P-please… save me…”
Lea looked at me with a serious expression.
She announced that she’d consult with experts on a workout plan and diet, then guided me to the bathroom to shower.
Sweating buckets after thirty minutes, I washed up and changed into the outfit Lea had prepared for me. But… what was this!?
It was a yellow dress.
It was the first dress I’d ever worn in my life. Struggling to pull it on, I felt strange—like there was an odd draft around my legs.
As I awkwardly stepped into the kitchen, Lea looked over from where she was cooking and smiled approvingly.
“Oh my, it looks lovely on you.”
“R-really…?”
Seeing Lea’s big smile gave me an odd feeling of unease.
After dinner, Lea asked me to stay over, but I declined and went back home.
The moment I lay down in my bed, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
All this because of exercise…
---
When I woke up, I was sore all over.
I thought I might actually die.
I dragged myself to the bathroom, ate the bento Lea had specially prepared, put on my gear, and logged into the game.
After stretching, I petted Yonyong, who greeted me warmly, and gave him a mana stone.
As I was stretching, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a girl who seemed to be a maid entered, saying she was here to help me get ready for the morning. She led me to the bathroom, filled the tub with warm water, and added some bath salts.
When she started to undress me, I quickly told her I’d bathe alone, sending her away. I slipped into the tub, and it was like heaven.
“This is nice…”
“Kyuung…”
Yonyong seemed to like it too, floating contentedly in the water. I hadn’t expected him to enjoy it this much.
I should do this for him more often.
After getting ready, I stepped outside, where the maid was waiting.
“The Duke is waiting for you in the dining hall.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Following her directions, I entered the dining hall to find the Duke already seated.
“Sorry, am I too late?”
“It’s fine. As I get older, I wake up earlier. No need to worry about it.”
We talked about various things, and I spent the next few days comfortably staying at the duke’s mansion, while each evening, Lea dragged me off for exercise.
Then, the day of my appointment with the angels arrived.
I thanked the Duke for his hospitality, and he told me to visit anytime. As I stepped outside the mansion, I heard a familiar voice.
“I’ve come to escort you.”
One of the angels from before had come to meet me.
“I’m ready.”
As I spoke, a brilliant white staircase began to form before me, stretching up into the sky. I couldn’t help but stare in shock.
Surely they didn’t expect me to climb this?
“Isn’t there an escalator?”
“What’s that?”
Ugh. Guess they don’t have those here.
Huffing and puffing, I climbed the stairs until, at some point, the scenery changed.
[You are the first Traveler to visit the Celestial Realm.]
Reputation increased by 100,000 points.
The view was unfamiliar yet somehow felt nostalgic.
It reminded me of the fairy tales I’d read as a child, with gods who were flirtatious and goddesses troubled by their husbands—just like in the stories.
A gleaming white temple spread out before me, surrounded by countless angels.
Each angel had a different number of wings.
I saw some with two, others with four, and following a six-winged angel, I entered the temple, where I was greeted by eight-winged angels.
“Welcome, Traveler. The Archangel Michael is waiting for you inside. Please proceed.”
Following their words, the door ahead slowly opened, and a voice invited me in.
There she was, the ten-winged archangel Michael.
With golden hair and piercing golden eyes, she gazed at me with a warm smile.
“Welcome. The climb must have been tiring; please, take a seat.”
“Yes, yes!”
As I sat down, the archangel stared at me intensely.
Archangel Michael just looked at me in silence for a long while.
“Um… why did you call for me?”
“There’s been some commotion in the Demon Realm lately, and we discovered a human was at the center of it.”
With that, she produced an orb, which displayed a bright image.
It was me, with the Demon Lord.
“I was curious, you see. A human was granted a dukedom in the Demon Realm for the first time in history. Wouldn’t you be curious?”
“You know about that too?”
“Hehe, I know even more than that.”
Another image appeared, showing me summoning monsters.
“I’ve been wondering what to do with a human of your power.”
The bright smile on her face vanished, and she regarded me with a stoic expression.
“Even now, looking at you, I feel a strange, stirring emotion. I’m convinced you have a unique ability. So I want to ask you something—are you a succubus?”
“What!? No, I’m not!”
I shook my head emphatically, insisting I was 100% human.
She flashed a picture-perfect smile, looking nothing like I’d imagined.
As if she’d read my thoughts.
“Am I a disappointment?”
“A… a little…”
“Aren’t you a bit too honest?”
The archangel burst into laughter, clutching her stomach, before abruptly composing herself and introducing herself with a serious face—but it was already too late.
My image of an archangel was utterly shattered.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Michael, one of the archangels representing the Celestial Realm.”
“I’m Yuna. Nice to meet you.”
Michael offered to show me around the Celestial Realm since I was the first human to visit. She extended her hand, and as I took it, her ten wings spread wide, and in an instant, we were transported.
We were high above the Celestial Realm.
“How do you like it? Isn’t it wonderful to see the Celestial Realm all at once?”
“I-it’s not wonderful!!”
One second, I was on solid ground, and now I was standing on a cloud high above everything. Of course, it wasn’t wonderful.
I wanted to scream, but somehow, I adjusted, feeling the soft texture of the cloud under my feet.
It was like the sensation of stepping on fresh snow.
I thought it might squeak underfoot, but there was no sound at all.
As I took in the strange experience, Yonyong, who’d been nestled in my arms, peeked out, making eye contact with Archangel Michael.
“Oh? A dragon who has yet to ascend…”
With a curious look, she studied Yonyong, muttering to herself.
What’s that supposed to mean?
Michael murmured quietly to herself, staring at Yonyong with fascination. I had no idea what she was talking about.
TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - I'd really like to see how far Leon goes and how far we can increase the number of chapters. Thanks~!
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