Azzy followed Claire to the top of the terrace of the hotel, which somehow allowed them despite the fact that it is a restricted zone.
There, he saw a middle-aged woman, who kinda looks similar to Claire and Syllia, silently staring at the rising sun. Alongside her, there's also an old man who appeared to be at peak-rank-8.
Maybe, he was worried about her opinion. Azzy was nervous as he greeted Claire's mother. His nervousness only increased as he saw a stern look on her face.
Without bothering to hide her displeasure, Queen Ingrid nodded and then said to her daughter, "Claire, I told you that I will have to talk with him, alone. You aren't needed here."
"But Mom!" As Claire tried to reason with her, Queen Ingrid sharply glared at her. Claire immediately backed down and left Azzy alone.
Queen Ingrid didn't stop there. She then asked the old man beside her to set up a sound barrier so that no one could listen to their conversation. After creating an invisible barrier on the terrace, the old man left them alone.
Azzy waited for his future mother-in-law to speak first as he doesn't know what to say.
Fortunately, Queen Ingrid didn't take up much time and came to the point right away, "I will be direct, Azrael. I have heard about you a lot from various sources. If those weren't exaggerated, then you would most likely become a Supreme Realm expert. If luck favors you, then, you might even become a Demigod in the far future. In comparison, my daughter isn't even a match for you if I had to be brutally honest. However, you can't be with my daughter."
From the start, Azzy was prepared for the possibility that Claire's mother would reject him based on his background status or his attribute incompatibility with Claire.
Claire told him that her mother approved of their relationship, a long time ago but he didn't believe her back then, feeling that she might have lied to him to not disappoint him. And that seed of doubt was buried in his heart.
But, when that fear became true, it kinda hit him hard. He quickly asked her, "May I know the reason?"
To his surprise, Queen Ingrid didn't give either of the reasons that he had expected. Instead, she replied, "The people of Triastal know that I had Syllia with my husband and had Claire with my unknown lover, two decades after my husband passed away. But, to this date, not even my daughter knows who her father is. I'll tell you who it is. When you learn his name, you will begin to understand why I'm against your relationship."
"Who is it?" asked Azzy. He couldn't help but wonder whether this father is some powerful leader of a Hidden clan. If it is, then, it would not be a problem at all.
Little did he expect that Queen Ingrid will give him a name that makes complete sense.
"He is the King of Angel race, Archangel Michael. But, don't misunderstand it. We aren't lovers. Archangels are pure beings. They can't have such a relationship with humans. You can think of it as a blessing of the divine energy that I received from him.
I'm a half-angel. So, Claire can't be considered a pure angel. However, still, she's the daughter of Michael and was born as an immortal. The sword she uses for battles isn't exactly supposed to be an Arcana spirit. Agatha is the divine sword of Archangel Michael himself.
He loved her so much that he even left it inside her body in order to protect her in his absence. Do you think he would leave you alive if he finds out that his precious daughter was in love with a mortal?"
Azzy was stunned by her explanation. He always felt like her regeneration is weird but he termed it as a passive skill. And when the Reaper informed him that Agatha is the sword of Michael, Azzy thought that the sword might be the source of her life attribute powers.
But, he never thought she would be the daughter of the most powerful Angel in the universe.
As he was trying to digest the information, Queen Ingrid continued, "Claire told me about you in the summer. Back then, I didn't think too much and felt like she should also experience love when she was still a teenager. However, two days ago, she publicly declared your relationship. And now, everyone in the world is aware of her relationship.
This is what forced me to meet you despite knowing that you have an important match tomorrow. As I have told you earlier, you can become a Supreme Realm expert and become the pillar of humanity. If something happens to you, it is a terrible loss to this world. On the other hand, sooner or later, Claire will have to leave for the Celestial Realm to unite with other angels.
So, there's nothing to gain for you, staying in this relationship. I told you everything I want to say. Now, the rest depends on your choice."
Azzy stayed silent as he looked down at the floor. Honestly, her background didn't even matter to him. He likes her and he saw that his future self married her. That means there's no need for him to back down from the threat. But, at the same time, he doesn't want to try to separate mother and daughter either. So, he sought the help of the Reaper.
The Reaper, who had his secret plans for his host's future, readily agreed to help him out by taking possession of his body, at first. Just as Queen Ingrid was about to dispel the barrier around them to walk away, the Reaper spoke to her through Azzy's mouth.
"Ingrid Lefeuvre, the descendant of Maxence Lefeuvre, I need to speak my opinion regarding this matter."
The deep voice from Azzy while his eyes turning pitch black made her realize that he was possessed by Arcana at first glance.
Furrowing her brows, Queen Ingrid asked, "You are…"
"The name's not necessary, child," replied the Reaper before adding, "Let's just say I'm a spirit who is as old as this universe. And I'm also knowledgeable enough to remove one of the seals on the divine sword which was placed by her former master."
"A celestial grade spirit?" Queen Ingrid was taken aback. She thought Azzy is the owner of two platinum grade Arcana, not a celestial grade spirit.
Of course, she mistook the Reaper as a celestial grade but he didn't bother to clarify her.
He proceeded to say, "This boy standing in front of you isn't the same as other genius mortals. Forget about the Supreme realm or Demi god realm, Azrael has the potential to stand equals with Archangels and True Gods from the Celestial Realm. And I don't think Michael will refuse him. I'm sure that he will gladly accept him as a son-in-law."
"Eh?" This time, it was Ingrid's turn to get shocked. She cannot even believe her ears for a moment. "I'm afraid I heard something wrong. Did you just say that this kid will become a True God? How is that possible? During the past hundred thousand years, not even a single Demigod arose from mankind. Above the Demigod, there is a junior god, then, Elder God, and finally, a True God. A mortal of the human race can achieve such heights? I'm sorry but even if you are a celestial grade Arcana, it is difficult for me to believe your words."
The Reaper didn't offense to her disbelief and calmly said, "It is entirely alright if you think of me as a pretentious liar but you don't have any issue with their relationship, correct? So, why not accept it and continue to watch over them? You aren't losing anything here and the risk is entirely borne by Azrael anyway."
Queen Ingrid silently stared at Azzy for a whole minute before she nodded, "Alright. But, I should remind you that Claire will have to leave for the Celestial Realm before she turns 35. This fate is something that even I can't change."
"As I have said earlier, there's no need for that. But, anyway, we'll deal with it when the time comes." The Reaper replied to her as she left the terrace.
Meanwhile, Claire was nervously moving back and forth in her room, wondering what they might be talking about. As her mother's expression didn't look good, she couldn't help but worry.
Soon, the door was opened her mom entered alone.
"Mom, I…" Before Claire gets to say anything, Queen Ingrid patted her shoulder with a smile on her face, "Bring him to our house sometime."
In an instant, Claire's face glow like a light bulb and she hugged her mother, "Thank you, Mom."
Soon, Ingrid left the city, returning to the Triastal kingdom.
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