Chapter 31 – Calm Before the Climb
> "Two months, huh?" he whispered. "Then I better start now."
Ray hovered above him, wings glimmering faintly, and smiled.
> "Now that's the Joshua I know. The one who built cities out of nothing."
Joshua smiled faintly at that and scooped another spoonful of soup. The warmth spread through his small frame, and for a fleeting moment, the chaos of the world felt distant.
He closed his eyes as he savored it.
> "On second thought," he murmured, "I'll start tomorrow."
"Eeeekkk—what do you mean tomorrow?!" Ray screeched, nearly flipping in the air.
Joshua lazily opened one eye, his spoon still halfway to his mouth.
> "I'm a kid. You just dumped a ton of information on me, I hit my head, and I need rest. Logical, right?"
"You—you're an old man! You're not a kid anymore!" Ray protested, his tiny halo spinning crookedly as he gestured wildly.
Joshua pointed to himself with exaggerated seriousness.
> "Small body. Soft cheeks. Tiny arms. I am a kid."
Ray folded his arms, wings twitching.
> "You're Joshua Vail, the Revolutionaire! The man who ended three wars and built two nations. You don't need rest!"
Joshua smiled faintly, his tone soft but steady.
> "Yes, I do. I'm human… after all."
Ray groaned dramatically, collapsing onto the bed beside him and covering his face with his small hands.
> "I should have never come to this world. I'm going to die because of you," he muttered in a crying tone.
Joshua chuckled quietly, the sound light and tired.
> "Calm down, Sherlock. There's nothing I can do right now. First, I need information — about this world, about Sapin Forest, about that beast's location, about demon possession, and about the power system here. I know this isn't a normal world like Earth."
His gaze grew sharper, more serious — the air in the small room almost thickened as his mind began to work.
> "If we rush without knowing anything, we'll just die faster. We need to cool down and understand where we stand before we move. No reckless actions."
Ray blinked. For a moment, the playfulness faded from his eyes, replaced by quiet respect.
> "Heheheh… yeah, you're right," he said with an awkward smile. "You always were."
Joshua leaned back, the bed creaking faintly beneath him.
> "Even if we forget all that and decide to move now, Grandma won't let me leave. I lost consciousness from a freaking ball, remember?"
Ray winced. "Yeah… my bad," he said quickly, floating backward a little.
Joshua gave a small, tired laugh. "I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying—if a ball can knock me out, maybe I should train before facing a monster that can wipe out a city."
Ray opened his mouth to joke but stopped when he looked at Joshua's face — calm, calculating, and far older than it should've been. The little angel's heart twisted with something like awe.
So that's why he's the legend of Earth, Ray thought silently. Joshua Vail… the man who stayed calm while the world burned. While everyone else panicked, he was already ten steps ahead.