I Reincarnated as a Depowered Archangel

"Hey, Michael! There's a woman here?!"

When I heard Jolger's voice, I turned my head and stepped out of the tent I was examining. Then, I entered the tent Jolger had been investigating. Inside, there was a red-haired woman who seemed to be around 15 years old.

Her green eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. I turned to Jolger. "Set her free."

"Sure, Boss." Jolger used the dagger I had given him to cut the ropes binding the woman. After cutting the ropes that gagged her mouth, she shouted at me.

"Bastards! My grandfather will hear of this, and you'll pay for it!" The red-haired woman yelled angrily. I frowned and looked at her coldly. "Shut your mouth, girl. We're not bandits."

"You're not bandits?" she asked, confused. Jolger grinned with amusement. "Do we look like bandits to you?"

The girl cautiously glanced at Jolger, who resembled a rat-like humanoid. "Your swords look like those used by bandits."

"We're not bandits. I killed the bandits and found you," I explained briefly. She scrutinized me for a moment but eventually trusted me when she saw my serious expression.

"Fine. Will you let me go?" she asked hopefully. Yes, I would, but not without answers.

"Answer some of my questions, and I'll let you go."

"Alright, I'll answer all your questions," she said in a relieved tone. Then I turned to Jolger and asked, "Do you know how to hunt? We need fresh meat."

Jolger looked at me, sweating as he realized I wouldn't take no for an answer. Quickly, he nodded. "Y-Yes, Boss! I'm a master hunter."

Jolger puffed out his chest with pride. I nodded and instructed, "Catch us something, preferably a deer, or a rabbit at the very least."

Jolger agreed, nodding quickly. As he was about to leave the tent, I warned him, "You'd better be quick."

"Hmm." Jolger exited the tent. The girl looked at me nervously. "A-Are you going to do something bad to me?"

I looked at her. She was beautiful, but I was a man uninterested in mortal pleasures. Meeting her gaze, I replied, "I'm not interested in your body, girl. Now get up and follow me."

The red-haired girl shivered momentarily at my cold tone but complied without objection. As I stepped outside, I noticed that the campfire lit by the bandits was dying out, which made me frown.

"Go and gather some firewood," I ordered her. She seemed about to protest but swallowed her words when she saw my cold eyes and the sword at my side. "O-Okay."

As she went to gather wood, my gaze shifted to the corpses. They would likely begin to rot and attract flies by tomorrow, something I wanted to avoid. I decided to dispose of the bodies.

One by one, I carried the corpses to a single spot. Then, I grabbed a burning log from the fire and tossed it onto the pile of bodies. As they began to burn, I stepped back. Hearing strained groans behind me, I turned to see the red-haired girl carrying a bundle of wood on her back.

"I'm supposed to be a prisoner, not a slave," she complained while throwing the firewood onto the fire. I ignored her grumbling.

"Boss! Look what I found!" Jolger returned ten minutes later with a dead deer slung over his back. I looked at him and nodded in approval.

"Good. Now put it down."

After he laid the deer on the ground, I used my dagger to cut open its belly. Quickly, I began removing the internal organs. Half an hour later, I had extracted the organs and removed the deer's hide.

Starting from the neck, I sliced along the spine to remove the edible meat. Once I had the top fillet, I placed it on a clean cloth.

"Are we going to cook the organs too?" the red-haired girl asked, licking her lips. I gave her a withering look but didn't answer. The organs were dirty and unfit to eat.

Next, I extracted the bottom fillet, followed by the tenderloin located under the spine. Jolger watched with curiosity, and soon I was done.

I dug a small pit and filled it with burning embers. Placing the tenderloin and fillet on a flat stone above the embers, I covered it with a cloth using wooden sticks. It wouldn't be perfectly cooked, but it would suffice.

Then, I returned to sit by the campfire. The girl and Jolger sat across from me. To learn her name, I asked her. She nodded and replied, "My name is Jamila. I'm a descendant of the Arkan tribe, the largest tribe in the East."

"Hmm," I murmured thoughtfully. A tribe? So there were still tribes in this world. That meant I was likely in a world that hadn't yet reached the medieval stage.

Puffing her chest with pride, Jamila continued, "My grandfather, Malik, is the leader of the Arkans. We've been a strong and influential tribe in the eastern continent for a long time, at least until the Empire rose."

I frowned. So there was an empire. Gesturing for her to elaborate, I waited as Jamila's expression darkened with anger and despair.

"A thousand years ago, the Empire united scattered tribes and rapidly grew, conquering one-third of the continent. They committed countless atrocities in the process."

Jamila's tone turned grim. "They killed, erased other nations' histories, and portrayed their Emperor as a god. While we and other great Eastern tribes resisted, something happened a hundred years ago."

"What happened?"

"The Emperor discovered an artifact called the Grand Reactor. With it, they created tens of thousands of artificial soldiers."

"Artificial soldiers? Do you have such technology?" Even in the modern world, artificial soldiers were unheard of. It was odd for such a primitive world to possess such advanced technology.

"We don't know either. Suddenly, the Empire became a totalitarian regime. Dissidents were slaughtered. Obedient nobles lived while the rest were exterminated," Jamila said bitterly. "Then the Emperor declared all other races to be slave races and waged war against everyone on the continent."

"And you lost, didn't you?" I guessed. Jamila quickly shook her head in denial. "We didn't win, but we destroyed more than half of the Empire's artificial soldiers. My grandfather united all the Eastern armies to halt the Empire, and now there's a truce between the East and the Empire."

"Are there no other countries apart from the East?"

"There were, but they were destroyed," Jamila said with a sigh. Jolger chimed in, "It's a terrible feeling to know that peace may never come."

"Peace only stagnates humanity, Jolger," I said calmly. "Sometimes, war can push an entire civilization into a golden age with a single leap forward."

Then, looking at Jamila, I added, "Or you get crushed by the stronger."

Jamila fell silent, offering no response. Continuing my questions, I asked, "How did you get captured by bandits? Didn't your grandfather assign guards to protect you?"

After my words, Jamila looked embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down and stammered, "I-I actually ran away. I wanted some adventure. But somehow, I got captured and ended up here."

"Is your tribe nearby?" I asked seriously. Jamaila nodded. "Yes, the bandits just captured me today. So, we can't have gone too far."

"Good. Then you can leave on your own starting tomorrow morning."

"But how can I protect myself?!" Jamaila said anxiously. I looked at her indifferently. Even if she died, it wouldn't concern me. I only wanted information from her, and I had already gotten enough.

"Boss, maybe her grandfather could help us?" Jolger said calmly. I frowned. It was a good idea, but I was cautious. I didn't know what kind of person her grandfather was.

What if he tried to kill me right away? Then I wouldn't be able to defend myself and would die.

"Can your grandfather help us?"

Jamaila perked up with excitement at my question. "Yes, yes! My grandfather can help you as much as you want!"

I hesitated for a moment after hearing her words, but the idea tempted me. I didn't know anyone in this world. According to Jamaila, the Empire was incredibly tyrannical, trying to take control of everyone with absolute greed.

Naturally, this was a threat to me. Especially this thing called the Grand Reactor had piqued my interest. It seemed there wasn't any supernatural power in this world, but this thing had enabled the creation of artificial soldiers.

If I had the chance, I would examine those artificial soldiers. Of course, only if the opportunity presented itself.

"Alright, we'll head out tomorrow morning," I said in agreement. Jamaila relaxed, while Jolger nodded and laughed. "New lands and new missions! I'm so excited!"

I ignored Jolger's enthusiasm. This rat-man was useless for now, but his day would come—or so I hoped. If he still proved useless, I'd have no choice but to kill him.

After 1–2 hours, I decided the food was ready and took the meat off the fire. As soon as I did, the camp was filled with a strong aroma. Jamaila looked at the meat greedily.

"I've never seen anything that smells this good before."

Without waiting any longer, I handed out the food. While eating, I warned them, "Eat quickly. Finish before animals catch the scent."

While Jolger and Jamaila were mesmerized by the food, I ate quickly without caring about them. Once I was full, I threw the remaining wood on the fire and pulled out my sword.

The sword was useful, but it was starting to dull. I had realized that these bandits had no treasures. They were poor and foolish.

I quickly grabbed a stone and began sharpening the blade as best as I could. Jamaila and Jolger finished eating and laid down.

"That was amazing, Boss! You should be a chef," Jolger said in admiration. Ignoring the compliment, I simply grumbled, "Just shut up and sleep, Jolger."

Jolger rolled his eyes but obeyed my words. He headed towards one of the tents. While sharpening the sword, I noticed Jamaila was still here, watching me intently.

It went on until I grew annoyed. I raised my head and frowned at her. "What are you thinking?"

"Well..." Jamaila looked at the ground as if she wanted to say something. Not wanting to wait any longer, I narrowed my eyes. "Speak or stay silent, girl."

Startled by my harsh tone, Jamaila sighed. Still, she finally spoke the words she had been hiding. "Could you... could you be my father?"

"What?"

"I mean, we look so much alike. You have red hair and green eyes just like me," Jamaila said quickly, even hopefully. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head firmly.

I grabbed a strand of my long hair and examined it. Honestly, I hadn't paid attention to my appearance since coming here. My red hair was flawless, almost angelic.

"My appearance may resemble yours, but that doesn't mean I'm your father, girl," I said calmly. Jamaila looked down sadly. "I see... Then I'll go to sleep."

"Fine. I'll keep watch," I said as a parting comment. Jamaila nodded and left.

She was upset, but I didn't care much. After all, I had more important matters than a girl's feelings.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I continued sharpening the blade. I'd keep watch against anything.

Something inside me told me I'd still be energetic even if I didn't sleep, and I trusted that instinct.

Then, enjoying the silence, I continued sharpening the blade.