Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Pigeon, Let's Eat - 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-I wanted to visit the Catfolk village today... Sorry.
-Not at all. Please let me know whenever you'd like to rest.
After that conversation.
Niva returned to Baran from Waterwheel Village.
I stayed behind in the office of the Waterwheel Village house, discussing the fog removal plan before heading to the bedroom. Sleep wouldn't come, so I went for a stroll around the area and ended up at the waterwheel hut.
And that's where I met Angela.
She was sitting suspiciously on the roof.
'Do these folks get an ability penalty if they don't act like some shadowy mastermind?'
Thinking that,
I greeted Angela first.
"Hello."
"What brings the Savior out at this hour? It's awfully late at night..."
"Just couldn't sleep, so I stepped out for a walk."
"Oh dear, I see. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"No, nothing like that."
I shook my head.
'It's just that ever since the Great Catastrophe, I've developed a habit of staying up late.'
Looking up at the concerned Angela, I said,
"It's just as Inquisitor Abel said. You came all the way from that distant holy site so quickly."
"!"
Angela smiled brightly and descended from the roof. An elegant landing that looked like it would hurt her knees terribly, but all I heard was the quiet rustle of her hair.
She proudly let her crimson eyes gleam.
"Yes, 'our' kind are the 'Angels of the Earth,' after all. As long as it's not daytime, we can move at quite a speed. The only downside is that we can't see direct sunlight."
"?"
Angels of what now?
What was that...?
I asked back.
"Angels of the Earth?"
"?"
Angela tilted her head.
"You didn't know?"
"No, not at all."
"Hmm... You didn't know what kind of race Inquisitor Abel and I are?"
"Yes, the only teachings in Baran are those of the Celestial Star Church. I'm not well-versed in the detailed doctrines of the Blossom Church. The Angels of the Earth are the same."
"Hmm..."
Angela placed a finger over her lips, pondering, then flashed a suspicious smile again.
"In that case, it might be best to show you directly, Savior."
Angela untied the hood covering her shoulders and back, fastening it around her waist instead. Even under the chilly moonlight, her back gleamed white.
She awkwardly crouched and tensed up.
"Hngh!"
"..."
"Haah!"
"..."
'What sounds like something you'd make in the bathroom.'
Angela strained for a while before letting out a deflated noise.
"Nngh..."
"..."
Her face slightly flushed red, she darted her suspicious crimson eyes around. She seemed embarrassed.
"Phew. Just a moment. It's been so long since anyone's watched me transform up close... I'm a bit nervous."
"Take your time."
"Right, then... Heeeeng!"
A battle cry like a shy high school girl.
As I watched quietly,
something burst forth from Angela's white back as she strained again.
Kwachik! Kwachik!
Kaduduk!
It twisted through her tender flesh,
and red blood sprayed up like a fountain.
Chwaaak!
What emerged was a pair of white bat wings. Between bones as distinct as a demon's fingers, a wriggling white membrane stretched taut. And amid it all, hundreds of eyes bulged open.
-Grroooaaar...!
With an ominous sound,
crimson eyes glared at me all at once.
"!?"
I instinctively stepped back.
Panting, Angela raised a hand.
"Ah! Don't be scared! All these eyes are fake. They're just there for show—they can't see a thing. Like moving patterns."
"..."
I see.
'Even the wings look suspicious.'
Angela gave an awkward laugh.
"It does look... a bit off, doesn't it?"
Yes.
...I almost said,
but I didn't want to disparage part of the body of this obedient saintess, so I praised something else instead.
"Those are truly beautiful eyes. Like pomegranate seeds embedded in the membrane. Mystical."
My trypophobia ticked up just right.
At my praise-disguised-as-praise,
Angela covered her mouth and nodded.
"Heehee, thank you."
I gazed at the terrifying sight of Angela silhouetted against the moonlight.
"..."
'Looks like a humanoid boss's transformation pattern. And with blood on her dress, it's even creepier.'
Reminded me of a ghost bride from some creepy video in my past life.
Angela explained.
"Heehee, thanks to these wings, the Blossom Church believes that children who are 'buried in the earth and reborn' return as apostles of the Goddess of the Earth. That's why we're called Angels of the Earth."
For whatever reason,
children who die before reaching adulthood.
When buried, they sometimes absorb the grace of the earth and rise again. Retaining memories from their previous life, they live on as angels.
As Angels of the Earth.
"Angels of the Earth receive the blessings granted by the Goddess of the Earth—in exchange for being unable to eat grains or fruits, they sustain themselves by helping people and receiving their blessings."
Angels of the Earth help people.
In return, they drink their blood to survive.
For this noble mission,
they can see at night as if it were day, sprout wings to move swiftly, but as punishment for encroaching on the strict domain of the Goddess of the Sky, they are forever barred from sunlight.
That was Angela's explanation.
"..."
'Die and come back to life, drink blood, can't see sunlight, bat wings sprout, skin turns pale, and they wield blood powers...?'
Just...
vampires, right?
'Anyone can see it's straight-up vampires.'
Vampires revered as saintesses and angels, no less.
I muttered,
"That's quite novel."
"Really? There are no children chosen as such angels in the Celestial Star Church?"
"No, the master of all mysteries is solely the one Goddess of the Morningstar. We dream of the Morningstar until we're buried in death, living in accordance with the laws of heaven and earth."
"Heehee, how novel. The teachings of the Goddess of the Morningstar."
"..."
Fantasy, don't underestimate Earth.
'Though Baran is fantasy territory itself.'
I asked,
"Can you fly with those wings, by any chance?"
"Yes! Of course! Heehee. Sometimes I carry holy site kids who can't sleep and fly around with them. A few laps around the area, and even the crying ones stop."
"Whoa..."
'Acrophobia?'
As if reading my mind, Angela explained right away.
"Kids love high places."
"I see."
"Would you like to try flying, Savior?"
"Me too?"
"Yes! Flying through the sky is so much fun."
"..."
It tempted me. Dropping rocks with Niva was more falling than flying.
'Never even ridden a plane in my past life.'
I'd always been curious about the sensation of flight in both lives. Soaring freely like a bird was an irresistible romance.
'If I could do it now—'
I calculated the risks.
'Even if I fall, Blessing of the Sky prevents instant death.'
During the Great Catastrophe, I got grabbed by an ogre and splattered at the base of the wall, yet revived instantly. Probably fine even if I fell mid-flight.
"Alright, if you would."
"Yes, then, if you'll excuse me."
Angela flapped her wings and moved behind me. Then she boldly back-hugged me.
"Nngh. You're so firm."
"!"
Squish.
The softness pressing unmistakably against my back made me speak up hastily.
"Um, Saintess."
"Yes?"
"Isn't this a bit too close?"
Angela spoke from behind me. Wind whooshed right into my ear, making me flinch.
"But to carry someone as grand as you, Savior, there's no helping it. Can't piggyback you like a child."
"Still, this feels too close."
"Hmm..."
Angela lifted me slightly in the back-hug and set me down before saying,
"Hmm, you're surprisingly light, Savior. I think I could piggyback you. How about riding on my back? If I bite down on a cloth strap and you hold the ends, it'll be safe even there."
"..."
The moment I heard that,
I pictured myself riding Angela like a horse.
-Hyah! Fly, fly!
-Heeeng.
"..."
What a disastrous pose.
No matter what, riding a saintess like a horse was a no-go.
I politely declined and accepted reality.
"No, this is fine."
"Then, be careful not to bite your tongue!"
Angela hugged me gently but firmly, then powerfully beat her wings and ascended. The sudden gravity shift made me yelp involuntarily.
"Whoa—!?"
Soon, a floating sensation.
High in the air where wind whistled past, Angela called out.
"Heeheehee! How is it?"
"!"
Waterwheel Village shrank below in an instant.
"Amazing. The wind is intense."
"Right? Refreshing, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
Thus began the flight. We flew straight along the road, blowing right past Windmill Village.
"So fast. It'd take hours to walk to Windmill Village, but we're already at Gades Banea in mere dozens of minutes."
"I use it all the time."
"Must be so convenient."
"Envious of the wings?"
"Yes, very."
Angela whispered,
"Heeheehee, that's surprising."
"?"
"That someone bearing such immense divine grace—enough to save the holy site in one go—would envy mere wings like these."
"Is that so? To me, your wings, Saintess, seem far more mystical. The power to go anywhere at will is great in itself."
'Niva's Warp too.'
My words must have pleased her.
Angela giggled nonstop.
"Heeheehee."
Like a sightseeing plane, she glided slowly before whispering again.
"Then, shall we head back to Waterwheel Village now?"
"..."
Here, a bit of greed stirred. Specifically, changing the destination from Waterwheel Village to Baran.
'Go straight to the lord's manor? More efficient than making Niva come back tomorrow. Just send word via mana receiver about the change.'
Okay.
Decision.
'Looks like I'll sleep in the lord's manor tonight.'
I suggested,
"Saintess, since we're at it, how about sightseeing all the way to Baran?"
"Baran?"
"Yes, my birthplace and the walled city at the end of this road. Follow the road back, cross the lake, ride the river upstream, and there it is."
"The end of the road...!"
Angela grinned widely, fangs and all.
"Yes, sounds great!"
"Then, if you would."
Thus began the flight to Baran.
We chatted idly as we flew.
"Unlike sunlight, moonlight doesn't hurt?"
"No! Moonlight and sunlight are different."
"Actually, no. It's the same light. Just reflected once, reducing intensity. All light in this world mostly originates from the fire left by the Goddess of the Sky... the sun."
"Wha...!? No way!"
Ding—
Like learning Earth is round for the first time. Angela looked dazed, but realizing the truth didn't make her crumble to dust screaming 'Gwaaak!' or anything.
'Guess the one reflection drop in intensity makes the difference?'
We moved right on to the next topic.
"From what you say, Saintess, you mainly use blood magic. I've tried it too—it's quite difficult."
"Ah!? You use blood magic too, Savior...?"
"Yes, acquired it recently."
"Amazing! Aside from Inquisitor Abel and me, I've never seen anyone use it."
As we talked,
we soon arrived at our destination.
"That's Walled City Baran ahead."
"Wow...! Even this late at night, it's sparkling!"
As Angela said, the distant walls twinkled with mana lamps. Compared to the quiet, sleeping Gades Banea, it was worlds apart.
'Better descend before entering the soldiers' line of sight. If they see the saintess's terrifying wings like this, they might fire siege ballistae on reflex.'
I tapped Angela's arm, guiding a careful landing a few hundred meters out. Minutes later, pointing at the walls before us, I said,
"This is Walled City Baran."
"...!"
Angela murmured,
"It looks so much bigger from up close. Gades Banea seems like a tiny birdcage by comparison."
Then,
she added bitterly,
"Even this massive city lives peacefully under you, Savior. And yet in that tiny place, we split into seven factions and fought among the few survivors... Feels so foolish now."
"..."
"But thanks to you coming, I could make up my mind. Heehee."
"..."
Truth be told,
I don't think I contributed much to Abel's final gambit or her resolve. And getting a legendary ability for free feels unearned too. Her gratitude weighs on me.
'Plus, she has no clue about the main quest.'
Unable to reply, I set up future contact instead.
"I'll reach out now and then via pigeons from Waterwheel Village."
"Yes, then good night."
To the saintess straining with "Heeeng" to bring out her wings again, I said,
"And..."
"?"
"Let's do this again sometime. It was quite fun."
"!"
She beamed.
"Yes! Absolutely!"
The hundreds of eyes on her wings smiled too.
Her fangs sparkled in the moonlight again.
The sight was grotesque, yet undeniably beautiful.
"..."
Perhaps,
the name Angel of the Earth fits quite well.
'Next time, convince Abel too and use them as air taxis. Can't run Niva ragged 24/7—have both for night shifts...'
Thinking that,
I trudged into the walled city.
*
Niva asked the Catfolk princess Hatije about the "elixir," but she just waved it off with a laugh.
-This is really okay? The effect is too good... Suspicious!
-Nyahaha, perfect effect, right? I swear on the Moon Wolf, no side effects—use it freely!
The talk ended anticlimactically that day.
Lucius had somehow returned to the lord's manor.
-Lu, Lucius!? When!?
-Haha, got a lift.
From then on, Lucius urged Niva's ears and rest more often. Especially passing Waterwheel and Windmill Villages.
-No need to escort me all the way to the manor today.
"..."
For some reason,
it felt like...
a little distance had grown.
Niva fidgeted restlessly.
'D-Don't tell me after kissing and all, treating me like just a friend feels distant to him.'
Just.
Just—
I'm embarrassed, that's all.
So on the day they parted before Waterwheel Village, Niva doubled back stealthily, hoping for a serious talk with Lucius.
But the sneaking-out-at-night Lucius was in the midst of a secret meeting. With a familiar pink-haired girl.
"Eh...? The saintess?"
Niva held her breath, hiding behind a tree.
'No way... right?'
The two chatted softly... then,
suddenly,
hugged tightly.
-Hold on tight, then.
-Please do.
"!?"