Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Angel Mass Production Plan
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ What... what did you say? Arcroyal? -"Yes. Whether due to her severe injuries or something else that got to her, she's lost consciousness... There's nothing we can do with our power."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ What is this... A sudden prayer from Eva flew in.
Unlike standard communication magic, it had the advantage of allowing undisturbed, unbugged conversation.
However, it demanded immense faith and karma at the pinnacle of virtue.
One-way reception was one thing, but free two-way dialogue like this was exceedingly rare—even among all who could manage it.
Among the humans I knew, Eva was pretty much the only one.
In any case, this urgent report via what was essentially a dedicated hotline prayer left me with a profound sense of bewilderment.
'What...? I just sent her off for a casual field trip to the back hills, so why am I hearing she's had an accident all the way in the Himalayas?'
Arcroyal had earnestly begged me not to monitor her directly for a few days, so I'd held off.
Of course, I couldn't fully relax, so in the meantime, I'd periodically tried observing her through our linked minds as fellow angels. Each failed attempt confirmed "no anomalies."
Since it relied on a mental connection, I couldn't tell exactly where she was or what she was doing, but her sustained intentional blocking magic meant she wasn't in any major peril.
Yet here was Eva's report, mere three or four hours after I'd last confirmed all clear.
And the prayer's origin? Gomorrah—a city far from Kanan Kingdom, deep in Blackset Kingdom territory.
Enemy turf if there ever was one.
Bewildered by the sheer absurdity.
Urgent above all to save Arcroyal, context be damned.
I reached out to her mind.
Soul-linked as we were, to wake her and heal her in a rush.
But.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ? ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Eva and her group had hustled the fallen Arcroyal out of Gomorrah for now.
Thankfully, the entertainment district near the mage tower wasn't as tightly watched, so slipping out under cover of night wasn't too tough.
They reached a forest some distance from Gomorrah, far from prying eyes.
There, they laid the still-unconscious Arcroyal on the ground and immediately called for Seraphim.
"Hup."
"Gulp..."
"Please come, Seraphim."
Seraphim materialized the instant Eva's prayer ended.
Eva brimmed with relief and familiarity, but the holy knights still looked startled, unaccustomed to it all.
Ignoring them, Seraphim's gaze fixed on Arcroyal lying there.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Has she been like this since I first arrived? "Yes. She was perfectly fine when we parted this morning. But after infiltrating the mage tower and returning, she was like this..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Hmm... Seraphim let out a small sigh.
No face meant no clear emotions, but from his reaction, Eva vaguely sensed it. Right now, he wasn't feeling anger or sorrow, but something else...
Doubt.
She couldn't fathom why, but...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Good work for now. I'll take Arcroyal and handle her treatment. And... With that, Seraphim glanced over Eva and the holy knights.
After a brief pause in thought, he seemed to make up his mind and continued.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ No, you all stand by here for now. And... infiltrate Gomorrah again as quickly as possible. "Wh... what? Why would we..."
"Understood. We shall obey."
Eva cut off Liv's puzzled question and affirmed compliance at once.
With the order given, Seraphim vanished in a flash, taking Arcroyal with him.
"...Go back...? What on earth for?"
"With Arcroyal down, there's nothing we can do on our own..."
Liv and the other knights voiced their doubts.
Eva replied in a voice laced with firm resolve.
"For now, we stand by as Seraphim commanded. There must be some reason we don't know. We trust in God's word and follow his guidance."
"Understood, Captain."
Setting aside their questions, the holy knights resolved to obey Seraphim and Eva.
Meanwhile, right after the exchange, Eva felt a deeper unease as she slowly replayed the scene in her mind.
'Something's definitely off... I can't put my finger on it now, but something crucial...'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Her wounds healed in an instant.
Even the gashes hidden beneath her clothes across her body mended cleanly.
And her...
Starving stomach, now filled.
A complete recovery through holy magic.
The moment it finished,
The angel with pink tresses and white wings slowly opened her eyes.
🧠 TELEPATHY 🧠 {...Where is this?..} ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Awake? Any other pain?] 🧠 TELEPATHY 🧠 {!...} She saw me but didn't freak out, just carefully checked her body as if answering a question.
The little angel then looked my way and spoke cautiously.
🧠 TELEPATHY 🧠 {No... Did you save me?} ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No, I just handled the healing. Eva and the humans saved you. Be sure to thank them later.] 🧠 TELEPATHY 🧠 {Humans... Yes. Understood.} She responded cautiously to my words.
With the girl seemingly ready to talk, I gazed at her.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Now then, let's get to the point.] In a calm voice,
Loaded with even greater caution, I asked.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Who are you?] 🧠 TELEPATHY 🧠 {!} ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Eight hours earlier.
Gomorrah Mage Tower.
This colossal tower, named after the city, claimed a massive sixty percent of the urban sprawl.
Its sheer size dwarfed even a typical palace.
Arcroyal infiltrated as stealthily as possible, probing the interior while heading to its deepest core.
As expected, the alert magic showed zero reaction to her movements.
Mages and guards passed by here and there, but no one paid any mind to her cloaked in a mage robe, identity concealed.
'Almost there...'
The spot with the highest mana density in the tower—which meant the tightest web of security spells.
Per Eva, that was where the key documents clustered. Rummaging there offered the best shot at finding what she wanted... angel intel.
'Wonder what it'll say? Honestly, even I don't know much about our kind...'
She'd left heaven ages ago and lived freely since, barely encountering kin.
Maybe glimpsed a couple of lower angels from the church during battles?
They were standard ninth-rank angels, weaker than her, and combat left no time for chit-chat.
Seraphim felt the same gap in knowledge, so Arcroyal's anticipation swelled as she neared her goal.
And then.
'Oh, this must be it?'
The place she finally reached had a distinctly different vibe from the rest.
A vast chamber lined with countless tomes.
Security magic layered flawlessly, screaming "something vital here."
And among it all, one item caught Arcroyal's eye above the rest.
Unlike the other files on shelves, this one sat proudly displayed dead center.
It reeked of "top secret importance."
Brimming with eager curiosity, she carefully opened the book.
And.
Angel Mass Production Plan 🧠 TELEPATHY 🧠 [What...?] Utterly unforeseen contents.
Arcroyal's hands trembled as she hurriedly flipped through it.
As an angel, her reading speed outpaced any human.
Devouring a whole book took mere minutes.
And at that pace,
Her heart began to pound wildly.
{{Angel Mass Production Plan. The strategic value angels hold in this era cannot be ignored. Angels possess power surpassing humans. Especially if we can artificially and infinitely replicate great archangels—who outmatch even heroes—via alchemy and special magic. They would undoubtedly be a massive asset in the upcoming 'plan.' To this end, this mage tower acquired a sample from the empire's serving great archangel. Using special magic and alchemy, we began production of her replicas—Angelculus. The name of the sample-donating great archangel is...}} ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Arc...royal] A belated rush of past memories.
The mages in this very Gomorrah who had harvested her feathers, hair, blood, and more.
Realizing their purpose at last,
A fierce blaze of anger ignited in her heart.