A Halo Has Appeared!

Gacha? Can't resist gacha.

I pressed the Enhance button without a moment's hesitation.

Di-ri-ri-ring-!

Accompanied by a cheerful sound effect, the back of my head lit up.

"Huh."

Something felt ominous.

The halo of the buddha, not the halo of... light?

Kwa-haaaaam-!

Golden light burst out from behind my head and flooded the cathedral's interior.

I quickly scanned my status window. A trait I'd never seen before had appeared there.

The cathedral had been quiet before. Now it was quieter still.

A crown halo. In other words, the glow that rings a saint's head.

"..."

I slowly turned my head and met Alicia's eyes.

Those blue irises had gone impossibly wide. The abbess's mouth hung open in a perfect O. The holy maidens of the Silver Maiden Order had dropped to one knee, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the sisters of the Hundred Nights Maidens' Circle had clasped their hands together in reverence.

This reaction. Something extremely embarrassing was about to happen. A terrible premonition crept over me.

Thankfully, the Halo trait did have an on/off function, and the moment I switched it off, my shining skull returned to its original lighting.

But it was too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠late.

"How can such holy light possibly exist... Ah, Angel... you truly were an angel."

Alicia's lips trembled with a voice full of emotion.

"The real thing! The glory of the Lord! Behold the angel's noble, blinding radiance!"

Tears streamed down the abbess's face.

"I'm not an angel, though."

My protests landed on completely deaf ears.

"Everyone, kneel!"

The abbess boomed.

"Pay homage to the angel who saved our Saintess, destroyed the evil god's relic, and has now manifested upon the earth itself!"

Clank.

At the abbess's cry, the sisters all knelled in unison. The holy maidens of the Silver Maiden Order planted their longswords in the floor and bowed their heads.

"Homage to the herald of Holy Radiance!"

"A miracle has appeared before us!"

"A miracle... it's really not like that."

Wiping her tears, the abbess lifted her head.

"Ah, so humble as well...!"

Since she wasn't a valid target for Buddha Punch, her attributes weren't visible to me — but if I checked her status right now, it probably read something like [Alignment: Fanaticism / Fanatic God].

I looked at Alicia. She seemed to be the only one retaining her sanity amid this festival of zealotry, so I urgently sought her help with my eyes.

Alicia slowly approached, knelt down, and brought her face level with mine.

"You were never just an ordinary angel, were you?"

"You believe me?"

"Of course."

That's the Alicia I know. At least we can talk this out—

"Holy light streaming from behind your head, neutralizing a poison that not even sacred arts could dispel, shattering the evil god's chalice that corrupted even a bishop with your bare fist..."

The smile on Alicia's lips grew deeper and deeper.

"This couldn't be a common angel. A Holy Spirit must have descended upon you. Oh my, this is no ordinary matter at all."

"A Holy Spirit? No, I'm just an ordinary human..."

"Abbess."

Alicia rose briskly to her feet.

"Yes, Saintess!"

The abbess bowed her head at once.

"Please handle the aftermath of Bishop Walt's domain. The Silver Maiden Order will investigate the atrocities committed by Bishop Casimir — rescue any victims and execute any collaborators."

"We shall obey."

Orders rained down in rapid succession, and with crisp efficiency the holy maidens and sisters sprang into action.

Alicia sat down at a nearby desk and produced, from who knows where, a piece of parchment and a quill.

Scratch, scratch—

The pen's tip moved at a terrifying speed. I sidled up beside her to read the contents.

"Now, hold on a second—"

I lunged to snatch the parchment away. Alicia simply raised her hand slightly, and my fingers swiped at empty air.

Height difference. Dirty play.

"Don't send that."

"Angel."

Alicia beamed a smile of unbearable, saintly kindness.

"Yes?"

"Don't you worry. From now on, I'm going to make sure no one is ever able to doubt that you are an angel."

She's going to get me burned at the stake, isn't she.

The power I used wasn't Holy Radiance at all — it was firmly on the Buddhist side of things. One misstep and I could be branded a heretic or a heathen and set on fire.

"The power I use... isn't really from the Holy Radiance Church, you see..."

I confessed, carefully and honestly.

Pat, pat.

Alicia gently stroked my head.

"That doesn't matter. The Lord embraces all things. As long as your divinity is proven, it will be recognized as a manifestation of the Holy Spirit."

Pat, pat.

"Honestly, just showing that halo will be enough to make everyone believe. A divinity like that isn't something you can hide, even if you wanted to. And even if you couldn't manifest it, that would be fine too. I would make sure you were recognized regardless."

"...I can manifest it, though."

"Would you show me again?"

So embarrassing. Blushing, I flicked the halo back on.

Pat-pat-pat—

Alicia's hand, which had been busily sweeping through my hair, froze mid-stroke.

"Ahh... yes, absolutely certain. Anyone who looks at this and still doubts is the true heretic. Now, let's go."

"Go where?"

"Where else? To the Holy Capital, Astrum, of course."

Clutching the parchment she'd written, Alicia strode out of the cathedral.

Piiiieeet-!

Then she blew a whistle. A pure-white falcon swooped in from somewhere and settled on her arm. She tucked the parchment into the message tube on its talon and sent it winging away, its white tail tracing across the sky as the bird vanished into the distance in an instant.

"Sent via star-falcon, so the message will reach the Holy Capital by tomorrow. By the time we arrive there ourselves, everything should already be in place."

"What am I supposed to do there?"

"Hmm, not much, Angel. You'll just need to confirm your Holy Radiance resonance and... well, manifest your halo in front of the cardinals of the All Saints Palace and the Holy Sovereign. I'll handle everything else. Here, hop in."

Who knows when she'd prepared it — a carriage bearing the crest of the Saintess was already waiting for us. Two holy maidens of the Silver Maiden Order held the reins. Taking Alicia's hand, I climbed aboard.

Clank.

Inside the enclosed carriage, Alicia shed her armor. Despite having just fought a full battle, she was bone-dry, without a trace of sweat, giving off nothing but a faint scent of lavender.

Was that some kind of sacred art too?

Back in her plain white habit, Alicia murmured softly:

"The Holy Capital has all sorts of delicious things. Strawberry parfaits piled with fresh cream, chocolate cake, fruit tarts, nebula macarons, mille-feuille..."

Why were every single one of her examples desserts?

"I know a wonderful pastry shop. Come with me, Angel."

"...Okay."

Not that I objected to sweets myself. Of everything I'd eaten since arriving in this world, there hadn't been a single proper dessert. The best I'd managed was dried fruit. Just thinking about a sweetness that melted on the tongue made my mouth water.

And so the journey to the Holy Capital began. I'd expected the road to be long and rough...

"Angel, this is a premium scone made with butter from the Kingdom of Melwood. Say ahh."

Alicia fed me relentlessly, like a grandmother doting on a scrawny grandchild.

"Now, lie down."

After eating came napping. Half-forcibly, I found my head pillowed on her lap as her hand stroked gently through my hair.

The clip-clop of hooves outside the window kept a steady rhythm.

Pat, pat.

Clop, clop.

Pat, pat.

Clop, clop...

My eyelids grew heavy.

Three days of eating and sleeping on repeat since leaving Bishop Walt's domain, and at last a majestic white city revealed itself on the horizon.

Twelve spires soaring as if to pierce the heavens. An entire city wreathed in a soft, holy radiance — and at its center, a colossal cathedral loomed over every other spire.

The heart of the Holy Radiance Church, and the capital of the Holy Radiance Empire: the greatest theocratic nation on the continent. The Holy Capital, Astrum.

Before the city gates, summoned by Alicia's message, a seemingly endless line of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠priests and golden-armored holy knights stood at attention. And threading through the crowd, I glimpsed men in priestly robes black as ink wearing silver masks.

I knew those ones, too. The Inquisitors of Holy Radiance — a peculiar office that paired the study of sacred arts with the hunting of heretics.

I gripped Alicia's hand tightly and stepped down from the carriage. The crowd parted in two, and a woman in a gray robe emerged.

Sharp features that put her around forty. She placed her right hand over her heart and bowed respectfully.

"I am Seraphina, Head of the Inquisition. At the Saintess's request, I will preside over the Holy Radiance resonance and divinity discernment of the candidate for manifestation, Lady Nirvana. The Star Sea Altar is this way."

This is going to be fine, right?

"You'll be fine, Angel."

Alicia whispered, as if she'd read the worry right off my face.

Following Seraphina, we entered a great dome-shaped structure: the Star Sea Altar. The interior was nearly empty — a vast, dark chamber at whose heart sat a crystal orb, as if an entire night sky had been compressed into a single sphere.

"This is the Holy Radiance resonance altar. Place your hand upon this crystal and attune your soul's wavelength to the constellations, and the star of aptness will be determined solely by the caliber of your pure divinity. We shall now begin the resonance rite. Lady Nirvana, step forward."

I did as instructed and stood before the crystal orb.

"I just put my hand on it?"

"Yes."

In for a penny, in for a pound. With a heart fully resigned to fate, I laid my hand on the orb.

That instant, the universe trapped inside the crystal convulsed violently.

Vvvvmmm-!

The nebulae within the orb exploded outward in every direction, scattering like shrapnel. The Milky Way streamed overhead, and the constellations of the Zodiac interlocked like the teeth of an enormous turning wheel. The chamber, dark as a sealed crypt, transformed into a living planetarium.

"The heavens... the heavens are aligning?"

One of the inquisitors murmured under his breath.

Kwa-haaaam-!

Then, above the spot where I stood, a single platinum star rose into being.

The twelve mansions of the Zodiac, inscribed across the heavens, began to move in a great circle. The Ram bowed its head. The Bull folded its forelegs. The Archer set down his bow, and the Lion lowered his mane. The Scales settled level, and the Maiden clasped both hands. The entire Zodiac paid homage to the platinum star.

And that was not all.

Every star in the universe began to turn — all of them, around that single point of platinum light.

Thud.

The book of law in Seraphina's hands slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.