Chapter 33

The impression section is less likely to grow on explanation chapters

Chesed’s Perch──The place where Chesed, the guardian of the fourth island, "El," had made his home.

Chesed himself had constructed it atop a high hill so he could survey the residential districts of the island. From this vantage point, one could see not only the entire island but also the surrounding islands and even the World Tree in beautiful clarity.

Despite being the base of the island’s guardian, it was not a grand castle demonstrating the archangel’s majesty. Instead, Chesed had set up a simple perch, a reflection of his humble nature. Perhaps this was because he often spent his time in the form of a giant bird, making the grandiosity of a castle like Netzach’s impractical. From a practical standpoint, a mere perch seemed to be all he needed.

But I get it… I get it, Chesed!

There’s just something wonderful about that height! Standing over 2,000 meters above the sea of clouds, the view must be spectacular. How nice… I want sit atop that perch! If he could be revived, maybe I could ask to sit up there too—I’m jealous.

With those thoughts in mind, I—no, we—stared at Chesed’s perch, almost as if escaping reality.

Currently, we’re completely surrounded by members of the winged tribes, lined up in rows around us. We are entirely encircled, like a scene of a barricade incident.

This is the holy city of "Gedulah" on El. Brought here by Hod and Mea, we arrived in the deceased Chesed’s holy city.

──And in this crowded setting, what we were engaged in was an exchange of information with Mea.

After sharing our delight in reuniting, I told Mea about what we encountered here, and she was deeply astonished, exclaiming, "Wow…" But we, too, were surprised by the experiences Mea had undergone in the past few days.

“I see… you really did your best, Mea.”

“Yeah… but Mea still has to try harder.”

After getting separated in hyperspace, Mea landed on this island, El. Like me, Mea had the ability to fly on her own and possessed faint knowledge of this other world passed down from Chesed. She immediately began flying around the island, searching for En and the others.

However, what she saw was a massive amount of the Abyss appearing, almost completely covering the sea of clouds around the island.

Hod, one of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, had already arrived on the scene, yet the Abyss invasion continued unabated, and the town inhabited by the holy beasts was about to suffer severe damage.

──That’s when Mea swooped down gallantly.

Upon seeing the holy beasts trembling in fear at the Abyss threat, she couldn’t stand by idly. It wasn’t just the Angel of “Mercy” factor within her, but because it was simply her nature. If she sees someone in trouble, she can't just leave them alone… That’s just how an original protagonist would be. When I see a scene that looks like it's going to stand out, I can't ignore it.

So, Mea unleashed her full potential as a Fairy Child and swept away the Abyss invading the town with a light of mercy. It was at that moment that the wings on her back transformed into four.

At that moment, seeing her figure, the holy beasts in the town thought:

“It’s Chesed! The soul of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot!”

There had already been information among the townspeople that “Chesed was killed by humans,” but the holy beasts of the town couldn’t have mistaken the true nature of that power.

Under the extreme circumstances, the holy beasts saved by Mea welcomed her as the “The one who inherited the will of Chesed.” Her unworldly appearance, which resembled an angel, likely contributed to this acceptance. In any world, first impressions are heavily influenced by appearance.

Chesed-sama has returned! The holy beasts of the town, beaming with smiles, greeted Mea with unexpected hospitality, and although bewildered, Mea explained the situation to them.

That she was human.

That she was modified by bad people and implanted with Chesed’s essence.

That as a result, she now retained faint memories and powers of Chesed.

That those memories did not approve conflict between holy beasts and humans.

And that she and her companions had come to this world to convey this message to the Ten Archangels of Sefirot and the Holy Dragon Ein Sof—She revealed everything without reservation.

She is an amnesiac character who releases honest information… thus her honesty as a non-reincarnated person made me impressed. Without any jealousy, I had to admit her decision was something I could never make, and I was very moved by her story.

As for the holy beasts in town who heard her story... well, they sympathized with her.

Yes, after all, she was a victim of modification too. The holy beasts, who had seen her kindness firsthand, couldn't bring themselves to believe she was an evil human after she came to help them without a moment’s hesitation.

She wasn’t Chesed, but she was closer to him than anyone else. And so, there were two cognitions held by the holy beasts.

Either they could reject her as a fraud impersonating the archangel… or accept her as Chesed’s last memento.

Their feelings were complex, but most chose the latter. This was largely because the spirit of mercy she displayed resembled Chesed’s. The holy beasts didn’t worship her as their master, but they didn’t reject her as an imposter either.

It’s just a little, but there’s no doubt that it slightly changed their view of humans. There are bad people, and there are good people. For now, that is enough. The doubtful glances from the townspeople stung, but perhaps they were watching us out of concern for her.

Perhaps their lack of direct hatred is due to their inherently good nature and the presence of the “Archangel of Glory” standing among us.

“…So, what’s your connection to that angel?”

Breaking the tension in the air, En glanced at the knight standing with his arms crossed in the shadows, and asked Mea. While he probably didn’t mean anything by it, he seemed to asked dubiously.

In response to the question from the overprotective En-onii-chan, Mea responded by simply saying, “He’s not an enemy.”

“Hod is training Mea. Mea still hasn’t fully learned to use Chesed’s power…”

“Training?”

“I thought so, but why would he do that?”

As I suspected, their earlier fight wasn’t a real battle, but rather a practice match.

Still, if that’s the case, the reason behind it was puzzling. Hod, after all, had been a neutral figure in the original work, but given Mea’s origin, she could easily be an object of disdain for the Ten Archangels of Sefirot.

It’s a harsh way to put it, but to pure archangels like them, her very existence might seem like a disturbing aberration, undermining the dignity of their kind.

With their heightened perceptive abilities, archangels rely more on sensations than on sight. It’s fine for us since we know she has an admirable character, but from the point of view of archangels who haven’t met her before, her very existence is stepping on landmines.

In that respect, it was fortunate that she encountered an archangel as unconcerned with these things as Hod. At the very least, I wouldn’t want her meeting Malkuth, with her intense emotions, nor Tiferet, who has since turned anti-human.

──But looking at her who is like a stigmatized property, Hod spoke.

『I’ve determined that this is necessary for this world.』

He said as he stepped out of the shadows and approached us. He speaks with a solemn, knightly tone, each word carrying an unusual persuasiveness.

『Our god, Ein Sof, once said this: ‘Only when humans and holy beasts unite their powers can they finally defeat the Abyss.’』

“The Abyss…?”

『The Abyss has no definitive ‘death.’ The Abyss that enters our heavenly realm where we live vanish and return to the abyssal world, only to come back to the heavenly realm in an even more advanced form over centuries or millennia.』

“So… they reincarnate?”

『That’s right.』

…Eh? Wait, you're going to say that here?!

The idea that humans with the powers of holy beasts—in other words, the power of “supernatural ability users” were necessary to completely annihilate the Abyss was also part of the anime Fairy Savers.

This dates back to the time when the first supernatural user emerged. Ein Sof first appeared in the human world hoping to awaken humanity to true supernatural abilities so that they could join the fight against the Abyss together.

That endpoint, the “Fairy Burst,” was the key to defeating the Abyss that he envisioned for humanity. Ein Sof had expressed the hope that the Ten Archangels of Sefirot would eventually guide humanity as mediators.

Since the Abyss, if left unchecked, could invade the human realm, it posed a threat humanity couldn’t ignore. En and the others began to understand that the coexistence of holy beasts and humans was essential for the well-being of both worlds.

On the other hand, the final boss, Keter, thought, “Why should we have to work with humans? That’s foolish.”

As the king of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, he had heard from the Holy Dragon before its slumber that the “Fairy Burst” humans would someday achieve was the final piece necessary to defeat the Abyss—but he became twisted over time.

Supernatural ability crimes occur every day in the human world──witnessing those scenes, he became disillusioned with humanity.

To him, none of the humans were using the powers that his father, Ein Sof, had so generously bestowed for anything worthwhile. He could only see it as such, that humanity wasn’t an existence that angels should guide.

On top of that, due to the boss of PSYence doing something uncalled-for, he’d lost his last bit of restraint.

──They are hopeless. I’ll make them listen through painful experiences.

Keter’s conclusion wasn’t the equal coexistence with humanity that the Holy Dragon had ordered. Instead, he planned to subjugate humanity under the holy beasts, using them as vanguards in the fight against the Abyss—a true final boss mindset.

When he calmly suggested wiping out half of humanity to make them easier to control, even the fiercely loyal Malkuth was taken aback.

In the final showdown, Keter plans to absorb the power of Akari-chan and Chesed into his own body, allowing him to unilaterally use human strength and fully eradicate the Abyss—transforming himself into the evil god Keter. This becomes the climactic event of the story.

This information forms the core of Fairy Savers, and I, as the main character, had been planning to reveal it at just the right dramatic moment, but I never expected it to be touched upon here.

“No fair! I wanted to be the only one in the know!” My inner chibi character Eight-chan flailed as I listened nervously to Hod.

Please don’t say too much and take away my role… I don’t want to be an original protagonist without one.

『Therefore, we have been fighting against the Abyss for ages. Initially, they weren’t a very dangerous existence… but after countless cycles of reincarnation, they evolved to a point where they now threaten us fairies. They’ve become entities capable of devouring this entire world.』

“They’re that powerful, huh…”

『That’s why, long ago, the Holy Dragon Ein Sof sealed them away. And we, the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, were left with the mission of protecting this world as the slumbering God’s proxies.』

…Alright, no major reveal yet!

If it’s only the ecology of the Abyss being explained, it actually helps make the story easier to follow. Good job, Hod.

Still, what is this? That goddess-like person seems interested in exploring the mystery of the Abyss, an enigma even in the original work. Seeing how Hod conveniently explains it all, I picked up on her plan for her fanfiction.

So I decided to follow that plan. Just as Hod respects Ein Sof, I respect that goddess-like person. Eight-chan is a filial girl, after all.

『This Hod has no desire to invade your world. Our priority enemy is not humans, but the Abyss.』

The Abyss only grows more dangerous with time. Eradicating it completely while it’s still manageable was largely why the moderate faction rebelled against King Keter in the story. Meanwhile, Chesed, who cooperated out of mercy for humanity, was likely an heretic among the archangels.

And now, this man—Hod—seemed to believe that Ein Sof’s approach held more merit than Keter’s, especially now that the Abyss’s activity was intensifying.

If he’s willing to support us, he’ll be a strong ally.

Of course, it wouldn’t be for free… I already knew from the original work.

“We want to put an end to this fight with you… you guys.” (tl note: second “you” is a polite version.)

『In that respect, our interests align. But before cooperating, I have something to ascertain… and that’s why I’m testing her right now.』

“What kind of test?”

『Hm… for her to fully harness my ally Chesed’s power.』

“I see… So that’s what earlier was about.”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why Mea has to try harder and harder.”

Funsu! The sight of Mea clenching her fist with her usual blank expression is charming. (tl note: Funsu is an onomatopoeia of the breathing made by a character in the TV anime " K-ON! ")

In the original work, Keter only laid down his weapon when he saw En unleash the true Fairy Burst, finally recognizing that humans were worthy of cooperation, but maybe in this world, he’s found that potential in Mea.

As expected of an original protagonist. I can’t lose either.

『This girl is the embodiment of the ‘unified power of humans and fairies’ that Ein Sof once envisioned. I must observe her presence and assess her alignment with the will of God.』

And… he continued.

『If that power can truly save the world… then I, Hod, will faithfully follow the orders of the Holy Dragon Ein Sof and promise to fully support your cause.』

Hod was committed to his loyalty to Ein Sof, which meant thoroughly assessing his allies. After all, blindly accepting everything the lord says can invite danger and lead to that lord’s destruction. A loyal retainer’s role sometimes requires saying “no.”

…...Especially since the Holy Dragon-sama once inadvertently awakened the entire human race with good intentions, and, due to a lack of communication, left Keter ending up twisted. His predictions were so poor that I ended up suspecting if he was just clumsy. (tl note: a more accurate translation of clumsy here is someone who, at first glance, is a highly-skilled person with a cool image but has unexpected weaknesses and gets so nervous that their words and actions become shaky, etc.)

But there’s no doubt God is a truly great being.

“...Thinking it over again, we've come to a really absurd place”

“We came here to save the world. This kind of conversation was bound to happen.”

Listening to Hod, the two finally understood that the true enemy was the Abyss. The fact that they don't hesitate here is what makes them worthy of the name “Savers.”

...But, honestly, there’s something that bothers me more than that.

“Mind if I ask something?”

『Hmm? You are……』

“I’m T.P. Eight Olishua. After listening to your story, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

『What is it?』

I raised my hand and met the gaze of Hod-sensei, who was opposite me.

…...It’s a bit intimidating. I can’t see his face, but I feel like he’s looking at me skeptically.

But that’s okay. Let’s think of it a plus. If he’s looking at me suspiciously, that just means I’m pulling off the mysterious original protagonist.

Thinking of it that way, this gaze feels like a badge of honor, and I’m a little thrilled by it.

After all, Eight-chan is an older sister who loves to trifle with people.

And so, I decided to check to see if it would affect my future plans.

“So, if I steal her power ── revive Chesed, would that become invalid?”

『……！』

“!?”

Yes, I’m fully motivated now.

This is the challenge of reviving Chesed through the extraction of the Chesed factor, as I mentioned before. I thought it would be a bit further off before we could reunite with Mea, but since we've come together now, I feel like the chance to try has finally come.

The moment I declared it, a murmur spread among the surrounding holy beasts.

Naturally, the two of them, who hadn’t been told beforehand, were just as surprised.

“Eh...?”

“Eight, what are you…?!”

Fufufu… who do you think I am?

Did you think I was just some kind older sister?

Switching into my phantom thief mode, I gazed straight into Mea,who was looking up at me with a confused expression on her face.

“That’s right… if Mea and I combine our powers, we should be able to revive the great archangel of mercy.”

“…Really?”

Probably, hopefully… if we can manage it, that’d be great. It’d be pretty lame if we couldn’t pull it off after such a grand statement, but in that case, I’ll just cover it up with some convincing excuse, so we’ll be fine.

So please watch me, goddess-like person!

The mission you seek from me, the original protagonist—I’ll make it happen!

Giving everyone a provocative smile, I held down my top hat and skirt fluttering in the relentless wind.

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