Chapter 25

The original protagonist's age is actually important

Netzach, an archangel, is the most straightforward of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, who many are known for their difficult personalities.

 

Bearing the name "Victory," he is a consistent meritocrat who accepts anyone from any race, as long as they demonstrate talent or potential in a particular field. It is precisely because he reigns as the ruler of the capital of Adonai, "Tsabaoth," that the city has flourished as a city of warriors.

 

Therefore, when Haniel intoduced Akatsuki En to him, he had a good idea of how Netzach would respond. He figured that they would engage in a physical exchange—a familiar "language of the body" to the people of Tsabaoth.

 

And indeed, the result was largely as expected.

 

Netzach challenged En and Chouta to a duel, which they accepted. Had the tournament originally scheduled not been postponed due to a sudden Abyss outbreak, he might have asked them to participate in that event.

 

Chief Angel Haniel, as Netzach’s loyal retainer, understands him better than anyone else in the town.

 

However, there are times when even Haniel doesn’t quite understand him.

 

Securing the duel arrangement was fine. But Haniel thought the terms were perhaps overly generous.

 

"Are you sure? That kind of promise is..."

 

A little while after their guests had departed, Haniel asked.

 

Of course, he did not believe his lord, Netzach, would lose. But he thought it might have been too lenient to make such promises so quickly to people they had only just met and hadn’t yet exchanged fists with.

 

Haniel, who owed them a debt, did not want them to be resoulutely dealt with.

 

However, with this lord, who can sometimes be unexpectedly lenient in his judgments despite appearances, Haniel often found himself obliged to offer advice.

 

Netzach responded to Haniel’s question with a wry smile.

 

『I understand how you feel! But they're humans who my older sister herself has chosen to lend a hand to. I genuinely think it’s worth helping them out!』 (tl note: older sister here is aneue/姉上)

 

Older sister──Haniel was taken aback by those words.

 

The Ten Archangels of Sefirot were created by Ein Sof in order, starting from the lowest number. The first angel, Keter, is the eldest brother, while the tenth angel, Malkuth, is the youngest sister. Netzach, the seventh angel, was the fifth son to be born.

 

Generally, aside from Keter, who holds the highest rank with ten wings, the ranking among the archangels is relatively even. Thus, although they are siblings, few of the archangels think of themselves in family terms. Only Netzach, Chokmah the second son, and Chesed the now-deceased third son, have maintained such a familial perspective.

 

This is partly a result of adhering to meritocracy, but among the archangels, Netzach shows respect for his older siblings from a younger brother's perspective.

 

When it comes to fulfilling his duty as one of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, he acts with his own brand of justice, the kind defined by his fists, but when asked by his siblings, he would sometimes offer help purely out of personal goodwill. Although, he did have some reservations about how Chokmah dealt with humans.

 

He has two people he refers to as "older sister."

 

One is Tiferet, the second daughter.

 

And the other is the oldest daughter—

 

『…What do you mean by that?』

 

—One of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, Binah, the Angel of Understanding.

 

Binah, the third Sefirot, is an archangel even Haniel, as Netzach’s chief angel, has yet to be granted an audience with.

 

That is the name of the archangel Netzach regards as his "older sister."

 

Haniel questions Netzach, who spoke as if Binah were aiding these humans. From what he observed, there was no sign of such involvement.

 

In the first place, if they had been able to get the cooperation of one of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, they should have been able to act more efficiently.

 

『What do I mean? Exactly what I said! That girl who was beside Akatsuki-kun… I sensed just a trace of my older sister's presence from her. My secretive sister hates that I’m such a chatterbox, so when I glanced over at her, she blatantly looked away!』

 

HAHAHA! he laughed heartily, scratching his head with a slightly sad look in his eyes. He seems self-conscious about how intimidating his face looks. As a subordinate, Haniel thinks his fierce appearance suits him just fine, but past experience has taught him that offering such support often backfires, so he kept silent.

 

…Though Netzach is beloved by the people of the island, he has this personality. He probably isn’t disliked, but it would be hard to say his relationships with other archangels are ideal.

 

If Binah truly is the legendary angel known for secrecy, Haniel imagined she might indeed be telling him, "Don’t interfere."

 

…But to think that Binah-sama was beside Akatsuki En…

 

The moment Netzach said that, Haniel felt  something suddenly make sense.

 

The green-eyed girl by his side, though seemingly human, had an aura that was oddly transcendent.

 

She introduced herself as T.P. Eight Olishua.

 

『Though Sister Binah often skips meetings to indulge in her hobby of observing holy beasts... she’s not the kind of angel to prioritize personal interests when the Abyss is flaring up all over! If she’s recognized humans herself or is acting on a secret mission from Ein Sof, then I can’t stand in the way!』

 

『A direct order from the Holy Dragon-sama...!』

 

Although the Ten Archangels of Sefirot generally stand on equal footing, they have a clear hierarchy when it comes to the Holy Dragon, Ein Sof, who created them. If Binah is assisting those humans on Ein Sof’s secret orders, it’s a matter that could shake not only Adonai but the entire Fairy World.

 

This would imply that the Holy Dragon, the god of this world, disagrees with Keter, the king of the archangels.

 

『But if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to fully support them without conditions?』

 

『That depends on them, Haniel! You know I’m the kind of man who only gives answers with his fists, right?』

 

『Yes.』

 

『I’ll be clear... I’m not about to change my ways!』

 

And even if this was an order for Binah alone and not to all archangels, there must be a reason.

 

The Holy Dragon Ein Sof doesn’t issue meaningless orders. Reflecting on the purpose behind moving only Binah, the Angel of Understanding, without informing the other archangels, Haniel could only think of one possibility.

 

『We too are being tested! By our God, Ein Sof!』

 

How will the Ten Archangels of Sefirot act when they realize that God’s will is on the side of humans? Will they pretend not to notice and continue to align with Keter? It seemed God intended to test not only the people of the Fairy World but also Netzach and his kin.

 

Holy beasts and humans. The situation had moved beyond what Haniel could easily measure, sending a shiver through his heart.

 

 

 

 

Now, with their duel against Netzach approaching, Akatsuki En and Rikidou Chouta were eating a meal in a diner below the castle.

 

One can't fight on an empty stomach. En hadn’t eaten lunch yet, and Chouta, having been in confinement for two days, hadn’t had much appetite. In short, they were both starving, and they were enjoying a late lunch at a place Haniel had recommended.

 

"Oh, this is good! The meat’s a bit tough, but it’s decent!"

 

The restaurant, being popular among the arena fighters, had a menu filled with stamina-boosting meat dishes. They couldn’t tell what kind of meat it was, but perhaps this world had animals in this world aside from the holy beasts, like cows or pigs.

 

The food they had in the kobold village was mildly seasoned, but the flavor here was bold, perfect for young people who engage in intense physical activity.

 

Chouta, having eaten his fill for the first time in a while, patted his stomach and remarked wistfully about the absent girl.

 

"Too bad Olishua didn’t come with us."

 

"She has other plans. Unlike us, she’s not fighting Netzach."

 

"Hmm."

 

After agreeing to duel Netzach and leaving the castle, they were granted immediate freedom to roam.

 

And when it was time for lunch, T.P. Eight Olishua suddenly teleported away. She mentioned that she’d be back in time for the duel, but her secretive nature likely made her unsuited for group activities.

 

Strangely enough, En felt little distrust toward her this time. He sensed that there must be a reason behind her solo departure.

 

"Just so you know, I’m taking him on alone at first! I haven’t had a chance to let loose since we got here. I want to test how strong he really is."

 

"... If things get bad, I’m stepping in."

 

"No way!"

 

...Besides, the duel is more important right now.

 

If they could beat Netzach, they’d have his full support. To reach their ultimate goal of negotiating peace with the Ten Archangels of Sefirot and speaking with the Holy Dragon Ein Sof, having a man of status as an ally would be invaluable. It could also provide clues about their scattered companions, so there was no reason to refuse.

 

En dug into his meat dish with renewed vigor. Once he had satisfied his hunger, Chouta, seated across from him, turned the conversation away from food and battle and towards a different topic.

 

"So, how was it with that phantom thief girl? You two traveled together for two days, right? Meanwhile, I was stuck being watched by a bunch of rough guys the whole time. I’m so jealous!"

 

He wasn’t joking; he genuinely was jealous.

 

After over a year of knowing him, En understood what he was thinking.

 

With that understanding, En responded.

 

"Yeah, she’s been a big help."

 

“Oh?”

 

It was an honest, heartfelt feeling of gratitude.

 

Normally, he might have denied it, claiming she wasn't that way. But since coming to this world, En had felt almost apologetic.

 

"She’s full of mysteries, but she’s a good person. I realized that after talking to her."

 

"..."

 

Over the two days they spent together, he’d learned a few things.

 

She never lied when answering his questions and always faced them sincerely. Sure, she deflected questions she didn’t want to answer, but everyone has things they’d rather not share, and that’s not something he could fault her for.

 

Moreover, she had protected the kobold village.

 

At night, she listened to the worries of the village chief’s son, even holding a concert for him. When it ended, she was surrounded by children and wearing an embarrassed smile, her face looked much more peaceful than usual… she just looked like a kind older sister.

 

And… she was often looking out for him.

 

To her, it didn’t seem like anything special. But when they slept on the back of Dark Phoenix, she had draped a warm cloak over him as a makeshift blanket. The touch of it had soothed En’s anxious heart.

 

Before he fully lost consciousness, he heard her voice, which still lingered in his ears.

 

‘Goodnight, En. Sleep well.’

 

Her voice, as she gently lulled him to sleep, reminded him of his mother, who had passed away when he was little.

 

"...Why did you hit me?"

 

The next moment, he felt pain in his forehead.

 

A fist came flying across the table from Chouta, sitting opposite him.

 

It wasn’t enough to knock him off his chair, but the veins popping out of Chouta’s forehead showed his anger. Why?

 

"Shut up! You’re really a envious guy! Even though you have Akari-chan! Damn it! What the hell is this difference in treatment!?"

 

"Akari has nothing to do with this."

 

Why was he bringing up his childhood friend who had no connection to this?

 

It’s not as if I harbored romantic feelings for T.P. Eight Olishua. I was just sharing my reasons for trusting her to a certain extend, recounting our experiences together. Did I really deserve a punch for that?… En thought as he clutched his forehead.

 

But when he thought of how Chouta had been confined for two days, he could understand why he felt there was a disparity in how they’d been treated since arriving in this world. In that sense, Chouta’s jealousy felt justified, so En chose not to retaliate.

 

Seeing En’s face, Chouta sighed in exasperation.

 

"...Geez. Well, she’s certainly not bad guy. She helped kids tormented by their own supernatural abilities even when the police were after her. And she's so strong she was able to mow down a wyvern all by herself. If she wanted, she could do everything by herself and not even bother with us."

 

"That’s right. I came to this town thanks to her ability. I was just along for the ride…"

 

Yes, that’s the issue.

 

Her power to steal supernatural abilities seemed far too strong. From what Tsubasa gathered, she wielded every stolen ability better than its original owner.

 

En had faced rare mimic-type supernatural ability users before, but they never surpassed the original wielder’s power. If anything, they were usually jack-of-all-trades types. But her strength was so versatile, it was almost godlike.

 

…Reflecting on it all, it was hard not to believe she belonged to this world.

 

This feeling was made even more so by the fact that, even though she was able to do anything on her own, she chose to accompany him as if observing.

 

"She avoided revealing her true identity, but she’s probably an angel. A significant one… Seeing as Netzach didn’t challenge her to a duel, he might know something."

 

"Hmm, is that so? To me, she just looks like a cute big sister who's only acting like a villain. I'm sure she has a different goal than us."

 

"Only… acting like a villain?"

 

En’s eyes widened, taken aback by Chouta’s observation.

 

He was impressed by the musclehead in front of him, who sometimes could say surprisingly sharp things.

 

"...Sometimes, I envy you."

 

"Hah?"

 

"I see… that’s true. If that’s all she is, then maybe I’m overthinking it… But whatever the case, we’re all in this together now."

 

If she really was just a good person pretending to be a bad one, then all her actions could be seen as an attempt to play the role of the villain. Somehow, that made the situation feel endearing.

 

──But that was an unlikely scenario.

 

The girl he knew as T.P. Eight Olishua wasn’t such an innocent girl.

 

It’s just, what bothers En is that she doesn't seem like the bad older sister she makes herself out to be.

 

The more he thought about it, the deeper he felt like he was sinking into quagmire. He longed even more to reunite with Tsubasa and Mea.

Author's note:

Binah: Eh?

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