“President, does telling me to confirm with Himik mean that?”
It seems that all wielders of holy swords gain the effect of being able to become an angel.
Is this what they call a bolt from the blue?
When I asked with a smile, “I haven’t heard anything like that,” the President turned his face to a completely different direction and started whistling.
“Since you’ve stopped being human, you might as well become an angel, second only to a dragon.”
“That’s not good.”
His reaction, though playful, clearly indicated he knew.
This President… I can’t let my guard down.
I let out a big, truly big sigh.
“Oh, Jiro, you don’t want to become an angel?”
Upon seeing that reaction, Himik, who was also an angel, looked sad.
It seems I had hurt her with my actions.
“No, that’s not it. I don’t have any aversion or fear towards the angel species. The problem is simply the phenomenon of changing species when you wield a weapon. It’s not that I dislike becoming an angel like Himik. Well,” I added, “I do have a slight anxiety about what would happen if an angel were to mix with me, a hybrid of human and dragon.”
“Indeed, Jiro is not an ordinary person in your case.”
“Well, I accepted the dragon aspect with resolve, so that’s not a problem. But what happens if you add an angel to that?”
“Hmm, let me correct you slightly. Becoming a holy sword wielder doesn’t mean you immediately become an angel. It takes a long time to completely transform into an angel, and in some cases, you might not become one at all.”
After conveying her excuse, I was finally able to reassure her, and she seemed to accept it.
In truth, my body is an exceptionally rare specimen, even within this diverse group known as the Demon Lord’s Army.
I originally had a high-level physique capable of adapting to magic, with a magic aptitude of eight, but due to various circumstances, it has ascended two stages.
In addition to that, I received dragon blood from my partner, the Ore Tree, which absorbed the bones of an ancient dragon, thus deviating from my human form.
If you were to add an angel element on top of that, I would become something that is neither human, nor dragon, nor angel.
I would definitely like to avoid that.
“Is that so?”
However, based on Himik’s explanation, it seems that simply wielding a holy sword doesn’t necessarily make you an angel.
I had a feeling of surprise about that. In the common sense of Isal’s world, I had the impression that they would forcefully implant convenient ideologies as if they were believers.
That’s why I thought that if someone were to become an angel, they would also be forcefully remade and made to obey.
“Indeed, becoming an angel involves the remaking of the soul. If you lack the aptitude for that, no change will occur.”
“Even so, you can still use the holy sword, right?”
“If all you want to do is use it, yes. Becoming an angel makes it easier to draw out the performance of holy swords and divine swords. On the other hand, you wouldn’t lose the ability to use magic. Your body would no longer be human, aging would slow down, your limits would be raised, and you would gain a strong soul.”
“It sounds like all good things, but are there any downsides?”
Is it something like soul aptitude or magic compatibility?
Should I point out the dangerous phrase “remaking of the soul” to become an angel? No, since Himik doesn’t see it as that dangerous, and the President doesn’t either, it’s probably not that dangerous.
That’s if we put aside my own revulsion.
Furthermore, what Himik continued to explain was something that ordinary people would likely have divided opinions on accepting.
For those who seek strength and eternal life, it would be desirable. For those who have known hardship and don’t want to continue suffering, it would be something to shy away from.
I can’t say I fall into either category.
When it comes to lifespan and power, the former (lifespan) is already secured by Valse-san, and the latter (power) by the dragon blood. As for avoiding hardship, I’ve already resolved to live alongside her and other long-lived species like Himik, Suella, Evia, Memoria, and Keiri, so it’s a bit late for that now.
Therefore, what I need to be concerned about is my health.
I wouldn’t find it funny if, while trying to become an angel, my body developed a severe illness due to a conflict with my dragon blood.
Thus, confirming those aspects is crucial. I must avoid a vicious cycle where my body becomes problematic while trying to help the instructor.
“The downside, I suppose, is that maintaining the wings can be quite difficult? It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”
“If it’s just a matter of daily life, I might say it’s acceptable, but is that truly all?”
“Also, let me see. It becomes difficult to use dark magic. Personally, I have a strong resistance to dark and chaotic elements. However, when it comes to using them, they feel much more cumbersome compared to other elements.”
The first downside mentioned about becoming an angel was the difficulty of wing care, which is probably a common angelic trope.
I wonder if the latter points are more important.
“What are the downsides during the physical transformation?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know about that. I’ve been an angel since birth. For those kinds of questions, my elder sister Aiwa should be able to answer.”
“Aiwa?”
“Yes, she is the eldest daughter of us Seraphim. I’ve met her, but we aren’t that close. I’ve heard that she used to be human and became an angel. From what I saw of her, she didn’t seem to feel any inconvenience.”
“…It’s a bit unsettling that the information only comes from the highest-ranking Seraph.”
There are changes in daily life and magic compatibility, but no decisive disadvantages have surfaced yet. However, this is due to a lack of complete information and is therefore unreliable.
“If, hypothetically, I were to become an angel, how long would the transformation take at fastest?”
“I don’t have detailed information either. However, with the information I have, there might be individuals who became angels in as little as three months, or possibly even faster.”
“…What about from the President’s side?”
“From our army’s intelligence, we only have information that angelic transformation takes over a year, and that demons cannot become angels.”
I genuinely want to help the instructor, but in a sense, I hesitate to use something with more drawbacks than chaos itself.
I have a position and a family to support. I also have a promise with Feri.
I truly feel that one’s status restricts their free choices, and yet, I acknowledge the new information provided by the President.
“Is that so?”
This seems to be new information for Himik as well.
“Ah, how many years do you think we’ve been fighting heroes? Every time, we’ve been tormented by holy swords. Our research and countermeasures have increased over time. Naturally, we are aware of the angelic transformation caused by holy swords. It’s only natural to wonder if investigating the process could lead to some countermeasure.”
Angels hold a rather important position within the forces of Isal. Their combat power is said to far surpass that of ordinary individuals.
I’ve only fought Himik, her elder sister the Seraph named Nisia, and the Twin angels who now live with Kaido, so I don’t have that perception yet.
Or rather, perhaps my perception is clouded by the information that angels have been overwhelmingly defeated and annihilated by the Demon Lord’s Army, making me question if they were that strong in the first place?
However, for the Demon Lord’s Army, who have been at war for many years, angels are a force that must be dealt with; that much is certain.
Therefore, it’s only natural that there would be opportunities to investigate the mechanism by which angels are born.
The prevailing theory is that gods create them directly, but if past heroes had wings on their backs, that would surely raise suspicions.
From there, questioning why a human hero is becoming an angel and investigating the cause would naturally lead to the answer.
“How many holy swords do you think our army has recovered?”
“About a hundred?”
“Unfortunately, the total number is six hundred and seven. Of those, one hundred and eighty-three are usable. Twenty-five are perfect holy swords. With this many, we can certainly conduct research.”
I assumed they would have a considerable number after fighting for thousands of years, but it was more than I imagined.
“In the process, we used holy swords on condemned criminals and experimented with angelic transformation, but none of them retained their original species. Initially, researchers thought it was because they were not human, but there are also humans on this continent. We continued our experiments using people with relatively high magic aptitude, but none of them became angels. We are currently examining contact duration, magic usage, and faith, and everything else imaginable. However, the species rooted on this continent have not achieved angelic transformation.”
“Then, why do holy swords make one an angel?”
“My maternal grandmother was an angel. She told me she was originally a mere human priest. I am the son of a half-demon and an angel, so one-fourth of my blood is angelic. I myself participated in the experiments, but as you can see, I did not become an angel. I’ve been researching why, but without success. Himik, what is the answer to this?”
Using holy swords for experiments made sense. From an ethical and moral standpoint, even prisoners have human rights guaranteed in Japan, which would draw criticism, but in another world, the possibility of death would be extremely low.
However, I, who recently attained the rank of General, have not been deeply involved in this experiment.
No, it’s more accurate to say that I’m too preoccupied with my own work to have the leeway to get involved in that.
The President also considers this research important, and perhaps he wanted to show some progress here, which is why he summoned Himik, who possessed this information, and wanted to involve me in this research.
“It has to do with the soul, as I mentioned earlier. Demons, and all inhabitants of your continent, are descendants of the Moon God, Lunaria. Only those from other God lineages can achieve angelic transformation.”
“It’s not a matter of bloodline, but of the soul. I see, it’s a safeguard by the Sun God. That makes sense why summoned heroes from another world can also become angels. Then, what about him?”
“In Jiro’s case, it’s probably possible. Angelic transformation in Isal is set up so that anyone can do it. Which rank they achieve depends on their aptitude, but it’s generally possible. The only exceptions mentioned are those with extremely poor talent or those who possess the soul of the Moon God’s lineage.”
“Hmm, that’s a convincing reason. Indeed, I am of Lunaria’s lineage. The reason for not being able to do so makes sense.”
“Within the process of angelic transformation, a spell is embedded to reject the soul of the Moon God. This is to prevent demons from becoming angels and attacking us.”
“I see, once you understand the logic, it’s a simple reason. Are there any ways to remove it?”
“No, it’s incorporated into the concept of a holy sword. If you reject this concept, it will lose its function as a holy sword or divine sword, and all that will remain is a mere sword, or a famous sword at best.”
However, what started as a discussion about repairing a holy sword, or needing one to save the instructor, has now completely derailed into the process of angelic transformation.
Should I try to get back on track?
“I see, I see. If this is the truth, then it seems we can achieve results in holy sword research.”
After all, the initial discussion was about why a holy sword is necessary for survival in chaos.
With the instructor’s life also at stake, time is limited.
“In that case, the conversation changes. Himik, if by any chance you know of someone who can achieve complete angelic transformation, and whose capabilities are reasonably guaranteed, do you think it would be possible to have such a person assist the Human King and navigate through the chaos?”
“…Angelic transformation takes time, but with Jiro’s power, that time can be shortened. The problem is aptitude. You would need at least the rank of Ophanim.”
However, the conversation has abruptly returned to the original topic. The President, having calculated this, grinned at Himik’s question.
“Then, there’s no problem,” he replied.
Today’s saying:
Knowledge is important.
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