Part 36: Lucy’s Soft and Melty Shovel

Part 36:
Lucy’s Soft and Melty Shovel

Alan buried his shovel into the Angel Furnace and mentally dove deep within. This was the one way he could save Lucy and the other angels who had been absorbed by the magic tool. He closed his eyes and dug his shovel into the device again and again; it felt a lot like cracking a succession of eggshells. At last, he met no more resistance and opened his eyes.

Alan was met with a wash of white steam.

“A bath…?”

In front of him was a curtain with the words “Angel Bath” written on it. Alan glanced inside and found not Lucy but a different angel sitting on her knees on the watcher’s seat with a peaceful little smile. Even though she had a towel wrapped around her body, she was pretty much naked. Through the thick steam, her plump chest and thighs were just visible.

This was the interior of the Angel Furnace.

Who’s the idiot that made this thing? Alan thought.

When the angel noticed him, her smile widened. “Welcome to the Angel Furnace, sir.”

Her tone was something like that of a newlywed wife.

“You’re the supervisor, I take it?” said Alan. “Or should I say, the Angel Furnace in and of itself?”

“Correct. I can tell you’re not an angel…but I suppose that’s not a problem.” The angel on the watcher’s seat took out a wash basin with the word “Angel” written on it. Inside of it was “melting soap,” “soft soap,” and “heavenly rinse.” This was clearly a set of liquids for bathing.

“No towel?”

“Oh my. You won’t be needing one. I’m sure you already realize that.” The Angel giggled, her eyes glistening mischievously. “All angels melt into me. There is no leaving the bath.”

It appeared the bath-like setting was the only joke here. It was time to save Lucy.

Alan buried the evil watcher-angel in the image of a snowy mountain, causing her to cry out in shock. He then entered the changing room but nobody was there. However, a significant quantity of angel clothes and underwear were neatly folded and placed in baskets. A sweet feminine scent lingered in the air.

Also, though he hadn’t yet noticed, Alan had been reduced to his nude form with only a towel slung around his waist. The laws of physics weren’t something the furnace particularly cared about.

Moving on, Alan slid open a steamed-up glass door.

“Hrm.”

A blast of warm air hit his body, accompanied by the lilting sound of women chatting.

Spread before Alan was Heaven. Or was it Hell? In every corner of the stone bath were angels; about one hundred in total. They were lounging in the water, enjoying themselves with expressions of pure joy… Perhaps it was more accurate to describe it as something like a trance-like state? After all, their wings were melting.

In a corner of the bath, one angel still had the shine of reason in her eyes. She was surrounded by five other angels, who were washing her. The angels cleaned her long, shining hair, intertwined their fingers with hers, and pressed their chests up against her own. With each move they made, a little more life left the lone angel’s eyes. As this happened, soapsuds bubbled on the surface of the water around her.

“Oh, my…a new friend. And so muscular, too…!”

As Alan evaluated the unfolding scene, multiple angels approached him. They all appeared to be in the prime of life, and the gazes they shot him were nothing if not suggestive as their breasts heaved. Their eyes spoke to him as they reached out with their hands.

Melt together with us… Let us intertwine in this Angel Bath… It’ll feel, so, so good. Even better than going to Heaven…

Alan frowned at these angels and scooped them up with the metal head of his shovel.

“DIG!”

“EEEEEK!”

One by one, the naked angels were tossed into the changing room. They landed head-first into the bath towels Alan had prepared there.

“Hey! Who do you think you are, human?!”

“Don’t you want to melt away in this beautiful Angel Bath?!”

“I don’t care if you’re an angel or a bagel,” said Alan.

Shoop, shoop!

Alan scooped the remaining two angels into the changing room.

“I have no interest in women who lack depth in their hearts—women with no room for digging.”

Alan was a man with a healthy interest in women, but he felt zero attraction to a woman whose heart had melted into the Angel Furnace. In that sense, sharing a bath at the World Tree Castle with Fio had been treacherous indeed. If not for Alan’s adamantine levels of self-control, he might have been incapable of pulling himself away from her.

It wasn’t a question of her figure. Yes, she was a lovely girl, but! Deep within Fio’s coy form lay a pure desire to rebuild elven civilization. That depth was what attracted Alan. It made him want to dig into Fio’s heart.

Of course, she was his precious niece (if unrelated by blood), so he’d never lay a finger on her.

In any case, it was time to scoop up the rest of these angels and destroy the furnace.

Alan splashed through the bath, scooping angels into the changing room as he went along and calling out for Lucy. Finally, he found the face he was looking for. Lucy was squished between two angels who were washing her wings with their hands.

Lucy shook with each scrub. She appeared to be in a trance. “Aahh… Pheeew…”

“What beautiful wings…so soft, so fluffy.”

“Let us melt together! Melty, melty, puffy, puffy…”

“Outta the way,” said Alan.

“EEEEK!”

Scoop, scoop!

In an instant, Alan launched the two angels into the changing room.

“Lucy, it’s me. Alan.”

“Ah…Alan…?” Lucy stared at the man with droopy eyes. “Who…Alan?”

“Hrm.”

“More importantly…I want to melt… More puffy, puff… Let me melt…” Lucy had lost her memories and her body was going limp. Her plentiful breasts jiggled slightly as she wrapped her arms over them. She tentatively brought her wings around Alan’s back and caressed him. I want to melt. I want to be melted. I want to become soft…

“All right, I’m going to save you now, Lucy.” Alan completely ignored her and took up his shovel. There was no world in which Alan would fall to these inviting pleas, not when Lucy had lost her heart. It’s about time to unearth her memories.

“Please shovel wait, Sir Alan!”

When Alan turned to the voice, he found a black-haired angel. It was Gabriella. Unlike the other angels, she had a bath towel wrapped around her. That being said, it was only a single bath towel, and it did little to hide her voluptuous body line. However, also unlike the other angels, her eyes retained their sanity.

“Eh, Gabriella? What are you doing here?”

“I got a Shovel Call from Princess Lithisia. She told me my little sister’s heart and body had been absorbed by the Angel Furnace.”

“But how did you get in here?”

“I asked Lady Catria to help. She managed to get me in with her shovel.”

Alan nodded in approval. The lady knight was inching ever closer to becoming a proper shovel wielder.

“Lucy’s going to be fine,” Alan assured Gabriella as she splashed over to him. “I was just about to unearth her heart.”

“Please let me help, shovel. I beg of you!”

“Help…?”

“I’m her older sister. With me here, it should be possible to unearth Lucy’s memories.”

“Well…” Truth be told, Alan could scoop up Lucy’s melted memories by himself, though it would in fact be easier to find them with Gabriella present. More importantly, he didn’t want to be dismissive of her desire to save her little sister.

Alan nodded, and Gabriella embraced Lucy from behind. The two angels, their skin warm and flush from the bath, slowly turned to face the miner.

“Sir Alan, I’m ready… Your shovel, please.”

The angel sisters held each other and looked at Alan.

We’ll accept everything you have together.

Or at least, that’s what it felt like they were saying.

But Alan needed to focus. He aimed his shovel at the two angels where they were partially submerged in the bath and struck the water in a straight line.

SHEEEEN!

A burst of steam shot into the air, revealing a video projection. In the video, two young angels ran around a shrine.

“Ah…uhh…?”

“Lucy, try to remember. Think about our time together…”

Lucy showed faint signs of responding to Gabriella’s voice. My head feels empty… Who am I? I don’t know… But somebody’s holding me. What a familiar feeling…a familiar scent…? I…I know who this is.

“Come now, Lucy. Look.”

The projection in front of them showed a sight she knew.

“Gabriella! Today I’m gonna become an angel!”

“Well said, my beloved little sister.”

I know this… After this, I received my blessing from the head deity of our Pantheon. My angel wings…my halo…

The video feed distorted.

“Angel Lucy. As proof of your status as a servant of the heavens…”

The shine of life began to return to Lucy’s eyes. That’s right… After this, I received proof of my status, proof of my angel-hood, from the head deity…

“I bestow upon you the Angelic Shovel.”

CRAAAACK.

The sound of glass shattering could be heard from the changing room.

The glimmer of life had returned to Lucy’s eyes, but so had confusion.

“W-wait, something’s off about this…”

A shovel? Did I really receive a shovel? Seriously? Are these really my memories?

“My word! Lucy, are your memories coming back?!”

“I-I think so, but something seems…off.”

“We have to keep going! Sir Alan! Ready the next scoop!”

Alan silently thrust his shovel into the hot water again, causing the video feed to change. This time, it showed a vast field beneath the brightly shining sun. As a member of the heavenly army and an angel-soldier trainee, Lucy was participating in her first real battle. Up until then, she’d only watched Gabriella in combat.

“Lucy, watch me carefully.” Gabriella smiled in front of the injured Lucy.

Ah! I remember now! Gabriella’s special attack, the…

“HOLY WAVE MOTION SHOVEL BLAST!”

KA-CHOOOOOOOOM!

The Gabriella in the video held a shovel in her hands and fired off a Wave Motion Shovel Blast. All the other angels on the battlefield were holding shovels as well. Even the demons. Of course they were. Shovels were the strongest weapon in all the realms, heavenly and demonic alike…

“…?”

Wait, what? Had that always been Gabriella’s special attack?

“Er, um, dear sister, why do you have a shovel…?”

“A little more, Sir Alan! This is the last scoop!”

Alan once again thrust his shovel forward.

At this, Lucy saw herself searching Rahzelfo, conquering each of the Four Elemental Towers, defeating the Mage King with her shovel, and even trouncing Pazuzu.

“Shovel Angel! Shovel Angel!” All of her friends cheered her on with her new title.

Let us all pay reverence to the Shovel Angel, Lucy! All hail the great Shovel Angel, Lucy! Within the video, humans, angels, and demons alike sang Lucy’s praises.

“Ah… Shovel…Shovel Angel…?!”

Gabriella embraced her sister tightly and whispered into her ears. “That’s right… You’re a Shovel Angel… No, you’re the Shovel Archangel, Lucy.”

“Shovel…Archangel…? I am…? Foolish old me?!”

Lucy could feel herself getting excited. She was filled with joy. Now she was on the same level as her beloved sister. Despite thinking herself a failure, she was now an archangel like Gabriella. Everything would be fine. She had some doubts about the integrity of her memories, but that had to be her imagination. She shed tears, but she was certain they were tears of joy.

“Aaahhh… I…the shovel…!” Lucy could feel her memories being filled in with a shovel. “Aaah… Shovel…Archangel…!”

I’m…Lucy. I’m a Shovel Archangel? Is that…really okay? My heart says this is right. My body desires the shovel. Then surely it must be fine! I have no reason to hesitate. All I have to do is empty my heart and accept these memories… Accept the shovel.

The light of the shovel glimmered within Lucy’s eyes.

“Wake up, Lucy!”

“?!”

A fierce female voice blew away her tears. “Don’t let go of who you are! I’m with you, Lucy!”

The voice was somehow nostalgic.

Wait, that’s right. I know this voice.

It was the voice of one who stood against the shovel.

I know this voice!

“Don’t you dare lose to the shovel!!!”

Lucy heard the sound of something shattering to pieces. The coffee milk bottle in the changing room had broken.

She stood up in the bath, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

This is all wrong. The shovel is wrong. This isn’t how my memories are supposed to be. Right, Catria?!

“This is…WRONG!” Lucy declared as she stood firmly on her own two feet. “I…I’m no Shovel Angel!”

“Ah, she’s reverting, shovel! How unfortunate… Let’s try one more…eeek!”

THONK.

Gabriella attempted to embrace her little sister once more, but Alan stopped her.

“Gabriella, what did Lithisia put into that head of yours?”

“Ack!”

“One is only truly worth digging into when their heart remains strong. Stop messing around with people’s memories.”

“I-I’m sorry, shovel.”

Lucy was exhausted beyond belief, but life had at last truly returned to her eyes. With great strength, she said, “Miner Alan! I believe it’s time we destroy this Angel Furnace!”

“You got that right, but could you cover yourself with a towel first? I can’t look at you like this.”

“Huh…?” Lucy looked down at her mostly naked body. Her thirty-five inches of breasts. The hot water dripping down her hips. Her tight waist and the small belly button on her stomach. It was all utterly visible.

And then there was her lower body. She wasn’t completely naked, and the center of her white garments had an angel wing decoration. Unfortunately, it had been rendered largely translucent in the Angel Bath.

Lucy blazed with utter dismay. “Mm!”

To Alan’s surprise, her expression shook his adamantine self-restraint. This experience had given Lucy even greater depths than she earlier possessed.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!”

“Please cover up.”

Lucy hurriedly dropped her body beneath the water.

“Sir Alan, since we’re here already, what say the two of us showash your back, shovel?” asked Gabriella.

“No thanks. We’re getting out of here, stat.”

“Aw, too bad.” Gabriella wore a somewhat disappointed expression, one that resembled Lithisia to a tee.

***

“Great Hero Catria, you have my gratitude. Thank you so very much…!”

The party had scooped up the remaining ninety-nine angels, destroyed the Angel Furnace, and made their way back to the World Tree Castle. Lucy was in the main hall on her knees, bowing to Catria over and over again while expressing her devotion. If not for Catria’s words, she would have fallen to the shovel.

“As long as I live and breathe, I vow to serve you, Great Hero Catria!”

“Er, you don’t have to go that far, I swear.”

Despite her embarrassment, Catria was genuinely happy. Next to her, Lithisia looked disappointed.

“Lithisia… You did something to Gabriella, didn’t you?” said Alan.

“Ah, um, no! I just contacted her via Shovel Call is all!” Lithisia’s response was all too easy to understand.

“It was almost like you were talking through her body, actually.”

“Shovel?!” Lithisia broke out into a cold sweat.

Alan had clearly hit the nail on the head. Lithisia was panicking and clutching her shovel.

Despite his accusation, the miner had trouble believing it. Had this princess really possessed Gabriella’s body? Lithisia was crazy, yes, but surely she couldn’t be this far gone…

“No, wait,” he said. “That’s right. Alice and the Mage King.”

“Sh-shovel?!” Lithisia was now a waterfall of sweat.

“I-I was against it! Against it, I tell you!” insisted Alice.

Farshinal was capable of advanced spirit magic. Through Alice, Lithisia used Farshinal’s power to temporarily transport her spirit into Gabriella’s body. As for why, well, she wanted to turn Lucy into a Shovel Angel.

This was bad. Lithisia was mastering the shovel at an absurd rate. Still, there was a part of Alan that was happy someone other than him could master it at all. He wasn’t alone in this world. How could someone not be pleased by such a revelation?

“Just don’t mess with the soul too much, Lithisia.”

“Shorry…”

Alan just couldn’t work himself up to be overly strict with her. After all, at the end of the day, nobody had been hurt. Also, the miner’s sense of ethics typically sided with the shovel.

“Well, anyway. We’ve got six orbs now.”

On the table in front of the party were all six of the spheres. They only needed one more before they could put an end to Prime Minister Zeleburg’s ambitions. As for the location of the final orb, the Purple Orb, Lithisia looked more serious than she ever had.

“It lies in the dark nation, known as the ‘Kingdom of Darkness.’”

This was also the location of Zeleburg’s base of operations. A stormy region with no sun, it had almost no communication with the outside world. The situation on the ground was completely unknown to anyone who didn’t already dwell there. It was also said to be run by demons. Given Zeleburg’s rise to power, that was all but certainly the truth.

“The Purple Orb supposedly resides in the underground fortress Mormegil, where the King of Darkness lives.”

“An underground fortress, eh? Perfect.” Alan smiled his usual smile and held up his shovel. “Shovels are perfect for dealing with the underground.”

Amidst the party’s confident nods, Catria was still and silent as she thought.

The underground was indeed the perfect place to demonstrate a shovel’s power. But seeing how the shovel was already so effective above ground, in the ocean, and even in the sky, how could it possibly get more powerful? Catria couldn’t imagine, but she was sure of at least one thing…

“We’ll enter using a Shovel Tunnel, Shovel Railroad, and an underground Shovel Battleship. Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Their adventure to the Kingdom of Darkness was going to be something awful.