Volume 10, Chapter 29 – Inherited Memories

After saying goodbye to the farmers, Yisi went to the city center with the “angel group” and the “loli-trio.” Although it was a long way, and the group walked for a full thirty minutes, the stamina of the angels, as well as Mary and Tina, was affected by their levels and was much higher than that of ordinary people. So, apart from Tiffany, who was a healer, no one looked tired.

As for Tiffany, although she had initially asked Yisi to carry her, the Fourth-Rank Angel, Chloris, out of a sense of duty, had taken over the task. She held Tiffany in a princess carry, which threw Tiffany into an unusually shy state, and she ultimately decided to walk on her own two feet. It was only then that Yisi discovered that Tiffany actually had enough stamina to walk a long way; the previous times she’d asked to be carried were just out of laziness.

“So, the reason the Fourth-Rank Angel Chloris and the Fifth-Rank Angel Enos have such a big level gap is because Chloris trained harder, not because it was decided at birth?”

On the way to the Margaret branch, Yisi began to learn about the two new angels.

“Enos is too timid. That is all.”

“Wh-what! I just didn’t want to become a Military Angel…” the green-haired Enos protested loudly, flapping her wings. Enos’s shyness seemed to be reserved for strangers. In front of her sister, Chloris, her speech was still a bit halting, but there was much less timidity in her tone.

The topic Yisi was on was why Chloris and Enos, whose birth serial numbers were only one digit apart, had a 13-level gap. According to them, it was true that God-Forged Angels had great differences in physical fitness due to the different materials used in their creation, but materials didn’t have much impact on level; the maximum gap wouldn’t exceed three levels. The reason Chloris was so much higher level than Enos was simply that Enos disliked combat, while Chloris always executed her orders perfectly. The level gap caused by their post-birth training had gradually widened.

As for the reason why the Fourth and Fifth-Rank Angels were both Battle Angels but were divided, it was because their responsibilities were clearly defined. The Fourth-Rank Battle Angels were responsible for combat against other races, while the Fifth-Rank Battle Angels were responsible for managing and punishing angels who violated the laws of the Kingdom of the Gods. Simply put, one faced outward, one inward. Because few angels ever violated the law, the Fifth-Rank Battle Angels spent most of their time idling. It was a position well-suited for a slacker.

I’m not criticizing Enos. After all, if you don’t have any special ambition, most people will choose to slack off if they can. Angels and humans are no different.

“Then, do Chloris and Enos remember what happened before your power cores withered? I mean, where did the Kingdom of the Gods go, and why were you buried in a ruin?”

“This…” Although Chloris was thinking, her face showed no sign of it, not even a frown. Yisi couldn’t help but wonder if the First-Rank Angel who made her had forgotten to install the facial-expression function. “Supervising… Holy War. That is all.”

“I don’t understand what that means.”

“We… we were defeated in the Holy War… that’s why we were left here…”

If Enos’s voice were any younger, and her height was about the same as Tina’s, I’d really start to feel like a mother.

Yisi couldn’t help but glance at Tina, who was slightly shorter than Tiffany and looked about eight years old. Noticing Yisi’s gaze, the latter frowned in dissatisfaction.

“This one feels offended.”

“I was just thinking Tina is very cute.” Yisi brushed it off with a smile and pulled the topic back on track. “Holy War? What’s that?”

“A war between humans and vampires. That is all.”

“Eh? The Kingdom of the Gods hadn’t left yet at that time?”

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“No related information found. It is judged that the Kingdom of the Gods left after Chloris and Enos ceased functioning. That is all.”

“I see.”

Yisi nodded thoughtfully— though I’m still completely lost.

Laxy once said that even if a God-Forged Angel was dismembered in battle, her soul would return to the Kingdom of the Gods’ Core Crystal to await a First-Rank Angel to rebuild her body, thus achieving rebirth. If the Kingdom of the Gods had moved after Chloris and Enos were defeated, their souls should have returned to the Core Crystal long ago, not be standing here.

No, it’s also possible that a withered power core doesn’t cause the soul to leave, and only severe bodily damage triggers the return mechanism. If so, that explains it.

At this thought, Yisi sighed. She had thought she could find out where the Kingdom of the Gods went through them. It seemed that, just like Laxy, they had lost contact with the outside world before the move.

Following Chloris’s words, Tina pursed her lips in disdain. “The ‘Holy War’ was just a game between gods. You were just being used. In their eyes, you’re no different from chess pieces.”

“Master, who is she?”

“Y-you can’t be disrespectful to the Goddess!”

The two angels directed their hostility at Tina, but the latter paid them no mind, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m just telling the truth. Honestly, I find you pitiful.”

“Retract that statement. First warning.”

“Insulting the Goddess… I can’t pretend I didn’t hear that…”

Chloris drew a longsword that looked like a Japanese katana from her storage magic, while Enos took out a spear-staff that looked like a combination of a staff and a longspear. It had a spear tip, and near the top, a fist-sized, open-work gem was set. On either side of the gem were decorative white wings. If not for the sharp glint reflecting off the blade, telling people it wasn’t just for show, Yisi would have thought it was a cosplay prop.

“What’s going on over there?”

“Looks like they’re about to fight.”

“Hey, it’s angels.”

“Must be street performers. Those types are always trying to attract attention like this.”

“But their weapons don’t look like props…”

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The people who saw the weapons began to whisper.

It’ll be a hassle if they attract the guards. Yisi pressed down on Chloris’s and Enos’s weapons.

“No fighting among companions. Tina, even if you’re telling the truth, you should think about what should and shouldn’t be said.”

“But—” Just as she was about to argue, Tina suddenly froze, as if struck by something. She lowered her head and whispered to herself, “No… that’s not what I wanted to say…”

“Tina, what’s wrong?” Yisi asked with concern.

“…This one wasn’t trying to mock the angels, but it just came out. It’s like my body moved on its own.”

If Tiffany had said that, I’d treat it as a lie, but Tina isn’t one to lie.

Yisi lowered herself to be eye-level with Tina.

“Tina, do you have any leads?”

“A Demon Lord can’t be mentally controlled. It must be the memories of the previous generations of Tartaros influencing this one. Perhaps this one is absorbing the inheritance too quickly… I’m sorry, Yisi. This one has to slow down the absorption speed.”

“Mhm. As long as Tina is alright, that’s what matters. If it’s really too much, you can just digest it while we travel.”

“No. I must finish as quickly as possible. This one is worried that if it drags on, Styx will come up with a new way to deal with this one. If she disregards that goat-headed demon’s life and just tries to destroy the ‘Eternal Freeze Barrier,’ Hetty and the others will be in a bad spot.”

“Is that so…”

If Styx appeared in front of me, I could help Tina beat her. But I can’t help with digesting the inheritance.

All we can do is wait, and keep an eye on that vertical-pupil-shaped black hole on the coastline, several dozen kilometers away.

Yisi had recently discovered that Styx’s demons had placed an illusion barrier there. Ordinary people couldn’t see anything, but Yisi, with her innate [Illusion Piercing], just had to fly up high to see any changes.

“Even though you were protecting this one, this one said such awful things. I’m sorry.”

“You recognize your mistake. You are forgiven. That is all.”

“I… I forgive you too.”

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The two angels put away their weapons.

“Master, it looks like the guards are coming for us.”

Because of the dispute, a squad of guards was hurrying over from the end of the street.

“Run.”

“It’s too late. Running now will just make us look more suspicious.”

Yisi grabbed the back of Tiffany’s collar. Running will just make them chase us. We didn’t do anything wrong. As long as we explain, they won’t give us trouble. Norta Empire soldiers aren’t like the ones in the Hels Kingdom, who like to extort money from commoners.

◇

“So you are the heroes who saved the populace during the street battle. Ah, well, as long as it wasn’t a brawl. Although the Empire doesn’t forbid carrying weapons, if you draw them to fight in the street, the one who strikes first will be charged with a felony. Please be careful, heroes.”

“Sorry to have troubled you.”

“Haha, we’re just doing our jobs. It’s my good luck to meet you, heroes. But I always thought the person who protected the civilians from the rebels the other day was some adventurer with a scarred face and a body full of wounds. I never expected you to be so young, and all women. It makes a big man like me ashamed. Well, as long as everything’s fine. Then, heroes—no, hero-misses, we’ll get back to our patrol.”

“Mhm, good luck.”

Yisi sighed in relief as she watched the guards leave. Although their suspicion had vanished the moment Yisi showed them the Medal of Valor from Adonis, talking to guards was still nerve-wracking.

“Sorry…” Tina apologized, her head bowed. She looked like she had her ears flat and her tail between her legs.

“Alright, alright. It was an accident. Or rather, it wasn’t your fault, Tina. We know that wasn’t your real intention. Chloris and Enos feel the same, right?”

Yisi rested her hand on Tina’s white bonnet and patted it comfortingly.

“Do not arbitrarily take the blame for others. That is all.”

“Mmph. Stole my line.” Tiffany’s mouth bent into a ‘へ’ shape.

“Although I don’t know why Mama said it was an accident… if it wasn’t on purpose… I guess we don’t need to mind…”

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“Mhm. Let’s just move on. Margaret is right up ahead. They have cake and other desserts. You can eat your fill.”

As she spoke, Yisi pointed to a building up ahead. Unlike the old, low-rise architecture of the Hels Kingdom, the Norta Empire mostly had newly constructed buildings of three stories or more. Workers could be seen repairing roads and building new houses. The whole city had a vibrant feel.

“Ah…” With an expression of disbelief, Mary, seeing the Margaret branch from a distance, stared wide-eyed and whispered, “Master… is Margaret this luxurious?”

“Extravagant.”

Just as Mary and Tiffany said, what appeared before them was a luxurious five-story building. Not only was the exterior painted white, but it was also covered in all kinds of reliefs. At first glance, it even gave the impression of a temple.

More importantly, they were currently in a remote back alley, looking at the back of the Margaret. If even the back was like this, it was hard to imagine how magnificent the front entrance was.

“Margaret? What is that place?”

“It’s a tavern that also sells boots and desserts. Well, looking at it now, it seems they probably offer lodging, too.”

After all, there’s no way all five floors are for drinking. The people of the Norta Empire are indeed wealthier than those in the Hels Kingdom, but Margaret isn’t cheap, either. Ordinary people don’t have that much spare cash.

According to Fran’s reports, the customers were mainly three types. First, wealthy nobles and merchants, who came not just to drink, but to network. Second, adventurers and commoners who had a big score and came to celebrate. Although they only came for promotions or a rare monster hunt, their sheer numbers made them the most common group. Third were the hopeless alcoholics, who would immediately exchange it for alcohol and drink it.. The customer is always right, but Yisi had clearly sensed Fran’s disdain for this group. According to Shinku, Fran’s father was an alcoholic, so Fran hated that type of person.

Let’s go around and see the front.

“Master, look over there!”

“Where?”

Following Mary’s finger, Yisi saw a group of people in tattered clothes, sitting or squatting by the back door of the Margaret. More than half of them were children or young adults. The [Omniscient Map] showed they all had the status of “slave.”

The Empire hasn’t abolished slavery, huh.

It was worth noting that although they had the usual malnourished look of slaves, their faces held no despair. On the contrary, their expressions gave Yisi the feeling that they were waiting, or perhaps… expecting something.

What are they waiting for?

Yisi raised an eyebrow.