Do you remember the organization known as the Church?
The Yustia Kingdom's sole and greatest religious institution.
Its origins were ancient. Its history was said to have begun at nearly the same time as the founding of the kingdom,
and the power it had accumulated over those long years was immense.
It was the organization to which Second Princess Laila, Pope Ortesia, and the archbishops led by Johan belonged—
an entity that wielded power even the royal family could not ignore.
With Pope Ortesia's betrayal, compounded by Ermes and his group slaying the archbishops, it had effectively collapsed.
At the same time, events of far greater consequence had unfolded, so this too had been all but forgotten by Ermes and the rest—
The selection of Bloodline Magic, the references to Liliana. The "Shrine Maiden"—various mysteries whose truth still remained unknown.
Above all. The most critical, the greatest "mystery" of all still lingered, concerning the Church. That was—
The Church as an organization—
Who
,
for what purpose
,
and how was it created
?
"The Fourth Genesis Magic—'◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎'"
...Was not something that could be answered so easily.
I couldn't believe what I had just heard—the name of that magic.
"The Fourth...?"
What Crono had spoken of was supposed to be the Sixth Genesis Magic.
Was this something separate? No—more fundamentally, why was she able to use that magic?
What exactly was this being before me, wearing Liliana's face?
As Ermes' mind was consumed by questions, the one wearing Liliana's face turned toward her.
"...Shall we talk for a moment?"
The voice carried a strange, somehow unsettling cadence as it delivered those words.
...There was no refusing. Ermes had far too many things she wanted to know, and above all—
"!" "Damn it..." "Hey—!" "..."
The people around her as well.
Rose, Lucius—even Laplace and Crono himself, none of them could move.
Because of what *she*—this being in Liliana's form—was emanating.
Immense magic power. Unbelievable pressure. An oppressive force so overwhelming that even Crono, who should have been on equal footing, faded into insignificance—something that could never be explained by the mere fact of having activated Genesis Magic.
——
To resist
was absolutely not permitted.
.
Yes—as if transcending both reason and emotion, it compelled that thought. If *she*, who emanated an unknowable force that could only be called divine authority, said she wished to talk—
Then there was no choice but to obey. Everyone present had, inevitably, arrived at that conclusion.
"......!"
That said, it was obviously impossible to remain silent.
Forcing her unnervingly drying mouth to move, Ermes managed to form words.
"Then, let me ask once more, properly this time. ...Who are you...?
...No. That may be a rude question, but what exactly... are *you*?"
"Wonderful. You've already realized I'm not human, then."
The being before her smiled—an otherworldly, transcendent smile that seemed to brush aside any hint of impropriety.
"As you've guessed. I am... well, it's difficult to articulate precisely, but..."
"......"
"First, are you aware that this world was created by a god?"
"Yes. If one studies magic, one eventually comes to understand that such a being exists."
"How lovely. I had assumed that knowledge would have been forgotten as the ages turned. To think there are still those who can reach that understanding through the study of magic—it is truly a joy."
This being was, for some reason, favorable toward Ermes. Whether that was a good thing or not remained unclear, but at the very least it would be useful for this conversation.
Having made that judgment, Ermes steeled herself and listened intently.
"I am not that god itself. Like you, I too was created by that god—but given a body slightly different from yours as humans, along with a special role befitting it."
"......"
"Let me see. If I were to use your own words, the closest term would be 'angel.'"
...Before the being she would tentatively call an "angel," Ermes pressed further.
"That, um, 'role' of yours—what is it exactly?"
"──Collection. The collection of magic."
And the "angel" made this declaration.
"The ancestor of Yustia. The human who served as the progenitor of your lineage.
──
It is the reclamation of the Creation Magic
that was stolen
from our God."
...Something was...
...clicking into place. She could feel it.
"St-stolen...?"
"Yes. ...Well, let me explain in order. First, the origins of this nation, and the origins of 'magic'."
This "angel's" intentions remained opaque. All the more reason to gather information first.
If the other party was willing to talk, there was no reason to stop it. Above all, this "angel" most likely held the most critical information of all. If that was the case, then so much the better.
"Far in the distant past, you humans did not possess 'magic.' You lived in contentment through the magic wielded by our God, and through the divine blessings bestowed upon a select few of you."
"..."
"...However, certain humans found even that insufficient. They wanted to wield the same power that the gods and we ourselves commanded. They wanted to manipulate flames at will, to know efficient techniques for hunting prey, to take to the sky, to freely create things of their own making."
It was a longing she recognized. A wish that had given birth to magic itself.
"They yearned for it, but such feats were utterly beyond the scope of human power alone. And so what caught their eyes was..."
"The magic wielded by the gods, and by beings such as yourselves?"
"Yes. And so, they *stole* it. With cunning and silver tongues, they deceived our God and claimed the seven spells of divine authority ─ the magic used to create and govern the world ─ for their own hands."
That was Creation Magic.
The origin of all seven spells — the magic that built the world.
"However… need I even say it? That was 'magic meant for the gods.' No mortal could ever hope to wield it. So, upon learning of it, humanity split into two paths."
"Two…?"
"Yes. The first were the greedy souls who nonetheless schemed to lay hands on Creation Magic. The masterminds who stole the divine spells were at the heart of that effort. What was born as a result was…"
External magical support devices — devices that supplemented something beyond one's own physical body. The very
Ancient magical tools
he'd heard so much about. So those were the prototypes from which all magical tools descended.
"And the other approach… was those who accepted that wielding divine magic was impossible and instead sought to create 'magic for humanity.' An attempt to read divine magic and, with their own hands, reproduce the tiny fraction of it they could understand. What emerged from that effort was—"
At that point, there was no need for her to finish.
"The spells we wield today. The forerunners of Bloodline Magic — is that it?"
"Precisely. Human magic was born that way… and how it came to be passed down through bloodlines — you already know that story, I imagine."
He now understood how 'magic' had come into existence.
It was information he was hearing for the first time, but he had already pieced together a fair amount of it on his own, so the revelation wasn't particularly shocking. Which meant it was time to move on.
"I understand the process of the 'usurpation.' …Then tell me — why are you, 'Angel' — so determined to reclaim it? From what I've gathered, your dedication to this cause borders on obsession."
At the same time, another recollection surfaced — also from Rose.
After the incident in the Hidden Sanctum, when Creation Magic had been mentioned, she had uttered certain words.
*'I can't say.'*
*'There's a chance I'm being listened to. By an existence I can't locate or determine how it's hiding.'*
*'It's normally harmless — their only interest lies in that magic. But the moment they hear even a whisper of it, they'll cross the ends of the earth to seize it.'*
Piecing together her account with what the 'Angel' before him had just said about recovering Creation Magic, he could only conclude that this was exactly the kind of entity Rose had warned him about.
Then he had no choice but to ask why they were so obsessed with Creation Magic.
In response to Ermes's question, the 'Angel' spoke reverently.
"……After your ancestors stole Creation Magic from God—"
And so, it began its account.
"To our great astonishment, 'God' offered no real resistance. Even after it was taken, He never tried to reclaim it — despite having enough power left to do so.
If anything……after that, He vanished without telling anyone anything."
"……"
"We were bewildered. Why had God permitted the usurpation? Why had He done nothing afterward? We thought and thought……and at last, we arrived at an answer."
A faint smile crossed its face as it placed a hand over its chest.
"God—
had entrusted this world to us.
With Himself gone, He placed this world in the care of us, the beings who stood second only to Him."
"——"
"Having grasped God's divine will, we set about our task. First and foremost, we would reclaim that magic — Creation Magic, which humanity was never meant to possess — and take it into our own hands on God's behalf."
What followed was the foundation of this entire nation — the transition from myth to history that most humans never knew, and the hidden machinations of inhuman beings that lurked behind it all.
"What we needed to address urgently was the matter of ourselves. Unlike you humans, we 'Angels' do not possess physical bodies. We are something akin to an extension of the magic God wielded. Consequently, once our caster was gone, we were destined to vanish before long."
"……And how did you reverse that?"
"The answer should be right before your eyes, shouldn't it?"
The 'Angel' offered a gentle smile through Liliana's face.
"We 'possess' human vessels. By taking a human body as our anchor, we acquired the means to continue existing in the mortal world. Under normal circumstances, we suppress our magic power and enter a dormant state; we manifest only when necessary, and in that way we are able to persist within this world."
"......"
"That said, there were several problems. First, since we couldn't remain manifested at all times, there was nothing we could do during the rest of the time. We needed proxies — agents who would carry out the preparations for retrieval on our behalf."
"......You've already figured it out, haven't you? What we created for that purpose was the 'Church.'"
The pieces were connecting.
The information that had been fragmented until now was taking on a single shape.
"Even in our absence, there are servants of God who work toward the fulfillment of our grand wish. That gathering is the Church, and its two primary objectives are: gathering information for the retrieval of the Genesis Magic, and the selection of vessels."
"Selection?"
"Yes. ......The unfortunate truth was, it wasn't the case that just anyone could serve as a vessel."
The Angel spoke as though she were genuinely troubled by this.
Terrifyingly human-like, yet devoid of guilt — and all the more eerie for it.
"Two main conditions were required. First, possessing a body with relatively high affinity. This wasn't a problem, since the bloodline of the Yustia royal family at the time was such. ......The issue was the second condition—"
"That they must not"
"possess"
"Bloodline Magic."
"......Why Bloodline Magic, of all things?"
"Well... how should I put it? Think of it as a matter of 'capacity.' The space we need in order to possess a human is already occupied by Bloodline Magic."
......It made sense, on an intuitive level.
After all, Bloodline Magic was itself the act of placing magic within a human body. And since Angels were also beings akin to magic, it stood to reason that they would "compete for the same space."
At the same time, this also connected to what had been revealed in the Sealed Sanctuary.
This kingdom had originally discriminated terribly against those who lacked Bloodline Magic. And yet, the people of the royal family alone not only had their evaluation completely reversed, but were even told to "treat them more reverently than the king" — this was the reason why.
That was it — the vessel needed for the "Angel," the founder of the Church.
...That was precisely why she had been called the "Miko."
"...I see. I understand the broad strokes."
"Yes. And so the Church was built, and has endured to this day...At last, the preparations are complete, and on this very day, I have succeeded in manifesting."
So saying, the Angel surveyed her surroundings — the mages gathered there, beyond just Ermes.
"It seems the wait has been worthwhile. —Oh, how wonderful!"
She declared this with an expression of pure joy, almost rapturous to behold.
"Right here, many fragments of Creation Magic have gathered! Starting with the complete"
Sixth
"— that is where it begins. The completed vessel of the"
First
", and though still incomplete, the vessel of the"
Second
". Furthermore — it doesn't seem to be here now, but recently...up until just yesterday, I could sense the presence of the"
Third
"!"
"...!"
"In addition, if I include the"
Fourth
"— the only one I was able to recover — then here, we have clues to five of the seven Creation Magics! How wonderful — the wait has been rewarded!"
Just like that, the "Angel" spoke as if describing a bright future.
"If we can recover the five Creation Magics, using that power to recover the remaining two will follow swiftly. The divine age that should be, the world we must reclaim — it is almost within reach!"
Having said all of that, she turned her gaze once more toward Ermes and spoke.
"The fact that we've achieved this much... is thanks to you. Ermes, the boy who possesses no Bloodline Magic."
"Huh...?"
"The moment I possessed this body, I was able to share a certain degree of memories from its owner. ...You did well to bring this child all this way."
She then directed a smile brimming with the deepest, most tender affection toward Ermes.
"Thanks to you and the wizards who rallied around you, the scheme of those who would wield the Creation Magics for evil purposes has been shattered. ...You've all done wonderfully until now. You must have endured terrible pain. You must have seen things you never wanted to see."
It was just like an angel guiding a lost lamb — acknowledging the righteous, accepting them, embracing everything and bestowing peace.
"You need not worry any longer. I will inherit the Creation Magics. What remains is only the Bloodline Magic. As the new hero who saved this kingdom, you shall join hands with us, the 'Angels'—"
She spread her arms wide, radiating a beauty too divine, too resplendent.
And spoke thus.
"And now—
Every last evil
Bloodline Magic
shall be
annihilated!"
"—"
The source of that eerie sensation she had felt all along—
In that instant, it took on a definite shape.
I was able to recover quite a lot. How did you like it?
Next time, the terror of the "Angel" will bare its fangs. I hope you'll read it!