Chapter 102.1: side story 10

It seemed that Vandalieu had undergone a Job-change to Guider.

The Job that was a requirement of being a champion, the Job that Bellwood and Zakkart had acquired.

It was difficult to believe, but it was true.

But the situation that he had caused as a result of acquiring the Job was even more difficult to believe.

"To think that he would guide people to Vida's circle of transmigration system exactly as they are!"

Rodcorte could not suppress his shuddering as he struggled to deal with the errors that were occurring in unison.

Vida's races such as Vampires and Ghouls had been converting people to members of their own races using rituals. These rituals involved giving their own blood to these new members or submerging them for days in mud mixed with their own blood; they differed depending on the race. But these methods all took a great deal of time and effort.

And the charm of changing race usually did not overcome the people's fear of such a change. Alda and the other gods had taught them to fear it.

Vampires could acquire near-infinite lifespans, but they would become unable to walk beneath the sun ever again. And most would be opposed to having to slurp the blood of others in order to survive.

And other races such as Ghouls, Scylla, Lamias and Arachne had remarkably different appearances from ordinary people, so it was natural for people to fear and avoid such changes.

Alda had focused on making sure that the anecdotes of saints, epic poems about heroes and myths about himself would spread and make the people hesitant about becoming members of Vida's races.

These were more exaggerated than similar stories on Earth; Vampires would be rejected by maidens that they desired as their brides and fall to ruin, crying words of grief such as, "So you would choose the sun over me as well?"

The fact that some still chose to become members of Vida's races of their own will was a headache-inducing problem, but that was a mild pain compared to what was happening right now.

Vandalieu had undergone a Job-change to the Demon Guider Job and started to unconsciously guide the people. To Vida's circle of transmigration system!

The human and Dwarf citizens of Talosheim had already been transferred to Vida's transmigration system without their races ever changing.

The reason that Vandalieu was guiding his citizens to Vida's circle of transmigration system was likely because he had been taken into Vida's system himself.

This was a dreadful situation for Rodcorte, just like the pseudo-reincarnations that Vandalieu had been conducting.

"As their races have not changed, the people have no clue whatsoever as to what has happened to them. Only us gods know the secrets of the circles of transmigration, and, of course, we cannot reveal those secrets."

The citizens of Talosheim had no way of knowing that the circle of transmigration system that they belonged to had changed. Even Vandalieu, who had guided them to the new system, was unaware.

For people, no visible ritual had been conducted, and no changes to their bodies or minds occurred despite being moved to another system, so they didn't know what had happened. And even if this became known to Alda and the gods who served him, it was unlikely that they would know what needed to be prohibited.

He would be left with no choice but extreme options such as declaring Vandalieu as an enemy of the gods and ordering the people to exterminate him.

This would make no difference to the current situation.

"As I thought, there is no choice but to erase Vandalieu."

Since he had become a Guider, Vandalieu would continue to guide others unconsciously. Not every person would respond to his guidance, but the high standards of living in Talosheim would be incredibly attractive to them.

In the end, as always, the only option that Rodcorte had was to erase Vandalieu.

"No, aren't there other options like trying to reconcile with him?" asked a voice.

"More importantly, there's something I don't understand. Why did we die?" asked another.

Two reincarnated individuals were looking at Rodcorte through half-closed eyes.

An earnest-looking woman, Shimada Izumi. A man with a somewhat vacant-looking face, Machida Aran. The two of them had suddenly died and found themselves here; Aran had not even been aware that he had died.

They had been watching Rodcorte for a while as he groaned to himself for reasons that they didn't really understand.

The two of them didn't know the specific details of the circle of transmigration systems, but they could understand that the god before them had come to a conclusion through some very extreme thought processes.

"Shimada-san, do you know what happened?" asked Aran.

"Hey you, what did you do with your Calculation, your only redeeming feature? Or should I call it Laplace's Demon?" said Izumi.

Aran's cheat-like ability was Calculation, which had also been known by its codename, Laplace's Demon, in Origin. This ability gave him computational power on the level of a supercomputer, or perhaps even greater. As long as he had enough information, he could even predict the future to a certain extent.

"Don't be so unreasonable," Aran protested. "What are you trying to ask me to calculate when I've got no information to work with?"

If he didn't have enough information, super-advanced calculations such as predicting the future was impossible. Also, these calculations were only calculations, nothing more. They were vulnerable to errors due to unexpected and unknown situations.

"I suppose that the only thing I know is that I wasn't killed by you, Shimada-san?" he said tentatively.

"You're right about that," said Izumi. "You were killed in an explosion. A string of hand grenades came flying from the wall, and that was it. I was further away so I didn't die instantly, but it seems that I lost consciousness before I could cast any spells and died soon afterwards."

"Ah, what's known as 'near-instantaneous death*?'"

"Yes, near-instantaneous death."

TLN*: This appears to be an obscure Japanese phrase.

"Then the ones who did it are... Murakami's group? If grenades came through the wall, I'd have thought it was Kanata, but he's already dead," said Aran.

"What about the intelligence agencies of each nation?" Izumi suggested. "My ability is convenient, but it was hated by many, so I think it's possible. Now that I think about it, Hiroto's ideals are a problem as well."

"They're working as an NGO that doesn't belong to any specific organization or government," said Aran. "We acted like superheroes, so it's true that a lot of people liked us, but a lot of people hated us as well. Especially my Laplace's Demon and your Inspection, Shimada-san.

Shimada Izumi's cheat-like ability was Inspection, which allowed her to see through all kinds of falsehoods. It wasn't merely seeing through lies; she could see through every kind of disguise, forgery, CG footage and illusion.

She had often complained that this ability had made the magic shows that she had enjoyed on Earth very dull, however.

It had been Aran's Laplace's Demon and Izumi's Inspection that had allowed the capture of the Metamorph, Shihouin Mari.

But although the two of them possessed powerful abilities, they had little in the way of strength in combat. They both had considerable talent in magic, and they did receive training to some extent. However, they hadn't fought as combatants on the frontlines like Kanata and Mari.

That was why the two of them were never sent to dangerous places, being left to process information behind the scenes for the Bravers, but... it seemed that they had been targeted for this.

"But considering the method and timing... there isn't anyone among Murakami's group who has a similar ability to Kanata, is there?" said Aran.

"Probably not," said Izumi. "But maybe it's possible to achieve something similar by combining multiple abilities."

"Well, now that we've died, there's nothing that can be done even if we figure it out. Ah, if things were going to turn out like this, I should have eaten more fried chicken, pizza and Terra burgers."

"You're right, I would have liked to get married at least once... impossible. I can see through the lies of men, even if I don't want to."

The two of them were calm despite having just died, but this was the second time that they had died, and they had lived for forty-six years in total between their lives on Earth and in Origin. And since it had happened so suddenly, they hadn't had time to feel anger or regret.

And they were in the company of not the ones who had killed them, but each other, friends who had died together, so they weren't too upset.

Ah, it has restarted, Rodcorte thought as he looked up at Izumi and Aran. "So, about your next lives -"

He explained to them that they would reincarnate in Lambda, and that he wanted them to kill Vandalieu, just like he had done with Kanata.

Unlike Kanata, the two of them listened calmly. Even as they learned that the Undead that the Bravers had faced in Origin was Amamiya Hiroto and now Vandalieu, they didn't lose their composure.

"Absolutely not," Aran said flatly.

"In fact, I'd rather die than doing something that reckless," said Izumi.

"As I thought," said Rodcorte. Unlike the time with Kanata, he had been expecting them to refuse. Unlike Kanata, as well as Tanaka and the others who had died after him, these two were not suited for fighting at all.

It wasn't as if they didn't have any qualities for fighting whatsoever, but they had chosen a path in Origin other than training those powers and skills.

But feeling guilty of the sin of essentially having abandoned Vandalieu in Origin and considering the fact that he was originally a student attending the same school, Aran and Izumi were hesitant to simply refuse this request.

They could see that if they remained quiet, the other reincarnated individuals and Vandalieu would kill each other.

"Looking at what this person is doing, it's hard to even say what Amemiya­-san would do," said Izumi. "Even considering that we couldn't save him, if you apply the common sense and ethics of Earth and Origin, what this person is doing is..."

"Crime and terrorism," said Aran. "Of course, that's only if you apply the common sense and ethics of Earth and Origin. Especially the creation of Undead; it's an act that tramples on the sanctity of the dead before it's a crime of property damage."

Even from the viewpoints of Izumi and Aran, this was what Vandalieu was doing in Lambda. But never mind it being a different nation, this was an entirely different world. Considering that this was likely just how things had turned out when he had used death-attribute magic, and considering that he had no affinity for any other attribute, they couldn't condemn him unconditionally.

In fact, considering the way that Vandalieu had been treated in Origin, they even felt respect for his strength of will. At the very least, they themselves would have found it impossible to put the philosophy of, "The good you do to others is good that you do to yourself," into practice.

In fact, while Vandalieu had killed over a hundred people in the Hartner Duchy, he had saved over a thousand.

However, they couldn't be certain that the other reincarnated individuals would think the way that Izumi and Aran did. Amemiya and his followers likely wouldn't try to erase him right away, but...

"Now that we understand the situation, I'll ask one more time. Can't you reconcile and persuade him peacefully? He was originally a Japanese person, and given the information that you've given us, I think negotiating will be possible," said Izumi.

At the very least, it seemed that Vandalieu would listen to what had to be said. Though it also seemed likely that he would simply listen and walk away without saying anything afterwards.

Izumi and Aran hadn't been present when Vandalieu's second life came to an end, but from his point of view, that was likely incredibly close to being a similar offense.

"Shimada-san, how would you persuade him peacefully?" Aran asked.

"Well, convince him... though it doesn't seem like he would listen. How about things like offering him favorable conditions?" Izumi suggested.

"Can you think of any conditions that we and this god could offer him that would be favorable for him?"

"... I can't think of anything."

This was something that they had never thought about during the time that they had lived in Origin.

Forgiving small crimes, plea bargaining with the appropriate judicial branch, guaranteeing safety, reduction of prison sentences, release on parole. These were the primary methods that the Bravers had used to bargain with criminals, but... none of these had any meaning to Vandalieu, who had been reincarnated in Origin.

By offering a reconciliation, it might be possible to prevent a battle to the death between Vandalieu and the other reincarnated individuals. But it was unlikely that he would be able to stop creating Undead. The scales would be too unbalanced away from his favor.

Also, neither Izumi nor Aran had any connections or organizations now. Once they reincarnated in Lambda, they would just be individuals with special abilities.

Even if they were born into the royal family of a great nation or the family of a merchant with an enormous fortune, it would still take nearly two decades for them to rise to positions where they would have any political influence to speak of.

It was difficult to imagine that anything they could offer would be of any significance to Vandalieu.

"The only thing that I can think of is information about the other reincarnated individuals, but... giving that to him would be protecting ourselves rather than reconciling," said Aran.

"You're right. Then, what else..."

"Normally it would be money, a social position, honor or women. Is there anything else?"

Though its population was small, Vandalieu was already the ruler of his own nation. His citizens gave him their absolute support, and he was served by countless members of the opposite sex. Was there anything that could be offered that would convince him peacefully and allow a reconciliation between him and Rodcorte?

"It's impossible," Izumi concluded.

"You're right," Aran agreed. "Even if we told him that we would serve him with our powers, it seems like he would just tell us, 'It's troublesome so I don't need you.'"

"Yes... considering that's how he is."

The biggest problem for a peaceful persuasion and reconciliation was Vandalieu's emotions towards the reincarnated individuals.

If they were compulsive emotions like hatred and a desire to kill, the two of them would still have some hope. According to Rodcorte's information, Vandalieu was rational, or he was at least trying to be. That was why Izumi and Aran, who hadn't directly caused Vandalieu any harm, might have been able to negotiate with Vandalieu, depending on how they approached him.

But the emotions that Vandalieu felt towards the reincarnated individuals were unhappiness and disgust.

They were simply troublesome and it was tedious for Vandalieu to even become involved with them. They were bothersome and an eyesore, so he didn't want to see them or have anything to do with them. Considering how he had treated Kanata, this was how he felt.

Simply having anything to do with Izumi and Aran would be unpleasant for Vandalieu.

"What other... oh yeah, can't you resurrect his mother who gave birth to him in Lambda?" Aran suggested. "You're a god, aren't you?"

"That is impossible," said Rodcorte.

"No, I mean, the rules aren't meant to be bent, but can't you make an exception in this case?"

"It is not a problem with the rules; it is simply impossible."

It seemed that Aran had assumed that the reason Rodcorte refused to resurrect a dead person was because there were rules that gods were not supposed to interfere directly with the world, but Rodcorte was simply unable to resurrect Darcia, Vandalieu's mother.

Darcia was a Dark Elf, a being who would be reincarnated by Vida's circle of transmigration system. Rodcorte could not directly intervene.

Rodcorte could not mention these circumstances to humans, even if they were reincarnated individuals, so Izumi and Aran were not convinced. But they saw that Rodcorte had no intention of saying any more, so they started considering other ideas.

But no bright ideas occurred to them. In the end, they settled on a very simple plan to convince Vandalieu.

They would appeal to his emotions. It was like bringing the relatives of hostage-holding criminals in order to appeal to them.

"What do you think, Shimada-san?" asked Aran. "He was your classmate, wasn't he?"

"... I don't think he had any friends; even I wasn't his friend," said Izumi. "It was over twenty years ago, so I'm not certain, but I don't remember ever seeing him talking to anyone."

As her image would suggest, Shimada Izumi had been a class representative on Earth, but she had almost no memories of Vandalieu, who had been known as Amamiya Hiroto back then.

He hadn't caused any problems, but he hadn't been particularly exceptional, either. He had never become involved with any other students. He had been a boy who was always a part of the background.

Though Izumi searched her memories, the only thing that she could remember was that she didn't remember anything about him.

If there was anything that could work, it would be Naruse Narumi, whom Vandalieu had risked his life to try and save before he died on Earth, but... Izumi hesitated to suggest that they bring her up. She had been among those who dealt the final blow to him in Origin, and there was no telling whether he had any interest in her now.

"So, someone in Origin who could persuade Vandalieu... there aren't any, are there?" said Izumi.

"Have you been listening to me?" Rodcorte asked her.

"Sorry, it was just a wild idea. Forget it," said Izumi.

"I will answer you just in case," said Rodcorte. "He did not have a single family member, friend or lover."

"As I thought."

It was obvious that the father and mother who had sold Vandalieu in Origin would not be suitable for persuading him.

There were those involved in the research laboratory, but Vandalieu had killed as many of them as possible after being killed and becoming an Undead himself.

"The only ones left are the members of the Eighth Guidance, but... they're hostile towards us," said Aran.

"They wouldn't cooperate with us, would they," Izumi said in agreement.

The leader of the Eighth Guidance, the girl who had been rescued by the Undead Amamiya Hiroto, was a self-proclaimed priestess of death who called herself Pluto. She had made it clear through her criminal acts that she held a fierce hatred for the Bravers and agencies that conducted research into the death attribute.

The reason she had accepted Murakami and several other former Bravers as allies despite this was unknown, but it was unlikely that she had been uninvolved in Izumi and Aran's deaths.

She and the other central members of her organization formed what was more of a cult-like group of fanatics than a terrorist organization. Even if she was killed and brought here, it was unlikely that she would cooperate with the reincarnated individuals.

"It is possible that she could be used as a hostage against Vandalieu, so I am planning to summon her here when she dies, however," said Rodcorte.

Izumi and Aran looked at each other.

Isn't this guy way too cowardly for a god?

Maybe he's cowardly because he's a god.

Being a god, Rodcorte overheard this silent exchange between the two, but just like Kanata, he paid no heed to them.

"Then isn't there anyone on Earth who could persuade him? Ah, on second thought, you don't have to answer. Show us our records and we'll use that to decide," said Izumi.

"Also, can you make it so that we can use our abilities?" asked Aran. "I think it will help somewhat."

"Very well," Rodcorte replied.

Izumi and Aran looked at the video and audio information from Earth that was given to them by Rodcorte to see if there was anyone who could possibly persuade Vandalieu.

Among the other high school students who had survived the school field trip, there was... nobody. There were none among the upperclassmen and underclassmen who hadn't been on the field trip, either. Because he had been working a part-time job, Amamiya Hiroto hadn't taken part in any club or committee activities, so he hadn't been acquainted with anyone other than his classmates.

As for the place that he worked at... he had only performed work such as organizing endless piles of letters, early-morning paper deliveries and handing out leaflets - work that didn't really provide any proper human interactions. It seemed that he hadn't had any dependable senpais, close co-workers or kouhais, either.

Deciding to go further back in time, Izumi and Aran searched further to see if there was anyone from his middle school days... and found themselves feeling dizzy, as if they would be overwhelmed by the total lack of human relationships.

When they checked the records of his elementary school days, they really were overwhelmed by the total lack of human relationships and began to feel headaches.

"... He had quite a miserable childhood," said Izumi.

"Continuing on and on with a 'dark school life that can be found anywhere' that isn't grand or dramatically horrible is amazing in its own way, isn't it?" said Aran. "But seeing how he was in high school, you'd have never imagined how he behaved and talked as an elementary school kid."

Normally, people would have at least a single new person in their lives, but Amamiya Hiroto didn't have a single one in his entire lifetime. Of course, it wasn't as if everyone had bullied him, but just because they didn't bully him didn't mean that they were on good terms with him. He had been someone who was part of the background. Just like he had been in high school.

Now that they had come this far, they had a bad feeling about this and felt that there was no other option but to look at the records from Amamiya Hiroto's family.

"Seeing his suspicious behavior as a child, I can guess what we're going to see, but..." Aran murmured. As he looked at the record, he saw that his suspicions were on the mark.

But without giving up, he saw that the uncle and his wife who had adopted Amamiya Hiroto, and his younger cousin, were still alive. Thinking that perhaps they had changed their ways and they could perhaps apologize to Vandalieu in order to help convince him, Aran looked through their records as well.

What he saw was pitiful.

After Amamiya Hiroto had died in the incident, his uncle's family took the money from his life insurance, the entirety of the fortune left behind by Hiroto's parents and the condolence money that people had given them to live even more luxurious lives than before.

However, starting with this money, their business failed. The project that they started to try and recoup these losses also failed. This process repeated itself several times and, in the end, they gradually lost their fortune.

Once their financial situation worsened, the uncle and his wife began to abuse their own son. They were unable to maintain their sanity now that Amamiya Hiroto, their punching bag, was gone.

They had still managed while they were still wealthy, but now that they were at the end of their rope, they needed a target to take out their stress on. As Amamiya Hiroto was dead, their son had been chosen as their new punching bag.

Of course, their son did not quietly accept his fate as a punching bag. Unlike Amamiya Hiroto, who had been treated as such since childhood, he was already a university student by the time this had happened. He left the house and distanced himself from his parents.

And so the family separated. Now that his outlet for stress was gone, the uncle began harassing his subordinates horribly at his company, and him being sued for this was the final straw. Now that they had lost their entire fortune, he and his wife divorced.

After that, the uncle became homeless. His ex-wife managed to live on welfare for a while, but was then arrested for theft. After that, she went in and out of prison for theft and other petty crimes.

Ironically, their son got the live-in job that Amamiya Hiroto would likely have taken after graduating high school, barely managing to earn enough to sustain himself. But he never worked seriously, so he was still doing subordinate work.

It was likely that a few years after the uncle turned cold on some unknown roadside, it would be his son's turn to live on the streets.

The only thing that they had in common was that they both whispered to themselves, "I want to go back in time." They wanted to go back to after Amamiya Hiroto had died and they were able to spend their large sums of money as they pleased.

Seeing these records, Izumi and Aran were at their wits' end.

"Even if we had them meet Vandalieu after they died, it doesn't seem likely that they would sincerely apologize to him," said Izumi.

"They might apologize insincerely, since he's a powerful person now," said Aran.

In any case, it didn't seem like they would be useful to persuade Vandalieu.

"But considering how miserable he was, I admire him for not being in despair and hanging himself before dying on the ferry," said Aran. "He was surprisingly positive and forward-thinking."

"So it seems," said Izumi. "But it's strange that he became so popular as soon as his third life began. It's not as if he suddenly learned communication skills. If he could do that, he would have made at least one friend on Earth."

The truth was that the circumstances seen in the records of Vandalieu's past on Earth and the circumstances in Lambda were completely different. Vandalieu had been surrounded by people who were his enemies and people who were not his enemies. In Lambda, he had many enemies, but he also had many allies.

It was hard to imagine that they were simply after Vandalieu's power, either.

Aran responded to Izumi's doubts.

"It's probably the effect of that Death-Attribute Charm skill," he said. "From what we've seen in the records, the way he treats people hasn't changed much from when he was on Earth. It seems that he's still not good at getting closer to others on his own, either. But I think he had a similar ability in Origin as well. That would explain why the Eighth Guidance are so fanatical."

"I see... it's no wonder he's loved by the Undead," said Izumi.

They had come to a conclusion as to why Vandalieu had such rich human (?) relations in Lambda, but the situation that they were in had not changed at all.

"I'll ask just in case. Isn't there any way we can have his real parents from Earth persuade him?" Izumi asked.

She was asking whether it was possible for Rodcorte to summon the only people who had ever shown love for Amamiya Hiroto on Earth, the ones who had died in an accident before they knew what was going on. But as expected, the answer was not a good one.

"Amamiya Hiroto's parents on Earth have already been reincarnated," said Rodcorte. "They have lost memories of their previous lives and are now living their new lives in separate places. If you still think it is wise, I can summon them here when they die."

"Ah, that would be meaningless," Izumi said.

In Rodcorte's circle of transmigration system, there was no heaven or hell. It was normal for people to be reincarnated straight away once they died.

Thus, Vandalieu's original parents, the only people that he might possibly feel a desire to meet, had long since lost their memories and been reborn as completely different people.

"Just to be sure, where are his parents and what are they doing?" asked Aran.

"His father has been reborn as a single mother who is managing a restaurant in France while raising her two children," said Rodcorte. "His mother is being raised."

"R-raised?" Aran repeated.

"In a certain household, as a pet tortoise."

As to be expected with reincarnation. People could be reborn with not only a different race and gender, but even as a member of a different species.

"Th-this is hopeless," said Aran. "Shimada-san, let's give up on this."

"Wait, Aran," said Izumi. "Isn't your favorite saying, 'No matter what, there is always a way?!' What about your Calculation?!"

"I've been using it for a while, but there's almost no chance of persuading him," said Aran. "If the two of us beg for mercy or make a promise not to harm him, our chance of success is almost a hundred percent, but..."

Rodcorte looked at the two of them and thought that it would be best to not have them reincarnate in Lambda. He had known that they were unlikely to become assassins for him, but not only would they not get involved with Vandalieu, they were likely to become hindrances for the other reincarnated individuals.

But it was impossible to have them reincarnate anywhere but Lambda now. He didn't even consider cursing them like he had done with Vandalieu. If he did, it would only give them more reason to become Vandalieu's allies.

It was possible to completely erase their memories and personalities before reincarnating them, but Rodcorte had a far better idea.

"Then how about you do not reincarnate and become my Familiar Spirits instead?" he suggested.

This idea was to make these two his Familiar Spirits. Hearing this, Izumi and Aran looked up at Rodcorte with suspicious expressions.

Normally, one would feel honored to be spoken to personally by a god. But it seemed that Rodcorte's image in the minds of these two had already collapsed.

"Familiar Spirits? Are you telling us to become nuns?" asked Izumi.

"No, Familiar Spirits are not clergymen or followers," said Rodcorte. "Perhaps it will be easier for you to understand if I described them as angels."

"Describe them with more simple terms," said Aran.

"... Assistants, support staff, system engineers."

These were the descriptions that Rodcorte gave when he complied with Aran's request. There was no mystery or divinity to these descriptions, but this was the truth, so there was no helping it.

Aran looked dejected upon hearing this answer, but Izumi's expression stiffened and she asked another question.

"What would change by us becoming Familiar Spirits? Can you influence our wills and actions as you please?"

"You will ascend to become living beings with no physical bodies... you can interpret this as a transformation," said Rodcorte. "I have no intention of restricting the freedom of your thoughts and actions, but I will punish you if you act disloyally."

"I see... In other words, it's like being employed at a company," said Izumi. "Other than the fact that we probably can't return to being humans again. So, what do you want to make us do?"

"Assist in the transportation of souls in Lambda, Earth and Origin through the circles of transmigration," said Rodcorte.

Rodcorte was trying to turn Shimada Izumi and Machida Aran into his Familiar Spirits and have them support his circle of transmigration system. With this, they would never become involved with anyone whose soul didn't return to the circle of transmigration, let alone Vandalieu.

Even if they were on Vandalieu's side in their minds, they wouldn't be able to do anything for him.

In fact, they would not be performing any hostile acts that would cause Vandalieu harm, so Rodcorte thought that it would be easier for them to agree to this.

And it was also true that Rodcorte had been wanting support personnel to help him deal with the errors that Vandalieu had been causing.

Izumi and Aran looked at each other and discussed this, but it seemed that they had come to a conclusion very quickly.

"Alright," said Izumi.

"It's out-of-character for me to be an angel, but I want to see Murakami and the others' faces when they come here, too," said Aran.

The two of them agreed to become Rodcorte's Familiar Spirits.

As long as immortality did not exist, their fellow Bravers would come to this place once they died in Origin. Other than being able to warn them not to do anything reckless, they believed that this was for both Earth and Origin's sakes.

It seemed that Rodcorte felt no sense of danger, but if he continued to aim for Vandalieu's life, it was certain that one of them would eventually die or end up in a state very close to death.

But Rodcorte governed the circles of transmigration in not only Lambda, but Izumi and Aran's homeworld of Earth, and Origin as well. These could not be allowed to stop.

They had to make sure that the circles of transmigration in Earth and Origin would continue functioning even if something happened to Rodcorte.

That was what the two of them had decided to do.

Of course, Rodcorte understood these intentions, but as he didn't feel any risk that his own life would be in danger, he decided that these two would actually be more useful if they became capable of doing these things, so he turned them into his Familiar Spirits.

"Now then, I, Rodcorte, the god of reincarnation, shall make you two my Familiar Spirits," Rodcorte declared. "Be sure to work hard from now on."

As particles of light fell from his raised hands and poured onto Izumi and Aran, they ascended to greater beings. And then the two of them had this thought:

At least we're divine in appearance. Even though we're just support staff.