The sensation of my mind floating upward.
Following the thread of divine power, I was certain that my consciousness had arrived where it wished to go.
An endless sea of divine power.
Yet just because I call it a sea does not mean it is blue.
It is dazzling, but it does not make me squint.
Only the brilliant hue that forms that sea rushes straight into my mind.
In the vast ocean made of divine power, great and small swells surge and roll, and at times they even spill over the vessel.
The divine power that spills outside the vessel here is the entirety of the strength I can handle. Like this, even with an open, boundless sea in my arms, I can only deal with its dregs.
‘That’s how it’s been until now. Until now.’
Even that alone was a considerable power in its own right. I could do things no one else could, and I could perform miracles.
But is that really enough?
Even now, to purify a handful of Mimic Beasts, I have to spend a whole day unconscious.
Of course I have grown compared to before, but compared to the hardships I will have to face in the future, I am still far too weak.
The same goes for my other abilities.
The power to heal wounds and protect the mind. It is certainly pushing me forward, but compared to the state of the world, it is pathetically feeble.
‘…I got lost in thought.’
Perhaps facing such a vast sea had suddenly brought a surge of self-loathing over me.
The self-loathing of wondering why, even with something so immense, this was all I could do.
But I remember.
The demon said that if I became an archangel, more authority would open to me.
It meant that even if I could not wield this power completely, I would be able to handle it to some extent as I wished.
Of course, unlike the demon’s expectations, the divine power had become wholly mine… but the meaning should be more or less the same.
So.
‘I have to become an archangel.’
That is the path I must walk.
Steeling my heart like that, I recalled what the being of light had said to me.
—Do you not find it strange? If what I say is true, the divine power should be entirely yours. And yet it is contained in the organ you are least familiar with.
After hearing those words, I came to observe the sea of divine power within the Halo.
Because I had an inkling of what those words meant, I had come here at once, but…
‘That doesn’t mean I’m completely convinced.’
To begin with, divine power is no different from the Halo.
Just as the Halo was an organ that appeared in me at some point, divine power, too, appeared in me at some point. What difference is there?
A power that appeared one day was contained in an organ that appeared one day.
It would not be strange to judge it that way. It would not, but.
‘It does feel distant to think of it as wholly mine.’
To begin with, until the being of light told me, I had never once thought that divine power was mine.
Since it was hard to handle it as I wished in the first place, I naturally thought someone was lending it to me.
‘…But.’
That was not the case.
According to the being of light, the divine power had become entirely mine.
Then why am I unable to properly handle a power that is wholly mine?
Why do I instead end up being swayed by that power?
I went over the being of light’s words again.
The divine power is entirely mine.
But the place where it is contained is the organ I am least familiar with, the Halo.
However, as I said earlier, there is a flaw in those words.
‘Still, there must be a reason they said it that way.’
I can guess the reason. To some extent.
Otherwise, I would not have come to observe the sea of divine power immediately in the middle of our conversation.
That reason is…
‘I haven’t accepted it. That was the problem.’
I became an angel overnight.
The power given to me, the appearance I have, my body, and even my mission were all things given to me overnight.
And from the point when all of that changed, only a single month has barely passed.
I, I…
I am still not used to my body. I have accepted wearing women’s underwear, but it is still hard to hold back a sigh every time.
I also resent this body that has become as frail as it possibly could. Where did my tall stature go? Now only this short, stubby body remains.
Then what did I receive in exchange for having all of that taken from me?
The wings that newly sprouted from me are no different from decoration. I cannot fly, and all they do is flap.
In truth, even flapping them is not easy. They have been placed under my body’s command, yet they feel as though they are not mine.
And…
‘The Halo.’
This, too, is the same.
Though I know in my head that this originated from me, I likewise thought of it as something that was not mine.
I still had not accepted at all that the Halo was mine, that it was a part of me.
The contradictory situation of it being my body, yet being unable to regard it as my body.
That is the reason, and that is why there is a flaw in the being of light’s words.
‘…….’
I reached out to the sea of divine power and scooped some up.
That surging energy is heavier than mercury.
This power, like a vast ocean, is wholly mine.
To me, that responsibility was heavier than anything.
If this power truly had been nothing special, and if I could use it only selfishly… I would not have felt this weight.
But they say that with great power comes great responsibility.
‘…I wasn’t ready to accept that responsibility.’
I never chose to receive this power.
This power was, quite literally, given to me suddenly one day.
Along with great power, I was also given great responsibility.
With my own will pushed aside.
I was confused, and because I was confused, I could not accept it, but…
‘…Well. Does that mean I won’t take it?’
So will I not accept it? If you ask me that, the answer is no.
That responsibility is burdensome, but how much have I been given in return?
Right now, I will be able to protect my family amid this calamity. Even if I do not think altruistically, I should be able to earn as much money as I want.
This power is far too precious to give up simply because I fear responsibility.
That is what my greed is like. Even knowing that an enormous responsibility will be placed upon me, I still cannot give up the power because I covet it.
That is why I have been wavering all this time, and because of that, I could not accept it. I could not make a clear choice.
‘But now the time has come to be certain.’
Will I accept the power along with the responsibility, or will I live the life of an ordinary man?
I have agonized over it so much until now, but…
Thinking about it now, there was really nothing to agonize over.
After all, rather than being duckweed swept along by the state of the world, it would be better to become my own boatman.
—Srrrk.
I drank in the divine power pooled in my hand.
Accepting, belatedly, that this too was a part of me.
I will no longer draw a line between us.
Though I had built up enough rank long ago, only then did I ascend to archangel.
*
When I came to my senses, I had returned to the familiar container before I knew it.
However, the surroundings were no longer dark. The darkness the demon had spread as if to show off his power had been driven back by the light pouring out from me.
The demon blinked his bright yellow eyes.
He looked somewhat dumbfounded.
As if he could not believe it, the demon rubbed at his sunglasses, then looked at me again.
“Eh, huh? Huuuh?”
That reaction was extremely bewildering.
It was already hard enough for me to tell what sort of change had happened to me, so why was he acting like that?
“You, you…!”
“Yes, wait a moment…”
“Why have your wings increased to two pairs…?”
At the demon’s bewildered cry, I was bewildered as well and immediately turned around.
Whoosh. But I could not see my wings.
Since they were attached to my back in the first place, there was no way I would see them just by turning my back.
Out of embarrassment, I cleared my throat a couple of times, then turned only my head to look at my wings.
Because they were so large, I could see them quite well with only a slight turn.
“…Why are there two?”
And I, too, fell into the same question as the demon.
Damn it, my already uncomfortable daily life looked like it was about to become twice as bad.
“Two pairs of wings! Two pairs, I said!”
“I’m surprised too, but… isn’t this a change that occurred because I became an archangel?”
Why are you making such a fuss?
I barely stopped myself from saying that.
“No way! To begin with, I’ve never heard of a low-grade angel having two pairs of wings! You’d have to be at least mid-grade to maybe, just maybe, have two pairs…”
…I’m glad I held back.
If I had said that as it was, I would have become an insufferable humblebragger.
“…Is it that amazing?”
“Of course! There probably hasn’t ever been a case like this in the first place.”
For some reason, I felt proud.
Of course, I had a guess as to the reason, but how could I not be pleased that I was walking a path more unique than anyone else?
As I enjoyed the demon’s reaction, a question suddenly occurred to me.
“By the way, are there no other angels? From the way you speak, it sounds like there are other angels.”
For starters, even the demon in front of me was presumed to be a former angel.
“Other angels…”
The demon’s air visibly darkened.
The astonishment he had shown until just a moment ago vanished in an instant.
Did I step on a landmine?
I was curious, but I did not dare ask.
To begin with, the fact that the divine power had passed into my possession was already unusual.
Perhaps the other angels had already…
‘They might all be gone.’
I shook my head while keeping that guess to myself.
“…Let’s move on from that. Do you know what’s good about having more wings? Seeing how surprised you are, I feel like there must be something.”
“Hm? There isn’t?”
The demon’s innocent answer came back.
…Then why had he been so surprised?
“Wings signify that angel’s authority. You could call them a kind of trophy.”
“…Aha.”
Nothing is granted by having more wings, but in any case, it means I am impressive.
“Well, good things are good things. Anyway, it seems certain that you’ve become an archangel…”
“We should check what Authority I obtained.”
“Right! Now, give me your hand.”
That was not difficult.
The demon snatched up my hand and took my pulse.
What is this, a martial arts novel?
“Now then, what type will your Authority be… Huh, huh?”
Once again, the demon let out a bewildered groan.
What is it? Did some problem occur?
Surely I do not have no Authority at all…
“Why, why can I sense all three Authorities?”