The Angel

"Elina," I repeated, committing the name to memory. "Right."

Before another word could be spoken, a new voice cut through the market chatter, sharp and clear. "Elina. It's time to go."

We both turned. Standing there was another woman, presumably her sister, Kerina. She carried herself with an air of no-nonsense authority, her gaze focused and intense.

"The chief is waiting for us," Kerina said, her attention fixed solely on Elina.

"Kerina, wait a moment," Elina replied, holding up a hand to pause her sister's departure. She then looked from Kerina back to me. "I think I've found someone you need to meet."

Kerina's intense gaze shifted from her sister to me. It was a quick, dismissive appraisal, taking in my spare clothes, the cheap dagger at my belt, and the simple satchel at my side. She was entirely unimpressed.

"Someone we need to meet?" Kerina asked, her voice sharp and devoid of the warmth Elina's had. She didn't look at me when she spoke, only at her sister. "Elina, we have an appointment with the chief. We don't have time to pick up strays."

"He's not a stray," Elina insisted, stepping slightly to the side to keep me in her sister's line of sight. "His name is Hayato. He's asking for passage to the capital, and he says he can be useful. He has a... unique power."

That finally made Kerina turn her head fully towards me. Her eyes were like chips of ice, analytical and cold. She looked me up and down one more time.

"Is that so?" she said, her voice dripping with skepticism. "A unique power. And what services, exactly, could a man with nothing to his name offer us in return for a trip to the capital?"

I met her skeptical gaze without flinching. My corporate life had been full of hostile negotiations with people far more powerful than this; her intimidation tactics were amateurish.

"My services are practical," I stated, my voice calm and even. "An extra pair of hands to carry supplies, another watchman for the road. But my primary value is my power."

I held her gaze. "As I was telling Elina, I have the power of duplication."

Before she could form a sarcastic reply, I focused my will. "Allow me to demonstrate."

The air beside me shimmered, and in an instant, a perfect, silent duplicate of myself stood at my side. It blinked once, then stood perfectly still, a flawless copy.

I gestured from myself to my illusion. "You asked what I could offer. I offer numbers. An extra guard for the night watch. A perfect decoy in case of an ambush. Two travelers for the price of feeding one." I gave her a slight, confident smile. "I believe that's a valuable service for anyone traveling to the capital."

Kerina stared, her sharp eyes flicking from my face to my silent duplicate, then back again. The blatant display of power, so at odds with my ragged appearance, had clearly thrown her. She was quiet for a long moment, her expression shifting from raw skepticism to one of deep, strategic calculation. She was weighing the risks against the potential reward.

"A useful ability, But abilities can be deceiving." She crossed her arms, her gaze hardening once more. "Before this conversation goes any further, I need to see your identification."

My smile remained, but on the inside, a feeling of pure, triumphant satisfaction washed over me.

Perfect, She couldn't have asked for a better document. The timing was impeccable.

"Of course.".

I reached into a pocket of my newly acquired pants and pulled out a small, simple piece of folded parchment given to me by Jorn. It was still fresh, bearing the crude stamp of the village insignia. It was my temporary registration, my official identity in this world, not even a few hours old.

I held it out to her.

Kerina took the parchment, her eyes scanning the simple text and the crude village stamp. A flicker of suspicion crossed her face as she read it.

"This is brand new," she stated, her sharp gaze rising to meet mine. "And there's no mana registration. No power level noted." Her mind was clearly working, connecting the dots. To her, this document officially registered me as a powerless commoner, making my impressive illusion trick completely off-the-books. An anomaly, but not an official threat.

She lowered the paper. "Alright. Let's be direct. What do you actually need from us, and why the elaborate proposal to my sister?"

I let my duplicate fade away. The sales pitch was over; it was time for a simple truth. "I want a ride. To the capital, or whatever major city you're heading towards. I just want to get there. There are more opportunities in a kingdom than in a small village like this."

Kerina stared at me, her expression blank. She blinked once, then twice. A long, exasperated sigh escaped her lips.

"You should have just asked that in the first place. Yes, you can travel with us. It's no trouble."

A small, confident smile then played on her lips. "And you can forget about the 'extra guard' service." She gave a light, almost dismissive pat to the hilt of the sword at her hip. "We don't need the protection. I'm already strong enough, after all."

The finality in Kerina's tone hung in the air for a moment. My elaborate offer of protection had been brushed aside as unnecessary.

Elina, seeing the deal was settled, gave me a reassuring smile. "Let's go, then," she said, nudging her bicycle forward. "We need to get moving."

Kerina gave a curt nod and turned, walking back towards the center of the village without another word. I fell into step behind Elina, the three of us now a temporary, and very strange, party. My journey in this new world was officially beginning.

***

The journey was far more comfortable than I could have imagined. We were in a large, well-made carriage, its interior surprisingly spacious and its seats comfortably padded. Through the window, I could see the four powerful horses pulling us along at a steady, swift pace. Elina was reading a book, while Kerina sat across from me, sharpening her shortsword with a whetstone.

After a while of listening to the rhythmic clatter of the wheels, I decided to press for more information. "So, what kingdom are we heading to, exactly?"

Kerina didn't look up from her blade. "The Kingdom of Aerthos. Our destination is the capital, Eldoria."

"Aerthos," I repeated. I thought about her confidence, her 'agreement' with the village chief, and her dismissal of my offer for protection. "With respect, are you some kind of hero for the kingdom, then?"

That made her stop sharpening. She looked up at me with a dry, almost amused expression. "A hero? No. Heroes are a different business entirely, tied up with the royal court and prophecies."

She went back to her blade, her movements economical and precise. "I'm a Rank-A adventurer, registered with the Guild. My class is Warrior."

I processed her title for a moment. Rank-A. Guilds. Classes. It was a clear, hierarchical system. Time to gather more data.

"A Rank-A adventurer... That must be a profitable line of work here. In your opinion, what's the best way for a newcomer to earn a good income in Aerthos? Every kingdom is different. Some are better for merchants, others for craftsmen."

Kerina paused her sharpening, considering the question.

"Here? It's better to be an adventurer, everyone and their mother is trying to get into a corporate trade guild now, smelting iron or crafting basic goods. It's an overwhelmed market."

She let out a short, humorless scoff. "Because of that, no one wants to do the dangerous work anymore. They don't want to get their hands dirty or risk their lives fighting what they call 'a fool's problem.' They think dealing with monsters is bullshit."

She met my gaze. "That leaves a gap in the market. High risk, high demand, and high rewards for those willing to do it. So, yes. In this kingdom, it's better to be an adventurer."

I nodded, processing her words. An entire class of people deemed essential because the rest of the world treated monster-slaying like a dirty, blue-collar job they were too good for. It was a market inefficiency I could understand.

Kerina's sharp voice cut through my thoughts. "So, is that duplication your only power? What about your body? Do you have any actual strength, or are you just a trickster?"

I was about to formulate another careful lie when a brilliant, impossibly bright beam of light lanced through the carriage window. It wasn't normal sunlight; it was focused, pure, and it landed squarely on me, illuminating me in a celestial spotlight.

And standing in the middle of that light, inside our moving carriage, was the angel Azakiel.

To me, she was a complete mess. Tears were streaming down her face as she wrung her hands, her form flickering with panic. "I am so, so sorry, Hayato-san!" she cried, her voice a frantic, unprofessional squeak. "It was my fault again! I spun the blessing wheel for you, and administrators aren't supposed to, so it automatically gave you a Godly-tier prize! It's another clerical error, so the system is issuing a mandatory physical compensation package! I'm sorry!"

As she spoke, a strange, powerful warmth flooded my body, sinking into my bones and igniting my muscles with a strength that wasn't there a second ago.

But Kerina and Elina seems weren't seeing a crying, incompetent angel. I glanced at them, and they were staring at the beam of light with expressions of pure, unadulterated awe. Their mouths were agape.

To them, they were witnessing a majestic, ethereal being of light, its form indistinct but powerful. Its voice wasn't a squeak, but a resonant, echoing chorus that filled the carriage.

They didn't hear an apology. They heard a prophecy.

"BEHOLD! A FLAW IS MADE RIGHT! A MORTAL VESSEL, UNWORTHY, SHALL BE REFORGED! LET FRAILTY BE SHED AND LET SUPERHUMAN MIGHT BE GRANTED TO THE CHOSEN! SO SAYS THE DIVINE WILL!"

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the light and the angel vanished, leaving the three of us in the suddenly dim carriage. Kerina and Elina were no longer looking at me like a curious stray. 

To Be Continued.