Chapter 46 - 『Happy Trails』

Arche, and Roberdyck who had been paying the most attention to the exchange between Jack and Fluder seemed to be eying him.

Jack playing ignorant, just walking along with them while gazing over the map. They were outside the walls of the Imperial Capital. There was nothing really on his mind at the moment, except on how he could spite the two who had soiled the Master Study.

His Master Study.

Glancing up from the map, his eyes gazed over towards Arche and Roberdyck's who's curiosity seemed to be boring holes in the side of his head in they left the Academy.

"Is there something I can help you two with?" Jack coughed, though the cough was surely fake.

Shaking her head, Arche just gazed forward off in the distance in the general direction they were heading. She had been to this ruin once before, for a promotional exam with a team of other magic students and a knights.

A small smile was across her face as she remembered the trip. It was something she had enjoyed doing as a student. She was a member of a gifted group, directly underneath Fluder, even though he mainly went on to teach the History of Magic.

Roberdyck however didn't just remain silent, "That feather you gave the Head Master.. You said it was the Heaven's Feather? It could turn someone into an Angel? A Servant of God?"

Jack's eyes rested on the man, a small smile across his lips. "Oh… I see the High Priest is interested." He referred to him as his class rather than his name. This somewhat puzzled the man, but it didn't stop him from listening. "The Heaven's feather would turn its user into an Angel, yes."

Roberdyck would slowly nod at this as he looked forward, "And if he were to use it?"

"Fluder would become an Angel, likely a member of the Second Sphere of Heavenly Governors, based on his ability to access the Sixth Tier of Magic." Jack hypothesized, "Though I am looking forward to see what he would become should he use it, as it'd probably give him access to the next tier."

"Did… You ever use a Heaven's Feather?" Arche suddenly asked as she turned her head to face him as they were strolling alone the open road.

Jack gave her a quick glance, smiling genuinely. "Yes, but well before I became as powerful as I am now." He would look to the sky above them now, "I started from the bottom. I was considered Armored Mage and a Warrior Priest prior."

He remembered the first days of YGGDRASIL, the friends and enemies that he made. The players that he killed to raise up above where he once stood.

The look of nostalgia was on his face and all of them could see it. Seeing an Angel smile in such a fashion appeared to be a gift to probably all of them, but mostly Roberdyck due to his faith.

Arche's eyes widened hearing that Jack had once been human, or at least something else other than an angel in the past. It was hard to believe that Angels could be made from or by a mortal being.

Could that be the reason why his sister hadn't been created with wings? It was based on her human appearance rather than matching her with him? She'd lick her lips slightly. Would she be able to turn into an angel? If she did… Her eyes trailed to the sky above them, much how Jack had been looking at it mere instances ago.

"Ja..."

Jack put up his hand to silence everyone, his head turning to the side slightly. His eyes locking on a nearby tree. "We're being watched..."

Imina turned pale for a moment before glancing around, since she had felt as if she was being watched back in the manor. Though shortly after leaving the capital, it felt as if they feeling was gone.

Now Jack was feeling it!?

Jack's eyes were resting on a crouched set of Dark Elf Twins who were normally invisible to the naked eye. However, because he was the highest level of Angel, he could see them almost as plain as day due to them having used the 'Complete Invisible' Spell.

"Hm… It's not a threat."

Imina blinked a few times, "What do you mean?" She suddenly seemed frantic, panicking. "I've felt like I've been being watched all day since the incident!"

Roberdyck raised a brow, seeing as if Jack was looking in a specific direction. He locked his eyes on the tree. "What isn't a threat?"

"Two faithful observers who've been watching over me," Jack smiled towards the two and waved towards the absence of any beings that the others could see.

Cheekily, Aura waved back, wiggling her fingers whilst her brother Mare waved back shyly.

"Hmmm?" Hummed Arche before staring at the tree as well, activating 『All Seeing Eye』in order to at least have an idea of what Jack was seeing. Suddenly she was seeing two pillars of magical energy belonging to level one hundred individuals. It wasn't as powerful as Jack when it came to magic, but surely they were extremely powerful nonetheless.

Her lips parted and looked up towards Jack. "Observers?"

"Perhaps you'll learn more in the comings Months," Jack teased as he continue to walk in the direction of the ruins within Imperial Territory to the North.

Arche's face immediately turned red as she remember the words of the Emperor. As if he had arranged for the two of them to become engaged to marry all of a sudden.

Jack had even gone alone with it!

Reaching up she would pinch the bridge of her nose, hard, squeezing her eye shut before shaking her head. "Oi..." She murmured to herself as she continued to follow after the group.

『Message』

"Jack-san," Momonga's voice reached him.

"Yes?" Jack whispered in return, his eyes tracing over the shadows of his current company.

"The twins wanted to come to you, something about Demiurge wanting them to investigate Foresight."

"Ooooh?" Jack chuckled quietly to himself, "What's there to investigate?"

"Apparently you worried Aura, and then Demiurge walked in on her as she was watching you through the Mirror of Remote Viewing in my study," Momonga seemed rather amused at this. "Apparently I blocked them when they went to watch me after they lost track of you."

Jack grinned smugly to himself before glancing over his shoulder towards the two elves which were creeping along the side of the road several paces behind them.

It seemed Arche was also watching them with her talent, though it just looked like two pillars following after them. Based on the shape and size of them though, she could tell the people watching were shorter than herself, if not just as tall.

"And?"

"It seems he talked Aura into watching you in person and saw to it that she ask me personally."

"I have an idea…"

"Oh? What would that be?"

"After absorbing Nigun and that Knight as well as a Captain of the Theocracy's Black Scripture, I learned something about the Elven Kingdom to the South."

"Oh? This sounds interesting, go on."

"Heterochromia eyes and traits are something that are known to be signs of Royal Blood," Jack calmly handed this information to his friend through the message spell.

"So from an economic take over.. You now plan on taking over an entire country using Bukubukuchagama's creations?" The skeleton was intrigued by the idea, as he had once joked before with Demiurge about taking over the world, conquering it. The way this sounded, made it sound easy for him to turn the entire Elven populace against the current reign in a massive coup.

That could definitely work. The only probable problem would be that Platinum Dragon Lord which was moving around in the area.

"In a matter of speaking," Jack replied calmly his eyes partially closed as he did so.

"I like the idea, but we'll have to wait before we can interfere with any political powers for the time being." Momonga had good reason to put that plan on pause before it began. His alter-ego Momon the Dark Hero was close to jumping ranks again. At the same time, their only sphere of true influence was Nazarick and Carne Village.

Enri was proving loyal as the Tomb was experimentally giving the Village continuous Aid in times of need.

"Now… As we're talking, I would like to ask something of you."

"Oh?"

"There is a ruin ahead of us. We've been given a job to capture undead for a labour project run by Fluder Paradyne, the Headmaster of an Imperial Magic Academy. Who is ironically the Court Wizard." Jack as his eyes trailed along the road ahead of him, continued to talk. "Mind upping the difficulty to scare the shit out certain members?"

The idea to use undead for labour was rather genuine, though it could also very well be seen as an insult. Mindless Undead versus the Intelligent, where would the line be drawn?

"Is this spite I'm hearing from the Angel of Death? What'd they do to incur your wrath?" Momonga asked fondly with a hint of whimsy, "Yes. This sounds entertaining… What do you have in mind, Jack-san?"