Chapter 18

A Mascot Character is Essential for Adventure Stories

Now then, let's think about the future.

With the numbness in my legs subsiding and my ability to move restored, I bid farewell to Sir Carbuncle and set off, walking alongside En. Following closely behind was a small animal.

E... even if you make such a sad sound, I'm not taking you along, okay? I mean, sure, it's nice to be liked by a cute little creature for no reason, but this journey is dangerous. Well, even if it's small, it’s still a holy beast, so maybe it can protect itself. But still...

No, wait.

Meeting an animal in an unknown world, bonding with it, and traveling together—Doesn't this seem a bit like what a protagonist would do?

In Fairy Savers, the mascot role was filled by Chesed, but since he's not here in this world, that spot is open. If I think about it, this child might just fill the fluffy void we're currently missing.

…This could work. Besides, the combination of a beautiful girl and a small animal is like an oni with its iron rod, a female knight with an orc, or the golden battery. If this one decides to come along, I wouldn’t mind accepting it from the perspective of an original protagonist. (tl note: golden battery refers to Japanese baseball players Toyo Enatsu and Koichi Tabuchi)

“...Want to come along?”

“Oi.”

As I turned to offer my hand to the following Carbuncle, En beside me calmly interjected.

Well, certainly, it wouldn’t make sense to take a wild animal along.

But I have a secret plan. Though the second cour’s Akatsuki En has improved a lot since the old days, speaking still isn’t his strong suit. That’s where I excel, far more than Tsubasa.

So, I decided to push ahead forcefully.

“He’s offering to guide us. We should take up his offer.” (tl note: male pronoun is used here)

“...Can you understand it?”

“More or less.”

That’s a lie. I haven’t stolen any abilities to talk to animals.

But if I frame it like that, I can cover up the fact that I plan to use clairvoyance and my knowledge of the original work to navigate. Even though we’re allies, I’d prefer not to reveal all the abilities I have stored.

All geographic insights will be credited to this creature, which will make taking Sir Carbuncle along beneficial even from his perspective.

“Come here.”

“Chichi!”

When I called, the little guide (or so I like to call him) jumped right into my chest. So tiny. So cute. I recalled how I’d wanted a cat in my past life but couldn’t because of my allergies. This fluffy creature filled that long-lost desire, and I buried my face in its soft fur as if to make up for that time. So cute.

As expected from a holy beast—it smells so clean for a wild animal.

“...I see...”

En, who seemed to lose his will to argue after seeing this scene, didn’t say anything further. Maybe he was just too dumbfounded to speak, but please forgive me. I’ll handle things properly, so cut me some slack. Fufufu... This fur is irresistible.

──This is what happened in the original anime "Fairy Savers" at that time.

En and the other members of Akari-chan's escort team are ambushed by holy beast in hyperspace, and En, Akari, and the other three get separated and make an emergency landing in Fairy World.

En and Akari land in a small village on one of the ten islands that make up this world, specifically the seventth island, "Adonai."

The two, unconscious in the forest, are found and cared for by a kind elder from the Kobold Tribe of the holy beasts. When they wake up, they are shocked by their situation, but after hearing the elder's story, they realize that not all holy beasts view humans as enemies.

However, the village they are in is suddenly attacked by a "monster."

The creature, an amorphous, slime-like being that is neither human nor holy beast, is a terrifying entity whose nature is unclear, perhaps not even a living thing. The "monster" that appeared begins turning everything it touched into ash, threatening the kobold villagers.

En and Akari join forces with the villagers to fend off the creature. Grateful for their help, the villagers tell them about the "monsters" appearing in this world and the frightening situation now surrounding Fairy World.

Though I don’t remember all the details, this is roughly how that episode went.

I told En all this, pretending I had "seen it with my predictions." He pressed his head, clearly feeling overwhelmed.

It's a natural reaction to being confronted with new information about the unknown world of Fairy World, especially since the usual guide characters weren’t available to provide an explanation like in the original. Of course, I swapped out Akari-chan with Mea to hide some parts of the story, but all this was still information he couldn’t easily ignore.

"...That, 'monster' is?"

"Emerging from the abyss, they are messengers of nothingness. the angels call it 'Abyss,' the natural enemy to the holy beasts. In your words, it might be easier to call them demons or magical beasts."

"Abyss... so, they’re like a magical beast. This is starting to feel like a game."

"Game? That's surprising... You play those?"

"When I was a kid."

"Hmmm."

Yes, the Abyss. The Abyss are evil beings completely different from the holy beasts of Fairy World, similar to the monsters in fantasy RPGs. It was unexpected that he’d make the connection, but thinking back, I realized that En, the young man from the original work, wasn’t always as stoic as he is now. In flashback scenes to when his parents were alive, he seemed like an ordinary, happy boy.

"I wish I could’ve met you as a kid."

"I don’t."

Eh? Really?

What’s with that? Don’t be so cold.

"Yeah. If I had met you as a kid... I feel like it would’ve ruined me."

"...?"

"Never mind that. Let’s talk about the future you saw. How close is our current situation to your prediction?"

Hmm, information alignment. Indeed, that's something we need to prioritize.

Rest assured, this original protagonist is well-prepared. Needless to say, while walking through the forest, I was using my "Clairvoyance" ability and compounded it with the "Search" ability to combine them into a hyper-sensor-like skill, roughly mapping out the terrain within range.

From what I’ve calculated... this situation is fairly close to my prediction (original work).

"The location where we landed is almost identical. The only difference from the fortune is that it’s me here with you instead of Mea."

"I see... So, in the vision you saw, we weren’t meant to die here, right?"

"Right. The future where you perish is still a bit further ahead. Even so, at that point, it was only supposed to be wyverns attacking, so it would’ve been an easier fight."

"An angel, huh?"

"Yes. Sefirot of Beauty, Tiferet. Her appearance wasn’t part of the prediction."

Even though there was an unexpected accident, the place we landed is indeed somewhere in the forest of Adonai, the seventh island of Fairy World. It’s the same island where En and Akari-chan landed in the original work. Thanks to my hyper-sensor-like ability, I detected what looks like a village near the edge of the forest. That must be the Kobold Village from the original story.

"Kobold Tribe? Are they different from the holy beasts?"

"If you mean creatures native to this world, then yes, they’re holy beasts too. You could say they’re like different races in your world. Like your world, Fairy World has many species and cultures. For example, this one here is a Carbuncle-type holy beast. There are also Orc tribes and Dragonfolk. Angels are special beings created by God, but broadly speaking, they’re holy beasts too. It seems that this island, with its abundant green nature, is home to many Kobold Tribe members."

I remembered how Akari-chan's eyes sparkled when she saw all the fluffy creatures in the original work.

This island, "Adonai," is lush with greenery, and for someone like them who grew up in the city, it must feel like an extraordinary, out-of-the-ordinary place.

“Shall we go? To their village. This one says it’s not far from here."

"Kyuu?"

"Yeah. If we can communicate with , we might be able to gather some information about Mea and the others."

"They can communicate. Like how Kokuma used telepathy."

"Alright. Lead the way. Uh... what’s this one’s

 name?"

"Her name’s Kabbalah-chan."

"Kabbalah-chan? Isn’t that a bit... strong-sounding?"

"Not at all. Right?"

"Kyuu."

"I see..."

Umu, from now on, this one’s name is Kabbalah-chan. Kabala is the name of his species, Carbuncle, plus Godzilla. While he looks like a cute small animal, adding a bit of "Godzilla" makes him sound stronger, don’t you think? If he's going to follow me around, he can’t just be cute. This name feels like the right choice, and Kabbalah-chan, previously known as the Sir Carbuncle, seems to like it.

And so, in the original work, the journey of En and Akari with Chesed became a journey of En and me with Kabbalah-chan, the two of us plus one. It almost looks like I've replaced the main heroine, but don't worry. Before even considering gender, I’m just not into NTR-style fanfiction, and above all, knowing his loyalty, he wouldn’t give in to my temptations even if I tried.

Thinking about it, being alone with the protagonist in a situation where events never stop happening was, after all, the best scenario for an original protagonist like me.

At least, that’s what I thought...

『I’ve found you, humans. You will be dealt with by Haniel, chief angel of Netzach-sama!"』

“!?”

Just as we were leaving the forest and about to head to the Kobold Village, a strange angel descended from the sky. A muscular, handsome young man.

Who are you, a new original protagonist? No, as he introduced himself, he's a subordinate of a high-ranking angel.

The ten islands that make up the Fairy World are each managed by one of the ten chief angels of Sefirot. On this seventh island, "Adonai," the Angel of Victory, Netzach, is the ruler. The archangels, personally created by the Holy Dragon Ein Sof, each reign at the top of their respective island's hierarchy.

Beneath them are the angels who serve the archangels, and below them come other ordinary holy beasts like the Kobold Tribe. The four-winged angel who suddenly appeared from the sky was one of the top-ranking angels who serve the archangels—essentially like a department head, close to the Ten Archangels of Sefirot. Quite the hard worker.

“An angel... Is he one of the Sefirot's companions?”

“That’s right.”

“I got it. I’ll handle this.”

He must have come to eliminate the ‘virus’ that invaded the Fairy World. Given that even the moderate Tiferet was filled with bloodlust in the original work, it’s no surprise that the other angels are also on edge, but my bad premonition came true.

En sincerely tried to explain that we bear no hostility and appealed to him that they had come to stop the fight, but as expected, the the chief angel wasn’t having any of it.

『Silence, fools! There’s no room for negotiation with you anymore!』

“…I knew it would come to this…!”

Yeah, that’s what I thought too. If it were going to go smoothly from the start, none of us would’ve come to this world risking our lives.

The angel who calls himself Haniel, Chief Angel of Netzach, seems furious, gripping a Holy Rod-like elegant staff in both hands and swinging it at us. Wow, as expected of Netzach’s subordinate—a real fighter.

“Hah!”

『Hm!?』

In response, En wields a flame sword, formed from his unique ability "Flame," blocking the attack. So cool. His ability isn't just about shooting flames; he can coat his fists or create weapons like this, making it flashy and versatile, perfect for the screen. As expected of the protagonist, if I didn’t have my own abilities, I’d probably steal his. Though now, I don’t need to, since I can do something similar with "Curse of Darkness."

En steps forward, awkwardly trying to convince Haniel while fighting him.

As I watched—well, there was an awkward pause, so I decided to play my harp and cheer him on. Hey, Kabbalah-chan! Stop rubbing the harp. I'll give you some acorns, so back off.

…I should probably get used to playing with a small animal on my shoulder.

“I’ve heard… that there’s an enemy of yours called the Abyss in this world.”

『Hmph… You heard that from Chesed’s impostor, huh!』

“We’ll help you defeat them! So please stop attacking our world!”

『Don’t make me laugh! What use could your help be!? Don’t look down on fairies, boy!』

Hmmm... This conversation is like a dodgeball. It's a persuasive move that combines a sense of justice and practical benefits, typical of En, but he's picked the wrong opponent for it this time. Maybe he should be negotiating with a higher-ranking angel like Netzach himself.

However, should I say that En still has the same strong spirit of self-sacrifice? Suggesting such a thing before even seeing the threat of the Abyss... It feels dangerous to leave him alone. From a viewer's perspective, it’s cool and makes him likable, but seeing him up close, I understand how Akari-chan feels—like she has to support him. Yep, those two really are the best couple.

Huh? You’re telling me I should fight too?

Well, there's no need for that yet. I mean, En’s going to win.

『If you want to prove your worth and have something to negotiate with, show me your power!』

“…Got it.”

『!?』

In that moment, a massive torrent of flames erupted from En's body, and their color shifted from crimson to blue.

Ohhh, here it comes, here it comes—!!

As I ended my harp performance with a plucking sound, I smiled knowingly. Well, I do know what’s going on, thanks to my knowledge of the original story.

Watching En, wrapped in blue flames and overwhelming Haniel with sheer power, I muttered with just the right amount of mystery.

"Fairy Burst... that is, the only hope entrusted by Ein Sof."

It continues to the next episode with an Eight-chan smile—that’s how it is!

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