Dark Pollution

Just then, a familiar face came over - it was Selene, who I hadn't seen in a long time. 

"Bishop, has the escort from the Association arrived yet?" Selene asked Rister as soon as she entered the hall. She was surprised to see me standing there with him.

"Feliciana! What are you doing here? Don't tell me..."

"That's right, I'm your escort," I said with a wry smile. We meet again.

"Are you up for it?" Of course Selene's first reaction was to ask this. 

"Hey! I'm an angel, you know. No need to be so rude," I couldn't help but say. Does Selene really see me as that weak?

"I have four wings, you know," I added, unfurling my pure white wings which radiated a dazzling light in an X-shape in the middle of the church hall.

Bishop Rister's eyes widened and he looked at me reverently, his legs buckling as he almost knelt. Meanwhile, Selene just scoffed with a look that said I was a fake angel.

I felt so defeated. To think a member of the True Church would see me like this! No wonder Selene only respected Nicola and ignored me from the start. To her I was just a shoddy, fake angel.

"Alright, that's enough Selene," Rister finally said. "Not only were you rude to Lady Angel just now, she's also your escort. You can't keep being so disrespectful."

"Why didn't Miss Nicola come instead?" Selene asked unwillingly. 

"Miss Nicola is busy with other duties," I said resentfully. 

"It's really okay, I can handle it myself. Because I can fly you there - it'll be fast and safe," I said, almost pleading with her to believe me.

I had sunk to such a pathetic state as an angel, and in front of members of the True Church no less! I almost took out my identity card to prove my rank was enough for the job. 

But I was afraid Selene would look down on me even more if she saw I was only 3rd level while even two-winged angels in the Church were 4th level.

"Alright, we can try it," Selene finally conceded. She had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

I felt like banging my head against a slab of tofu, but they don't seem to sell tofu here. 

Hey, maybe I could invent it? Though I wonder if people here can stomach it...

Before leaving the church, Bishop Rister also seemed influenced by Selene's attitude. He kept lecturing me not to mess up, since Selene was the beloved granddaughter of Count Gellert Grindelwald, head of the prestigious Absyrtus family. 

All such familiar names - so Selene is also nobility, with the full name Selene Absyrtus probably. Still fits Vivianne's theory about light mages being descended from nobility, and the Absyrtus are distant relatives of the royal Astral family too.

...

"You know, it would be good for an angel like you to join our Church," Selene suddenly started recruiting me as we prepared to take off from the outskirts of town.

She had tried inviting me back in Elara Woodlands, but that was before she realized how weak I was.

"Really?" I actually felt excited and didn't mind her attempts at proselytizing one bit. So she was acknowledging me again? Because I could fly probably.

"Of course! Even if you just stand there looking pretty in the church, it would still be great publicity to attract more followers. Your looks make up for your lack of strength." 

"..."

That's it, I'm definitely dropping this brat midair later! She went too far!

To be safe, I tied Selene to myself with a rope before hugging her from behind and flapping my wings to take off.

Having such intimate contact with a girl still made me a little shy, but I was much calmer now and wouldn't lose composure. After all, sleeping in the same bed with the hot bombshell Nicola night after night had strengthened my willpower. 

Selene looked petite and about my height, but she weighed way heavier than Nicola. Still, it was within my flight capacity. 

I realized Nicola was so light probably because she's an angel.

"Wow!" As soon as we were airborne, an excited Selene stretched out her limbs and waved at the tiny people far below. 

Her childish reaction was kinda cute and helped soften my image of her a little.

"Feliciana," Selene suddenly called out to me from my arms. I made a sound of acknowledgment, wondering what she wanted.

"If you could fly all along, why didn't you just fly away from Elara Woodlands yourself?"

"Why ask that now? It's simple - I mainly wanted to travel together with all of you. And I wouldn't know the way to the royal capital Norvale either, so I needed you guys to lead me there."

I have fond memories of our time in Elara Woodlands. Now everyone has split up and gone their separate ways, I suddenly feel a bit wistful.

"I see. Until just now, I thought you couldn't fly at all. I was suspicious," Selene admitted.

"What! You were doubting me even though you clearly saw me fly during the battle with Minos?" 

"So you couldn't before that fight?"

"I, uh..." I was at a loss for words.

"I knew you were a weak angel!" 

"You wanna get dropped midair?!"

"Eek! Don't move around!"

In the end, I managed to restrain my murderous impulse and quickly brought this bratty kid Selene to our destination.

"It really is fast! Way faster than a carriage!" Selene immediately started praising the convenience of flight after landing.

"Of course, look who you're with," I said proudly, puffing out my chest and flapping my wings to show off.

"Like some preening white hen..." Selene looked at me disdainfully and headed into town.

"Why you...!" I fumed while stomping my feet.

Stupid nobles, acting all high and mighty!

...

The town of Tethys was nestled in the mountains, surrounded by peaks on all sides. But transportation was still rather convenient thanks to the main road leading out. 

Regular travel would take 4-5 days to reach, but I got Selene here in just over an hour.

Something seemed to have happened here though. As soon as we set foot in town, I sensed a strange, unpleasant aura that set me on edge. 

The place wasn't exactly small, yet not a soul could be seen on the streets in broad daylight. Selene also noticed something amiss and slowed down while drawing up to me. She even took out her staff that I remembered from before.

I glanced enviously at the ring on her right hand, while my lame longsword just clanked at my waist in comparison. It looked so much cooler to be able to summon weapons out of thin air.

"The air here seems to be permeated with the scent you mentioned was from the dark element," I whispered tentatively to Selene beside me. 

"That's right," she affirmed decisively. So she had noticed too. 

"Could it be some kind of monster?" I recalled that smell arising whenever we encountered beasts before, so I gripped the sword at my waist, ready to draw it.

But Selene shook her head this time. "No, it doesn't seem that way. The presence of monsters is usually concentrated in a specific area, but this scent is spread all across town even if it is faint."

She was completely right. The smell lingering around us was already very diluted, seeming like it could disperse at any moment. Still, we didn't dare let our guard down as we cautiously made our way through the streets. 

"My mission is to hand you over to the local Church here, so where is it located?" I asked nervously, already having half a mind to abandon this scary place. 

With virtually no human presence detectable, yet orders saying I had to deliver Selene to the Church here, I figured I should hurry up and hand her over before hightailing it out of this ghost town!

Selene shook her head again. "I'm not sure either since this is my first time visiting." 

She looked at a nearby street sign and added, "It should be straight ahead along the main street, then take a right."

Hearing that, I immediately led her in said direction. The first junction wasn't far and if we were lucky, we'd spot the Church quickly.

"What are you even here for? Just to inspect a rural branch?" I asked Selene along the way.

"Of course not, I'm not that free!" she retorted. "A few days ago, the local parish here reported a very bizarre illness spreading through town. It resembles the symptoms of a curse or dark elemental pollution. Since there are no light mages here, I was dispatched to investigate."

"Dark elemental pollution?" 

I had heard of light pollution previously, but this was my first encounter with the opposite - pollution from the dark element.

"Yes, it's extremely troublesome. Without timely treatment, it can be fatal. And even if the person dies, their body may reanimate into some kind of undead creature."

"That scary?" I couldn't help but shudder at her explanation. I still hadn't seen any zombies since coming here, but knowing they existed and were likely nearby was freaky enough!

"There it is, right?" Selene nodded as I asked upon spotting a distinct spire-roofed building that resembled a mini church on the left side of the road after turning the corner.

Selene walked up and knocked. Fortunately the door soon opened a crack and a middle-aged nun poked her head out warily to glance at us. 

"Who are you?"