CHAPTER 16
Dawn, a few hours before the battle between Cosmic Jac and Ririran.
For the first time since coming to this world, I revealed the existence of my resurrection magic.
Ririran wore a shocked expression.
Resurrection was a magic that not even the famed Saintess could use.
It was only natural for her to be surprised.
However, she calmed down much faster than I expected.
Ririran was a figure who had lived through a war. I, as a Transferee, just took what I heard about her at face value, but according to Aranseol, she was treated as a war hero. As such, she must have seen all sorts of Transferees. In particular, she knew very well just how abnormal the Abilities of No-Nameds could be.
“I see. So that’s why.”
Furthermore, Ririran seemed to have an inkling of what had happened.
“I thought all presences in the forest except for Cosmic Jac’s had vanished, so I was puzzled when you two suddenly reappeared.”
So Ririran was skilled enough to sense presences on that scale.
As I thought, I needed to be careful about using my resurrection magic carelessly.
This made me even more certain that I had to eliminate Cosmic Jac.
He still had no idea how Aranseol and I had come back alive. But what if, by some sheer coincidence, he learned about resurrection magic? Nine times out of ten, he would connect it to what happened this time. And depending on his needs, it was possible that a Sinner like him would start targeting me.
To prevent that, getting rid of Cosmic Jac was the best option.
“So how do you plan to resurrect me? Cosmic Jac will surely sense something is amiss.”
I had already thought about what I needed.
“One joint of your little finger. Please give me that.”
Asking her to cut off a piece of her pinky.
It was a completely absurd request.
Slice—
But Ririran unhesitatingly severed a part of her little finger with spatial magic and tossed it to me.
It was a tiny pinky, as small as her stature.
I never imagined she would cut it off without a moment’s hesitation. Even if it was just a finger joint, it was a part of her body. There should have been not only the pain of amputation but also a psychological aversion.
“When my life is on the line, what does one little finger matter?”
Ririran saw right through my thoughts and smiled.
“What would you have done if I was lying about the resurrection magic?”
“Wouldn’t it be the same situation either way? I’m going to throw my life away regardless, so I might as well try anything.”
Her mindset was on a different level.
Was this the wisdom of age?
“Or do you have some hobby of collecting fingers?”
“I have no such gruesome hobbies.”
“I hope it stays that way.”
I clenched her little finger tightly in my fist.
From the moment I started using resurrection magic, I knew instinctively that I could revive someone from even a single finger. I supposed it was the same for other Transferees. All Transferees instinctively knew the limits of their own Abilities. An Ability was like a part of one’s own body. Just as you could use your body naturally, you could use your Ability just as naturally.
“I’ll be off. That man’s patience is not very long, so I must go before he does something worse.”
The airship search party would move out as soon as the sun rose. So, Ririran took action immediately. She moved to ensure that her actions would cause as little harm as possible to others.
After Ririran left, a quiet space remained.
To use my resurrection magic, I had moved a little away from the house where Aranseol was sleeping and the main fairy village. I sat quietly beside some tree bark, killing time.
Around the time the morning sun began to rise, bathing the world in the blue of early dawn, I began to act.
Holding my breath, I gripped the finger and activated the resurrection magic.
A pure white light spread from my fist.
With it, I could feel a large amount of the residual magic in my body draining away.
A change began at the tip of the tiny finger.
Bones sprouted, internal organs formed, and flesh grew.
Though her body was small, it contained everything it needed.
Pert breasts rose on her pale white skin.
Resurrection magic couldn’t restore clothing.
Because of that, her naked form was laid bare.
Ririran’s body gradually took its complete form.
The moment her fairy wings finally sprouted,
“Ugh, huu…”
Ririran’s brow furrowed as she slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon me.
Ririran met my eyes for a moment, then parted her lips.
“I really came back to life.”
With a look of disbelief, she clenched and unclenched her hands.
Her severed left finger had also been restored to its original state.

She was surprisingly composed for someone who had just returned from the dead.
Usually, people fall into a state of confusion right after being resurrected.
As expected, she was no ordinary person.
“Lady Ririran, what happened to Cosmic Jac?”
At my question, Ririran slowly raised the corners of her lips.
“He’s buried at the bottom of the deep sea, screaming my name.”
The bottom of the deep sea.
In other words, instant death.
He should have just lived a decent life.
It was a death befitting one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
It was foul meeting you, and let’s never meet again, even in the afterlife.
Ririran covered her body with her wings and slowly flew up.
“Hmm, I should have left my pipe behind. A friend gave it to me. I’ve lost something precious.”
All of her belongings were now at the bottom of the ocean.
Perhaps because of that, Ririran expressed a hint of regret.
“But I suppose I shouldn’t say such things when you’ve just saved my life. Thank you. I owe you a debt.”
“Yes, a very large debt. I hope you’ll remember it well and repay it on the day I need your help.”
At my bold words, Ririran smiled warmly.
“I will. That was the purpose of our deal, was it not?”
Thankfully, she wasn't the type to kick me to the curb after I'd saved her from drowning.
“And please, I ask for your utmost secrecy.”
“Of course. It is an Ability that would do no good if it were known.”
I was glad she understood.
Even to Ririran, it was clear that resurrection magic carried too great a risk.
“So, how is your body?”
My body?
I stared blankly at Ririran.
Was there something that hadn't recovered properly?
Pale white skin and long limbs.
A slender figure peeking through her wings.
Nothing seemed to be missing.
At my gaze, Ririran shrank back and cleared her throat.
“Even if I am an old woman, it is embarrassing to be stared at so intently.”
“Ah, I was just wondering if something hadn't fully recovered.”
“I’m not talking about my body, boy. I’m talking about yours.”
My body?
What could possibly be wrong with me, perfectly fine here in the fairy village?
“You revived a body from just a little finger. Even though I am small because I am a fairy, it must have consumed a massive amount of holy magic. Are you truly feeling no ill effects? For instance, any pain in your heart?”
Heart disease.
It was a common symptom among Holy Mages.
Unlike normal mana, holy mana is primarily converted using the heart as a focal point. Because of this, frequent use of holy magic puts a strain on the heart, and it’s not uncommon for mages to develop illnesses.
However, this becomes a non-issue once a mage grows to have regenerative abilities on par with someone like Rapiel. Even if the heart took a hit, the body would just heal itself.
I had talent, but I wasn't a Holy Mage of that caliber. I could resurrect others, but my body didn't heal itself automatically.
But even after using resurrection magic, I didn't feel any fatigue. I was just a little tired from lack of sleep.
“Hmm, perhaps you simply have a large reserve of mana.”
“Couldn’t it be that I’m just an insane talent freak?”
“I don’t know what a ‘talent freak’ is, but possessing such holy magic means you certainly have an outstanding aptitude for learning other holy arts.”
My talent, certified by Ririran herself.
That’s me.
“Well then, I must go restore the essence of the Spiritwood. The essence has been away from the wood for too long.”
“Yes, and I should get some sleep.”
“I’ll see you later.”
With that, Ririran fluttered her wings and departed.
She had just fought a fierce battle with Cosmic Jac, yet she seemed more composed than I expected. That was how accustomed she was to life-or-death combat.
The thought that I might become like that one day scared me.
I had to take care of my own skin and survive somehow.
After Ririran left, I trudged back to the house I’d been assigned. As I told her, I planned to lie down and get some rest.
“Harua.”
And there was one unexpected problem remaining.
When I entered the house, Aranseol was sitting on a chair by the entrance.
From the look on her face, she had barely slept at all.
“Where have you been?”
“Morning training.”
“From last night until now?”
So she didn't sleep.
She must have sensed me leaving and only pretended to be asleep.
For a moment, Aranseol and I had a staring contest.
I don’t particularly trust Aranseol. In fact, I haven’t trusted anyone since coming to this world. I just act based on a person’s character and what I stand to gain. I can’t deny that I can be rather whimsical.
With Aranseol… yeah.

I’d say we’ve built a decent enough relationship.
We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but the buttons after that were fastened well enough.

But that was all.
Building a relationship of trust with her was another story entirely.
As if she knew this, Aranseol didn’t press further and stood up.
“During the fight with Cosmic Jac, my left hand was injured so badly I couldn’t even hold my sword properly.”
So that’s why she kept clenching and unclenching her left hand.
For a brief moment, I froze.
I finally realized why Aranseol was telling me this.
When she woke up, her injured left hand had been healed.
My healing magic can mend shallow wounds. But that’s about it. It’s not yet strong enough to mend bones and muscles. Aranseol knew the extent of my abilities. For a while, our training schedules had overlapped, and we’d practiced together repeatedly.
And yet, when she woke up, her left hand was completely healed.
Not only that, but her minor cuts and scrapes would have been gone as well.
If Cosmic Jac had simply knocked us out and left, our wounds should have remained. It was only natural for Aranseol to have questions about this.
Most importantly, there was Cosmic Jac’s reaction when we met him again. His reaction was clearly, ‘Why are you two alive?’

Aranseol wouldn't have missed that.
And today, I had gone out without a word. For a mere Holy Mage to go out alone, there was nothing I could have done, yet I did.
It was only natural for suspicion to arise.
“Whatever it was, I just wanted to say thank you.”
But even with the information she had, she couldn't possibly guess that I possessed resurrection magic. After all, resurrection was treated as a legend even in this world.
“If there’s something you want to hide, you don’t have to tell me. It’s just… you treated me despite that. This is my thanks for that.”

Aranseol gave a faint smile and turned away.
“Thank you. You worked hard. Sleep well.”
With that, Aranseol went back to her room.
I stood silently at the entrance.
Sunlight from the rising sun streamed through the entryway window.
Aranseol wasn’t curious about what I had.
She just wanted to thank me, whatever it was.
She hates and despises Transferees. But she wanted to change her own life, including the lives of others. That’s why she waited here alone today. She waited, just in case something happened to me. And yet, she deliberately showed consideration for me, who was hiding something. The proof was that she waited until morning instead of coming to look for me.
And here I was, getting tense all by myself, trying to sound out her intentions.
My gaze landed on the window.
The first button, fastened wrong.
I must have buttoned my shirt wrong from the moment I arrived in this world. And it was probably a button I could never fix for the rest of my life.
Perhaps it is human nature to bitterly acknowledge that fact, while still yearning for a day when you can unbutton it all and start again.