The Fantasy World Fanatic Wants To Leave Work

34 – 34. Fairies of the Convenience Store (4)

I sit Diana, who had fainted, in a chair and return to the counter.

“But what brings you here at this hour?”

Humans are adaptable beings.

I ask Seretini, who until just a minute ago was shooting a flamethrower and was breathtakingly cool, what brings him here calmly.

“Well, the meeting just ended. I stopped by to buy a snack.”

Seretini said he came to buy a snack after the meeting ended.

Seeing him talk about the meeting, it seemed that people really gathered and held a meeting, just as Diana had said.

I thought that since we had gone to Amanda and Marine during the day, there must have been a meeting, but I didn’t know it would only end now.

Isn’t it already past midnight?

“By the way, you should be careful in the early morning too. Is this convenience store open 24 hours? You should be careful when you’re alone during the hours with no people.”

“Oh, yes. But it’s not yet 24 hours. It starts at 9 in the morning and ends around 3 in the early morning, a 16-hour shift.”

He said they don’t work 24-hour shifts until they start official shifts.

If they had told me to work 24 hours from the beginning, I would have cursed the store manager.

Even now, I’m adapting to this, a 16-hour shift is not an easy thing to do.

“But what’s been happening lately? Why do you all warn me to be careful when working alone at night?”

Even if this space is in a state where tigers can enter the convenience store, the security is already seriously damaged.

Still, Diana and Seretini both advise me to be careful at night, which makes me concerned.

“There’s nothing exact yet, but there have been many incidents of people disappearing in the early morning. Especially those who are alone, they suddenly vanish without a trace.”

“….Yes?”

At the moment, her brain momentarily froze at the response she heard, but quickly started functioning again to interpret what she had just heard.

“So, there might be a serial kidnapper?”

“If it’s a kidnapper, it might be better, in that case, if I lead the team and search for and kill the kidnapper.”

Someone like Seretini couldn’t find and kill them –

If she interpreted it based on that explanation…

“Could it be, the ones you were talking about before?”

Seretini furrowed her brows and nodded.

“There’s no solid evidence, but judging from the situation, there’s no other culprit for the kidnappings. It’s as if all the missing people evaporated from their place and left no trace whatsoever.”

It seems like the reason for this meeting is because of that.

Once again, it’s about them.

Seretini picked out some snacks from the display shelf and placed them on the counter.

What are they and where did they come from? That question is not only unanswered for Seretini, but even Tree Wiki couldn’t provide answers.

Even so, they keep occasionally revealing their names and make her feel uncomfortable about the existence of the unknown.

“While this convenience store probably has its own security system, it’s still best not to let our guard down. There have been cases where those people caused individuals who were in this convenience store to disappear without a trace.”

“Understood.”

It’s not just a warning to scare them.

Certainly, this U.C convenience store has its own minimum security system, but it’s not reassuring to think that everything can be resolved just by pressing the red button to call the police.

The store manager said he can take care of most things, but he has never said that he can solve everything.

Moreover, even if the police were to solve everything, they still had to survive until the police arrive at the convenience store.

“…By the way, why did you bring the chuuru?”

So why chuuru?

While chatting with Seretini and calculating the items, suddenly she brought chuuru, and it reminded her of something that happened in the morning, dissipating the serious atmosphere that was there.

“Ah, you mean this? I bought it out of curiosity since I heard the royal concubines enjoy it at the meeting hall. It seems like they were bought here.”

“If you’re thinking of trying it, I don’t recommend it. This is not meant for humans to eat. It’s a cat treat that happened to also be loved by the mermen.”

A sigh escaped her lips.

When humans eat chuuru, it has an incredibly bitter taste and a pungent acidity, making it inedible.

Perhaps Seretini, without her halo, wouldn’t seem much different from an ordinary human, and her taste buds wouldn’t be significantly different from a human’s either.

“Indeed, it says it’s exclusive for cats. But I’ll try it for the fun of it. We have cat and mermen in our Matab anyway, so even if it doesn’t agree with me, I can give it as a gift.”

“There are mermen in Matab?”

He was a little surprised by the mention of a water sprite when he asked why they bought Chur. As far as he knew, water sprites were unable to use magic, but it was unexpected to know that there were water sprites in the wizard’s tower where even magic could not be used.

“Except for a certain level, our white magic can be used by those who cannot use magic. That’s why it’s called white magic, which has been processed to make it possible.”

Ah, come to think of it, this person also referred to the flame thrower as fire magic earlier. He would probably give a similar explanation for guns.

I think I understand what he means.

“But can water sprites like Seretini become angels? There wouldn’t be any halos around them, right?”

“Well, it seems like you don’t know much about angels. Angels cannot be seen as just a species anymore. From the moment they become transcendent, they have already surpassed that concept and reached a different realm. Our white magic also means what is necessary in the process of becoming an angel, it’s not just simple magic.”

It became easier to understand after hearing the explanation.

In other words, it was convenient to consider angels as one rank.

They would enter the white tower and learn white magic, gradually advancing towards the rank of an angel. By becoming the leader of the tower like Seretini, they would be very close to becoming an angel.

“Anyone can be an angel. Humans can, water sprites can, and even you, who are right in front of me, theoretically. It’s only theoretically possible.”

“Then what about Seretini’s species?”

“Me? I am an angel. I have a halo like this, and no one else exists who is closer to an angel than me.”

Seretini confidently stated, overflowing with pride about himself.

“But didn’t you have a time before becoming an angel? Surely you weren’t an angel from birth or anything like that?”

“Well, that’s difficult. After the creation of the halo, the recognition of my original self became blurred… Maybe I was human, as becoming an angel doesn’t bring about drastic physical changes.”

After closing his eyes for a moment and deep in thought, he opens his mouth again.

In a way, the white magician refers to the potential host for the angel, a transcendental being, and it seems most fitting for that to be someone like Seretini, who can be possessed by an angel.

“Once you become a transcendental being, your perception of yourself also becomes blurred. Especially when a transcendental being takes hold of a sentient being’s body, they are heavily influenced by the individual’s psyche. And this applies to gods and demons as well, of course.”

This is quite an unexpected story.

Usually, when a god takes hold, the physical body is influenced by the god, but to think that the possessing god is influenced by the physical body was surprising.

In other words, it may be more accurate to say that Seretini’s personality emerges rather than attributing it to being an angel.

Clank!

“… Did I just have a rude thought?”

“What? Not really?”

Once again, I raise my hand and lower my head towards the gun barrel that appears in front of me.

Wow, look how sharp it is.

Who’s not an angel here, I didn’t say a word or even change my expression, but it’s as if he read my thoughts in my mind, he pulled out his gun.

“Well, it’s already late today, and I’m tired too, so let’s pass it over for now. Anyway, be careful, there won’t be any harm. Even if they’re not here, this universe can be dangerous enough for you.”

That was enough information that the individual just provided.

Is this some kind of American slum where you have to worry about getting shot while working at a convenience store?

Speaking of safety, this Universe-1221 might not be any different from the hoods in the US.

For example, even angels may be white, but they are not made of flour, so you should keep your distance. After all, it’s not just the hoods that you need to be cautious about when it comes to white things, right?

“Well then, I’ll be going now. And that elf, if she says anything unnecessary next time, it would be wise to warn her that she’ll be tied to the stake and roasted.”

“Ah…yes. I’ll warn her.”

“Good, take care.”

With that, Ceretini waved her hand and left the convenience store.

The flamethrower she had used earlier was gleaming on her back, showcasing its presence.

Diana must be feeling sorry as well.

She only spoke the truth from start to finish, yet it went beyond just being truthful and led to her being burned at the stake.

Anyway, she shook hands with Ceretini as a farewell gesture.

“?”

Then, something strange caught her eye outside the convenience store.

After Ceretini disappeared from sight, she saw red eyes peering in her direction on the dimly lit street.

From Noble mtl dot com

Thump!

She was so startled that she sat down on the floor.

“Uhh…that psycho angel left, right…?”

“Outside there-“

“Out there? I don’t see anything.”

“Look closely, there was something red looking this way…”

…Huh? Why is it gone?

Even when Diana regained her senses and asked her to look outside, she couldn’t see those red eyes, and when I got up to check outside again, I couldn’t find anything like that.

Did I mistake it for the reflection of the convenience store lights?

“It was definitely there…”

“Why are you suddenly acting so scared? Could it be that psycho is setting the city on fire or something?”

But I didn’t feel like I saw something in vain…

Anyway, it would be best to keep the entrance of the convenience store closed since I don’t know what it is.

And if nothing happens, I should stay close to the counter and be ready to press the red button at any moment.

The red button is my best defense.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?! It’s already such a gloomy time, can you please stop messing around because it’s really scary?!”

Diana once again became upset and grabbed my collar, shaking me.

Perhaps because she was already scared by the recent incident with Ciretine, she was in a state of complete paralysis, like a dog facing a tiger.

If a criminal were to enter the convenience store, I would throw Diana first and then escape to the break room or emergency exit.

If the police were to arrive in time, we wouldn’t be in big trouble, I guess.

“Why are you not saying anything again…? It’s really scary…”

Eventually, Diana burst into tears and I had to calm her down once again.

Contrary to appearances, why does she have so much fear despite being older?

†††

Late at night, there was something I noticed while quietly observing the store that still had its lights on.

It coincidentally made eye contact with me while gazing at the convenience store and discreetly disappeared into a place where no light touched.

As if it had been familiar with such things for a long time.