Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 160

Chapter 160: The Revealed Secret of a Close Friend

The next day, after the morning classes, five of us, Shinji, Shiro, Inori, Kurono, and I, took up a corner of the cafeteria for lunch.

Sora chose meat udon, Kurono picked zaru soba, Inori opted for spaghetti Napolitan, while Shinji and Shiro both went for the classic fried chicken set meal.

As we sat down with our meals, I noticed Shinji and Shiro, who were sitting across from me, staring at me.

“What’s wrong? Meat udon is delicious, you know.”

“No, it’s just that you used to always have the same set meal as us…”

“Only udon? Are you feeling under the weather or something?”

“No, it’s not like that. I don’t really want to say it out loud, but since my body changed, my appetite has decreased a bit. But I’m not feeling unwell, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“…Come to think of it, Sora, you used to eat a lot for lunch, didn’t you?”

Hearing those words, the other members, Kurono and Inori, turned to Sora with surprised looks on their faces.

Ahh, I had avoided talking about it until now, and now Kurono’s all surprised.

With a sigh, I addressed the four of them.

“Well, it’s simply because my body got smaller. I think it’s just that my stomach got smaller too.”

“Medically speaking, your body is just like a normal girl’s, after all.”

“Honestly, it’s still a mystery. Why did Sora have to fight the Demon Lord?”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

If there’s a reason, I’d love to hear it.

Sighing again, Sora muttered to herself, then pulled herself together, clasped her hands, and said, “Let’s eat,” before everyone began eating their meals.

Once we finished, I drank the water poured into the glass and let out a relieved breath.

Then, we started the regular report meeting on ?Astral Online?, which we had decided to hold from today onward.

“By today, Kurono, Inori, and I will be leaving the Sea Kingdom with the princess.”

“I see. So, you can’t leave the sea without having defeated King Crab. That’s some surprising new info.”

“We’d like to keep an eye on the port and make sure we can follow you later, but…”

“Oh yeah, you’re currently exploring the lava region with Yoru, right? Seriously, you three, tell me what you’re really up to.”

Whenever I try to press Shinji and Shiro about why they’re always getting dragged into things by Yoru, who used to lead the ?Hunters of the Apocalypse? in ?Sky Fantasy?, they glance at each other before fiddling with their phones.

The light notification sound of the chat app plays, and they finally begin to speak.

“Well, the truth is, the three of us are looking for murals.”

“Murals? What, you guys quit being knights and mages to become archaeologists or something?”

“No, not like that. It all started when Yoru messaged us, saying the monsters in the ?Forest of Spirits? ruins were too strong for him to handle alone, so we reluctantly went to help. That’s when we discovered something in the final room. A possible hidden clue in ?Astral Online?.”

“What? You guys kept something that important from me!?”

Startled, I almost fell backward, but Kurono and Inori, sitting on either side of me, quickly reached out to catch me.

Shinji and Shiro exchanged awkward glances, saying, “Yoru made us swear to keep it a secret until now.”

Seeing how guilty they looked, I decided to let it go.

I couldn’t blame them, especially since I had only recently revealed my own real-life gender change to them. I chuckled to myself, thinking we were even.

Still, Yoru… He probably planned to release the information once everything was in order, as expected from a ?Pioneer of the World?. He’s always been good at finding things.

“So, that notification sound just now was from Yoru? If he’s given permission, does that mean there’s been some progress?”

“Well, all we know is that after Yoru saw the first mural in the ruins, he started talking about how, in that world, there are more angels beyond the Four Archangels and the Supreme Archangel Lucifer.”

“Shinji, that’s a really vague summary…”

The black-haired boy, Shinji, spoke carelessly, while Shiro, the brown-haired, cheerful boy, looked irritated as he began explaining the mural they had heard about from Yoru.

“Listen, in ?Astral Online?, there are three angels that govern the heavens, three Seraphim who manage the World Tree, and the Four Archangels who protect the land, which is the soil of the continents. Finally, there’s the Supreme Archangel who oversees them all. These beings, collectively referred to as the ?Sephirothic Angels?, were depicted in the ruins of both the ?Forest of Spirits? and the ?Lava Zone?.” [1]

“So, it wasn’t just the Four Archangels and the Archangel after all, huh.”

The new information Shiro shared was indeed intriguing.

I carry the Archangel Lucifer in the form of a curse as one of my skills. The Four Archangels are connected to ?The Four Star of the Lord of the Rings? that Sora is currently progressing through, and we’ve already acquired two of them. Kurono and Shinji hold those rings.

One thing we need to consider is whether the other six angels are still alive.

Or, like the Four Archangels, have they perished, and now exist only as quest rewards in the form of player items?

“There’s also the matter of that gray angel we encountered during the ?Dragon King Festival?. Let me know if you find out anything new.”

“Yeah, you got it.”

“Understood.”

With that, we concluded our meeting. Sora and the others cleaned up their dishes, and today, they were driven home by Inori’s butler, who had been waiting for them outside the school building.

…………………………

Later, we logged into ?Astral Online? again.

Sora was the first to awaken and was immediately hugged by a drowsy Laura. Then, in a strange show of rivalry, Kuro also hugged her, and for a moment, Sora almost passed out within the first few minutes of logging in.

I’m just a normal high school boy, after all. Getting hugged by cute girls is way too much for my heart to handle.

At the last moment, Laura woke up, apologized, and quickly moved away, allowing me to avoid any trouble.

If I had been in my male form, I’d probably have been immediately flagged for excessive physical contact with the opposite sex, sent flying, and my penalty count would have skyrocketed.

In times like this, I feel a bit relieved to be in a girl’s body, which makes me despise myself for thinking so pathetically.

As I mulled over these thoughts, I reassured the now red-faced Laura, who was practically steaming from the top of her head, not to worry.

“I… I know that Sora-sama is a man due to the Demon Lord’s curse. And yet I…”

“No, seriously, don’t worry about it. Anyone would grab a convenient body pillow if it’s nearby. It’s only natural.”

“…Ah, this is the compassion of someone from the heavens. No wonder the two princesses, Aria and Alice, are drawn to you, Sora-sama…”

Though I should have been the one receiving judgment, Laura instead blushed and thanked me.

Seeing this, Kuro, who was beside us, grew wary and clung to me protectively. I reassured her to calm down, and just then, Inori logged in at the perfect moment.

“Well, for now, the plan is to head to the port and depart by ship. It seems like it will take a few days to reach the island, so let’s log out once we hit a good stopping point.”

“Got it!”

“Understood.”

“…Thank you.”

With the three of them giving their replies, Sora checked her equipment one last time, left the room, and thanked the innkeeper before heading outside.

Suddenly, a quest window appeared before Sora and the others.

?Reach the port with Laura without being spotted by the kingdom’s soldiers.?

After reading the quest description, both Sora and Inori made very weary expressions.

Ugh, a sneaking quest…

TL Note:

[1]

Sephiroth is a term derived from Kabbalah, a Jewish mystical tradition. It refers to the ten emanations or sephirot that emanate from God, forming the divine tree of life.