"Ahem..." It took a moment, but Edelgard regained her composure. "I'm glad to see that you're awake- I was quite worried when we found the both of you on our way back to the Monastery."
"You're the one who found us?" I asked her, raising an eye.
"Yes... Ah, forgive me," she nodded politely. "I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, Princess of the Adrestian Empire and the leader of the Black Eagle House. We're the ones who found the both of you on our way back from a mission assigned by the Church."
I gave her a polite nod in return. "I'm Ash Crestfall. This is Levy McGarden, my Girlfriend."
A trace of disappointment flickered in Edelgard's eyes before it vanished quickly. "A pleasure. I'm amazed you recovered as well as you did, your injuries were quite severe."
"I'm not exactly human," I told her, flapping my wings once. "With not being human- there are certain perks such as a stronger body than ordinary humans, one that recovers faster. I could re-grow an arm if lost it... Probably. Though that would take some time."
"How fascinating," she looked genuinely interested. "And what are you exactly? Are you some sort of divine messenger?"
"You could say that," I didn't deny her words- I needed to craft a higher level of identity for myself in this world rather than just a human who turned into a Flugel. "While I have a connection with one god in particular, I'm familiar with many Gods- Zeus, Loki, Sothis, Isis, Ahura Mazda, Ankherseram..."
Edelgard blinked in surprise. "There are so many Gods?"
"Many Gods," I nodded at her words. "There are many kinds of Gods who rule particular domains- like Gods of the Sun, Moon, War, and so on. Then there are some 'Almighty' Gods who rule over an entire land by themselves, ruling over all domains within their area. We call such Gods 'One Gods' as they are the only God in their land. Sothis is the 'One God' of Fodland."
She leaned forwards, eyes lighting up. "Do you know the history of Sothis?" She asked.
I was confused as to why, before I quickly realised why. She wanted to know the true history of Sothis to know if the Agarthans were telling her the truth. Edelgard, after all, had never truly trusted the Agarthans- she teamed up with them out of what she believed was necessity after they manipulated her entire life to turn her into a weapon against the Church of Seiros and the children of Sothis.
"I do," I nodded. "But I don't think this is the time or place for a history lesson," my lips quirked in a smile.
She pulled back, looking slightly sheepish. "Yes, of course. You have my apologies, it is just... Many things about the time when the Goddess ruled and the King of Liberation are unclear, so I wanted to know more details."
A smile crawled onto my lips... Good, this was very good- a path forward to change Edelgard's fate. "As it so happens, I think Levy and I will stay here- perhaps even join the Monastery of our meeting with the Archbishop goes well," I told her. "Seek me out then, I'll tell you all I know."
She smiled, "I would like that, thank you."
The door opened and both of us turned her heads towards the doorway.
My heart skipped a beat.
Byleth Eisner- the Ashen Demon- made her way into the infirmary. Her face was expressionless, but beautiful- dark green hair framing her face as her matching eyes landed on me and then drifted to my wings.
"You're awake," she noted.
"How observant," I said playfully. "If I'm not wrong... You're the teacher for the Black Eagle house, correct?"
She nodded, "Yes. Byleth Eisner."
"Ash Crestfall."
"Why do you have wings?" She asked bluntly.
I wasn't surprised, Byleth was still in the state where she was starting to comprehend her emotions for the first time- she didn't understand the nuances of 'subtlety' quite yet... Though she did know how to keep a secret.
"Because I'm not human. I'm a Flugel- it means 'Wing' if translated to your tongue."
"Oh..." She nodded. "Okay."
I smothered the chuckle that threatened to rise. No follow up questions- that was just like Byleth. Her curiosity was satisfied, so she had no further questions on that front.
"What will you do now?" Edelgard asked.
"That depends on how my talk with the Archbishop goes. If it goes well, then Levy and I will both stay. If it goes poorly, then we'll likely leave."
Edelgard nodded, having no further questions on that front. "Well, I believe we've taken up enough of your time- we'll let you get some rest."
"It was nice to meet you both," I nodded.
Edelgard gave me a nod, before she turned and left, Byleth giving me one more glance before she too turned and followed her out the door.
My eyes locked onto their pair of swaying hips as they left through the door, and I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
I had no idea how I'd maintained my composure there- perhaps the shock of the fact I was in another world again had helped me with staying calm during that talk.
I had a serious crush on both Byleth and Edelgard, so being able to talk to them normally? I considered that a win.
Taking another deep breath, I focused on Levy- who was still unconscious. She'd probably be awake by tomorrow, which was good- I'd need to tell her the truth about the fact I was Isekai'd.
With our arrival in this world and the fact I was going to have to display a lot of knowledge I couldn't explain normally, I knew that hiding the circumstances of my isekai from Levy was impossible.
Of course, lying was an option. But I had no reason to lie to her about being isekai'd and, more importantly, I didn't want to lie to her. I trusted Levy- I trusted everyone in Fairy Tail- and... There really wasn't a reason to lie.
I sighed and rubbed the sides of my head. I was really alone with my thoughts right now, I hated it- where the hell was BB? It felt weird to not have another voice in my head.
My head suddenly snapped to look at the side, an overwhelming sense of pure unease filling my body as I saw someone standing nearby- when they had NOT been there moments before.
She had long silver hair, with an orange streak running down the left side of her bangs. Her hair split off into several twists, revealing glimpes of orange streaks along the twists. Her orange eyes stared at me with equal parts fascination and amusement, a small smirk on her plump lips. A halo- very similar to my own but more solid and orange- spun lazily over her head.
She was clad in a short white dress lined with golden armour, the dress turning black at the chest and holding up her ample cleavage. A white jacket with orange lining inside hung off her shoulders, a white and golden pauldron with what I could only assume was the symbol of Ásgarðr present on it. Underneath her dress she wore black pants with diamond cut openings crawling up the sides of her legs, along with a pair of white and gold boots on her feet, with matching gloves on her hands.
Held in one of her hands- ever present at her side- was a white and golden sword, with the edge of the blade being a sleek orange that emanated heat that I could feel from where I was sitting.
I swallowed slowly at the undeniably beautiful woman in front of me... But not because of her beauty, but because I recognised who she was.
Coming from Fire Emblem Heroes, the Celestial Sun God of Ásgarðr... Baldr.
A haughty and proud god, one who believed herself to be nothing short of perfect... Even if an enemy were to obtain the only weapon capable of removing her divine protection, she would not fear nor be afraid- instead believing she could overcome Fate itself.
"... To what do I owe the pleasure of the Sun God?" I finally asked her.
Her pleased smirk only widened at my words, looking very proud. "I see my name has indeed spread far, for even one not of this world to know of me," she told me. "I happened to be visiting Fodland since Sothis is in the midst of her awakening... Imagine my surprise when I find you- one who has traversed through the veil of worlds and yet did not perish."
"Luck, nothing more," I told her.
She just gave me an amused look that said she didn't believe that. "Luck in and of itself is also a talent," she told me. "How interesting..." She stepped towards me, boots clicking on the ground as she approached.
I felt a shudder run down my spine as she stopped in front of me, her gloved hand reaching out and cupping my cheek.
Her orange eyes stared into my brown ones, glowing like a pair of primordial suns.
There was no question in my mind... If Baldr so wished it- she could strike me down right now, and there would be nothing I could do about it. She could erase me, and I would not go out with a bang but with a whimper.
Then, her hand pulled away, "I see now... You belong to one of those monstrosities beyond the veil, don't you?"
I swallowed, "... Yes."
Her grin only widened, "Interesting... What is your name?"
"... Ash Crestfall."
"Ash..." She tasted the name on her lips. "I like it!"
"... Won't Sothis get upset at you for intruding on her territory?" I finally asked.
For a moment, Baldr's smile slipped. For just a moment, she looked a little bit nervous... It seemed that even Baldr was weary about Sothis's power- her ability to toy with time as if moulding clay.
But then, she regained her confidence, "In her current state, Sothis cannot do anything to me," she said confidently. "For now, I'm far more interested in you... What lies beyond the Veil- the Veil that countless Gods have tried to pierce and countless more have failed..."
She hummed as she looked at me before she grinned widely. "I want you to accept my blessing- let a spark of me travel with you once you traverse the Veil."
"... And you're choosing to do this even though you know I belong to someone beyond the Veil?"
This time, her smile did fade and she looked equal parts angry but also concerned. Clearly, she knew that she was no match for BB, and she didn't like the fact that I'd reminded her of that.
Still, her smile quickly returned, "Doesn't that make it more interesting?"
"... And what benefits does your blessing bring?" I asked her, knowing already what my answer would be by this point.
The smirk on her face grew wider, clearly knowing what my answer was as well, "Access to the power of the Sun itself, for one. You'll become more powerful, more durable, during the daytime. In particular, your physique is going to see a drastic increase under the effects of my power- becoming stronger, faster, more durable. Worthy of my glorious sun."
I swallowed... Essentially, a nerfed but more 'constant' version of 'Sunshine' from Seven Deadly Sins, without the downsides of losing power when the Sun went down.
Truthfully... Even though I knew my answer, I also knew it was the only real answer. I wasn't anywhere close to strong enough to face off against a God- especially not one of the arguably most powerful Gods in Baldr who I wouldn't even be able to hurt without Mystletainn.
I didn't want to agree... But I didn't have a choice.
I gave my answer.
Baldr's beautiful lips only stretched into a wider smile as her hand reached out, pressing right beside where the crest of Artosh was- on the opposite side of where my Fairy Tail mark resided.
[You have received the blessing of [Baldr]. [Rule] of the world has been expanded. You have obtained [Crest of Baldr].]