Seraphim is a Bystander

Interlude: The Melancholy of Ren, the Creator God

 
 
As Seras' form began to blur and vanish, the radiant light surrounding them gradually faded. Confirming that I had safely transferred Seras to the world of reincarnation, I lowered the hand I had raised.

 
 
“Phew…”

I let out a sigh without meaning to—then caught myself smiling.
He—no, she now—has been nothing but trouble from the very beginning.
 

 
Thinking back, my melancholy started about five billion years ago, when Enma came to me for a consultation.
 

 
“Creator God Ren, I humbly request your guidance.”
“Hm? What is it, Enma?”

Kneeling before me while awkwardly compressing his ten-meter-tall body, Enma—the judge of the underworld I had created long ago—was always a diligent and dependable subordinate, faithfully following the manual I gave him. The fact that he came to me for a consultation was rare.
“I deeply regret troubling you, my Lord, but… I must consult you regarding a particular deceased soul.”
“That’s fine. What happened?”

 
 
According to Enma, a human had died in a rather unusual manner. It seemed the person was not supposed to die at that moment, yet through sheer force of will, they twisted fate—saving a friend who was fated to die, killing the attacker who wasn’t supposed to die there, and dying in their place.
 

 
“Quite the forceful one, huh?”
“Yes, while the incident is still within the bounds of fate’s correction range, the issue lies in the deceased’s disposition. Though they had the willpower to rewrite destiny, they aren’t exactly a hero or a saint. But at the same time, they're not wicked enough to be called a madman either.”

“Hmm… I see.”
 
 

Usually, such cases are judged by a balance of their accomplishments and moral character—but in this case, both are too ambiguous to decide definitively.
“Hmm…”
They’re not evil enough for Hell, but not quite good enough for Heaven.

“Then, I’ll take them into my {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} care.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll have them work as an angel under me. But I’ll leave their human mind intact.”

“Ah… I see. Since the mental strain of angelic labor is too much for a human soul to bear.”
“Once their mind is suitably worn down, I’ll let them return to the cycle of reincarnation.”
 

 
At the time, I thought it was just a curious case. I figured I’d assign them a name and body, watch her crumble under the pressure, then reabsorb the soul when they broke.
 

 
But a few years later, the report I received shocked even me: the angel Seras—the one I’d given the name and body to—was not crumbling under the workload. In fact, she had started carving out breaks for themselves.
 

 
It was hard to believe… but given that this was the person who’d twisted fate by sheer willpower, I figured it was within the realm of possibility.
So I increased their workload.

Surely this time, they’d break after a few years.
 
 

But no.
The next report said Seras was still managing to rest between tasks.
 

 
What the hell…? I was already running out of things to assign them within the bounds of “messenger duty” in Heaven…
 

 
Things got stranger when I summoned Seras and discovered that their capabilities had evolved.
Ordinarily, angels don’t “grow” or “evolve.” I create them as completed beings. They have no concept of growth. But Seras—perhaps due to retaining a human mind—was improving, seemingly fueled by her hatred for work and rebellion against me.

She had raised themselves to the level of an Archangel.
 
 

Though confused, I figured I might as well use it. I updated her body to match that of an Archangel and gave them interrealm responsibilities—especially dealing with Hell.
 
 

But Seras didn’t break.
Her strength kept growing.
And before I knew it, she had become a Seraphim—the highest class of angel.

 
 
What the hell…? I kept thinking they'd crack eventually—but even in our last meeting, they were still mentally intact, sarcastic (internally), and going strong.

 
 
I couldn’t even punish her. Her “gripes” were all job-related—not a hint of rebellion or betrayal. No reason to discipline them.

 
 
At first, other angels were openly hostile toward Seras for taking breaks. Now, however, Seras has earned widespread respect even beyond Heaven due to their work ethic and results.

They’ve even started to faintly radiate divine energy… probably from amassing too many merits.
 
 

And so… here we are.
With Seras having accumulated too much virtue and becoming too powerful to manage, I proposed the idea of reincarnation to get her away from current duties.
 

 
With Seras’ ability, saving a single world is child’s play. I figured I’d let her slack off a bit in mortal form, lose some virtue, and return to a manageable state.
So when Seras proposed that idea, I jumped at the chance.

 
 
But honestly… even with telepathy, I still don’t understand that one.

How in the world do you even come up with something like: “I want to be the alter ego of a person with dissociative identity disorder”!?
 
 

Well… she’s not a bad kid.
And she seemed satisfied, so I suppose it's fine.