Chapter 182: The Angel Who Receives Observation Class (5)

Episode 182: The Angel Who Receives Observation Class (5)

The Central Superhuman Academy is the best academy in the world. It boasts the world’s best professors, the world’s best facilities, and students of the highest caliber.

Then what of the parents.

It goes without saying.

With everything being the best in the world, naturally, the level of the parents was also world-class.

Their parents were as follows.

Starting from heads of conglomerates, to dictators of authoritarian regimes, rulers of sub-dimensions, guild masters of large guilds, and patriarchs and matriarchs of superhuman families.

The parents of Central Superhuman Academy students are the very power holders who effectively rule this world.

And the biggest reason they entrusted their children to the Central Superhuman Academy is…

‘Heroes.’

They wanted to raise their children as heroes.

Even though the classes at the Central Academy were incredibly difficult, and the exams even more brutal, being a hero is worth all these sacrifices.

That said, not many parents were prepared to sacrifice their children’s lives.

“Yes, reporting live from Wonsan. After the dungeon rank change incident a week ago…”

The faint sound of the TV drifts in. Three individuals listen to the TV from the floor below like a radio, a sound inaudible to ordinary people.

“Dungeon rank change incident.”

The dungeon rank change incident. It referred to the incident where a dungeon that appeared off the coast of Wonsan had its rank changed from F to EX in an instant.

The dungeon that experts called a broken dungeon, a pushover dungeon, suddenly gained recognition as the Dragon Lord’s Nest and then.

Everyone who entered went missing, and Wonsan was engulfed in flames by the Dragonkin that swarmed out.

And among those who entered were the Central Superhuman Academy students in the midst of their midterms. And not just any students, students from noble families at that, who could acquire the information first.

“But didn’t it end well? The Vice Principal went personally to resolve the situation, and for some unknown reason, the Dragon self-destructed too. Yet they’re going to hold an observation class over something like this.”

Klein wipes his monocle and sips his coffee. He stares at Park Jin-ho with a sharp attitude, not hiding his mild displeasure.

“Right. An observation class? Hmph. It’s nothing new for kids to get hurt during midterms. There weren’t even any deaths.”

And next to him was Lusa, who was sipping on her Irish coffee. With an expression of utter annoyance, she looks at Park Jin-ho intently.

“Yes, it’s truly fortunate that no one was permanently injured. But there are many students who are mentally traumatized. They might never recover.”

“Chaff blows away in the wind. Not just wind, but storms will rage from now on, so it’s good we could filter them out.”

(TL Note: ‘Chaff blows away in the wind’ is a reference from the bible.)

“Lusa, an adult shouldn’t speak so casually about a child’s pain. The children were hurt because of *our* mistakes as professors. It’s not because of the times we live in.”

A large hand marked with small scars covers Park Jin-ho’s face. Lusa clicks her tongue irritably and adds.

“What, why? Ha, Park Jin-ho, the hell are you acting all self-righteous these days?”

“Says the one putting on an act of cruelty. Where’s the elf who, having lost all reason, tried rushing into the Dragon Lord’s Nest saying she had to save Leffrey and the students?”

“Hmph…”

Lusa, at a loss for words, fills her mug with Irish coffee. She simply kept her mouth shut while watching the white liquor and dark brown liquor mix into a light brown.

“Things have truly changed a lot. The vice principal, Lusa, even I. And everyone else too.”

Klein smiles.

It wasn’t his usual sinister smile, but a smile containing a hint of sincerity.

“So much has changed, ever since that child arrived.”

The monocle wearing mage could feel it. (TL Note: Why couldn’t you just say Klein author??)

The professors were abandoning their humanity to defeat the Demon King, becoming more like the demon king himself, and the Central Academy students didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to become stronger.

‘It couldn’t be helped.’

Yes, it was unavoidable if they wanted to survive against the demon king. But Klein, at that time, even while looking at the Central Academy in broad daylight, felt an inescapable darkness as if it were the middle of the night.

Day was no different from night.

It was all just… dark.

‘But ever since Leffrey arrived.’

A faint but definite light began to shine. Like the light of dawn.

The child who taught us, who is losing our humanity, about the preciousness of a child. The child who showed the warmth between one another to children who only sought power. The child who could turn what would have been an utter tragedy into a comedy to laugh about.

That light truly illuminated the world.

It’s fine if it’s faint. Even a small light will do. No matter how dark this world becomes, as long as it keeps shining, as long as it just keeps shining…

…Then it meant that daylight is coming.

Klein, remembering a certain boy’s golden hair that sparkled in the morning light, looked at Park Jin-ho, holding back his lifting mood.

“But it’s strange. No matter what, to hold an observation class akin to a hearing when there were no casualties. Don’t you think the Board of Directors is overreacting a little?”

“This professor agrees. There must be another reason.”

“Another reason?”

Park Jin-ho’s voice drops coldly in that moment.

“Conquering the Dragon Lord’s Nest. A being capable of making that possible with just three girls.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

Lusa immediately lowered her ears and bared her teeth. And Klein stares out the window with murderous eyes while fiddling with his magic wand.

“They’re after Leffrey who can awaken heroes, those chosen by Heaven. This observation class is likely for that purpose.”

“Those damned bastards. So, that’s why the chairman, the head of the Seocheon Yu, is pushing for this observation class so much.”

“Hmph, if things go wrong, we’ll have no choice but to solve this with our fists. I’m going to flip the whole Board of Directors upside down today.”

*Crack* *Crack*- Lusa channeled her power into her fists. The sound of burning flames came from her hands.

“Stop it. That’s exactly what the board is hoping for.”

“That’s right. They’re probably planning to use this observation class to point out the problems of the Central Academy and then claim that the professors aren’t fit to teach Leffrey and take him away.”

“Let them try and take him. If they can dodge my fists, that is.”

“And that’s exactly why they’ll say, ‘How can we entrust a student to such a reckless elf?’ They’ll come at us like this!”

Phwoop- Klein sank deep into his chair, letting his body go limp.

“The Board of Directors made up of superhuman families and large guilds. Their resources are threatening even to us. And if it comes to an all-out war between us and the board…”

“It would be a civil war within humanity. Something that absolutely must not happen.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

Lusa flailed about in frustration, while Klein could only sigh, watching her.

“We’ll have to properly prepare for the class.”

After finishing his words, Klein felt fear for the first time in a very long while.

Fear of what, he wondered.

After a brief moment of self-reflection, he realized it was the fear of darkness.

Complete darkness, the feeling that his light would be extinguished. Klein’s light. Leffrey.

‘I’m feeling uneasy. I don’t know why, why I have a feeling that because of this observation class, I’ll lose my light, I’ll lose Leffrey…’

Just why was he feeling this way. Klein felt despair rising at how accurate his intuition tended to be.

‘Just keep shining.’

People don’t expect much from the light.

They only wish for it to shine upon the world while hanging in the sky.

‘Just keep shining, please.’

Deep in his heart, Klein offered up a prayer that might not reach anyone.

* * *

“Leffrey!”

“Hm?”

Leffrey turned his head at the familiar voice.

Soya, the girl he always had breakfast with, was standing there with a slightly sulky face.

“You’ll be having your observation class in the Magical Studies Department, right?”

She asked as if it was a given. But Leffrey can only scratch his head, looking a bit troubled.

“Well, I haven’t really decided yet.”

“Why? Why?”

“Because…”

Actually, Leffrey was thinking of having his observation class in the Martial Arts Department. Why. Because Yumari, his greatest concern, was there, and he could also meet the head of the Seocheon Yu family who would be coming to see her.

What was he planning to do when he met him?

He wasn’t sure.

Maybe just socialize a bit?

‘Well, if I’m going to fail anyway.’

And Soya and Wol weren’t in the Martial Arts Department. Leffrey doesn’t want to see their sad faces. This is actually the biggest reason.

‘I should go with the Martial Arts Department. It’s the only option.’

Leffrey hid his emotions and casually asked Soya again.

“But why? It doesn’t matter which department I take the observation class with.”

“It shouldn’t matter, but you’ll surely need me.”

“No, I don’t need you.”

Soya made another sulky face. The way she raised her hat’s brim slightly, to show how offended she was, was a bit cute.

A moment of silence passed.

When Leffrey didn’t try to appease her sulking, Soya got genuinely upset and muttered with her brim pulled down low.

“Tsk, fine, do whatever you want. See if I care!”

And Soya looking at Leffrey again.

“I’m leaving!”

And again, peek-

But Leffrey didn’t stop her.

“Uu, uuuuu!”

Soya, with Haste cast on her little legs, stomped away. Though she was just walking, her speed was no joke.

It was like a moving walkway.

Just one that was poorly designed to loop back to where you started.

Peek—

Glare glare—

A gaze, piercing through Leffrey’s back.

The boy felt the girl secretly watching him from behind, and heaved a deep sigh in his heart.

And as if he hadn’t noticed that gaze, as if he didn’t feel anything at all, he calmly got up and left for another class.

It was a painful and difficult thing to do.

* * *

A joint class between the first and second-year Swordsmanship Departments.

Though called a joint class, it’s more of a free-for-all sparring session. But what was different from other academies was that the sparring matches at the Central Academy were…

‘…Not held in a normal training hall.’

A sparring ground that recreated all the possible spaces where people could fight, from urban environments for urban warfare practice to forests, rivers, even volcanoes and glaciers.

Leffrey and a male underclassman face each other with swords in an apartment hallway.

“Huff, huff. Senior, you’re really good with the sword. It’s insane.”

“You’re pretty good yourself, junior.”

Leffrey was sparring with a first-year male student. Although the first-year was taller and had longer arms…

“No way, huff, how can you be, huff, this strong when you, huff, only attend the swordsmanship department!”

Leffrey is the successor of Cheongu Swordsmanship.

His skill is such that calling him a master swordsman would be no exaggeration.

And to a master, the difference in physique was just a trivial detail.

Leffrey, easily cornering the first-year, was lost in thought.

‘He’s strong. It’s not easy to find someone who handles a sword this well, not just among first years but even in the second year.’

Excluding Hongwol, whose skills had become so strong that she had to spar with Park Jin-ho personally, wouldn’t this kid be the strongest among the first and second years?

With that thought in mind, Leffrey kicked off the concrete floor. Along with that, the male student escaped backwards while breaking through the wall, and was trying to use the wall debris to hide his body for a moment.

Even that had been within Leffrey’s expectations.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Leffrey approaches the first-year through the cloud of dust, and then had to stop.

“Wait. This space is.”

And the first-year didn’t miss that moment.

To strike at a moment of hesitation is a warrior’s basic.

To turn a split second into an opportunity is the very essence of a fighter.

Thus, taking advantage of that opening, the first-year’s blade came in through the gap.

Leffrey casually pressed his sword against the first-year’s Adam’s apple, with a cold, dark gaze and a smile that seemed to say that he wouldn’t forgive him.

“Se-Senior.”

“Ah.”