Chapter 122: The Angel Meets the Assassin (7)

Episode 122: The Angel Meets the Assassin (7)

There are no “what ifs” in history.

But people still wonder. What if that person had survived? Or what if that person had died?

What if that incident had never happened? Or what if that incident had occurred?

People, filled with regrets, insert the word “what if” into history.

So, what if Hongwol hadn’t protected the Assassination Department girl?

Three Mooncat Tribe executives jumped. The Mooncat Tribe was a race known for their thievery and assassinations, and naturally, they excelled at ambushes.

If Hongwol hadn’t jumped in front of the Assassination Department girl, that girl would have been torn to pieces and scattered across the top floor of the Cat’s Perch.

And Merrill, the assassination professor who had been hiding out of concern for Leffrey, would have rushed out, enraged, and ripped those beast folk apart.

They, too, would become scattered pieces of meat on the top floor. And then, the Mooncat Tribe, led by Jeokwol, would launch a full-on assault on Merrill.

Jeokwol, the chieftain of the Mooncat Tribe. A powerhouse capable of holding her own in a defensive battle against even Park Jin-ho.

The combined might of Jeokwol and the Mooncat executives. Merrill would not survive.

A murdered professor. The Central Superhuman Academy and the Superhuman Management Bureau would be enraged at the Mooncat Tribe, declaring a need for appropriate punishment.

Anti-otherworldly being laws would be passed in the National Assembly, and even harsher laws would be enacted, especially targeting the Old Citadel where beast folk resided.

Beast folk would hate humans even more, leading to even more terrorism, humans would hate beast folk even more, leading to even more oppression.

This was the natural flow of karma. A sad prelude to destruction, created by human fear and discrimination, without even needing the demon king’s interference.

That’s why Hongwol couldn’t help but think,

‘I have to stop this.’

Hongwol, seeing a tribe member hiding in the darkness, swaying their hips and preparing to pounce, she instinctively felt that she had to block that attack.

‘But to block it. I’d literally have to throw myself at them.’

And that could mean death. Although Hongwol was a powerful attacker, she wasn’t very strong defensively.

She was the type who tanked by dodging attacks, so a situation like this was incredibly unfavorable.

Even so…

‘If I don’t block it…’

Hongwol, the hero, unconsciously sensed the flow of karma. She imagined what would happen if she didn’t protect that girl.

A war between humans and otherworldly beings. No one knows who would win. But she had a hunch that it would be a massive war, a never-ending one.

Hongwol, before she met Leffrey, would have thought it wasn’t a bad thing.

She loved fighting and hated humans who discriminated against her.

But even so…

There were things she couldn’t forget.

The warmth of the boy who held her close on a cold winter day when she was bleeding profusely. The unforgettable kindness of that boy, smiling after saving another student.

And the unbelievable words the boy had spoken today.

‘Maybe they’ll even ask to reconcile.’

She just couldn’t forget them.

If she didn’t throw herself at them now, she felt like she would lose all those precious things… So Hongwol had no choice but to jump.

The girl’s chest was pierced by her own kind. Though her heart had been spared, her lungs and digestive system must have been destroyed.

Her left arm was in a similar state. Her skin was flayed, her muscles exposed… no, even her bones were visible.

It was a miracle it was still attached.

And the remaining attacks…

“Haha… I… I fell… for your words… about reconciliation…”

…were beyond what even Hongwol, with her superhuman vitality, could endure.

The girl looked around once more. She saw that the Assassination Department girl she had protected was unharmed. And her mother’s eyes, usually so cold, were wide with shock.

And she saw her precious boy, running towards her, shouting. And so, Hongwol could smile.

The cracked glass shattered, scattering into the air like hailstones. And the girl fell.

Down below.

* * *

They say that heroes exist in this world.

Chosen by Heaven, those beings are bestowed with power to defeat the great evil that darkens the world… so that they can make the world a brighter place.

That’s right.

Heroes can change the world.

And they can defeat great evil.

We talked about “what ifs” earlier, didn’t we? Now let’s think about what actually happened.

Hongwol, a young hero and a member of the Mooncat Tribe, threw herself at the attackers, protecting a girl she had no connection with.

Hongwol, pierced by her own kind, fell with the shards of shattered glass.

And a certain professor had witnessed it all. It was Merrill, the assassination department professor, a powerhouse who utterly hated otherworldly beings.

Anti-otherworldly being laws and negative rumors about otherworldly beings, all stemmed from her dark hand.

She had once lost her family to otherworldly beings, had been enslaved by them, and was now taking her revenge.

And the otherworldly beings, seeking revenge for that revenge, lost their families, were enslaved by humans, and were now seeking revenge against humans.

A cycle of hatred.

A truth that could never be broken.

This was a cycle that Leffrey could never break. No matter how much he tried to reform Merrill with his angelic charms, it would only change her opinion of him… Not her hatred towards otherworldly beings.

It wasn’t an angel’s role to change the world.

But a hero could.

To change the world, that was a hero’s duty.

‘That girl… she threw herself in front of our student.’

At this moment, Merrill forgot her hatred for otherworldly beings.

Merrill dashed forward. *Crash*—Leaving behind the sound of breaking air, she ran. Past the Mooncat Tribe members, past Leffrey, she caught Hongwol in midair, pulling her up.

“Healer…”

Merrill’s eyes were welling up with tears. She had already forgotten her hatred. All she could think of was saving a dying girl.

“Healer…! Healer, quickly!”

Leffrey activated his Angelic Abilities.

He was too surprised, too frantic, to even read the messages that were popping up. He ignored them all and did his best to save Hongwol, even if it meant using up all his remaining Angelic Power.

[It is the duty of a hero to sacrifice their body to save the world]

[The hero has changed the world.]

.

.

[The teachings of the Sword Saint + a sacrifice to change the world.]

[The potential of a future hero increases by one level!]

[Hongwol is now recognized as a hero!]

.

.

[Title acquired: Guardian Angel of the Cat Hero]

===

[Title: Guardian Angel of the Cat Hero]

You have guided the young girl to the right path and raised her as a hero. You have fulfilled your most important duty as a guardian angel.

Title Effect:

Once a day, for ten minutes, you can borrow 20% of the hero [Hongwol]’s Agility.

===

[It is the duty of a hero to sacrifice their body to save the world]

[A guardian angel’s ultimate goal is to guide a hero to fulfill their duty!]

[Confirmed that the hero Hongwol has defeated the great evil of racial discrimination.]

[Confirmed that the duty has been fulfilled.]

[Martial Arts of the Archangel who Tramples Dragons Lv.9 confirmed.]

[Ultimate Angelic Ability confirmed.]

[Flabellum, the archangel’s dagger, and Sanctus, the angel’s gloves, confirmed.]

[Items proving Heavenly authority confirmed.]

[An opportunity to ascend to a higher rank is given to you, who have fulfilled your duty!]

[Vacancy for the Archangel position confirmed.]

.

.

Countless messages appeared. Not just one or two, but dozens of them at once. But Leffrey couldn’t even focus on them.

“Wol, Wol…”

Tears blurred his vision, and sorrow and fear filled his heart.

“I never thought this would happen…”

Leffrey, panicking, poured his Angelic Power into the girl’s body. Hongwol’s body slowly regained its color and began to heal.

But Leffrey couldn’t stop crying.

‘It’s the hero’s duty to sacrifice their body to save the world?’

Leffrey was an angel, a being who could sense karma. So, he understood this situation better than anyone else.

If Hongwol hadn’t protected that Assassination Department girl, this world would have been destroyed by a civil war.

But if Hongwol were to sacrifice herself…

‘She almost died. She almost died because of me.’

She might have lost her life, befitting a hero who saved the world.

Only then did Leffrey realize how naive he had been. Just because she’s a hero, it’s only natural she’ll defeat the demon king, right? Just because she’s a hero, it’s only natural she’ll protect the world, right?

Yes, they might be able to defeat the demon king and save the world,

But his precious heroes wouldn’t survive unscathed. Power always comes with a price, and that’s true for both angels and humans.

“I’m sorry… I asked you to do something you shouldn’t have done…”

Heroes are broken when they fight the demon king.

But there’s no other way to change this world.

‘No, it’s not like there’s *no* other way…’

Is there really no other way? Had Leffrey ever seen another way to change this world? Who else could defeat the demon king but a hero? He couldn’t find an answer.

Not yet.

A cold hand caressed the crying boy’s cheek.

“Boy, don’t cry so much.”

Hongwol’s dry lips curved into a smile.

“It was my choice. I didn’t do this because of you, boy.”

The girl, before she fell asleep,

Uttered her last words.

“I also… want to see a world where humans and otherworldly beings don’t fight. That’s all I did it for.”

With those words, the girl fell asleep.

“This is my choice…”

And a hero consumed by hatred, witnessing it all…

Merrill Sadarin, the assassination department professor,

Who was once a slave to otherworldly beings.

Merrill looked at Jeokwol, shocked at the sight of her daughter’s injuries. Red hair, cat ears, and a tail. A form so different from a human’s.

But the way she held her injured daughter, holding back tears, she was no different from a human.

‘…Right, mothers, they all make that face.’

That expression was…

…An expression Merrill knew all too well.

An expression she had seen when she was young.

[A hero consumed by hatred has been freed from her hatred.]

[Performing a miracle is truly an angelic act!]

[You have gained an immense amount of Angelic Power.]

‘What have I done all this time…’

Merrill looked at the blood on her hands. The same color as the blood of the otherworldly villains she had hated so much.

She wanted to become the kind of hero Park Jin-ho is. But it was already claimed by that girl being healed by the angel.

‘Was I the villain…’

Merrill disappeared into the darkness with the Assassination Department girl, leaving behind only regret.