Chapter 196: The Angel Who Dreams (1)

Episode 196: The Angel Who Dreams (1)

Outside, the chaotic observation class was coming to an end.

That observation class that had flustered the professors, shocked the academy adults who had gathered, and left the students in disbelief.

But regardless of the commotion outside,

The children were simply enjoying a deep, comfortable sleep.

‘It’s warm. So soft. Feels heavy. Heavy…?’

Leffrey was the first to open his eyes.

Right away, he could see Soya, who was fast asleep while clinging tightly to his sleeve.

“Fallen Angel-friendly…”

Next, he noticed Hongwol, who had sprawled over him so he couldn’t slip away, practically draping her whole body on him.

“I’m not a cat… Meow… Don’t touch my tummy…”

They were both so adorable that Leffrey couldn’t help but smile naturally as he watched them.

‘Huh, when was the last time I smiled?’

And how long has it been…

…Since he woke up feeling so happy.

‘The darkness in my heart, the killing intent that remains as resentment. Nothing has been resolved.’

The demon king’s words came to mind.

His words, that nothing has ended.

But even though this world was incredibly dark.

‘I’m happy right now.’

At least for this moment, the boy could smile.

* * *

“Still, we really did defeat the demon king.”

“Yeah, it was nothing special. He’s just someone who can only use darkness, so he was really easy to deal with, it reminds me of a certain someone.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? That’s some black magic-hating talk, isn’t it?”

Hongwol and Soya bickered lightly.

No, calling it bickering was a bit strange.

Because both girls were smiling.

“Um, you two.”

Leffrey slowly opened his mouth.

For some reason, he felt ticklish and embarrassed. But he didn’t dislike those feelings.

“Thank you. For coming to help me.”

Friends.

The word ‘friend’ had always been an unfamiliar word to Leffrey.

To an angel, there was no such thing as friendship, only a hierarchy of superiors and subordinates. And in his past life, all that remained were memories of running and being trampled on.

But now, Leffrey could proudly say that he truly understood the meaning of the word ‘friend’.

“Truly, sincerely, thank you.”

The boy smiled, his eyes brimming with tears.

That appearance of clumsily wiping his tears while muttering, “A man shouldn’t cry so often.” with his head slightly tilted to the right.

Along with that, his bright golden hair swaying.

The pinkish blush remaining on his skin that was so pale and transparent, it almost seemed like you could see his blood vessels.

If only his hair was a bit longer, then almost no one would have been able to see him as a boy, so the girls thought.

‘But that’s good. No, it’s even better this way.’

*Gulp*—

However, the girls were slowly starting to forget the true meaning of the word, ‘friend’.

“From now on, never, ever…”

What should this emotion contained in her voice be called?

Even the clever Soya probably wouldn’t be able to name this feeling she was expressing.

Deeper than longing, darker than affection, more desperate than yearning, and more heartbreaking than pity.

Those were the emotions gripping Soya’s pink lips at that moment.

“From now on, never go off alone again.”

“U-Um, okay.”

“That’s right, boy. I’m really mad, too.”

Pinch—Hongwol pinched Leffrey’s soft cheek. And Leffrey, despite going “Ow, ow,” couldn’t bring himself to push her hand away.

“Got it?”

“Got it.”

“It doesn’t matter what kind of being you become. Even if you turn into a fallen angel, it doesn’t matter.”

Her pink eyes shone.

No, they darken so intensely that one might mistake them for shining.

“So don’t you ever do anything like this again.”

Faced with that look, the boy could only nod.

* * *

The fall of teachers’ authority.

That was the first thing Leffrey heard when he came outside.

“T-Teachers’ authority is falling?”

The fall of teachers’ authority.

Could the phrase ‘Fall of teachers’ authority’ even be used at the Central Superhuman Academy?

Sword Saint Park Jin-ho, Martial God Lusa, Tower Master Klein, and all the other professors, who in the world would be brazen enough to challenge their ‘authority’?

“Teacher authority has fallen. What in the world is that supposed to mean?”

“Leffrey, were you in prison or something? How can you not know about this incident?”

Jack answered with a question of his own, as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

‘What should I say.’

Leffrey paused for a moment, wondering whether he should lie or tell the truth.

In the end, he chose to speak the truth.

“I was a bit sick, so I couldn’t hear any outside news.”

“No, how sick were you.”

Jack White, the young master of the White family, who always pretended to be annoyed in front of Leffrey. However, as soon as he heard that Leffrey was sick, he couldn’t hide his worried expression.

“Are you okay now?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

And then Leffrey lied.

“….”

Sometimes, people use the word ‘pitiful.’ There’s an error where humans feel an attraction towards those who seem so fragile, delicate, and vulnerable that it seemed they might disappear at any moment.

Jack was currently experiencing that error.

“Are you really, really sure you’re okay?”

“I said I’m fine, didn’t I? I’m completely fine now. So fine that… I could probably eat like four hamburgers?”

“Ha.”

“So, what exactly happened?”

And so began the story.

Bit by bit, unbelievable words spilled from Jack’s mouth.

“Yumari, who became a new dragon, defeated Professor Lusa.”

“…What?”

The story continued.

During the Martial Arts Department observation class, Mari appeared, riding black lightning, and called out Professor Lusa.

“They say that it was the first time they had ever seen Professor Lusa so tense.”

Lusa being tense.

The same Lusa who would carelessly teach the class and pick fights with Park Jin-ho every day was actually tense?

And Yumari requested a spar.

“Professor Lusa refused. Saying that this wasn’t a matter of sparring, but one that required real combat.”

“So, so, what happened next?”

“Professor Lusa lost.”

Even Professor Lusa, who gave it her all, was defeated. The parents and students were in a state of panic at this unbelievable situation

And then Mari, finding someone hiding among the parents, approached them with her usual cold, expressionless face.

“Who were they?”

“High-ranking members of the Seocheon Yu. And who else was it again. Including them, there were two more people, but I’m not sure exactly.”

“What did she do to those high-ranking members?”

Leffrey couldn’t help but have dark thoughts.

Corruption is like falling into an abyss, the deeper you fall, the harder it becomes to climb back up.

If Mari couldn’t overcome her killing intent and was consumed by it.

“Surely, she didn’t kill them, did she?.”

If that happened, she’d become a true Fallen Hero.

“No, nobody died. They say she just stared them down in silence.”

“And then?”

“And then, I don’t know what method she used, but she made them pledge their loyalty to her, then left the academy. The other professors tried to go after her, but… no one could catch up to her lightning.”

There’s one scene that comes to mind now.

That girl who betrayed humanity at Mariana Camp and escaped to the other world at a speed no one could match.

Leffrey squeezed his eyes shut, trying to erase that scene from his mind.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Leffrey, are you-”

“Something urgent just came up, so I have to go.”

“Wait.”

Jack grabbed Leffrey, who was about to leave immediately.

He couldn’t hide his embarrassment as he began to mutter something.

“Ahem. D-do.”

“Do?”

“Don’t get hurt!”

Leffrey didn’t answer with words.

He simply smiled warmly, a smile that Jack would never forget.

“….”

A boy continued to stare at the direction where the young angel had left. That child who, though foolish and clumsy, had taught him about warmth.

“Don’t get hurt.”

And for the first time in his life, the boy offered a prayer.

* * *

“Professors, you can’t do this!”

*Bang*—Someone was recklessly banging on the Professors’ Building door.

That someone was, of course, Leffrey.

“Please, hear me out. You shouldn’t make hasty decisions!”

“…Leffrey?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Pant, pant—Leffrey’s body was still recovering from his battle with the demon king, but he didn’t have the time to care about that now.

Because there was something more important than his own body.

“What’s the matter?”

“I know you’re all having a meeting right now. There’s something I want to say there!”

Park Jin-ho remained silent for a moment.

Then he opened his mouth again.

“Right, we should tell you about this too.”

*Click*—The locked door to the Professors’ Building began to slowly open.

“Come in.”

When Leffrey stepped in, he could see all the professors of the Central Superhuman Academy at once. Sword Saint Park Jin-ho, Tower Master Klein, Saint Rebecca, a bandaged-up Lusa, Archery Professor Hexi, and finally the Assassination Professor Merrill, blinking from within the shadows.

The strongest of humanity, gathered in one place. Even for Leffrey who had seen countless powerhouses couldn’t help but momentarily pause at this sight.

But although he momentarily paused, he did not hesitate in the slightest.

“Professors, Mari isn’t completely fallen.”

Would the professors believe him?

Leffrey had seen them make brutal decisions under the banner of humanity’s survival far too many times.

“She hasn’t killed anyone yet, and she hasn’t committed that many evil deeds. Of course, I’ll scold her properly for attacking Professor Lusa.”

Still, Leffrey couldn’t stop.

If he were to back down now, the professors would judge that Mari had fallen, and then conclude that she needed to be eliminated before she became stronger.

“I know that the chances are low. But please, give Mari a chance, I beg you.”

“Leffrey.”

“No! I won’t listen! Absolutely not! I’m going to throw a tantrum right here!”

Leffrey, the Tantrum Angel, activated.

Although he was a boy, he would shamelessly cry and whine until they couldn’t stand it.

“Leffrey, we’re going to save Mari.”

“By ‘save her,’ you don’t mean ‘give her final rest,’ right?”

Leffrey asked again, his guard fully raised.

“No. Leffrey, we mean to save student Mari from the Seocheon Yu family, and also save her from the corruption of dark karma. We will do our utmost.”

“But you professors are all so busy.”

“Rescuing a student who’s crying alone, that’s what a professor should do. And what a saint should do too.”

“But the chances of saving her from corruption…”

“I once hit a target at the imperial palace that everyone said was impossible to hit. All the professors here have done similar things. We’re not called veteran heroes for nothing.”

Merrill’s scarred hand reached out and touched Leffrey’s cheek.

“If this were our old selves, then we would have made another ‘unavoidable choice’.”

Then Park Jin-ho’s rough hand fell gently on Leffrey’s shoulder.

“But we professors have decided to make the right choice from now on.”

Lusa smiled as she removed her bandages.

Though a lightning-shaped black scar remained, it was almost completely healed.

“Yeah, let’s go save that rotten brat Mari as soon as possible. We have to rescue her if we’re going to punish her or whatever else.”

And lastly, Leffrey spoke.

“P-Professors, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”