Chapter 211: An Angel Lives in the Academy (End)

Episode 211: An Angel Lives in the Academy (End)

The girl gazed. At the small row house with red tiles attached, which she had once called home.

(TL Note: Isn’t it also kind of like a low-rise apartment? I can’t accurately picture it in my head… Could be either one, idk.)

It was far away. So far that from where the girl stood, it looked like a small dot. But even with that small dot, the girl could vividly recall what that house looked like.

If you climbed the cracked artificial stone steps, there were two iron doors with peeling paint, and if you climbed further, there were two similar iron doors visible on the second floor.

Entering through the right door led to the entryway. A shoe horn, shoe rack, and an umbrella container. And going inside from there was the living room.

Blue wallpaper, fairy tale books she read until sunset, the dining table that doubled as her study desk, and, and the person who always stood in front of the sink asking what school homework she had.

“…..”

The girl pulled down the brim of her hat. Because sometimes, there are things you don’t want to see, even if you miss them.

“I don’t want to see.”

Her surname, called a family name in foreign languages, the name that certified her family, she had abandoned it long ago. No, that’s not right. She wasn’t the one who abandoned it. She was abandoned.

If there was one right she had as an abandoned child, it was resenting the parents who abandoned her. And Soya had no intention of giving up that right.

But there was one lingering attachment.

The girl shook her head a few times, wiping her face with her sleeve before raising the brim of her hat.

“I didn’t come here to see them. The demon king caused a lot of damage in Old Seoul, so as a hero, I came to check on the city…”

The girl muttered excuses to the empty air, not knowing who she was even saying them to. After making those excuses, she was about to open a portal to return to the academy.

It was at that moment.

‘Soya, there’s something you wanted to know, wasn’t there.’

Someone’s voice was heard.

Whose voice could it be. This voice, so terribly familiar and welcoming.

‘Something you wanted to know so badly that you swore you’d live until you found the answer.’

The voice echoing from within her heart stopped Soya’s steps. That’s right. There was something Soya truly wanted to know.

To the extent that she swore she had to live until she knew it, even in her darkest nightmares. There was one thing she truly, truly wanted to know.

The last words her mother left.

‘Soya, I’m sorry…’

Why, did she say that. Why, how could she. Even after selling her to the magical families. Why would someone who was so fanatically religious say such words to her, who had become a black mage.

Soya desperately wanted to know the reason.

Before she knew it, the girl was running. She didn’t care that her hands were scratched by tree branches as she descended the mountain, and even when her lungs began to ache as if they might burst, she didn’t stop her steps.

“Haa… haa…”

She had to ask. She had to ask right now.

If you climbed the cracked artificial stone steps, there were two iron doors with peeling paint, and if you climbed further, there were two similar iron doors visible on the second floor.

“The passcode is, 3456 if I remember correctly.”

*Beep*—The door opened with a cheerful melody. The girl carefully opened the door and looked at the space she once called home.

Taking off her shoes beside the shoehorn and turning slightly to look toward the sink.

“…S-Soya.”

“Mom, I have something I want to ask.”

An angel with spread wings looked down at the earth. On the ground, a girl was sobbing profusely in her mother’s arms.

* * *

The region with the highest population density in the world, and a sanctuary for other world refugees, the Old Citadel. The race that rules over that Old Citadel is called the Mooncat Tribe by the residents.

As the rulers of the Old Citadel, the Mooncats hold vast wealth and powerful authority, but even they were not without their worries.

The ‘Demon King’, the ‘Professors’, or the ‘Successor’. These three were their main concerns. But now that the demon king had disappeared, and the professors had recovered, the only worry left for Jeokwol, the chieftain of the Mooncat Tribe, was naturally the successor.

“Ehew, how did that child end up like this.”

Jeokwol sighed and then fiddled with the hair of the man sitting beside her. The half-undressed man purred and rubbed his cheek against Jeokwol’s hand.

“She won’t listen to a word I say these days, and she tries to avoid all training related to the family business, and now she’s even ignoring the ‘order’ to leave the academy.”

With her red tail swaying, Jeokwol muttered.

“Those professor bastards, what on earth had they ended up teaching my daughter?”

Perhaps sensing the chief’s anger. The male consort, who had been acting coy, offered advice to his master in a cautious voice.

“Then, before she’s influenced further, how about using force to bring the Young Miss back?”

“Meow—say something possible. Even I can’t guarantee victory against her, that child has grown so strong.”

The movements that had blocked her and her members attacks. Jeokwol couldn’t read any of it, neither the beginning nor the end.

Not being able to read the beginning meant that her instincts were inferior, and not being able to see the end meant that her speed was slower. It was already difficult to guarantee victory if she was inferior in just one aspect, but to be inferior in both…

If she and her daughter were to fight? What would happen in such a situation? Jeokwol, though she didn’t want to admit it, was expecting her own defeat.

*Tap*—*Tap*—Jeokwol’s red tail tapped against the marble floor. It was one of the signs that showed she was in a bad mood.

Hearing that sound, the male consort adjusted his voice to be even more cautious.

“If we can’t bring her back by force either, Chieftain, do you perhaps have another plan?”

“Yes. Though it’s not a method I like.”

*Thwack*—*Thwack*—The sound of her tail cutting through the air.

Between those sounds, Jeokwol’s voice came.

“Bring Sowol. Starting today, I’ll begin the successor training with Sowol.”

*Thwack*—*Thwack*—The night filled with the sound of her tail hitting the floor. Tonight was a night when a high and clear moon rose.

Even on a moonlit night like this, or rather, *because* it’s a moonlit night like this, deep shadows stained the space. In a room steeped in shadows, two sisters with pink hair looked at each other, their eyes shining.

“Hey, did you hear?”

“I did.”

The girl fidgeting with the Central Superhuman Academy uniform, Sowol, affirmed her older sister’s words.

“They say starting today, I’ll receive successor training.”

“And are you happy about it?”

“I am. It’s a chance to become the chieftain of the honorable Mooncat Tribe.”

Honorable, huh. Hongwol couldn’t hold back her laughter upon hearing that. What exactly is the honor of the Mooncat Tribe?

“Do you know what you learn during successor training?”

“I know. Training to steal things the tribe needs, training to take an enemy’s life. And.”

“And you also learn what must be done as the ruler of the Old Citadel.”

The large, bright moon, its light making Hongwol’s eyes shine.

“You’ll end up killing innocent people.”

“…”

“And you’ll become a villain and end up fighting the students of the Central Academy. Your friends from the academy, I mean.”

At that moment, Sowol’s eyes wavered. Hongwol didn’t miss her glance that briefly landed on the academy uniform.

“Even so, it doesn’t matter.”

The two sisters stared at each other.

Until clouds covered the moon, plunging the world into darkness, and then lit up the world again as if nothing had happened.

Hongwol, bathed in moonlight streaming in through the window, spoke.

“Alright. Do as you please.”

“Wait, sis…”

And then Hongwol disappeared. She vanished so cleanly, as if she had never been in that room to begin with.

“Sister…”

A somewhat tender voice was swallowed by the shadows. Instead, the sound of a knock on the door came. Followed by the words, “Lady Sowol, it’s time for successor training.”

The moonlight illuminated the white clothes.

The uniform of the Central Superhuman Academy, white like moonlight, her school that teaches heroes to confront villains who harm the innocent.

It was a clothing too white to be worn by blood-stained hands. Why did the uniform shine so brightly today, of all days.

“Lady Sowol?”

“Yes, I’m coming.”

The girl left the room shrouded in shadows. And the hallway that stretched before her was also steeped in shadows.

“Follow m- Meow?”

And in that hallway, a suspicious red dot sparkled. For some reason, Sowol had an overwhelming urge to catch that dot.

Sway—sway—

The sound of tails swishing filled the hallway. Looking around, she saw that the other Mooncats were already in hunting stances.

Just like herself.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know what it is, but I want to step on it.”

“Ugh, why am I like this?”

And that dot, round and round, began to move teasingly, as if begging to be caught. Finally, the Mooncat women, unable to resist, dashed out.

“Meow!”

Sowol, too, tried to chase the dot, but she was grabbed by the scruff of her neck, the Mooncats’ weakness, and couldn’t move.

The one who grabbed Sowol’s nape was none other than…

“The performance is great, as expected of a Soya-made laser pointer.”

It was Hongwol. Watching her tribemates chase after the red dot, Hongwol muttered as if fed up.

“You can’t even imagine how much I suffered because of that dot. Hoo.”

“Miss Hongwol, just what are you doing?!”

A Mooncat, barely regaining her senses, shouted at Hongwol.

“What am I doing. Like a true Mooncat, I came to steal my little sister.”

“What? What does that mean?! Emergency! Emergency! Everyone gather and subdue Miss Hongwol quickly!”

At that, Hongwol began taking various items from her pocket as if she’d been waiting for this.

“I figured as much and prepared. Here, Soya-made Binding Yarn Ball! Soya-made Mandrake churu! And Soya-made Bait Fishing Rod… Wait, did this brat Soya make all of this to screw with me?”

Thus, while the emergency team got tangled up in the yarn ball, falling asleep after licking the churu, and jumped around hooked on fishing rods, more Mooncats began to gather.

And among them was Sowol and Hongwol’s mother, Jeokwol. It was at that moment.

Clang—With that sound, a white boy appeared. This boy, whose wings could only be seen by those who could see them, was named Leffrey.

“Leffrey, the Senior Angel, has arrived!”

Leffrey smiled brighter than the moon and extended his hand to the girls.

“Now, you’ve never flown in the night sky, have you?”

“Ugh. Ugh! I’ve never even flown in the bright sky!”

On a night when a high and clear moon rose, an angel with spread wings cut through the night sky.

* * *

Darkness ruled this world. The horned girl knew that fact better than anyone.

“So, you’re saying the Demon King’s dust was used on these children?”

The Demon King’s dust, the remnants left by the Demon King who turned to dust. The professors struggled in every way to seal all that dust, but in the end, it was used like this.

The boy and girl, stained black, were looking at Mari and the academy staff with fear.

“That is correct. It seems someone is trying to create living weapons by using unrelated orphans. If even one of these children were to manifest 1% of the demon king’s power, that alone would make them the strongest living weapon. In an authoritarian nation like this, it’s probably the most cost-effective method to create weapons even more dangerous than nuclear weapons.”

“And if they manifest not 1% but 10%, or even 20%…”

“Then humanity will have to face a new demon king.”

Mari asked,

“Sir Staff, what do you think is the right way to deal with these children?”

“…It couldn’t be helped. Humanity is not prepared to face another demon king.”

It couldn’t be helped, you say.”

There was a boy who hated the phrase ‘It couldn’t be helped’ Recalling that boy’s face, Mari smiled brightly and bent her knees.

Making eye contact with the children, Mari spoke.

“Children, would you like to enroll in the Central Superhuman Academy?”

“President Mari!”

Despite the staff’s protests, Mari didn’t stop speaking.

“The Central Superhuman Academy, ever heard of it?”

The boy nodded. Then he shook his head.

“We, can’t go there.”

“Why is that?”

“Because, we’ve already been tainted by darkness.”

And the boy calmly spoke of the things he had been through. His younger sister who died in his place because he didn’t obey, the blades that wouldn’t stop no matter how much he cried, the cold room where he fidgeted with his hands in loneliness with no one to save him.

“We can never escape this darkness… Never…”

“Yes, that may be true. But if you’ve known darkness, isn’t it time to know light?”

“Light?”

“Yeah, our academy has a top-notch instructor who teaches light.”

Darkness ruled this world. Mari knew this better than anyone else. But even in such a world, people had faith in other people. People comforted each other.

“Who, who can save us?”

“In our academy.”

Mari believed in that fact.

That’s why the girl embraced the boy.

“In our academy, there lives an angel.”

-The End-