Chapter 26: The Angel Who Drew the Holy Sword (3)

Episode 26: The Angel Who Drew the Holy Sword (3)

So what was Leffrey’s next plan?

He had secured an alibi and the professors’ favor through Soya, so now it was time to intervene in the Mooncat Tribe’s operation through Hongwol.

‘By doing that…’

He, who knew the future, would intervene in this operation and turn it into a success, even though it was originally destined to fail. Thus, he would prevent the Mooncat Tribe and the Old Citadel from falling into the hands of the demon army.

‘And I’ll gain a huge amount of Angelic Power by saving an entire tribe from a curse…!’

This was Leffrey’s plan. But a plan was just a plan until it succeeded. A dangerous box filled with countless possibilities. No one knew whether it contained treasure or a trap.

Still, it’s in human nature to open it anyway.

‘The best time for me to talk to Hongwol… seems to be during swordsmanship class.’

Hongwol was a celebrity in the swordsmanship department. Her outstanding appearance that stood out from the crowd, her pink hair, cat ears and tail, and her exceptional skills that required the assistant teacher, not fellow first-year students, to spar with her directly.

Because of these characteristics, Hongwol was famous…

But that would be a lie.

There was another reason why Hongwol was famous. She was famous because she was a beast folk and the next chief of the Mooncat Tribe.

The culture of discriminating against beast folk by comparing them to animals still subtly lingered among superhumans. This was because many beast folk were still cooperating with the demon army and invading humanity.

Therefore, the logic that it was unavoidable to treat them like monsters was established. Of course, if beast folk tribes that opposed the demon king heard this, they would surely be frustrated by the prejudice.

However, the Mooncat Tribe was ambiguous, wasn’t it? They hadn’t knelt before the demon king, but their actions were those of criminals. To think their livelihood was assassination and theft.

The children of families and guilds who had already held discriminatory views towards beast folk used the Mooncat Tribe’s misdeeds as grounds to slander Hongwol.

“Look at the way she wields her sword. How many people has she killed?”

“I bet she stole all those techniques anyway.”

Slander? Was it slander?

Anyway, the fact is, violence is still violence.

Hongwol ignored what the others were saying and focused on the spar. The spar ended in Hongwol’s victory.

“Ugh… you win.”

“…Good work.”

And another student muttered,

“Ah, my eyes are rotting from watching that dirty beast folk swordsmanship.”

“I know, right.”

…Hongwol didn’t care. She was well aware that humans feared the Mooncat Tribe.

She had no intention of attending this academy for long anyway, and once she stole the holy sword, she wouldn’t care what those guys said.

‘So it’s okay.’

Actually, Hongwol did care quite a bit. As a girl who had trained as an assassin and thief her entire life, she had never attended anything like a school. Moreover, born in the Old Citadel, the worst slum on Earth, she had no idea how schools worked.

The only schools she had seen were the ones in movies and dramas. The girl yearned for those schools. She yearned for them so much that she rewatched famous coming-of-age stories countless times. Studying and playing with classmates, without the burden of the tribe’s survival or assassinations…

And even having a romance…

‘This kind of school… I don’t need it…’

People become miserable when their dreams are shattered.

Hongwol was feeling that kind of misery for the first time in a long time.

“Leffrey.”

“Why?”

A male student who had been teasing her called out to Leffrey, who had just finished his spar. Hongwol was terrified at the sight.

“Don’t go over there. The beast’s stench is awful.”

Of course, she knew he wouldn’t say that.

But if… if that boy also called her a beast, a thief, a murderer… that boy who had gently stroked her just yesterday…

‘If he insults me…’

Then Hongwol might not be able to bear it. And the boy’s question began.

“Beast?”

“Yeah, look. That sweaty thief over there. She’s a feline beast, right?”

Leffrey looked at the girl beyond the student’s gaze. Taller than her peers, with curves like a model, as expected of the Mooncat Tribe, she looked the same as always.

Except… she was looking down, seemingly lost in sadness? And her tail, which was always swishing, was drooping.

‘These guys… are they fearless? What are they going to do when Hongwol becomes the chief and takes revenge?’

To dare tease Hongwol, the next chief of the Mooncat Tribe? They were all really brave.

‘Guys, play among yourselves. I need to get along with Hongwol for my future plans… I should just ignore them. Wait…’

Leffrey thought it was a good thing.

This was a chance to earn Angelic Power.

“She shamelessly crawled into our academy and stole swordsmanship…”

“Stop it.”

“What?”

Leffrey muttered as he wiped away his sweat.

At that moment, the pink cat’s ears perked up.

“Hongwol didn’t steal swordsmanship. She said it’s a secret technique of her tribe.”

“Ha, kid. You’re as naive as you look. You believe that?”

“Yeah, I believe Hongwol.”

Leffrey declared.

‘Hongwol wouldn’t steal your lousy swordsmanship. The Mooncat Tribe’s Moon Rabbit Swordsmanship is a high-level swordsmanship that rivals Cheongu Swordsmanship.’

Because of that thought, his expression was filled with conviction.

Of course, to a certain pink-haired girl, it looked like he was making that expression because he truly believed in Hongwol.

“So stop insulting people.”

“…People? She’s not a person, she’s a beast.”

“If she’s not a person, then what is she? I’ve never seen someone as beautiful as Hongwol.”

The Mooncat Tribe has excellent hearing. Leffrey didn’t know, but a pink-haired girl was listening to this conversation from afar.

“What? Are you a beast lover too?”

“You’re going to keep calling her a beast? If a beauty like Hongwol is a beast, then what are you guys? A cockroach or something?”

Cockroach, huh.

Hongwol laughed for the first time today.

“You, you’ll regret acting like this. If you get involved with that beast…”

“Whatever, you cowardly bullies ganging up on one person, I’m not scared of your threats. Idiot. Cockroach!”

Pfft- The people around them started laughing too.

Leffrey couldn’t swear because of his angelic racial trait, so no matter how angry he got, his tone of voice was sadly cute.

Even Park Jin-ho chuckled, “Cockroach? Kkuk kuk. That’s a fitting nickname.” and found Leffrey’s way of speaking adorable. And he shouted,

“Ganging up on one girl? You should be ashamed of yourselves! Assistant!”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Give Leffrey a merit point and those other students demerit points.”

“I’ll do that right away.”

Suddenly, a scolding fell upon them, and the group that had been insulting Hongwol dispersed in embarrassment, their faces flushed.

“You…”

“L-Let’s go.”

[Saving an individual from being bullied by a group is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

[Standing up for justice against a group is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

[Saving a future hero from despair and bringing them hope is a truly angelic act!]

[You have acquired a large amount of Angelic Power.]

Leffrey smiled brightly, looking at the Angelic Power he had just received, unaware that Hongwol had heard everything he said.

‘I didn’t expect to get this much. I can finally raise one of my stats.’

Leffrey’s current stats were

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Magic: 12

Esper Ability: 5

Leffrey’s goal was to raise all his stats to 10 or higher. This was because there was a special perk he could only obtain by doing so.

‘At this point in time, it’s common to focus on one stat. Focusing on other stats is literally a waste of angelic power and time.’

For other superhumans raising a single stat required a lot of effort and money. With such precious stats, shouldn’t he focus on the areas he needed instead of investing in unnecessary places?

It was basic selection and logical thinking.

‘That’s why that perk hasn’t been discovered yet. The achievement that can only be achieved by raising all stats to 10 or higher…’

So Leffrey used his Angelic Power to raise his Esper Ability by one point. He was now only 4 points away from achieving that special perk.

‘I need more Angelic Power…’

In the end, this too was a matter of needing more Angelic Power.

Hongwol had already left.

The boy was the first person to tell her that she wasn’t a beast, a murderer, or a thief, and that he believed in her.

Overwhelmed by indescribable emotions, Hongwol had to quickly escape from that place.

And there was someone who only now realized that Hongwol had disappeared. It was Leffrey.

‘Wait… huh? Where did Hongwol go?’

To think that he had forgotten the most important thing in today’s class while farming Angelic Power.

…It was a mistake befitting of Leffrey, the stupid angel.

*

*

*

*

With her complicated feelings, Hongwol looked for a place to rest. It would be nice if there was a box or something where she could comfortably lean against…

She couldn’t find a box, but she did find a shaded corner where people wouldn’t pass by. With a feeling of ‘better than nothing,’ Hongwol naturally occupied that corner.

Being in a narrow space calmed her mind.

With a calmed mind,

she quietly organized her thoughts.

‘Once I steal the holy sword… I won’t be able to attend this academy anymore.’

Originally, she didn’t mind that.

It was an academy created by defeated heroes, what could she learn from those who had already failed? She had volunteered for this mission simply out of curiosity about what the academy she had seen on TV was like.

‘Then I won’t be able to attend the same classes as the boy anymore…’

There was an emotion called regret. Hongwol was learning about the emotion of regret right now.

‘He said he believed in me…’

Her mother’s teachings. The rules of the tribe.

What Hongwol truly wanted to do…

‘If I said I wanted to keep attending school, what would happen? Mother would beat me up. I might even be stripped naked and hung in the punishment room.’

She had experienced that a lot when she was young.

Sometimes, those memories made it hard for Hongwol to sleep soundly. And if she said she wanted to stay at the academy because of a man…

‘I might even die…’

As expected, there were no options left for Hongwol.

As the young girl’s thoughts deepened, and the moon that guided cats rose high in the sky.

*

*

*

*

The moon that guided cats rose high in the sky, and cats, drawn to the moon, gathered one by one at a certain cathedral.

Leffrey thought,

‘Today is the day I’m supposed to negotiate with the Mooncat Tribe. Who will come? Is it Hongwol?’

Next to Leffrey was Soya, who was shivering slightly. He had noticed it before, but Soya was a bit of a scaredy-cat.

“T-This is… because of the black magic-hating cold.”

Soya made excuses after pulling down the brim of her hat. Leffrey silently rubbed fragrant oil on Soya’s hand. Isn’t there something called aromatherapy? As it was literally heavenly aromatherapy, she should feel a bit calmer now.

“Do you feel a little warmer?”

“Yeah…”

[Reassuring a future hero is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

Leffrey was effortlessly collecting Angelic Power.

And at that moment…

“So, witch, you came out without running away.”

“…Hmph, unlike thieving cats, black mages keep their promises.”

Hongwol appeared.

Hongwol looked down at Soya with a cold expression, but then she couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw the boy standing next to her.

“B-Boy… why are you here…”

“Just as I thought, Hongwol, it was you.”

Their eyes met.