Chapter 52: The Angel Who Creates a Club (5)

Episode 52

“Club?”

Hexi tilted her head.

Her messy hair swayed along with her tilt.

“Ah, right… you said you came here to create a club, didn’t you, Angel-nim?”

“Yes. And it’s Leffrey, not Angel-nim.”

“And I called Leffrey foolish…”

Sob sob-

Hexi suddenly started to sob.

Leffrey, flustered, wiped away her tears.

‘The side effects of being an Artificial Hero and the withdrawal symptoms from ‘the Abyss’… Hexi must be in a very unstable state right now.’

[Wiping away the tears of a wounded hero is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

‘And if she’s mentally unstable, that means there’s a lot for an angel to do…!’

A lot of work is a good thing.

After all, isn’t an employed angel much better than an unemployed angel?

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

The incoming Angelic Power brought a smile to his face.

Leffrey, with an angelic smile, embraced the sobbing Hexi.

Leffrey was still a boy, and Hexi was a grown woman, so there was no romantic atmosphere at all, but… the scene was heartwarming nonetheless, with Leffrey’s smile alone.

Of course, Leffrey’s heart was also warmed, thanks to the Angelic Power.

And the professors, watching this scene from afar…

“That… kid. Isn’t he scared of Hexi?”

Lusa was amazed.

“Hmph, look at his smile. Of course, he must be scared, but he’s enduring it with his kind heart… What a foolish child…”

Rebecca felt pity for him.

“Good. If Hexi is so fond of Leffrey… my disciple, no, Leffrey now has a powerful ally…”

Klein thought about the benefits that would come back to Leffrey.

“Please…”

Park Jin-ho, unable to finish his sentence, watched the two of them leaving the professors’ research building.

The two of them slowly walked away.

Holding hands, as if the fate of the world or the final battle didn’t matter… they walked towards a bright light.

“Please, be happy…”

That day, Park Jin-ho prayed for the first time in ten years.

* * *

Hexi and Leffrey, leaving the professors’ building.

Hexi kept staring at Leffrey with sparkling eyes, then suddenly asked in a serious voice,

“Ange- Leffrey, why do you want to create a club? Do you have a business you inherited? And you need a related club for it?”

A business he inherited? What kind of nonsensical question was that?

“A business I inherited?”

“Clubs at the Central Academy are special. They’re not like clubs at other schools. They’re all closely connected with profit organizations and external industries. So Leffrey, you too…”

‘…?’

A question mark appeared above Leffrey’s head.

“I’m an orphan. Angels don’t have families.”

“Ah, right. Sorry, I’m being foolish.”

Hexi sidled up to Leffrey and grabbed his shoulder.

“Hmm, so it’s another reason…”

Hexi abandoned her happy smile and asked again with a somewhat cold look,

“Do you need connections in the hero industry?”

“Connections? Why would I need connections?”

“Naturally, it’s to find someone worthy of becoming a hero. Not a fake hero like me… but a real hero who can defeat the demon king…”

Hexi slumped her head to the left.

And whispered coldly,

“Yeah, I have to help you. You’re Hexi’s angel after all.”

Hexi was smiling.

An awkward, cold smile.

Suddenly, Leffrey felt gazes directed at him. Gazes of stealth and concealment experts that even Leffrey, with his superhuman senses, could barely detect.

‘Could it be the archery students…?’

Within the Central Academy, the only ones with this level of stealth and concealment skills were the assassination and archery students.

‘They’ve been following us this whole time? Wait… It feels like there’s at least dozens of them?’

It was true. Dozens of senior archery students were secretly following them, feeling heartbroken when Hexi shed tears, and smiling along when Leffrey wiped away those tears.

But why…

Why were they following Leffrey?

To understand that, we need to go back to the incident that occurred in the archery department yesterday.

Before Leffrey started this act that wasn’t really an act, Park Jin-ho summoned the archery students and told them about Leffrey’s sacrifice.

He said that Leffrey would ‘pretend’ to be an angel until Hexi could live a normal life, and that they needed to help him.

Although they hated Park Jin-ho, the archery students believed that his words were true.

Therefore…

Dozens of senior archery students were assigned to help Leffrey.

‘Th-This is too much…’

Of course, Leffrey was unaware of this.

‘Besides, the senior archery students are all heads or heirs of noble families in the other world empire. Even though the other world empire has fallen, they’re still powerful figures who rule over their territories and people…!’

They were practically rulers of small nations.

Still retaining their royal authority.

‘Why are such great people so devoted to Hexi…? Even when Hexi went berserk last time, they were willing to die alongside her… I get that she saved them, but… Wait…?’

Leffrey recalled Hexi’s funeral from his past life. At her funeral, after she died along with one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, the other world empire’s imperial flag was flown at half-mast. (TL Note: Half-mast, essentially meaning that someone important from the empire has died and to show respect for the person that died.)

And this absolute loyalty…

An absolute monarchy…?

‘Wait, there’s a rumor that a distant relative of the imperial family survived the demon king’s invasion… Could that person be Hexi?’

Leffrey suddenly felt a sense of pressure.

The imperial authority was still strong among the other world races and families. And there weren’t just a few of them.

‘There must be at least two hundred million of them…’

“Ahahaha.”

So Leffrey quickly began making excuses.

Because countless gazes were focused on him.

‘If I do something wrong to Hexi, they might rush out yelling “How dare you treat the princess like that!” Or… I might have already offended them.’

But the archery students were acting completely differently from what Leffrey expected.

They thought highly of Leffrey.

Beyond simply thinking highly of him…

‘Leffrey, the benefactor who sacrificed his life for our Professor Hexi…’

‘The two of them look so good together.’

‘Yes, that’s right. To think that the princess is smiling like that. It’s like a dream.’

‘If Leffrey-nim becomes our princess’s consort…’

‘The revival of the empire won’t just be a dream…!’

They were already viewing Leffrey as the future consort of the imperial princess. But Leffrey was oblivious.

‘I can’t do anything to offend them!’

So…

“Actually, the real reason I’m creating a club is…”

Leffrey quickly explained why he was creating a club.

A baby angel named Leffrey was living happily after building a cathedral. One day, an evil student council wolf appears, threatening to huff and puff and blow the cathedral away…

Something like that.

Hexi, after hearing the whole story, heaved a sigh of relief and smiled brightly.

“…So that’s what happened!”

“Yes, professor, you understand, right?”

“Hmm… I see.”

“It’s ‘I understand’, not ‘I see.'”

“I understand!”

Hexi quickly came to a conclusion.

“How did you end up… antagonizing the student council… no, the Seocheon Yu?”

“That’s a long story too…”

Leffrey, the super chef angel, participates in a cooking competition called the Blessing of the Spirits. But this competition, despite being called a cooking competition, was practically a martial arts tournament.

An evil plot by the student council president to take over the competition was thwarted by Leffrey and his friends.

Well, something like that.

“…And that’s how it happened.”

“So, you recorded the footage, and you’ve completely burned your bridges with Yu Si-hyun.”

“Yes…”

And with that, Hexi quickly concluded.

“You antagonized Yu Si-hyun and the next head of the Seocheon Yu, just for one girl? Angel-nim, no, Leffrey, why did you do something so dangerous?!”

“…I couldn’t help it!”

He couldn’t help it if he wanted to earn Angelic Power.

Leffrey glared at Hexi, trying to argue.

‘…He’s so cute I could die.’

Of course, no matter what Leffrey did, he was just incredibly cute to Hexi.

“Yes, that’s right. To uphold justice and do the right thing is an angel’s duty… Even though you’re so small, you’re a true angel…”

Hexi, as if she were possessed, patted Leffrey’s head… grabbed his hand, and headed straight for the student council headquarters.

“Professor, where are we going…?”

“Wherever my angel desires.”

Hexi said with a smile,

“Let’s go apply for a club.”

* * *

There was a family called the Hero’s Family.

Their name was the Seocheon Yu.

Descended from Yoo Jin-Cheol, a high school student who fell into the other world, they were the most powerful superhuman family, revered as the most prestigious family in both this world and the other world.

The Seocheon Yu’s power had a strong influence even on the Central Academy’s student council.

“So… you’re here to apply for a club?”

A student council member asked in disbelief.

Leffrey brightly shouted,

“Yes! I’m here to apply!”

“Hmm, the name of the club is ‘Volunteer Club’… and its purpose is to use superhuman abilities for relief and volunteer work… the members are Hongwol, Han Soya, and…”

Suddenly, his voice faltered.

“Miss Yumari…”

The student council member, reading through the application form, said quietly, hiding their annoyance,

“Combining your achievements and their achievements, you meet the club application requirements. And your purpose is noble, and your activities don’t overlap with other clubs.”

Then they said with a smile,

“But your application is rejected.”

“…Yes?”

“I’m sorry, but Professor Hexi here is a very busy person, so she can’t be in charge of a club like this. Right?”

The student council member looked at Leffrey with a mocking expression.

And whispered in his ear,

“Kid, this is power. It’s not all about being cute to the professors. Remember this, even the professors are nothing before the Seocheon Yu.”

“You…”

Then they even smiled, looking at Hexi.

“Right, Professor Hexi?”

“Heheh.”

But Hexi’s answer was completely different from what the student council member expected.

“Student, you’ll receive ten demerit points.”

“…Yes? Me?”

“The reason is your disrespectful attitude. How dare you judge whether a professor is busy or not?”

“B-But… ten demerit points…”

Hexi added in a cold voice,

“Aren’t you going to submit your demerit points? Ah, before you go, make sure to properly process the club application.”

“…Professor, what are you doing? Are you defying the Seocheon Yu…?”

“The Seocheon Yu? What are you talking about all of a sudden? Can’t you hear me? Are you defying a professor’s orders right now?”

Hexi smiled cruelly and embraced Leffrey’s shoulders.

“Yes, disobeying a professor’s orders. Should we hold a disciplinary hearing?”

The student’s face turned pale at the mention of a disciplinary hearing.

The student panicked for a moment… then…

“I’ll rectify it immediately.”

…said those words, stamping the document.

Hexi, seeing that, whispered softly in Leffrey’s ear,

“Angel-nim, this is power.”