An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 168: The Angel Who Raids a Dungeon (6)

Darkness.

Deep, deep in the darkness,

A boy was breathing.

‘Ormantor, that cunning serpent.’

He had expected a trick. Ormantor, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was known not just for his strength but also for his deception and cunning.

Using a clone to gauge the heroes' abilities,

Then finishing them off one by one.

‘He's smart, I'll give him that.’

It wasn’t a bad plan, objectively speaking, at least from an enemy's perspective. Leffrey sighed at that thought.

(TL Note: I think this is another Bible reference, Adam and Eve.)

A dragon that whispers lies.

Yes, this much was expected.

“Ugh…”

A boy, emanating a faint light in the pitch-black darkness. His golden hair, swaying gently with each movement of his head, was beautiful.

The boy's white skin emitted a weak but warm light. His cheeks were flushed, complementing his appearance. His androgynous features were so beautiful, it was hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl.

“Um, excuse me.”

Someone whispered, causing Leffrey's eyes to open slightly.

“Are you an angel, Onee-san?”

As soon as he opened his eyes, he could see a dirty little girl and several other people. Beyond them, everything was filled with darkness, making it impossible to see anything else.

The floor was made of stone, and the air was damp and stuffy. And judging from the faint murmurs and breathing…

‘There are a lot of people here.’

Leffrey quickly assessed the situation and looked at the girl kneeling in front of him.

“I’m not your ‘onee-san’. Call me ‘oppa’.”

“You’re lying. Not with a face like that.”

“I’m not lying. Hmm, how did you even end up here?”

The girl hesitated before mumbling again.

“I was on a ship to Wonsan. Suddenly, monsters…”

“Kids, please be quiet.”

“Yeah, if people get dragged away again because you're making so much noise, are you going to take responsibility?”

“B-But, this Onee-san is glowing, she must be an angel who came to rescue us…”

Then a woman next to her muttered irritably.

“It’s probably some kind of superpower or some kind of ability. Just please be quiet…!”

Her shoulders trembled.

The woman was terrified.

‘That woman, judging by her outfit, she's a member of a medium-sized guild. I can't remember the name. They're gathering the captured people here.’

Blood-stained hair and half-torn clothes. Judging by her missing arm, it seemed like she had suffered quite a lot above before being captured.

Leffrey looked around at the people nearby.

Fear, despair, resignation, and even more fear.

‘So that's why the air is so stuffy.’

He didn’t know what method had been used, but all the superhumans and civilians trapped here were terrified. The only one who seemed somewhat normal was this little girl.

‘But there are a lot more superhumans than civilians. What’s going on?’

The girl, after being scolded by the adults, looked dejected, but she didn’t give up and whispered in Leffrey's ear.

“Then, Angel Oppa, can you grant one of my wishes?”

“What is your wish?”

“When the ship went into the sea, I got separated from my mom and dad. They told me to wait here for a little while, but they haven't come. I've really waited for a long time.”

“They told you to wait for a little while? Where did they go?”

“Those Onee-sans and oppas over there told other people and people like my mom and dad to go somewhere…”

Those Onee-sans and oppas over there.

They were clearly the defeated members of a superhuman guild.

‘I see, so they used their power to make the civilians be sacrificed first.’

[Leffriel’s senses are returning.]

Somewhere, without realizing it,

The word ‘judgment’ came to mind…

“I miss my mom and dad…”

The girl’s voice was choked with tears.

The terrified adults glared at the girl with fierce eyes. Some were clutching their weapons so tightly that it seemed like they were about to kill her.

‘It’s not ‘seems’, they’ll actually kill her.’

After all, superhumans belonging to guilds were, to put it nicely, guild members, but in reality, they’re essentially mercenaries and professional killers.

Leffrey activated the Blessing of the Power Angel to calm the child's heart. Like aromatherapy, he gently massaged holy oil onto the girl's cracked hands to soothe her.

“Little one, what’s your name?”

“Suyeon…..”

“Alright. This oppa will go tell your mom and dad that Suyeon is waiting well and that they should come quickly.”

“Okay, I'll wait a little longer then.”

“Yes, what a good girl.”

Pat, pat—Leffrey patted the girl’s hair and then stood up.

Leffrey, who always used lies to avoid crises, wondered why this lie hurt his heart so much. Grit—Gritting his teeth, the angel composed his thoughts while controlling his anger.

‘I’m strong.’

Leffrey was strong. Strong enough to fight one-on-one with anyone here, except for that dragon.

‘I’ll start subduing the Dragon’s subordinates from here.’

Judging from the flow of air, that was the exit. Based on the sound reverberations, it seemed like this space was sealed with a massive stone door.

Just as Leffrey took a step towards the exit…

A blinding flash—and a booming sound—*Rumble*—The massive stone door that had sealed this space began to open.

The trapped superhumans began panicking and pushing the civilians towards the exit.

“Get these bastards out of here!”

“Go!”

“You sons of bitches! And you call yourselves heroes…!”

Truly a scene of pandemonium,

A glimpse into hell.

The superhumans near the girl, their eyes hollow, grabbed her and tried to push her towards the door. But naturally…

“Stop. I’ll strike anyone who comes closer.”

Leffrey stopped them.

“You’re a superhuman too. I'll let you off. Just let that child go.”

“…”

“Haa, kid. You’ve never seen it before, that’s why you don’t understand. How those dragons treat humans. There’s hell beyond that door. Don’t be foolish.”

While the desperate superhumans and Leffrey were at a standoff, a girl walked through the gap in the opened stone door.

The girl was beautiful. If it weren’t for the slightly larger horn on her head and the blood on her arms and legs, she would have been even more beautiful. As always, her expression was cold and blank, but…

Seeing Leffrey standing up, she smiled gently, which was incredibly beautiful.

“Leffrey, you’re awake.”

The girl parted the crowd of superhumans trying to distance themselves from her as if she were Moses parting the Red Sea, and quickly approached Leffrey's side.

“You weren't subjected to anything strange, were you? I wasn't sure, so I attached a protective talisman, just in case…”

So that's why his body had been glowing.

A talisman like that must be extremely expensive.

Leffrey thought this as he looked up at Yumari.

“Where did you go?”

“I finished clearing the area. It seems this is the lower level of this dungeon.”

As Leffrey and Yumari were having their conversation, the superhumans and civilians around them began to mutter,

“Wait, isn’t that the kid who was dragged away earlier?”

“No, she was the one who walked out on her own.”

“But she came back alive.”

“Did that girl kill all those monsters?”

When Yumari turned to look at them with a cold expression, they sensed the difference in power and began to show submissive expressions.

Yumari smiled at them.

A very artificial smile.

“What did these trash do to you?”

Crackle—A faint static electricity flowed around Yumari, as her long, black hair seemed to float.

“Trash?”

Of course, they were trash.

But they were words that Mari wouldn't normally use.

Leffrey sensed something off and looked at Yumari again.

“Why are they holding their swords, and why are they in a fighting stance? Who did these trash dare try to harm?”

A sadistic smile.

A smile that look just like Ormantor’s.

“Shall I kill them all?”

There was sincerity in her words.

If he told her to, she would really kill them all. Including the girl standing behind him.

Leffrey,

Couldn't bear this fact.

“Yumari!”

Leffrey looked at Yumari with an angry expression. Yumari was shocked to see Leffrey angry at her.

“L-Leffrey?”

“Kill them all? Yumari, are you a chuunibyou or something? How can you talk about killing people so easily? Why have you grown up to be like this? Of all people, you!”

And Leffrey was also shocked by himself. He could have gently reasoned with her, they shouldn’t be fighting when they’re trapped in a dungeon like this.

But instead of such rational thoughts, he was overwhelmed with disappointment in himself and an indescribable sadness. Concern for Mari filled his heart…

‘What is this emotion?’

Unless he let out some of this emotion, Leffrey couldn't bear it.

“Human life is precious! If human life wasn't precious, then there would be absolutely no reason for us to fight! If we didn’t value human life, we’d be no different from demons!”

Yumari was shocked by Leffrey's sudden anger.

However, mistaking this for his usual angelic speech, Yumari couldn't help but mock those words.

“Human life are precious?”

She said those words in a cold, bitter tone that she had never used before.

“I don’t know about that. I’ve only been taught how to kill, and I've done nothing but kill. I was born from hatred, never loved, not even once.”

Yumari grabbed Leffrey's shoulders firmly and said.

“I don’t know about such things.”

Smack—Leffrey slapped her cheek.

The cheek of the girl standing in front of him.

“Hick. You.”

Why is it that tears are coming out in this situation.

Leffrey slightly hated his own tear ducts.

“You, how can you say such things?”

There was a memory of someone.

The memory of when Leffrey, who was Leffriel, fell to earth.

Heaven commanded that he reap the soul of a woman. She was a young woman who had given birth to an illegitimate child and had no one to help her.

The woman pleaded with Leffrey.

That if she was gone, then her child would starve to death.

She begged for mercy.

A cold city.

A place where cruel rain fell.

And the people who used the woman like a toy.

Leffrey, or rather, Leffriel, had said to the woman,

“This is salvation.”

“Salvation….?”

“Yes, salvation.”

In a cold voice devoid of emotion, as if he didn't understand anything and had no reason to.

Leffriel said.

“Even if I don’t take you away, your body won't last more than a few months before it collapses. Then you'll disappear without being able to return to heaven.”

“That's okay. With those few months, I can save this child.”

The angel uttered cruel words.

“Your sacrifice to save the child is not salvation either. In a few months, the Seocheon Yu will come for this child. Do you really believe in that family, the descendants of a past hero, those who deserve to be judged?”

The angel continued speaking without any emotion.

“They’ll use her as a test subject. A plaything, a pet, a tool to be sold to those who hold a grudge against dragons. If it's them, that's what they'll do. Even if she survives such darkness, all that awaits is a world in ruins. A hell with nothing but despair.”

Leffriel said this.

“So this *is* salvation. For this child, and for you, this is the only path to salvation.”

“…Right, right.”

However, Lumari tightly embraced her child, closing her eyes as if she could never let go.

“But she’s so cute…”

The memory that remained in Leffriel.

The memory that remained in Leffrey.

“She’s so lovely…”

The trace of fall when Leffriel, who couldn't feel anything, felt something.

“How could I possibly give up on her?”

Lumari looked up at Leffriel and said.

“And I believe.”

“In what?”

“That this child will surely find happiness. That she’ll say she’s glad to be alive.”

The memory of the angel who fell and dropped to earth.

“I believe in that.”

Cut into Leffrey's heart.

Once again,

Back to the conversation between Leffrey and Yumari.

“Never say that again. That you weren’t loved, that you were born from hatred.”

Overcome with tears,

Leffrey couldn’t even raise his head.

He couldn't understand where these emotions were coming from.

“Never say those words again…”