An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 35: The Angel Who Makes It Rain (5)

Episode 35

“How can we win without fighting? We have to gather ingredients to cook...!”

Yumari's voice became a little urgent.

However, Leffrey shook his head, ignoring Yumari's voice. He and Yumari had to avoid fighting more than anyone else. If they got into a fight and accidentally stepped on a Reflection Flower that Naiad had planted like a landmine…

'It would be a disaster. My past aside, Yumari's past...'

Yumari's past, where she was responsible for the darkness of the Seocheon Yu…

'It would probably be darker than most spy movies.'

Leffrey bit his lip.

Unaware of Leffrey's feelings…

"Leffrey, my strength is in combat. We have to use this strength to win."

Yumari said these words casually.

As expected of Yumari, who would do anything to win. Surely there were people among them who had built some relationship with Yumari, but look.

Her fighting spirit was burning coldly.

'She's totally thinking about beating them up!'

Leffrey clicked his tongue. In fact, the other students participating in the Blessing of the Spirits were acting the same way.

'These are the future heroes?'

Children who would do anything to win.

Leffrey hid his laughter. Oh no, with the situation like this, he couldn't help but farm Angelic Power. Leffrey slowly opened his mouth.

"Yumari, there's a saying by someone named Maslow."

"What is it?"

"To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail." (TL Note: Abraham Maslow is an American psychologist. The original saying is “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”)

Leffrey muttered with a hint of disappointment,

"It seems that the Central Academy students have only been taught to wield hammers since they were young."

Then it was time to teach these young students that there were many other tools in the world besides hammers.

...Of course, it was for the sake of his Angelic Power.

"There are many other ways besides violence. I need to show them that."

Yumari looked at the boy. Other ways besides a hammer, besides fighting?

'There's no way.'

There couldn't be any other way in this cruel world. People who said such things were already…

"Leffrey! This kind of fight can never be stopped! It's competition! If you fall behind, you'll be left behind!"

"No."

"Y-You wouldn't understand, but..."

Yumari grabbed Leffrey's shoulders and said,

She shouldn't have said this.

She shouldn't have, but

she had no choice but to say it to persuade him.

"My mother also said those foolish things. That there was a much better way than killing each other. Another way to save people like you do."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"But... but there's no such way anymore."

Yumari was crying? That Yumari?

Leffrey had never seen Yumari cry in his life.

'Wait... Yumari's mother was definitely...'

Leffrey thought about Yumari's mother.

The Sky Dragon, Lumari. She was kidnapped by the Seocheon Yu because of her uncharacteristically kind nature for a dragon, and then used and killed.

'That's right, Yumari also lost her mother to the Seocheon Yu. Unfairly... violently, and tragically.'

Leffrey recalled his own past.

The night he hid under the sofa, holding his breath. The night he realized he would never be able to sleep peacefully again.

Only now did Leffrey realize... that Yumari in his past life had never been able to sleep peacefully. That she hadn't been able to for even a single day.

'It's strange. I don't feel betrayed, even though I'm looking at Yumari.'

...Leffrey could understand Yumari's pain. The pain of losing her family due to the injustice of the world, the despair of having her only blood relative taken away by unreasonable violence.

He could understand it more than anyone.

"Tears?"

The girl was surprised by her own tears.

The boy understood the girl's pain.

And he touched her tears.

"I see."

Leffrey's eyes welled up with tears.

"I understand that pain. I truly do..."

But the boy couldn't stop.

"That's why I have to do this. So that others don't have to experience this pain..."

"...You don't have to do that."

"No, I'm the only one who can."

Yumari reached out again. Leffrey applied fragrant oil to his hand and stroked her hair. It was to calm her down, just like he had done with Soya before.

[Comforting the heart of a future hero is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

'This touch...'

A touch as if he were stroking a child,

the strong scent of the sky.

Yumari couldn't help but hesitate at this warmth.

'I want to keep feeling this touch.'

While she was lost in her thoughts, Leffrey had already moved further away.

"Don't go..."

But the boy didn't hear those words.

He climbed onto a large rock near Naiad's lake. And he shouted,

"Everyone, look here!"

The boy's angelic voice echoed across Naiad's lake. Naiad looked at Leffrey, wondering what on earth he was doing.

"Everyone, stop fighting and look at me!"

The boy shouted once again.

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The Blessing of the Spirits was a famous festival.

Why? Because it wasn't just a school festival. The Blessing of the Spirits was a ceremony where outstanding students received the blessing of a spirit king and got one step closer to becoming heroes, and it was also a great way to promote the fact that academy students had many other talents besides fighting.

That's why people couldn't help but be greatly disappointed at the way this Blessing of the Spirits was unfolding.

Students engaging in bloody battles in the name of gathering ingredients, who would think these were the future heroes?

Ordinary people could only think of the villains who were tormenting them.

"What, they're fighting again."

"Hmph, figures. Awakeners are always like that."

"Those battle-crazed maniacs."

[Humanity is starting to distrust humanity!]

[Darkness is beginning to fall upon the world!]

[It is your duty as an angel to dispel this darkness!]

Leffrey, as an angel, could feel the world growing darker.

'An angel's duty, huh. They always give a lot of Angelic Power when this message appears.'

Leffrey licked his lips.

It had been the same when he drew the holy sword.

'It seems like it's telling me to stop the discord between ordinary people and superhumans...'

Superhumans were the dominant class in the human world. How did they manage to take control of the human world? Naturally, through strength and violence.

The authority of strength and violence was a solid truth that had never been broken since time immemorial. And superhumans were worshippers of this truth.

But to ordinary people, that didn't look very good.

Moreover, although it was said that superhumans were the heroes of humanity who fought against the demon army... there weren't always only heroes among them.

You didn't have to look far for villains.

The corrupt heroes wandering around.

Therefore…

"Those superhumans..."

"Damn it, I'd rather have monsters."

Those were the kinds of things you could hear.

That's why ordinary people often hated superhumans. They said they were nothing more than gangsters with power. They said they only knew violence.

And now, countless ordinary people watching the Blessing of the Spirits were saying,

"What, why are they fighting when they're supposed to be making food?"

"Ugh, he hit him in the back of the head like that?"

"Cruel bastards."

That's why the Blessing of the Spirits was important. It was a good opportunity to show another side of superhumans, but…

'Actually, I knew this would happen.'

Leffrey recalled his past life. The Blessing of the Spirits, designed to humiliate Yumari, ended very disgracefully even without Leffrey’s intervention.

Schemes, betrayals, and bullying by the majority.

By broadcasting bullying through power,

they failed to show anything remotely heroic.

'That's why a new term, superhuman distrust, even emerged among people.'

This widespread distrust became one of the reasons why humanity lost to the demon king. How could they unite and fight against the demon king when superhumans and ordinary people didn't trust each other?

That's why Leffrey thought.

Then it would be better to show an even worse side than before. And for Leffrey to turn it around in one fell swoop.

'That way, I can gain even more Angelic Power. And since I'm preventing the world from turning dark, how much Angelic Power will I...'

Leffrey became desperate at the thought of gaining Angelic Power.

"Everyone, stop fighting and look at me!"

A boy's voice echoed across the world through the broadcast.

The boy had an unforgettable appearance.

Although it was a cliché expression,

he looked like an angel.

Countless people who had been indifferent to the Blessing of the Spirits, and even those who had turned off their TVs in disappointment, turned them back on after hearing the rumors spreading online.

However, to the upperclassmen participating in this competition, he was just an unknown first-year nobody.

"What?"

"Do you know who he is?"

"Uh, I think he's a first-year..."

"Leffrey, I think? He's famous among the first-year martial arts students."

And then came the laughter from the upperclassmen.

"He's just a first-year, we can ignore him."

"That weakling's just trying to buy time somehow... how pathetic."

And all of these words were broadcasted.

Their sneers were as if they were directed at ordinary people. "Oh no," "Why are they talking like that?" Ordinary people naturally couldn't help but cheer for the boy being ridiculed.

The boy shouted once again,

"We didn't gather here to fight."

"To say something like that..."

However, the Central Academy students wouldn't listen to him.

A confident-looking upperclassman from the swordsmanship department immediately charged towards Leffrey.

'No, he's running at me before I even finished talking. Hmm, that's the stance of Cheongu Swordsmanship Form 3. Considering his high proficiency, it's understandable why he's making that expression.'

It was definitely a strong sword form.

Perhaps even stronger than an active superhuman swordsman form.

But he had chosen the wrong opponent.

Leffrey, the successor of True Cheongu Swordsmanship, the original and superior skill of Cheongu Swordsmanship... as long as the opponent's skill wasn't overwhelmingly high…

'It could be countered like this.'

A blue sword energy, aiming for Leffrey's side, shot out, but it flew in a completely different direction as Leffrey subtly shifted his foot.

"Huh?"

The swordsmanship upperclassman, unable to stop his charge, was pulled by the sword energy and fell into the lake. Splash- Everyone from the audience in the stands to the ordinary people watching the broadcast laughed together.

"Hahaha."

"Kkuk kuk, he was acting so tough."

However, the other students participating in the Blessing of the Spirits couldn't laugh. They knew how strong that second-year swordsmanship student who had just fallen into the lake was.

'The eldest son of the Geom family like that?'

'I heard he mastered Cheongu Swordsmanship up to level 5.'

'Cheongu Swordsmanship is a progressive martial art. And to have reached level 5... to be toyed with like that with such high-level swordsmanship?'

Of course, this kind of play was possible because the boy was the successor of True Cheongu Swordsmanship... but the other students had no way of knowing that.

'He's incredibly skilled...!'

'What is behind that angelic face...'

And so, the other students didn't attack anymore. To be precise, they couldn't dare attack. Anyway, this gave Leffrey a chance to speak.

"I'll say it again. We didn't come here to fight. We came here to make a dish that will satisfy Naiad."

"So we're trying to gather ingredients."

A rebuttal came immediately. Still, Leffrey maintained his composure and calmly continued his explanation.

"From what I can see, rather than gathering ingredients... it seems like you're more focused on fighting because of your grudges."

"This event is a winner-takes-all system. What's wrong with preventing others from getting ingredients?"

At the upperclassmen's unreasonable remark, Leffrey lowered his head.

'What exactly is the problem? Is it the problem of the large powers that raised them? Or the problem of our academy professors who are teaching them?'

It was probably everyone's problem. Families and academies that only taught strength and violence.

'...Well, it doesn't matter. The more this happens, the more Angelic Power I get.'

To only think about Angelic Power even at a time like this.

In a way, Leffrey was quite an optimistic angel.

The boy raised his head and continued,

"You can't make a dish with just salt."

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"You can't make a dish with just herbs. You can't make a dish with just spices. Do you understand? Cooking requires a variety of ingredients!"

That's right.

Cooking required a variety of ingredients. You couldn't make a good dish with just one ingredient.

Therefore, cooking was a collaboration of farmers, fishermen, delivery workers, processors... in short, countless people.

"But can we make even a single dish if we fight like this? Ah, we probably could. But the food made like that..."

Leffrey coldly declared,

"None of us would want to eat it."

The participating students finally fell silent. A few opened their mouths to argue, but ultimately couldn't say anything. Because Leffrey's words were true.

"...So what are you trying to say?"

"Let's share the ingredients we've each secured. In the form of bartering."

"How can we trust that? We were just fighting to eliminate each other."

Leffrey took out small bottles from his pocket.

They were bottles filled with heavenly fragrant oil.

"Then I'll be the first to share."

Leffrey opened one of the bottles. A fragrant, nutty... the scent of oil that seemed really delicious spread around Leffrey.

Growl- Many students who hadn't been able to eat because they were participating in the Blessing of the Spirits swallowed their saliva and tried to maintain their composure.

"Take it. It will be delicious if you use it in dishes that require oil."

A few sneaky students immediately took the bottles and tasted the oil inside with their fingers.

"Delicious."

"Is this oil? Then what on earth have I been eating until now...?"

Their expressions were as if they were truly moved by the taste.

[Impressing a future hero is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

Seeing the positive reaction, the hesitant students,

started taking Leffrey's fragrant oil one by one.

And countless status window messages popped up.

[Inspiring a future hero is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

[Inspiring a future hero is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

[Inspiring a future hero is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

The rising Angelic Power.

Even Leffrey was moved as he looked at the messages.

'As expected. It's the Blessing of the Power Angel who Graced the King Lv.2 after all. Even the taste has leveled up...!'

As the oil producer, the boy felt a sense of pride.

It felt like he had become a master craftsman.

From now on, he was Leffrey, The Master Craftsman Angel.

'This is a huge profit. To think I'm ripping off Angelic Power from so many students with this practically free oil.'

"Huhuhu."

He was completely consumed by greed…

No, Leffrey was smiling like an angel.

'And now, I'll get a huge amount of Angelic Power as a reward for fulfilling my duty!'

The students looked at Leffrey, who was happily handing out oil, and... naturally couldn't help but wonder.

'Why is that boy so happy? This is just a loss. Giving away such delicious ingredients to his competitors for free...'

And then came a realization.

'...I see. I understand why that boy is smiling. He's just happy to see us enjoying the food. He's not thinking about any other calculations or benefits.'

And then came shame.

'This is what food is about.'

When people feel ashamed, they naturally try to correct their behavior.

One student said,

"Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to trade our herbs for your mushrooms?"

The other student, who had received the offer, lowered his head and replied,

"...Okay."

And so, the fighting gradually stopped.

The boys and girls who had been trying to destroy each other, thanks to the sacrifice of one boy, had stopped fighting and started cooperating with each other.

It was like a scene from a movie.

People who had been engaged in a fierce battle just moments ago, realizing their mistakes and starting to cooperate.

The people watching TV muttered,

"Not all superhumans are violent."

Others said,

"What's that boy's identity?"

"To give something without any benefit to himself, just to stop a fight..."

"Ha, he's just one person."

"But that one person stopped the entire fight."

"...That's pretty amazing."

They saw what a true hero, one that humanity truly needed, was like.