An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 41: The Angel Walks Outside (1)

Episode 41

Leffrey opened his palm. Raindrops, falling one by one, wetted the boy's small hand.

The boy looked at Naiad.

Perhaps it was because of the rain?

Leffrey couldn't tell for sure if she was crying or not.

"Leffriel."

Her voice was somewhat choked.

"Why did you give up on winning?"

Indeed, it was true. Leffrey would never be able to win the Blessing of the Spirits with this simple pudding he submitted.

Honestly, this pudding was the creation of a young girl who didn't know much about cooking, and since it lacked modern seasonings, its flavor wasn't even that good compared to modern puddings.

No matter how subjectively Naiad judged the dishes, this was an event watched by countless people. If Naiad tried to force this pudding to win, it would naturally cause problems.

Then why did Leffrey…

Leffrey recalled his conversation with Rebecca an hour ago.

In truth, the professors were aware that Naiad often showed a pathetic and weak side that didn't befit her position as a spirit king.

That's why they harbored deep suspicions that she might eventually submit to the demon army. And after experiencing this incident...

Their suspicions turned into certainty.

The professors decided not to hesitate any longer.

"Naiad. I knew this would happen."

And Saint Rebecca decided to take on that role.

Ever since the saint had lost faith in the world, such dark deeds like purging were often handled directly by Rebecca.

She no longer healed anyone.

She just killed.

"Where are you going, professor?"

A boy, with an angelic face, blocked the path of the murderous saint.

'As expected, she's here to kill her. Why are our professors so thorough in their cruelty? They shouldn't be calling themselves educators if they act like this...'

Rebecca, seeing the boy's resolute expression, immediately understood why he was stopping her.

"You cannot follow me."

Rebecca replied sternly.

The boy, nonetheless, asked without backing down,

"Are you here to purge Naiad?"

"Yes. That is correct."

A sharp reply.

'We can't eliminate Naiad. No matter how pathetic of a spirit king she is... she's the only one who can eliminate a certain demon army executive.'

And in the end, even the professors regretted eliminating Naiad.

The boy hesitated for a moment before continuing,

"...Please reconsider. I beg you."

"Why? Naiad has already committed a grave sin. To hide that grave sin, she will commit even greater sins, and eventually, she will sell this world to the demon army."

"What if she acknowledges her mistakes?"

Rebecca replied coldly,

"That spirit didn't even fear Heaven, she's arrogant... she will never admit her sins."

"What if she does?"

The boy's expression seemed somewhat desperate.

Even Rebecca, who always showed a strict attitude towards others, couldn't be so firm with this boy.

"I will give you one chance."

Rebecca turned and whispered,

"Until midnight tonight, if Naiad publicly admits her wrongdoing..."

She disappeared into the darkness, finishing her sentence.

"I will reconsider this purge."

Thus, the scene returns to Naiad's Forest, where rain is falling.

"Why did you give up on winning?"

Naiad was looking at Leffrey.

The boy felt he had to answer the queen's question.

'Why did I give up on winning? Because the Angelic Power I gain from saving you is much greater than winning... And in the first place, if you die, the Blessing of the Spirits will be meaningless.'

A thoroughly practical answer.

But that wasn't the only reason.

"Have you ever seen a movie called Blade Runner?"

Naiad, who is a lover of human culture. As far as Leffrey knew, she was known for enjoying classic movies.

Perhaps she would have seen a classic masterpiece like Blade Runner at least once.

"I have. It was a story about the future, about humans and the androids they created."

"Then do you remember the ending of the movie?"

Rain continued to fall from the sky.

Even Naiad herself wouldn't know whether the rain flowing down her face was tears or rain.

"In the end, the protagonist, a detective, meets the last escaped android and hears its final words before the movie ends. Perhaps the android's last line was..."

"That all precious memories eventually fade. Like tears in rain."

Like tears in rain.

Leffrey looked up at Naiad.

"This is why I made this pudding."

"...Yes?"

"Because I’ve always hated the ending of that movie. That all precious memories eventually disappear like tears in rain... Isn't that too sad?"

If Leffrey hadn't seen that recipe in Naiad's memories, this pudding would never have reappeared in this world.

Perhaps it would have disappeared like tears in rain.

'That would truly be...'

Leffrey thought about the note the girl left behind.

The note and the emotions contained within it.

For it to simply vanish like that...

It was too sad.

It didn't matter if he didn't gain Angelic Power. Even if he couldn't win the Blessing of the Spirits with this pudding, it didn't matter. Leffrey just wanted to make pudding for the spirit king.

Of course, Leffrey would fiercely deny this, insisting that he only did this for Angelic Power and to gain Naiad's favor, but...

Leffrey looked at Naiad and said,

"With this, the memories of that child..."

The boy smiled slightly and said,

"...won't disappear like tears in rain, right?"

Naiad stared at the boy with a surprised expression.

"Could it be that you... you gave up on winning, you made this pudding... for me?"

Of course, it wasn't just for Naiad.

Leffrey could gain Angelic Power from this incident, and he could also gain Naiad's favor. Moreover, a kindhearted Naiad would be a huge thorn in the side of the demon army.

'Naiad is someone who needs to work hard for me in the future...'

Leffrey continued, hiding his true intentions.

And with a somewhat devilish, no, angelic smile, he reached out his hand.

"Apologize for what you did to Mari... and if you promise to be kind from now on, I'll make this pudding for you often. Can you promise?"

Naiad, seeing that smile, finally understood what a true angel was like.

'This is an angel. Even though I treated him so badly... he forgave me and even helped me recover precious memories...'

Naiad embraced the angel's small hand.

"...I understand."

⟨Making Naiad make the right decision is an angelic act!⟩

⟨You have gained Angelic Power.⟩

⟨Making a spirit king who had abandoned faith in Heaven repent is truly an angelic act!⟩

⟨You have gained a large amount of Angelic Power.⟩

Faith in Heaven.

Leffrey couldn't help but feel a bitter laugh.

Naiad regained faith in the heavens, something even he, an angel, didn’t have.

...Well, it didn't matter.

'The message confirms it. Naiad is now completely on our side...!'

"You promised."

With those words, Leffrey turned away.

Thus, Naiad looked at the departing angel. She continued to stare at the boy disappearing amidst the falling rain.

The rain stopped, and warm light began to shine from the sky.

Naiad ate the remaining pudding.

Because she could have more in the future.

* * *

"Phew, just a few minutes outside and I'm already soaked."

Leffrey entered the waiting room, shaking his head. As soon as he entered, someone handed him a towel.

"Good work."

That person's name was Yumari. Yumari, with her usual pleasant smile, asked Leffrey,

"So... can we win?"

"W-Win? What do you..."

Leffrey took a step back and asked. But Yumari, still smiling, didn't move away from Leffrey.

"You said you had a surefire way to win this Blessing of the Spirits. Didn't you?"

Leffrey only then recalled what he had done. He had bragged, saying 'Hmm... that's a shame. I have a surefire way to win this Blessing of the Spirits.'

Leffrey took another step back.

A straight-faced Yumari was much scarier than a smiling Yumari.

"Could it be that we can't win?"

"Th-That's..."

Yumari took another step closer.

Leffrey had no more room to retreat.

And Yumari's hand reached out.

Her hand was twitching, as if she found this situation amusing.

'Could it be?'

Leffrey only then realized that Yumari was teasing him.

'Yumari is teasing me? No way?'

Pat pat-

Yumari patted Leffrey's head with a blank expression.

"It's okay to pat your friend's head, right?"

"Uh. Uh? Is that so?"

Was it really? Leffrey was speechless, surprised that Yumari was teasing him.

'The Seocheon Yu suppressed Yumari's dragon instincts through harsh training, almost torture, since she was young...'

As a result of that training, Yumari could abandon her dragon instincts. However, she also had to abandon various emotions as a side effect. Affection, happiness, desire, and so on…

But a certain boy kept knocking on her heart, over and over again.

And a crack appeared in her dark heart, a crack through which a ray of light could enter.

"And it doesn't matter if we don't win. The family will punish me for this, but... I already expected it."

"Punish?"

"Win this Blessing of the Spirits. That was the Yu family's order. Since I failed, perhaps..."

Pat pat-

How long would she keep patting Leffrey's head?

"...Sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. Leffrey did his best."

Leffrey organized his thoughts.

How could he prevent Yumari from being punished for this injustice? How could he gain Angelic Power by eliminating the punishment?

'The ones who will punish Yumari are probably members of the Yu family related to student council president Yu Si-hyun. Then...'

All he had to do was create a situation so troublesome that they couldn't even think about punishing Yumari.

"I have a good idea."

Leffrey gestured for her to follow him and left the waiting room again. Yumari looked at his back. Then...

She brought her hand, the one that had been patting Leffrey's head, to her face.

The scent of the sky still lingered on her hand.

"I want it..."

She felt like she could endure any harsh punishment if she had this scent. No, not just punishment, but even in her life ahead...

'No, this can't be. I have to protect him before he breaks like my mother!'

Yumari was a little surprised by the powerful desire welling up within her. In her reflection, she saw herself.

Yumari was smiling, not acting this time.

But that smile wasn't pure at all. Her eyes had turned yellow, like the eyes of a snake, and her horns grew menacingly, vibrating the surrounding mana.

"Th-This isn't me..."

Yumari's true nature, the one the Seocheon Yu tried so desperately to suppress, began to stir.

"I can't do this."

Yumari bit her lip and silenced the dragon stirring within her.

"Mari! Come out! I have a really good way to get back at Yu Si-hyun!"

The boy's voice came from outside the waiting room.

Yumari quickly hardened her expression and left the waiting room.

Her horns had shrunk, her eyes returned to their original color, and her usual cold, expressionless face was back.

There was nothing strange at all.