An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 44: The Angel Walks Outside (4)

Episode 44

New Truth Church.

One of the new religions established after the connection between this world and the other world. Classified as a cult due to demands for money, family breakdowns, and the leader's immoral acts.

"Leffrey, the leader's ability is real. He's a bad guy, but he's a bad guy with abilities."

Munch munch-

Soya munched on the snacks Leffrey made.

Suddenly realizing that she was the only one eating, she cautiously asked Leffrey,

"A-Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm full from just watching you eat."

Whenever Soya ate the delicious snacks, it all transformed into Angelic Power and flowed into him.

"What? You're not my dad... and there's another problem. Kim Man-soo isn't a villain yet. He's a much worse guy than most villains, but..."

"But?"

"He's so rich that he’s managed to avoid being officially registered as a villain."

Leffrey wasn't surprised.

His own father, the countless large guilds...

They were all beings who existed above the law.

Then Kim Man-soo, who had built up his power by extorting money from believers, was no different from them.

'Come to think of it, I wonder how those guys are doing these days?'

Leffrey thought about his own paternal family. (TL Note: He’s referring to the father's side of the family.)

How did they react after he appeared on TV last time? Did they ignore it? Were they angry? Did they perhaps...

'They didn't regret it, right?'

Leffrey, with a throbbing headache, momentarily frowned.

"Leffrey, are you okay?"

Soya asked with concern.

Leffrey, with an angelic smile, eased the girl's worries.

"I'm fine. And don't worry about the villain registration."

"Why?"

"Kim Man-soo is colluding with the demon army. You know too, right? Colluding with the demon army is something you can't escape, no matter what you do."

If he was colluding with the demon army, then he was literally a traitor to humanity. No matter how much money and power he had, once he joined hands with the demon army...

'The professors will eliminate him no matter what.'

Leffrey aimed for that.

"So our goal this time is simple. Go to the Central Sanctuary, the core headquarters of the New Truth Church, find evidence of their collusion with the demon army, and submit it for the midterm exam!"

"But will we get a high score for something like that?"

Leffrey, striking a cool pose, said confidently,

"Don't worry. The professors go crazy for anything related to the demon army. They'd rush over in a heartbeat at the mere mention of the demon king."

"...That makes sense. Klein did seem a little obsessed when he was explaining the demon army's magic system. How should I put it... as if he was possessed?"

So Leffrey could say this,

"If we find good evidence... we'll probably get first place on the midterm."

"F-First place?"

Soya's eyes trembled. As expected, the word 'first place' had magical power.

'Besides, if we stop Kim Man-soo, we can also prevent the summoning of Drewmark the Reverser, one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings. And we can save countless victims who would be sacrificed for the summoning. And with that, even more Angelic Power!'

It was literally killing two birds with one stone.

A win-win strategy.

Leffrey spoke first,

"Then let's do it this way. I'll distract them, and you..."

Thus began Leffrey and Soya's midterm exam.

* * *

New Truth Church, currently attracting believers from all over the country. The church's holy ground is called the Central Sanctuary. Located in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, this Central Sanctuary was guarded as tightly as a military facility.

Moreover...

"Six layers of permanent barriers. They're all flimsy barriers, but... they must be extorting a lot of money from their believers."

Even the barriers were ridiculous.

"That uniform... it’s Hanshin Guild, isn't it? A large guild like Hanshin is guarding a place like this...?"

"It's not just Hanshin. Dermatec and Ultra are here too..."

And the level of the guards was no joke either.

So Leffrey had no choice but to revise his thoughts. It wasn't just on par with a military facility, it was way beyond that.

"They say only believers who donate a lot of money or believers specifically chosen by the leader can enter the Central Sanctuary, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then there's no way for us to..."

But Leffrey had anticipated this and planned accordingly.

'It’s time to use my new power!'

Steps of the Fallen Angel Walking Through the Night Lv.1 (Angelic Ability)

Angels are the messengers of heaven. To deliver the will of Heaven, they must be able to reach anywhere in this world.

No matter how tightly guarded a place was, no matter how many dangerous traps awaited, angels always delivered the message.

Now it is your turn to deliver the will of Heaven.

[Angelic abilities are activated by consuming Angelic Power.]

[This power increases in potency in proportion to the difference in strength between you and your foe.]

Steps of the Fallen Angel Walking Through the Night.

This was the reason why angels could secretly visit people at night and deliver messages without being detected.

"Soya. No matter how strong the barrier is, it's easy to go out from the inside, right?"

"That's right. If we get caught, we can just run away."

"Then all we need to do is get inside."

His remaining Angelic Power was enough.

Leffrey activated his Angelic Ability.

The figures of Leffrey and Soya momentarily blurred.

"W-What is this?"

"It's one of my abilities."

"...Hmm. It's a somewhat black magic-friendly ability."

Soya's eyes sparkled. Perhaps she was imagining using it to avoid other magical studies students.

Twinkle twinkle-

"...Can I learn it too?"

"I don't think that's possible..."

Soya immediately looked dejected.

"Remember our plan?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? You distract them, and I use black magic to find traces of the demon army."

Then it was time to start the operation.

"And when the time comes..."

"I know, I remembered everything..."

* * *

Angelic Abilities were superior to any human skill. The fact that even Lusa, a master of Fairy Martial Arts and considered the best martial artist, didn't even recognize Leffrey's Martial Arts of the Archangel as a martial art proved that point.

His healing Angelic Ability was only Lv.4, but it was already comparable to Saint Rebecca's healing. His blessing Angelic Ability was slightly lacking, but that was about it.

Perhaps, if you just considered his healing and buffing abilities…

...Leffrey was already at the professor level.

Then what about this infiltration Angelic Ability, Steps of the Fallen Angel Walking Through the Night?

"I-It's really undetectable."

Soya exclaimed in admiration. Honestly, even Leffrey was a little surprised.

'To think we could bypass six barriers, countless detection sensors, and related superhumans so easily?'

As expected, Angelic Abilities were beyond human comprehension.

'This ability... would be great to use someday when I have to become a righteous thief.'

The boy dreamed of becoming Leffrey, the thief angel.

And...

'My Angelic Power is running out. Ugh, I should have dried Soya's hair more thoroughly, fed her more snacks, and cleaned more diligently!'

Regret always comes after realization.

Leffrey, feeling his Angelic Ability fading, whispered to Soya in a quiet voice,

"We should be fine if we got this far. Soya, I'll trust your stealth magic and mana detection skills."

"Don't worry. Just trust my genius skills!"

"Ahh, don't shout so loud...!"

Leffrey was already feeling anxious.

But there was no other way.

"Good luck."

Thus, Soya and Leffrey parted ways.

'But where am I?'

Leffrey's goal was to create a big commotion and attract attention. To do that, he had to go where people gathered.

'They're probably having a service right now.'

Leffrey had infiltrated the sanctuary on purpose during the service time. Because he thought there was no better way to attract attention than to cause a scene during a service.

'Where's the main hall?'

Look around- look around-

Leffrey looked around.

As expected of the headquarters of a cult, the sanctuary was incredibly grand. It felt like looking at a bizarrely elongated medieval castle.

It wasn't just grand, the scale of the building itself was enormous.

Leffrey felt a little troubled.

At that moment,

He heard a voice.

"Oh, you... I've never seen you before."

The owner of the voice was a young girl. Her height was similar to Leffrey's, and her face somewhat resembled his.

'Pretty.'

Resembling Leffrey?

Then that meant she was as beautiful as an angel.

And there was one more strange thing.

She had wings on her back, just like an angel.

So Leffrey couldn't help but ask,

"Angel?"

"No, don't say such blasphemous things! I'm just a bird beast folk!"

Bird beast folk, a branch of the beast folk race, known for having wings on their backs.

"Ah, a beast folk."

"To be precise, a cro... Hmm hmm." (TL Note: What she was about to say was the Crow-Tit, a bird that basically resembles a round, fluffy white cotton ball with a long thin tail.)

The girl seemed embarrassed.

She immediately continued,

"You seem about my age. Hello! You're here to serve the Prophet too, right?"

Serve the Prophet?

Was she one of Kim Man-soo's close associates?

Leffrey had no choice but to answer yes for now.

"Y-Yeah."

"That's great. The other kids left, so I was lonely."

Other kids left?

Leffrey felt a sense of foreboding.

'What is this? Something's strange.'

But he couldn't be sure yet.

"What's your name?"

"My name? Sori! What's your name?"

"Leffrey. My name is Leffrey."

Sori grabbed Leffrey's hand and started running.

"Okay, Leffrey, what are you doing during service time?!"

"Uh... Uh?"

"Let's hurry. We'll be in trouble!"

"Huh?"

Thus, Leffrey, swept away by Sori, headed straight for the main hall.

A question came to mind as they were running.

'How did this young girl end up here?'

The New Truth Church, ruled by Kim Man-soo, wasn't exactly a child-friendly religion. They extorted money relentlessly, excluded non-believers, and threatened people by saying they would go to hell.

So Leffrey hadn't imagined that a young child would be here.

"Sori, how did you end up here?"

"Huh? Naturally, because the Prophet chose me. He said he'd cure my brother's curse if I helped him!"

"Your brother's... curse?"

Sori tilted her head and asked,

"What? You don't even know about the healing center in the center of the sanctuary? You came here because of a sick family member too, right?"

"Ah, that's right."

They operate a healing center in the center of the sanctuary. Leffrey thought that it was a somewhat religious thing to do.

Thus, Leffrey and Sori arrived at the main hall.

A guard standing in front of the hall asked in a stern voice,

"Sori, you're late again?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Who's the child next to you?"

"He's here to serve the Prophet with me!"

Leffrey was granted free passage.

'This isn't bad.'

Somehow, Leffrey had arrived at his destination.

It was so early that he had to kill some time.

The main hall was packed with people. Leffrey couldn't believe that so many people believed in this ridiculous cult.

"Everyone. Do you understand?"

So he decided to listen to Prophet Kim Man-soo's sermon for a moment. What on earth was he saying to make so many people…

"Only Heaven is salvation. And only the angels sent from Heaven are the path to that salvation. Only Heaven, only angels!"

"Only Heaven! Only angels!"

Leffrey felt a slight chill.

What was this?

They could call this the New Angel Church instead of the New Truth Church.

"Humans cannot defeat the demon king. Humans cannot defeat the countless monsters swarming outside. Humans cannot even defeat those cursed degenerate superhumans!"

Leffrey glanced around. Everyone was completely focused on Kim Man-soo. And some were even praying, muttering things like "Only angels... only angels..."

'Angel worship seems stronger here than in the otherworldly religions.'

This bizarre behavior of the New Truth Church seemed even more devoted to angel worship than the otherworldly empire, which was obsessed with angel worship to the point of resurrecting an angel's corpse through necromancy.

"Only angels can drive away this evil! Only Heaven! Only angels!"

"Only Heaven! Only angels!"

Kim Man-soo walked forward and grabbed an object placed on the altar.

"And the power of angels is like this!"

That object was an old dagger. As Kim Man-soo grabbed it, a faint light, like that of a toy sword, flickered.

"It's like this!"

[Angels are not affected by the light of angels!]

A flickering toy dagger. People were going crazy for it. Leffrey didn't know how to describe this situation. A toy collectors' club?

"No human can emit such a strong light. Not even those haughty professors! Not even the saint! They cannot awaken this sword!"

Strong light?

It was just a toy light.

Leffrey tilted his head.

"Ah, it's too bright!"

"The light... my eyes!"

But Leffrey was speechless, watching the believers overreacting.

'Isn't their acting too obvious?'

Honestly, their acting was too obvious.

Kim Man-soo's sermon continued.

"This is proof that I am the reincarnation of an angel!"

"Only Heaven! Only angels!"

"I cannot awaken the other holy relics yet... but soon! Soon, even these holy relics..."

Thus, Kim Man-soo's sermon continued for a long time.

Then, people suddenly stood up.

"What, what is it?"

"What is it?! Ah, this is your first time here, right? At the Central Sanctuary, we can touch holy relics imbued with the Prophet's power."

Touch holy relics?

They're all fake anyway.

'There's no way Kim Man-soo could acquire items used by a real angel.'

Leffrey hid his sneer and stood up.

"It's a truly great opportunity. Right?"

"Y-Yeah."

A great opportunity? Leffrey wasn't sure. He had to keep participating in the service because it wasn't time yet, but...

'Well, I should pretend to go along with it.'

Sori whispered, pointing at the dagger,

"That's a dagger used by angels, called Flabellum. Now that angels are gone, only the Prophet can wield this sword."

"Ah, is that so?"

Leffrey grabbed the dagger.

At that moment, an intense light emanated from the dagger.

It was so bright that it was hard to look directly at it.

'What? It's just a toy, but the light is quite strong.'

With this trivial thought, he looked at the next holy relic.

"What is this?"

"Th-This is called Sanctus..."

It was a small leather glove. Its size and shape were perfect for Leffrey.

Should I try it on…?

He put on the glove.

Suddenly, holy flames erupted from his hand.

The rainbow-colored flames were quite a sight to behold.

'So Cool... am I, becoming a righteous thief...'

Leffrey was already contemplating becoming a thief angel.

'Wait, why is it so quiet?'

Leffrey glanced around.

Everyone in the main hall was staring at him. The girl next to him, Sori, and even Kim Man-soo, were staring at him with their mouths agape.

Why?

Because he touched the holy relics too carelessly?

"Ah, I just wanted to try it on. I apologize..."

But the atmosphere felt a bit strange.

It wasn't anger at him touching the holy relics, but...

As if they had found someone they had been waiting for.

Leffrey only then realized what he was holding.

It was an item used by a real angel.

There was no other reason why people would react like this.

'Could it be that this is real? Did Kim Man-soo really possess the holy weapons of angels...?'

But it was too late to turn back.

"Flabellum is shining so brightly. It's several times brighter than when the Prophet holds it."

"Wait, Sanctus, the glove that can only be activated by high-ranking angels, is working! Could it be? Could it be?"

"Sob... Only Heaven... Sob, only angels..."

"A-An angel. And a high-ranking angel at that...!"

"An angel has finally descended!"

A sea of astonishment spread in one place.

A sea of laughter in another.

And a sea of tears in yet another.

And the leader, Kim Man-soo, muttered in despair, "Impossible. Impossible..." The believers, unable to even look at Kim Man-soo,

"This light, this holy light!"

"I believed!"

They were busy shouting those words.

Leffrey looked at the believers with a bewildered expression.

"Is-Is this... a good thing?"

The New Truth Church believers now looked like they belonged to the Leffrey Church.