An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 51: The Angel Who Creates a Club (4)

Episode 51

'To think I'd hear Park Jin-ho say "sorry." What on earth is he going to ask?'

Leffrey cautiously asked,

"What is your request?"

"Sometimes..."

Park Jin-ho muttered as if he had no other choice.

"Sometimes… act like an angel."

"...Yes?"

His expression seemed somewhat sad.

To think that Park Jin-ho, who would kill so many lives in the future, would show such a humane side.

Leffrey felt a sense of discomfort.

"Act like an angel in front of Hexi. I'll compensate you sufficiently."

"It's not about the compensation..."

Park Jin-ho was openly talking about deceiving Hexi with a lie. Of course, Leffrey wasn’t a fake angel, he was a real angel, and the only one who could calm Hexi down, but...

'Park Jin-ho is saying that it doesn't matter if Hexi is deceived by me. And what did he say earlier? That Hexi's berserk episode is a necessary card to defeat the demon king…? He's viewing a person as a tool.'

His suspicions deepened.

And…

'This means that as long as Park Jin-ho can control Hexi, he'll do anything. Then could it be...'

Leffrey came to a conclusion.

"Professor, you knew that Professor Hexi was taking the drugs provided by the Seocheon Yu, didn't you?"

"...Yes."

"And to be more precise about what you're proposing… you're asking me to keep drugging Professor Hexi while pretending to be an angel, right?"

"...That's right."

Park Jin-ho answered immediately.

The conviction in his eyes was so intense, it was almost frightening.

But Leffrey didn't back down.

Even though Leffrey was a lazy angel who only focused on self-preservation and lacked any conviction… he had to keep asking questions.

"No, wait, you're telling me to drug her? Wait, wait… Then you must also know that Professor Hexi is under the control of the Seocheon Yu… and that they're treating her unfairly."

"That is correct."

"Hexi is your colleague! How can you hand over your colleague to the Seocheon Yu?!"

But Park Jin-ho's answer was unwavering.

"For the sake of humanity and our people."

"Yes?"

"Hexi's episode is one of the most powerful cards humanity possesses. But a card is only useful if it can be controlled."

The surrounding air changed.

The archery students began glaring at Park Jin-ho, their eyes filled with resentment. Of course, Park Jin-ho, befitting his title of Sword Saint, didn't even flinch at those gazes, but...

He couldn't bear to see Leffrey looking at him with disappointment.

"Therefore, control was necessary. Even if it meant using those unreliable drugs from the Seocheon Yu..."

Leffrey looked down at the professor with youthful beauty, resting her head on his lap.

Hexi.

She was probably the youngest among the professors.

Probably not even thirty yet.

"That's no different from the demon army! If you drug your colleague, deceive them, and sell them out..."

"I will not make excuses for that."

Park Jin-ho answered seriously, with no change in expression.

"But Hexi had no other choice."

"She had no other choice?"

"Do you think the only ones she slaughtered during her berserk episodes… were all just the monsters of the demon army?"

His cruel words continued.

"Hexi lost her family, her territory, and her friends, all by her own hand. Do you think I would have been the first to offer her these damned drugs?"

"You're saying that Professor Hexi was the one who..."

"That's right. Hexi was already addicted to these drugs for a long time. We professors judged that she would constantly go berserk without these drugs due to the side effects."

Park Jin-ho showed a humane side once again.

"And you just left her like that? Without helping?!"

"Of course, we could have trusted Hexi and tried to overcome the withdrawal symptoms together. But..."

His expression seemed truly sorrowful.

"We couldn't gamble like that. If Hexi was already broken beyond repair... we believed that the right thing to do was to help her fulfill her duty as a hero until the very end."

"Do you even know the side effects of those drugs?"

"I do. In the underworld, those drugs..."

But Park Jin-ho immediately reverted to his Iron Blood persona.

"They're called 'the Abyss'."

Park Jin-ho pointed at the collapsed Hexi with his finger.

"Leffrey, Hexi is already practically living in the Abyss. Look at her..."

At that moment, Hexi started to stir.

And a golden aura surged around her.

Hexi had started going berserk again.

Park Jin-ho, seeing that, picked up the pill bottle that had fallen next to Hexi and...

"She's already living in the Abyss. Give up."

With those words, he approached Hexi.

"No!"

"Get out of the way."

"No more drugs!"

"Move! There's no other way!"

The golden aura around her intensified. Park Jin-ho also revealed his golden aura and took a stance.

But Leffrey was stubborn.

"That boy... is he confronting Park Jin-ho for Hexi-nim?"

"He's protecting our professor against the vice principal..."

One by one, the archery students stood next to Leffrey. The archery students who had fled earlier, the students who had stayed by Hexi's side, all of them...

Regardless of their year, they stood next to Leffrey, staring at Park Jin-ho.

"What are you all doing?!"

"What this boy said is right."

One of the students shouted, holding back tears,

"Vice principal, please stop giving our professor those drugs."

Hexi got up.

Everyone except Leffrey gulped, watching what she would do.

"Angel-nim... don't leave..."

Look around- look around-

Hexi looked at Leffrey's face, then smiled peacefully and fell back asleep.

"The drugs should have worn off by now… Did she overcome the drug's side effects...?"

Park Jin-ho muttered, unable to believe it.

Seeing that, Leffrey declared,

"I'll be the angel."

And looking at Park Jin-ho, he said,

"Not for the sake of the world or our people, but for Professor Hexi and the archery students here..."

Then he looked at Hexi again.

"I will become her angel."

Of course, those weren't the only reasons why he would pretend to be an angel.

'No matter how I think about it... there are too many advantages to me pretending to be an angel.'

First of all, even if the professors found out that he was an angel... he could make an excuse, saying that he was acting like one to deceive Hexi.

And second, multi-mining is always right. Hexi would probably generously provide Angelic Power like Soya.

Then third, he needed a club advisor.

Lastly, fourth, Hexi was incredibly strong. If he became Hexi's guardian angel, he would gain immense power.

No, wait, he almost forgot the most important reason, the fifth one. If Leffrey 'pretended' to be an angel to calm Hexi down, the professors would surely shower him with benefits. This was the most important reason for Leffrey, the profit angel.

Perfect.

Leffrey decided to become an acting angel from now on.

"...Leffrey."

The archery students couldn't help but feel a great sense of guilt and gratitude towards Leffrey.

To pretend to be an angel in front of Hexi would be a very difficult task 'unless you were a real angel'. Besides, with Hexi's berserk episodes striking at any moment, he wouldn't even get a break.

If Hexi realized it was all an act and went berserk...

'That boy will surely die.'

And so the archery students thought…

The boy was giving up his entire life, just to save Hexi from the clutches of the Seocheon Yu and the other professors.

'He's practically giving up his life.'

It was a truly great sacrifice.

...So the archery students thought.

Actually, Leffrey was a real angel, so he didn't need to pretend to be one, and he had many Angelic Power sources, making it easy to calm Hexi down...

They didn't know that.

And Park Jin-ho was also making the same mistake.

Park Jin-ho slowly opened his mouth,

"...Am I wrong again?"

Leffrey was a little surprised.

Because Park Jin-ho, the man known as Iron Blood, was shedding tears once again.

"Should we have... just like you..."

Park Jin-ho slowly reached out his hand to Hexi.

"Should we have trusted Hexi...?"

He clutched her hand and muttered,

"I..."

* * *

Thus, a secret agreement was made between Leffrey and Park Jin-ho, the vice principal of the Central Academy.

The current setting was that Leffrey was an angel who had fallen to Earth and secretly infiltrated the academy. Furthermore, he infiltrated the academy to protect the hero candidates attending the academy.

"If an angel were to descend and attend our academy... this would be the most logical setting."

"I-I agree with that."

Leffrey gulped.

'Park Jin-ho... his insight is frightening...'

Park Jin-ho, practically reaching the truth without knowing anything. Whether Leffrey thought that way or not, Park Jin-ho continued,

"But Leffrey, it would be good if the setting was that you accidentally stopped Professor Hexi's berserk episode... and that Professor Hexi is the only one who knows you're an angel."

"I agree with that too."

"You being an angel is a secret, and Hexi is the only one who knows. This will prevent Hexi from blabbing about it."

Leffrey nodded.

Because there was no flaw in his logic.

Lusa, who had been peeling tangerines, asked,

"Okay, okay. It's all good, but... why should we hide the fact that he's an angel? If I were an angel, those fanatics would treat me like royalty."

Klein, hearing those words, shook his head and answered Lusa's question in an annoyed tone,

"You stupid elf. Don't you even know that? If a real angel were walking on Earth… do you think the demon king would just ignore it? And do you know how many people in the human world hate angels?"

People who hate angels?

Leffrey was surprised.

"Professor, there are people who hate angels?"

"There are many. It's closer to resentment than hatred, but..."

Professor Klein fiddled with his monocle and continued,

"When the other world empire fell... not a single angel descended, even though people prayed so desperately. Those survivors must resent the Heavens so much."

"Stop."

Park Jin-ho stopped Klein. Klein stepped back, respecting Park Jin-ho's decision.

"Leffrey, we know you are greatly disappointed in us."

"Yes."

"...But you'll understand us someday."

"That's right, that's what it means to be an adult."

Lusa added apologetically.

But Leffrey's attitude was still cold.

"I'm still disappointed in you."

"Ugh."

Klein seemed genuinely hurt by Leffrey's cold words. Lusa suddenly looked outside, and...

Park Jin-ho lowered his head.

"I entrust Hexi to you."

"After what you..."

Leffrey hesitated, then finally said,

"After everything is over… please apologize to Professor Hexi."

With those words, Leffrey left the professors' meeting room.

* * *

"Professor Hexi!"

"Angel-nim! No, Leffrey...!"

Hexi immediately rushed over. Earlier, he had caught a glimpse of her pacing anxiously in front of the meeting room.

"You can't call me 'Angel-nim' outside!"

"Ye-Yes sir!"

"It's 'yes', not 'yes sir'!"

"...Okay!"

Hexi, as if she were overjoyed, grabbed Leffrey's hand and smiled happily.

The elegant movements of a living angel, the warmth of his hand with flowing blood.

And that bright smile, as beautiful as a blooming flower.

‘My’ living, breathing angel.

Hexi, as if she couldn't believe it, asked again,

"...Right, we can't let anyone know you're an angel?"

"Yes."

"Only I know that you're an angel..."

Hexi kept muttering "Only I know that he's an angel..." And as if those words were a sweet drink, she even shivered.

'Yes, it's a good thing it turned out this way.'

He couldn't let anyone else know he was an angel. This was because a new threat had been added, one that was even greater than being captured as a research subject or being hunted by the demon army.

'Those who hold a grudge against Heaven...'

Leffrey was already starting to feel scared.

But fear was fear, and there was something he had to do before becoming a homeless angel.

"Professor Hexi."

"Yes sir?"

"Again. It's 'yes', not 'yes sir'!"

"Yes!"

Hexi smiled, as if she were incredibly happy.

Hexi was overjoyed that a living, breathing angel was talking to her.

He had a long way to go.

Leffrey pulled himself together and asked again,

"Could you be the advisor for the club I'm creating?"