An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 66: The Angel Realizes His Past Life (5)

Episode 66

While James was marveling at the spreading divine power, Leffrey looked at his gloves, 'Sanctus', once again.

'Sanctus.'

Sanctus (EX)

Glove Item

Item Attribute: Holy

In the age when legends and myths were recorded on maps, angels enforced the will of Heaven upon Earth through countless powers.

Sometimes by helping the weak and doing good, sometimes by filling the stomachs of the hungry, sometimes by choosing heroes and defeating evil, and sometimes by flooding the world with Heaven's power.

Watching the world submerged, an angel felt regret.

An angel, who should know nothing of regret and sorrow, looked down at the water below, tears streaming down his face.

And the angel made a promise.

'I will no longer judge this world.'

That promise became a rainbow, stretching across the sky.

Sanctus, the promise of an angel, is an item that aids an angel's powers.

Angelic Abilities were closer to miracles than skills, and therefore, could not be controlled by an angel's will. Just as the prophets of old couldn’t control miracles.

But by wearing Sanctus, even Angelic Abilities could be finely tuned like skills.

[Angelic Power consumption increases when this item is equipped!]

[This item allows fine control over Angelic Abilities!]

[This item is EX-rank and cannot be destroyed!]

When he first acquired this item,

Leffrey was really disappointed.

An EX-rank item, but it has the side effect of increasing Angelic Power consumption, and… its only ability is to finely tune Angelic Abilities?

'At first, I thought it was just trash.'

Leffrey nodded, looking at the leather gloves that glowed with rainbow colors.

'Now I'm certain. Sanctus is a broken item.'

Sanctus’ ability was to finely tune Angelic Abilities.

Then what does 'fine-tuning Angelic Abilities' even mean?

For example, let's say there’s an Angelic Ability that creates holy oil only in your hand.

The angel wouldn't be able to create this oil anywhere else, no matter what they did. Miracles cannot be controlled by the will of an individual.

But what if the angel wanted to create that oil in their eyes…?

Don't ask why.

What if they just had to create it in their eyes?

That's when they would use Sanctus.

And this wasn't the only way to use Sanctus.

'Steps of the Fallen Angel Walking Through the Night is originally a technique that erases everything about an angel. Including their contact with others.'

Sanctus couldn't increase the power of an Angelic Ability, but it could restrict Angelic Abilities as the angel desired.

'But if I use Sanctus to restrict Steps of the Fallen Angel Walking Through the Night… If I restrict it to only hide traces of Angelic Power...'

He could hide the fact that he was an angel.

With this combination of Sanctus + Steps of the Fallen Angel, Leffrey could even deceive the eyes of James, the Shaman King.

James, looking at Leffrey's soul, couldn't help but acknowledge,

'A truly pure and bright soul.'

Actually, Leffrey didn't have such a great soul that would earn praise from James. He was greedy and cowardly at times. Far from pure. The reason why Leffrey's soul seemed this way was...

'It's a human soul, yet it's like an angel from legends?'

Because James recognized Leffrey as a human.

Even if he were a corrupted soul among angels, Leffrey was closer to Heaven than any other human.

"Starting with his soul... There are so many strange things about him."

James opened his mouth,

"If he worshipped Heaven, then he would have submitted and knelt to the Berios family. If he hated Heaven, he would have ignored that Theology Department girl being bullied by the Berios family..."

James couldn't understand the boy's actions, as well as his soul.

"Why, why did he save that Theology Department girl?"

James closed his mouth.

And decided to use his magic.

"Taboo Release."

His eyes burned red. This was a special magic that could reveal the past of the person he was looking at.

"Red Insight."

Suddenly, Leffrey's past flowed into James' mind.

A boy born as an illegitimate child of a conglomerate family, a son raised with his mother's love.

Happy days.

And then...

The sight of his mother being crushed, in a manner too cruel to describe. The boy, hiding under the sofa, prayed to Heaven.

Until his mouth went dry and only tearstains remained, the boy's prayers never stopped.

But as prayers always do, the boy was betrayed in the cruelest way.

Eventually, red blood flowed under the sofa...

Sadness, loneliness, the pain the boy felt.

Emotions James knew all too well.

'Anyone who went through something like that would naturally hate the Heaven, right?'

But just what was the identity of this boy, who protected the Theology Department girl despite all that?

'That boy is a divine power user who hates Heaven. A divine power user who hates Heaven? All of them are monsters born from betrayal and abandonment, just like Saint Rebecca.'

A clear divine power appeared in his hand.

"Just like me! Just like me and Rebecca...!"

James laughed.

But a single teardrop welled up in his eyes.

'Then why can that boy still hold onto such pure kindness...? Why isn't he filled with resentment towards Heaven like us?'

Before he knew it, James was only looking at Leffrey.

'Is that boy even stronger in willpower… than Saint Rebecca?'

James looked back at himself.

'Than even me…?'

A teardrop streamed down James' cheek.

Thus, while James was looking into the boy's soul, shedding tears that he couldn’t explain streaming down his face… Leffrey, looking at Ramone, organized his thoughts.

'I have a plan. I'll use Sanctus to hide the fact that I'm an angel… and raise my favorability with the Theology Department by saving that senior!'

Leffrey grinned.

'Besides, this is an angelic act... so I can even farm Angelic Power!'

[Saving the weak is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

And gaining angelic power he did.

'Angelic Power is so sweet. It's being drained by Sanctus, but… It's truly a blessing in the midst of a drought!'

Although his Angelic Power was rapidly depleting due to using Sanctus and Steps of the Fallen Angel Walking Through the Night… he could endure for a while with what he had saved up.

'I need to farm even more Angelic Power to keep hiding the fact that I'm an angel during the upcoming Past Life Awakening test.'

It was time to farm even more Angelic Power.

'I had it all planned out. I saved that Theology Department senior after a thorough calculation. I definitely didn't just rush out impulsively.'

Leffrey nodded with a smile.

Truly he was Leffrey the Plan Angel.

Well, in a way, a lack of a plan could also be a plan.

The best kind of plan.

"Smiling?"

Ramone, seeing Leffrey smiling cheerfully, was enraged and grabbed the boy by the collar again.

"That bastard is grabbing his collar again."

The students who supported Leffrey tried to intervene.

"Everyone, it's okay."

Leffrey stopped them, then looked at Ramone and said,

"Senior Ramone, the inquisition. If you're so confident, try it."

Leffrey's eyes were incredibly cold.

"But if you're judged a heretic… you'll apologize to all the students here. And you'll compensate the Theology Department students you've bullied."

"You're talking nonsense. That will never happen."

Leffrey smiled.

"Really? I think you’re just scared."

Ramone couldn't control his anger and shouted,

"How dare you say that I, the representative of Heaven and the eldest grandson of the Berios family! That I'm scared? Have you ever seen such a blasphemous fool?! Alright, fine. Today I'll show you what divine punishment truly is."

Ramone quickly used an item to check Leffrey's divine power.

'His divine power is low! Of course, such a heretic wouldn't have high divine power.'

Actually, there was almost no divine power in Leffrey's body.

But he had an overflowing amount of Angelic Power.

Angelic Power, a higher level of divine power, it looked like divine power and acted like divine power, but it wasn’t divine power.

The item didn't lie.

Leffrey's divine power was lower than Ramone's.

In terms of divine power alone, that is.

'You heretic, I'll judge you now!'

Ramone, certain that Leffrey's divine power was low, immediately opened his black bible and prayed.

A prayer that was neither too short nor too long. ended, and…

Ramone muttered the last sentence.

And something appeared along with it.

"By the name of God, forged..."

A dark sword, more precisely an ominous sword known as the Inquisition Sword, started rising from the Bible.

"This sword without sin."

An executioner sword with a blunt tip was created.

'So that's the Inquisition Sword. A stupid sword that can't cut humans or demons, but only divine power.'

Just how many healers had lost their divine power to that sword?

Leffrey stared at the sword with hatred.

"O pure sword, O sinless sword! Come to me, the representative of Heaven! And judge that heretic!"

Ramone shouted confidently.

As if it were a given that the Inquisition Sword would choose him.

Woooong-

The black executioner sword, hearing Ramone's shout, slowly rose into the air and… landed in the hand of the one chosen as the inquisitor.

'However, for now it’s a sword I have to use.'

That is, in Leffrey's hand.

"...Impossible."

A Theology Department student muttered unconsciously.

The eldest grandson of the Berios family chosen as the target of inquisition?

If even the eldest grandson of the Berios family could be judged…

Then just what was the identity of this boy named Leffrey?

"What? Th-This is..."

Ramone stared at the Inquisition Sword in disbelief.

No matter how much he looked, the one holding the Inquisition Sword was Leffrey.

"How is this possible?"

Leffrey slowly approached Ramone.

Ramone, backing away step by step, muttered,

"Calm down… Wait, calm down!"

And when Leffrey almost reached him, Ramone sobbed and whimpered,

"I-I was wrong. No, I mean I'm sorry… !"

But Leffrey, ignoring Ramone, kept walking

Leffrey looked at the Theology Department students, cowering in fear.

"Yes, we are sinners too. We knelt before the corrupted authority of the Church and persecuted our juniors. We were an orthodox church, but more corrupted than heretics."

A Theology Department student spoke boldly. He calmly removed his shirt, revealing his scarred body. Scars left by the Inquisition Sword.

"Strike me. I have no excuses."

Leffrey raised the Inquisition Sword.

"By the name of God, forged..."

And deeply cut the brave Theology student.

"You are without sin."

But the student's divine power, instead of disappearing… the scars left by the Berios family began to heal.

And their divine power began to return.

The Theology Department student, looking at Leffrey with a dazed expression… felt their divine power returning and began to shed tears.

Leffrey smiled.

"So don't sin from now on."

"But... I..."

The Theology student, who had been brave before the Inquisition Sword, couldn't hold on any longer and knelt.

"The Inquisition Sword is a sword that only cuts divine power… How can he restore divine power...?"

Ramone muttered from the side.

His expression was quite a sight to behold.

Disbelief, fear, despair, and awe.

'As expected of Sanctus, an EX-rank item. To think it could be used like this.'

As Ramone said, the Inquisition Sword was originally a sword that could only cut divine power. But by using Sanctus to seal the power of severing and only retain the power of interfering with divine power...

Then what would happen if he healed those wounds with Healing of the Seraphim after interfering with their divine power?

[Comforting the wounds of an innocent person is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

[Correcting a wrong judgment is an angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

He could gain Angelic Power like this.

'Hmm, with this much Angelic Power, I can endure wearing Sanctus for a while. Just as i thought, healing the Theology Department seniors here was the right choice.'

Leffrey, after farming Angelic Power, slowly approached Ramone again.

"Eek!"

Ramone was already trembling with fear and crying. The fact that the Inquisition Sword was taken away was unbelievable, and now to use that sword to even heal other students' divine power…

Just what was the identity of this boy?

"Senior Ramone."

"L-Leffrey-nim."

"I will judge you."

Leffrey raised the Inquisition Sword high.

"Leffrey-nim! Please! Please give me another chance!"

"..."

Leffrey, looking at Ramone cowering in fear, his eyes gleamed.

And he began to have a wicked, no, angelic thought.

"Even someone like you is created in the name of God..."

Leffrey, the Profit Angel, opened his mouth,

"So I will give you a chance to atone for your sins."