An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 69: The Angel Realizes His Past Life (8)

Episode 69

'I've felt this light before.'

James Tarden blinked.

The most important thing for a shaman was their ability to see the essence of a soul.

Whether it was to cast a curse on someone's soul or predict an opponent's attack, their eyes always had to be open.

If they closed their eyes for even a moment, the curse could be broken, and they could even lose their life.

'No way, did I... Just blinked?'

Therefore, James rarely blinked when he was awake and active.

'It's hard to look directly at it.'

Then he clenched his fists tightly.

This was a story from decades ago. When the other world empire had completely fallen, and refugees began to flood Earth...

There was a last stand against the demon king.

'This light… Yes, this light...'

James Tarden, one of the survivors of that last stand, remembered what this light emanating from Leffrey was.

'This is Angelic Power...!'

The demon king, darkness that illuminated every corner of the world.

A beautiful boy with androgynous features,

His head was adorned with a black halo, and...

Grey wings sprouted from his back.

The demon king, along with his army, ravaged this world. James' companions tried to stop it, but...

'They died fulfilling their duty.'

Blood was already dripping from James' fists.

'Those hateful angels! Hateful angels!'

James approached Leffrey, consumed by rage.

To avenge his companions who had fallen in the darkness, to avenge the despicable Heaven that was ravaging this world!

'Wait, Leffriel?'

James, momentarily regaining his senses, couldn't help but stop.

And as a shaman, he saw through Leffrey's soul, realizing in just a few seconds that what Leffrey had said was true.

'If it's the Leffriel mentioned in the Bible… the judge of the world, known to be a powerful angel...'

James' red eyes looked at the boy sobbing before him.

"I hate labs… and superhuman families too..."

Sniffle sniffle-

Seeing him cry, the boy seemed no different from any other boy his age. Except for the fact that he was incredibly beautiful.

'If I hadn't known that he was Leffriel and performed Past Life Awakening… this boy would have become Leffriel and regained all his powers.'

Then why did this boy reveal that he was Leffriel and avoid Past Life Awakening, even though he knew that James hated Heaven?

Looking at the boy who continued to sob,

James realized one thing.

'...He's sacrificing himself.'

Though he didn't know the exact mechanism and effect, if this boy were to awaken as Leffriel...

'There would be a huge disaster. Just like what Lucifer did. This boy revealed that he was an angel to prevent that. Even though he had been hiding it until now.'

Moreover, seeing how he keeps muttering about labs and superhuman families.

It meant that he had long figured out how a fallen angel would be used.

He had hidden the fact that he was an angel in front of James, meaning he knew there were many who hated Heaven like James.

'But for the sake of protecting the students here...'

He had revealed that he was an angel.

This was a sacrifice.

A sacrifice for humanity.

'In the end, there was...'

James no longer felt anger.

Instead, he felt gratitude.

'There really was... an angel who didn't abandon humanity.'

James approached Leffrey.

"Leffrey."

Sniffle sniffle-

"Leffrey!"

"Ye-Yes!"

Leffrey's teary emerald eyes… looked up at James with fear.

"As a professor, I offer you my gratitude."

James bowed his head.

"Your decision has saved the lives of countless students at the Central Academy."

And...

James smiled softly.

"And does an angel really have to cry like this? I won't hand you over to a superhuman family or a lab, never."

Leffrey, at a loss for words, cautiously opened his mouth,

"But you..."

"That's right. I hated Heaven. And I hated the angels, and I hated those who follow Lucifer even more."

James continued to answer even the questions Leffrey didn’t ask, as if he were truly enjoying himself.

"And I hated divine power users too. Not to mention that damned Church. I hated them all, all, all of them."

He then tightened his tie and looked into the distance.

"But today, I shed tears. For the first time in decades… do you know why?"

Shake shake-

Leffrey shook his head.

"Because I saw an angel forgive the Church and the Berios family. The sight of you forgiving sinners and healing people… Isn't it funny? A person who hates Heaven is moved to tears after seeing something as simple as this."

Brilliant divine power was now emanating from James' hands.

"I hate Heaven. But…"

James muttered with a remorseful expression,

"I've waited for an angel, more than anyone else."

Then he continued,

"I realized only now… that I still have faith."

His voice was sincere.

"That I still believe in Heaven."

Faith.

Leffrey didn’t believe in such things.

Leffrey no longer believed in anything.

And yet why...

"I'm glad."

Was Leffrey smiling after hearing those words?

James slowly took Leffrey's hand and kissed the back of it, showing his respect.

"Thank you for remaining here on earth, for the sake of the world. Angel-nim."

* * *

James looked at the grand magic circle installed in the basement.

Magical symbols drawn with dragon blood, his masterpiece that combined all of his mystical knowledge and abilities.

"Please let me go…!"

And the boy tied to the center of the magic circle was...

Leffrey.

"Don't worry too much. It will all be fine."

"Th-This doesn't feel right at all."

Leffrey answered in a trembling voice,

'Just a moment ago… things seemed to be going smoothly. Why is this suddenly happening?'

He tried to recall how the situation had escalated to this.

James and Leffrey were having a conversation, and the atmosphere seemed to have become warm.

James looked at Leffrey with a touched expression, then casually dropped a bombshell.

"Then shall we begin Past Life Awakening?"

"What? Were you even listening? I told you, if I awaken as Leffriel, the Central Academy will be destroyed!"

James shook his head and spoke again,

"I'll do my best to minimize that possibility."

"No, Principal?"

"And..."

James led Leffrey up the stairs.

There was no mansion above the stairs. Instead of the Central Academy mansion, grand mountain ranges stretched out majestically before them.

"Look, even if you go berserk as Leffriel, the Central Academy won't be harmed."

"Wh-Where are we?"

"Have you heard of the Rocky Mountains? These mountains are protected by my magic. You can rampage as much as you like." (TL Note: Rocky Mountains is a real place in America)

Leffrey, feeling a bit angry, said to James,

"You are weaker than Leffriel. Why are you doing something so reckless?"

"I know it's reckless. But I have no other choice."

"Other choice? You can just use Past Life Awakening on another student!"

James shook his head.

And said in a firm voice,

"No, we must awaken your past life. The other students don't matter."

"Then tell me why!"

"...Because humanity doesn't have much time left."

Humanity doesn't have much time left.

It was something Leffrey was aware of too.

Even though they had captured Drewmark, one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, and humanity gained all sorts of minor advantages due to Leffrey’s sweat and blood…

It was certain that the demon army's major attack would begin in a few years.

"There's a cliché saying, right? 'By any means necessary.' There are no means to be considered when it comes to the survival of a species."

James' voice was filled with conviction.

"To be able to weaponize an archangel... as a guardian of humanity, I cannot miss this opportunity."

"No! Kyaaaa!"

"And I..."

Thus, Leffrey was dragged away and tied to the grand magic circle.

"I... believe in it."

A voice filled with certainty.

And eyes that burned with faith.

It was the same gaze he had seen at that cult, the New Truth Church, during the midterm exams.

The eyes of a fanatic.

"...Ah."

There was no way to stop a fanatic.

Leffrey didn't pray.

He just closed his eyes tightly, recalling memories like those in Klein's white room.

The red circles began to glow. Words from a long-gone language were uttered by James, echoing into a song. A song that Leffrey had heard before... no, a song he had never heard in this life echoed throughout the air.

Leffrey closed his eyes and firmly strengthened his will.

Time, at that moment, seemed to stretch and shorten from his perspective.

As the song echoed. Leffrey, who had his eyes closed, could sense the red light rising from beneath the ground...

Suddenly, a voice was heard.

"It's done."

James muttered in an exhausted voice,

"It's a success."

And with that, Leffrey was released.

"Huh, what?"

Leffrey looked down at his body. He touched his back. Let's see, no wings on his back, his face was the same, his height was the same…

"Nothing's changed?"

"That's right."

Haa haa- James, catching his breath, smiled and said,

"The only thing I did was open a door."

"A door?"

"Yes, the door to awakening."

Then James started muttering to himself, "That's the only way to prevent a rampage, to trap himself within himself. Mutter… mutter..."

"The door to awakening? Explain properly!"

"Leffrey, look within yourself. Then you'll understand."

To ask him to look within himself in a situation like this, it was practically impossible even for Leffrey, who had mastered the Klein-style Magic meditation technique.

"Quickly."

But James was insistent.

Leffrey, lamenting the fact that he couldn't curse because he was an angel, took a proper posture and began to meditate.

Klein-style Magic meditation.

The purple room-

The overwhelming circumstances around him, his complex state of mind right now... Naturally, his meditation would be terrible.

'...Wait?'

But even so, Leffrey could sense it.

The fact that there was someone inside him.

That boy, identical to him, had a cold, expressionless face, like Yumari's.

And a halo unique to angels, and...

Scars of torn wings on his back.

'Let me out.'

Leffrey knew the boy's name.

'Leffriel? Leffriel is inside me?'

At that moment, James' voice came.

"Do you feel it? Now, within your mind… Leffriel, the archangel who once judged the world, is sealed."

James grinned.

Leffrey stared at James with a dazed expression.

"Principal, this is..."

"Use that archangel sealed within your mind… to learn more knowledge and acquire more skills. Borrow the archangel's power sometimes… Isn't that perfect?"

Perfect, my foot.

To suddenly have an unwanted tenant living inside him, who would call such a situation perfect?

But to Leffrey, the foolish angel, it was a somewhat tempting proposal.

"Th-Then... are there any side effects?"

"Ahem, do you like manga by any chance?"

Manga? Of course, Leffrey liked manga.

"Have you ever seen mangas where a nine-tailed fox is sealed inside someone, or a grim reaper shares a body with an evil spirit, or a shaman gains power by eating fingers?" (TL Note: Naruto, Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen reference.)

"...Well, now that you mention it, there are a few mangas that come to mind."

James smiled, pointing at Leffrey.

"Just think of the side effects those protagonists experience."

The side effects experienced by those protagonists…?

What kind of side effects did they suffer?

Their bodies were taken over by the nine-tailed fox.

Their bodies were taken over by the evil spirit.

Their bodies were taken over by the fingers.

"You’re saying that I might lose my body to Leffriel and go on a rampage?"

"...As expected, you catch on quickly."

"Ha..."

Leffrey looked up at the sky.

"Why can't angels curse?"

At that moment, forgetting that he was an angel, Leffrey wanted to curse James.