An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 79: The Angel Who Creates a Style (10)

The first part of the final exam ended.

“Phew, I survived.”

“Being persistent was the answer after all.”

The first part of the final exam was conducted with three elements: unfairness, ruthlessness, and unreasonable... and not a single student questioned the method.

"Piece of cake. I heard that Lee Min-ho from the Swordsmanship Department, he finally got knocked out this time."

"Serves him right. He put on a big show about taking care of his juniors."

"This..."

To put it nicely, they were practical students, but to put it bluntly… they were unfair and ruthless.

"This is a real exam."

Real combat was inherently unfair and ruthless. There was no order, and anyone could die, whether they were young or kind.

"Ha..."

Leffrey, letting out a deep sigh, watched the students slowly get up.

One of them was a beautiful girl with long black hair and small horns.

Yumari of the Seocheon Yu.

During this exam, she tried to take down Professor Lusa while standing by Yu Si-hyun's side.

Yu Si-hyun would undoubtedly try to acquire the World Tree sapling, using Yumari and her allies.

So healing Yumari would mean increasing the number of his enemies. So then...

'Mari is close to me. If I ask her to help save the sapling, won't she betray the Seocheon Yu and help us?'

Leffrey said,

"Mari."

"Yes?"

Help me save the sapling.

Don't side with the Seocheon Yu.

Yu Si-hyun is a bad person.

Mumble mumble-

Leffrey’s lips continued to move, but… he couldn't say any of those words.

'If Mari helps me, if she betrays Yu Si-hyun and the Seocheon Yu to help me.'

A huge retaliation would follow.

So Leffrey just said,

"...Don't get hurt."

He didn't say anything else.

Just those words, 'don't get hurt'.

"That..."

Yumari maintained her usual stiff expression, but her cheeks were slightly flushed as she muttered,

"That's what I wanted to say to you."

"R-Really?"

"Yes."

Shuffle- Shuffle-

A girl walked gracefully across the grass.

The girl, her pink hair swaying, slowly approached Leffrey. She then suddenly slapped Yumari's hand away.

"Ahhh! Why did you suddenly use a cat punch on Mari?"

"What? Cat punch? No, that's not important."

Hongwol, staring at Yumari with cold eyes, said,

"Sorry, but can you get lost? You're part of the Seocheon Yu. We're a group of people who don't want to hand over the sapling to the Seocheon Yu."

Smirk-

Hongwol, overjoyed, hugged Leffrey from behind.

"W-Wol!"

"Can't you hear me? I told the enemy to scram."

"You..."

Crackle- With an ominous sound of lightning, Yumari's blue horns slowly became visible. Her aura transformed as her horns grew.

"Guys, stop fighting!"

Leffrey, trapped in Hongwol's embrace, shook his head desperately, trying to defuse the situation.

Pat pat-

Hongwol casually stroked Leffrey's blonde hair.

Although Yumari's horns grew even bigger, there was nothing she could do.

"Haa… I'll see you during the second test."

"Yeah, let's settle it then."

After the two stepped back, Leffrey looked at Hongwol with an angry expression.

"Wol! Why did you pick a fight with Mari?"

"...?"

Hongwol, as if she didn't understand what Leffrey was saying, tilted her head with a clueless expression.

"Why are you asking why I picked a fight with Mari? She's my enemy."

"Why is Mari your enemy?"

"Because she's trying to steal my man."

Hongwol, momentarily consumed by desire, hugged Leffrey tightly.

"Leffrey is mine."

Growl-

Even if someone asked her to let the boy go, she probably wouldn't let him go anytime soon.

'Haah, Wol is acting up again.'

But Hongwol's opponent was none other than Leffrey, the Butler Angel!

A genius who had taken care of Hongwol since the day she entered the academy.

'Hongwol's weakness is...'

Leffrey reached out and gently stroked Hongwol's pink ears.

Her ears were so soft and fluffy.

"Kyaa!"

Hongwol jumped up.

Her face completely red, she looked at Leffrey and muttered,

"Don't touch my ears!"

"But you're always touching me."

"I can, but you can't!"

With that, Hongwol skipped away again.

But what kind of logic is that? She can touch him, but he can’t?

'Well, that can happen.'

But Leffrey, as an excellent Butler Angel, had learned that you shouldn't argue logic with a cat.

"Leffrey."

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

It was the voice of a girl who had been crying, locked up and cowering somewhere.

"Soya, are you okay?"

Leffrey quickly stood beside Soya.

"I hate you. I'm not okay."

Soya buried her face in Leffrey's chest and slowly muttered,

"So let's go home quickly."

Leffrey didn't know what to say.

'Something...'

But he could feel one thing.

'Something feels chaotic.'

* * *

Soya, The Black Magic Princess.

Just who was Soya?

Soya, 17 years old in Korean age.

She had gray hair, discolored by magic pollution, and she was practically an orphan.

'Why is she practically an orphan?'

Han Soya.

She abandoned her family name after being abandoned by her family.

The reason for the abandonment was due to threats from magic families and corporations. Because they stole the magic formulas she had invented and framed her for it.

Her parents couldn't protect her.

'What happens to Soya in the future?'

She reached the 9th circle, a level only achieved by three mages in the entire world. She was the youngest among those three 9th circle mages. She also had the highest potential, but she could only reach the '9th circle' because she couldn't receive proper education growing up.

If she hadn't been killed by the demon army at a young age, or if she had received proper magical education even before becoming an adult…

She was the most promising talent who could have reached the 10th circle.

Leffrey closed his eyes.

'What do I even know about Soya?'

Leffrey thought he knew almost everything about Soya. He knew about the hardships she would face in the future, and he was aware of the sorrow she had experienced in the past.

But that was all he knew.

"Soya, are you asleep?"

Leffrey looked at the sleeping Soya.

'Sadness, anxiety, and loneliness...'

The emotions that slumbered within the girl’s heart.

Those emotions were raging like a storm, unstoppable.

"Soya."

Leffrey could feel those emotions.

It wasn’t simply because Leffrey was her guardian angel.

Because the same darkness existed within Leffrey’s heart.

Because these were the emotions that define a person.

Leffrey understood these emotions.

'I don't know anything about Soya.'

That ambiguous stage of being neither a child nor an adult.

'But... I know that Soya is more lonely than she seems.'

Because Leffrey was the same too.

Leffrey wanted to do something for Soya.

He had already given her so much, but he felt it wasn’t enough.

'...Should I pray?'

A memory came to Leffrey’s mind.

The memory of a woman praying to Heaven for her beloved baby.

"Angels who watch over Earth. Please hear my prayer."

Although the boy had no faith…

"Please don't let this child be sad."

"Please don't let this child be lonely."

Leffrey, and Leffriel, both remembered a mother who had prayed to them.

"Angels who watch over Earth, please guide this child's future."

Leffrey, his hands clasped, prayed towards the moonlight.

[Praying is an angelic act.]

[You have gained Angelic Power.]

'Huh, I’m gaining Angelic Power for this? I should pray more often from now on.'

Of course, they were prayers without any faith.

Thus, after Leffrey left, Soya, left alone in the room, opened her eyes.

"Prayer..."

Soya's face’s had turned red.

"For me."

The girl, as if she had never cried, smiled brightly, unable to contain her joy, then she said to something hiding in the shadows,

"You, you called me your master, The Queen of Black Magic, right?"

"Of course. Who else could be my master but you?"

It emerged from the darkness. A dark dog with sharp fangs.

The being that spoke to Soya when she was hiding in the bunker.

And the one who knew Soya better than anyone else.

"My name is Tantalus. You can call me that."

"What is your true identity?"

"I am a magical beast born from the Black Magic Princess, a monster nurtured by her sorrow and loneliness."

"Tantalus… where did you come from?"

"Not from this world. I came from a future that has already disappeared."

Soya, hiding her fear, muttered,

"Really? That witch, the Black Magic Princess… She must have been incredibly lonely. To have created a powerful magical beast like you."

"..."

Soya said,

"So, if we make a pact… you'll give me power?"

"Of course."

"In exchange for what?"

The black dog called Tantalus grinned, baring his sharp fangs.

"Black magic-hating teeth..."

Soya, seeing that, slightly cowered.

"They are black magic-friendly teeth. And there is no price to be paid. You’ve already paid it."

Soya, hearing those words, nodded once.

"I don't want to lose anything anymore. My research, my magic. And… And… Even my friends."

Soya reached out her hand to her shadow.

"Give me power."

* * *

Thus, the day of the second part of the final exam dawned.

The second part of the final exam was conducted in a tournament format, a one-on-one battle between the students who survived the first part, where only one victor would remain.

And the last one standing would be the top student of the final exam.

"Soya, are you going to be okay?"

"I said I’m fine."

Soya, when she woke up in the morning, was overflowing with confidence.

The reason was simple.

'First of all, this morning's breakfast was sausage and vegetable stir-fry, Soya’s favorite black magic-friendly food.'

But simply because of stir-fried sausage and vegetables, she wouldn't be this confident.

Then how?

'Could it be because I used a little bit of Heaven’s fragrant oil instead of cooking oil for the stir-fry?'

That's right. The reason Soya was so confident was because of doping.

In student duels like this, buffs and potions were allowed to some extent. What would happen if they banned buffs when a student possessed a buff skill?

Shaman and mage students with buff skills would automatically fail the exam.

So, as long as it wasn't serious doping, buffs and potions were allowed.

And Heaven's fragrant oil...

'It’s the ultimate buff. Besides, since it's classified as an Angelic Ability, it's hard for others to recognize it as a potion or buff.'

Leffrey nodded.

There was no risk of being criticized for excessive doping.

Blessing of the Power Angel who Graced the King Lv.3.

Moreover, Leffrey had chosen the highest quality among,

One of the three bottles he had been saving up until now.

Its effects were much stronger than any buff, but.

Soya spoke up again,

"Don't worry too much."

"But..."

Soya grinned and hugged her grimoire.

"That pathetic weakling, it won't even take ten seconds."

"Soya, you shouldn't be so arrogant!"

Leffrey clenched his fist.

The senior Soya was facing was a third-year magical studies student and the heir of a magic family.

As far as Leffrey knew, that senior was almost a 7th circle mage.

'It's probably true. If he's acting like a bully among the third-years, it means he's incredibly strong.'

If he were to be ranked just by strength alone, perhaps he would be right below the top tier of the academy? That meant he was a formidable opponent, even for Hongwol and Mari, who were still first-years.

Then Soya, who was weaker than them...

"Soya! The most important thing is to not get hurt! You’ve already passed the first part of the exam, so you won't fail. So focus on not getting hurt instead of winning…"

"Leffrey."

Soya looked at Leffrey with a serious expression.

"I'm stronger than you think."

And she walked confidently into the arena.

The third-year magical studies senior naturally had the intention to crush his opponent, and his opponent was just a bullied little witch from the first-years.

The two mages stood in their places, called by the student council.

"We will now begin the final exam duel. Please go to your positions."

The senior opened his mouth with a smirk,

"Well, well, well. If it isn’t Researcher Soya, who applied for our family's magic patent."

"..."

"Thanks to the patent you provided… our family has earned a lot of money. And naturally, a lot of honor too. How many awards did we get again?"

"Shut up."

The senior, acting as if he were showing mercy, pointed to outside the arena.

"If you go down now, I'll let you off the hook. I won't chase after you."

"Do I look like a fool? You’ve already cast a bunch of ice bolts behind you."

"Oh, was I caught?"

The third-year senior was planning to shoot dozens of ice bolts at Soya's back the moment she tried to step down from the arena.

But Soya wouldn't fall for such a trick.

"It doesn't change anything."

A rain of icicles filled the arena.

A few students who couldn't stomach the violence closed their eyes, and a few students who enjoyed cruelty stared intently.

"Just enough to make her unable to attend aca..."

"Soya-style Black Magic Summoning. Tail."

A tail, casting a massive shadow upon the ground, moved so fast that it created a sonic boom…

The rain of icicles was swatted away and struck the third-year senior's side.

The third-year senior was literally harpooned all over his body.

Thus, the match ended.

"Hmph, he was nothing special."

Soya made an exaggerated yawn, then strutted out of the arena.

Mumble mumble- Whisper whisper-

The academy students were all shocked.

"Tantalus."

Leffrey, who had been watching this match, muttered.

"Tantalus's dog?"

Leffrey couldn't hide his surprise.