An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 87: The Angel Who Registers (4)

There's a saying, "being high on something." (TL Note: Original translation is ppong (뽕), it’s a slang term which means meth or drugs, some Korean people on the internet like to use it as a way to say they are ‘feeling good’ as if they are high on drugs.)

It's a slang term for methamphetamine or heroin, and figuratively, it's used to describe someone who is overly immersed in something.

Like being high on nationalism or being high on Japanese culture.

"What, what have I done..."

In that sense, Leffrey could also be considered to have been "high".

Leffrey had been intoxicated by Angelic Power. What would you call this excessive immersion?

Angel High? Judgement High?

A more technical term would be Angelic Power Enlightenment.

Anyway...

Now that the Angelic Power Enlightenment was gone, Leffrey calmly and rationally assessed the current situation.

And the words that came out of his mouth…

(“I’m screwed.”) “I’m done for.”

A phrase uttered without a moment's hesitation.

(“I’m so screwed…!”) “I'm so done for…!”

Leffrey lowered his head, trying to deny reality.

Seeing the slums of Old Seoul had triggered his past trauma, and he even uncovered the horrific truth about the Superhuman Registration Bureau…

Leffriel's rampage could be called inevitable.

Leffrey winced in pain, looking at the chief making a spectacle of himself, then thought,

'Yes, that man needed to be judged. But not with this kind of violent method...'

He should have judged him rationally, like when he took away the Inquisition Sword from Ramone.

He shouldn’t have openly caused this scene in the Superhuman Management Bureau headquarters.

Leffrey was angry at Leffriel in his mind.

'Leffriel! It's all your fault!'

'...Give me back my body.'

But Leffriel was still trying to take over his body.

Of course, even though he spoke of it in such grand terms… it was just him clinging to Leffrey’s sleeve and whining cutely, “Give it back. Give it back.”

Besides, Leffriel was just an illusion that only Leffrey could see.

But the Central Security Force members lying on the ground, the office that was destroyed as if a monster had rampaged through it, water leaking from a burst pipe, and exposed wires crackling on the ceiling…

Those were undeniable reality.

Leffrey lowered his head, contemplating his future.

'Terrorism against the Superhuman Management Bureau, instant registration as a top-tier villain, then I’ll naturally be expelled from the Central Academy… Then superhuman prison...'

Ugh- Leffrey groaned.

‘Owning my own home, living off interest alone without working, eating at fancy restaurants every day. Ugh, my comfortable honey life is in danger!’

Sob-

Leffrey crouched in a corner.

And started to cry.

The archangel, seeing that, stopped clinging to Leffrey’s sleeve and avoided Leffrey's gaze.

Thus, the two angels huddled in the corner.

Woo- Woo-

The faint sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. They were probably calling in the true core force of the Superhuman Management Bureau.

The Special Task Force.

If the Central Security Force were the police, then the Special Task Force was the military.

If what happened until now was considered resisting, then what would happen from now on could only be called war.

And people inevitably die in war.

Miserably.

Woo- Woo-

Leffrey, hearing those sounds, organized his thoughts.

'Wait, the Superhuman Management Bureau is a huge organization, but it's ultimately a loose union of guilds and superhuman families, like the UN. People who are part of the Bureau… are loyal to the families and guilds they originally belong to.'

An idea suddenly popped up.

‘If I use it properly, I can definitely overcome this situation!’

Leffrey tapped on his smartphone.

He made a decision.

‘…Let's buy some time.’

Then came the sound of footsteps, and the end of the hallway was filled with a tense atmosphere.

The Superhuman Management Bureau’s Special Task Force had arrived.

“Surrender.”

A powerful telepathy struck Leffrey’s mind.

“Terrorist. Release the hostage and surrender. Then, we’ll spare your life.”

“Sigh.”

Had he become Leffrey, the Terrorist Angel?

Leffrey shouted towards the end of the hallway,

“Did you even know how this superhuman registration office treats young superhumans who have no guardians?”

The Special Task Force, hearing those words...

Chuckled, scoffing.

Sending back telepathy full of mockery.

“Ah, we know very well.”

A cold telepathic message pierced through Leffrey.

“Lowly superhumans from the slums with no guardians, worthless lives who'll become villains anyway. It’s a place that does public service by crushing them before they can grow up.”

The telepathy continued.

“And in that sense, the chief did a great job. He cut down the buds of hundreds of potential villains.”

In Leffrey's mind, Leffriel began to whisper again,

[They are sinners. Judge!]

Leffrey shook his head.

‘No, not again.’

After all, this situation… was caused by Leffrey failing to stop Leffriel’s rampage. Although he had gained the benefit of realizing the true essence of Angelic Power when Leffriel and the Angelic Power went berserk together…

He couldn't go berserk again.

Crossing that line would mean war.

War was something you couldn’t take back.

‘Why did I go berserk today in the first place? Was my willpower this weak?’

There's hell in every human heart.

Leffrey’s heart also had one.

A small crack where blood had seeped in, a silent room.

And the voice of his mother, no longer reaching him.

Hiding his rising anxieties and sorrows, Leffrey shouted,

“Why are you talking like that…? Don't you realize your younger sibling could also suffer like this?!”

“Haha, what a funny child.”

Another wave of telepathy.

“That will never happen. We and you… are on completely different levels. Not all humans are created equal."

The telepathy continued,

“Right, are you angry because the chief tried to sell you off? What are you gonna do? Call the cops? Sue him? Heheh, what can you, someone with no backing, do anyway?”

Leffrey’s eyes turned sad.

It wasn’t because of his own situation. He was looking at the world with sorrow, for its cruelty.

“That’s just… so unfair.”

“The basic principles of this world are inherently unfair. The strong rule, and the weak submit. You’re strong enough to defeat the Central Security Force, so stop whining and surrender. I won't treat you badly.”

Leffrey laughed bitterly.

As if to say they already had the intention to kill him…

No intention of persuasion whatsoever. Their words were just sarcasm, full of mockery.

They wanted Leffrey to respond to their provocations and either hurt the hostages or rush out at them.

Twisted elitism and a sadistic desire to trample the weak.

Leffrey hardened his expression.

“Unfair…”

Leffrey muttered.

“I have to show you… just how unfair this world truly is.”

“…What can a mere orphan like you show us…?”

Leffrey, looking at the messages popping up on his smartphone, replied in a cold voice,

“You, the one speaking through telepathy right now, you’re Kim Soo-ho, right? Dispatched from the Hanshin Guild? A manager, I see. You have a family.”

“…?”

The telepath, who had been speaking confidently, went silent, only showing a puzzled look.

“Koo Sang-hyuk, the eldest grandson of the Hanshin Guild, have you heard of him? He’s my senior...”

“N-Nonsense! Young Master Koo Sang-hyuk is a student at the Central Academy. If that’s what you’re saying then...”

Haah- Leffrey spoke up again,

“Senior Koo Sang-hyuk will be calling you personally soon. Just take the call.”

At that moment, a ringtone echoed. The caller ID was a prominent one - the chief butler of the Hanshin owner family. Another member of the Special Task Force tried to stop him from taking the call, shaking their head, but...

‘He’ll definitely answer. The superhumans at the Superhuman Management Bureau value their original affiliation more than the Bureau itself.’

Just like the UN in the old days.

Leffrey, looking at his phone, slowly read the message sent by Koo Sang-hyuk.

[So, you got into a fight with the Superhuman Management Bureau? Leffrey, you’re such a crazy, messed up littl…]

It started like that and,

[Anyway, I’ll resolve this issue immediately. The Hanshin Guild members dispatched to the Superhuman Management Bureau are just low-ranking personnel. Just mention my name and crush them. This will consider the favor settled.]

[Once again, consider this favor settled!]

The message ended with that.

Koo Sang-hyuk's message didn't contain a single thank you for the healing he received.

He’s just repaying a debt.

This favor is now settled.

It was full of such phrases.

"He’s so bad at being honest.”

Leffrey, shaking his head, confidently walked to the end of the hallway and greeted the task force.

“Hello. I'm Leffrey, a first-year from the Central Academy. Nice to meet you.”

Then he immediately continued,

“No need for long introductions, anyone who wants to experience injustice like Manager Kim Soo-ho back there, come on in. There's no rush, just come in one by one…”

Manager Kim Soo-ho was being dragged away by the Hanshin Inspection Team, holding his phone in despair.

Leffrey, seeing that, smiled devilishly.

No, an angelic smile as he waved at him.

“Damn it, stop bluffing! You might be connected to Hanshin but...”

“Hmm, so you’re…”

A Special Task Force mage stepped forward angrily.

Leffrey read from the information displayed on his smartphone.

"You're Mr. Bon White from the White family's branch, right? It's amazing that you were selected as an elite in the family even though you're from a branch of a branch? Ah, no, wait.”

"What did you say! Branch of a branch?!”

Leffrey was reading aloud the messages sent by Hongwol.

"Ah, that wasn’t what I meant.”

Leffrey tilted his head.

‘This sounds a bit mocking… Wol…’

That's right. The reason Leffrey knew about the identities of the Special Task Force was due to the information Hongwol sent.

The Mooncat Tribe, being the best thieves and the largest information brokers, they naturally had access to the personal information of the Special Task Force.

So, the trick Leffrey was pulling right now was a collaboration between Hongwol's information and Leffrey’s connections.

First, seize the upper hand with overwhelming information, then use his connections to cause some injustice on the weaker Special Task Force and then enjoy the injustice.

How could the Special Task Force, who were always busy cracking down on evil villains, possibly withstand such an ‘angelic’? tactic?

"Young master! That’s, that’s a misunderstanding! Young master!"

Thus, with even Bon White being dragged away, the Special Task Force started to back away.

“Wh-what's going on. What on earth.“

“That kid, no. What's the identity of that guy?”

"I'm out. In the first place, he doesn't even seem like a villain."

Leffrey opened his mouth,

“Then… next.”

Leffrey, The Bully Angel, beckoned to the Special Task Force with an angelic smile. But no one was fooled by the angelic gesture anymore.

* * *

Thus, with even the Special Task Force retreating, Leffrey entered the superhuman registration office again.

The interior was completely wrecked, but strangely, most of the staff members were unharmed.

The staff members knew this was all thanks to Leffrey's mercy.

“He’s like a human storm, really…”

A man, one of the registration consultants at the office, looked at the shattered ceiling, a cigarette in his mouth.

‘Rather, now that it's like this, it’s much more comfortable now.’

He was a coward, someone who deliberately said harsh words to the children in the hallway and drove them away because he didn't want to see them being sold off.

Wishing those children would escape, hiding his own guilt and anxiety.

Why did he do that?

In the end, even though he himself was an irredeemable villain.

‘It’s really peaceful now after everything’s been destroyed.’

A strong person, capable of single-handedly defeating the Central Security Force. Why did he spare them?

‘He didn’t even kill the chief. And… he even spared me…’

It was a decision, too soft for these times.

But he didn't particularly hate it.

And the boy looked at him and said,

"I'll be looking forward to tomorrow's news."

The staff member nodded silently. The boy was someone who could even make the Special Task Force, composed of elites, retreat using absurd bullying tactics. He wasn't someone they could handle.

To simply confess to their crimes and beg for forgiveness was the right answer.

"Ah, right."

Leffrey said with a smile,

"Can you issue me a registration card now?"

One of the staff members, seeing the boy's bright smile, shed a tear.