An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 91: The Angel That Touches the Hearts (3)

Let's talk about a girl named Han Soya.

Han Soya. Her father was a civil servant, and her mother a homemaker.

They lived in a rented villa in a satellite city of the old capital and, due to various circumstances, were in debt.

A typical Korean family.

At least on the surface.

But Soya wasn’t an ordinary girl.

“Mommy.”

Soya started speaking at the age of four (Korean age).

The moment she could speak, she moved her hands, then…

…made a blue mana flower bloom.

The people around her were surprised.

It was rare for children to awaken as superhumans at such a young age, and even rarer to possess such potent mana affinity, controlling mana directly…

But Soya's talent didn't stop there. Her intuitive grasp of magic, her computational abilities, and her power to apply that understanding to develop new magical capabilities and spells…

Many wizards were astonished after witnessing this little girl's talent. Some even despaired, comparing their abilities to hers.

A genius beyond words.

“Mommy, look! I fixed the vacuum cleaner using a magic circle…”

However… However…

Not everyone appreciated a magic genius.

Slap-

Soya's head whipped around from the force of the slap.

Soya looked at her mother, unable to cry.

“Han Soya, how many times have I told you not to do that?”

“…Th-The vacuum was broken.”

“I told you not to use magic! If you use such evil things, Satan will take you away!”

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

It was an old teaching from a certain religion.

Soya’s mother was a devout believer and viewed Soya’s abilities as a curse from the devil.

“Do you really want another lecture from the pastor?”

Moreover, when her mother spoke with such a cold tone,

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again!”

Soya couldn’t help but beg.

The pastor, the man her mother gave money to, was a truly scary and hateful man.

“Why were you born with such a curse…”

Her mother’s tearful voice.

And her father, perpetually indifferent to her.

The smell of alcohol, their constant arguing.

Angry curses, fear, anxiety,

And the suppression and violence.

If her mother couldn’t even escape.

A child wouldn’t even comprehend the concept of escape.

“I see.”

Someone whispered in the darkness. An all-knowing voice.

“This… this is your first taste of hell.”

The voice muttered.

But Soya wasn't easily broken. Despite acting kind and innocent in front of her parents, she secretly researched magic and borrowed beginner mage books using fake names.

They say training a mage required a massive amount of money. Mana Enhancement Potions, magic academy tuition, grimoires, and so on...

But becoming a grand mage didn't require a single penny.

The only thing you need was the girl who was destined to become one. Nothing else.

Thus, time passed,

The girl grew taller,

Eventually, she was secretly reading college textbooks and even publishing papers under a pseudonym.

Prospero. That was the name Soya used.

Prospero, the protagonist of an old play and a great mage. Soya loved that name. (TL Note: Prospero is the protag for William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.)

‘A protagonist… A grand mage…’

The girl, like the real Prospero summoning storms, published revolutionary papers monthly, throwing the magical world into chaos.

But who truly enjoys a storm?

A magic professor whose life’s work was refuted by a single paper? The head of a magic family witnessing their decades-long magic circle development completed by someone else? Or the grand mages wary of a rising mage surpassing them?

Only madmen and those with nothing to lose would enjoy such a storm.

‘If I became a grand mage, would my mom and dad finally love me?’

The girl who created this storm only had one thought: ‘How can I make my parents love me?’

‘Would they finally stop fighting?’

The grand mages on TV and the internet were all rich, CEOs of big companies, respected figures.

If she became like them, would her parents finally care for her?

Would they reconcile?

And…

‘Would they finally accept the fact that I’m a mage?’

A mere fake name created by one girl.

The highly esteemed mages and the magic families – there was no way they wouldn't find the real Prospero.

And so, Soya's family was invited to an incredibly expensive restaurant. The place was filled with leaders of the magic world, and her father, like a VIP, was enjoying the conversations.

The talk turned towards the family's debts, and someone whispered an offer for his success.

Soya, a clever child, could guess what would happen next.

“Soya, come sit down.”

Her dad called out to her for the first time in a while. Her mom, avoiding her gaze, sat next to him.

“Have you been doing things you shouldn't have with the name Prospero?”

Her dad's eyes were filled with greed and certainty.

Her mother's, however, were filled with worry, restlessly wavering.

Perhaps an emotion called pity… was hidden within those eyes.

“…What you did, it was very bad. Why would you steal someone’s research, write a paper without permission, and...”

“I didn’t steal anything.”

“Don’t interrupt when me when I'm talking! And they’re saying you’re running around, claiming to have developed some kind of magic circle… something beyond your control…”

“I can control it.”

“Han Soya!”

Her dad's voice thundered with anger.

But Soya didn't back down.

“Why are you believing what those people are saying?! I’m your daughter! You have to believe me!”

“…That's enough.”

The room was filled with high-ranking powerhouses of the magic world.

Among them, The one who could be considered their representative, a true grand mage.

The head of the Bongnae Jin Family, Jin Juhwa, spoke.

“Prospero, no, should I call you Soya?”

Jin Juhwa, with an emotionless voice, spoke of someone else’s death as casually as if he were discussing the weather.

“You’re a clever child, aren’t you?”

“…What is that supposed to mean?”

“If we were to leave empty-handed, I’m sure you can imagine the consequences.”

Soya wasn’t naive; she understood his implications.

“In the society humans have created, there is always order, and disorder leads to its collapse. You are disorder. You are terrorism itself. You are the end of our magical society.”

Jin Juhwa continued,

“Even a child… must face the consequences of their actions.”

“So what, you’re going to kill me?”

“Kill you? How cruel.”

Jin Juhwa casually handed Soya a black orb, as if it were a mere trinket. Soya recognized it instantly.

‘Mana Essence, one of the expensive ingredients needed to awaken as an elemental mage.’

The Mana Essence's black color meant it was used to awaken as a black mage.

‘Black Mage. Scholars who research dark magic, ostracized by mage society... They’re always bullied and misunderstood for their connection to the dark realm.’

Soya smiled.

Black Mage, the outcast.

Misunderstood and bullied.

“Become a black mage. If you do, your parents’ wish will be granted, and you’ll be able to live and continue your research.”

“...”

“This is an act of mercy. We cherish your talent… That's why we're offering you this option. So choose wisely.”

It was a classic manipulation tactic.

The reason Jin Juhwa wanted Soya to become a black mage wasn’t because they valued her talent.

The magical society operated on an absolute meritocracy, and there was a growing group of people who supported ‘Prospero’, the individual who had single-handedly challenged magic families and magic professors.

Killing Prospero and claiming her achievements as their own? They would face immense criticism and a large-scale impeachment and rebellion.

What other option did they have?

Only this remained.

Ta-da- Turns out Prospero was actually a black mage all along!

And then they would claim…

All of Prospero's groundbreaking discoveries are nothing more than products of filthy black magic. No, there's no way an insect like black mage could have made those discoveries on their own.

They must have stolen our research.

We can finally set the record straight.

And so justice is served.

Long live the wise and noble magic families and universities that pursue ultimate truth!

“…Ha.”

Soya saw right through them.

She had realized their true intentions the moment they made the proposal.

“You are mistaken.”

And if she refused this proposal, although it would result in numerous sacrifices for them as well, Soya's parents and Soya would die.

However, if she accepted this proposal, it would be proven that Soya could be controlled through her parents, and Soya's parents would survive.

And…

Soya was a clever child.

“Black mages are heroes who have made greater sacrifices for humanity than any other elemental mage. Some sacrificed their eyesight, staring into eternal darkness, to see what others cannot. Some lost their voices reciting cursed spells that had to be spoken. They are true heroes.”

Soya activated the black orb in her hand, and…

Her mother's eyes wavered.

She whispered, ‘don’t do it.’

Why? Why now of all times?

“Someone has to stand in darkness, someone has to fight darkness, and someone has to descend into the abyss to save those trapped within.”

Soya's hair turned gray.

The color drained from her irises.

"You black magic haters."

Soya smiled.

But a single teardrop, a mixture of joy and sorrow, welled up in her eye.

“I’m not becoming a black mage because I was threatened.”

Black magic surged. Reporters, brought in by the magical families and the universities, diligently photographed Soya.

“I, I am of my own will…”

The countless mages who praised Soya until yesterday would criticize, ignore, and insult her tomorrow. They would claim her achievements as their own.

But Soya had made her choice.

“…Accepting this honorable promotion.”

The girl looked at her mother and said,

“Don't even think… that I became a black mage because of you.”

Her mother’s shaking eyes.

Her Trembling hands.

Her mother, who despised even mages… probably saw black mages as demonic entities.

“……!”

Why did her mom say that to her?

There were some things, even a clever girl couldn’t understand.

She no longer understood.

A girl utterly alone in the darkness, neither yearning for salvation nor knowing what it even was.

That was Soya.

Something, writhing within Soya's darkness, spoke.

“This… This is your second circle of hell.”

The voice, chilling, nostalgic, sorrowful, terrifying, and seductive, whispered to the deepest parts of the crying girl’s heart.

Bethel, the owner of the voice, slowly stretched, then…

…approached the girl.

“Let me in.”

Bethel lifted the crying girl’s chin.

“Let me into your heart, and I will take away your loneliness. I will take away all of your sorrow.”

A tempting offer. But Soya didn’t yield.

“And above all else, I will grant you sweet revenge. If you let me in, I can help you exact a sweet revenge against the magical families and the universities. I can help you enact revenge with your own hands.”

Bethel, a triumphant expression on her face, reached for Soya.

“So let me in.”

Bethel clearly remembered that to subdue someone, you had to first isolate them.

To break Leffrey, she had to target Leffrey’s friend.

‘How pathetic, she’ll crumble immediately.’

Among Leffrey’s friends, she would target the one with the weakest mind. Unlike Hongwol and Yumari, raised to be warriors, Soya was a lonely black mage abandoned by her parents since childhood.

There’s no way she could possess a strong mind.

She’d probably crumble as easily as a sandcastle.

However.

“Shut up, you, s-succubus.”

Soya muttered.

Bethel, her face contorted, spoke to her.

“What?”

“I’m a black mage. I’m more familiar with darkness than anyone else. Did you think you could break me with this much darkness?”

Soya wasn’t weak. To think that was simply Bethel’s arrogant delusion. Even though Soya cried, whined, and clung to Leffrey,

She had never been truly broken, not once.

“Why don’t we see… who’s stronger in the darkness?”

Bethel, shocked, transformed herself, muttering,

“Haha, you’re just prolonging your suffering.”

Bethel was undefeated in the mental world. She could change into any form and employ any method she wished.

As she transformed into the form of a boy, Bethel mocked the girl.

* * *

“Grrrr.”

Why was Bethel so strong?

Let's examine her strengths first.

Her Ultimate Skill allowed her to take over other people's bodies. Her lack of a physical form meant that defeating her required a mental battle. And her ability to shapeshift, a trait of her succubus nature.

But the true source of Bethel's strength lay in her timing.

She always arrived in the dead of night.

The middle of the night, when everyone was asleep. No way to call for help, no way to even scream.

The victim had to face Bethel completely alone.

This was Bethel’s true strength.

To force a one-on-one battle.

In that sense, Bethel targeting Soya was a grave mistake.

“Grrrr, you lowly bitch… How dare you disrespect my master?”

The darkness and loneliness that formed into a spirit within Soya's shadow, a monster incomparable to any other. The Hound of Tantalus was connected to her mind.

The enraged Hound of Tantalus bit Leffrey’s sleeve as he slept, thinking about Bethel, and tossed him to his master’s side.

“Ouch, wh-what?”

Leffrey muttered in surprise.

Before he knew it, a black, monstrous dog was growling at him.

"The Hound of Tantalus."

“You, angel.”

The hound, baring its massive, sharp teeth, threatened Leffrey.

“Get in there and save my master.”