Chapter 6

The world is truly coming to an end these days.

Whenever there's a controversy, people swarm and bite like a school of piranhas that have smelled blood.

However, I have no right to curse such people.

Because I am also one of those piranhas.

But one thing, the difference between me and others is...

"I sit still and listen, and there's no end to this talk."

That I inherently have a lot of anger.

And recently, I've had a lot of things to be stressed about.

Of course, it's not a good trait. You can tell just by seeing how I live with curses constantly on my lips.

So I can't understand why I mutated into an angel.

But I looked straight at the pastor.

The gaze looking out from this changed body feels lopsided, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inducing motion sickness.

Is it because my field of vision has been lowered? To the point where it's sometimes even nauseating.

But that doesn't mean the way I look at the world has changed.

"Oh, Angel! To think you'd truly be here...!"

"Apologize."

"......."

"Go to her, and apologize."

"...Even if it's the Angel's order, that is impossible."

"Bullshit."

At my successive curses, the pastor's expression stiffened.

When he was smiling affably, his impression seemed good-natured, but as he put on such a straight face, even that impression crumbled.

The pastor took a step back and slowly shook his head.

"Angel. Please look at that pitiful soul."

The pastor pointed at Shin Ah-yoon with an infinitely soft voice.

"That is a wolf. Matthew 7:15, Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."

"......."

I let out a smirk after hearing those words.

Dogshit.

"Please do not lend an ear to the whispers of that wicked beast. The Angel does not seem to know about the doctrines yet, so please come this way. The path of learning is always open."

"Ah, so that was your goal?"

"Whatever do you mean...?"

The pastor tilted his head as if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he didn't know.

I suddenly found that sight abominable, and let out a hollow laugh.

"Your goal, I mean. The reason you suddenly popped out, insulted her, and spouted nonsense. That's because of me, right?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

The pastor deliberately put on a relaxed smile, but he couldn't fool my eyes.

That guy is flustered right now.

Of course he is.

From a common-sense perspective, who would have known that an entity called an angel would use vulgar vocabulary like "shut your trap" or "bullshit" upon first meeting.

But I am not an angel.

I'm an angel only in shell; on the inside, I'm just a South Korean man in his 20s who feels like dying from injustice with one week left until enlistment.

"Stop pretending you don't know. The motive is obvious just by looking."

I tilted my head crookedly and scanned the pastor up and down.

"People like you, it's so predictable. Since the world is in turmoil right now, you're trying to do some business using people's anxiety."

"Business! How could you use such blasphemous language...!"

"But a perfectly good subject just happened to appear, right? Since a real angel is sitting right in front of your eyes, you must have thought this was it. If you take me and prop me up as a signboard, believers will flock like clouds."

I took a step closer to him.

"And the werewolf next to me makes for an excellent supporting role. The angel who defeated the evil devil and the pastor assisting her. It paints a nice picture. Your collection baskets would be bursting."

"T-this...!"

The pastor's face flushed red and pale.

Was it because I hit the nail on the head, or because his holy plan was disparaged?

He adjusted his grip on the Bible with trembling hands, then growled like a beast.

"How could you... spit out such demonic words while wearing the mask of an angel! You have been put to the test! You have fallen for the temptations of that wicked beast...!"

"Hey."

I smirked and continued.

"I told you, didn't I? Shut your trap."

At the unrefined language popping out of my mouth, the air in the civil service office froze.

The eyebrows of the pastor, who had been wearing a benevolent smile, twitched.

The lady standing behind him clutched the cross on her chest with a shocked expression.

"A-Angel? What did you just..."

"Are you deaf? I said shut your trap. Who are you, mister, to spout bullshit about abysses and mud to someone else's precious child?"

I glared crookedly at the pastor with my arms crossed.

Though my body size might have shrunk, the momentum of a South Korean reservist who was scheduled to be dragged off to Nonsan in a week hadn't gone anywhere.

The pastor seemed flustered for a moment, but soon calmed his breathing and fiddled with the Bible again.

"Sister, no, Angel. I am merely trying to convey the truth of the Bible. Look at that hideous appearance. How could that be a creation of the Lord..."

"Hideous? Ha, fuck."

I cut off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the pastor's words and took a step forward. As if reacting to my emotions, the pure white wings behind my back trembled.

"You didn't see me save that old woman earlier, did you? Everyone here saw it, you know? Then what kind of power is that? According to your logic, mister, did I save the old woman because I'm a devil?"

At my sharp question, the citizens gathered around began to agree.

As the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠murmuring grew louder, the pastor's complexion turned pale.

It seemed he was listening in real-time to the sound of his social reputation being chipped away.

Because this wasn't inside a church, but a community center full of people with eyes.

"T-that is..."

"You can't say it, can you? If the God you believe in really sent me here, then right now, you are insulting my friend and insulting me too. Isn't that right?"

I blocked the front of Shin Ah-yoon, who was trembling in fear.

"Apologize."

"...Pardon?"

"I said apologize. To her. Right now."

The pastor's pupils shook violently.

He glanced at the lady standing behind him, then, unable to withstand the stinging glares of the people around him, reluctantly bowed his head.

"...I misspoke. If I hurt the Sister's feelings, I apologize."

A crawling voice. It was a servile apology without a single drop of sincerity, solely to escape this situation.

"You heard him, right? Get going now. Looking at you, mister, I've lost all my faith for the day."

I waved my hand as if chasing the pastor away. The pastor, his face flushed red and pale, hurriedly exited the community center, and the lady hastily followed behind him.

"...Phew."

As soon as they disappeared, the tension released and a sigh burst out.

"E-excuse me..."

A cautious voice was heard from the side. When I turned my head, the massive werewolf Shin Ah-yoon was looking at me with her large eyes full of tears.

"Thank you, older brother... Really, I was really scared."

"It's fine. Do you think I've only seen one or two humans like that? They look down on you because you just stand there like an idiot."

There are truly a lot of piranhas in the world.

But ironically, the only way to protect yourself from such a school of piranhas is to raise your spikes.

Because if you don't raise your spikes, your defenseless flesh is prone to being torn apart and eaten.

Me swearing at the pastor just now was also a kind of protective coloration.

Because I had to imprint the fact that no matter how much I wore the mask of an angel, I was by no means an easy target.

Shin Ah-yoon nodded her head while wiping her tears.

The sight of a massive werewolf sniffling was oddly incongruous, but at the same time, it stimulated a strange protective instinct.

"...You've been through a lot."

With the world turned upside down and having transformed into a monster, having a pseudo-religious person attach themselves and spew curses was enough to break anyone's mentality.

I sighed and looked around.

Even though the pastor and his follower had disappeared, the air inside the community center was still heavy.

No, should I say it had become even stickier.

The gazes of the people who had witnessed the absurd spectacle of an angel hurling curses at a clergyman and chasing him away.

They aren't exactly gazes I like very much.

"Let's go."

"Pardon? Where to..."

"Where else. We have to go outside. I absolutely hate being treated like a monkey in a zoo."

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my long padding and moved my feet.

Shin Ah-yoon also hurriedly followed behind me.

The automatic doors opened, and the cold outside air rushed in.

Only then did I feel like I could breathe a little.

The two of us walked in silence.

As my head, which had been burning hot, was cooled by the wind, realistic worries finally began to set in.

...In the future, how many people like that pastor will appear trying to ostracize mutants?

Perhaps it might be a natural flow.

Moreover, it might be something that doesn't have much to do with me. Since I'm quite lucky.

But how should I put it. Do I feel a sense of kinship because I'm also a mutant?

It wasn't exactly something I liked very much.

"U-um...!"

Before we knew it, we had reached a crossroads.

I realized instinctively. We're going to part ways here.

"Thank you... for today!"

Saying that, Shin Ah-yoon headed towards the opposite fork in the road.

I also smirked and waved my hand as we parted ways.

Since we already exchanged contact information, we'll probably meet again someday if fate allows it.

If a day comes when she is shaken by the turbulent waves of this chaotic time, I will reach out my hand to her at any time.