The Angel of the Academy (3)
The students and professors were finishing off the lesser demons that had appeared alongside the hexagram demon, and it seemed the whole summoning incident was finally winding down. Some time passed. I had dozed off for a brief nap, and when I opened my eyes, everyone was staring straight at me.
I never wanted this kind of attention… Did I overdo it? Still, to kill that demon, I had no choice but to assume my angel form. No more regrets, Raphael.
“Ahem…”
“Oh.”
“Oh…?”
“The angel has spoken!”
“The angel’s first words were ‘Ahem… Oh…’ Everyone record it immediately!”
Several students and children pulled out notebooks and began scribbling furiously, while one professor took out a crystal orb and started recording. I could only stare in silence.
What the hell is this chaotic mess? I feel like I’ve become a celebrity. Well, after causing that much commotion, I suppose it makes sense. But do they really need to record every single thing? It’s mortifying.
I decided to ask the important question first. “Is… everyone alright?”
“We’re perfectly fine!! It’s all thanks to you, Angel!!”
“The angel spoke again! Write it down!”
“‘Is everyone alright?’ The merciful Angel Raphael has spoken.”
“The warm yet seductive angel asked if I was okay…!”
“Ugh, you moron. She was clearly talking to me.”
Yeah. This is exactly the Hero Academy I remember. A place full of absolute idiots, yet only the strong survive. Even so, too many people had died. Professors had given their lives protecting students… Was there nothing more I could do for them? The dead were so pitiful. Was there truly no way to save them?
…Angel’s Authority: I recommend the Great Miracle. Please be cautious of the side effects that will follow.
That’s right. I’m an angel. A being who grants miracles to people. It would be my first time using this power, but there was no reason not to try.
I shot to my feet, spreading all three pairs of wings wide and looking up at the sky.
“Brave warriors who fell in this place, your souls were destined for heaven! But I, Raphael, still have need of you! Therefore, in the name of a miracle, rise from death!”
The moment the words left my lips, the bodies that had been sacrificed to the demon began to glow. They slowly returned to the way they had looked while alive. One by one, their eyes opened. Everyone who had died was coming back.
Baden the hero and Saintess Audrey had been watching the scene in stunned silence. Audrey’s eyes widened in pure shock at the miracle before her.
“This… this is impossible…”
“Overcoming death is a miracle permitted only to the gods…”
“Yet Raphael is using that very miracle right now… and on such a massive scale…”
“…Audrey. Isn’t this a good thing? All the dead have returned to life. Just that fact alone is an incredible blessing.”
“You’re right… it is good news. But… but it must be an enormous burden on Raphael.”
“A miracle only the gods can perform—Raphael is doing it anyway. And she had just defeated the demon while already badly overexerted. To use a miracle in that condition… who knows what kind of side effects she’ll suffer…”
Baden’s face paled as he listened to Audrey. He turned his worried gaze toward me.
“…Raphael… are you truly alright?”
Yes. This was the Hero Academy I knew. An academy full of lunatics and idiots. Sinking into sorrow didn’t suit them at all. I would protect them, so they could learn and grow without restraint.
“My duty here is now complete.”
“Having fulfilled my duty, I shall now return.”
“…!! What are you saying?!”
“Always remember that I am watching over you.”
…So tired. My eyes kept trying to close. Was this the side effect? My whole body felt heavy. I just needed to say what I had to say and then rest.
“Ian. My blessed child. Countless trials will stand in your path ahead.”
“But those experiences will pile up and forge you into a strong hero…”
“Defeat the evil that approaches and protect this world!”
Ian and his friends listened in silence.
“Master…”
The moment I finished speaking, my body began turning into particles of light. I felt myself fading away completely. The professors and students erupted into chaos, but when they realized I was truly gone, they began to cry.
They finally understood. The nameless professor had been an angel all along. And that she had sacrificed herself for them.
Meanwhile, the archbishop of the Death Truth Church, who had been watching the entire event, let out a hollow groan.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
“An angel… an angel appeared…?”
Did any of this make sense? How could an angel manifest at the exact moment we summoned the hexagram demon? The final angel was only supposed to appear at the beginning of the apocalypse, blowing the trumpet to announce its arrival. After that, no more angels should appear. There was no way the angel of the apocalypse would show up now… All angels should have gone extinct long ago. Only the one who announced the end times had been spared by the Scales of Causality.
And there was no possible way that angel could perform a Great Miracle. Not unless it existed outside the Scales of Causality…
While the archbishop was lost in confusion, the Seeker appeared before him. The moment the Seeker saw the academy’s state, he spoke.
“…As expected. This world is exceedingly strange.”
“The Scales of Causality had been tainted by evil… yet someone has moved the Scales toward good.”
“The Scales have now achieved perfect balance.”
Originally, this incident should have left good completely powerless while evil reigned supreme. This event has confirmed the existence of a third party we know nothing about. It can’t be the hero’s party. Nor can it be one of the regressors—if they had the power to do this, they wouldn’t have needed to hide it until now. Just who is it…? What kind of being can manipulate the Scales without ever revealing themselves?
We must find them and kill them. Locating that person is now our top priority…
“Archbishop. Investigate this incident in exhaustive detail. Leave no stone unturned regarding that angel!”
“…Understood.”
The Seeker stared at the academy for a moment longer, thinking. The cult had sacrificed far too much to summon the hexagram demon. They would need to lie low for a while.
Damn Goddess. Don’t think you’ve won. This world may favor you for now, but in the end the victor will be our Lord Raphael. Enjoy this brief peace while you can. Hell will begin soon enough…
In a place overflowing with vibrant life, someone gazed up at the sky and spoke.
… …. …..
It has changed. The counterattack of good has finally begun. So much blood was spilled to reach this point. This world truly has an enormous number of variables… Those variables are triggering chain reactions that block evil’s invasion and crush it.
Will we finally be able to reach the True Ending this time…? Please let it reach me. I will be waiting for you here.
O unique being who creates variables!
Right after Raphael vanished into light, the professors and students worked together to restore the collapsed buildings. In just two weeks everything was repaired, and the academy was preparing to resume normal classes.
When the hexagram demon had appeared, the principal had been away in the empire meeting the emperor. He only learned of the incident later and rushed back, but by then the situation had already been resolved. All that remained were the incredible tales of what had happened that day.
“The nameless professor did everything!”
“The angel went boom and zap and the demon just died!”
“And a boy named Ian was chosen as the next hero.”
“The angel personally told Ian to stop the coming crises…”
“And the nameless angel was incredibly beautiful!”
“Slurp… With a body like that she seduced me and then disappeared… sob sob…”
Some of the stories were clearly insane, but once you filtered out the nonsense, the core truth emerged: A demon had appeared at the academy. The nameless professor had transformed into an angel, slain the demon, resurrected every student who had died, and vanished in a flash of light.
…Wasn’t that the stuff of myths?
People had believed all angels were extinct. After this incident, the common view had completely flipped—angels were watching over them. Perhaps that was why the crime rate had plummeted and the number of devout believers had skyrocketed. A virtuous cycle indeed…
Still, a demon that powerful could not have appeared on its own. Someone must have summoned it. Summoning a creature of that caliber would have required enormous sacrifices. Where had those sacrifices come from? And why target the academy instead of the empire? If the goal was to sow chaos, the empire would have been a far better target.
…What were they after in this academy? Could they be aiming for… the hero?
No, that was impossible. Only an extremely small number of people even knew Ian was the hero.
…Was this the Demon King’s scheme? Yet too many pieces felt missing for it to be the Demon King’s doing. If the Demon King had orchestrated this, far more than a single powerful demon should have appeared—other demon races ought to have shown up as well. Was there some truth here that they still didn’t understand? Whether it was a third faction targeting the hero or something else entirely, this clearly required further investigation.