Angel Hunt 2 (2): A Wild Angel Appears!

Actually, the best outcome would be for no angels to show up at all, but these things are like spiritual cockroaches—there's no way for us humans to easily prevent them from appearing. All we can do is wipe them out the instant they emerge, the moment we spot them.

"Phoenix! What about Instructor Esta?!"

"She headed straight to the scene. Said she'd step in if things get dicey."

"Then who's commanding us...?"

"I am~"

And so, the Old School Building students gathered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the emergency conference room well past midnight, even after March's second week Monday ticked over to 00:00.

"The female student who awakened as an angel is [Yuribel Kavans]. She's a first-year at the academy, a freshman."

Instructor Cardisha used the external monitor in the conference room to display footage of [Angel Yuribel], currently being observed via remote magitech CCTV. A single pair of wings. Considering that the number of wings correlates somewhat to an angel's power, this was the lowest grade—possessed by the weakest rank of angel.

"A freshman turned into an angel?!"

"That's right. This eliminates the hypothesis that only current students could awaken as angels. Everyone, take a look at her profile?"

Instructor Cardisha handed out Angel Yuribel's profile to us all.

"Ugh...!"

Evangeline di Ershi grimaced the moment she glanced at it.

"From the di Ershi Empire...."

Kavens County was part of the di Ershi Empire—Evangeline's homeland.

"You know her, Evangeline?"

"No, I don't. Well, precisely... it's land that was annexed into di Ershi before unification. I wondered if it was that Kavens, and yep—it's ours."

For those in the know about who angels possess, it'd be ideal to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spill everything right away, but there are procedures and steps to follow.

"Seems nationality, age, or whether they're current students or freshmen doesn't matter. So, do we expand the potential targets to all female academy students?"

"Maybe. No—perhaps even female staff too?"

Unia swallowed hard at Instructor Cardisha's words. Having heard hints from me about the Apocalypse, she realized Esta or Cardisha could awaken as angels too.

"What's this, Miss Unia? Worried I might turn into an angel?"

"Y-you mentioned female staff, Instructor."

"Hm, that's a possibility."

The quick-witted Cardisha tossed the quip at Unia like a joke, noticing her glance, but luckily Unia deflected it smoothly.

"Still, it's milder than Angelica's case last time, so we can observe and analyze at a leisurely pace. Phew."

"Isn't that girl... dangerous, Instructor?"

Evangeline pointed at another female student on the screen.

"That student right now...."

"She's being chased by the angel."

While skimming Yuribel's profile, I looked up at the screen on a hunch.

"Hanelis Ravencha. Lady of the Ravencha Barony. Second-year student. Average mana talent, but she works hard in magitech engineering."

"So she's... one of those grad student chasers? But is it okay to let her get chased like that?"

"Miss Evangeline. Grad students have to throw themselves into research to gather data."

Instructor Cardisha smirked slyly and shrugged.

"And look at her flying around like she's on a hunt. When else do we get such a safe chance to collect samples?"

Instructor Cardisha switched the screen. There, Instructor Esta and about a dozen special forces guards in combat suits trailed the angel at around 200 meters—maintaining distance.

"Hanelis will suffer a bit, but this lets us learn what the angel wants. Why she possessed Yuribel, and why—unlike with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Angelica—she's fixated solely on Hanelis."

Bingo. A yuri-obsessed angel had nested in Yuribel's body. I swallowed the answer I'd gleaned from her profile's relationships section. Better to reveal the possession's desires through a 'dream' later—spouting it now lacked evidence. Even without a dream, sharp ones might figure it from Angel Yuribel's behavior.

Like an eagle snatching prey—or more bluntly, a lioness pouncing on a gazelle—Yuribel lunged at Hanelis from behind.

"Danger—!"

"No, it's fine."

Unia looked ready to bolt out, fretting over Hanelis, but Esta and the staff slowly closed in on the angel—poised to intervene. Even if the angel stabbed tentacles into clinging Hanelis, Esta's sword would slice first.

And.

"Mana pattern's still the same. It'll shift the instant she attacks, so we're good for now."

Angel Yuribel wasn't altering her mana wavelength for attack like Angelica had, so yes—prime time to gather data by watching.

"Uh, is it really okay to leave it like that?"

Were it not for what Rydmila pointed at, blushing furiously.

"Th-the legs...!"

*Lick, lick.* Yuribel, gripping the leg of Hanelis—who'd collapsed face-down—began licking her calf upward.

"...What the hell is an angel, anyway?"

Licking her entire black-stockinged leg like a pervert. Utterly unlike Angelica—this angel's bizarre conduct.

"Eugh...."

"How can she...?"

"Gross."

The three Zhuque Class girls shuddered and shook their heads in disgust. Creepy even for a guy—but a girl, an angel, doing it? Chills-inducing.

Especially.

If it's a TS angel in a girl's body acting like that, it'd be even more repulsive, right?

If that Angel Yuribel licking Hanelis's leg was a male soul fulfilling its urges via her body, revulsion was inevitable.

"...Miss Hanelis. Hang in there just a bit longer."

Instructor Cardisha clasped her hands in prayer.

"Every time it sucks on Hanelis's leg, we get more data on the angel's mana wavelength...!"

Cardisha's heart probably warred between guilt—as an instructor letting a student suffer—and mission, knowing this data on angel mana wavelengths could save future generations from countless angels.

"Instructor Cardisha. No need for guilt."

"Huh...?"

She gaped blankly at my words.

"The angel's the bad one."

"Th-the bad one is...?"

"If the angel charged at Hanelis-senpai with a knife, you'd blast it with magitech artillery, right?"

"W-well... "

"It's this kind of angel—threatening yet not, acting all weird—that's the problem."

Without the leg-licking pounce, it'd be subdued like Angelica by now.

"Angels acting like that are bad. If you want aggressive behavior, there's a way."

"What?"

"Have someone steal Hanelis from it."

The Zhuque girls' expressions shifted at my words.

"And the perfect candidate for that is...."

"Phoenix, you can't—"

"Evangeline would do nicely."

"Eh?"

Evangeline, my target, tilted her head.

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because."

I tapped the profile.

"They're both di Ershi citizens with a long-standing friendship."

"......"

"Shouldn't the princess step up to protect her imperial subjects? Honestly, it'd be more effective than me—a guy—doing it."

"More... effective?"

"Evangeline. Among the goods ordered via golden carriage, there's 'that thing,' right?"

I patted myself; her face flushed crimson.

"Puppetry—can you manipulate it as I instruct?"

"Uh, um...."

"Remote control possible?"

"...If you help, maybe?"

"Great. Then."

I patted my thigh from my seat.

"I'll assist your mana control, so sit on my lap."

"......"

Evangeline approached sloooowly; meanwhile, why were Unia and Rydmila glaring enviously from behind?

As expected.

Chang Yeom's methods were spot-on.

"R-ready?"

"Yeah. Let's start."

I hugged Evangeline tight, slowly infusing mana to guide her flows.

"Operation: Rescue—no, Reclaim Hanelis."

To provoke a new angel reaction.

* * *

"Instructor Esta. Are we really just waiting?"

"...For now."

Esta tapped her magipad. Cardisha was still monitoring data, but the Zhuque kids in the Old School were scheming—Phoenix specifically.

"Intervene the moment the situation shifts and the angel goes berserk."

"When's that...?"

"I'll call the timing. ...Not yet."

Esta blocked a staffer about to charge ahead.

A man-sized werewolf puppet emerged from the woods.

"Pant, pant, perororo."

Hanelis despaired at the werewolf but figured it beat the angel's tongue creeping from calf to thigh. Eaten by a monster over X'd by a junior freshman—

Boom!

"Eh?"

The werewolf puppet punched the angel flying.

Its inscribed crest was unmistakably di Ershi Empire.

"P-Princess...!!"

Hanelis pondered at Princess Evangeline's voice from the puppet. Her calf was slick, stockings begging to be ripped off, but...

"...Yes!"

She wanted to save her.

"...We've been childhood friends since we were little!"

The werewolf puppet nodded.

"?"

Angel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and evil spirit—what relation? Hanelis tilted her head briefly but nodded—

Squish.

"!?!?!?!?!"

Princess Evangeline's werewolf puppet clamped Hanelis's mana pouch and thigh hard.

"Wh-what's—"

"Hands off my girl, you bastaaard!!"

"...Intervention—begin!!"

The angel started rampaging.

* * *

"As expected."

Even an angel—no, especially an angel.

"Can't tolerate NTR right in front of them."

As a yuri-obsessed angel, it couldn't stand another 'girl' stealing its prize.

If I'd grabbed Hanelis? A man's touch would've 'tainted' her—abandoned.

"Especially its own nation's princess."

But Evangeline, indirectly via puppet, toying with her.

"Now."

Game on.

"Let's catch an angel. This time, alive."