The Angel of the Slums

She had to be an angel.

Deep in the Cemetery of Corpses, in a corner so remote that even light refused to touch it, Seraphina had finally found him.

A hunchback, caked in layers of filth, leaning against a wall and slowly dying.

His breathing was erratic, as if it might stop at any second, and his limp body looked like it was on the verge of expiration.

“…Hah.”

Honestly, she didn’t give a damn about faith or piety. But if she failed to uphold the oracle that had been bestowed upon her alone? If she lost all the privileges she had enjoyed thus far because of it? She looked back urgently and barked an order.

“What are you doing? Don’t you see that thing lying there?”

Her voice was as arrogant and irritable as ever. The holy knights flinched and moved quickly to hoist the hunchback up.

“Get him to the church before he dies.”

Having finished her command, she wrinkled her nose in disgust, as if she’d seen something truly repulsive, and covered it with her hand.

It was natural for the back alleys to smell. But the Cemetery of Corpses was on another level. It was particularly wretched.

The stench of rotting blood was suffocating. The foul odor of swarming rats, the nauseating body odor of people who had long ago abandoned even the most basic hygiene—and above all, the thick, chilling scent of death that clung to the entire space.

It was a smell no normal person could endure.

“Ugh. Damn it. Why did they have to give me an order like this?”

Leaving the cleanup to the holy knights, Seraphina hurried out of the cemetery.

“Hehehe…”

“Hey there, missy. Want to come play with us?”

As soon as she stepped out of the alleyway, a few men with foul breath approached, baring their blackened teeth.

Excitement. Lust.

They were walking lumps of desire, encountered the moment she escaped the cemetery where even the basic will to live had vanished. It was truly ironic.

‘Hah.’

Even for back-alley trash, they dared to approach her. The reason was obvious.

First, she was devastatingly beautiful. An overwhelming beauty that the scum of these alleys would never see in their entire lives. She had bewitched countless high-ranking nobles in the church; what chance did these criminals have?

Second, Seraphina herself was a member of the clergy. It was common knowledge that the clergy forbade murder—at least, that was the public perception. Even if they failed in their scheme, they wouldn’t be killed, and if they succeeded? They could have such a stunning beauty. It was a low-risk, high-reward gamble for any degenerate.

‘Tsk.’

However, the situation began to unfold in a way that had nothing to do with the petty calculations of those vermin. Seraphina, whom they expected to be trembling in fear or screaming in righteous indignation like a saint, instead curled her lips into a smile and began to stride toward them.

“W-what the—!?”

“Stay back!!”

Even though a beautiful woman was approaching with a mysterious smile, the men recoiled, trembling in terror. It was because the overwhelming holy power radiating from her body was laced with a cold, terrifying murderous intent.

Slash!

One man’s forearm went flying through the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠air.

“Gyaaaaaaah!”

It was a single flick of her wrist. And she had done it with her bare hands, without any equipment. Yet, the cross-section was as clean as if it had been severed by a master-crafted blade.

Blood sprayed in all directions like a fountain, and a red droplet landed on Seraphina’s porcelain cheek. But instead of being repulsed, she was beaming, as if she were the happiest person in the world.

“Hehehehe…”

“Ahahahaha!!”

Yes. After rising to a high position in the church, no one had dared to challenge her. She had forgotten the exquisite thrill of this sensation.

She looked down at the man writhing in agony, and then—

Thrust!

This time, she punched a gaping hole right through his stomach. Blood poured from the wound like a waterfall, but that wasn’t the end. It was the beginning of a true hell.

The severed arm, the hole in his stomach—they instantly knit back together, new flesh sprouting to heal perfectly. As if the horrific pain from a moment ago had all been a hallucination. Only the sea of blood scattered on the floor and the torn scraps of flesh proved that this was reality.

“I-I was wrong!”

“Please, just spare my life!”

Seeing their wounds heal, the men felt relieved, thinking she was showing mercy as a member of the clergy. But without a single word, she swung her hand again.

“Aaaaaah!”

“P-please…!”

The men began to crawl on the ground, tears and snot streaming down their faces. Of course, the liquid they shed the most was red blood.

Like a factory worker attaching eyes to dolls on a conveyor belt, she repeated the process of swinging, tearing, and healing without a shred of emotion.

How much time had passed? The men’s screams began to fade, and only one sentence flowed from their lips.

“…Kill me.”

“Please… kill… me.”

Only then did Seraphina’s hand stop.

“Phew.”

She wore a look of relief and refreshment, like a college student who had just finished a long, grueling final ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exam. She wasn’t wearing her usual irritated expression; her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was smiling shyly—she was so lethally beautiful that she could bewitch anyone in the world. Of course, that was only if you ignored the bright red blood drenching her clothes and face.

“Good work~”

With unfocused eyes, she approached the sprawled-out men and healed them perfectly one last time. The severed limbs, the mangled flesh—everything returned to exactly how it was before.

“Next time, pick your targets better~”

She left the alleyway, humming a tune and waving her hand lightly. That day, two new residents were added to the Cemetery of Corpses. They were healthy, whole, and without a single scratch on their bodies, but they were pathetic patients whose minds had been completely shattered, staring into the void and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠begging for someone to kill them.

Having vented her stress, Seraphina returned to the church with a highly satisfied expression. As she walked through the lobby, gasps of admiration erupted from those who saw her smile.

“Hah…”

“I never knew Seraphina was this beautiful…”

Her smile was so beautiful that even the clergy, who had sworn their hearts and bodies to God for eternity, were momentarily lost in a trance. But her expression immediately twisted into a scowl.

‘Damn it. This is why I hate smiling.’

When she had first escaped the slums and entered the church, she used to smile often. She had been so happy to escape that hellish place and enjoy such an abundant life! Every day had felt like a dream. She couldn’t even describe how happy she was.

But that happiness was short-lived; soon, the flies began to swarm. Those bewitched by her beauty would proposition her at all hours. Knights. Nobles. Even commoners. Every man who visited the church would drool while looking at her, and even high-ranking priests who preached about their purity to God approached her with dark intentions.

The problem didn’t end there. Even the nuns, her own gender, confessed their feelings to her with flushed cheeks. They even used the fact that they were women as a weapon to cling to her without hesitation.

At first, she had tried to smile and politely decline, but as the advances continued, the version of her from the slums began to rear its head.

“Fuck off! Get lost, you horny bastards?!”

Yes. Her true self, which she had suppressed, had finally exploded. The advances had dwindled after everyone had been on the receiving end of her temper, but the persistent ones still found ways to crawl out of the woodwork.

If she smiled because she was in a good mood, they would swarm her like idiots; if she showed annoyance, they would badmouth her behind her back, saying, “She’s acting stuck-up for someone from the slums.”

Since then, Seraphina had maintained a fierce, intimidating expression.

‘Ah, should I just kill them all?’

Suddenly irritated again, Seraphina headed toward the room where she had put the hunchback she’d rescued, her face twisted in a scowl.

Bang—!

The sturdy iron door was blown off its hinges entirely. The hunchback inside jumped up in a panic at the sound.

“…Where am I…”

His voice trembled weakly. Seraphina habitually furrowed her brow. Hah. She was already annoyed, and now this black lump of dirt she’d picked up from outside was lying on her favorite high-end sofa.

“Hey.”

She pointed a finger toward the bathroom.

“Shut up and go wash.”

He looked like he was about to burst into tears, his body trembling. Seraphina deepened her voice.

“Are you not going quickly?”

She wanted to kick him into the bathroom, but kicking the protagonist of the oracle felt… a bit much. If she kicked him to death after all the trouble she went through to complete the oracle, that would be a disaster, wouldn’t it? What? Why was she swearing? People are allowed to swear sometimes. It wasn’t something to brag about, but Seraphina had even sworn at the Pope once. When that old, slippery geezer had been ogling her chest with lecherous eyes… she had been swearing before she even realized it.

There was a reason she was stuck in this backwater chapel despite her high rank and absurd holy power. Seraphina sat on the edge of the bed naturally and pulled out a cigarette, as was her habit.

Click.

Acrid smoke slowly filled the room.

‘Damn it. Why is he taking so long to wash?’

She wanted to throw this dirty hunchback into a corner of the chapel and rest alone as soon as possible. When there was no sign of him even after the cigarette had burned halfway down, she couldn’t contain her irritation and stood up.

“Hey! Did you die in there?!”

Bang—!

There was no way a thin wooden bathroom door could withstand the kick that even a sturdy iron door couldn’t survive.

“Are you not crawling out quick—”

The scene that entered Seraphina’s vision as she stormed in, screaming, left her speechless.

Inside the steam-filled bathroom.

Skin like white jade, with water droplets trickling down.

Hair as lustrous as the night sky, wet from the water.

And eyes of a deep, crimson red, the color of the blood she loved so much.

The sight of him, now cleansed of the dirt, was like…

An angel.

“…Uh?”

Seraphina let out a dazed gasp, and before she knew it, she collapsed, blood streaming from her nose.

“Eek!”

He screamed and ran toward her.

“Are you okay?!”

Seeing the angel(?) running toward her, only one thought crossed Seraphina’s mind.

‘Damn it… I can die with no regrets…’

.

What caught my eyes after I thought I had died in the slums was a woman with a fierce, delinquent-like impression. Long hair, a mysterious mix of bright yellow and gold. Eyes as dark as pitch, where not a single ray of light seemed to enter. And finally, the look of contempt as she stared down at me. Unlike the ambiguous people I’d encountered in the shantytown, she was truly terrifying. And the last thing I remembered was that woman approaching me.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a plush sofa I’d never even dreamed of lying on in my life. And the delinquent(?) I’d seen last was looking down at me. I was terrified to even make eye contact, and my body was trembling, but perhaps it was because the sofa was so soft and warm? I found myself asking her a question.

“…Where am I.”

Her face crumpled instantly. I already couldn’t even meet her eyes properly. I was so scared. I reflexively lowered my gaze. Then, a sigh and an irritated voice reached my ears.

“Hey. Shut up and go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take a shower.”

I trembled and headed toward the room she pointed to. And the moment I opened the door.

“…Uh?”

It was heaven. Angel statues were erected throughout the bathroom, and water that glowed with a faint light flowed from them. The air carried a scent I’d never smelled before. It felt like being held warmly and comfortably, enough to make my body melt… I led my stiff body into the tub.

Splash.

The dirt that had been clinging to my entire body spread, dirtying the water. “Huh…?” But the muddied water instantly cleared up. Not only that, but my back, which had been hunched for days, slowly began to straighten. The purple-bruised wounds all healed as well. At that moment—

Blue windows were floating in front of my eyes, but the text was garbled, so I didn’t know what they meant…

I cleared away the continuously flashing blue windows and laid my body down. “…Ah.” Feeling the warmth for the first time in a long while, I forgot that time was passing and just spent the moments blankly. I even forgot that someone was waiting for me outside. Bang—!! The bathroom door shattered, and her voice reached me. “Are you not crawling out quick—” She saw me and lost her words. A moment of silence. Drip. Blood flowed from her nose, and she collapsed backward. Thud. “…?” Was I that repulsive? I quickly ran toward her. “Ugh.” I tried to lift her and move her out of the bathroom somehow, but my strength, which was at the minimum, couldn’t even lift a single woman. Just as I was about to go outside to ask for help—

“…Uh?” I slipped. It was clearly a flat floor, but I started to fall as if I’d tripped on something. The moment I reached out my arms to minimize the damage— Squish. “…!!” My hand grabbed her chest. Before I could even feel the sensation— Bang! I slammed my head directly into her forehead. My luck had been terrible in my previous life, but it seemed to have become even more serious since coming to this world… That was the last thought I had before losing consciousness.