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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: 10. Angel...?
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Ophelia Knight, the supervisor of the freshman dorms, was gentle in every way imaginable.
With her perpetual half-lidded eyes and her constant warm smile, she rarely ever got angry, which only amplified that impression.
She was also a beauty with lush golden hair, making her quite popular with the students.
That said, she wasn't a pushover by any means—as her title of "Knight" suggested, she was a full-fledged active-duty knight.
To the fresh-faced new students just starting at the academy, she was practically on the level of a god.
Regular knights were the dream job that only those who reached at least the fifth academic rank— the minimum benchmark for talented individuals—could even dream of consulting about as a career path.
"All right, is everyone here~?"
Of course, the way she was leading them now with that languid voice made it hard to picture her that way at all.
I followed along behind Ophelia Knight with a wry smile as she directed the freshmen from the front. She kind of reminded me of a mother duck herding her ducklings.
We were currently on Grande Hill, the tallest hill within Elpante Academy. From here, every facility nearby was in plain view.
It was the perfect spot to introduce the overall layout of the academy to the new students.
"That over there is the academic building complex—everyone familiar with it~? Each faculty uses different facilities inside~ The one on that side is the Knight Faculty's physical training hall, and over there's the Magic Faculty's mana cultivation chamber..."
The explanations poured out one after another, but I already knew all the content.
Elpante's curriculum was divided into a maximum of five fields, each represented by a faculty.
Knight, Magic, Practical, Crafting, and Theology.
It wasn't just Elpante, either—the academies in the Tribal Alliance and the Holy Kingdom ran the exact same system.
Starting from the welcome ceremony in a few days, the freshmen would choose their major and minor subjects from these courses, and the protagonist did the same.
'...Though they're called faculties, really.'
Sure, they were labeled as "faculties" with their own facilities, but in terms of sheer size, each one was practically a small city in its own right.
As befitted the continent's top educational institution, the land and budget allocated to each faculty were staggering.
The academies in the neighboring Holy Kingdom and Tribal Alliance were no different.
Elpante Academy, the Grand Temple, and the Crucible of Conflict.
These were the continent's premier educational institutions, clustered close together.
Together, they were known as the Golden Triangle.
'Anyway, that's that.'
I half-listened to Ophelia Knight's explanations with one ear and let them flow out the other while checking the items I'd brought.
An incense burner inside my backpack, along with various materials to burn as incense.
And some extras to use as... "offerings."
This orientation event, right after the entrance exam, felt like a tutorial explaining the world and academy functions to the player—but there were things you could only do at this exact moment.
"Um, is that the famous Void Zone over there?"
Yes. Good question.
When one of the students raised the question, a troubled look crossed Ophelia Knight's face.
Her half-lidded eyes then turned toward the massive gray sphere the student had pointed to.
Even though it was farther away than it appeared, its ominous, foreboding aura was palpable even from this distance.
"It is, but~ entry is strictly forbidden~ You'll be in big trouble if you go in~"
At the center of the three educational institutions forming a triangle sat an enormous dome-shaped sphere. Inside it, a massive tower-like structure was faintly visible.
Ophelia Knight's warning wasn't just for show. "Entry forbidden" was actually putting it too mildly.
It was the Void Zone, a remnant of the God-Demon War—the worst conflict in history.
It was where the emissaries of the gods, and the heroes who inherited their power, fought a final bloody battle against the demons, sealing away all their true bodies.
Even after centuries since its discovery, the deathly miasma lingering around it and the clashing divine power showed no signs of settling.
Anyone who got too close would drop dead, no exceptions. Even those with powerful abilities wouldn't fare any better.
'For starters...'
The three academies of the Golden Triangle were jammed together in this very spot because of it.
The "Great Accord" signed by the three dominant continental powers—the Empire, Holy Kingdom, and Tribal Alliance—after the God-Demon War included a clause requiring each to station a certain number of personnel to manage the Void Zone.
That promise remained in effect even now, centuries after the last demon appeared.
Even though all demons were sealed away by the sacrifices of past heroes, if they ever broke free, this place would undoubtedly be the spark.
That was why the academy staff included so many suspiciously high-level personnel—their real job was surveilling and guarding the Void Zone. It'd be a waste to just let them idle, so they doubled as teachers.
"..."
But considering the main scenario, a real demon breaking free wasn't all that improbable.
It soured my mood all over again.
"Isn't that a famous place from the myths? Couldn't we at least go a little closer to check it out?"
"Mm~"
When a few studious students made the request with sparkling eyes, Ophelia Knight pursed her lips slightly and scratched her cheek.
Watching her, I calmly tightened my backpack straps.
Ophelia Knight was called "Mom" by users for various reasons. She'd grant pretty much any request from students. And what came next was sure to be...
"Then, how about we go as far as the Seraphim's protective barrier~? It's safe inside there~"
There it was.
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Another term for the god's emissaries as depicted in myths was angels.
They appeared alongside the demons when they awoke and began wrecking the world, bestowing various blessings and knowledge upon humanity.
Their power was said to be so immense that a single angel could boil the seas and topple mountains single-handedly.
Seraphim was a title reserved for those among them with power on another level entirely.
In the world's lore, they held a status close to demigods.
"Then we'll have lunch around here~"
And the protective barrier laid by such a being offered enough stability to leisurely eat a meal right next to the Void Zone.
It was the very reason academies could exist in this area to begin with.
The clusters of pure white light drifting lazily nearby were a sight worth seeing in themselves. Every student was gasping in awe.
Soon, as students spread out mats and unpacked their lunches, one of them glanced at the scene and tossed another question at Ophelia Knight.
"I've heard priests come here often for field trips. Isn't this one of the few places where you can witness and study angelic power directly?"
"That's right~"
"Then, has anyone ever actually seen an angel?"
The student pressed on with shining eyes.
Well, I got the curiosity. Legends said angels who descended from the hidden world into the human realm always revealed themselves to those they appeared before, granting "blessings" or "gifts."
Each one was extraordinarily powerful, and items blessed or gifted by angels were said to be worthy of historical record in their own right.
That was probably a big reason theologians and priests were so desperate to glimpse one.
As far as I knew, those legends were based on fact.
They just had some conditions.
"Hmm~ I've seen plenty of elaborate rituals and ceremonies while on duty~, but I've never once seen an angel appear in person~"
The student who'd asked nodded in understanding at Ophelia Knight's response.
Fair enough—it wasn't just any angel. You couldn't exactly sightsee them casually.
Even so.
'...It's actually easier than you'd think.'
I muttered to myself and approached Ophelia Knight.
"Excuse me, is it okay if I eat a bit farther away?"
"Hm~?"
She tilted her head. A gesture asking if there was any real need.
"It's just a little uncomfortable eating here."
"...Oh~"
But after hearing me out and glancing around, she nodded in realization.
I was the one who'd sent Eliya flying in one hit and been right there during the Tristan Duchess assassination attempt. My notoriety was bound to skyrocket one way or another.
Of course, judging by the stares drilling into me now, most of them weren't exactly friendly—probably infamous for all the wrong reasons.
What happened with Hasmed during the entrance exam had too much potential for trouble, so both Eliya and Elnor, who'd witnessed it, had kept quiet.
As far as the public knew, I was the guy who'd cheated to take down a next-gen hero candidate and then did nothing while the Tristan Duchess was nearly assassinated—a total freeloader.
The rumors had ballooned overly negative, but the people spreading that gossip were the type who'd decided they hated me from the start anyway.
They just didn't like some rootless baron's son getting attention.
"Don't go too far, okay~? It could be dangerous~"
"Yes, ma'am."
Of course, what they thought was none of my business.
If anything, I was grateful Ophelia Knight was leaving me alone, thanks to their blatant complaints.
'Let's see...'
I moved far enough that no one else's eyes could reach me.
What I was about to do wasn't something I wanted anyone else seeing.
Especially.
In a theological sense.
"Perfect."
I methodically set up the items from my backpack.
Ultrim of Divinity. Materials to burn as incense.
I filled the incense burner with powdered one-horned beast horn, placed a phoenix feather on top, and lit a match.
Then, fanning it carefully with a coral fan to control the heat, acrid smoke began billowing out in thick clouds.
The smoke quickly reached the nearby clusters of light and started mingling with them, merging together.
The Ultrim's function was simple. Like I'd compared it to a phone before, it allowed communication with beings you could never normally reach.
It materialized entities from the hidden world overlaid on the back of the real world. That was the Ultrim's power.
'Come to think of it...'
The theologians and priests causing a fuss around here weren't entirely off-base.
Angelic presences were indeed especially strong in this area. It was only natural, with a Seraphim's barrier right there.
The problem was their misunderstanding of angels' true nature.
They assumed beings from myth had to be "noble" and "exalted," projecting their own ideals.
Graceful paragons worthy of admiration.
But nope.
For real.
-....
The smoke fused with the light soon took form, revealing several burly men one after another.
White wings sprouted from their backs. Golden halos floated above their heads.
Textbook angel clichés.
Except.
"What the fuck kind of shitty prep work is this, you asshole pricks? Which Crucible construction brigade fuckers dropped the ball this quarter?"
"Uh, Lord Archangel. Probably the Geryon crew, sir."
"Even those low-rank mount-riders half my level fuck it up this bad? Gotta smash their skulls to knock some sense in? Hey, contact those bastards. If the Seraphim sees this, we're all toast. Got it?"
Their ongoing conversation was anything but noble or exalted.
For starters, no one was picking up "grace" from the hammers and shovels gripped in their hands.
"..."
The angels' vibe was, well... like the "military."
Yeah.
An extreme boys' club. Rigid hierarchy. Strict top-down chain of command—you obey or else. Stiff, rough atmosphere.
If the Seraphim had built something, it meant their underlings were busting their asses maintaining it.
"We're short on holy water mortar to patch that barrier gap over there! Mind if I borrow a bit, sir?"
"You idiot, can't you handle that? Gimme the brush. I'll do it myself. These low-grade angels nowadays can't do shit right. Back in my day—"
"..."
Listening to the chatter nearby, I was glad I'd come alone.
Devout believers would've frothed at the mouth and passed out.
"Uh, squad leader. Isn't there a human over there?"
"Yeah. So?"
"He's been staring right at us since earlier?"
"Probably coincidence. Least he's quiet. Unlike those periodic asshole inspectors who show up and bitch..."
Now, think about it.
What meaning would flashy rituals or ceremonies have in front of guys like that?
They were already dragged out for backbreaking manual labor they hated, on the verge of collapse. One wrong word and they'd snap.
If dozens or hundreds of humans swarmed right next to them chanting sutras or reciting scripture nonstop?
There's a reason angels don't descend. Everyone's got their angles, and it aligns.
Be glad no disasters hit.
What they really wanted was simple and primal.
I let out a sigh and pulled the "offerings" from my backpack.
Budget booze. High-proof, no finesse, but with a bold, punchy flavor.
And cheap meats from the market. Rough, plebeian tastes. But perfect to pair with this liquor.
A construction worker's special set.
Ideal for restoring energy during intense labor.
A shot of makgeolli and fatty pork after sweating buckets.
Irresistible, right?
"...Damn, he brought the good stuff. Picked all the tasty shit."
"Should we ask for some...?"
"We can't descend to the material plane unless that human acknowledges us. Conditions ain't met, so what's the point..."
"Hey, uncles."
I said it softly, and the angels chattering among themselves went dead silent.
They'd realized I could perceive them.
Then, smirking, I continued.
"Eat first, then work. You'll wreck yourselves otherwise."
The angels' eyes bulged.
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