[Continental Year 997, March 2, 8:50 AM. Old School Building, Vermilion Bird Class Lecture Room.]
Morning had arrived.
I woke up on time and went out for breakfast, but none of the female students from the Vermilion Bird Class—the heroines—showed up.
Not even Instructor Esta or Kadisha.
I thought it was an illusion, but fortunately it wasn’t.
They just woke up late.
By 8:40 AM, I was already sitting in the lecture room, and one by one, they started trickling in, taking their seats.
“Good morning…”
“Good morning… Yawn.”
Everyone looked visibly tired, having stayed up past midnight dealing with the “Angelica Angel Descent” incident and the aftermath.
‘No, they didn’t even sleep after that.’
After Yunia demonstrated non-attribute mana to me by climbing on top of me in the lounge last night, we dispersed around 2 AM.
However, it seemed like no one got any proper rest afterward.
‘Ludmila didn’t sleep, busy refining her non-attribute magic.’
Ludmila appeared to have pulled an all-nighter.
While she didn’t show it externally, one of her rabbit ears was half-folded from accumulated fatigue.
‘Evangeline tried to sleep but was too worried to do so properly.’
Evangeline, on the other hand, was blatantly blinking away sleepiness.
She would probably compose herself once Instructor Esta walked in at exactly 9 AM, but until then, she sat in a semi-dazed state.
As for Yunia—
“Why are you staring?”
“Nothing. You look wide awake.”
“Of course, I am.”
It seemed she slept well. Though it’s said the average person needs about seven hours of sleep, Yunia appeared refreshed, despite sleeping far less.
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Oh, I overslept and… didn’t have time.”
“Should I come wake you next time?”
“Are you going to open the door and wake me up personally?”
“It’s not against the school rules, is it?”
At the mention of “rules”, Ludmila and Evangeline visibly flinched.
Despite the whole “Angel” situation, the students’ attacks, led by Angelica, had ultimately crossed the line and violated school regulations.
“Phoenix. Even though they broke the rules, it wouldn’t be good if we did the same.”
“True. We need to set an example. If rumors spread that the special class exploits the rules, they’ll ignore them even more and come to attack us daily.”
“That won’t happen.”
The door opened, and Instructor Esta entered.
She, too, seemed like she hadn’t slept well.
Although no one else might notice, the mana flowing from her wasn’t refined, seeping unfiltered over her skin.
“Since we can’t pretend the Old School Building attack didn’t happen, the Academy has decided to issue a four-week suspension for Angelica.”
“…That was decided already? It just happened last night.”
“The faculty had a meeting at midnight.”
In response to Yunia’s question, Instructor Esta tapped the magic pad on her wrist.
“A four-week suspension is a heavy penalty. It’s something you would get if, say, you deliberately blew off a classmate’s arm during training.”
“Uh, well…”
“It shows how seriously the Academy is taking the Old School Building attack. If the Angel incident hadn’t occurred, the punishment would’ve likely been reduced to just a few days.”
If it weren’t for the descent of the Angel, Esdinas Academy would have likely shown favoritism, implying that “Golden Sun was too flirtatious with the girls” to defend Angelica.
In a way, we should be somewhat grateful to Angelica.
At least she provided the Academy with a reason to take the situation seriously, and the severity of the punishment will serve as a warning to other students.
“What about the other students, aside from Angelica?”
“They’ll undergo ‘special training’ for three days.”
Special training.
It was essentially a brief green camp.
“Isn’t that a quarantine measure under the guise of training?”
“Correct, Phoenix. They’ll be sent to the northern terminal under the pretense of special training, where they will undergo mental education.”
A three-day mental training course in harsh conditions.
“By the time they’re done, they’ll have learned two important lessons. One: not to attack the Old School Building. And two—”
Instructor Esta zipping her lips.
“Not to speak a word about the angel to anyone.”
“Isn’t it too late for that? Couldn’t they have already spread the word when they returned to their dorms?”
“The Academy staff aren’t foolish. They isolated the students immediately, ensuring no contact with others. They will be taken directly to the northern terminal.”
“In that case… it’ll look like Angelica led the attack on the Old School Building.”
“Exactly. If they value their lives.”
The girls from the Vermilion Bird Class tensed up at Instructor Esta’s words.
“…Sorry, that was regarding Angelica. Are you aware that Angelica is still here in the Old School Building?”
“Huh?”
“It seems you didn’t know. Don’t worry. Instructor Kadisha and other staff are taking turns watching over her.”
Instructor Esta briefly glanced out the window.
“Angelica is currently in a temporary camp about a ten-minute walk from here. She’s still unconscious and hasn’t woken up.”
“Um, about Senior Angelica.”
Yunia raised her hand.
“After that angel’s ring, the ‘Halo’, broke, she was left completely naked. Why did that happen?”
“…”
“Instructor?”
“No, it just feels a little awkward hearing that from you.”
Esta pointed to the podium she was standing on with a calm expression.
“When it comes to angels and the power to defeat them, I think it’s more fitting for you to be standing here, explaining this, rather than me.”
“Ah, no, that’s…”
“I’m not teasing you. I’m serious. Out of everyone here, perhaps even in this world, Yunia, you might be the one who knows the most about this situation.”
“M-Me…?”
Well.
Yunia glanced at me instinctively.
She probably thought, ‘Phoenix knows better than I do,’ but Esta didn’t miss the direction of her gaze.
“Or does Phoenix know more?”
It’s fine.
I expected Yunia to act like that.
“It’s only speculation, but would you like to hear it?”
“Speculation, you say? Fine. We need to gather all opinions at this point.”
“The angel’s halo and wings are manifestations of divine power, right? That same divine power was likely flowing through Senior Angelica’s body as well.”
I turned to Ludmila, mimicking the action of gripping a spear.
“Miss Ludmila, when you stabbed her, she caught the spearhead with her bare hands, even though it was clearly imbued with your mana, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m quite perceptive when it comes to mana. At that moment, an unusual mana was flowing through Senior Angelica’s body. It wasn’t the golden Light attribute, but rather a white, opaque mana—almost like a pure, white light.”
“…Are you saying it was divine power?”
“Perhaps. I’ve never seen holy power before, so I can’t say for sure, but if an angel’s magic is indeed holy power, then that would explain the color.”
This speculation was more like a spoiler.
“If that holy power manifested thinly on the skin, and when the halo was destroyed, it caused the holy skin—like a mana skin—to be destroyed as well, then the clothes she was wearing would have been caught in the destruction too, as if an explosion occurred from within.”
“So, you believe that if someone possessed by an angel has their halo destroyed, they will end up naked, like Angelica?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Esta covered her face with one hand.
It wasn’t just because she didn’t understand why angels descended; it was also out of sympathy for Angelica, who was “cast off” in front of everyone due to the angel’s descent.
Even if it were a man, the reaction would naturally be one of, “Oh no…”
And as for women, no matter how beautiful, even men would initially go “Oh…” before quickly realizing, “Ahh…!”
‘Being naked in public may be seen as a joke in a meme, but in reality, it’s a social death—a huge catastrophe.’
As a male, instinct may kick in, but the shame and empathy we feel as humans living in society applies to everyone, regardless of gender.
“I understand. However, regardless of that…”
Instructor Esta pointed above her head.
“If someone turns into an angel, we must destroy the halo immediately to stop them from becoming one. That’s the decision the Academy faculty has reached.”
“…Immediately destroy it?”
“Yes.”
Even if it leads to social death for the person, there’s something more important at stake.
“Angels are those who seek to kill mortals. Ludmila, you’ve stabbed one before. What did you sense from them?”
“…Duty, or perhaps an order.”
Ludmila’s voice lowered as she responded.
“From Senior Angelica’s ‘dead eyes’, I felt no emotion. It was as if the human part of her had been stripped away.”
“Exactly. I saw it too. Those weren’t the eyes of a person looking at another person. Not even the eyes of a noble looking at a slave. It was…”
Angels.
“They looked at humans as if they were filth that needed to be cleaned up.”
Angels are a race that feels no emotion toward humans.
If they feel anything at all, it might be a sense of superiority, knowing they are a higher race created by the Goddess.
“I don’t know how the Church of the Goddess will respond, but angels are enemies of humanity. As long as they seek to kill us…”
Instructor Esta began writing something on the board.
“Thus, the goal of our special class for this semester is this.”
‘Angel Hunting’.
“From now on, the special class will focus on training experts who can fight against and hunt angels, in preparation for the end of humanity. …That includes everyone here.”
The tension in the room was palpable as everyone exchanged stern glances.
“This applies to you as well. If I ever become an angel, destroy my halo without hesitation. Even if, like Angelica, I never wake up again.”
Angelica still hadn’t woken up, but Instructor Esta seemed to expect such an outcome.
“Even if I become a vegetable, or something close to it.”
“…Understood.”
“I will do the same.”
“Yes, understood.”
The three members of the special class responded, and then all eyes turned to me.
“What’s with the looks?”
“By the flow of things, Phoenix, shouldn’t you answer as well?”
“Miss Ludmila, this is just my speculation, but…”
I drew an imaginary halo above my head.
“Have you ever seen a male angel?”
“…!!”
Regrettably, angels only possess women.
“If I ever became an angel and my halo were destroyed, I’d be naked for all to see. But honestly, I don’t really care…”
Because…
“Who would want to see a dark guy naked?”
After all, even the Goddess wouldn’t want to strip down a man.
