There are no male angels.
This isn’t something that requires much speculation either from a game setting or the background.
“Take a look at the murals in the Church. As far as I know, there hasn’t been a single case where an angel was depicted as male.”
It’s been proven historically by the Church.
“If you look at the illustrations in the simplified catechism distributed by the Church, or even the stained glass windows of churches scattered across various regions, do you recall ever seeing a male angel?”
“…No, I haven’t.”
Ludmila, who had traveled to many places, replied.
“Even when I looked at the murals in ancient ruins, the angels who fought demons were mostly women. There were times when they were wearing armor or their bodies were fully covered, but I’ve never seen a male angel.”
“Right? So, this is just my opinion, but I think it’s unlikely that an angel would possess a male.”
“But can you really make such a bold conclusion from just one case?”
Evangeline countered my claim.
“Angelica is just one case. It’s not like the Academy only has female students; there are male students too. There’s no rule saying they can’t become angels. Oh, not that I want to see a guy naked or anything like that…”
“The more you explain, the weirder it sounds. Are you imagining something like that? Maybe about me?”
“What nonsense are you talking about!”
The moment I joked, Evangeline shouted angrily.
“I’ve never thought of that!”
It feels like she’s accusing me unfairly, though it does seem like there’s something more going on here.
However, being a gentleman, I had no intention of teasing a kid much younger than me.
“Maybe it’s you who’s thinking about things like that?”
Evangeline retorted with a smug face. She must have thought I wouldn’t be able to respond well since we’re surrounded by women right now.
“If you’re only talking about only underwear, that’s fine by me.”
“W-what…?”
Evangeline was flustered by my response, and the others stared at me wide-eyed.
“W-what are you even saying?!”
“Oh, sorry. I meant to say, if everything except underwear were stripped away, I wouldn’t mind so much?”
If clothes were to suddenly disappear, it’s still somewhat acceptable if only underwear is exposed.
Even if it’s an accident, at least the “important parts” won’t be revealed.
“And as long as I don’t become an angel, what’s the issue?”
“…We don’t know under what conditions someone becomes an angel, and that’s why we’re talking about this.”
Evangeline spoke through gritted teeth, sounding deeply frustrated.
“The fact is, it could happen suddenly, and who knows who might become an angel next.”
Evangeline and the others are clearly anxious.
Both Evangeline and the others clearly had their anxieties. Yunia, in particular, who had deduced that the angelic descent was linked to the [Apocalypse] through conversations with me, seemed especially tense, glancing nervously between Esta and the others.
“If I turn into an angel, and my halo gets destroyed, what if I can’t wake up like Angelica?”
Evangeline’s voice grew quieter.
Her tone was so shaky that it started making me feel like I was the one who caused all this unease.
“That won’t happen. Senior Angelica hasn’t even been unconscious for 24 hours yet, right? It’s been less than 12 hours. She will wake up.”
It’s just a matter of time.
“The Academy believes that Senior Angelica will wake up, which is why she’s only been suspended. They believe she’ll wake up within that time.”
“Of course. The academy doesn’t abandon its students.”
Instructor Esta spoke with firm resolve.
“We will take care of those who have become angels, those who might become angels, and all those we can as instructors of Esdinas Academy and as people.”
Not only Instructor Esta, but all the instructors must share this sentiment.
“More importantly, the key is figuring out what triggers the descent of angels. Thanks to Miss Yunia, we’ve learned how to counter the angels, but if we could uncover who angels descend upon, and why, it would make our response much easier.”
That was true.
Preventing an incident is always better than dealing with the aftermath.
“With that in mind, today’s class will be held outdoors.”
“Huh?”
“Outdoors?”
“To be specific, we’ll be recreating the event.”
Instructor Esta pointed out the window.
“We’re going to start by reenacting what happened last night.”
It felt similar to when police reconstruct a crime scene with the suspect present after a murder.
“But Senior Angelica isn’t here.”
“Someone has volunteered to help with that. You should prepare yourselves.”
Instructor Esta sighed heavily, his expression somewhat bitter.
“…You might be in for a bit of a shock.”
“???”
* * *
One hour later.
“Nice to meet you all. Please call me Angelica.”
“…Student Council President Julius?”
We found ourselves face-to-face with the blond, golden-eyed youth, dressed in the same uniform Angelica had worn the previous day, standing in the clearing where the battle had taken place.
“What exactly is this?”
“As the Student Council President, I’m setting an example to ensure the safety of the students.”
“By cross-dressing as Senior Angelica?”
“Naturally.”
The Student Council President, Julius, was wearing a girl’s uniform, complete with a skirt and stockings, while his muscular shoulders flexed as he stared at me intently.
“Phoenix, if you were in my position, you’d have made the same decision.”
“Me?”
“What would happen if, by some chance, I ended up following Angelica’s actions too closely and became possessed by an angel? What would happen then?”
“And what if the Crown Prince of the Amerkia Empire, the Student Council President, were possessed by an angel?”
“The Student Council and the Empire won’t crumble just because I disappear.”
Student Council President Julius confidently puffed out his chest and smiled brightly.
“And if they would, then maybe they should collapse.”
“…”
“Haha. I couldn’t talk to you properly yesterday because of all the eyes watching us, but it seems my intuition about people is spot on. Phoenix, by any chance, would you be interested in joining the Student Council…”
“I’m not joining.”
Was he seriously trying to recruit me for one of the academy’s less glamorous jobs?
“I’d rather create an ‘Angel Hunting’ club in the special class and operate that.”
“Are you serious?”
“If the world ends up with angels running rampant, I might seriously consider forming that club and acting on it.”
It would be a good way to secure club funding and could allow interaction with students outside the special class.
And more importantly—
“I could keep a close eye on the male students who harbor inappropriate thoughts about the female students in the special class, and weed them out.”
Under the guise of a club in the special class, I could monitor the guys who try to get close to the heroines and potentially eliminate any would-be ‘protagonists’.
“Ah, I see. So officially, it’s an Angel Hunting club, but in reality, it’s a club to protect your harem. Understood. If you officially submit a club application, I’ll do my best to persuade the other Student Council members during the review process.”
Julius, the Student Council President, thumped his chest as if telling me to trust him.
“Of course, it would be even easier if someone were to join the Student Council and vouch for it directly!”
“Not happening.”
“I’m not selling it though?”
“Still not joining.”
“That’s unfortunate. But Julius Keyarnim will not give up easily.”
Julius dramatically emphasized his last name as if it was some grand title before stepping back.
“Well then, it’s about time. Let’s find out what exactly caused Angelica to become an angel.”
The current time: 11:10 AM.
One by one, people began to gather behind Julius.
“Guards, as recorded in the magic stone footage, please act out your roles exactly as they happened.”
Though not wearing student uniforms, each person had a large placard with the name of someone from last night written on it, and they moved to their assigned positions.
Bzzt.
There was a response from the magic communication device hooked over my ear.
[Phoenix, this is Esta. Respond.]
“Confirmed.”
I placed my hand on the device and stepped back.
Instructor Esta was currently on the rooftop, the same place where he had watched us the night before.
“Does it look like a magic circle from up there?”
[From just looking at the people’s positions, there’s nothing. The battlefield may have been scorched from last night’s fight, but there’s no visible magic circle that would summon an angel. If anything… we might have to consider the possibility that the magic circle formed from the arrangement of people.]
One of the Academy’s instructors had proposed such a hypothesis.
[By sheer coincidence, a magic circle capable of summoning an angel was formed. Through the positioning of people.]
“Are they suggesting something like ‘constellation theory’?”
[Something similar. In ancient times, they used constellation shapes to cast magic. It’s a bit like ‘rune language.’]
The faculty and staff stop one by one at their designated locations.
The staff members stopped at their designated positions. Julius, too, stood where Angelica had stood, and we in the special class took our positions opposite them.
However.
As expected.
Nothing happened.
For now.
“Should I go ahead and do it?”
As soon as Student Council President Julius raised his hand to ask for permission—
“AAAHHHHHHHHH!!”
He began to scream wildly, just like Angelica had the night before.
Except it wasn’t a scream of fear, but more like a manly roar.
“Um.”
Next to me, Yunia asked.
“Do you think this means anything?”
“Who knows.”
Does it have meaning?
Yes.
“If the angel’s vengeful spirit is still lingering, it’ll try to recreate the same scenario.”
“W-wait… what…?!”
Julius began to panic.
“T-this is…!”
[All units, prepare for battle!!]
“W-wait a minute! This isn’t me—ugh, aahh?!”
Julius’s body began to lift off the ground, and behind him, something translucent started to form—wings fluttering faintly into existence.
‘Whoever it was, they sure figured out the gimmick.’
It’s not about summoning an angel.
The angel’s vengeful spirit, having found traces of Angelica, seeks to continue its mission of human extinction by searching for a new target. However, it can’t fully possess anyone and instead awkwardly forces divine power onto the body it’s controlling.
“Hey, everyone!! This isn’t my will!”
Student Council President Julius was moving as if he had become an angel, his movements were awkward and unnatural, clearly under some kind of control.
It’s obvious that he’s being controlled.
A halo shimmered above his head, but unlike the one we had seen yesterday, this one was dull and faint.
It’s essentially a pre-battle scenario—a chance to farm some experience points.
The angel’s vengeful spirit possesses the body of an extra, forcing them to fight.
However, it cannot truly possess a male.
It can only force the body to move.
“Ah. This is Phoenix.”
I spoke into my communicator.
[An angel is…!]
“This seems like a perfect situation to test non-attribute mana.”
[What?]
“It’s not as dangerous as yesterday.”
I could say this with confidence.
“The fact that Julius still has some control over himself is evidence enough.”
[Then…]
“The hypothesis is proven. Angels can’t possess men. And one more thing.”
I pointed at Julius’s clothes.
“We now know what angels look for when they choose to possess someone.”
[…The uniform?]
“Since the halo was destroyed, the spirit mistook a man in a woman’s uniform for a female and tried to possess him.”
[…That is.]
Esta’s voice trailed off.
[The angel latches onto the woman’s clothing and then tries to control the body?]
“It’s more like a gradual process of seeping in. But once it happens—”
I pointed downwards.
“Well, there are… complications.”
If we look at this from the perspective of a TS novel, the idea of an angel possessing a male body is like a yuri enthusiast being trapped in a male-targeted story.
Just as the Goddess presents herself as a woman, the angels appear female too, but their essence is different.
“Thinking it was Angelica and trying to possess her, only to end up rubbing against a man’s body. Tsk.”
All of them have male souls.
