Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 108
Milo came from the back alleys.
He’d never even seen the inside of a Church.
If God existed, Milo would’ve cursed his parents out loud.
But—.
‘Why Holy Power?’
Milo stared down at his fist in shock.
A pure white light that radiated warmth wrapped around his knuckles.
It was exactly like when Grave had beaten him down.
Holy Power.
How could he suddenly have Holy Power?
It made no sense.
But Milo had recently come to one realization.
Most things that made no sense were Grave’s doing.
So—.
‘It must be something Grave did!’
He didn’t know what, but Grave had definitely orchestrated this.
After all, Grave was the one who’d sent him here in the first place.
‘Of course it’s Grave!!’
Milo accepted the explanation readily enough and moved his fist.
He swung his Holy Power-wreathed knuckles at the curse. It dissolved easily.
At the same time, something warm bloomed inside him. He didn’t know what it was, but his fatigue recovered.
“Such pure-grade Holy Power! Pour everything into it!”
The Dark Mage shrieked in alarm, and his companions hurled curses at Milo in unison.
The curses layered and swelled. Soon an enormous mass of them bore down, large enough to blot out the sky above him.
Milo quickly surveyed the cascading curses.
Back alleys rarely saw one-on-one duels. It was understood that multiple fighters clashed together in a chaotic mess.
That’s why fighting multiple opponents was Milo’s specialty.
When facing many, the key was to pick them off methodically, one at a time.
‘This one first.’
Milo extended his fist toward the nearest curse.
His fist moved incredibly fast. He was startled himself.
Thud—the curse shattered against the pure white light.
Immediately, Milo stepped back, maintaining distance. He thrust his fist out again.
Thud—another curse dispersed.
‘My body feels so light.’
In fact, with each curse he burst, he felt lighter still. And simultaneously, his Holy Power grew more intense.
“W-what is this?! A Battle Priest?!”
The Dark Mage cried out in horror.
Milo crouched low and kicked off the ground. The distance closed in an instant—so fast that Milo himself was startled. The Dark Mage had no hope of reacting.
Milo’s fist connected with the Dark Mage’s solar plexus.
Hack—the Dark Mage convulsed and collapsed.
Another Dark Mage nearby hastily scattered curses. But the distance had already closed.
Milo blocked the curses with one hand while driving his other fist across the man’s jaw.
Crack! A satisfying snap rang out.
He immediately kicked backward. His heel found its mark between the legs of an opponent behind him. The man crumpled without even a scream.
Then, pulling his fist back, he swung his elbow. It crashed into the last man’s head.
Thud—.
Four Dark Mages collapsed simultaneously.
‘So this is Holy Power?’
Milo marveled, studying his own fists.
Dark Mages were the natural enemy of Knights.
And he’d just handled them so effortlessly—.
‘Of course, it’s Grave.’
Milo admired him once more. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how far ahead Grave was thinking.
Then the prone Dark Mages began convulsing and drooling. One of them shifted his hand slightly.
Milo promptly drove his fist down. Several teeth scattered from the Dark Mage’s mouth.
“Aaaagh! You damn bastard!”
Blood poured from the Dark Mage’s mouth—an unnaturally copious amount. It looked quite dangerous.
Milo swung again.
Crunch—the Dark Mage’s head snapped to the side. The blood streaming from his mouth stopped flowing.
“Y-you interrupt us during a ritual?! Coward—!”
“Shut your mouth or I’ll knock your brains out.”
Milo gestured toward the man writhing on the ground, clutching his groin.
Even minus his teeth, the Dark Mage fell silent.
There was no help for it, even if you were a Dark Mage.
“Now, all of you—hands up and stand straight.”
“Wait, do you know who we—”
“Kid.”
Milo swiftly kicked the groin of the one who’d opened his mouth. Crack—he collapsed instantly.
He clutched his crotch, foam dripping from his lips.
The rest quickly raised their hands.
“Good. Wipe your blood and stay put.”
Then Milo felt a chill behind him.
He turned to see Rudrick holding a long Security Staff.
Rudrick was about to thrust the staff into one of the Dark Mages.
Milo quickly blocked him.
Rudrick’s eyes narrowed.
“These are Dark Mages. They need to be dealt with immediately.”
He was right. Dark Mages were treacherous enough that immediate execution was warranted. But—.
“They’re Grave’s.”
Grave had said the Dark Mages were his. He’d told Milo to keep them alive.
“……What?”
“Grave told me to hold onto them and nothing more.”
“No, he told you to—”
“Not ‘he.’ Grave.”
Milo spoke firmly.
Rudrick scowled as if fed up.
“……So you’re just going to hold onto them because he said so?”
“Yes. Grave told me to hold them, so I’m holding them.”
“That’s nonsense—”
Rudrick’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
Milo found Rudrick particularly difficult.
It was Rudrick who’d taught him the ropes when Milo was the youngest.
But now—.
‘I could handle it.’
Milo murmured to himself, observing the pure white light encasing his fists. Now he felt capable.
“Grave’s orders.”
“You crazy—”
“If they needed to be dealt with so badly, why didn’t you come out earlier? Why’d you wait until I’d already subdued them all?”
“That’s—”
Rudrick’s lips parted uselessly. He had no retort.
Then dark red blood erupted from the Dark Mage like a fountain.
The spurting crimson arc rose slowly—impossibly slowly—toward the floor.
Strangely leisurely, and yet simultaneously far too fast.
As if the result were already written.
The ascending blood began tracing a grotesque pattern.
Even to Milo, who couldn’t read, the image was profoundly unsettling.
“It’s a Reverse Summoning Circle! Summoning a Demon!”
Rudrick’s voice cut through sharply.
“A Demon! So Grave was right after all!”
“This isn’t the time for that! A Demon’s coming out! It should’ve been dealt with immediately! Dammit—”
A terrible presence filled the space.
Primal terror seized his very core.
The dark red blood coalesced, and something hideous began to materialize slowly.
A creature with a bull’s head, a woman’s eyes, an old man’s beard, and a child’s mouth. The moment you saw it, you knew.
A Demon.
Milo now understood why Demons were called the natural enemy of Knights.
Just seeing it brought overwhelming helplessness. It was fear carved into instinct itself—a hierarchy made flesh.
His Aura trembled, shaken by terror.
“Run.”
Rudrick stepped in front of Milo and spoke.
His expression was grimly resolute. He looked ready to embrace death itself.
Milo felt like he’d seen this resolve before—.
Suddenly a terrible headache pierced him. Milo shook his head.
Anyway, one thing mattered now.
“I told you. They’re Grave’s.”
“You damn—”
Rudrick couldn’t help but curse.
Then dark red blood shot from the Demon, spraying outward in all directions.
Razor-sharp streams of crimson struck at both of them.
Rudrick gripped his Security Staff in a peculiar stance.
The tip of the staff pointed not at the Demon, but at Rudrick himself.
As if he meant to impale himself.
Then—.
“I said it was mine.”
A leisurely voice, wholly inappropriate to the moment, cut through.
“Duck.”
Milo grabbed Rudrick and hurled them both to the ground.
Rudrick protested, but Milo didn’t listen.
At the same moment, a pure white line streaked past.
It was Grave.
Grave, wielding the Security Staff, vaulted over them and charged the Demon.
His speed was so overwhelming that he appeared as a single luminous streak.
The pure white line drove straight through the Demon.
The Demon shrieked in agony, grasping at itself.
『───────!』
The Demon thrashed, but the Security Staff was merciless.
Pure white light battered it relentlessly.
For a moment, Milo even felt pity for the Demon.
Soon the Demon crumbled to ash. The Dark Mages beneath it did the same.
From the settling dust, Grave calmly retrieved his Security Staff.
Not a bead of sweat marred his face. If anything, he looked refreshed.
“Good work.”
Grave spoke in a flat tone.
Clearly, everything had gone exactly to plan.
“It was easy thanks to the Holy Power.”
“Hmm? You used Holy Power?”
“Ha, are you teasing me again?”
Milo grinned and held up his fist.
Grave’s eyes widened the moment he saw the pure white light enveloping Milo’s knuckles.
“What is this?”
You’re quite the jokester.
Milo chuckled.
* * *
‘Milo can use Holy Power?’
I was genuinely startled for the first time in a while.
Milo was simple-minded. Illiterate, prone to punching first and thinking never.
For him to awaken Holy Power—.
‘Did clearing the Holy Empire Chasm affect him?’
It was possible. Milo had even attended one of my lectures.
It wasn’t entirely unplausible.
Holy Power and Aura pair well together.
Holy Power lets you counter Dark Mages, the natural enemy of Knights, while Aura handles spells that counter Holy Power.
Moreover, Knights inevitably sustain injuries, but Holy Power allows for recovery.
There was a reason the Church was so obsessed with creating Battle Priests.
Battle Priests relied on durability and tenacity—qualities Milo already possessed in abundance.
For Milo to flower into Holy Power—.
‘An absolute windfall.’
It was nothing but good fortune. I knew better than anyone what a Battle Priest could achieve.
“You really are amazing, sir!”
Just then, Milo gave me a thumbs-up.
For some reason, he seemed convinced that his Holy Power awakening was thanks to me.
‘He’s not entirely wrong.’
Wasn’t it my doing that Milo had safely returned from the Holy Empire Chasm?
I nodded without concern.
“I had faith you’d pull through.”
“You really are the best, sir! Sniff!!”
Milo trembled emotionally, deeply moved.
Then a Security Staff pressed against my neck.
It was Rudrick.
“What exactly are you?”
Rudrick’s eyes gleamed coldly.
I’d pegged Rudrick’s level somewhere between upper and high-tier.
Of course, only direct combat would confirm it precisely, but I had a decent sense.
Yet the keenness Rudrick displayed now, targeting me, was beyond high-tier.
Quite sharp indeed.
Then—.
Thud! A bright crack sounded, and Rudrick crumpled.
“This guy keeps bothering you, so— there.”
Milo dusted off his hands as he spoke.
He’d simply struck Rudrick’s skull from behind.
In a way, it was quite reassuring.
Sudden Quest, 「Demon Hunting」 cleared! New record time! Remarkable achievement unlocked! Rewards granted!
Warning! Growth has reached its limit. Cannot grant additional Stats!
Additional Stat available. Please select desired Stat!
You have selected Luck. Reward granted.
Then a new notification appeared.
Congratulations! Luck has reached a certain threshold!
You are granted a Luck Chest as reward!
A golden chest materialized in the air, landing with a soft tap.
‘I wonder what it’ll be this time.’
I caught the golden chest.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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