Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 111

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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 111
Demons are the oldest predators of mankind, beings whose very existence awakens primordial fear in humans.
Even priests feel fear when facing a demon.
What of a knight?
When a knight first encounters a demon, fainting is considered a mild reaction. Some soil themselves.
This is because demons are the natural enemy of knights.
But Milo was different.
Without hesitation, Milo rushed at the demon.
It was a courage I’d never witnessed even on the front lines.
“Demons? Nothing to it.”
Milo dusted off his fists with a crooked grin.
“Milo, aren’t you afraid of demons?”
“Heh, I’m from the back alleys, sir.”
“The back alleys?”
“Yes, sir. In the back alleys, if you show fear, you get eaten. If you die, you die—but you never lose your nerve.”
Milo dusted off his fists again, grinning crookedly.
So he didn’t fear demons because he was from the back alleys—
It was crude reasoning, to be sure, but coming from Milo, it somehow rang true.
Then again, this is the same Milo who charges at me again and again, even after taking a beating each time.
‘Nerve is the finest asset.’
Milo had what you’d call genuine backbone.
Backbone was a crucial element for a knight.
You could teach Swordsmanship, but backbone couldn’t be artificially cultivated.
“Uh, but isn’t this supposed to shine like this?”
Milo spoke while dusting off his fists, which now glowed with a purer white light than before.
True, defeating a demon temporarily increases one’s Holy Power, but such gains dissipate quickly most of the time.
Yet Milo’s Holy Power continued to radiate even now, long after the demon had vanished.
‘So Holy Power accumulates like Aura does.’
Milo had an enormous amount of unabsorbed Aura. He’d been tempering himself diligently every morning, yet it still remained.
It was surely the reward from the Chasm that Class 42 had missed.
Just as with Aura, it seemed a significant amount of Holy Power had also failed to be absorbed.
If that was the case—
‘The Chasm that Class 42 missed wasn’t a single-attribute one.’
As ranks increase, Chasms begin to display mixed attributes.
Mixed attributes meant the difficulty doubled, even for the same rank.
‘At minimum, an A-rank Chasm with mixed attributes.’
In any case, what mattered was that Milo possessed an abundance of Holy Power.
I needed to help him absorb as much as possible.
“Milo, do you know how to make the Holy Sign?”
“Like this, isn’t it?”
Milo struck his own head with his fist, then thumped his chest repeatedly.
Then he looked at me with full confidence.
“What, are we going to war?”
“It’s the Holy Sign, sir.”
“You join your hands together, not clench your fists. The direction is completely opposite.”
I clicked my tongue and showed him the proper Holy Sign. Milo followed along and traced it.
“Why do you keep making fists?”
“It’s a habit.”
“Well, the heart is what matters. The Holy Sign is similar to a knight’s breathing with Aura. It lets you concentrate Holy Power.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Milo said this with the face of someone who understood nothing.
That he didn’t understand was actually good for him.
“Make the Holy Sign regularly.”
“How regularly, sir?”
“A hundred times a day.”
“A hundred times. Understood.”
Milo traced the Holy Sign, which looked rather like a vulgar curse owing to his clenched fists.
It suited him rather well.
“Uh, I’m sleepy—”
Milo, mid-Holy Sign, suddenly went limp. I caught him urgently.
I slapped his cheek hard, but Milo didn’t regain consciousness.
Then I felt a chill against my neck.
A long Security Staff had materialized, pointed directly at my throat.
“What did you do to him?”
It was Ludrick. His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at me.
Judging from what I’d observed of Ludrick in the Security Corps, his skill level lay between advanced and high.
Considering he’d appeared in the game as a spear-wielder who defeated the Sword Master, I’d thought him below that standard.
But the aura Ludrick displayed now was high-knight class.
‘He was hiding his strength.’
I snapped my fingers.
This Chapel was sparsely populated.
It was a decent place to educate or evaluate Ludrick.
But that would mean I’d have to carry Milo.
Milo was drenched in sweat and drooling all over himself. The thought of carrying him was repulsive.
I lowered my hand from the Security Staff and spoke.
“He lost consciousness because he used Holy Power excessively. It’s a common symptom when Holy Power first awakens.”
“…Are you certain?”
“I swear it on my younger brother.”
I pointed at Ludrick with my index finger.
Ludrick stared at me quietly.
‘I wonder if I should just beat him up,’ I mused seriously.
Soon Ludrick slowly lowered the Security Staff.
“Why did Milo suddenly use Holy Power?”
“Didn’t you know? Milo’s a believer from birth.”
“What?”
“I’m joking. Make sure to keep an eye on him.”
I gestured toward Milo with my finger, giving the order.
“…Me?”
“My shoulders are already full.”
I tilted my head toward Kuga, and Kuga promptly draped himself across my shoulders at full length.
The quick-witted quokka.
At the sight of Kuga, the chill in Ludrick’s eyes dissipated. Reluctantly, he bit his lip and slung Milo across his own shoulder.
Milo dangled like a wet towel.
“Let’s head back.”
I turned and started walking.
Ludrick followed at a slight distance, his hand never leaving the Security Staff.
A deeply suspicious younger brother, that one.
After walking for some time—
Someone came rushing toward us in haste.
Silver hair that gleamed like melted moonlight, and an annoyingly handsome face—it was Karel, one of the Male Lead candidates. Professor Elena was with him.
Both moved cautiously, scanning their surroundings.
‘The Vice-Principal used a Holy Artifact.’
The Vice-Principal possessed a Holy Artifact for locating demons.
However, it consumed substantial Holy Power to use, so it was rarely deployed.
The fact that such an artifact had been brought out—
The Vice-Principal seemed thoroughly enraged.
Then Karel, spotting us, approached.
“Have you perhaps encountered a demon in this vicinity?”
Karel held high status within the Church and was spoken of as the next generation’s Holy Swordsman.
Students tended to treat Security Corps members with disdain, yet Karel asked with courtesy.
“No, sir.”
I answered before Ludrick could open his mouth.
“Ah, and this person here—”
Karel asked, looking at Ludrick, who was carrying Milo on his shoulder.
I glanced at Ludrick.
If Ludrick spoke carelessly, it might raise suspicion.
But Ludrick, with his characteristic jaded expression, simply ignored Karel.
Professor Elena frowned impatiently, prompting for an answer, but Ludrick remained silent.
Truly, he was hopeless with everyone.
“…Why would you question a Security Corps member? It’s a waste of time. Let’s go.”
Elena spoke coldly, and Karel obliged.
“Yes, understood.”
The two passed by us.
I breathed a small sigh of relief.
Karel and Elena were the Vice-Principal’s closest associates.
Drawing their suspicion wouldn’t be good.
Then—
“Oh, I remember now.”
Karel muttered suddenly and turned back to me. His gray eyes gleamed.
“Weren’t you the Security Corps member who found the missing person in the Forest of Disappearance?”
Karel spoke while looking at me.
“…So that Security Corps member was you.”
Elena’s eyes sharpened.
The atmosphere turned frigid in an instant.
“You—why are you here?”
Elena interrogated me as though conducting a formal inquisition.
It seemed I’d come under suspicion.
“I was on patrol.”
“This area has a Chapel, so it wouldn’t be part of your patrol route.”
“I got lost.”
“…The Security Corps gets lost?”
“Yes, I’m still new. I still confuse the main gate with the rear gate.”
I spoke shamelessly.
The wariness in Elena’s gaze dissolved, replaced by contempt.
“Tch.”
Karel looked at me. His gaze resembled how I looked at Evangeline.
He seemed to think of me as a worthless recruit.
I quickly adopted an expression that Evangeline would make. Karel’s eyes deepened further.
“Tsk.”
Elena clicked her tongue, brushed past me, and Karel followed her with a soft “Hang in there.”
‘Karel and Elena, I see them often.’
I muttered to myself as I watched them recede into the distance.
When the Chasm opened at the Central Library and when it opened in the Forest of Disappearance, both appeared only after everything was resolved.
It wasn’t that they were slow.
In fact, both moved faster than anyone else.
I simply got there first.
No matter how fast you move, you can’t outpace someone who claims the position first.
‘If they strike out empty-handed after deploying a Holy Artifact, the Vice-Principal will be royally furious.’
I offered them a silent condolence.
* * *
“Karel. Focus.”
Karel swallowed hard and nodded. Before him stood a small Chapel.
“Because we’ve missed recent Chasms in a row, the Cardinal is deeply disappointed. I’m not sure why demons appeared suddenly, but this is a good opportunity to make up for our failure.”
“Yes, understood.”
“You take the front entrance. Don’t let it escape under any circumstances.”
“Yes.”
Karel drew his sword as he answered. Pure white light kindled along the blade.
Elena quietly withdrew.
After taking a deep breath, Karel cracked the Chapel door open slightly.
The interior was pitch black. Usually, at least a single candle would be lit even outside service hours, but now there wasn’t even a faint glow.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Karel maintained his tension and pushed the door wider. It swung open fully, and absolute blackness flooded his vision.
Contrary to his readiness, the Chapel was empty.
‘Did it escape through the rear?’
Then Elena entered from the rear door.
“Nothing here.”
“Did it flee?”
Elena didn’t answer, instead examining the Chapel’s interior. She dragged her finger across the underside of a chair. A gray residue clung to her long fingertip.
Elena’s brow furrowed as she smelled it.
“Sulfur smell. Demon ash.”
“Isn’t demon ash only produced when a demon is burned by Holy Power?”
“Correct. When exposed to sufficient Holy Power, a demon ignites and turns to ash. To reduce it so completely, you’d need at least a High Priest.”
“A High Priest, you say?”
“Not just any High Priest. One exceptionally skilled in demon hunting.”
At Elena’s words, Karel swallowed hard.
Most people believe the Church’s greatest enemies are Dark Mages and demons, but that’s ancient history.
The vast majority of Dark Mages have long since scurried into the shadows like vermin, thanks to the Empire.
Currently, the Church’s true adversaries are the Republic and the Empire. Consequently, High Priests primarily deal with nobility, mages, and the Imperial Family.
That is, High Priests rarely go into the field—they’re high-level assets.
But a High Priest who specializes in demon hunting—
Surely not—
“A Templar.”
Elena whispered the word as though uttering a prayer.
‘A Templar—’
Templars obeyed only the Pope’s direct command, moving only in shadow as the Church’s guardians of darkness.
Templars possessed absolute authority to interrogate anyone—so absolute that even a Cardinal could be questioned.
This was why Templars inspired both fear and admiration.
What Karel admired most was the Templars. In fact, Karel’s own father was a Templar.
And now, a Templar had made a move—
‘That’s incredible.’
Karel swallowed the word that had risen to his throat.
“Nothing’s certain yet. Still, we should prepare. Karel, keep watch over the students. A Templar might have infiltrated disguised as one. They’re skilled at disguise. You must suspect everything.”
“Yes.”
Karel nodded, composing his expression.
‘A Templar—who could it be?’
Then Karel recalled the Security Corps member he’d just seen.
That man with the curiously cold presence—
Surely not. Karel let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.
To be selected as a Templar, one needed perfection in every aspect, not just strength.
A Security Corps member being a Templar—
It was absurd.

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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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