Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 116

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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 116
‘Detonate a Marble Bomb at the Back Gate, summon the Vagrants.’
Then the exam would be delayed, and I would slip into the Examination Hall during the chaos to consume the Chasm.
The basic framework of the plan was complete.
There was just one remaining problem.
‘Summoning the Vagrants.’
The Vagrants were dangerous enough to have made it onto the Empire’s Ten Most Wanted.
It was similar to how creatures like Volcan prowled in packs.
I couldn’t level the Back Gate with a Marble Bomb, but I could still damage it.
If the Vagrants poured through that opening, things would become extremely dangerous.
I needed some countermeasure to prevent the Vagrants from crossing even if the Back Gate shook.
‘If the Back Gate collapses, the Director will move—.’
The problem was that the Director wasn’t the type to intervene actively.
The Director’s interest was strictly limited to magic. Everything else held no concern for him. Even if Vagrants poured through the Back Gate and slaughtered students, the Director would simply watch. I was certain of it.
The game proved as much.
The Director was useless.
So who then—.
‘Ah, the Vice Principal would do.’
Right now, the Vice Principal was furious with me for repeatedly stealing Chasms from him.
Furious enough to gather all the professors and expose himself directly to root out the culprit.
On top of that, he’d lost a Sacred Object and even a demon to me.
He would be seething with rage.
In this situation, if a Marble Bomb detonated at the Back Gate, the Vice Principal would have no choice but to act.
‘Clean.’
I nodded to myself with satisfaction.
The plan was flawlessly locked in.
Now all that remained—.
‘Evangeline’s studies.’
What I needed wasn’t first place in the rankings. Just avoiding failure would suffice—no expulsion.
I’d currently paired her with the Twin Witches and Dracoff.
They were the sort of instructors who would make failure impossible even if one tried.
But my opponent was Evangeline.
I couldn’t let my guard down for a moment.
“Hey, Raven.”
Caw.
The raven answered quickly.
Raven was part of Crescent Moon, one of the Empire’s Ten Most Wanted.
And the information network of the Crescent Moon assassination syndicate was unrivaled on the continent.
So—.
“Give me the Past Exam Problem Collection for this semester.”
……Caw?
The raven’s cry sounded strangely flustered.
In the game, Raven’s grades placed within the top five of the academy.
Particularly on written exams, they always achieved perfect marks.
Of course, an assassin dealing with information would have good memory, but perfect scores in all written exams were only possible for the Crown Prince and Killian, the Magic Tower Coalition successor.
How did Raven, clearly one tier below those two, consistently achieve perfect marks on written exams?
‘They must have compiled a Past Exam Problem Collection using Crescent Moon’s intelligence network.’
Raven was more cunning than even a Dark Mage.
Of course they wouldn’t hesitate at cheating—they’d probably take pride in it. That’s what assassins are. Past Exam Problem Collections go without saying.
“Are you going to make me repeat myself?”
Caw!
The raven cried urgently.
Soon a shadow stretched before me, and Raven burst into view.
Their Concealment Art was top-tier.
“I personally compiled this. If it leaks, it won’t end with simple disciplinary action.”
Raven thrust forward a thick booklet with a solemn warning.
“Understood.”
I had no intention of leaking it anyway.
Evangeline was too foolishly righteous for that.
If I gave Evangeline the past exam problems, she’d sprint straight to the Disciplinary Office and report it without hesitation.
‘Tch.’
I quickly reviewed the Past Exam Problem Collection.
Making full use of Crescent Moon’s information network, the collection was exceptionally thorough.
Each professor’s tendencies, their previous publications, even the assistants’ inclinations—everything was documented, complete with the probability of each question appearing.
‘Quite competent.’
The problems were actually denser than what professors would typically compile.
Since these were first-year problems, memorization wasn’t particularly difficult.
A single read-through was sufficient.
I gripped the finished booklet and conjured mana.
Intense heat engulfed the pages.
The booklet crumbled to dust and scattered away.
“……Why would you—!”
Raven’s eyes widened—a fairly dramatic expression for an assassin.
I brushed the dust from my hands and spoke.
“Compiling past exam problems from external information violates the taboo.”
If they’d been written from material one studied directly, it would be different.
But compiling past exam problems from externally gathered information violated Elysium Academy’s taboo of ‘Just Examination.’
Once was manageable, but violating it repeatedly could become quite dangerous.
Raven would know this too. They’d simply overlooked it.
However, the ‘Just Examination’ taboo accumulates quickly.
The solution was simple.
“Next time, write it on a Wooden Slate.”
“You mean next time as in—.”
“Every exam. All subjects. Every single one.”
Raven looked up at me. A faint, lethal glint flickered in their eyes.
They seemed thoroughly enraged.
An excellent development.
For an assassin, killing intent is the ultimate motivation.
“Will you use an Assassination Coupon now?”
“No, I won’t—.”
Raven suppressed their killing intent. Even in this situation, they could restrain themselves—truly a remarkable individual.
Of course, Raven had no choice.
“Use it.”
At my command, Raven stared at me. Their eyes seemed to scream a rather colorful curse.
Raven quietly withdrew.
Soon their presence faded entirely.
Now I couldn’t even hear their heartbeat.
‘They’ve grown stronger than before.’
Their skills were advancing rapidly while tailing me.
I waved the Security Staff and spoke.
“Hey, Raven.”
I’d always called Raven “Hey, Raven.”
Even the most skilled assassin had no choice but to respond.
Soon Raven’s breathing escaped, just barely.
It was so faint it would be inaudible to anyone else, but to me it was like thunder.
“Oh, there you are.”
I turned my head toward the direction of the breath.
A crimson line materialized from the darkness. It was Raven.
Rather than protesting about cowardice, Raven kicked off the ground and launched forward.
‘Fast judgment.’
An explosive Aura bloomed from Raven’s Short Dagger.
This was the technique they’d shown before—the Dark Magic Rampage Technique adapted to strengthen their Aura.
Last time there were rough edges, but now it seemed fully mastered.
Not much time had passed, yet they’d already perfected the application of the technique. Remarkable growth.
‘Is this the difference of being a Male Lead Candidate?’
Still, they were just a fledgling.
I thrust the Security Staff deep.
The timing and positioning were so perfect that Raven ended up bringing their head toward the staff.
The Security Staff struck Raven’s head.
Raven toppled over unconscious.
‘Excellent.’
I looked down at the fallen Raven and nodded with satisfaction.
In the game, Raven was the lowest-ranked among Male Lead Candidates, but they were still one.
Eventually, they’d become a King of Assassins.
But Raven specialized in assassination. It was particularly hard for them to stand out early on.
The reason Raven was already growing this quickly was obvious.
‘It’s because of me.’
I held Raven’s leash.
If only I died, Raven would see freedom—their lifelong aspiration—within reach.
The ultimate motivation.
That’s why Raven would constantly seek an opening in me.
You could tell from how they always answered immediately, no matter when I called.
So Raven had done assassination training with full effort every single moment since entering my service.
Explosive growth in ability was inevitable.
‘At this rate, they’d rank among the upper Male Lead Candidates now.’
This was quite an interesting development.
Truth be told, I didn’t need to develop the Male Leads myself.
Those fools would grow steadily even if left alone.
If I meddled unnecessarily, they might become entangled with Evangeline, which could create complications.
I’d decided it was best to leave the Male Leads untouched.
But—.
‘This changes things slightly.’
Raven was bound to me through their Slave Status. The Crown Prince had lost his head to competitive spite against me.
Both had drastically reduced chances of becoming entangled with Evangeline, while simultaneously growing stronger rapidly.
Male Leads undergo Corruption through entanglement with Evangeline.
As long as they don’t become entangled with her, they’re competent individuals each.
If I gave the remaining Male Leads similar motivation as I had with Raven and the Crown Prince—.
‘Not a bad idea.’
The problem was that the motivation wouldn’t be positive, but that was something I could easily accept.
“Mm.”
Raven exhaled and regained consciousness.
I spoke to Raven flatly.
“An assassin is most threatening before revealing themselves. Your vital energy burst timing was microscopically too fast. Refine the precision.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Raven smiled and bowed. True to an assassin’s nature, they wore their mask well.
Raven didn’t seem aware of how rapidly their skills had improved. They were too fixated on me.
When compared to me, it’s impossible to feel one’s own growth.
If anything, they’d feel more inadequate.
I saw no point in explaining it crudely.
“Tell Evangeline to come to the Cafeteria.”
Caw—.
Raven withdrew quietly.
‘So they were making the raven sounds with their voice.’
I clicked my tongue and dusted off my hands.
For now, what mattered was Evangeline’s exam.
‘Forced night study sessions.’
I walked forward, recalling the past exam problems.
* * *
‘How did it come to this?’
Andy muttered inwardly while looking straight ahead.
There sat Vivian.
Vivian was called the shame of the Imperial Family, but she was still Imperial Family nonetheless.
The Imperial Family was the noblest bloodline on the continent. Even those haughty nobles bowed their heads to them.
Yet there existed a lunatic placing a hand on that Imperial Family member’s shoulder.
Of course, it was Evangeline.
“Friend, want to go grab some chocolate bread?”
“H-how many would you buy me?”
Why did Vivian keep nodding along as if she understood—.
Andy sighed and stepped forward.
“Evangeline! Don’t shake friends down for money!”
“I was going to buy it myself!”
“You’re broke!”
“How’d you know!”
At Evangeline’s startled response, Andy let out another sigh.
Evangeline was always looking after the often-lonely Vivian. Her heart was good, but—.
“Hey, friend. Lend me some money. I’ll treat you to chocolate bread.”
“Very well.”
“No! That’s shaking her down! Vivian! Why are you giving her money!”
“D-didn’t she ask for it?”
“No, I’m borrowing it.”
Caw.
At that moment, a letter addressed to “Evangeline” slid under the door.
Evangeline opened it and tilted her head as she spoke.
“Huh? Grave wants me to come to the Cafeteria?”
Then Evangeline immediately threw her hair back and grinned.
“Oh! A date invitation! Man! The popularity! For real!”
Her thick Glasses slipped down as her face was revealed.
It was beautiful enough that even Andy, despite being the same gender, felt her heart skip.
The thought crossed her mind that such ridiculous confidence was only natural.
But her opponent was Grave.
‘The Boss asking Evangeline on a date?’
That couldn’t be it.
More likely—.
“Isn’t he just calling you to study?”
“No way! We just studied! He wouldn’t be that harsh!”
Andy couldn’t bring herself to nod.
“Hah! Well, having so much popularity is exhausting! I’ll turn him down quick and come back!”
Evangeline strutted out proudly.
Andy couldn’t bring herself to stop her.

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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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