Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 117

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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 117
‘Past exam problems.’
I muttered while swinging my legs.
Evangeline was truly a troublesome grade to handle.
Stubborn as a brick, yet inexplicably keen on justice—if I told her these were past exam problems, she’d confess immediately.
I had to teach her without letting her realize they were past exam problems.
It wasn’t that difficult.
Just then, Evangeline appeared.
“How sneaky!”
Evangeline flinched at the stack of chocolate bread piled on the table.
“Sit down.”
Evangeline glanced between me and the chocolate bread, then shook her head.
“I refuse!”
Evangeline refused the chocolate bread? The supplementary class must have worn her out today.
Still, I’d expected this.
I pulled out a small card.
When Evangeline saw the card with its large bread illustration, she swayed dramatically.
“That’s! That’s a Campus Cafe Membership Card!!”
“Exactly. With this, you can eat chocolate bread as much as you want. Monthly billing required, though.”
I placed the card on the table. Evangeline moved to sit as if enchanted, then stopped short.
She squeezed her eyes shut and stood up again.
“N-no! I still refuse!”
Evangeline actually refused the cafe membership card.
This made no sense—
“Even so, it’s the thought that counts, so I’ll take it? You’re not going to take it back just because I rejected your confession, are you?”
“……Confession?”
“Why are you acting shy? I’m Queen Evangeline! Of course people would be drawn to me!”
Only then did I understand the situation.
For some reason, Evangeline had misunderstood—she thought I was confessing to her.
Evangeline’s habit of jumping to conclusions and preemptively rejecting things was common in the game.
It was a defense mechanism she possessed.
But if I let the misunderstanding stand, Evangeline might bolt entirely.
I needed to set the record straight.
“Evangeline, I would never like you.”
Evangeline wavered. Then she removed her glasses and pointed at her own face.
“How can you not like this face?”
Pointing at her own face as she asked how anyone could dislike it.
Her words were absurd, but absurdity was justified by her absurdly perfect looks.
This too was a defense mechanism.
I spoke firmly.
“I prefer older women.”
Evangeline’s eyes trembled greatly.
“Then why did you call me here? Stacking all this chocolate bread—”
“So you’d study.”
“……Study? I had supplementary class today!?”
“Evangeline.”
Evangeline swallowed hard.
I looked at her and spoke decisively.
“You’re stupid.”
“……?”
Evangeline’s blue eyes trembled violently.
“You’re stupid.”
“D-don’t say it twice! I heard you!”
“You need to study twice as hard as others just to keep up.”
“That’s so rude! I’m not that stupid! I just don’t put in the effort!”
“No, you’re stupid.”
I spoke decisively again. Evangeline looked startled.
“Stop saying I’m stupid! So you called me here to make me study?”
“Right. It’s exam season.”
“You devil!!”
Contrary to her words, relief flooded Evangeline’s face.
“I studied a lot today! I even attended the supplementary lecture!”
“You need to study more.”
I placed the card on the table again. Evangeline swallowed hard.
“There’s—there’s too much chocolate bread to refuse!”
“Speaking your thoughts aloud, are we.”
Evangeline squeezed her eyes shut and sat down.
“Let’s start with Aura.”
“Aura! I’m confident with Aura!”
“What’s the most important element that makes up an Aura?”
“The answer! A and Aura?”
“Breathing.”
“Oh! I knew that!”
Evangeline cried out in genuine disappointment.
“Evangeline, you’re stupid.”
“Stop emphasizing it!”
“Breathing is the foundation of a Knight. You accumulate Aura internally through breathing.”
“I know! Breathe in! Out! Breathe! Out!”
“That’s excessive.”
I explained the problems from the past exam problems collection to Evangeline in as much detail as possible.
Each time Evangeline answered a problem correctly, I threw her a piece of chocolate bread. She caught and ate it quickly, then burst out indignantly moments later.
“Why are you throwing it! I’m not a dog!”
“A dog would be better.”
“What!? Stop! My head hurts! Break time! Rest! Aura!”
Evangeline raised her hands urgently and shouted.
I wasn’t sure why she added “Aura” at the end, but I nodded lightly.
“Take a short break.”
Evangeline collapsed onto the table.
She looked up at me, breathing heavily like a puppy that had gone for a walk.
“This is exhausting.”
“……So you really don’t like me?”
“Absolutely. Never. Not at all.”
Evangeline’s hair rustled slightly.
“Then—why do you look out for me?”
“Do I look out for you?”
“Of course! You rescued me every time, and now you’re making me study— Why do you do that?”
“So you noticed!”
“Why are you surprised! What do you think I am—”
“Evangeline?”
“……Sounds like an insult, honestly?”
Evangeline narrowed her eyes warily.
If I left it like this, she’d definitely misunderstand again—thinking I cared for her or some such nonsense.
I needed to give her a reasonable excuse to avoid complications.
Suddenly, a conversation between Rocksvale and Evangeline from the game came to mind.
Back then, Evangeline had also asked him.
Why he looked out for her.
And Rocksvale had answered like this—
— You remind me of my younger brother.
‘That line could lower her favorability.’
In the actual game, that line from Rocksvale kept Evangeline’s distance unchanged and caused them to circle each other for quite a while.
Eventually, when Rocksvale took the first step, the distance closed more rapidly, but I had no intention of doing so, so it worked fine.
“You remind me of my younger brother.”
Besides, it wasn’t a lie.
It was from before the possession, so my memory of it was hazy now.
“That’s why I’m concerned.”
I spoke to Evangeline firmly.
The corners of Evangeline’s mouth dropped slightly.
“Your brother must have been incredibly beautiful.”
“He was male.”
“Then incredibly handsome?”
“Stop wasting time and focus.”
“We barely rested!”
Evangeline cried out urgently.
“Evangeline. You’re—”
“I know! I know!”
Evangeline raised both hands in surrender.
I continued without pause.
“Stupid.”
“Ugh, really!”
Evangeline burst out indignantly.
I pressed my lips together.
Evangeline’s tutoring session ended without incident.
Using chocolate bread and Korea’s notorious rote-learning education methods, the results finally began showing with Evangeline too.
‘At this rate, she’ll avoid failing the exam.’
I’d also covered the material that posed a threat to the midterm exam, and finished negotiations with Evelyn.
Now what remained—
‘The Trap Rift.’
Time continued to flow steadily.
* * *
I stood at the continent’s center, drenched in blood and flesh.
In my hand was a Black Aura that transcended ominousness—an unmistakable harbinger of destruction.
‘Another nightmare.’
The nightmare I had every day lately—the Headmaster running amok, destroying the continent.
This nightmare was quite unsettling, but it helped considerably because I could use the Black Aura.
I gazed quietly at the Black Aura. It climbed up the handle as if trying to devour me.
A truly arrogant Aura.
‘An Aura that consumes vitality.’
What a fascinating Aura this was.
I marveled at the Black Aura, then focused my mind.
In this nightmare, I was completely consumed by a Fragment of Foreign God and running amok.
The Black Aura was also expanded beyond its limits.
Moving the Black Aura was out of the question; I was doing well just not being devoured by it.
After concentrating for a while, the Black Aura began moving slightly now.
It was thanks to having this nightmare so many times.
After concentrating for who knows how long, the front suddenly grew loud.
‘It’s starting.’
I raised my head and saw familiar faces rushing toward me.
The nightmare had begun.
Acquaintances appeared, and I dealt with them all with my own hands.
What was strange was that the person leading changed each day.
Yesterday it was Andy.
Today it was—
‘Evangeline.’
The Black Aura suddenly felt much lighter.
* * *
I opened my eyes at the rustling sound.
I saw Milo carefully unclenching his fists.
Milo struck his own head and chest with his fists—it looked like he was cursing, but it was his own version of a prayer.
I moved the moment Milo charged toward me.
I gave him Aura Tempering as usual.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!!”
I brushed off my hands while looking at Milo, who was belly-up.
It had been quite a while since I started doing Aura Tempering every morning. Despite the considerable amount of Aura I’d let him absorb, Milo still had Aura left that he couldn’t absorb.
That alone was impressive, but what was even more remarkable—
‘His body is getting steadily tougher.’
Now my own fists actually smarted against him.
On the Front Lines, I’d given many creatures Aura Tempering, but few had physiques that hardened as quickly as Milo’s.
‘Speaking of which, how are the Front Lines?’
Suddenly I felt a twinge of concern.
The 444th Division I’d been with was truly a place where only madmen gathered. No matter how much Cassandra made excuses, by now the soldiers of the 444th Division would have noticed something was off—
‘Well, Cassandra will handle it.’
More pressing was the snake-eyed one I’d met at the end of that Chasm in the Holy Empire last time.
It meant the Front Lines had started showing interest in Chasms.
‘Not that it concerns me much.’
Originally, catching those bastards was my main duty on the Front Lines. If we crossed paths, I’d just do my old job and move on.
“Woof! Woof!”
“You can stop barking now.”
“Yes! Thank you so much, Hyung!”
Milo cried out spiritedly. His face was filled not with complaint but with satisfaction.
“I feel myself getting stronger every day lately.”
Milo said, looking down at his own fists. The Aura flickering across them mixed with pure white light and looked quite solid.
Because the accumulated Aura inside Milo was substantial, the effects of Aura Tempering showed very clearly.
Of course, I didn’t bother explaining such things.
“Is there anything more intense?”
Milo grinned and asked. He was already showing off again after getting a bit more confident. The bastard really was unmatched in sheer audacity.
“There is.”
“Haha, at this level—. ……Huh?”
“This is a good time to increase the intensity anyway.”
“C-can you increase the intensity here?”
“Of course.”
I pulled out the Security Staff. When Milo saw it covered in blue Aura, his eyes trembled violently.
“Come to think of it, this might already be enough. There’s that saying—stick to the basics.”
“Right, let’s stick to them by getting hit.”
“Wait, come to think of it, the Squad Leader told me to pass something along!”
Milo hurriedly pulled out something.
A small, neatly wrapped box—like a man giving jewelry to his lover.
I clicked my tongue and opened the box.
Inside the box was a red button.
‘A detonator.’
It seemed to be the Mana Stone Bomb Detonator that Evelyn had said she’d give me.
I was impressed by how honestly designed its exterior was.
“Ooh, what is it? It really looks like pressing it would be tempting?”
Milo asked, raising his eyebrows. His eyes were fixed on the detonator.
“I’ll let you press it later.”
“Oh, really? Thank you!”
Milo grinned happily.
“But what kind of button is it?”
“It’s no fun if you know in advance.”
“W-well, that makes me uneasy?”
“It’ll be quite thrilling.”
“……Thrilling?”
Milo’s expression grew very anxious.

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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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