Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 13

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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 13
Fortunately, I managed to shake off Raven and arrived at the Dormitory without incident.
Two buildings that resembled the castles of high nobility faced each other across a wall separating them—the male and female dormitories.
Thanks to her male disguise, Andy was able to part ways with Evangeline. Having shed her, Andy beamed like someone freshly released from prison.
From the look of things, Andy had no intention of dropping the disguise. If she did, she’d be stuck with Evangeline in the dormitory too.
“Captain, I think I deserve at least five gold coins a month for this.”
Andy stated her demand with a serious expression.
Five gold coins a month? That was quite an aggressive demand, even for Andy.
But I found it rather welcome.
Andy is a card with a guaranteed future as a Grand Mage. The more I invest, the greater the returns.
Investment had been stalled by petty ambitions, but now Andy herself was making the first move.
‘So Evangeline’s Sealing Power had this sort of effect.’
I nodded readily. Andy’s face went pale.
“Really? Five gold coins a month, you said?”
“Understood.”
“Understood? Five gold coins a month as friendship fees? Maybe I should just cancel—”
“I’ll raise it if you wish.”
Andy let out a long sigh and shook her head.
“That’s enough. What friendship fees are we talking about?”
She hadn’t learned her lesson yet. I chuckled wryly.
“I do have one favor to ask, though.”
“No way! Not today! Do you have any idea how much I suffered today—”
“Not about Evangeline.”
“Oh, then just give me the orders, Captain!”
Andy’s face lit up brightly.
In the original game, Andy caused quite a bit of trouble. It was the combination of her genius talent and her mischievous nature.
“I’d like you to spread a rumor for me.”
“Oh, what kind of rumor?”
Andy’s dull eyes sparkled.
“A rumor about how exceptional the new instructor Leon is. I’d like all the new students to be curious about Leon.”
“How far should the rumor go?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Andy gasped and wiggled her body. It was the reaction of a puppy catching the scent of meat.
“Leave it to me, then.”
Andy’s dull eyes flashed intensely.
It was very reassuring.
After dropping off Andy and Evangeline, we returned to the Main Gate to pick up more new students and shuttled them to the Dormitory.
“Your eyes are quite beautiful.”
“Yours aren’t bad either.”
I glanced sideways into the carriage. I could see a young couple gently holding hands.
They’d just entered the academy, and yet they were already exchanging heated glances. I frowned.
They were strangers to me anyway. It didn’t matter if they dated or not, but when such things accumulated, it created a romantic atmosphere in the academy.
If a romantic atmosphere took root, Evangeline, who was susceptible to peer pressure, might get swept up in it.
So—
“Milo, do you know what the number one reason for expulsion at Elisium Academy is?”
“A brawl?”
“No, romance.”
“Darn, I was close!”
I ignored Milo, who seemed genuinely disappointed, and continued.
“Elisium Academy forbids romance, but many students treat it as just a warning. Get caught, and you’re expelled.”
In reality, actual expulsion was rare. Elisium Academy almost never expelled anyone.
That said, it wasn’t a lie. Romance really was the number one reason for expulsion.
“If you get expelled mid-year, you can’t enter any other academy either. Your entire life essentially ends. To have your life ruined over just romance—it’s pathetic.”
I glanced into the carriage again.
The two who’d been holding hands just moments ago were now sitting far apart. Success.
‘Students should focus on their studies.’
I clicked my tongue and turned my gaze forward.
That’s when Milo asked me seriously.
“So what’s the ranking for brawls?”
Naturally, I dismissed it lightly.
After moving the carriage a few more times, my shift ended.
“Phew, finally off duty—”
Milo stretched and spoke. The corners of his mouth quivered.
“Already?”
“Already? I’ve been at it for six hours.”
Six hours and he’s calling it quits? He had an unnecessarily good work-life balance.
No wonder the academy kept getting breached.
“I want to do more.”
“…You want to do more?”
Milo asked with an exasperated expression.
I nodded lightly. Tomorrow was the Entrance Ceremony. I still had work to handle.
“Scarlet’s going to assign night shifts anyway. She’s the type to torment new recruits with the schedule. Won’t let anyone rest.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“…That’s good?”
“Yeah. What kind of work will there be?”
“What are you, ordering from a menu? It’ll probably be Grand Hall support.”
The Grand Hall was where the Entrance Ceremony was held.
Grand Hall support—that was perfect.
“How about I skip morning shift tomorrow in return?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, if you’re doing night shift, usually you get morning shift off—”
Tomorrow morning was the Entrance Ceremony. The most important event, and I’d have to skip it?
“I’m doing morning shift tomorrow.”
“No way. Why are you being stubborn about getting a break?”
“I’m doing it.”
“Insisting won’t change—”
“I said I’m doing it.”
“You’re crazy. What the hell is wrong with you…”
Milo rubbed his face with his hand.
* * *
Scarlet spoke with a gentle smile.
“You should do night shift too, right? There’s just so much work.”
Scarlet seemed determined to assign night shift to Grave as well. It was her usual hazing routine.
Even those who’d endured Milo’s initiation couldn’t withstand Scarlet’s bullying.
But this time—
“Yes, ma’am.”
Grave nodded readily.
“Well, that’s convenient.”
Scarlet’s smile deepened. She seemed to think Grave was just posturing.
That was natural. Who would be happy about doing morning and night shifts consecutively?
Just then, Grave looked at Milo. His eyes urged him forward.
‘He’s really insane.’
Milo let out a brief groan and opened his mouth.
“Since it’s the Entrance Ceremony tomorrow, shouldn’t we have morning shift as well?”
“Morning shift too—?”
Scarlet’s eyes widened slightly.
“The vice captain won’t just let that slide.”
“Well, what can we do? We really are short on people.”
“That’s true. Hmm, I’ve got to hand it to Milo.”
Scarlet smiled softly. When I glanced away, Grave was giving a thumbs up.
‘This guy’s completely insane.’
Milo’s body trembled slightly.
* * *
The Grand Hall looked like a temple. Massive marble columns stood in a long row, and the spaces between them were filled with more marble.
It was familiar to me.
The Grand Hall was the opening scene of the game and appeared throughout the story.
Security Corps members swarmed around the Grand Hall like ants. Preparations for the Entrance Ceremony were in full swing.
Suddenly, a familiar figure caught my eye. It was Bedrick with his goat beard.
‘At this rate, we’re bound by karma.’
Bedrick twisted the corner of his mouth when he saw me. He still seemed to be holding a grudge.
Truly a narrow-minded fellow.
“Perfect timing. We’re short on hands. Remove Squad 14 from the material transport crew and put these two in.”
“But that would give us too many people—”
“It’s fine. These two are very strong. Right?”
Removing one squad and putting us two in—it was clearly favoritism to get rid of us.
In normal circumstances, Milo would’ve challenged him to a fight right then, but surprisingly, he nodded obediently.
“Tomorrow is the Entrance Ceremony. Don’t slack off and do your job properly. I’ll be checking.”
Bedrick gave his warning and turned away.
“That jerk. He’s using the Inspection Unit to make his play openly.”
Milo gestured with his chin toward the woman next to Bedrick.
It was an expressionless woman in uniform with a blue armband on her shoulder. That must be the Inspection Unit insignia.
“The Inspection Unit?”
“Yeah. If you get on their bad side, you’re done for. That damn Bedrick, bringing the Inspection Unit along. Sneaky bastard.”
Seeing Milo’s reaction, the Inspection Unit seemed to have considerable authority.
“Shit, he’s making us do a ton of work. Like we can move all this.”
Milo scratched his head irritably at the pile of materials.
‘They’re telling us to move all this to the Underground Storage.’
The Entrance Ceremony marks the beginning of Evangeline’s story. Two major problems occur there.
The first is the Republic’s Magic Stone bomb attack targeting the Crown Prince.
They secretly plant a Magic Stone in the Grand Hall and detonate it, hiding it so well that even the Principal, a Grand Mage, couldn’t find it. Or rather, she deliberately overlooked it.
The second problem stems from the first.
‘Evangeline’s disappearance.’
Evangeline vanishes during the Entrance Ceremony.
It wasn’t a kidnapping or assassination. She just got spooked from being surrounded by crowds, and when the explosion went off, she ran away.
The problem was where she ran to—the Central Library.
The Central Library, despite its name, is an extremely dangerous place. It connects to Rifts and contains ‘Forbidden’ areas.
But here’s the thing: preventing Evangeline from going to the Central Library would be the wrong move. She needs to go to the Central Library to become the ‘Librarian.’
So the Republic’s terror attack must succeed.
‘The Magic Stone Bomb was hidden in the Underground Storage.’
Normally, the Underground Storage beneath the Grand Hall is strictly inaccessible. Security Corps members guard it rigorously.
This was the chance to get inside. There was no reason to refuse the task of moving materials. I should be grateful to Bedrick.
I grabbed some materials and followed Milo toward the Underground Storage.
Security Corps members guarded the entrance to the Underground Storage with strict vigilance. They had better morale than other soldiers.
“The lower the squad number, the better the skill. Important areas are managed by squads below number 10. Below squad 10, they’re divided into three groups each.”
“So it’s like the concept of platoons and companies.”
“What’s that?”
“Never mind. But lower squad numbers mean better skill? How many squads does the elite Security Corps have?”
“42 squads.”
“So it’s really a terrible squad.”
“What—”
Anyway, we managed to enter the Underground Storage without issues.
The Underground Storage was quite vast. It extended so far I couldn’t see the end, and with all sorts of supplies piled everywhere, it looked like a maze. You couldn’t see clearly where anyone might be.
But there wasn’t really a problem. I knew the terrorists’ target.
‘The Crown Prince’s seat—’
What we found at that location was a pile of old uniforms tangled together, piled high. A perfect hiding place.
“No slacking off, got it?”
Milo warned in a hushed voice.
“I’m not slacking off. I’m standing guard. The Republic might hide a Magic Stone Bomb in the Underground Storage.”
“What the hell kind of—No, we really need to get going.”
Milo kept urging me on, but I ignored him lightly.
Just before the Entrance Ceremony, many Security Corps members came and went through the Underground Storage. I waited patiently.
After some time, two figures in Security uniforms approached. They were carrying a common Cabinet.
Thud. The two Republic operatives quietly set down the Cabinet. Without even glancing around, they chattered casually about the hard work, then disappeared.
I waited even after they left.
“We really have to go!! Seriously!!”
Milo finally lost patience and shouted. Only then did I get up and head toward the Cabinet.
The Cabinet was stained with grease in places and even had cobwebs, making it something I absolutely didn’t want to touch. It looked completely ordinary on the surface.
I made the sign of the cross. When I brought out the Pure White Light, there was an immediate reaction.
‘A detonation Magic Circle.’
Magic Circles are normally prized for their sophistication and precision, but the one inscribed on this Cabinet was crude and destructive. Truly typical of the Republic.
It felt less like a refined security mechanism and more like a thousand-pound crossbar brutally blocking the way. Designed to be awkward to disarm.
Well, it didn’t matter. I had no intention of disarming it.
The Republic’s terror attack must succeed. That way, Evangeline will panic and flee to the Central Library. Besides, it’s useful for other reasons too.
“We have to go—. This is seriously messed up!!”
“If you move this for me, we can go.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah.”
When I pointed at the Cabinet, Milo immediately moved. Despite its considerable weight, he lifted it easily.
“This way.”
“Why the hell are we moving this piece of junk anyway?”
“This spot is right under the Principal’s seat.”
“…What the hell are you talking about?”
Milo grumbled as he moved the Cabinet.
He probably thought I was joking.
It wasn’t a joke, but I didn’t bother explaining.
It was supposed to be a surprise.

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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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