Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 4

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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 4
Due to the prophecy that a hero would emerge from Elysium Academy, the continent’s eyes were fixed upon the institution.
I had tangled many connections. Regrettably, most of them were ill-fated.
If I became a professor at Elysium Academy, a considerable number of problems would inevitably arise.
That was why I couldn’t teach.
What I chose instead was the security division.
Since the only occupation that wasn’t a professor or student yet could still involve academy affairs was security.
Still, even in the security division, I needed a thread connecting me to the students.
Leon was that thread.
“Pardon? Don’t hire a Teaching Assistant?”
Leon asked back incredulously. I nodded lightly.
“A Teaching Assistant is the empire’s last remaining legal slave. You’re telling me not to hire one—a professor’s hands and feet? What do you mean by that?”
Leon resisted slightly. That was how important a Teaching Assistant was to a professor.
Originally, in the game there was one professor character with intense paranoia. The professor refused to hire an assistant, claiming they’d steal their research.
Because of that, Elysium Academy assigned a security officer to the professor.
‘If a professor can’t find a Teaching Assistant, a security officer is automatically assigned.’
That was why I told Leon not to hire one.
Of course, I could explain all these detailed circumstances and swear him to secrecy, but…
“Do you need an explanation?”
Leon’s face went pale in an instant. He shook his head urgently.
“No, sir! I understand!!”
At that moment, the train began to slow down. Outside the window, splendid buildings came into view.
The capital.
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
I gathered my luggage and stood from my seat.
“Next…?”
Leaving Leon’s anxious voice behind.
* * *
The imperial capital was extremely dazzling. Medieval Gothic buildings decorated with magical artifacts created a sense of medieval and modern sensibilities blended in perfect proportion.
I immediately headed for Magic Tower Street, where the magic towers clustered together.
In this world, magic towers weren’t so much ivory towers of knowledge as commercial enterprises.
It was because of the nature of magic. Just as knights needed swords, mages needed Magic Stones to cast magic.
The problem was that Magic Stones were astronomically expensive. Mages required substantial wealth.
That was why the magic towers bore names like the “Arcana Group” and “Lumen Corporation”—like multi-level marketing companies.
Upon entering Magic Tower Street, the first thing that came into view were massive buildings.
They were the major magic tower corporations among the towers. True to their corporate designation, the buildings were all extravagant.
What stood out most were the Twin Magic Towers standing side by side.
‘They’re doing well.’
I nodded with satisfaction.
Due to an error that occurred when I maxed out all my stats to S, I possessed this body twelve years before the game’s introduction.
Though I arrived twelve years early, since the game genre was an academy story, there wasn’t much useful information to glean.
Still, there were a few things worth salvaging, and those Twin Magic Towers were one of them.
The Twin Magic Towers are a fledgling tower that grows catastrophically in the game.
In other words, a startup company destined to become a major corporation.
I invested a considerable amount of money in the Twin Magic Towers’ early stages.
However, that wasn’t my destination today.
I passed the Twin Magic Towers and ventured deeper.
Then buildings of questionable height to be called towers appeared. Mid-sized magic towers.
In front of the mid-sized towers, robed figures were hawking to passersby.
“Hair-thickening miracle potion! It really works!”
“Magius Holdings guarantees fair settlement! We absolutely won’t skip town!”
I went deeper inside. Then a street resembling a shantytown appeared.
My steps came to a halt at the end of the shantytown.
It was a house that looked ready to collapse at any moment. Yet it had a sign, and on it was written confidently in elegant letters: “Constella Magic Tower.”
‘Found it.’
The reason I remembered Constella Magic Tower was simple: the youngest Archmage, Andy, was here.
‘The setting said she was dirt poor, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.’
I clicked my tongue at the sight of the dilapidated shack barely holding together.
Still, it was good news for me. A chance to buy at the bottom.
A mage’s growth rate varies depending on investment capital. Andy was a prodigy who became an Archmage despite lacking proper investment.
What if I poured investment into Andy?
‘Andy is a must-buy.’
It sounds odd to say “purchasing a mage,” but it was commonplace in this world. The Magic Tower Guild even sells standard mage employment contracts.
Since the contract was the Guild’s greatest revenue source, its management was extremely rigorous.
I pushed at the door. Or tried to. The door just fell apart before I could.
Bang—the door fell with a heavy sound.
The shabby interior of the tower came into view.
Among magical artifacts that appeared to have been salvaged from somewhere, there was a white-haired old man and a small boy.
Both stared at me in bewilderment.
“Oh, you were supposed to pull it?”
They exchanged glances. Then the boy wailed and cried out.
“Ahhhhh! Mother’s precious legacy!”
“No! What are you doing!! Do you know how precious this door is!”
Andy sobbed with abandon, and the old man burst out loudly right after. It wasn’t an act performed just once or twice.
“A special premium door that Mother herself brought back across the sea from Shern Island! Ahhhhh!!”
“You’ve destroyed our tower’s treasure!! What will happen now!! My life wouldn’t suffice to repay it!!”
“We can settle for about fifty silver coins—”
An unconvincing performance continued. I raised my hand lightly.
“You’re Andy, right?”
“Yes, I am. But who are you?”
“I’d like to sign an Exclusive Employment Contract.”
“…An Exclusive Employment Contract?”
“No!! Our tower’s treasure—!”
“Grandfather, I think this is a customer?”
“What madman would come to our tower! He’s definitely a con artist!”
“Either way, there’s nothing for us to be conned out of.”
“That’s…true.”
“Let’s hear them out. Oh my, sir! Please come this way!!”
Andy politely offered a chair. Rather than sitting, I spoke.
“I want to sign an Exclusive Employment Contract.”
“Well, I’m rather expensive. How much were you thinking?”
“How much do you need?”
When I turned the question back, Andy’s eyes trembled roughly.
After exchanging glances with the old man, Andy thrust five fingers forward emphatically.
“Five Gold Coins!”
…Five Gold Coins?
Of course, it wasn’t a small sum. On average, it was enough for a common person to live for about four months. In Earth terms, roughly ten million won.
However, mages were extremely expensive. Especially skilled ones were even costlier.
A talent destined to become an Archmage for merely five Gold Coins—
I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Misinterpreting my reaction, Andy hastily added.
“Even if it doesn’t look like it, I’m worth that much! I even passed Elysium Academy’s entrance exam! If that’s still not enough… four coins? No! Three! I can’t go lower!! It’s a steal!”
Andy’s fingers folded away one by one rapidly.
Of course, I came intending to buy at the bottom, but that didn’t mean I planned to lowball.
This was purely an investment.
I held up one finger.
“One? Even so, one coin for an Exclusive Employment Contract—”
“No, a hundred.”
“A hundred silver coins? No way! Even so! That’s not it! At minimum, five hundred—”
“Gold coins.”
“…Huh?”
I turned my pockets inside out.
Gold coins poured out in a cascade. With a clear ringing sound, a small golden hill formed.
Andy’s mouth fell open in shock.
Suddenly, Andy’s eyes grew serious.
“You’re not secretly into young boys, are you—?”
Andy asked carefully.
At the sudden remark, I narrowed my eyes.
“What nonsense is this?”
“Well, it’s more realistic to think you’re a perverted nobleman with designs on beautiful youths than someone investing a hundred Gold Coins in me. The term ‘Exclusive Employment’ also sounds strange—”
“Just prepare the contract.”
I produced the Magic Tower Guild’s standard contract form.
Andy examined the contract with a serious expression, then let out a sharp cry.
“You want me to spend a hundred Gold Coins all within half a semester?”
“Yes, that’s the condition.”
Andy was a guaranteed winning lottery ticket. There was no need to be frugal with money. Rather, I needed to push her to accelerate her growth by throwing money at her.
The problem was Andy’s spending habits. Andy’s timid aspirations were a disadvantage for a mage. She needed to be forced to spend.
“Once you spend all hundred Gold Coins, I’ll invest two hundred more in half a year.”
“You’re insane.”
Andy muttered a crude curse awkwardly. Her face had turned pale white.
“Why are you doing this to me anyway?”
Andy looked at me with a frightened expression and questioned. I simply gazed into those transparent eyes.
I had much to say.
Soon hell would descend upon the mortal realm, and foreign gods would incinerate and tear apart the continent. To stop that, it wouldn’t be enough to pour gold into you, a guaranteed Archmage— such things.
But explaining it all would be far too long and tedious.
So—
“Take it or leave it.”
I pulled the contract back slightly. Andy grabbed it urgently.
The old man, who had remained quiet all along, called out to Andy.
“Andy, don’t take an Exclusive Employment Contract lightly. It’s a leash for life—”
“Huh? Grandfather, what?”
Andy had already signed.
The old man stared at me with narrowed eyes. A chilling sensation tickled my neck.
I drummed my fingers against the hilt of my sword.
Just then, Andy’s expression became playful.
“You’re really not into young boys, right? I need to… prepare myself mentally—”
Frustration welled up at the continued talk of pederasty.
But I wasn’t even male, so why keep bringing it up—
However, if I said it out loud, the old man might act, so I feigned ignorance and replied.
“Say that one more time and I’ll cancel the contract.”
“A joke! It was a joke! Hahahaha! A joke! Please! Please! I’m sorry! Grandfather, apologize too!”
Andy dropped to her knees and clung to me. At Andy’s request, the old man knelt as well.
It was quite accomplished acting.
I collected the contract with satisfaction.
I had purchased the youngest and most vibrant Archmage among all Archmages.
For merely a hundred Gold Coins.
An absolute bargain.
“Get ready. I have somewhere to go for a moment.”
“Yes? Where are we going?”
“I want to introduce you to a friend.”
A friend?
Andy tilted her head, then gave an awkward salute.
“I’ll get ready right away! Boss! At your service!!”
* * *
‘Grave?’
The old man muttered the name written on the contract.
He appeared out of nowhere and invested a hundred Gold Coins in Andy. Andy’s talent hadn’t been revealed yet—
‘Does he know my identity?’
No, if the old man’s identity was known, there’s no way he could be so brazen. Moreover, if even a hint of the old man’s identity had leaked, the corporate types would’ve come storming in first.
“I’m rich! Filthy rich! Grandfather! Lower the shutter! We’re closing shop today! We’re having special meat bread tonight!”
Andy’s laughter broke through his thoughts.
The old man gazed at Andy with serious eyes.
“Andy, never release your Transformation Magic.”
“Got it. Phew— right, beauty is a burden, they say.”
“If you don’t fence in a flower, insects will swarm it. Be careful, and careful again.”
“Yes, I’ll remember. Sigh, really. Why did Mother have to give me such useless beauty and be so troublesome about it?”
Andy complained seriously. The old man smiled gently and patted her head.
“There’s nothing to be done. Your mother was just so beautiful.”
At the old man’s words, Andy giggled with delight.
“But what kind of person is he? What kind of important person throws around a hundred Gold Coins like that—?”
“I couldn’t say.”
“Could he be a high nobleman? He had a refined air about him.”
“Unlikely to be nobility.”
“Why?”
Because there’s a scent of blood.
Thick, as if dyed deep—
The old man swallowed the words deliberately.
“Ha! Did you think I couldn’t spend a hundred Gold Coins! You underestimated me! Starting today, I’ll eat three meat breads each! Two cakes for dessert! Hehehehe—”
Andy shook the purse of gold coins and laughed ominously.
‘Perhaps I raised her too frugally—’
The old man began to worry about Andy in a different sense.

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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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