Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 43

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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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Chapter 43
The world I possessed Yeon Jol into was a game where crises erupted without end.
To such a degree that the villains felt more familiar than the supporting characters.
Among the countless villains, a few left an indelible impression.
An impressive villain meant, in no uncertain terms, one that was dangerous and lethal.
Evelyn, a Republic executive, was one of them.
Evelyn was a thoroughly vexing villain.
Her timing for appearing in each playthrough varied. But if I reacted even slightly late, she would turn all of Elysium Academy into a sea of flames.
The larger problem was that she belonged to the Republic.
The Republic are the sorts whose brains have melted in conviction. They think nothing of sacrificing their own lives. There’s even a saying you shouldn’t piss in the direction of the Republic.
Worse, the Republic’s people had tough lives. In the game’s story, even if the Empire collapses, it’s the Republic that survives.
Once marked by the Republic, I’d suffer through that entire playthrough without respite.
It would have been easier to become an enemy of the Empire instead.
Even if I managed to dispose of Evelyn in secret, it would be a problem. The Republic never abandons their objectives.
If Evelyn disappeared, the Republic would simply fill her position with someone even more dangerous.
Evelyn is like a wasp nest. Touch it and the angry swarm will burst out—yet you can’t dispose of it either. A troublesome nest indeed.
Keeping distance was the best policy.
However, acting so passively wouldn’t allow me to clear this game.
That’s why I chose to clash with Evelyn.
‘Evelyn, Republic executive.’
I fixed my gaze on Evelyn across from me.
Evelyn was a woman who evoked the image of fire. Her sharp, crimson bob cut resembled flames, but above all, those scarlet eyes gleamed like fire fed by oil.
What was peculiar was her clothing. Evelyn wrapped herself completely, even winding cloth around her neck. Only her hands and face were exposed.
It was the complete opposite of Scarlet, who walked around in a Security Guard Corps uniform with her belly fully exposed.
Just then, Evelyn produced a wine barrel and a cup from somewhere.
It was a remarkably enormous barrel—impossible to believe she’d been hiding something so large.
The moment Evelyn opened the barrel, a reek so potent rose up that my head spun.
Evelyn lifted the massive barrel with one hand and poured the liquid into a large bowl—the kind meant for stew. Not a single drop spilled.
Once the bowl was full, Evelyn brought it to her lips.
Gulp, gulp. One shot.
Casually, Evelyn refilled the bowl and offered it to me.
“Might you have another bowl? I do prefer to drink more… elegantly.”
“Elegantly? Will you spit some out for me?”
“No.”
I accepted the bowl and shook it slightly.
The harsh smell assaulted my nostrils. Could this even be called alcohol? At this potency, it’s just pure ethanol.
I clucked my tongue shortly and brought the bowl to my lips.
As soon as I swallowed a mouthful, my esophagus felt like it was burning. I didn’t stop and drained the bowl. As if I’d swallowed fire, my organs burned hot.
I raised the empty bowl above my head and shook it.
“What’s that?”
“It means I’ve finished it.”
“Amusing.”
Evelyn took the bowl, refilled it with liquor, and emptied it in one gulp. Then she refilled it immediately and offered it to me again.
‘Is she planning to drink me to death?’
I eyed the bowl and squinted.
“If you can’t handle it, resign from the Security Guard Corps.”
Evelyn spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
Coercing me to drink and then saying I should quit if I can’t—
‘For a Republic executive, she’s quite civilized.’
Compared to Milo, who swung his fists first, or Scarlet, who laced her drinks with poison, she was absolutely gentlemanly.
I took the bowl and downed it. The burning heat rushed down my esophagus as if I’d swallowed fire.
I offered the empty cup back to Evelyn and spoke.
“If you can’t handle it, you’re welcome to say so.”
Evelyn’s lips twisted. It was a sneer.
“That won’t happen.”
She seemed overflowing with confidence in her drinking ability.
It was a good opportunity.
“Care to make a wager?”
“A wager?”
At the mention of a wager, Evelyn’s eyes lit up.
“Yes. Whoever gives up or collapses first loses. If I lose, I’ll resign from the Security Guard Corps.”
“Ho.”
“And if I win—”
Evelyn’s scarlet eyes turned toward me.
I met those red eyes directly as I added:
“Let’s be friends.”
Her red eyes curved upward.
It wasn’t a smile. It was the snarl of a predator, its lips curling before it closed its jaws around its prey’s throat.
In the Republic, “friend” carried a different meaning than the common usage.
The Republic, which championed universal equality, held the highest regard for relationships bound solely by righteousness rather than blood—friendship.
True to her role as a Republic executive, Evelyn didn’t answer readily.
So I added lightly:
“Are you scared?”
Evelyn let out a faint sigh.
“Fine.”
Evelyn accepted the wager without hesitation.
She seemed brimming with confidence in her drinking ability.
But there was one thing Evelyn overlooked.
No matter how strong her tolerance—
‘—You can’t beat a god.’
I discreetly traced the Sign of the Cross.
Pure white light shimmered faintly from my direction.
It was a Hangover Prayer—more effective than any soup.
* * *
Nothing cures drunkenness like Holy Power. There’s even a saying: “Never make a drinking wager with a priest.”
I’d done quite a few drinking wagers at the Front Lines, so I was confident in my Holy Power Detoxification.
Or so I thought—
‘I might actually lose this.’
I swallowed hard, watching my Holy Power dwindle visibly.
Ordinarily, detoxifying alcohol consumed a great deal of Holy Power. Doing so discreetly while being careful not to show it only made it worse.
But even accounting for all that, using this much Holy Power on a simple drinking contest didn’t make sense.
What made even less sense was that Evelyn was still standing.
Evelyn remained expressionless. Her cheeks were merely flushed—that was all.
And even that blush faded quickly.
Her recovery was monstrous.
“You drink well.”
Just then, Evelyn spoke in that same detached tone.
“There’s a saying: among those who drink well, there are no bad people.”
“I’ve never heard that saying before.”
“I just made it up.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Since you drink well, you must be a good person.”
I didn’t respond. Evelyn stared at me in silence, then reached for a cup.
“Come on. Again.”
Evelyn refilled the bowl with liquor.
‘This isn’t good.’
My Holy Power might run out first. I needed to throw down a trump card.
“The hour’s late. Shall we do it in one go?”
“In one go?”
“Yes. One go.”
I pointed to the wine barrel behind me as I answered.
“That’s the spirit.”
“I’m rather bold by nature.”
“Good.”
Evelyn stood abruptly and dragged the barrel over.
Thud—the barrel scraped across the ground with a heavy sound.
“Here. Take it.”
Evelyn tossed a barrel the size of my body. I caught it with my Aura-wrapped hands. Even with the Aura, the barrel was crushingly heavy.
She tossed it so easily. Just how strong is she—
“Alright. Cheers.”
Evelyn held out her barrel. As I held mine up to meet it, the two barrels collided with a sound like cannon fire.
We brought our barrels to our lips simultaneously.
My Holy Power is already at its limit.
But I had one more method.
“Kooga.”
I called Kooga in a low voice. At that, Kooga peeked out from my shirt pocket.
Our eyes met, and Kooga respectfully clasped its hands and bowed its head. Quite the well-mannered creature.
Clever Kooga opened its mouth wide without hesitation.
The liquor in the barrel was sucked into Kooga’s mouth.
The entire massive barrel emptied in less than a second.
‘Does Kooga get drunk?’
I suddenly wondered.
I checked on Kooga, who looked up at me with an unfazed expression. It seemed to be asking if there was anything else.
‘Doesn’t seem to get drunk.’
I nodded to signal I was done, and Kooga slipped back into my pocket.
I checked on Evelyn while pretending to drink from the empty barrel.
By then, Evelyn had lowered her barrel too.
Our eyes met. Evelyn’s face was still expressionless.
“I think I just saw some kind of animal—”
“Are you drunk?”
“Hmm? Am I? I’m not sure.”
I checked Evelyn’s barrel. A little liquor remained at the bottom.
“Leaving the last bit?”
“The last bit? That’s an amusing turn of phrase. Yes, you won.”
Evelyn nodded readily.
“Then I’ve won the wager?”
“Ah, right. If I lose, we become friends. Yes, friends.”
Evelyn conceded frankly and pointed at me with a finger.
“I declare it. You are, as of today, my—”
Evelyn trailed off, then added slowly:
“—boyfriend.”
Well, there it is.
I was nodding with satisfaction when I sensed something amiss.
“Wait. What kind of friend did you say?”
I asked urgently, but—
Thunk! Evelyn’s head was already crashing into the barrel.
“Hey!”
I hit her on the back of the head in a panic, but Evelyn didn’t stir. If anything, my own hand hurt.
First, I cleared the remaining intoxication with my Holy Power and examined Evelyn.
Evelyn was completely unconscious.
Staring at the defenseless Evelyn, I gave it serious thought.
‘Should I kill her?’
No—killing Evelyn would just mean another Republic operative taking her place. It would only make things more troublesome.
I resisted the urge to flex my fingers and stood up.
* * *
‘To be matched against the captain…’
Milo stared anxiously at the firmly shut warehouse door, muttering to himself.
There was one taboo in the Security Guard Corps.
[Under no circumstances shall you be matched against Squad 42 Captain Evelyn in a drinking contest.]
Evelyn’s ideal man was ‘one who drinks better than she does.’
Quite a few had asked Evelyn for a drinking match because she was stunningly beautiful.
The problem was that Evelyn drank far too well.
It wasn’t just that she drank a bit well. At least when it came to drinking, Evelyn was a Sword Master.
Whatever happened during those drinking matches, every Security Guard Corps member who faced Evelyn without exception quit.
After that, the elite guard unit gained the taboo: ‘Never drink against Evelyn.’
And that Evelyn had taken Grave with her.
Logically, Milo should have been worried, but strangely he wasn’t. Rather, he was worried about something else.
‘What kind of mess is he about to cause?’
Milo was anxious about what Grave might do.
Just then, Scarlet beside him curled her lips into a smirk and hummed.
“Finally, he’ll crack and fall apart.”
Milo’s eyes sharpened instinctively.
“Don’t talk carelessly.”
“…What?”
“What exactly has Grave done wrong?”
“Milo, you—”
Scarlet’s eyes narrowed.
Normally, when Scarlet did this, Milo would shrink back with a squeak, but this time he didn’t.
Grave was someone who received recruitment offers every time he went on an expedition.
Not only were they failing to treat him properly—they were actively pushing him away!
“Everyone else is the same. Why are you all so eager to drive out the new recruit?”
“Ha, you’ve grown quite close, haven’t you? But what can we do? The captain already took him.”
At Scarlet’s mockery, Milo’s face went pale.
Just then, the warehouse door creaked open.
The first thing visible was Evelyn.
Upon seeing Evelyn, Milo let out a small sigh.
Even for Grave, some things just aren’t possible—
But something seemed off.
Evelyn’s eyes were closed. Her body sagged limply as if she were unconscious.
Just then, Evelyn shifted to the side. Behind her was Grave.
“Where should I put this?”
The image of the youngest officer dragging the captain by her collar—
—left everyone at a loss for words.
‘Well, of course.’
Only Milo quietly nodded to himself.

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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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