Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 54

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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 54
I’d taken on training quite a number of people at the Front Line.
The 444th Division was my primary focus, but I’d also handled training for soldiers from other units fairly often.
As I trained so many, I created a chart dividing the trainees by training efficiency.
The top tier was, naturally, “Genius.”
A Genius who grasps ten things from one lesson obviously showed excellent training efficiency. They demonstrated rapid progress without needing excessive effort.
The problem was that Geniuses were extremely rare.
Even at the Front Line, you could count them on both hands.
In truth, a Genius could be taught sufficiently by someone other than me.
What mattered was the tier directly below Genius.
Most would assume that beneath Genius came Prodigy, but that was wrong.
‘The tier after Genius is a Genius with glaring flaws.’
Ordinarily, people gave up on those with obvious flaws, but the reality was the opposite. When a flaw is glaring, it means the direction for improvement is equally clear.
It was the theory that a nail sticking out is easiest to hammer down.
It actually worked with the 444th Division.
Though, as it turned out, the results were even more chaotic.
In any case, the more pronounced the flaw, the clearer the method of cultivation.
That’s why I’d gathered these Rejects. I knew their flaws intimately.
‘First, Rosa, the rogue saint.’
Rosa’s flaw was that she couldn’t use Blessing and Healing—the twin pillars of Holy power.
A saint candidate who couldn’t use Blessing and Healing. It wasn’t for nothing that the Holy Empire had half-discarded her.
Instead, Rosa had natural talent in Judgment. In the game, she faced a Demon Lord alone without combat training—such was the extent of her ability.
Cultivate Rosa properly, and when it came to Demon Lords, she’d become a superior talent even to Karel, whom the Holy Empire cherished.
The method to develop Rosa’s Judgment ability was simple.
‘Drown her in Black Magic.’
Her Judgment ability would rise naturally in the process.
I nodded with satisfaction watching Rosa, draped in Curses, and shifted my gaze.
Next was Luna, the insufferable teen.
Luna would contract with a Demon Lord someday.
That’s a fixed future, so it’ll happen even if I leave it be, but the problem was Luna’s Fundamentals.
Luna, lacking in Fundamentals, cannot endure the Demon Lord and becomes corrupted.
Looking at the demon itself, it might seem dangerous, but demons are basically faithful to contracts.
Contracts are their power, and their justification.
Even having contracted with a Demon Lord, if one is in a formal contract state, actually being consumed by the demon makes no sense whatsoever.
‘Yet somehow, that’s exactly what happens.’
A sigh escaped me, but the solution was equally clear.
I just needed to build her Fundamentals solid.
“Luna.”
“Grrr, how dare you call me by my real name—”
“Stand facing the wall and keep using the Black Magic you know.”
“How dare you give me orders.”
I slipped Luna’s doll away from her.
“No, don’t! My Destiny Ultimater No. 1!”
It was quite a grandiose name for a rabbit doll. I suppressed a curse and spoke.
“If you want the Destiny Ultimater No. 1, stand facing the wall and keep using the Black Magic you know.”
“Grrr, hostage-taking, is it? Truly you dare to face me—”
I gently tugged the rabbit doll’s ear.
“I, I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
Luna hurriedly faced the wall. Then she began to chant a dark incantation.
“All things return to darkness, and void becomes the gate—. Begone!”
A rather grandiose chant paired with a pathetically feeble Curse.
Still, this should suffice.
I clicked my tongue, pocketed the rabbit doll, and turned my attention elsewhere. Next was Andy.
“Kuga.”
“Ku-ga!”
Kuga popped out from my front pocket. Evangeline and Andy’s gazes locked onto Kuga.
Both their eyes widened simultaneously. It was because of Kuga’s cuteness.
“Spit out the Magic Stones.”
“Kuga!”
Kuga pressed her belly repeatedly, then began spitting Magic Stones from her mouth. The borrowed Magic Stones from the twin witches piled up neatly.
Seeing the Magic Stones, Andy’s pupils trembled sharply. She looked as if she might sigh.
“Andy, use all these Magic Stones within this session.”
“What?! That many?!!”
Andy let out a shrill cry.
There were indeed many Magic Stones. Enough that a decent mage would use them over half a year.
But to correct Andy’s penny-pinching tendencies, I needed to be bold in my teaching.
“Yes, all of them. If even one remains, it’s supplementary lessons with Evangeline.”
“Eek…… Eeeek! I’ll do it!!”
Terrified, Andy hastily grabbed the Magic Stones.
To a mage, Magic Stones are like flint. You need them to cast spells. It’s why magic costs so much.
Of course, once you reach a certain level, you don’t need Magic Stones—but paradoxically, to reach that level, you must burn through Magic Stones like mountains.
That’s why I forced Andy to use them.
Andy, clutching the Magic Stones, looked up at me as if she might cry. She seemed to be asking if I was really serious.
“Supplementary lessons with Evangeline.”
“Eeeek!!”
Andy frantically gripped the Magic Stones. Blue mist billowed forth.
Certainly, her mana was clean.
I turned my head in satisfaction.
Next was Vivienne. A thoroughly frightened Vivienne looked up at me.
Usually, whether Genius or ordinary talent, the growth is swift at first, then slows as one reaches higher tiers. Even the Crown Prince, a Genius of the century, was no exception.
But Vivienne was different. She grew slowly at the start, and grew ‘identically’ slowly at the end.
That’s why I chose Vivienne.
Late-stage enlightenment is hard to influence, but the early stage is entirely within reach.
As I stared quietly, Vivienne withdrew her head like a turtle.
Vivienne is timid. If I pressed her, she’d only hide further, so I needed to treat her as gently as possible.
“Vivienne, what rank are you at?”
“L, Low-rank Knight.”
Vivienne was of the Imperial Family. She would have received the highest standard of education. The Aura especially—it would have been taught by the Imperial Knight Order, the greatest knighthood on the Continent.
And yet, Low-rank Knight? There was a reason she was called the shame of the Imperial Family.
“Now, have you heard of Aura Refinement?”
“I, I’ve heard of it.”
“Right? What is Refinement?”
Vivienne couldn’t answer and lowered her head. She needed encouragement.
I spoke with a deliberate smile.
“It wasn’t your fault. Theirs was. Their teaching method was wrong.”
“The teaching method was wrong?”
Vivienne’s eyes widened.
“Probably the Imperial Knights taught you. Their Swordsmanship deserves to be called the finest on the Continent, but their method wasn’t suited for you. Just as fine clothing doesn’t fit everyone.”
Vivienne swallowed hard. Her eyes kindled with hope.
“You’re dull.”
“-Huh?”
“If we ranked by dullness, you’d be right in front of Evangeline.”
“That, that’s not so!”
Vivienne cried out as if wronged. I shook my head firmly.
“You’re a Dullard among Dullards. If I taught you with lessons meant for at least a Prodigy, how would you ever grasp it? You need Dullard-tailored education.”
“Tailored education, you say—”
“Watch carefully.”
I held the Guard Staff directly in front of Vivienne. She looked taken aback.
Soon, Aura bloomed from the Guard Staff. Deliberately rough, the Aura I summoned. Of course, it was far softer than Vivienne’s own.
“Now, this is what Aura is.”
“I know at least that much—”
I ignored Vivienne’s murmur.
“Aura Refinement is making your Aura solid and unwavering. How, you ask? You wouldn’t understand even if I explained, so don’t try to understand—just watch.”
Toward the bewildered Vivienne, I held the Guard Staff and slowly refined the Aura.
So slowly a child could follow it.
“Did you see it?”
Vivienne didn’t answer, just blinked stupidly. She clearly hadn’t seen it.
Since I hadn’t expected easy results, I summoned the Aura again. Even more slowly than before.
Of course, Vivienne still didn’t understand.
I demonstrated a few more times before lowering the Guard Staff.
“Now, summon your Aura.”
Vivienne grasped her sword and summoned her Aura.
It was pathetic Aura.
“Freshly caught Aura, it seems.”
“What does that even—”
“Now, do what you just saw.”
“……Huh?”
Vivienne echoed stupidly. I squinted.
“I showed you.”
“You, you showed me—but how can I do it in one try!”
“Why can’t you?”
“Of course I can’t!”
Vivienne cried out as if in anguish. This wouldn’t be easy.
I sighed and grasped the Guard Staff again.
“Maintain your Aura. You’ll get hurt if you move.”
* * *
Milo had greatly anticipated Grave’s lecture. He’d lost sleep the night before.
It was because he knew Grave’s identity was no ordinary thing. What he’d shown at the orientation had been intense.
However, the actual lecture proceeded differently than Milo expected.
The moment the lecture began, Grave cracked a student’s head.
Next, he made the student curse at the wall continuously, and threw Magic Stones at Andy like alms.
The professor, Leon, was desperately avoiding looking.
As a result, one had his head cracked, and the rest were left staring at walls—a complete mess.
This time it was Vivienne.
Grave stood before Vivienne and summoned his Aura. It was a very rough Aura—the sort a Low-rank Knight would use.
Aura is not like magic.
A high-tier mage can easily cast low-tier magic, but a Knight of high rank cannot deliberately scatter their Aura like a Low-rank Knight. Aura is like iron.
Once iron is refined, how could it flow again?
Grave hadn’t scattered his Aura. He moved strand by strand, mimicking scattered Aura. Then he very slowly aligned the scattered Aura.
As if demonstrating Refinement itself—
‘What, what in the world is that—’
Confronted with an Aura control ability beyond even guessing, Milo was astonished.
The one actually watching, Vivienne, didn’t understand. Not understanding even after seeing that was astonishing in its own way.
Then Grave extended the Guard Staff and pressed Vivienne’s Aura.
Aura is like fire with oil poured on it—both rough and, simultaneously, delicate as glass.
Vivienne was the lowest of Low-rank Knights. There was an unbridgeable gap between her and Grave’s Aura.
When their Auras collided, Vivienne’s would shatter completely.
Yet even with Grave’s Aura touching it, Vivienne’s Aura didn’t shatter.
Instead, its form was slowly pressed, following Grave’s Aura.
Like being sculpted—
‘Carving Aura with Aura?’
He’d perfectly calibrated the intensity of his Aura to match the other’s scattering.
It was a sight that defied belief even as he watched.
This wasn’t possible merely from having high-level Aura.
Even a Knight of Radiance couldn’t do this.
‘If that’s possible—’
A searing flame ignited in Milo’s chest.
Milo had been stuck at Mid-rank for some time. With that method, he too could reach High-rank.
In the end, Milo forgot he was in the middle of a lesson and rushed forward.
He cried out desperately toward Grave.
“Me, me too, please teach me!!”
Grave’s expression twisted savagely.

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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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