Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 79

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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 79
Rudrick, who’d been hiding under the bed, accepted his loss without complaint.
The problem was that he accepted it far too readily.
“Brother. How did you manage it? The Security Chief wouldn’t increase the Garden staff.”
“Brother. And even Bedrick’s demotion to the Outer Wall Security—. Ah, you moved the Administrative Office? Well, they’ll do anything for money.”
“Brother, you must have a lot of money.”
Rudrick kept calling me “brother” while staring at me with shameless audacity.
A tall man calling me “brother” sounded deeply uncomfortable. And besides—.
“Brother, won’t you give your little brother some pocket money?”
Rudrick even asked for spending money. His face was brazenly cheeky.
Except his ears were red as they’d burn off.
He seemed to be forcing it.
The fire in his eyes remained defiant. If anything, more fierce than before.
‘He’s deliberately overusing “brother.”‘
He seemed to be making me uncomfortable to try to call off the wager.
It was actually a solid move.
Milo, after all, had been retching continuously at Rudrick’s “brother” act.
And here he was, turning it into a counterattack.
Not an easy opponent.
But I came from the 444th Unit.
I’d eaten meals face-to-face with a mad exhibitionist knight who stripped bare except for his boots and helmet.
Compared to that, this was nothing but cute.
“Alright, little brother. Want some pocket money? Come on, your hand.”
Rudrick’s jaw tightened. He gritted his teeth and awkwardly extended his hand.
I placed a Gold Coin in Rudrick’s palm.
“Brother, buy yourself something delicious.”
“……A Gold Coin?”
“You should say thank you. Little brother.”
“Th……ank you. Brother.”
“There, little brother.”
I patted Rudrick’s shoulder. He still didn’t back down willingly.
“Prices have gone up lately. One Gold Coin isn’t nearly enough, brother.”
“Is that so? Then show me a Performance.”
“Per……formance?”
“A song or a dance. Either works.”
A grinding sound came from between Rudrick’s teeth.
“That’s enough. This is sufficient, brother.”
Rudrick backed off first.
Of course, I didn’t let him go so easily.
“Now that we’re brothers, let’s eat together. You’re not trying to avoid me, are you?”
“Avoid? Come on, brother.”
“Right, little brother. I’ll treat you.”
“The Security Corps Cafeteria is already free—.”
“Hm.”
I pulled Rudrick along as we walked. It was awkward because of his height.
“Little brother, you’re quite tall.”
Rudrick hunched his posture down. His figure became rather ridiculous as a result.
As we left the room, Scarlet was standing right in front of us.
“You—how did you—.”
Scarlet’s eyes darted between me and Rudrick, who had his arm linked with mine in bewilderment.
Rudrick feigned composure and offered an explanation.
“It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Then what is this—!”
Scarlet pointed at our linked arms with her finger. Rudrick glanced at me in urgency, but I brushed it off lightly.
Scarlet glared at me like she might kill me and bolted away.
“Little brother, your girlfriend’s angry.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. Brother.”
“You share a room and a bed, and she’s not your girlfriend? You’re quite the libertine, little brother.”
Rudrick’s lips pressed firmly together. There seemed to be some deeper history.
Then again, in the game Rudrick and Scarlet always appeared as a set.
‘I should dig deeper.’
Just then, Hanswell appeared with a broad grin.
“Grave! The other squads are requesting to transfer on their own! Bowing their heads without being told—. Oh, you two reconciled?”
Hanswell chuckled with satisfaction when he spotted Rudrick and me.
Rudrick’s sour expression seemed invisible to him.
“Yes, well, that’s what happened.”
“Well done. Well done. Squad members should get along. Besides Grave, Rudrick has the best results. You aces should be close.”
“Excuse me? I’m here too.”
Milo squeaked sharply.
Hanswell glanced at Milo and nodded vaguely.
“Of course, Milo’s doing well.”
“What’s that? That dismissive tone—.”
“Ah, are you heading to eat? Nothing beats a meal for building camaraderie. I’m afraid I can’t join since I need to distribute duties to the newly transferred squad. Enjoy!”
Hanswell rattled off his words quickly and fled.
I entered the Cafeteria with my arm linked through Rudrick’s.
The moment we walked in, salutes rang out from all around.
There were far more than before.
“It’s because of what happened to Bedrick. A demotion to the Outer Wall Security is worse than being dismissed, brother.”
Rudrick, unexpectedly, had much to say. He seemed to enjoy explaining things.
“Little brother, pile on plenty of meat.”
I patted his shoulder and went to sit down.
Rudrick gritted his teeth and picked up a Food Tray.
Milo watched nervously and quietly slid another tray over.
“You need to bring one for the big brother, right? Grab two.”
“……What are you?”
“Your first younger brother. Your brother. ……Maybe?”
Milo’s voice trailed off under Rudrick’s burning gaze.
Rudrick clicked his tongue and moved to get food.
“The big brother likes bread. Load it up with bread.”
Milo chattered away, backseat driving.
Rudrick ignored him and filled the tray.
Thunk.
“Eat. Brother.”
Rudrick set the Food Tray down in front of me.
Despite his expression looking like he wanted to kill me on the spot, the tray’s contents were substantial. Thanks to Milo’s nagging.
Rudrick sat across from me and stuck a Cigarette between his lips.
“Little brother, no smoking on campus.”
Rudrick quietly crumpled the Cigarette in his hand.
Milo sat beside me.
Milo’s tray was piled high. It looked like he’d stacked dog food.
In contrast, Rudrick’s tray held only a single piece of meat.
“Little brother, aren’t you eating?”
“……I’m fine, brother.”
“Come now, brothers should share even a single bean.”
I broke the bread in half and held it out to Rudrick.
At that, Rudrick released a deep breath. His breath was scorching—as if he’d been holding back rage.
“Thank you. Brother.”
Rudrick tore into the bread with a truly reluctant expression. His entire body radiated his distaste.
I didn’t mind and ate my bread. The Security Corps bread was always soft no matter when I ate it.
“The Chief won’t take this lying down, brother.”
Rudrick warned quietly.
“He’ll lie still.”
“No matter how little the Chief involves himself in operations, he’s sensitive about Overreach of Authority. Expanding the squad’s roster without discussion and sending another squad’s leader to the Outer Wall Security—he couldn’t possibly ignore this. Brother.”
Rudrick warned again.
The Headmaster was openly backing me. And I’d even moved the Administrative Office.
Would the Security Chief dare touch me in this situation? That possibility was slim.
“Want to wager on it?”
I asked, looking at Rudrick.
“……This bread is delicious.”
Rudrick tore into his bread while avoiding my gaze.
* * *
To conclude: nothing happened.
The Security Chief didn’t let it rest.
During the Assembly, the Security Chief stepped forward and spoke calmly.
“Beginning with the Entrance Ceremony and continuing through several recent incidents, Bedrick has been transferred to the Outer Wall Security. Everyone, stay sharp.”
The Security Chief subtly made it sound as though he’d sent Bedrick himself.
To me, it was a palatable outcome.
It was best not to draw the principal’s unwanted attention.
As a result, it was settled that Bedrick fell from the Security Chief’s favor and was demoted to the Outer Wall Security.
After the Assembly ended, the Security Chief summoned me.
Alone.
The Security Chief was an old man with white hair. Yet his bearing was sharper than most young men.
He had the feel of an army sergeant major.
“You moved the Administrative Office.”
That was the Security Chief’s first statement upon seeing me.
The Security Chief continued without waiting for my answer.
“Moving the Administrative Office is something even most nobles wouldn’t dare attempt. Yet you managed it. You must have considerable wealth.”
“I have enough. I invested well.”
“I envy you.”
Despite his words, there was no envy in the Security Chief’s eyes whatsoever.
“The day before the Entrance Ceremony, you were on Grand Hall support. And on the day you went out for Back Gate support, a demonic knight was allowed through.”
The Security Chief recited my movements in detail. It seemed he wasn’t completely hands-off after all.
“And you also went out for support during the recent freshman welcoming.”
“Pure coincidence.”
“Coincidence, you say.”
The Security Chief stared at me intently. The wrinkles around his eyes were deep.
In the game, the Security Chief was barely a minor character. The Security Corps itself was meant to show up belatedly when incidents occurred.
In fact, the Security Chief didn’t really involve himself in Security Corps operations either.
But he was watching these details so carefully.
“What do you think the role of the Security Corps is?”
The Security Chief threw out an unexpected question.
“Isn’t it to protect the Academy?”
“Does an elite Security Corps have the capacity to protect the Academy? Most of them are here because they couldn’t even become instructors.”
The Security Chief’s words were true.
The Security Corps’ level was higher than I’d initially thought, but only just.
By my standards, they were pathetic.
In the game too, it was professors and students who solved incidents—not the Security Corps.
That was obvious.
This was an Academy story, after all.
Students and professors were the main characters.
The Security Corps was just background.
“The Security Corps’ role is to be the first to encounter danger, cry out, and reveal to others how strong the threat is.”
The Security Chief spoke in a flat voice. He seemed to have remarkable self-awareness.
“That’s why for the Security Corps, ‘moderation’ matters. If the Security Corps works too hard, more people die.”
That voice carried deep-rooted defeatism.
It wasn’t wrong.
‘So that’s why the Security Chief neglected his duty.’
When the top man was negligent, the Security Corps’ atmosphere followed suit.
The Security Chief was actively neglecting his duty to reduce casualties.
It was a responsible form of negligence.
“But you’re muddying the waters. You’ve unified the Security Corps and efficiency has become dangerously high. That’s dangerous.”
The Security Chief warned seriously.
For the Security Chief to be so cautious about this—I had no idea what Hanswell was really capable of.
I clicked my tongue and opened my mouth.
“First, let’s speak properly. I’m not muddying waters. I’m clearing what was already muddy.”
“……What?”
My curt words made the Security Chief’s eyes waver.
A man accustomed to defeat—you could see his type even on battlefields.
Such men are more dangerous than open enemies.
Unlike visible foes, those steeped in defeat poison those around them.
That’s why, when you see them, you must deal with them immediately.
On a battlefield, I’d have cut his throat. But regrettably, this wasn’t a battlefield.
So—.
I reached out and grabbed the Security Chief by the collar.
“What are you—.”
The Security Chief was greatly shocked.
Staring into his wrinkled eyes, I spoke.
“If you’re taking a salary, you do the work. If you don’t want to, leave. You’re in the way.”
The Security Chief’s pupils trembled harshly. Soon he cried out desperately.
“You don’t know. The Rift.”
He was telling me I didn’t know about the Rift—.
It was laughable.
“So that’s why you’d push students into the Rift?”
“If a student falls into the Rift, the Academy will rescue them without fail. The professors will unite even if it takes everything. But if a Security Corps member falls into the Rift, no one even pretends to search.”
The Security Chief spoke in a suppressed voice.
He seemed to have his own story.
Of course, I didn’t care much.
“I’ll rescue them.”
“What?”
“If a Security Corps member falls into the Rift, I’ll rescue them.”
I meant it.
I had no intention of yielding the Rift.
“……You?”
The Security Chief smiled openly with derision.
I smiled back and whispered.
“Want to wager on it?”
Gulp.
The Security Chief swallowed dryly.

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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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