Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 81

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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 81
A Teaching Assistant’s position subtly shifts depending on where their supervising professor stands in the hierarchy.
It was much like how enslaved people cluster together, divided by the status of their masters.
Hanswell, the Teaching Assistant to Rocksvale who held the rank of Knight of Radiance, occupied the highest position among the assistants.
When Hanswell promptly rose and offered his seat, the other Teaching Assistants’ eyes went wide.
He guided me with meticulous courtesy, not giving it a second thought.
Even more elaborate than when attending to his own professor, Rocksvale.
It happened because Hanswell had taken me for a Sword Saint.
A Sword Saint was a legendary realm that transcended even a Sword Master.
It was only natural that Hanswell should treat me with such reverence.
Without bothering to refuse, I took Hanswell’s seat.
With Hanswell making such a show, the Teaching Assistants I’d instructed moved to stand behind me.
Sitting at the center of them, I gestured to Nora.
“Sit.”
“Y-yes!”
Nora sat down with a bewildered expression.
“What—what’s going on? Why are you all—?”
“Quiet.”
Hanswell spoke sharply to the other assistants, his hand already moving toward his sword. The assistants gasped and shut their mouths.
I turned my gaze leisurely toward where the professors sat.
Leon occupied a table in the center. I’d expected him to be relegated to some corner, so it came as a surprise.
That table held substantial professors like Rocksvale.
“I hear there’s a professor here who’s inflated his credentials.”
“The honor of Elysium Academy will be dragged through the mud.”
“How does he even have the face to show himself? Truly shameless.”
The professors were openly insulting Leon.
I could see the Academic Affairs Department’s intention. Unable to touch Leon directly as a professor, they were applying pressure through the other faculty members.
A rather crude tactic.
Yet it was proving largely ineffective.
Each time the insults reached him, Leon’s mouth corners only rose further.
‘He’s enjoying this immensely.’
Then Rocksvale extended his hand to Leon.
“Professor Leon, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Everyone was ignoring Leon. Yet here was Rocksvale offering him a greeting first.
Truly a man of character.
Leon, however, merely nodded his head slightly.
“Arrogance that pierces the heavens.”
“This is why you can’t trust a scammer—”
It was because of the taciturn persona I’d instructed him to maintain, but the professors, unaware of the situation, grumbled among themselves.
Rocksvale, for his part, simply laughed it off and seated himself directly beside Leon.
“I hear you’re from the Southern Front. From that notoriously harsh Southern Front, no less. That’s truly remarkable.”
Rocksvale chattered away at Leon.
Once Rocksvale became so openly friendly, the other professors could no longer ignore Leon.
Yet Leon’s mouth corners only drooped further.
I let out a quiet laugh and surveyed the assembled professors.
Since professors were high-ranking executives in the game, I recognized many of their faces.
The problem was that most of them had issues of one kind or another.
‘Republic, heretic, imperialist.’
Roughly one in three had some kind of problem. Republican, heretic, imperialist, or—failing that—witch.
It was a mess befitting a failed game.
Then, a man sitting in the corner caught my eye.
Diminutive and pallid, with the bearing of a rat.
A textbook Black Mage.
His appearance was unsettling, and since he occasionally coughed dryly, the other professors were openly avoiding him.
Nora leaned slightly toward me and explained in a hushed voice.
“That’s Professor Drakoff, who teaches Foundational Black Magic. I’ve heard he made a contract with a rather vicious demon. You’d do well to keep your distance if possible.”
Then Hanswell, sitting on the opposite side, spoke up as if in competition.
“There are rumors that Professor Drakoff suffers from a contagious illness. Anyone who becomes his Teaching Assistant supposedly falls ill shortly after.”
A contagious illness? Drakoff was simply frail in body, nothing more.
The game I’d possessed myself into was truly a mess. Both students and professors betrayed one another at the drop of a hat.
Still, there were a handful of professors who never betrayed you, no matter what—
Drakoff was one of them.
Despite his unsavory appearance, Drakoff never wavered across any route. And his abilities were unquestionable.
Though he had clear shortcomings. Drakoff’s fatal flaw was that his personality was a complete mess. On top of that, his social skills were so poor he couldn’t even manage basic courtesy.
‘Which is precisely why he’s perfect as Evangeline’s Black Magic tutor.’
Then a middle-aged woman stepped onto the platform.
Slicked-back hair parted cleanly, a sharp expression, impressive height, and a form-fitting white uniform.
A middle-aged woman with the bearing of a honed blade.
“I am Bernadet, Director of the Academic Affairs Department.”
Bernadet was the Vice Principal’s closest aide and the head of the Academic Affairs Department.
One of the five most powerful individuals in the academy.
The professors fell silent under Bernadet’s imposing presence.
Though there was one who did not.
“*Cough*, who calls a meeting in the morning? I’m swamped with lecture prep. *Cough*.”
Drakoff spoke sharply, looking at Bernadet.
The other professors were taken aback, but Drakoff paid them no mind.
‘That’s Drakoff for you.’
I felt a strange sense of relief at Drakoff’s total lack of social graces.
“You could ask your Teaching Assistants to handle the prep, I believe.”
“Teaching Assistants? How can I trust those novices who don’t even understand the basics?”
Drakoff’s pointed words made the Teaching Assistants’ faces go rigid.
He was the type to make enemies with every word he spoke.
“*Cough*, I’m busy, so let’s keep this brief.”
When Drakoff commanded in a sharp, nasal tone, veins rose on Bernadet’s forehead.
“……Yes, I understand.”
Bernadet forced her mouth corners upward, though her eyes remained cold.
“I’ve gathered you all because rumors have been circulating that the quality of lectures at the academy has recently declined.”
Bernadet spoke in an icy tone.
At that cutting remark, several professors flinched.
Though others did not.
Leon and Drakoff were among them.
“Elysium Academy’s lectures must be the finest on the continent. To that end, we spare no expense in providing top-tier support to our professors. However, there are those among you who have refused our support.”
Bernadet spoke while pointedly looking at Leon.
The answer came from an unexpected quarter.
“*Cough*, top-tier? Ha—. Since when did someone who doesn’t even understand the basis of Curses qualify as top-tier? *Cough*!”
Drakoff spoke while jabbing his finger accusingly.
Bernadet quickly continued.
“……Of course, we respect your choices, professors. However, you must also bear the corresponding responsibility. This week, we will conduct a Lecture Satisfaction Evaluation. Should we determine that the quality of instruction has fallen significantly, we will have no choice but to terminate contracts mid-semester.”
Contract termination mid-semester?
The threat rattled the professors.
Leon, the actual target, remained expressionless. In fact, his mouth corners rose ever so slightly.
‘Is he hoping to get his contract terminated and return to the military?’
This was the same Leon who’d tried to flee last time and I’d caught him.
He seemed to be anticipating a forced contract termination.
Regrettably, that wouldn’t happen.
“*Cough*, the Academic Affairs Department will evaluate a professor’s lectures? What do you know about it?”
Drakoff spoke pointedly.
This time, other professors also nodded in agreement.
Lectures were a professor’s pride. Even the Academic Affairs Department overstepping into direct evaluation of instruction crossed a line.
“Of course, we will not judge directly. The evaluation will be based solely on student satisfaction regarding the lectures. A Lecture Satisfaction Evaluation.”
“*Cough*, mid-semester? We’re barely into the semester.”
“The timing of the Lecture Satisfaction Evaluation is at the Academic Affairs Department’s discretion.”
Bernadet declared this in an icy voice.
True enough—the Lecture Satisfaction Evaluation fell under the Academic Affairs Department’s authority. There was no refusing it, even if the timing seemed premature.
‘Clearly aimed at us.’
Leon’s class consisted solely of Failed-tier students.
Rosa was a saint explicitly denounced by The Church, and Luna was a Failed-tier rejected even among Black Mages.
Vivienne was the Imperial Family’s shame, and Evangeline was Evangeline.
No matter how excellent the teaching, a class of Failed-tier students would never produce favorable evaluations.
This was definitely aimed at us.
Of course, there were countermeasures in place—
‘Time to reap the rewards.’
I raised my hand slightly.
The Teaching Assistants gasped. Nora looked as if she might faint.
Bernadet’s eyes landed on me, and she frowned as if viewing an insect.
I paid it no mind and opened my mouth.
“Is there a reward for lectures that receive the highest score?”
“A reward?”
“If there’s punishment, there should also be reward—isn’t that only fair?”
A deep crease formed between Bernadet’s brows.
“*Cough*! Of course there should be. If there’s only punishment, you’re just out to get people.”
Drakoff proved unexpectedly helpful. Other professors who’d been offended by the Lecture Satisfaction Evaluation quickly joined in agreement.
With matters heading that direction, Bernadet couldn’t simply brush past it.
“For the professor with the highest score, we will allocate a special budget.”
Ooh—
The professors, who’d been maintaining their composure, cheered.
“*Cough*, that’s it then? I’m busy, so I’m leaving.”
Drakoff turned and left the Grand Hall without a backward glance.
Thanks to Drakoff, the meeting ended quickly.
“Let’s go.”
I led Leon out of the Grand Hall with Nora in tow.
Nora asked in a worried voice.
“The Academic Affairs Department clearly has us in their sights. The lecture evaluation—”
“It’s fine.”
“Understood.”
Nora had more to say, her expression made that clear, but she simply nodded without speaking further.
She was certainly capable.
“More importantly, I’d like to sit in on Drakoff’s lecture.”
“Ah, Professor Drakoff’s classroom is always open. He’s even told Security Corps members, ‘Since you’re standing around uselessly anyway, come in and listen to the lecture.'”
Elysium Academy’s founding principle was ‘Learning is open to all.’
However, professors were extremely protective of their lecture content spreading.
Yet Drakoff was actually summoning Security Corps members to sit in his classroom.
“Still, he’s so difficult and his lectures are so hard that… the Security Corps members generally avoid going to his classes.”
Nora added somewhat reluctantly.
Just how demanding was his teaching if even Security Corps members ran away rather than attend?
In any case, it seemed I should just go and listen.
“I’ll review the documents again.”
Wanting no part of this, Nora quickly excused herself.
Leon and I continued walking.
“Will it really be alright?”
Once Nora was gone, Leon asked hesitantly.
“A lecture evaluation? Those students won’t be able to evaluate properly. In fact, the lecture was a bit rough—”
Despite the content of his words, Leon’s mouth corners kept twitching upward.
Leon’s concern was valid.
I’d actually put the students through their paces in the first lecture and assigned them homework.
Of course it was for their benefit as Failed-tier students, but if they understood that, they wouldn’t be Failed-tier. If we evaluated them now, the lowest scores were guaranteed.
“Leon, do you know why they say ‘carrot and stick’?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“Once you take a beating, the carrot tastes delicious.”
That’s simply how human psychology works.
If you treat someone well from the start, they’ll curse you the moment you slip up.
But if you start out brutal and then show them one kindness, that’s when people are moved.
I was the one who, in that first class, drove the students mercilessly without explanation and even assigned them homework.
So if I suddenly start praising them?
‘They can’t help but be moved.’
Though making it happen wouldn’t be easy.
The problem was that the subjects were Failed-tier students.
‘Still, it has to be done.’
I pressed my temples against the already-forming headache.

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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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