Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 84

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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 84
“I’ll take responsibility and inform the Academic Affairs Department!”
Kalix bowed repeatedly as he backed out of the room.
Leon’s mouth was drawn downward in a thin line.
I nodded in satisfaction.
‘That should do it.’
Judging by Kalix’s reaction, the satisfaction survey had scored perfectly.
The students rose to leave, following Kalix out.
Once Kalix had completely vanished, I shut the door.
The Failed Class students stopped short, staring at me.
Their gazes were, in their own way, favorable.
“Now I’m assigning you homework.”
“Again—again?!”
Evangeline let out a sharp, almost anguished cry at this betrayal of their goodwill.
I hadn’t given Evangeline homework last time, so why now?
The other students in the Failed Class didn’t speak, but their expressions matched hers.
I addressed them all.
“You’re all far below average.”
“What?! Just now you said we were excellent—”
“Excellent for your level. Compared to the whole, you’re the worst. If you take the Midterm Exam as you are now, you’ll stack up neatly from the bottom. If you want to reach even average despite being below it, you need to put in above-average effort.”
“Isn’t that a bit harsh?!”
“What’s harsh is your grades. Now, I’m assigning homework. First—Rosa.”
I gestured toward Rosa, and a black Curse enveloped her.
“Are you insane—”
Rosa screamed and struggled to shake off the Curse, but it only clung tighter.
“This is a Fever Curse. It’ll be twice as difficult as the last one. Next—Luna.”
“Kekeke, what task is given to me—”
“From today, cast Curse fifty times.”
“F-fifty times?! That’s too much!”
Luna dropped her act entirely, shocked enough to cry out.
I ignored her and turned my attention elsewhere.
“Next is Vivienne. You’re to maintain your Aura control during all your free time.”
“Understood, I shall—”
Vivienne appeared to accept readily.
But I knew for certain she’d slack off the moment she left.
“Andy, I’ll give you a Magic Stone separately. Evangeline, as class representative, verify the assignments and report back.”
“Yes, sir!”
Evangeline was in the Failed Class, but her character was oddly spotless.
Especially in matters like this—she never lies.
“If any of you fail to complete your assignments properly—well, you can look forward to what comes next.”
I said it matter-of-factly.
Someone swallowed hard.
“I’ll see you next time. Don’t be late.”
I turned and walked out.
Behind me, the Failed Class students murmured complaints, but I paid them no mind.
The Satisfaction Survey was over, after all.
No matter how much the Academic Affairs Department disliked us, they couldn’t conduct another survey right away.
We’d be safe for a while.
“Dracoff’s lecture is happening right now?”
“Yes, in the Main Building 4th Floor classroom.”
Nora answered straightforwardly.
I needed to prepare Evangeline early for the Midterm Exam.
The Holy Power and Aura she’d learned from traversing the Rift would let her pass, but the real problems were Magic and Black Magic.
After teaching her Holy Power just now, my conviction only grew stronger.
I absolutely needed to find her a tutor.
Conveniently, there was a suitable Black Magic professor available.
‘Dracoff.’
Dracoff had a difficult personality, but he was the type who never betrayed his principles.
Dracoff would be perfect as Evangeline’s tutor.
The problem was figuring out how to get him to tutor her.
Dracoff’s will was unyielding.
A simple tutoring proposal would be rejected outright.
‘Let me think about it while listening to his lecture.’
I headed straight for the Main Building 4th Floor, where Dracoff’s classroom was located.
Hanswell followed behind me.
“I shall assist you.”
Hanswell spoke seriously, his presence dignified like a knight standing beside a king.
I didn’t bother to refuse him.
Everything related to Black Magic was housed on the Main Building 4th Floor.
Black Magic has an affinity for the number four.
The main building overall had an elegant, restrained atmosphere—pure white marble floors and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
But the moment we stepped onto the 4th floor, the mood changed instantly.
The floor was no longer pure white but a dull, murky gray, and animal hides hung from the walls as if freshly torn.
The mingled scents of rotting flesh and perfume assaulted the nose.
It smelled like a demon that had been doused in cologne.
“Even the teaching assistants try to avoid the 4th floor,” Hanswell said, holding his nose.
Indeed, the Security Corps members who were easily found throughout the academy were nowhere to be seen on the 4th floor—only guards stood at the stairwell.
“Why are you coming to the 4th floor, sir?”
“I want to audit Dracoff’s lecture.”
“Professor Dracoff—. Hmm.”
Hanswell made no effort to hide his unease.
Black Magic professors couldn’t help but have bad reputations. You only had to look at the 4th floor to understand.
Among Black Magic professors, Dracoff’s reputation was particularly poor.
With his pitiful, rat-like appearance, his stubborn disposition, and his constant dry cough—his reputation being bad was almost surprising.
“You stay outside.”
“Ah! Yes, of course. Professor Dracoff’s classroom is this way.”
Relieved, Hanswell’s tense face relaxed as he led the way.
Soon, we found the Black Magic classroom.
The 4th floor corridor was damp, but the classroom was far worse.
Boiling red liquid, skin of unknown origin, vials containing Curses—
‘A thoroughly authentic Black Magic classroom.’
Dracoff was already in the classroom.
Most professors don’t arrive until the lecture begins.
After all, the teaching assistants handle the preparations.
But Dracoff was here early despite having time before class, and he was preparing the lecture himself.
Dracoff didn’t trust the assistants.
“Cough—who are you?” Dracoff asked, eyeing me sharply.
“I came to audit your lecture.”
“Audit my lecture?”
“Yes.”
I nodded lightly. Dracoff looked me up and down, then smirked.
“You don’t have the look of Black Magic about you.”
At minimum, a great demon dwells within my body.
For him to say I lack the appearance for Black Magic was absurd.
It was genuinely laughable.
“Does Black Magic require a certain appearance?”
“Cough—it does. Look at me, can’t you?”
Dracoff gestured to himself, then waved his hand vaguely.
“Just sit somewhere empty. If you get in my way, I’ll throw you out immediately.”
Dracoff said it sharply, then returned to his preparations.
Vials of red and black liquid connected together looked almost like a chemistry lab setup.
“You’re trying to let them experience life force directly.”
“Are you a spy sent by Bel?”
Bel was another Black Magic professor.
To suddenly ask if I were a spy sent by a rival professor—truly a cantankerous temperament.
“No. I’ve studied Black Magic out of genuine interest.”
“Interest in Black Magic?”
“Yes. Though it’s called the Study of Death, isn’t death the closest thing to life?”
Sharp interest flickered in Dracoff’s cold eyes.
“Stop your chattering. You’ll be a distraction—keep quiet.”
Dracoff said it curtly, then returned to tinkering with the apparatus.
But despite the harsh words, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
‘A truly difficult character.’
I went to the back of the classroom and stood.
“Sit down. You’re cluttering the space.”
“It’s fine. I prefer standing.”
“Tsk.”
Dracoff clicked his tongue and looked away.
Soon, students began filing in.
“Man, of all classes… I signed up for Bel’s class but it was full, so—”
A complaining student froze when he spotted Dracoff, his face going pale. But Dracoff didn’t react, simply continuing to work on the apparatus.
The student relaxed and sat in the farthest seat.
Then the front door suddenly burst open.
‘Is that Evangeline?’
Evangeline always confused the front and back doors and entered through the front.
So I naturally assumed it was her, but an unexpected person stood there instead.
Golden hair gleaming like sunlight melted into radiance, eyes glittering deep as embedded stars, a nose broad and defined like the mountain ranges of the Empire.
This strikingly obvious protagonist-type figure was—
‘The Crown Prince?’
The Crown Prince stood in the doorway.
Naturally, every eye in the classroom fixed upon him.
The Crown Prince savored the attention, receiving it with leisurely confidence as he spoke.
“I was confused about the doors.”
The Crown Prince never forgets anything he’s seen once. There’s no way he confused the front and back doors.
‘It was intentional.’
He’d entered through the front door on purpose. The reason was obvious.
‘To draw attention.’
The Crown Prince was a serious attention-seeker.
In some playthroughs, he’d even killed Evangeline, his lover, for receiving more attention than him—a genuinely obsessive attention-seeker.
He’d deliberately entered through the front door to attract everyone’s gaze.
‘These two are something else.’
The moment the Crown Prince moved toward his seat, the front door opened violently again.
“Evangeline! This is the front door! Why can’t you tell the front and back doors apart?!”
“It’s easy to mix them up!”
“There’s nothing to mix up! You’re confusing the front and back doors?!”
“No! This guy’s here too!”
Evangeline pointed at the Crown Prince standing before her.
Andy’s face went deathly pale at the sight of him.
“Anyway! Get out here!”
“Eeeek!”
Andy forcibly dragged Evangeline back out of the classroom.
Watching their ridiculous antics, even the Crown Prince’s appearance began to look foolish.
“Cough—students these days don’t even know their front doors from their back doors.”
Dracoff drove the nail in with that comment.
‘He’s definitely wounded.’
Given the Crown Prince’s nature, he’d definitely bristled. But he showed no sign of it, proceeding leisurely to his seat.
Still, his intention was clearly to remain the center of attention.
Just then, the back door opened.
“So this is the back door after all.”
“I told you! Why do you keep mixing up the front and back doors?!”
“No, that guy mixed them up too! Why are you only blaming me?!”
As Evangeline and Andy entered, bickering, everyone’s eyes immediately snapped toward them.
The Crown Prince remained expressionless.
Outwardly, he showed nothing, but his eye twitched slightly.
‘He’s properly wounded now.’
The Crown Prince is a candidate for the main male lead.
Half of my previous playthroughs had been his route.
It wouldn’t be good if Evangeline caught his eye.
‘I need to redirect his attention.’
I needed to turn the interest he felt toward Evangeline onto myself instead.
Just then, Dracoff picked up the bag he’d placed on the desk and set it on the floor.
Thud—the bag was heavy enough to make a dull sound.
But mixed within that sound was something sharp and clear.
So faint it was almost inaudible, but I didn’t miss it.
‘The sound of Magic Stones clinking?’
Magical Devices are essential in this world.
Everyone carries at least one Magical Device in their bag.
But Dracoff was a Black Mage.
Black Mages don’t use Magic Stones. It’s far cheaper to sacrifice some blood than to buy expensive Magic Stones.
Dracoff in particular viewed Magic Stones as bombs wizards had disguised to destroy the world, so he was extremely wary of them.
For him to carry Magic Stones in his bag was deeply suspicious.
‘Someone planted Magic Stones in Dracoff’s bag.’
For equal weight, Magic Stones cost more than jewels.
There’s no way someone would put such expensive items in another person’s bag with good intentions.
‘A Magic Stone Bomb from the Republic.’
Clearly, someone from the Republic had hidden a Magic Stone Bomb in Dracoff’s bag.
The target had to be the Crown Prince. After all, their assassination attempt had failed before.
It hadn’t been long since the Entrance Ceremony terror attack, and now another Magic Stone Bomb attempt?
‘Convenient timing.’
I’d just needed Magic Stones anyway.
I let my lips curl into a smile.

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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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