Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 85

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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 85
In the game I’d possessed, Yeonchol Academy was a minefield where problems erupted at every turn.
A student summoning demons, a professor stabbing a student with a sword during one-on-one consultations, even a vice-principal turning students into fanatics.
Diverse dangers manifested at every moment.
Like a mystery game, it was crucial to anticipate dangers beforehand through small clues.
The sound of a Magical Stone coming from Dracopf’s bag was a rather generous hint in this game.
‘A Magical Stone. It must be the Republic.’
Planting a Magical Stone Bomb in an unsuspecting person’s belongings and detonating it was the Republic’s standard method of terrorism.
The Magical Stone in Dracopf’s bag would almost certainly be a Republic Magical Stone Bomb.
The target would be the Crown Prince.
The Republic bastards knew no mercy.
If the Magical Stone Bomb in Dracopf’s bag was discovered, they would detonate it without hesitation.
If I moved fast enough, I could minimize casualties.
But there were too many watching eyes.
Above all, with the Crown Prince present, there would certainly be Imperial operatives nearby.
If a Magical Stone Bomb was found in Dracopf’s possession, he’d be branded a Republic sympathizer.
Once that happened, the Academy would certainly discipline him.
Suspicion of Republic ties wasn’t easy to shake.
Especially not if the situation involved bringing a Magical Stone Bomb to class.
Even if Dracopf wasn’t expelled from the Academy, there was still a problem.
With the Crown Prince involved, the Imperial Court would certainly act. Then Dracopf wouldn’t survive.
Losing Dracopf was undesirable.
Despite looking like a sewer rat, he was one of the few professor characters in the game who never betrayed his principles until the end.
And above all, if Dracopf wasn’t around, I’d have to teach Evangeline Black Magic myself.
……I’d have to teach Evangeline Black Magic?
‘Absolutely not. Never.’
The urgency jolted my mind awake.
I hastily observed Dracopf’s bag.
Dracopf’s bag was a large leather Duffel Bag in shape.
Black Mages often needed to carry corpses, so they typically carried large bags like that. The bag was quite spacious, but still smaller than the Magical Stone Bomb I’d seen at the Entrance Ceremony.
The Crown Prince was fitted with all manner of Magical Devices, and his martial prowess itself was exceptional.
Even if this bag were packed with premium Magical Stones, at this distance it couldn’t incapacitate the Crown Prince.
‘They’re waiting for the moment when Dracopf gets close to the Crown Prince.’
Just then, Evangeline raised her hand sharply.
“Do—do we get bread this time too?!”
Evangeline shouted from behind Andy.
……Bread?
Her question stirred my memory.
Dracopf didn’t look the type from his appearance alone, but he was earnest about his lectures. You could tell just by seeing him arrive early to prepare by himself.
After each lecture, Dracopf gave bread as a gift to whichever student had participated most actively. It was his way of raising engagement.
The Crown Prince always had to be the protagonist. That’s why he participated actively in every class.
Especially when prizes were involved—he never missed an opportunity.
‘They’re waiting for the moment the Crown Prince receives the bread.’
Which meant the Republic operative with the detonation trigger was nearby.
‘First, I need to defuse the Magical Stone Bomb.’
Finding the Republic operative could wait until after the bomb was disarmed.
The most important thing was not to raise suspicion.
If things went wrong, he’d detonate the Magical Stone Bomb immediately.
‘A Republic Magical Stone Bomb.’
Terrorism was the Republic’s specialty.
When it came to terrorism, the Republic was the continent’s finest.
Even the Magic Tower Coalition had to concede defeat to Republic Magical Stone Bombs—that said everything.
And I had to neutralize such a Republic bomb without a trace—
‘Interesting.’
Generally, the harder something was, the more interesting it became.
And this time, it even came with premium Magical Stones.
The Republic would never skimp on terrorism funds, so that bag would be packed with premium Magical Stones.
My mouth watered involuntarily.
“Ahem, today we’re learning the foundation of Black Magic: Life Force. Beyond Black Magic itself, it’s crucial for any human to sense and perceive Life Force—.”
Dracopf began his lecture. His voice was so devoid of color that I stifled a yawn.
‘A Republic Magical Stone Bomb.’
Normally, magic circles required delicacy and precision, but Republic magic circles were the opposite.
The Republic abandoned delicacy and precision, focusing solely on power.
Typical magic circles prioritized the caster’s safety above all, but since the Republic’s purpose was terrorism, they had no need to consider the caster.
All that mattered was eliminating the target, so raw power was everything.
That’s why Republic Magical Stone Bombs were several times harder to disarm than ordinary magic circles.
It was why I hadn’t disarmed the bomb during the Entrance Ceremony—I’d simply moved it.
‘A Republic magic circle.’
I recalled the Magical Stone Bomb I’d seen at the Entrance Ceremony.
Since the Entrance Ceremony had been so recent, they couldn’t have improved the bomb yet.
‘There’s no need to disarm the entire magic circle. I just need to touch the detonation mechanism.’
If I erased just the detonation portion, I could prevent the Republic operative from triggering the bomb.
Of course, the Republic knew that too.
That’s why the complexity of their detonation magic circles was at the highest level. There’s even a saying that a Grand Mage can’t crack a Republic detonation magic circle.
But I wasn’t a Grand Mage.
‘Cutting it with Aura should work.’
To do that, I needed to close the distance. I had to approach the bag naturally, without the Republic operative noticing.
And during the lecture, no less—
“Ahem, what is Life Force, then?”
Dracopf asked the students.
Students started raising their hands, then quickly lowered them.
The Crown Prince had raised his hand.
No matter how much Elysium Academy claimed to have no hierarchy, the other party was still the exalted Crown Prince.
When the Crown Prince raised his hand, other students felt too awkward not to lower theirs.
Of course, there was one exception.
“Evangeline, why are you raising your hand?”
“Because there’s bread on the line!”
Evangeline had shot her hand up. Dracopf pointed at her.
“Ahem, what is Life Force?”
“Life Force is Life Force!!”
Evangeline shouted confidently. Dracopf’s eyes crinkled with displeasure.
“Are you joking?”
“I’m serious!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Andy apologized on her behalf and sat her down.
Dracopf’s nose wrinkled with contempt as he turned to the Crown Prince.
“Ahem, what is Life Force?”
“The fundamental force that humans possess.”
The Crown Prince answered casually, as though it were obvious. Dracopf made no objection.
“Ahem, correct. Foolish people think Life Force is only used for Black Magic, but Life Force is the foundation and source of humanity itself. Ahem, when Life Force runs out, even a Sword Master must die.”
“Didn’t the Empire’s Greatest Swordmaster cut through death itself?”
The Empire’s Greatest Swordmaster was the Emperor.
Not because nothing should exist above the Emperor—that’s just tedious logic. The Emperor was simply the strongest in the Empire, hence the Empire’s Greatest Swordmaster.
“Ahem. Certainly the Emperor is the strongest on the continent, but even so, he cannot cut through death.”
Dracopf made a dangerous statement without batting an eye.
The students glanced cautiously at the Crown Prince.
“How fortunate.”
The Crown Prince simply nodded, his expression calm.
The students burst into laughter. They all seemed to think it was a joke.
But the Crown Prince was serious.
He viewed even his own father as an enemy.
Just then, a method occurred to me for approaching the bag.
‘If I answer the most questions, it should work.’
Dracopf didn’t seem like someone who’d avoid calling on a Security Guard.
So I’d answer the most questions, go up to receive the bread, and handle the Magical Stone Bomb—
‘Not bad.’
The lecture continued.
I waited, studying the Republic Magical Stone Bomb’s magic circle.
Shortly after, Dracopf asked a question.
“Ahem, why is Black Magic vulnerable to Holy Power?”
The Crown Prince raised his hand again.
Because of him, the other students couldn’t raise theirs.
Even knowing he’d dominate the discussion, the Crown Prince kept his hand raised without hesitation.
Evangeline started to raise her hand too, but Andy stopped her.
Only the Crown Prince had his hand up.
Just as Dracopf was about to call on him—
“May I also answer?”
I raised my hand and asked.
Every eye fixed on me. The students immediately took in my attire and began snickering.
“What would a Security Guard know—”
“Why did you even come to class?”
That’s what people generally thought of Security Guards.
To the students, a Security Guard was like a janitor or a stable hand.
So it was natural for them to mock a Security Guard trying to participate in the lecture.
But Dracopf simply nodded without concern.
“Ahem, of course. You’re better than these fools who can’t even raise a hand.”
Dracopf spoke harshly to the students.
The students’ hostility toward me intensified. Of course, it was nothing to me.
I ignored them and gave my answer.
“Black Magic uses Life Force as a medium to exert power, but Holy Power moves Life Force itself.”
“Ahem, precise.”
“Yaaay! You got it!!”
Evangeline clapped her hands together with genuine delight, as if it were her own victory.
This only intensified the other students’ hostility.
The Crown Prince didn’t look my way.
The lecture resumed.
“Ahem, so is Black Magic the power of demons?”
Again, the Crown Prince naturally raised his hand. I did the same.
Both our hands went up simultaneously.
Dracopf’s gaze shifted from me to the Crown Prince.
I was a Security Guard. The Crown Prince was a student.
No matter how free the lecture was supposed to be, the actual students had to take precedence.
Then—
“I’ll yield. You go first.”
The Crown Prince gestured toward me with casual ease.
On the surface it looked like a generous concession, but I could see right through his murky ulterior motive.
‘He’s counting on me to get it wrong, then he’ll answer it correctly himself.’
The Crown Prince seemed confident I wouldn’t know the answer.
That’s because this question of Dracopf’s contained a trap.
Is Black Magic the power of demons?
It sounds like a straightforward question.
Most people conflate Black Magic with demons.
But the reality is different.
Black Magic and demons are intimately connected, but demons aren’t strictly necessary for Black Magic.
However, this wasn’t material that should come up in introductory Black Magic. You’d need to move into intermediate-level material for that.
For a professor to ask it in basic Black Magic, and for the Crown Prince to want to show off by catching it—truly absurd.
But the Crown Prince hadn’t foreseen one variable.
“Me!”
Evangeline raised her hand sharply.
I glanced over and, with the same ease as the Crown Prince, said:
“I’ll defer as well. I’ll go after Evangeline.”
The Crown Prince flinched—just barely, but noticeably. Evangeline answered immediately.
“Black Magic is obviously the power of demons!”
Evangeline spoke with utter confidence. This time the other students nodded along with her.
“Ahem, incorrect.”
Dracopf shook his head coldly.
“Wait! I didn’t say challenge yet—”
“I’m sorry!!”
Andy frantically dragged Evangeline away.
Dracopf’s gaze turned to me.
“Your turn.”
The Crown Prince looked my way.
I looked into the Crown Prince’s sculpted, perfect eyes and spoke.
“Black Magic is not the power of demons.”
“Ahem, correct.”
Dracopf’s voice carried a note of amusement, and the Crown Prince raised one corner of his mouth slightly.
His expression suggested he found this amusing, but I saw through it.
‘He’s irritated.’
This was only the beginning.
I let the corners of my own mouth rise to match his.
“Since I helped you out, how about some bread—”
Evangeline was ignored.

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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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