Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 90

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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 90
“As a token of this occasion, why not give me one Republican Party member?”
I released Evelyn’s hand as I spoke.
Only then did Evelyn’s wink stop.
“You’re asking me to hand over one of my own?”
“Not one of your own—just a rotten branch that’s become a nuisance to deal with. Wouldn’t it be better for me to earn Logan’s favor if I want to truly help you?”
“You cheeky bastard. Your tongue is remarkably loose.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Ha.”
Evelyn let out a dry laugh.
“The Mana Stone Bomb used this time came through the main gate.”
Evelyn spoke lightly. The implication was anything but light.
“Through the main gate, you say?”
The main gate was the academy’s face. Of course, security there was far stricter than at the rear entrance.
The Headmaster’s magical array was stronger at the main gate too. Anything involving Mana Stones couldn’t possibly be hidden.
Yet if a Mana Stone Bomb had entered through the main gate, there was only one possibility.
“The Mana Stone used in the bomb was from Elysium Academy, wasn’t it?”
Evelyn nodded without resistance.
Highest-Grade Mana Stones were special-management items even within Elysium Academy.
Even Magic professors couldn’t easily access them, yet one had been smuggled out—
“You smuggled it out, didn’t you, Captain?”
“Sharp.”
No matter how tight Elysium Academy’s security was, it was hard to stop a Sword Master in a guard uniform.
Evelyn had smuggled it out directly.
I’d been wondering why Evelyn had been so scarce lately—it seemed she’d been busy stealing the academy’s Highest-Grade Mana Stones.
Evelyn would have left no traces, but revealing that she’d smuggled them out herself carried considerable risk.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I’ve got one leash on you now, so I need to hand you one too. That’s equality.”
Evelyn tapped her own throat lightly.
Truly, she was equal in the manner of Republicans.
“How much did you smuggle out?”
“All of it.”
All of it—
Elysium Academy’s finances were already tight.
Yet the Highest-Grade Mana Stones had all been stolen—
“The academy will be turned upside down.”
“Those Empire fools—when they soil their trousers, they don’t wash. They just spray perfume and pretend nothing happened.”
It meant the academy would keep it quiet.
It was a fairly reasonable deduction.
Having all the Highest-Grade Mana Stones stolen went beyond a security breach—it was a matter of Elysium Academy’s honor.
Elysium Academy would be reluctant to announce it publicly.
“Even so, they won’t just let it pass, will they?”
“They won’t.”
“You seem confident.”
“I learned to steal while getting beaten from childhood.”
Evelyn wiggled her fingers. They were so long, they looked just like a spider’s legs.
In the game too, Evelyn only appeared when the academy was being hit.
Evelyn had never been caught first.
It meant there would be no consequences from consuming these Highest-Grade Mana Stones.
“This is a historic day, isn’t it?”
“So?”
“Don’t friends give each other some sort of token or prize for occasions like this?”
“Is that extortion?”
“I’m just saying we should share equally.”
“Equality follows effort. Sharing without any effort isn’t equality—it’s extortion.”
Evelyn said it firmly.
I’d somehow become the one sounding like a Republican, but I didn’t give up.
“I made an effort too.”
“An effort?”
The Headmaster directly manages the Highest-Grade Mana Stones.
Even Evelyn couldn’t have stolen them if the Headmaster was watching with hawk eyes.
She must have seized the moment when the Headmaster was away.
“You didn’t seize the opportunity when the Headmaster moved toward the Forest of Missing Persons?”
“……How did you know that?”
“No matter how capable you are, Captain, it would be difficult to steal Highest-Grade Mana Stones while the Headmaster is present.”
“Difficult? It’s a nuisance. You’re right—I seized that moment. So what?”
“The Headmaster moved to the Forest of Missing Persons because of me.”
“The Headmaster went because a first-year student went missing. Are you saying you kidnapped a student?”
A red Aura rippled across Evelyn’s eyes.
I met that red Aura head-on without flinching and spoke.
“Yes, I kidnapped them.”
Evelyn’s eyes wavered slightly. It must have been because my answer was true.
“……You kidnapped a student?”
“I had unavoidable circumstances.”
“What kind of circumstances could possibly justify kidnapping a student?”
“This and that. If I had to describe it, I’d say it was a benevolent kidnapping.”
“A benevolent kidnapping?”
The corner of Evelyn’s eye twitched.
I drove my point home, looking at Evelyn.
“In any case, the reason the Headmaster went to the Forest of Missing Persons was because of me. Thanks to that, you were able to steal the Highest-Grade Mana Stones, so aren’t I partly responsible for your success?”
It was a crudely fitting argument, but typically that’s how Republican logic works.
“Let’s distribute equally.”
I made my demand boldly, like a Republican.
Evelyn stepped back.
“……I noticed the Mana Stone Bomb’s power was weak earlier. You didn’t pocket a Highest-Grade Mana Stone from it, did you?”
“That’s the fruit of my solo effort.”
“You sound exactly like a Republican. Just be honest with me. Are you a Republican?”
“I maintain political neutrality.”
“You’re definitely a Republican—”
Evelyn muttered gruffly. The corner of her straight lips rose slightly.
“Take it.”
Evelyn threw a leather pouch.
I caught it and opened it to find lustrous Mana Stones inside. They were Highest-Grade Mana Stones. There were quite a few of them.
“Think of it as a signing bonus.”
She was remarkably generous, as befitted a Republican official.
With such a generous signing bonus, I couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing that, Evelyn’s expression turned serious.
“Don’t you dare smile in front of me.”
“Will we become close like this?”
“Control yourself, you bastard.”
Evelyn spoke quietly.
I let my smile drop.
“Then I’ll see you next date.”
Evelyn’s expressionless face gave a wink with just one eye.
It was a lifeless wink.
With that, Evelyn disappeared as she’d come.
‘An alliance with Evelyn.’
I murmured quietly, watching the spot where she’d vanished.
The Republic was the second-largest organization after the Empire. Republicans were even more ruthless than the Empire.
The saying “curse the Emperor if you must, but never curse the President” didn’t exist for nothing.
Evelyn was an official of that Republic.
One misstep and I could find myself under attack from both the Republic and the Security Bureau.
Allying with Evelyn was extremely dangerous, but what I’d gained was equally substantial.
Republicans were an unpredictable sort of minefield.
Through my alliance with Evelyn, I’d be able to neutralize aggressive Republicans.
That alone was a major gain, and now I had a pouch filled with Highest-Grade Mana Stones.
I’d earned far more than I could have asked for.
I felt so full I might burst, even though I hadn’t eaten.
Yet—
‘I could still take more.’
There’s always room for dessert after the main course.
I’d had my main meal, so it was time for dessert.
‘I should go see Logan.’
Logan was extraordinarily generous when it came to matters related to the Republic.
It wasn’t for nothing that I called him a Honey Quest.
Of course, if Logan found out I was allied with Evelyn, he’d be livid—
‘As long as he doesn’t find out.’
I was already lying to Logan, telling him I was with the Security Bureau.
Whether he discovers the Security Bureau impersonation or the alliance with Evelyn, it’s catastrophe either way.
If catastrophe is inevitable, I should grab everything I can.
I left the empty Lecture Hall and headed for the Student Affairs Office.
The door to the Student Affairs Office still looked dingy.
Had there been no plaque reading “Student Affairs Office” on it, I would have taken it for an underground dungeon.
The Student Affairs staff member guarding the thick iron door seemed more like a jailer than a student.
As I approached, the staff member’s gaze turned toward me.
“The Security Corps cannot access the Student Affairs Office.”
“I’ve come to see the Dean.”
“Is your name Grave?”
“It is.”
Whether I was fairly well-known, the staff member opened the iron door upon hearing my name.
The corridor visible beyond the thick iron door looked like it led straight to hell.
‘Maybe it does.’
I muttered a quiet joke to myself as I walked forward.
As I descended, I could see Student Affairs staff moving busily.
Their gazes turned toward me, but none moved to stop me.
I passed the staff and headed for the Dean’s Office, located at the very back.
Upon entering, Logan was smoking a cigar, as always.
He was truly hopeless. I found myself suddenly wondering how many cigars Logan smoked in a day.
“What brings you?”
Logan asked, tapping ash from his cigar.
I got straight to the point.
“There was a Republican terrorist attack during Basic Dark Magic class.”
“During class?”
“Yes, I barely managed to stop it.”
I held out a fragment from the Mana Stone Bomb as evidence.
Logan’s thick eyebrows hardened at the sight of the bomb fragment.
Logan took the fragment and sniffed at it, his nose twitching. He looked exactly like a drug detection dog.
“It’s genuine Republican work.”
“Yes, it was an assassination attempt on the Crown Prince.”
“How did you stop it?”
“I got lucky.”
“Lucky—like last time?”
Logan’s sharp, tiger-like eyes fixed on me.
He seemed suspicious.
I nodded shamelessly.
“Yes.”
“You seem to have remarkably good luck, stopping Republicans every time.”
“I am fortunate.”
“Be careful. Luck can vanish suddenly.”
Thanks to the Luck Stat I’d maxed myself, that would never happen, but I obediently nodded.
“Thank you for the advice.”
“So, did you track down the Republican?”
“A student named Kyle.”
“Kyle. Kyle.”
Logan intoned the name quietly. It was as ominous as the Grim Reaper reciting the registry of death.
Logan suddenly stood up. He looked ready to crush Kyle’s skull on the spot.
Already imagining it, Logan’s thick trapezius muscles twitched.
“For now, let’s keep him alive.”
“Keep him alive? A Republican masquerading as a student and infiltrating our academy?”
Bloodlust poured from Logan’s eyes.
He was truly a severe Republican paranoia sufferer.
“What good is catching one small-time Republican operative?”
“Then what do you propose?”
“If we leave him in place and track him, we can root out the Republicans connected to him.”
“Root them out? But what if a problem arises before then?”
“The Dean will be watching directly, won’t he? How could a problem possibly occur?”
“You’re asking me to do surveillance work.”
Logan’s eyes crinkled sharply.
Oddly, it was a smile.
Logan was pleased.
“Good. Very good. Care for a cigar?”
Logan held out a cigar. I shook my head.
“I’ve quit.”
“Planning a long life, are you?”
“I intend to live a full span of years.”
“Usually those types die young.”
“That’s fine. I’m not the usual type.”
Ha-ha-ha! Logan laughed heartily. His laughter was so loud it made my ears ring.
“Come join the Student Affairs Office.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I have duties to attend to.”
“You’ve got real promise.”
Logan took a long drag on his cigar.
A heavy silence stretched out.
In the game, Logan was an NPC who gave rewards reliably.
I’d already built up a decent rapport with Logan and had given him fairly substantial intelligence.
I was curious what reward he would offer.
“You make work complicated.”
Logan clicked his tongue openly. Despite what he said, the corner of his mouth rose slightly.
He rummaged in the drawer of his desk and pulled something out. It was a banner, so dusty it was clear he hadn’t used it in ages.
But the emblem looked familiar.
A banner bearing blue eyes was the symbol of the Student Affairs Office.
“An Honor Student Affairs Badge.”
Logan tossed the emblem to me casually.
I couldn’t help but smile.
It was the highest-tier reward.

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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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