Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Due to the oracle that a hero would emerge from Elysium Academy, the continent’s gaze was focused on Elysium Academy.

I had quite a few entangled connections. Regrettably, most of them were ill-fated.

If someone like me were to become a professor at Elysium Academy, quite a few problems would inevitably arise.

That was the reason I couldn’t be a professor.

That was why I chose the Guard Corps.

Since the only occupation that allows one to be involved in academy affairs without being a professor or a student is a guard.

However, even as a guard, I needed a connection to the students.

Leon was that connection.

“Huh? You’re telling me not to hire a teaching assistant?”

Leon asked back, looking bewildered. I nodded lightly.

“Teaching assistants are the last remaining legal slaves of the Empire. To tell me not to hire a teaching assistant, who is the hands and feet of a professor—what are you talking about-.”

Leon pushed back slightly. That was how important a teaching assistant was to a professor.

In the original game, there was a professor character who was extremely suspicious. The professor didn’t hire a teaching assistant, claiming they would try to steal their research.

Because of that, Elysium Academy assigned a guard to the professor.

‘If a professor fails to find a teaching assistant, a guard is automatically assigned.’

That was the reason I told Leon not to hire a teaching assistant.

Of course, I could explain these detailed circumstances and tell him to keep quiet, but…

“Do you need an explanation?”

Leon’s face turned pale in an instant. Leon shook his head urgently.

“No! I understand!!”

Just then, the train began to slow down. Splendid buildings were visible outside the window.

It was the capital.

“Then, I’ll see you next time.”

I packed my luggage and stood up from my seat.

“Next time-?”

Leaving Leon’s anxious voice behind.

The Empire’s capital was very splendid. Magic tools decorated the medieval Gothic-style buildings, giving it a feeling where the medieval and modern were appropriately mixed.

I immediately headed to the Magic Tower District, where the magic towers were clustered.

In the worldview here, magic towers were closer to commercial enterprises than ivory towers of knowledge.

It was because of the nature of magic. Just as a knight needs a sword, one needed magic stones to use magic.

The problem was that magic stones were incredibly expensive. Mages needed enormous amounts of money.

That was the reason magic towers had names like ‘Arcana Group’ or ‘Lumen Corporation,’ sounding like multi-level marketing companies.

As I entered the Magic Tower District, the first things I saw were the massive buildings.

They were the magic tower corporations, the large enterprises among the magic towers. Fitting the name ‘corporation,’ the buildings were all grand.

Among them, what stood out particularly were the Twin Magic Towers standing side by side.

‘They’re doing well.’

I nodded with satisfaction.

Due to an error that occurred while maxing out all stats to S, I possessed the body of a character 12 years before the game’s intro.

Although I possessed 12 years early, because the game genre was an academy story, there wasn’t much useful information.

Still, there were a few things worth salvaging, and those Twin Magic Towers were one of them.

The Twin Magic Towers are a rising magic tower that grows catastrophically in the game.

In other words, a startup destined to grow into a large corporation.

I invested quite a lot of money in the early stages of the Twin Magic Towers’ establishment.

However, my destination right now was not the Twin Magic Towers.

I passed the Twin Magic Towers and went deeper.

Then, buildings of a height ambiguous to be called towers appeared. They were small and medium-sized magic towers.

In front of the small and medium magic towers, people wearing robes were out soliciting customers.

“Potion to increase hair volume! Really effective!”

“At our Mageus Holdings, we promise clean settlement! We absolutely do not run away with the money!”

I went further inside. Then, a street that looked like a shantytown appeared.

My steps stopped at the end of the shantytown.

It was a house that looked like it would collapse at any moment. Yet, there was a sign, and on the sign, it was written proudly in stylish letters: ‘Constilla Magic Tower’.

‘Found it.’

There was only one reason I remembered Constilla Magic Tower. It was because Andy, the youngest archmage, was here.

‘The setting said he was dirt poor, but I didn’t think it was to this extent.’

I clicked my tongue while looking at the shanty that looked like it would collapse at any moment.

Still, it was good news for me. It was an opportunity to buy at a low point.

A mage’s growth speed varies depending on the investment amount. Andy was a genius who became an archmage even in a situation where he couldn’t receive proper investment.

What if I poured investment into that Andy?

‘I must buy Andy, no matter what.’

It might sound a bit strange to say buying a mage, but it was a common occurrence in this world. The Magic Tower Association even sells standard mage employment contracts.

Since the contracts were the biggest business revenue for the Magic Tower Association, their management was very thorough.

I pushed the door. No, I tried to push it. It’s just that the door broke before that.

Thud, the door fell with a heavy sound.

The shabby scenery inside the magic tower was visible.

Between magic tools that looked like they had been picked up from somewhere, there was a white-haired old man and a small boy.

The two stared at me blankly.

“Ah, was it ‘pull’?”

The two exchanged glances. Soon, the boy shouted while on the verge of tears.

“Oh my god! The only inheritance my mom left behind!”

“You rascal! What are you doing!! Do you know how precious this door is!”

Andy wailed at the top of his lungs, and the old man followed up by shouting furiously. It wasn’t a routine they had done just once or twice.

“It was a special high-class door that my mom personally brought over from Shern Island across the sea! Oh my god!!”

“How dare you damage our magic tower’s treasure!! What are you going to do!! Even sacrificing your life wouldn’t be enough!!”

“Let’s settle for about 50 silver coins-.”

The ridiculous acting continued. I raised my hand lightly.

“Are you Andy?”

“That’s me. But who are you?”

“I want to sign an exclusive employment contract.”

“……Exclusive employment?”

“You rascal! Our magic tower’s treasure-!”

“Grandpa, I think he’s a customer?”

“What kind of crazy person would come to our magic tower! He’s definitely a swindler!”

“We don’t have anything to be swindled out of anyway.”

“That’s… true.”

“Let’s hear him out first. Oh my, customer. Please come this way!!”

Andy politely offered a chair. I didn’t sit in the chair and said.

“I want to sign an exclusive employment contract.”

“Hmm, I’m a bit expensive, though. How much were you thinking of when you came?”

“How much do you need?”

When I asked back, Andy’s eyes shook violently.

Andy, having exchanged glances with the old man, vigorously spread out five fingers.

“Five gold coins!”

……Five gold coins?

Of course, it wasn’t a small amount of money. On average, it was the cost for one commoner to live for about four months. By Earth standards, it was roughly 10 million won.

However, mages were very expensive. Especially if it was a skilled mage, they were even more expensive.

To think a talent who would become an archmage was only five gold coins-.

I couldn’t hold back and burst into a chuckle. Perhaps misunderstanding my reaction, Andy added urgently.

“I may look like this, but I’m worth that much! I even got accepted into Elysium Academy! If that’s the case… four? No! Three! No more!! That’s a dirt-cheap price!”

Andy’s fingers folded quickly one by one.

Of course, I came to buy at a low point, but I didn’t intend to lowball him.

This was, after all, an investment.

I spread out one finger.

“One? No matter how much, exclusive employment for one is-.”

“No, one hundred.”

“One hundred silver coins? Hey! No matter how much! That’s not it! You have to give at least five hundred-.”

“In gold coins.”

“……Eh?”

I turned my pouch inside out.

Gold coins poured out of the pouch. A clear sound rang out, and a small mountain of gold was created.

Andy’s mouth fell wide open.

Suddenly, Andy’s eyes became serious.

“Don’t tell me you enjoy sodomy-?”

Andy asked cautiously.

I furrowed my brows at the sudden remark.

“What kind of dog-shit are you talking about?”

“No, rather than someone investing a hundred gold coins in me, it’s more realistic to think you’re a perverted noble harboring dark intentions toward a pretty boy, right? And ‘exclusive employment’ sounds weird too-.”

“Just sign the contract.”

I held out the Magic Tower Association standard contract.

Andy, who was examining the contract with a serious face, let out a sharp shriek.

“You want me to spend all one hundred gold coins within half a semester?”

“Yes, that’s the condition.”

Andy was a guaranteed lottery ticket. There was no need to save money. No, rather, I had to pour money into him to accelerate his growth.

The problem was Andy’s spending habits. Andy’s timid aspirations were a disadvantage for a mage. I needed to force him to spend.

“If you spend all one hundred gold coins, I’ll invest two hundred gold coins in half a year.”

“Crazy.”

Andy muttered a rough curse awkwardly. His face had turned deathly pale.

“No, why on earth are you doing this to me?”

Andy asked, looking at me with a terrified face. I stared quietly into those clear eyes.

I had a lot to say.

Soon, hell would descend upon the world, and Outer Gods would burn and tear the continent apart. To prevent that, pouring gold coins into you, a guaranteed archmage, wouldn’t be enough—those were the kinds of things, but.

It was too long and boring to explain everything.

So-.

“If you don’t want to, forget it.”

I pulled the contract slightly. Andy grabbed the contract urgently.

The old man, who had been quiet the whole time, called out to Andy.

“Andy, exclusive employment isn’t something to be done carelessly. This is a lifelong leash-.”

“Eh? Grandpa, what?”

Andy had already signed it.

The old man looked at me with narrowed eyes. A chilling sensation tickled my neck.

I tapped the hilt of my sword with my finger.

Just then, Andy made a playful expression.

“You really don’t enjoy sodomy, right? I need to prepare my heart-.”

My brow furrowed at the continued talk of sodomy.

Why does he keep talking about sodomy when he’s not even a man in the first place-.

However, if I brought it up, the old man might move, so I answered pretending not to know.

“If you say that one more time, I’ll cancel the contract.”

“Joke! Jo-o-o-oke! Hahaha! Joke! Please! Please! I was wrong! Grandpa, you beg too!”

Andy even knelt and begged. At Andy’s request, the old man knelt down together.

It was top-tier acting.

I packed the contract with satisfaction.

I purchased the youngest and freshest archmage among all archmages.

For a mere one hundred gold coins.

I swear it was a steal.

“Get ready. There’s somewhere we need to go for a moment.”

“Yes? Where are we going?”

“To introduce you to a friend.”

“A friend?”

Andy, tilting his head, gave a sloppy salute.

“I’ll get ready and leave right away! Bo-o-oss! Loyalty!!”

‘Grave?’

The old man muttered the name written on the contract.

That guy appeared out of nowhere and invested one hundred gold coins in Andy. Andy’s talent shouldn’t have been known yet-.

‘Did he find out my identity?’

No, if he knew the old man’s identity, there’s no way he could dare to act so brazenly. Above all, if the old man’s identity had leaked even a little, the corporate bastards would have swarmed in first.

“I’m rich! Super rich! Grandpa! Put the shutter down! We’re done with business for today! Today is special meat bread!”

The thoughts were broken by Andy’s laughter.

The old man stared at Andy with serious eyes.

“Andy, never undo your transformation magic.”

“I know. Phew- honestly, being pretty is such a hassle.”

“If you don’t put a fence around a flower, bugs are bound to swarm. Be careful, and be careful again.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Sigh, really. Why did Mom have to give birth to me so unnecessarily pretty and make things annoying.”

Andy grumbled seriously. The old man smiled softly and stroked Andy’s hair.

“It can’t be helped. Your mother was just that pretty.”

Andy giggled at the old man’s words.

“But what kind of person is he? Just how great of a person is he to throw around one hundred gold coins like that-.”

“Who knows.”

“Could he be a high-ranking noble? He had a luxurious vibe.”

“He wouldn’t be a noble.”

“Why?”

“Because he smells like blood.”

“Very thickly, to the point of being nauseating-.”

The old man struggled to swallow those words.

“Hehe! Did he think I couldn’t spend a mere one hundred gold coins! He underestimated me! From today on, I’ll eat three meat breads each! Two cakes each for dessert! Hehehe-.”

Andy laughed deviously, shaking the pouch of gold coins.

‘Hmm, did I raise her too frugally-.’

The old man began to worry about Andy in a different sense.