Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Just as a bright light casts a deep shadow, the back alleys of the flashy city were terribly dark.

The back alleys were places even the Guard Corps didn’t patrol.

Milo was known as a tough nut even in those back alleys.

Even when his stomach was pierced by a skewer-like sword, Milo was the one who laughed and bit the opponent’s throat.

However, this time, he couldn’t laugh.

‘Damn it, what kind of punch is this?’

The man’s fist hurt like being struck by a rock. It was enough to make even Milo, who hadn’t let out a single groan despite suffering all sorts of stab wounds, scream.

Such fists pounded his body without rest.

But something was strange. Usually, one should pass out after being hit this much. Yet, Milo’s mind was becoming increasingly clear.

‘Why…’

Then, he saw a light lingering on the man’s fist.

It was divine power. The man was coating his fist in divine power.

‘Why divine power on a fist?’

Only then did Milo realize. There wasn’t a single wound on his body.

The man was beating Milo up while simultaneously healing him. There was only one reason.

‘To beat me endlessly.’

Then, he made eye contact with the man.

The man’s gaze was terribly dry.

Like a blacksmith hammering iron, there wasn’t a shred of emotion.

“Woof! Woof!”

Milo had no choice but to bark desperately.

‘Not bad.’

I nodded while looking at Milo.

Milo was quite decent. His durability was excellent, and his reactions were fast. Above all, he was very tenacious.

It made me wonder why a guy like this was in the Guard Corps.

Then, I made eye contact with Milo.

Even after being beaten like that, Milo’s eyes were still alive. He seemed to be bowing his head for now, looking for an opportunity.

I asked, pretending not to notice.

“Milo, explain Squad 42 to me.”

“Squad 42 is a support squad.”

Even after getting beaten like that, his speech was short. He was a guy with considerable spirit.

“Support squad?”

“Yeah, we don’t have any specific duties; we move upon receiving support requests from other squads.”

“So, a handyman.”

“Handyman? You-.”

Murderous intent flashed in Milo’s eyes. However, he didn’t lunge immediately.

‘A support squad. Nice.’

Moving based on support requests meant I could choose various work locations. It was exactly what I needed.

‘Did luck play a role?’

Things were going so well that I wondered that.

“Who is the squad leader?”

Since it was obvious I wouldn’t know the names of Guard Corps members anyway, I asked lightly.

However, Milo’s answer wasn’t light.

“The squad leader is Evelyn-nim.”

“Wait, Evelyn?”

“That’s right.”

Milo answered crookedly.

‘Republic executive, Evelyn.’

Even in the Empire, the master of the continent, there are threatening enemies. They are called the ‘Ten Evils of the Empire.’

The Republic was considered the first among the Ten Evils of the Empire.

The Republic only advocates for equality. It sounds good at first glance, but the problem is their head, the President.

The President is a guy crazy about equality. How crazy? He wouldn’t hesitate to turn the continent into a sea of fire for the sake of true equality.

The Republic, ruled by such a President, didn’t care about means or methods when carrying out their work. They are real mad dogs that don’t let go once they bite.

Evelyn is a stooge of such a Republic. A very significant stooge, to the point where she once blew up the entire Elysium Academy.

To think that such an Evelyn is the squad leader-.

‘Things are getting interesting.’

I tapped the hilt of my sword.

“What about the deputy squad leader?”

“The deputy squad leader is-.”

Milo hesitated for a moment.

I didn’t pay much attention. Evelyn had already appeared, so how much more impressive could it get?

“The deputy squad leader is Hanswell.”

Hanswell-? It’s a familiar name.

I’ve definitely heard it somewhere-.

Then, a memory flashed through my mind.

‘The Principal’s half-brother.’

The Principal was from the Kerietan family, one of the six noble houses called the pillars of the Empire.

Officially, the Principal is an only child, but Hanswell is his half-brother.

There was only one reason I remembered this. Because the Principal goes on a rampage and becomes a disaster due to Hanswell’s death.

The Principal’s rampage was a forced event that couldn’t be stopped in any route.

To think that Hanswell, the Principal’s trigger button, is the deputy squad leader-.

‘Dangerous.’

If Hanswell is here, the Principal’s gaze will inevitably follow. That was quite tricky and dangerous.

And at the same time, it was an opportunity.

‘If I use Hanswell, I might be able to stop the Principal’s rampage.’

This was a route I had never tried before. I didn’t even know Hanswell was in the Guard Corps in the first place. It was a new possibility opened up by joining the Guard Corps.

‘I must use him.’

Then, someone knocked on the warehouse door.

“Milo.”

Milo was startled by the calm voice.

“Damn it! It’s Hanswell!”

Milo screamed as if a devil had appeared.

It was clearly a locked door, but the lock broke without a loud noise, and the door opened. Then, a neatly-looking man appeared.

Hair slicked back neatly without a single strand out of place, attire without a hint of disarray, and sharp glasses.

Just from his appearance, it was obvious he had a fastidious personality.

“Milo, why are you here?”

“De, Deputy Squad Leader-.”

Milo, seeing Hanswell, flinched and lowered his eyes.

“I clearly told you to bring the new recruit immediately.”

“That is-.”

“You weren’t doing some weird stuff like ‘training the youngest’ or whatever, were you? You know better than anyone that Squad 42 is short on people.”

“So-.”

“Come to think of it, you didn’t even do your morning shift properly today. I warned you to be careful since the entrance ceremony is the day after tomorrow. And why did you disappear before off-duty time yesterday?”

“That was just 5 minutes after work finished-.”

“Who said you could leave 5 minutes early? Milo, you’re also frequently late. Yesterday 1 hour and 2 minutes, today 46 minutes.”

Hanswell poured out nagging without resting for a second. Even I, listening from the side, felt dizzy. Milo’s face turned paler and paler.

Then, Hanswell’s gaze turned to me. They were hawk-like, piercing eyes that resembled the Principal’s.

“You must be the new recruit selected this time, Grave.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I am Hanswell, the Deputy Squad Leader of Squad 42. I’m busy, so let’s talk while we walk.”

Before I could even answer, Hanswell turned and left the warehouse. He seemed to have quite an impatient personality.

Then, Milo stuck to my side and asked cautiously.

“What about the senior training?”

Milo asked, glancing sideways at Hanswell.

The Principal cherished Hanswell dearly, even if he didn’t show it for the sake of his dignity. When Hanswell died, he went berserk and slaughtered students.

And to beat such a Hanswell-.

It was truly a terrible thing to say.

I ignored Milo’s affectionate gaze and followed Hanswell.

Hanswell headed straight to the Guard Corps headquarters.

The Guard Corps headquarters looked like a European police station. Guys wearing guard uniforms were moving diligently around it.

Each squad’s office was located on each floor, and Squad 42’s office was on the top floor, in the very corner.

Hanswell took something out of a cabinet and handed it to me.

It was the guard baton that guard members carried in the game.

“In our academy, a trap called a Crack appears very rarely. A Crack is a trap whose cause hasn’t even been identified yet, and it’s dangerous enough that even professors can die if they fall into it wrong.”

My eyes sank deep at the mention of Cracks.

“Professors usually handle Cracks. The problem is that you can’t know the attribute until you enter the Crack. You have to identify the attribute to make a plan to handle the Crack and organize the dispatch personnel. Our role is to identify that attribute.”

Hanswell held out the guard baton to me.

“When the Elite Guard discovers a Crack, they enter first before students get caught up in it. Then, after identifying the attribute of the Crack, they send a signal and wait for rescue.”

It was content I knew well. Even in the game, the Guard Corps notified the occurrence of Cracks.

At the same time, a question arose.

“If you enter a Crack, isn’t the possibility of rescue significantly low?”

“Nine times out of ten, you die.”

Hanswell said the gruesome story in a calm voice.

“If you’re afraid, quit now.”

I wasn’t particularly afraid. Cracks were one of the reasons I chose the Guard Corps.

“I’m on the brave side.”

I promptly took the guard baton.

Then Hanswell’s gaze softened a little. However, it soon became strict again.

“If you look at the bottom, there will be four buttons.”

Just as Hanswell said, a sword, a staff, a skull, and a holy relic were drawn on the bottom of the guard baton.

“If the Crack’s attribute is Knight, press the button with the sword; if Mage, the staff; if Black Mage, the skull; if Priest, the holy relic. If the properties are mixed, press them together at the same time.”

“It’s intuitive.”

“That way it’ll be good to use even in urgent situations. Of course, the chances of facing a Crack are extremely rare. In fact, there are more days where you patrol and don’t see a Crack.”

Hanswell added in a calm voice. I nodded lightly.

“Now, put this on for now. Since it’s an unplanned recruitment, it will take a while for the formal uniform to come out.”

Hanswell handed me a guard uniform he took out of the cabinet. It was a guard uniform that had traces of someone having worn it.

“Yes.”

I took the guard uniform and went inside the changing room.

The guard uniform, fitting for Elysium Academy, had quite good fabric.

The problem was its appearance. It was a bit late, but looking at it again, the guard uniform looked like such a pathetic outfit.

‘Are they trying to lure the enemy into letting their guard down?’

Clicking my tongue, I changed clothes and shoved the guard baton into my belt.

Of course, I won’t have any use for the guard baton.

‘I’ll have to take care of it.’

Cracks are traps of terrible difficulty, but the clear rewards are just as certain.

I had no intention of yielding.

When I went out after changing, people I hadn’t seen before were sitting around a table. They seemed to be the members of Squad 42.

However, their faces were familiar.

The fact that the faces of mere guard members were familiar was a very big problem.

“Oh my, a new recruit?”

A beautiful woman with black hair and a spider-like impression smiled softly. She had shortened her guard uniform so much that her belly button was visible. It was an outie belly button.

“This is Scarlet.”

Hanswell explained, pointing to the woman.

‘Saint of the Outer God, Scarlet.’

The Scarlet I remember was a terrible monster covered in hundreds of tentacles.

Scarlet is a major villain who appears from the latter half. Following Evelyn and Hanswell, Scarlet is here too?

Even Scarlet wasn’t the end. The long-haired man smoking a cigarette next to her was also familiar.

“This is Ludric.”

‘Chang-gwi, Ludric.’

Chang-gwi Ludric is a guy who comes in a package with Scarlet, and his martial prowess was quite powerful. He was capable of handling a Sword Master alone.

I turned my head toward the big guy sitting quietly in the corner. That man was also familiar.

“This is Volkan.”

‘Barbarian, Volkan.’

Volkan was a villain who appears in the early stages. He’s a very brutal guy who walks around wearing a student’s intestines like a necklace.

“The new recruit, Grave.”

At Hanswell’s explanation, everyone’s gaze was fixed on me at the same time.

The squad leader is a Republic executive, the deputy squad leader is the Principal’s trigger button, and the members are the Saint of the Outer God, the Chang-gwi, and the Barbarian-.

“Nice to meet you.”

I was sincere. I was very glad.