The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 75

Phais sat down with a nervous demeanor.

At that moment, Amon was smiling contentedly, staring directly at Phais.

‘Hmm, looks like someone I actually like has arrived.’

Until now, none of the fellow teachers had impressed him.

Marion, the drunkard who always handled the backstabbing; Sloth, the embodiment of laziness; and Kai, the newbie who for some reason just rubbed him the wrong way.

Then there were the executives, Anar’el and Brestle, who were so bad that he didn’t even need to point out their flaws.

‘But this one is different. He buys me a drink from the very first meeting?’

Amon completely let his guard down just because someone bought him a drink!

Of course, it wasn’t just because of the drink; there was a very specific reason for it.

With Amon staring intently, Phais awkwardly smiled.

“U-uh, senior? Why are you looking at me like that…?”

“Hahaha, no, nothing. It’s nothing.”

Amon smiled widely.

‘Look at this! He’s much older than me, but his attitude is so respectful. We’re meeting for the first time, and he’s already treating me with respect and even buying me a drink! His impression is kind, and you can tell right away he’s someone you can trust!’

Amon had a lot to say about the impressions he had of the other teachers, especially in terms of their appearance.

Marion, without a doubt, was the scheming drunkard, Sloth was a representative of lazy people who ruined their own potential, and Kai, well, he just didn’t sit right with Amon.

And Anar’el and Brestle were fine as long as they kept their mouths shut—excellent elves and dark elves, but they had no intention of keeping quiet!

But look at Phais!

He’s kind-hearted, respectful, and even buys drinks!

That’s why, based on first impressions alone, he could easily be considered top-notch.

‘And his teaching experience is long too. Finally, someone trustworthy has arrived as a colleague.’

Although Phais referred to him as “senior,” Amon could view him as an adult he could rely on, someone much older than him!

So while Amon grinned happily, Phais, who was being stared at with a smile, felt a lot of pressure.

‘T-this guy… Why does he keep staring at me like that?’

His eyes flickered nervously.

‘D-did he figure out that I’m a spy sent by the Kingdom of Mardel?’

When Phais revealed his identity to Anar’el, he had mentioned that he had worked as a teacher for many years in the Kingdom of Osran, but his true identity was shockingly that of a spy from the Kingdom of Mardel!

In other words, he had never actually worked as a teacher!

But Amon, who was unaware of this, was smiling away.

‘Hahaha, so you’ve been a teacher for over ten years. You must know how to handle students, right? These days, students have become lazier…’

‘Damn it, judging by the look in his eyes, it seems like this guy really has figured out my true identity.’

‘It looks like I’ll be getting a lot of lessons from him.’

‘Should I eliminate him? No, I can’t cause a scene on the first day.’

The two were having completely different thoughts!

Phais sighed lightly and looked around.

Even now, the intimidating scene in the center of the tavern, where rough-looking men were fighting each other, was unsettling.

Even someone who had been a spy for a long time like Phais was feeling his nerves tingling at the sight.

‘It looks like he’s trying to pressure me into revealing my identity, but I have no choice.’

Phais took a deep breath and his eyes gleamed.

He decided to make the first move before Amon could attack.

“Huh, things have been crazy lately, haven’t they?”

Amon, who had been munching on the basic snacks, tilted his head.

“Eh? Oh, yeah, I suppose so.”

“Recently, the situation on the continent has been quite chaotic too.”

At those words, Amon swallowed the snack and narrowed his eyes, nodding slowly.

“…Yeah? I guess so.”

Seeing Amon’s reaction, Phais smiled faintly.

‘Hah, how about that? Is he rattled?’

A criminal doesn’t announce that they are one.

No, they don’t even mention the word “criminal” because they don’t want to draw suspicion.

Sometimes, some lunatics who want attention shout “I’m a criminal!” but someone like Phais, who had lived as a spy for so long, would never make such a mistake.

Therefore, those who openly say “I’m a criminal” can be divided into two categories:

Criminals seeking attention or people who have nothing to do with crime.

‘So, which one do you think I am?’

Phais was smiling triumphantly, but Amon was deep in thought with a serious expression.

‘Maybe he’s an older person trying to talk about politics. Ugh, this is so tiresome. I shouldn’t have followed him just because he bought me a drink.’

‘Hahaha, kid. Look at that expression.’

‘His gaze… It looks like he’s preparing to talk about the kingdom’s policies.’

As Phais moved his chair closer, leaning in to whisper, Amon sat with a pensive look on his face.

“Yeah, there are some ominous rumors going around, you should be careful.”

“Eh? What are you talking about?”

“Did I mention that I’m from the Kingdom of Osran?”

“I’ve heard that from the headmaster.”

“Ah, I see. Actually, I recently defected to the Amonis Empire.”

“Eh? Defected?”

Amon swallowed another snack, and Phais continued.

“Yes, indeed. The situation in the Kingdom of Osran is quite serious internally…”

Hearing the words “serious situation,” Amon’s face turned serious as well.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Phais’ lips.

‘How’s that? Does it make you crazy? The Kingdom of Osran is in turmoil, so it’s probably good information, right? I bet your butt is itching now.’

‘Oh, so he really is talking about politics.’

‘But I’m actually from the Kingdom of Mardel! A completely different country from Osran!’

At this point, Phais thought that Amon’s mind was in turmoil.

Why was he talking about the situation in Osran? What was so serious? Wait, is he really from Osran? More importantly, who exactly is he?

‘…That’s what he’s probably thinking!’

However, Amon remained silent and chewed on the snacks, his face hardening.

‘Damn, if I had known he’d talk about politics, I wouldn’t have come.’

Just then, Amon suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Phais.

‘But this guy… bringing up this topic out of the blue seems suspicious… Could he be a spy sent from another kingdom? The way he’s casually bringing it up, he seems like he’s trying to act nonchalant.’

Amon was quick to grasp the essence of things!

‘Well, since we’re here, I might as well drink a couple more shots and leave. The vacation is almost over, and I’ll just say I remembered something I need to prepare for.’

As he thought that, the waiter brought the ordered drink to the table.

“Here’s the Amor People you ordered.”

“Ugh…!”

Amor People!

It was one of the top four fine wines from the commercial city of Amor!

Not only was the taste exquisite, but it was incredibly expensive—truly a luxury drink that Amon, who prioritized efficiency, could never have dreamed of!

Amon hurriedly opened the bottle and spoke.

“Ah, you must have gone through a lot to end up defecting… Here, let me pour you a drink. Let’s have a good one!”

At Amon’s sudden change in attitude, Phais was slightly taken aback but then smiled knowingly.

‘Hahaha, kid. He doesn’t know which side I’m on, but he’s determined to dig for information. I see what he’s up to.’

‘Expensive drink! Expensive drink!’

‘But I won’t make it easy for him. I’ll carefully mix truth and lies to create even more confusion.’

‘This is going to be delicious!’

Amon and Phais clinked glasses and toasted, both smiling widely with completely different thoughts in mind.

“Ugh, so these young people these days…”

“…Hmm, you’ve finished it all already.”

“Hey! Another bottle of Amor People, please.”

“Ugh! Back in my day…”

Before Amon could even raise his hand, the waiter swiftly came over, bringing another bottle of Amor People and said,

“I’ll take away the empty bottles!”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

The waiter collected the empty bottles scattered on the table, carrying them away lightly.

Even with the bottles being cleared away, there were already six empty ones.

If you count the newly delivered bottle, they had already downed seven bottles.

And because of all the alcohol, even the highly trained Phais couldn’t maintain his composure.

“Ugh! You sure drink strong stuff, don’t you?”

“Really? I guess it’s because the drink is so good.”

Just as Phais said, the Amor People had certainly lived up to its price.

And it tasted even better when someone else was buying the expensive drink!

Grinning widely, Amon drank greedily and then said,

“Well, now that we’ve finished this, how about we move to another place?”

“Another place…?”

“Of course! You said you’d pay for the first round, so I’ll pay for the second round.”

At those words, Phais instinctively wanted to gag and quickly covered his mouth.

‘He’s going to drink more? Does he really mean it?’

It was dangerous.

Amon had been talking about various things over drinks, but the more he drank, the more it felt like he was just rambling without a filter.

They almost started talking about first loves too!

‘C-could this be a test to see if I can hold my liquor?’

‘The drink’s running out…’

‘He’s trying to get me drunk and extract information from me.’

‘It’s good, but I think I prefer cheaper alcohol.’

Phais set his face in determination.

‘Right, I can’t back down here. He’ll be drunk soon, and I can either get information or feed him lies.’

Phais nodded firmly.

“Good idea! Let’s go!”

“Yeah! Alright, let’s drink to our hearts’ content today!”

Saying that, Amon jumped up and left the tavern.

Phais, who was about to follow, froze in shock when he looked at the bill.

The cost of the drinks was nearly half of his entire allowance.

***

They moved to a different, shabby, and quiet tavern.

After getting expensive drinks in the first round, Amon, considering his wallet, chose a very cheap tavern for the second round.

‘It’s not because I’m trying to save money, okay?!’

He had three gold bars given to him by Caselag, but one was left at his estate, one was for the dragon lord and his younger sister’s tuition fees, and the remaining one was for ‘emergency funds,’ so he couldn’t waste money carelessly!

‘It’s not because I’m trying to save money, I swear!’

He felt a little guilty, but oh well!

Anyway, Amon was laughing and having a good time, with an arm around a middle-aged drunkard he met at the tavern.

“Puhahaha! No wonder I didn’t see you around, so you were here all along?”

“Don’t even start! You suddenly told me not to come in and pushed me away, I don’t know what that was about!”

“You didn’t make a mess of the place again, did you?”

“Hey! You know I have good drinking habits!”

“Well, yeah!”

The two of them were making such claims, but considering they were tap dancing on the table, their words didn’t seem very convincing.

And Phais was watching them with disdain, thinking they were pathetic.

The alcohol from the first round had made Amon completely sober, so he could be rather calm now.

‘What a pathetic bunch. But, well, it’s good for me.’

Amon, who had been drinking heavily with the drunkard, was now completely wasted, and his earlier composure seemed like a lie.

‘In this situation, it’s perfect to subtly extract some information.’

Phais cleared his throat and spoke to them.

“Ahem! Anyway, I’m looking forward to working with both of you in the future.”

The drunkard, who had been swaying his hips, responded.

“I should be the one asking! You’ve been in the teaching profession for more than ten years, so you’re even more of a senior than me!”

Phais tilted his head at the drunkard’s words.

‘That drunkard is also a teacher?’

He had just assumed he was a drinking buddy of Amon, but it seemed he was also a teacher.

‘Hmm… I see.’

Phais, who had a smile of triumph, slowly spoke.

“But you two, do you know about this?”

“About what?”

“This is actually a pretty important matter…”

As Phais set the mood, the two drunkards, with exaggerated faces typical of drunk people, sat up and prepared to listen, and Phais continued.

“I’m from the Osran Kingdom, and I’ve come here to seek asylum.”

“Uuuh, you said that already! Uuuh!”

At Amon’s jeer, Phais gritted his teeth but forced a smile and continued.

“The reason I sought asylum is because there was a huge mess in the Osran Kingdom.”

“Uuuh, you said that already! Uuuh!”

“…Ugh, the mess was because of spies.”

“Spies…!”

“Yes, that’s why I’m telling you both to be careful. Do you happen to know anything about it?”

At this point, the two drunkards were expected to share any information they knew about the ‘spy games’ between nations.

That was the question Phais had thrown out…

Bang—!

Suddenly, Amon slammed the table and shouted.

“Spies! I know who it is!”

“What, what?!”

“I’ve suspected it from the beginning!”

“Eh?”

Could there already be a hidden spy? Phais hadn’t heard anything about that.

Caught off guard by the sudden outburst, Phais was stunned as Amon smacked the table again and shouted.

“Kai! That bastard is the spy!”

A sudden accusation! But Amon’s theory, while drunk, was as simple as can be.

There’s a spy? The spy is a suspicious person? Someone who hasn’t been in contact lately and no one knows what he’s been up to?

It must be Kai, right?

Even the middle-aged drunkard, smelling of alcohol, slammed the table and shouted.

“Kai, the spy! I knew it when he stopped letting me drink!”

Caught off guard by the sudden finger-pointing, Phais looked confused.

But it didn’t last long, and he thought this might not be so bad.

‘Hmph, is this an internal conflict?’

While thinking this, the middle-aged drunkard yelled angrily.

“A spy threatening the empire! I can’t forgive him!”

“Really, you’re awesome! Senior, you’re a real man!”

“I’ll burn him alive! This is Marion Rumdom talking!”

At the mention of that name, Phais blinked in surprise.

“Marion Rumdom?”

The hero of the Great War.

One of the figures that spies from many countries had to be cautious of, a battle mage who burned enemies of the empire to death.

“The Devil of Crimson Flames…?”

As Phais muttered that name absentmindedly.

“What did you just say?”

The middle-aged drunkard, Marion, was now glaring at Phais.