On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration Episode 001

 

 

The Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration

 

 

It seemed like The Organization had collapsed.

It felt like a rope that had been tightly binding his mind suddenly snapped loose all at once.

He was certain.

The final brainwashing The Organization had placed on him had been undone.

After the mission ended.

It was the same sensation as when existing brainwashing was released for re-brainwashing.

 

Flutter.

 

A pigeon flew in at just the right moment.

It was a pigeon sent by The Organization.

 

Rustle.

 

He unfolded the message slip tied to its ankle and injected mana, revealing the text.

 

[Black rain has fallen.]

 

No matter how many times he checked, it was definitely sent by The Organization.

He had received several short coded messages from The Organization before, but this was his first time seeing this particular code.

But he knew what it meant.

The Organization’s dissolution!

He belonged to the Empire’s Greatest Assassin Group.

He was even their greatest assassin.

Specter.

That was the nickname by which he was called.

But now the place he could return to had disappeared.

And—

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Ziel brought his hands to his neck, wrist, and heart in turn to check his pulse.

As expected.

He wasn’t dead.

Even The Organization’s final resort couldn’t kill him.

 

[Black rain has fallen.]

 

Originally, all assassins who saw that phrase were supposed to die.

A trigger hidden within the brainwashing.

The moment they touched paper of a specific material and saw this phrase.

Their heart would stop.

But Specter’s heart was still beating vigorously.

Specter immediately pulled out his mission orders from his chest.

 

Whoosh!

 

The mission orders and message slip burst into flames instantly.

The only evidence of his mission completely disappeared.

All proof that Specter had been deployed on a mission was perfectly erased.

 

“Finally… have I escaped?”

 

The Organization had collapsed.

And now Specter was—

 

[Edelwein Academy Sword School 1st Liberal Arts Subject – Understanding Self-Defense Arts]

[Instructor: Ziel Steelheart]

 

About to begin his first class under his cover identity.

It was the first day of his mission.

 

 

He hadn’t been called Specter from the beginning.

About 20 years ago.

Back when even his name and memories from that time were now hazy.

Not even three years old, the first words he learned were “Please give me food.”

He repeated those words in front of passing people.

 

—You have talent.

 

Then some man stood before him and said those words.

 

—I’ll give you food, will you follow me?

 

After that, he became an assassin.

It was a continuous cycle of harsh training and brainwashing.

He learned countless techniques and had his emotions suppressed.

After passing the final test and becoming an assassin, he lived that way for 20 years.

He began being called ‘Specter’ after completing 200 assassination missions.

Assassins from rival organizations.

High-ranking officials.

Slave traders.

Corrupt lords.

Even merchant guild leaders.

Even people with great authority trembled at rumors that Specter was coming for them.

Ridiculous rumors followed him as well.

That he lived hidden in shadows without substance, just like his nickname suggested.

That he was a being born from darkness.

That he was the child of demons.

Specter was that kind of existence.

Someone who earned respect from fellow assassins and fear from those who opposed him.

Such a being was now meeting with a professor from the Sword School before class.

 

‘Not a bad warrior.’

 

Edelwein Academy Sword School.

A specialized academy where students who wish to learn martial arts, including swordsmanship, enroll.

Along with the Arcane School that teaches magic, it could be said to be one of the two pillars of Edelwein Academy.

Although the Arcane School has now surpassed the Sword School, the perception still remained the same.

It is also the specialized academy with the most undergraduate students, totaling 1,000 out of approximately 3,000 undergraduates.

One of the full professors there.

Elcanto Paredes ‘was’ quite skilled.

An Imperial Knight.

A former Grand Knight positioned just below that rank.

Although he was at the bottom among Grand Knights, the title of Grand Knight is not given unless one has achieved a certain level of mastery in swordsmanship.

However-

 

‘Is my belly getting a bit pudgy today?’

 

He had gained too much weight.

He probably was quite skilled in the past.

While Elcanto was looking at his belly fat, Ziel was looking at something else.

 

‘If it’s a surprise attack, once. If it’s head-on, about twice.’

 

An instinct for gauging level and outcome.

Professor Elcanto seemed to briefly misunderstand Ziel’s such gaze.

 

“Professor Ziel Steelheart, please relax.”

 

He also realized something rather obvious.

 

‘Damn handsome. Why is his skin so pale?’

 

A new life beginning with the false identity of Ziel Steelheart.

Until now, there had been no occasion to reveal his face.

He had changed faces with human skin masks for each mission.

Ziel had never thought deeply about his true appearance.

Therefore, he didn’t yet know how violent and attention-grabbing it was to some people.

 

“Ahem, ahem. Professor Ziel Steelheart?”

“Ah, yes.”

 

Professor Elcanto’s gentle voice was heard.

 

“Thank you for applying, Professor Ziel. Coming to this prestigious Edelwein Academy is a very excellent and outstanding choice.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. You don’t know how fortunate we are that Professor Ziel has come. So please, take good care of our students.”

“Yes, I understand.”

 

An indifferent and calm response.

If it were before the brainwashing was lifted, he might have been able to display appropriate friendliness.

Brainwashing that changes even personality to match the mission being deployed!

There’s no way a proper self could exist.

It amounts to becoming a being that moves only according to pre-programmed brainwashing.

But now, only three things remained for Ziel.

An assassin’s instincts.

An assassin’s skills.

And-

A blank slate-like self reclaimed after 20 years.

The information and knowledge acquired during mission deployments remained intact.

However, it’s the self that gathers that knowledge together to create thoughts and ideology.

Without a center, the information is scattered like fragments, no different from pure white!

 

“Are you someone of few words? That’s actually good. After all, teachers at Edelwein Academy need gravitas.”

“….”

 

Ziel didn’t respond to Professor Elcanto’s words.

His mind was still complicated from reclaiming his self after such a long time.

But that rather serious-looking expression caused a misunderstanding.

 

‘Didn’t he hear what I said?’

 

“Professor Ziel?”

“….”

“Ahem, ahem! Good! You have gravitas. It’s essential for an educator!”

 

Ziel’s goal was one thing.

To adapt well as a liberal arts instructor at Edelwein Academy’s Sword School.

It was Ziel’s own goal, not as an assassin.

 

‘A new life.’

 

Twenty years as an assassin.

In other words, twenty years without a self.

Now that he had reclaimed his self, he was aiming for a new life.

After all, he had reclaimed his self in order to live a new life.

 

“I’ll try to adapt well.”

“That’s a good attitude.”

 

Professor Elcanto smiled with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, inwardly he also smiled with a slightly different meaning.

 

‘Fortunately, I’ll get through this year.’

 

Liberal arts instructors for the Sword School are hard to find.

It’s due to the application qualifications.

Commoners cannot apply.

Only nobles can apply.

Even fallen nobles are acceptable, but fallen nobles usually tend to join the military.

Because they at least start as officers, the salary is quite generous.

Of course, if this were the only issue, there would still be some applicants.

What kind of place is Edelwein Academy, after all?

It’s one of the two great academies, sharing almost the same history as the founding of the Empire itself.

Quite a few people come for that honor alone.

However, the liberal arts instructor position is different.

Low pay.

Contract work.

No honor, no severance pay either.

Looked down upon by professors, ignored by students!

How desperate must it have been for the last applicant to quit before even finishing a semester?

It was so hard to find anyone that out of 5 liberal arts subjects, 3 were being handled by professors and the remaining 2 by teaching assistants.

At least now that one person has come, the professors—especially Professor Elcanto, who ranks lowest among the full professors—can finally breathe.

 

‘Was the record 5 months so far? Anyway, you absolutely can’t leave. This hell is finally over!’

 

How will this guy turn out?

It would be fortunate if he could just last 6 months.

 

“Ahem. And just so you know, if you do well, contract renewal is possible, so please work hard.”

“Is it possible to become a professor later?”

“A professor… you say?”

 

This guy must be an idiot.

To apply for a liberal arts instructor position and ask something like that.

Professor Elcanto hesitated for a moment.

Starting as a liberal arts instructor, going through assistant professor to become a full professor isn’t theoretically impossible, but…

 

‘That’s ridiculous.’

 

But Professor Elcanto’s face broke into a broad smile.

 

“Of course, Teacher Ziel.”

“Teacher…”

“Anyone who works hard and shows ability can certainly make it. You meet the minimum requirements, so if you work hard as a liberal arts instructor, opportunities will come.”

“Yes, I understand.”

 

What a naive fool has arrived.

A meaningful smile spread across Professor Elcanto’s lips.

 

‘I can become a professor.’

 

Ziel set another goal.

If he became a professor.

This life he must now live under a false identity would become much safer.

Still, staying at Edelwein Academy as long as possible was his primary goal.

 

‘This place is the safest.’

 

It wasn’t that Edelwein Academy was safe.

This mission itself was safe.

Unlike previous missions, Ziel had designed this one himself.

Only Ziel knew about it.

He had created the mission orders himself and obtained the false identity himself.

For a new life.

 

‘Though the assassination target was real.’

 

Ziel asked.

 

“I have a question.”

“What is it, Teacher Ziel?”

“What should I do to receive good evaluations as an instructor?”

 

Ziel was genuinely curious.

He needed good evaluations to stay at Edelwein Academy for a long time.

 

“Hmm…”

 

Professor Elcanto pondered for a moment before answering.

 

“Just teach well by the book, according to the school rules.”

“By the book.”

“What else could there be? An educator just needs to teach students well and evaluate them properly.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

 

Ziel repeated those words several times to himself.

By the book.

 

‘Does knowing that make you a professor or something?’

 

Professor Elcanto sneered inwardly.

 

“Oh, and it would be good if you had affection for the students.”

“How do you have affection?”

“…Uh, well. You just care for them with love, don’t you? Haha.”

“Love…”

 

He didn’t really understand.

 

“I’ll try my best.”

“Mm-hmm. Good. You’ll do well, Teacher Ziel.”

 

Professor Elcanto’s lips were filled with a gentle smile.

 

“Oh, and this is a gift. It’s a book organizing the school rules, please read it.”

“Should I memorize all of it?”

“Well, it would be good if you memorized it, but…”

“I understand.”

 

Ziel accepted the book and stood up from his seat.

 

“Well then, I’ll be going to class.”

“Ah. It’s already that time. Please take care of things, Professor Ziel.”

 

Click.

 

The door closed as Ziel left, and Professor Elcanto stood up with a satisfied expression to brew some tea.

 

“Full professor, my foot. He really doesn’t know a thing about how the world works.”

 

Chuckling, Professor Elcanto brought over a steaming teacup and the morning newspaper.

 

“Memorize what? Do you know how thick that School Rules Book is?”

 

As he unfolded the newspaper, shocking news appeared on the front page.

 

“Assassination Group subjugated? What a world we live in.”

 

It was news of the subjugation of that very Assassination Group that had made the Empire’s influential figures tremble.

 

“Good riddance.”

 

Professor Elcanto set the newspaper down with a thud.

 

[Valdrain Empire Successfully Subjugates ‘Black Sky’ Assassination Group… Remaining Member Corpses Found]

[‘Black Sky’ VIP Assassination Specialist, Most Dangerous Individual ‘Specter’. Location Still Unknown.]

[(Special Report) ‘200 Assassinations’, What Kind of Being is the Specter?]

[Subjugation Commander: “We will devote all efforts to eliminating remaining members for the Empire’s peace”]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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