On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 3
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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 003
The food tastes good
‘Our youngest. Our youngest will become Kundel’s greatest talent.’
‘Really, father?’
‘Of course. My eye is accurate. You’ll grow up splendidly. Don’t tell your brothers, but you have even greater talent than them.’
‘Then I want to become the Empire’s greatest knight!’
‘Yes, yes. You’ll certainly be able to do that.’
It felt like a panorama of memories flashed by for a moment.
Delev opened his eyes in a daze.
It was the third time.
This time he got caught while his attention was diverted by the chalk Ziel threw.
He could hear murmuring sounds.
“He lost again?
“It’s not that he lost, it looks like he just got smashed…”
“Three times…”
It was embarrassing.
Coming out so confidently only to get beaten?
No.
‘What the hell just happened?’
In the blink of an eye, the instructor named Ziel disappeared and his body was smashed to the ground.
This had never happened before.
Even when he lost in sparring, he could at least understand how he lost.
He couldn’t see anything at all.
He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was smashed on the ground.
‘But I’m Kundel’s greatest talent…!’
The greatest talent that surpasses his brothers!
That pride was the driving force that kept Delev going.
But that pride was completely shattered.
“Attention Diversion is the easiest way to succeed in a Surprise Attack. When something suddenly flies at you, suspect what’s behind you.”
Whether he knew this or not, Ziel continued his explanation in a calm voice.
The students thought:
‘There’s no time to suspect anything…’
‘How can chalk be that fast…’
Does that even make sense?
Thanks to this, Delev barely managed to get up from his humiliation.
“Student Delev Kundel, do you now understand the importance of Self-Defense Arts?”
“…”
Shame beyond humiliation.
The thought that he had to recover from this shame.
“No… I don’t… understand yet.”
Ziel tilted his head.
He clearly showed him, but he didn’t understand?
‘Does he lack aptitude?’
But a teacher has the duty to guide even students who lack aptitude.
“Then let’s try to understand once more.”
“Come at me as much as you want.”
The murderous intent in his eyes!
‘This time I’ll see it.’
However.
Bang!
This time he couldn’t see it either.
Delev was smashed to the ground in exactly the same way.
He didn’t see the chalk.
Instead, once again the lights went out and came back on.
‘Crazy…’
This time it was even faster.
The lights went out the moment of attack, and came on the moment he fell.
“Your response is slow. When you expect a surprise attack from behind, your hands should always be at chest level for a quick response.”
Delev jumped up.
He also positioned his hands at chest level as Ziel said.
He didn’t intend to do that.
It just happened that way.
Now there was no shame or anything else.
“I still don’t… understand.”
Bang!
Crash!
After that, Delreb fell to the ground dozens of times, unable to block Ziel’s attacks.
“Your movements were a bit faster this time.”
“It’s more effective to block with your palm facing outward rather than with the back of your hand.”
“Don’t drag your feet. It makes your movements a moment slower.”
Meanwhile, little by little, Delreb’s responsive movements were also improving.
The lights turned on and off, and chalk flew several times.
“This time it’s smoke. I’m warning you in advance.”
Bang!
Even a smoke bomb went off, and naturally Delreb tumbled once again.
‘What’s with the smoke bomb?’
‘I thought smoke bombs were only used from second-year majors…’
Near the end of Sword School’s second year, students receive mock training classes disguised as real combat.
Smoke bombs are used in that process.
“Huff, huff.”
The students watching this had become completely quiet.
‘That instructor seems crazy…’
Fine, let’s say Delreb attacking like that is understandable.
But what the hell is with that instructor?
There’s no way he doesn’t know about Kundel, right?
What on earth is he thinking, mercilessly slamming a scion of one of the Empire’s most prominent families into the ground like that?
‘Could there be… something behind this?’
That sight of him mercilessly knocking down and attacking Kundel’s scion!
He clearly doesn’t fear a family that even professors can’t carelessly touch.
‘The Imperial Family…?’
‘Or another family…? Ludbekia? Rihart?’
What’s more, Delreb had been charging at him continuously from earlier, but Ziel hadn’t moved a single step from where he stood.
Thud! Thud!
Only Delreb was desperately charging forward.
“This is interesting.”
One of the students, Celia Rihart, was watching this situation with an intrigued expression.
‘He’s not just handsome, is he?’
Rihart.
One of the Empire’s prestigious families alongside Kundel.
In terms of talent produced alone, it was evaluated as slightly ahead of Kundel.
Celia was the second daughter of that Rihart family, and like Delreb, a talent evaluated as the greatest in her family’s history.
From Celia’s perspective…
That teacher named Ziel Steelheart was quite appealing.
‘Should I put him on the candidate list for now?’
As a knight guard candidate, that is.
Thud!
Meanwhile, Delreb fell once again.
He wasn’t seriously injured or exhausted.
He had literally just fallen over.
Delreb was noticing it.
That he was focusing on knocking him down rather than ‘attacking’ him.
‘He’s toying with me.’
There was no damage to his body.
It didn’t hurt much even when he was slammed into the ground.
But this feeling of his spirit being torn to shreds!
“Grr!”
Thud!
Delreb was slammed down again.
“Your counterattack is slow. Your field of vision is narrow. Look around left and right a bit more.”
But this was strange.
For some reason, he wanted to continue.
Should he call it a feeling of constantly improving?
“That wasn’t bad this time. But you’re still slow.”
“Huff, huff. What was slow?”
“Your right hand.”
Thump!
Delreb fell once more.
“You don’t always come back from the right side.”
Ziel had attacked from the left side.
“Still, that was the best movement you’ve shown so far, student Delev Kundel.”
As soon as Delev heard those words, he collapsed right there.
He was completely exhausted.
Seeing this, Ziel asked.
“Do you understand now?”
“Huff, huff.”
Delev was breathing heavily, without even the strength to answer.
“If you still don’t understand, try to understand it in the next class.”
Ziel glanced at his watch and then looked at the students.
“I’ll end the first class here. The other students should now understand the importance of Self-Defense Arts.”
Ziel thought.
He had shown them enough.
“Next time, I plan to explain the basics of Self-Defense Arts, so make sure to bring your Textbooks.”
And with that, Ziel left the Lecture Hall.
But none of the students could get up for quite a while.
Including Delev who had collapsed, no one.
“L-let’s go…”
“Is Delev okay…?”
Only Kus ran over to support Delev.
“Del, Delev. Are you okay?”
“…”
Delev sat up halfway and stared blankly into space.
“Best my ass…”
He was dazed.
Scenes from the past 2 hours kept flashing through his mind.
But strangely…
Why was it?
He didn’t feel that bad.
“This is the first time I’ve been slammed to the ground dozens of times…”
“No one would have that experience…”
“But I don’t feel that bad…”
A situation unimaginable for a young master from a noble family!
“A-are you okay?”
Kus thought.
It seemed like Delev’s head had been affected from being slammed down too many times.
Slurp!
Professor Elcanto’s Research Office, filled with leisure.
6 PM.
It was time for Professor Elcanto, having finished all his classes, to return to his room and enjoy his evening leisure.
He doesn’t eat dinner.
His doctor had recommended reducing his meal portions as much as possible.
‘I have gained quite a bit of weight.’
Professor Elcanto drank tea continuously.
That was the only way he could endure this hunger.
Sometimes he would glance at the box where he kept snacks, but he desperately held back.
He wanted to return to his sharp jawline from before.
“Right, I did gain weight from too much stress over the past few years.”
The countless power struggles he had fought to become a full professor!
And thus he had seized his professorship.
How bitter it had been to have the skills but be held back just because he wasn’t from a major family!
But those hardships had ended a few years ago.
Though he was still at the bottom among full professors, now all that remained was to live stress-free, doing whatever he wanted…
Knock knock.
“Um, Professor Elcanto. It’s the Teaching Assistant.”
“Oh, right. Come in.”
Professor Elcanto poured another cup of tea.
Of course, it wasn’t for the Teaching Assistant but for himself to drink.
“So, what’s the matter?”
Professor Elcanto asked with the gentlest smile possible.
But he shot up at the Teaching Assistant’s response that followed.
“What, what did you say?”
“Well… you see.”
“That damn instructor bastard…”
His hands trembling violently!
His face was burning bright red!
He couldn’t contain his surging anger.
‘3, 2, 1….’
The teaching assistant who had been counting down in his mind squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears.
“What the hell did you dooooooooooo!”
Crash!
The glass on the table shattered and cracks spread across the glass in the display cases.
A shout infused with mana!
This was Battle Roar, something only those at the level of a grand knight could use.
But why did it have to explode right now of all times.
The teaching assistant counted the number of broken windows and glasses with a sigh-filled gaze.
‘I’ll have to replace all of those again….’
Third year as a teaching assistant.
He had resigned himself to it by now.
“How dare a mere contract instructor… mess with the Kundel Family?”
Professor Elcanto, breathing heavily in anger, whipped his head toward the teaching assistant.
“So, he said he’d demonstrate self-defense arts and slammed student Delev Kundel into the ground?”
“Yes….”
“This crazy bastard….”
Professor Elcanto clenched his fist tight.
‘One instructor is going to ruin my entire life….’
Kundel.
Rihart.
And the children of other major families are specially managed subjects even at Edelwein Academy.
Why?
Because a considerable portion of Edelwein Academy’s finances are operated through donations from those major families.
Therefore, during the time those major family children are enrolled and graduating, there must not be even the smallest accident.
But… a major incident had exploded.
“Why, why… why did this happen….”
Whether it’s Sword School or Arcane School, liberal arts lectures are just for filling credit requirements.
How else would people say that first-years, who mostly take liberal arts lectures, just attend classes moderately and play around.
That’s what Professor Elcanto had wanted too.
Just teach adequately, give good grades, and let it pass quietly like that….
‘If the Kundel donations get cut off….’
A terrible situation he didn’t even want to imagine came to mind.
Professor Elcanto’s mind raced quickly.
“Right, that, Zi, Zi….”
“Ziel Steelheart, Professor.”
“Right! Where is that bastard?”
“At the Faculty Dining Hall….”
Whoosh!
Professor Elcanto’s belly fat shook fiercely as he rose to his feet.
Clink.
Ziel finished his satisfying meal and set down his fork.
The Faculty Dining Hall.
A place he quite liked.
Because he could eat his fill here.
“The food is delicious.”
Food was special to Ziel.
He had gone three days without eating, unable to have a meal.
Then, hearing that someone would give him food, he took a man’s hand and followed him to become an assassin.
After becoming an assassin, he could barely feel the joy of eating.
The minimum food necessary for training.
Chunks of nutrients that had no taste to speak of.
But now that the brainwashing was undone, he had regained his sense of self.
The resentment from his childhood!
He was resolving it now, twenty years later.
“Hey, who is that person?”
“Why is he eating dinner five times?”
He was resolving it quite a lot, admittedly.
“I like it here.”
Ziel liked this place.
If he just followed the standard approach Professor Elcanto had taught him, he would be able to live well in this safe place with delicious food.
“The first class ended very satisfactorily too….”
The students seemed to be concentrating on the lesson.
Not a single one looked away until the class ended, which meant they were that absorbed!
“It would be nice to become a full professor too.”
A new life he couldn’t even dream of having while under brainwashing.
But from the moment he regained his sense of self, Ziel had been pursuing a new life.
Safe, with a cover identity, and most importantly, delicious food.
The classes were quite enjoyable too.
And one more thing.
“My face doesn’t feel stuffy.”
Ziel had never once gone outside with his bare face after being taken by the Assassination Group.
Because after training inside and becoming an official assassin, he used a Disguise Mask for every mission.
Going around with his original face was the first time since before being dragged to the Assassination Group, back when he was begging under bridges.
“I should head back to the dormitory.”
And even a place to rest his body.
Though he couldn’t look around since he went straight to class on the first day, he was very pleased to have a place to sleep.
While Ziel was focused on his meal and thoughts.
‘There he is?’
A student entered the Faculty Dining Hall and stealthily approached from behind.
Just as she was about to place her hand on Ziel’s shoulder after getting close behind him.
“Student Celia Rihart.”
Ziel turned his head.
Celia froze in place.
“H-how did you know?”
Identifying someone he’d observed once wasn’t difficult.
Celia’s case was even easier.
The interval of her footsteps.
Strong perfume.
Those two things were enough.
“Next time you try to approach secretly, try a different method.”
Celia stared in disbelief, then suddenly brightened up.
“But… you remember me? You only saw me once earlier?”
I do stand out, don’t I?
“Because you’re my student.”
“…!”
My student.
Those words made Celia’s heart flutter.
For Ziel, it was a literal expression.
She didn’t have a particularly striking face either.
At least not to Ziel.
“So what do you need? Before that, this is a faculty-only dining hall, so students should be prohibited from entering.”
“Oh my, I’m a Rihart.”
“Are you saying the family is you?”
“That’s not it, I’m a Rihart so…”
It was a bit awkward to say outright.
“…Anyway, no one says anything.”
“Because you’re a Rihart?”
“Yes.”
Ziel finally understood a little.
“Are access privileges granted here based on family prestige?”
‘Why is he being so rigid?’
He was a rare type these days.
In a bad way, of course.
At least here at Edelwein Academy.
“It’s not exactly like that but… there’s something called flexibility in the world, you know?”
“That’s not orthodox.”
“What does that matter?”
“It matters. Schools have something called School Rules.”
“You’re really strict and old-fashioned. Oh right, you asked about my business? I just… um… saw your face while passing by?”
Ziel tilted his head.
“You were watching me for too long to say that.”
Ziel checked his watch and added.
“It’s been about 30 minutes since I started eating. Student Celia Rihart has been following me for at least 50 minutes. Since Abedardo Hall.”
“…”
My goodness.
He knew that?
Celia’s ears turned red.
“Your ears are turning red. That’s usually a physical reaction when embarrassed.”
“N-no! I’m not embarrassed at all!”
“Really? Then are you flustered?”
“…”
“Seems I spoke the truth.”
Even in the midst of all this, Celia thought to herself.
‘He’s more impressive than I thought?’
At first, she had taken interest after seeing his face.
But Celia wasn’t the type of person to chase after someone based on good looks alone.
Handsome people were a dime a dozen.
Of course, people as handsome as Ziel were rare.
Anyway, there was one reason why she had quietly followed Ziel and struck up a conversation.
“But how did you know I was following you?”
“You followed me quite boldly without even thinking to hide yourself.”
He was incomparably handsome, and he looked strong enough to easily subdue that Delev Kundel.
On top of that, he had the perceptiveness to notice that she had been following him.
“Is that so?”
Celia actually showed off her reddened ears as she curled up one corner of her mouth.
“Teacher. So, what I wanted to say was…”
That’s when it happened.
“Ziel Steelheart!”
At the entrance to the Faculty Dining Hall.
A booming voice calling Ziel’s name burst forth.
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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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