On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 387

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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First Day of Infiltration, The Organization Was Destroyed Chapter 387
Preliminary Duel (5)
A Secret Technique.
Depending on how it was wielded, a Secret Technique could become nothing more than an ordinary thrust—utterly useless.
For Isabella before she reached the highest-tier Expert rank, that was precisely the case.
Every use left her entire body drained of strength, and she never achieved the destructive power she sought. The speed was so sluggish that her opponent could simply walk away from it.
So the Secret Technique had been her family’s sore point.
Except for her ancestor, generations of her house had known only that method—a useless art they’d never successfully employed.
But now, things were different.
In this very moment.
‘Let’s try it.’
Isabella’s mana flowed through her hand and gathered at the blade.
‘What’s she attempting?’
By the moment Neller’s split-second judgment had concluded, he’d already put distance between them.
The Three-Point Thrust was blocked.
And with disappointing ease at that.
‘He’s done extensive research on Neller, it seems.’
Sigmund chalked it up to mere chance.
Which three points to attack was entirely up to Neller’s whim.
He must have learned all three points, then happened to guess their sequence correctly.
That’s what Sigmund believed.
“What the—?”
Sigmund sprang to his feet.
The mana gathered at the tip of Isabella’s blade felt far from ordinary.
As a Master-grade fighter, he could sense it.
That mana.
It was dangerous.
But regulations forbade advice from outside the arena.
‘Neller, you must dodge.’
Yet Neller, lacking Master-grade perception, remained unaware of the severity and was preparing to attack again.
Tap!
And it was precisely when Neller lunged forward.
“You would be wise to evade,” Isabella said quietly.
With her words, a massive wave of force hurtled toward Neller.
‘What is this?’
Seized by a sudden premonition, Neller’s body rolled instinctively.
In that instant, the wave grazed his arm and—
Crack, crack-crack!
Directly behind him, space itself warped and collapsed.
……
Neller found himself at a loss for words.
“W-what was that just now?”
“S-space seemed to distort……”
“Was it a Secret Art?”
“Isn’t that a Secret Technique?”
Murmurs rippled through the audience and students alike.
There was good reason.
It was obvious at a glance.
Had it connected, his body would have warped along with the space itself.
The truly astonished one, however, was someone else.
‘Even holding back, it was this powerful?’
It was Isabella herself.
She’d intended to distort only a narrow pocket of space, but the Secret Technique had erupted with far greater speed and force than expected.
Fortunately, it wasn’t beyond the capability of someone of Neller’s caliber to evade completely, but……
“Are you unharmed, Professor Neller?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Neller’s arm, which he’d failed to fully pull back, had been torn by the force of the glancing blow.
Had he dodged just a moment slower, his entire arm might have been twisted beyond recognition.
Healing could mend such wounds easily enough, but during combat, an injury like that would have been catastrophic.
“I see I misjudged the matter.”
Neller’s gaze had sharpened.
Isabella gauged the mana she’d expended through her Secret Technique and reset her grip on her sword.
The Secret Technique still needed refinement.
So now it was time to settle the match.
Clang, ring!
They exchanged sword strikes once more.
One was high-level.
The other approached high-level.
On the surface, they seemed evenly matched.
But Sigmund saw it at once.
‘Neller is being pushed back?’
His younger brother was plainly losing ground to Isabella.
Both wielded their swords without retreat, yet Isabella’s blade surpassed his in speed, force, and sharpness alike.
“Professor Isabella Altidore has won.”
Ziel’s murmur fell like a wedge driven into that ostensibly balanced duel.
As if on cue, Isabella’s sword began to overwhelm Neller’s, and—
“Ooh!”
“Professor Isabella! It’s over now!”
In moments, she’d driven Neller to the arena’s edge.
“It’s finished.”
Thud!
The match was decided.
Outside the arena.
Neller lay sprawled, staring up at Isabella in blank shock.
‘I lost.’
A complete defeat.
“Victory! Isabella Altidore!”
“Uwaaaaaa!”
The crowd erupted.
The preliminary duel.
That first victory belonged to Edelwein.
* * *
Shock rippled through Telbier.
Through hundreds of students, faculty members, and professors alike.
The one most shocked was not Neller himself.
‘I lost.’
It was Sigmund, the Dean of Telbier who had orchestrated all of this.
That immense wall, felt once again!
How had she possibly beaten Neller?
“I’m sorry, brother.”
“No… there’s nothing to apologize for.”
“But I should have won—”
Whatever it was, one thing was certain.
“Your opponent was stronger than you. There was no luck, no deception.”
“…”
“Don’t be ashamed. You fought a stronger opponent and lost.”
“…Thank you, brother.”
Sigmund turned his gaze toward Ziel.
He couldn’t say why, but he sensed a connection—something tied to this.
Meanwhile.
The moment Isabella left the arena, she sought out Ziel.
And remarkably, right there before everyone’s eyes, she bowed her head.
“Teacher Ziel, you gave me wings to spread.”
It was extraordinary.
For all Ziel’s standing, a professor bowing to a teacher in a place where all eyes were fixed—it was unheard of.
And yet Ziel replied as he always did.
“Transparent wings? Are you trying them on again?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I don’t see them.”
Ah.
Isabella understood then.
‘He made that joke so I wouldn’t feel embarrassed……!’
Another misunderstanding.
“Thank you, Professor. Because of you, I can now walk a new path.”
It was Berhal who reacted to those words.
‘Wait, surely he’s not leaving the Academy……?’
And then came the second turn.
Elcanto, wound tight with tension.
This time, the Teaching Assistant was calming the Professor down.
“Professor, take a deep breath.”
“Inhale.”
“Now exhale.”
“Exhale……”
“You’ll do well.”
“I’ll win, yes?”
“Of course. You will.”
Gilbert spoke with conviction as Ziel did, but somehow it fell flat.
‘He doesn’t have the Boss’s power behind his voice. Should I deepen my tone?’
“Well then, I’m going.”
While Elcanto braced himself, Telbier’s camp was in crisis.
“Professor Bernard, you must win.”
Now there was only one way.
They had to salvage their reputation with two victories.
“I will win without fail, Dean. No need to worry. I’ve beaten Professor Elcanto several times before.”
It was a somewhat reassuring answer.
But hope didn’t take long to crumble.
“Winner: Elcanto Paredes!”
Another loss.
This time, even the victor looked bewildered by the result.
‘That easily?’
They must have exchanged four sword strikes at most.
Elcanto’s blade pierced through Bernard’s thigh and ribs in succession, slicing deep.
That was the end of it.
Fighting on was possible, but blood poured out rapidly.
Bernard staggered and dropped to one knee, and the match was finished.
“Elcanto…… how did you become so…….”
It was Bernard’s last words, left in the arena.
‘Have I truly grown this strong?’
He had lost to Bernard many times before.
It was back when he’d first earned the title of Great Knight.
Though not at his peak, Bernard had been a difficult opponent to overcome.
To defeat such a man so easily……?
“Teaching Assistant Gilbert……!”
The moment Elcanto descended from the arena, he burst into tears and threw his arms around Gilbert.
“My goodness, Professor.”
“Thank you, thank you. It’s all because of you…….”
“Yes, I did well…….”
Gilbert started to answer like Ziel, then hesitated.
“It’s because you worked so hard, Professor.”
It wasn’t easy to answer with the Boss’s casual shamelessness.
‘But to think he’d win so decisively.’
Among those who had reached above-average mastery, a single moment of carelessness determined victory or defeat.
It was the same now.
That Professor Bernard had let his guard down.
Gilbert didn’t know why, but that lapse created an opening—Elcanto’s first strike had found its mark.
That was all.
Of course, the fact that Elcanto had rolled around brutally for the past week, trained until utterly exhausted, been healed by Ziel, and trained again was what mattered most!
“Why are the professors so cool?”
“Did you see that? Professor Elcanto, whoosh whoosh!”
The third-year students under Elcanto’s supervision were cheering especially loudly.
In truth, the professors at Edelwein Academy—Isabella, Ziel, and the uninformed freshmen aside—tended to be looked down upon.
The professors themselves knew it.
If their skills were decent enough and their families could back them, there’d be no reason to come to an academy.
But today was different.
‘I’m a professor at Edelwein Academy’s Sword School!’
He felt genuinely proud of himself.
Choosing this profession had been a blessing he was truly grateful for.
“…….”
“…….”
Meanwhile, Telvir sat in a funereal silence, unable to accept what had just happened.
“Professor Bernard…….”
He couldn’t simply brush off the loss by saying Bernard had fallen to someone stronger, as he might his younger brother.
To Sigmund’s eye, their skills had been roughly equal.
The defeat came down to two things.
Impatience.
And…….
“He let his guard down.”
“My apologies, Dean…….”
Bernard’s overconfidence had been the culprit.
An opponent he’d beaten many times before!
He’d thought he’d win again.
But he hadn’t.
The disappointment was crushing.
That made two losses.
It was over.
“Alyx Rockbolt, victory!”
“Ahhhhh!”
The third match that followed was little different.
Genir fought Alyx with something resembling balance at first, but after several close exchanges, he too fell.
Alyx was merely a knight in his twenties.
Though hailed as a promising talent and risen to enforcer-knight, he possessed that potential but hadn’t yet matched it with actual skill.
Genir, by contrast, was a knight in his fifties.
The only reason he hadn’t risen higher was that he was the second son.
But with experience and prestige accumulated over decades, Sigmund had thought even an Imperial enforcer-knight could be beaten…….
“…….”
Sigmund couldn’t lift his head.
He was hollow.
He wanted to weep.
He’d never imagined it would come to this.
But that wasn’t all Sigmund failed to understand.
“Teacher Ziel, Teaching Assistant Gilbert—it was thanks to both of you.”
The two who had reversed what should have been a defeat to Telvir!
It was the presence of Ziel and Gilbert that had made all the difference.
“Sword School! Sword School! Sword School!”
“Our Edelwein is the best!”
The students’ cheers, fitting the atmosphere of the Festa Eve, rang out toward the sky.
The professors felt an elation unlike any they’d known before.
Even Merhen and Idel, who had sat out the preliminary duel!
‘Should I have gone out there too……?’
‘What a waste, what a shame!’
For two who barely scraped by at the Expert mid-level, such a thing was still far distant.
But they’d wanted to try.
They’d wanted to receive that kind of roaring cheer, probably never to come their way again.
As for the winners themselves, there was no need to say more.
“Thank you, Teacher Ziel.”
The three professors, Isabella foremost among them, had gained more than just strength.
They’d glimpsed possibility anew and could now envision a far greater future.
“You’ve done something remarkable, Teacher Ziel.”
“Yes, I did it well.”
“Extraordinarily well.”
“And Teaching Assistant Gilbert performed excellently as well.”
“Teaching Assistant Gilbert was absolutely magnificent.”
Berhal broke into a satisfied smile.
To be honest, he’d worried a little, but to achieve such a decisive victory!
“Now we just need to wrap up the Festa successfully.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Teacher Ziel.
As before, but now more than ever, he had become an indispensable figure.
‘If Teacher Ziel weren’t here, our Academy would be… finished.’
An obvious fact, yet somehow still striking.
In any case, they had won.
A truly flawless Festa Eve Festival!
The other side would probably be in a funeral mood, but what could be done about it.
‘If word of this gets out… those two professors are going to be in trouble.’
The prestige of Edelwein Academy Sword School continued to climb in external standing.
Until now it had felt like fallen knights moving on, but by now that impression was growing harder to maintain.
Because of Ziel’s presence.
And he himself, a former Imperial Knight Commander, was here too, after all.
‘Change is starting to blow through the Academy.’
Berhal was picturing a bright future ahead.
“Then, let us now officially begin the Eve Festival!”
“Woooooaaaaah!”
But now it was time to enjoy the Festa.
Students, professors, and staff alike!
Teo and Zephyros had joined in too.
“Teacher Ziel! I don’t have to cook today, right?”
“No, Chef Teo. Today you should enjoy the Eve Festival. Enjoy it throughout the entire Festa period.”
“Then I’ll take a look around to see if there’s anything worth noting for cooking!”
Teo was delighted, and Zephyros gazed around with keen interest.
“Hmm, I suppose I’ll check out the Arcane School booths.”
And Ziel’s group made their way toward the food stall district, brimming with delicacies.
“Boss, this place…”
“Yeah.”
Ziel finally let loose a remark he’d been holding in.
“Time to hit the food stalls.”
“Hit them…!”
That word sounded rather cool for some reason.
“Boss, shouldn’t we start with the chicken skewer booth?”
“No. Save the best for last.”
Ziel’s gaze landed first on the fried bread booth.
“We start there.”
“Right.”
But then it happened.
“Teacher Ziel?”
Turning, he saw Isabella standing there.
“What are you planning to buy?”
“Professor Isabella Altidoer, yes, I was planning to enjoy the Eve Festival.”
“Well then, to repay a debt of gratitude, I’ll treat you to everything today.”
Gilbert and Kelvin’s eyes went wide.
“Ah, well, Professor…”
“D-dangerous.”
Isabella shook her head.
“I don’t think I can repay my debt with just this. As I’ve said, my family and I will help Teacher Ziel whenever you have need of us. Consider this merely the beginning of that promise.”
Ziel nodded without hesitation.
“Understood. Then we’ll start here.”
“Yes. So…”
“From here to here. Buy all of it.”
“What?”
“And then we move to the next booth.”
Gilbert and Kelvin could only sigh in resignation.
“I warned you.”
“I, I did too.”
It was the night Isabella’s entire salary vanished.

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