On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 9

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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 009

 

 

The Teacher’s Role (1)

 

 

“Today’s class ends here.”

 

Students collapsed with relief or gasped for breath as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Two hours with every muscle and nerve in their bodies tensed to the limit.

Fatigue hit them all at once.

 

“Damn, I’m dying. Should I really drop this class?”

“You want to take liberal arts with freshmen next year?”

“Ugh, shit…”

 

There were 5 liberal arts subjects.

Who would have thought they’d end up taking the 2 that Ziel was in charge of?

The system bundled Liberal Arts 1 & 2 and Liberal Arts 3 & 4 together, with Liberal Arts 5 as an optional addition.

At first, they were thrilled to beat the competition and get in, thinking it would be easy, but now…

 

“Can’t even drop it…”

“This is really killing me.”

 

Meanwhile, there were also reactions like this.

 

“I actually feel kind of refreshed.”

“Is something wrong with your head?”

“No, seriously. I’m a bit tired, but it was okay.”

 

On the other hand, some students were so exhausted they could only breathe…

 

‘So who did the best?’

‘It must be me, right?’

 

There were also students like Delev and Celia who only stared at Ziel.

 

“From now on, you’ll repeat this method until you successfully execute Self-Defense Arts against me.”

 

How on earth?

Never mind themselves.

But against that teacher who moved non-stop and continuously attacked 40 students?

 

“Is… is that even possible?”

 

When Yurio raised his hand with an uncertain expression, Ziel nodded.

 

“It’s possible. If you don’t give up, you’ll gradually improve.”

 

Yurio found himself nodding unconsciously.

Following the long-distance running from before, Yurio was keenly aware of his shortcomings again today.

 

“Student Yurio Harmatan, your last movement today was good.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. Your Reflexes are decent.”

 

Yurio’s eyes filled with joy.

He had been praised.

By none other than Teacher Ziel Steelheart!

 

“…”

 

Meanwhile, Delev became dejected.

I worked hard too.

After being so humiliated in the first class, I gritted my teeth and practiced like crazy.

 

“Lucky you, Yurio.”

 

When Karen nudged him from the side, Yurio grinned broadly.

 

“Go back and rest a bit, then wash up and get as much rest as possible. Recovering well after class is the most important thing.”

 

At Ziel’s words, everyone struggled to get up as if they had been waiting for this.

But then.

 

“Ah. And.”

 

Ziel added one more thing.

 

“Since no one defended against my attacks, I can’t give out Praise Cards as promised.”

 

The energy completely deflated.

 

“But I did say I would give Praise Cards to those who improved.”

 

At those words, eyes began to sparkle.

But Delev had given up.

He hadn’t received a single compliment throughout today’s class.

He didn’t feel like he had improved either.

 

“The student who showed the greatest improvement in today’s class is…”

 

Ziel looked up and pointed at Delev.

 

“Student Delev Kundel.”

“What?!”

 

Delev snapped his head up and responded strangely.

 

“Looking from the start of class until now, you showed the best improvement. Your Surprise Attack Response became much faster and your senses gradually sharpened.”

 

Delev was stunned.

To him, it didn’t feel like that at all.

 

“It’s a small change, but you’ve improved by a much larger margin than the other students.”

 

Ziel added one more comment.

 

“Well done, student Delev Kundel.”

 

Well done.

At those words, Delev felt a strange emotion.

A feeling of his heart soaring!

 

“As expected of a Kundel?”

“Delev was working really hard.”

“I thought he’d leave after the first class, but he’s working the hardest.”

 

He couldn’t hear the chatter around him.

 

“Come forward and receive a Praise Card.”

 

Delev awkwardly stood up, dragged his stiff legs forward, and accepted the ‘Praise Card’ that Ziel held out.

A card was a card.

It was nothing particularly special, just a white card, but there was a face visible in the center of the card.

It was a smiling face.

 

“This is… a Praise Card.”

 

Where did he buy a stamp to make this?

Do they even sell stamps like this?

The smiling face itself was simple, but the perfect symmetry and perfectly round face were impressive.

 

“If I collect all of these, do I get something?”

“No. Just keep it.”

“Ah. So it’s just symbolic…”

“It will protect you from danger.”

“This… will?”

 

He examined it wondering if some magic had been cast on it, but it seemed too ordinary for that.

 

‘What, will it block arrows or something?’

 

Seeing how it bent immediately with just a little pressure, that didn’t seem to be the case either.

 

“When you’re in danger, throw it. At your opponent.”

“Throw it?”

“Yes.”

 

At least it won’t kill me.

 

“It won’t kill you.”

 

Did he read my mind?

Delev nodded for now and put the card in his pocket.

Actually, the card didn’t really matter.

This feeling of finally having his pride restored!

Then Ziel said one more thing.

 

“If you collect 5 Praise Cards, there’s a prize.”

 

The book had said so.

Stimulate the students’ desires.

Rather than simply giving something once and ending it there, it was more effective to encourage them to collect things.

 

“What do you give?”

 

Sparkle sparkle!

 

Delev asked with bright, eager eyes.

 

“You’ll find out when you see it later.”

 

Delev was excited.

 

‘It must be something amazing.’

 

I want to try using this Praise Card soon too.

 

“Well then. Go back inside.”

 

But something seemed to be missing.

 

“Do you have something left to say?”

“Uh, well…”

“Cards are given one at a time.”

 

That’s not it…

What about applause and cheers, something like that?

 

 

Assassins undergo countless types of training.

Among them, naturally, there’s training in handling mana.

From simply imbuing weapons or tools with mana to using ‘Mana Breathing Techniques’ to handle mana in ways optimized for assassins.

Breathing techniques are a general term for methods of handling mana.

Appropriate breathing techniques exist for swordsmen, mages, and various other fields, and assassins are no exception.

For example, what Ziel learned was the ‘Polar Night Breathing Technique.’

A breathing technique that had been passed down like a legend in the ‘Black Sky’ assassination group that Ziel belonged to.

It was also a breathing technique so complex and difficult that no one had been able to master it.

But Ziel, who had the greatest talent even within the assassination group.

He became the only person to master that breathing technique.

And now that the organization had collapsed, he was also the only person who knew of this breathing technique’s existence.

 

‘Is it the influence of developing an ego?’

 

Lately, techniques derived from that breathing technique sometimes emerged unconsciously.

Originally he had controlled them thoroughly, but perhaps they were being influenced by emotions.

That’s why Ziel had been particularly careful about his ‘gaze’ lately.

The Polar Night Breathing Technique was extremely difficult to learn, but it granted corresponding abilities to its user.

The most frequently used among them was transmitting mana through one’s gaze to create specific effects.

 

‘I need to be careful.’

 

But if anything, it was positive.

 

“An ego.”

 

He had been dragged to an assassin group and brainwashed before he could even form an ego.

Now that the brainwashing was lifted and he was free.

 

‘Is an ego forming belatedly?’

 

Ziel easily realized the identity of something that occasionally stirred deep in his heart and sometimes tried to boil over.

Emotion.

The very thing he couldn’t feel at all while brainwashed.

His previously numb ego was changing little by little.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Ziel closed the book he had been reading.

 

 

A book the librarian had recommended when he asked about emotions.

According to this book’s contents, emotions were feelings, moods, and sometimes stimuli.

Thanks to being dragged away and becoming an assassin in those distant times he could barely remember, he still didn’t understand well.

But what stood out was the emotion called ‘fear.’

Ziel had no fear.

Other emotions might gradually return, but fear had to be intentionally suppressed during the brainwashing and training process.

 

[An emotion of feeling afraid, scared, repulsed, and horrified about something.]

 

That’s what was written in the book.

At least it didn’t seem like a good thing.

 

“Fear.”

 

Would there be an occasion to feel it again?

 

Thud.

 

Ziel closed the book and left the library.

He felt following gazes, but unlike Delev, they didn’t lead to actual tailing.

 

‘I should still be careful for now.’

 

Still, he didn’t let his guard down.

His instincts and senses remained sharp as ever.

 

“Did you just see that? Who was that?”

“Don’t you know? Where’s he from? Sword School? Arcane School? Or Arts School?”

“Seems like Arts School. His face is a work of art.”

 

He kept his ears open too.

He stayed alert to corners, trash cans, behind benches, and bushes he passed.

It seemed like it would take quite a while for his assassin habits to disappear.

 

“…I’m sorry, senior.”

“Academy life got easier, right?”

“N-no, it hasn’t!”

 

Then sounds reached his wide-open ears.

It didn’t seem like ordinary conversation.

Ziel, who was about to just pass by, realized that his walking direction was the same as where the sounds were coming from.

Curiosity.

That very emotion that arose after regaining his ego.

Following that curiosity, Ziel headed toward where the sounds were coming from and discovered two familiar faces.

 

“Hey. But what kind of family is Aswan buried in?”

“Isn’t it the eastern countryside?”

“I guess so. I’ve never heard of it before.”

 

Karen Aswan.

 

“What’s your name again? Yu…”

“Yurio Harmatan!”

“Should’ve been born into a more famous family. I can’t even remember.”

“Yes, it was famous in the past…”

“When was that?”

“Two hundred years ago…”

“But there’s nothing now, right?”

 

Yurio Harmatan.

 

‘They’re my students.’

 

The other three were unfamiliar faces.

The location was a shaded, secluded spot behind the building.

It’s a place assassins prefer.

 

‘They don’t look like assassins though.’

 

Right behind the corner.

Ziel pressed against the wall, listening carefully.

 

“Hey, I heard the first-years are really out of line these days, and it’s true? Don’t you recognize your seniors? You should greet us. Huh?”

“S-sorry!”

“Does saying sorry end your academy life? Huh?”

“We’re sorry. We haven’t memorized all the seniors’ names and faces yet…”

“Wow, they’ve really gotten soft. Right?”

“In our time, we memorized everyone within two days of entering. But they still complained when we couldn’t do it in one day?”

 

Sword School has roughly 100 students per grade.

Perfectly memorizing 100 faces and names in two days is absurd!

 

“Hey, the third-year and above seniors are still lenient with you guys, but we’re not, got it?”

“We’re sorry…”

“Behave yourselves. Huh? Oh right. The inter-grade exchange is coming up soon, right? See you then?”

 

The three second-year Sword School students patted Karen and Yurio one by one as they passed.

Watching this scene, Ziel felt an uncomfortable sensation somewhere in his chest.

He couldn’t identify exactly what it was yet.

So after the second-years disappeared, he appeared before Karen and Yurio.

 

“Z-Ziel Teacher?”

“How did you get here…”

 

Ziel asked.

 

“What just happened?”

“Well, that was…”

“They looked like second-year seniors, right?”

 

Karen flinched.

She knew that Ziel always had an expressionless face and spoke in a monotone voice.

But today was different somehow.

Something about it…

Was frightening.

 

“They are, but…”

 

Yurio quickly stepped in from the side.

 

“Teacher. It’s nothing serious. Haha. The seniors were just giving us juniors some advice…”

 

Yurio kept poking Karen’s side.

Karen also kept her mouth shut, but Ziel continued asking without concern.

 

“It looked like they were bullying you.”

“Ziel Teacher, th-this is just between seniors and juniors…”

“Why did you just stand there?”

“Pardon?”

 

Yurio was flustered by the unexpected question.

Why did they just stand there?

 

“Well…”

“Do you have to show absolute obedience to seniors?”

“That’s not it, but…”

 

There was a bigger reason than that.

Noble families.

Even the second-year seniors who just scolded them couldn’t touch Delev or Celia.

Kundel and Rihart.

Families you must never make enemies of as long as you live in the Empire.

On the other hand, both Aswan and Harmatan were insignificant.

One from the eastern countryside.

The other from the northern outskirts.

Even among nobles, there are ranks.

Harmatan was at least one of the families that enjoyed glory 500 years ago, but now it’s a family barely maintaining its name.

 

“Both of you didn’t seem completely unable to fight those second-years just now.”

“Pardon?”

 

Ziel had perfectly assessed their skill levels in that short time, but Karen and Yurio had no way of knowing this.

 

“Why were you intimidated?”

“Th-that’s because they’re seniors…”

“If you’re going to be intimidated for that reason, you’ll be the same with most things in the future. Student Karen Aswan, Student Yurio Harmatan.”

 

Suddenly, Karen’s heart began racing as doubt welled up inside her.

Aswan.

Harmatan.

As the seniors said, both families are insignificant.

So she had always lived with her head down.

Both before entering Sword School and after.

Karen asked.

 

“Then should we have fought?”

“No.”

 

Then what are we supposed to do?

 

“What you felt seems like ‘fear.'”

 

Ziel mentioned something he had read in a book.

 

“Fear is an emotion where you feel afraid, scared, repulsed, and terrible about something, right?”

 

For Ziel, it was an emotion so old that it no longer even came to mind.

 

“Usually… that’s right, isn’t it?”

“Then you’ll need to overcome your fear.”

 

During his assassin days.

No matter how much brainwashing and training one received, human emotions didn’t disappear easily.

Fear was especially like that.

When having to kill an enemy.

When driven into extreme situations.

When surrounded by enemies.

Fear was an emotion that would always come calling.

Because of this, assassins would undergo countless sessions of fear elimination training.

They would even kill other emotions along with brainwashing.

 

“Next time, I’ll teach you how to overcome fear in class.”

“Ah…”

“Try reading a book too. It’s called ‘What Are Emotions?’ It’s shelved in Central Library B-24, fourth row, sixth from left.”

 

The two became dazed at Ziel’s words.

Then Ziel suddenly asked.

 

“By the way. What’s an exchange match? I think someone mentioned it earlier.”

“Oh, that’s…”

 

Karen’s explanation followed.

The exchange match was part of what was called the ‘observation event.’

It was an event where students’ parents visited the Academy.

The observation event had various schedules, and the biggest one among them was the exchange match.

 

“So the grade levels compete against each other.”

“Yes. Um… many student parents come too.”

“That should be a good opportunity.”

 

A good opportunity?

 

“The sun is setting, so head back to the dormitory now. Well then.”

“Ah, goodbye, Teacher.”

“Please go in safely…”

 

The two watched Ziel’s retreating figure with bewildered gazes.

 

“…”

“…”

 

Both were silent for a moment.

What was certain was that both were feeling something right now.

Meanwhile, Ziel, returning to the front of building, felt a strange sensation.

A feeling he couldn’t experience during his assassin days.

Karen and Yurio.

 

‘They are my students.’

 

This feeling that had been churning since the moment he saw the two students being verbally abused by second-year seniors.

Ziel sharpened his senses.

Traces left on the ground.

The scent of those three lingering in his nose.

 

“That way.”

 

Ziel began walking in that direction with an expression slightly more twisted than before.

Of course, he hadn’t yet precisely realized that his expression had changed, or what this emotion was.

 

‘I can see them over there.’

 

His chest felt a bit tight and uncomfortable.

Was it because my students were being bullied?

Ziel felt something rising within this unknown emotion.

 

‘According to the book… this is.’

 

Ziel pondered for a moment before reaching a conclusion.

It was slight, but it was definitely anger.

—————
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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