Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Genius Professor - Chapter 112

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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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Episode 112
EP27 – Starlight Meeting Mountain Redevelopment (2)

Laim, an operative from the Royal Guard’s Secret Division, was tense.

“What do I do…? I’m sorry, but I can’t….”

Rebecca was speaking softly—though her expression was that of someone about to strangle you.

“I’m sorry…. I just don’t have the patience for this….”
– Your Highness! Please, just help us this once…!
“…….”

The caller’s request was simple enough.
They wanted Rebecca herself to come forward and publicly announce that the Dante Assassination Unit held the number-one ranking in the “Systematic Starlight Dungeon.”

But would the Princess actually do that?
It was she who had proposed doing it anonymously in the first place.

“I apologize….”

So the Princess attempted to decline politely.
But the Academic Department professor was relentless.

– Your Highness!! This is an opportunity! If it really is Professor Dante Hiaka’s assassination unit, aren’t they overwhelmingly superior to the cadets of other nations!? We’ve been gathering evidence ourselves, so if Your Highness would simply lay the groundwork, we could make this a genuine achievement for the Hiaka Kingdom…!

On and on the words poured.
They had no idea whether this actually was the Dante Assassination Unit’s achievement. Professor Dante had made a request to the Imperial Starlight Dungeon Management Bureau through Wilhelm, the senior professor (the curly-haired one who accompanied the Assassination Daily News), but Wilhelm had kept silent on the matter.
The Academic Department, ignorant of these facts, was now pressuring the Princess to bankrupt herself.

“Your Highness….”

Laim carefully tried to appeal to take the call himself, but Rebecca ignored him.

Instead, she held the receiver at arm’s length for a moment.
With trembling fingers, she opened a Cigarette Case.
It was empty.

– As Your Highness well knows…
“No.”
– …Excuse me!?

Laim froze internally.
Rebecca seemed to realize she’d slipped.

“…I mean. Oh, I’m sorry. How many times have I told you…? Please understand that I cannot help….”
– Ah, yes! But this is the first time you’ve called…!
“I apologize. Then….”

She hung up the receiver roughly.
Thud!
Laim hurried to his quarters and found backup cigarettes.
Left alone, Rebecca exhaled a long breath.

“Haaa…….”

This was the fifth call from the Academic Department. The mask she always wore so rigidly in front of others was beginning to crack under the weight of her irritation.

“Empire Starlight Dungeon, Empire Starlight Dungeon, Empire Starlight Dungeon…….”

It had gone beyond tiresome—now it was beginning to wear on her nerves.
What if she hadn’t proposed anonymity back then……?
By now, photos of Grey were popping up with unsettling frequency across the web.
The Dante Assassination Unit would have gained worldwide fame by this point.
The Empire would have hastened the academic exchange agreement, desperate to claim them for itself.
After that, Hiaka would have been steadily infiltrated by Imperial capital, becoming nothing but a vassal state.
And she would have squandered the souls she’d gathered so painstakingly on the gamble of “Good Fortune and Bad Fortune”—a losing hand.

“……It would’ve been better to kill myself.”

Her heart hammered against her ribs. Even if she lost a hundred million Hika. Even if she surrendered the title of princess. But those souls—those she could not afford to throw away. They were the only card Rebecca could play freely, entirely on her own terms.
She woke before dawn to attend service, chasing after every fragment of soul. She crammed her feet into heels that cut like knives, mumbled prayers she didn’t believe in. The way she forced herself to smile, playing the role of a virtuous little girl, made her sick. She’d been doing that godforsaken pantomime for years.
And it had nearly all slipped through her fingers.

“How did it come to this……?”

The words tumbled out, forlorn and bitter.

“It was supposed to go smoothly…….”

Her plan, back when she’d entered the Academy, had looked nothing like this.
She was meant to gather talented children, nurture them well, diligently collect souls, travel to the Empire, assassinate the Emperor, and then unfold countless dreams.
Instead, here she was, day after day seized by anxiety at the thought of her entire fortune evaporating.
Where had it all gone wrong? What had she miscalculated? Who was to blame?

‘No one.’

No matter how she traced it back, there was no culprit to find.

How had Zamryong Academy gained the opportunity to challenge the Empire Starlight Dungeon?
Because the Empire had begun showing favor to Hiaka after the Assassination Daily became a hit.

Why had the Assassination Daily shoot been scheduled in the first place?
Because the Academic Department had committed to opening its doors.

Why had the Academic Department begun discussing openness?
The neutral professors had betrayed her.

Why did the neutral professors betray her?
It wasn’t the fault of any single person.

Which meant this entire catastrophe had been beyond human control from the very beginning.
Her fingers tightened around the empty Cigarette Case.

Crack.

Nothing ever bent to Rebecca’s will.
The only consolation was that amid the world’s collapse, there remained a single lifeline.

‘……Professor Dante.’

And yet even this lifeline was problematic.
He simply wouldn’t obey.
Professor Dante was unfathomably free-spirited. He refused to move according to her designs. And he was the only person capable of upending everything in this situation single-handedly—yet he wouldn’t.
He seemed both hers and not hers, both aligned with her and indifferent. It drove her to madness.
What was she supposed to do?
How could she ever get that professor on a leash?
If she could only possess him completely, she wouldn’t need to torment herself with such thoughts…….

“Your Highness.”

That was when Laim returned to the room and handed her a Cigarette Case.

– Ring-ring!

At the same moment, the phone rang.
She wondered if this was the sixth time. And half of Rebecca’s prediction had come true.

– …Regarding this matter, we wish to escalate the situation. Would Your Highness consent to accompany Zamryong Academy?
“…….”

Rebecca forced down the harsh words that had risen to her throat and asked quietly.

“…May I ask something?”
– Yes, Your Highness.
“…Whose instruction is this?”
– The order comes from Geumryun Palace.

The Royal Family.

Even the Royal Family, who understood the greatness of Zamryong Academy, was hoping to insert themselves into this crisis.

“…….”

Rebecca’s jaw tightened. There are feelings in this world that can only be expressed in vulgar, crude language. She was beginning to realize that she was being completely screwed.

“……I’ll consider it.”

She hung up the phone and then rose hastily.

“Laim. Get the car ready.”
“Ah, yes. But Chungru will be arriving soon…”
“Does dying require an escort? Go get the car ready.”
“Understood. Who are we visiting?”
“Dad.”

‘What? Ah, yes….’ Laim was bewildered—she was saying she’d go see His Majesty without so much as an appointment.
In any case, when the princess said to go, he went. Together they headed outside.

At the same moment,
the aged guardian knight Chungru, watching her from the window, made a phone call somewhere.

“Yes. She’s on the move. I’ll mark the location.”

After hanging up, the elderly knight Chungru
watched the receding car and clicked his tongue.

“…Wretched creature.”

* * *

“Huff, huff….”
“Cough…. W-water, please….”

The children who had been running came to a stop, breathing hard. It was the Dante Assassination Unit.
We’re in the middle of training right now.
These days we train like this every day.

“Ugh, ugh… hack…!”
“Hey! Gasp… don’t, don’t throw up, Kendrick, you bastard…! Gasp… If you puke…! Gasp… I’ll…!”
“…Kya-ha-ha! Gasp. Insane, gasp, hilarious….”

Grey and Valmond, of course—even Kendrick and Elise, whose stamina was solid, were gasping for breath as though dying, their heads bowed to the ground. I’d fitted the stronger ones with heavier Restraint Devices for their training.

“Your times are improving incrementally. You’re all doing well.”

Originally, I’d planned to train for another couple of hours.
But a status window flickered into view, and my plans shifted.

“We’ll end training for today.”
“…Professor, gasp, where are you…?”

As I gathered my things, Grey asked.

“There’s somewhere nearby I need to be. Everyone go inside and rest well.”

They’d all groaned through training, but when I told them to rest, they seemed reluctant.
Training was easier on the mind than idleness.
The next mission would start soon enough.

But for now, something more pressing demanded my attention.

⋮
< ⧉ Global Incursion progressing.

⋮

The Demon Race are no mere monsters.

Diligent bastards, the lot of them—creatures that spend all day plotting how to slaughter humans.

As the Incursion progresses and the stage advances, their strategies evolve accordingly.

From what I’d gathered beforehand, they were planning an indiscriminate terror campaign against the Academy dormitory.

It was winter break now. With the Academic Department open, most students and faculty had left District 0 to return home. Those who remained were orphans like my own charges—kids with nowhere else to go. The demons had them in their sights.

I had to do what an assassin does.

I showered thoroughly, shaved, and dried my hair.
I looked in the mirror. There I was. When people had called me handsome before, I’d let it pass, but now that I was clean—I had to admit I looked rather striking.
After blow-drying, I swept pomade through my hair and combed it back. Looking this good had its perks. There wasn’t a style I couldn’t pull off.
I slipped into pressed dress uniform and polished shoes. Preparations were complete. Everything I needed for this assassination.

Ding!

On my way to the Banquet Hall, I stepped into the elevator.
As the doors were closing, a hand shot through the gap.

“Hey there. Mind if we join?”
“No need to rush. You saw us coming anyway.”

Two men filed in after me. A glance at their name tags showed they were both Minions.
Betrayers of humanity who’d sealed a contract with the Demon Race, gambling away their final choice.

“Sigh, exhausting. Where’re you headed, sir?”

The minion asked me a question.

“The Banquet Hall.”
“The Banquet Hall? No wonder you’re so sharp.”
“Why go to the Banquet Hall? Chasing after some woman? Hehehehe!”
“Hahaha! Lucky bastard. The water there is nice today!”

At that moment, I stood behind them both, while they faced ahead toward the door.
But I sensed it immediately—they were both watching me with their eyes burrowed deep into the back of their skulls, seeing without looking.

“Not a woman.”
“Then who did you come to see?”
“You two.”

Click.

I shot one of them in the head with a pistol I’d prepared beforehand. ‘What the—!’ Before the other could draw his blade, the muzzle was already pressed against his forehead. *Click.* The silencer sounded crisp. Both bodies collapsed. Blood began spreading across the floor. I couldn’t stand the sight of it, so I had to step aside.

Ding.

Fortunately, the door opened before my shoes got wet. As I stepped out, I heard soft music drifting through. Walking down the corridor, I killed several more. All of them minions. Today’s party at the District 3 Banquet Hall was supposed to be for outside guests only, but that wasn’t the real story.

“Hey. Who are you?”
“Those without authorization cannot enter.”

Two guards blocked my way. I worried for a moment they might be human, but fortunately they were minions. *Click-click.* Both figures crumpled. I opened the door to the Banquet Hall.

Beneath dim lighting, no one was dancing. No champagne either. There wasn’t even a band—the music was playing from a Crystal Orb. But scattered across the floor were siege weapons. Anti-tank rockets and the like.

I’d have thought they’d at least pretend it was a banquet, but if I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have bothered with the setup. ‘Hey! Who are you!’ someone demanded, catching me mid-stare at the arsenal.

“…You were planning to fire all this at the Student Dormitory.”

A man in military uniform shouted.

“What the hell are you saying! Were you sent by our master? Identify yourself and state your purpose!”

I decided to tell him.
My identity first.

“Senior Professor of the Assassination Department, Dante of Hiaka.”

My purpose.

“Student protection.”

After that, I tore the place apart with the Colossal Soldier’s Sword○ and slaughtered every minion. I didn’t let a single one escape.
Around then, a Hornless Demon came bursting out from the far end of the Banquet Hall. It resembled the Toxin I’d killed before.
The fight was one-sided.
By now I command Illusion Magic and Body Technique well enough. I wielded the National Treasure. The demon was no match for me.

Crash—

In desperation, it tried to escape through a window but was seized by an invisible hand, mangled, and smashed against the wall.

“…Will you spare me?”

This Hornless Demon asked calmly.
I didn’t answer.

Tick.

Demons must be killed.

┃ Quest Completed: [Protect Student]
┃ Reward: Fragment of Star × 5

* * *

The place was the Lakeside. Laim lay hidden among the trees.

“…….”

This must be how that perverted woodcutter felt when he peeped on the fairy’s bath.
Except he was no woodcutter, and what lay before him was no fairy—dressed not in silken robes but in some crude ghillie suit of burlap and leaves.
Yet as water splashed across her face in the shallow stream, her hood slipped backward, revealing sky-blue hair and a pair of horns curled like a sheep’s, round and full.

Two horns. Unmistakably two.
What was this?

‘A demon. Definitely a demon.’

A Two-horned Demon, specifically.
Demons were classified by their horns: Hornless, One-horned, Two-horned, and Three-horned. The Three-horned were the Demon Kings.
Which made this creature one step below a Demon King—a boss monster that should not exist in the current world.
The gap in strength between Hornless and One-horned demons was already catastrophic; between One-horned and Two-horned it was immeasurable.
Yet since the Demon King existed as something half-conceptual, this Two-horned demon could be called the most powerful physical threat in the material realm.

‘So this is what it looks like—a monster capable of obliterating an entire nation, washing water off its face?’

Laim recalled something he had once said.

—That which should have died within the world’s order has been forced to live inside there.

This creature was certainly that thing. Was it because she bore two horns? Because she was a monster that shouldn’t appear at this point in time? Either way, he could only read Systematicity ⧉’s notifications; he lacked the ability to interpret them.

── ⧉ ──
Notice 1: That which should have died within the world’s order has been confirmed to be forced to live within the Error Space.
Notice 2: Dungeon event points within the Error Space are crossing…(under review) >
── ⧉ ──

Notice 2 remained incomplete, still being written.

‘…The Professor would know, surely.’

For some reason, Dante seemed to know quite a great deal about this world.
Laim decided to head back and inform him.
The Professor.

But he forgot by the time he reached the bottom of the hill.

⋮

“So what happened today?”

Dante rinsed his hands beneath the soap several times as he asked.
Laim pondered something for a moment before answering.

“Nothing of consequence.”
“I see. We’ll go together tomorrow.”
“Why together, sir?”
“Princess Rebecca means to accelerate the redevelopment of Starlight Meeting Mountain. I want to go ahead and verify matters beforehand.”
“The Grave Witch, you mean.”
“Indeed.”

After that, Dante washed his hands meticulously. For quite some time.

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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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