Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Genius Professor - Chapter 86

Damn it all!
Today, then.

Amulet was the daughter of Croitz’s renowned family of Illusion Magic practitioners.
A gifted cadet raised under state patronage.
Croitz was sending her as a counterweight to Grey Habanero, intending to sabotage the monthly cover model shoot.

‘If this goes wrong, it won’t just be one or two people bleeding.’

Why was Hiaka positioning Grey as the Assassination Daily model?
Public opinion.
To portray Hiaka as the weaker party on the continent, a victim of unjust attack.
And also, to make clear that Hiaka’s Illusion Magic, which was said to have declined, remained intact.

Croitz had the same motivation for sending Amulet Carolina.
The damage inflicted by Hiaka’s revenge using the Underworld Record was roughly equal on both sides.
But being branded the aggressor in continental society meant accumulating losses that compounded over time.
Even now, talks of “punitive tariffs against the offending nation” were circulating among the Imperial Alliance.

Moreover, they had to make it known that Amulet was superior.

‘Still, if Bakien the senior professor is behind this….’

The optimal move now was to sabotage the interview itself.

The operation Bakien proposed was simple yet effective.
Detonate an explosive in the dressing room where Grey and Amulet would be together.
Amulet would sustain some injuries, but nothing compared to Grey. If caught in the blast together, suspicion of terrorism would be relatively deflected.

That was when it happened.
The Assassination Daily employee from Croitz who’d called himself an “outsourcer” posted again.

───

Hiaka says they’re bringing a princess with them, for crying out loud
Who just does this without warning? Seriously.
I haven’t prepared a thing for protocol
───

“What?!”

A princess coming along?

He cross-checked the news through another source, and it was true.
Why all of a sudden?
According to my source, a senior professor named Dante suddenly joined their group. Apart from that, there’s nothing unusual to report.

‘Dante…?’

A face flashed through my mind—the handsome, sharp-witted new professor I’d met outside the seminar hall in the past.

– We’re discussing the attackers who assaulted the neutral senior faculty assassination squad.
– Ah, I see.
– Could they possibly be affiliated with the Croitz Kingdom?

That conversation still made my chest clench.

‘…That bastard became a senior professor?’

Already?

If he’d risen this quickly, it was probably a wartime emergency promotion.
He must have made quite the impression during the assassination tournament.

The crucial point was this: if the princess was joining them, Bakien’s terror operation would fail.
There was no way anyone would dare attack royalty.
Everything was falling apart.
My pulse quickened.

“Professor Bakien! What on earth is this?! The princess showed up!!”

Batalion called Bakien in a panic, his fury spilling over.
The response he got back was absurd.

– So what am I supposed to do about it?!
“W-what am I supposed—??”
– What’s it to me if the princess showed up?! Why are you taking it out on me?! Did I call her here?!
“You, you….”
– I just found out myself!!

Bakien’s voice was equally unhinged.

– Whose fault is this?! I did my part! I bought off the Assassination Daily executives! I begged an old contact to resurface! I got the bombs ready! Do you have any idea how much money went into preparing this operation?!

He’d even deceived the Croitz government to prepare all this.
Because Amulet had to be caught in the crossfire and hurt.
That’s how the scenario would complete: “A terror attack on the Assassination Daily where, unluckily, Grey Habanero was the casualty.”

– So how was I supposed to predict the princess would show up?! The Assassination Daily executives already cursed me out! They said, did they tell you to plant bombs knowing the princess would be here?! I just got slapped in the meeting room, and now I’ve lost connections worth who knows what—?!
“…….”
– I mean, what kind of idiot suddenly suggested bringing the princess along?! I’d love to see that bastard’s face! Don’t you know who it is?!
“I, I don’t!”
– Why don’t you?! She’s from Hiaka!!

At this moment, Batalion felt a surge of fury rising from the depths of his chest, remembering that day at the bar when he’d gone to meet Bakien—how those parasites of friends had insulted him.
But this wasn’t the time to indulge in personal grievances.
He had to ruin the shoot, even if it cost Bakien his life.
And Batalion knew exactly how much gambling debt Bakien owed.

“Listen carefully, Professor Bakien.”
– What now?!
“I’ll give you 72 million Hikas as a success bonus!”
– ……!!

The commotion stopped with a sharp intake of breath.
He’d been caught off guard.
Seventy-two million Hika.
With that sum, this wretch of a gambler—his very inheritance mortgaged away—could escape his ruined life and begin anew.
And he was offering it without hesitation? Didn’t it pain him?

‘It stung like hell.’

It stung, and yet there was no choice in the matter.
The moment Grey announced that Hiaka’s Illusion Magic remained intact, he would face a torrent of abuse from the Croitz people and the Royal Family alike.
All the while, he would have to watch Hiaka—the very nation he had betrayed—soar to new heights.

“You have to—you absolutely have to sabotage the shoot! By any means necessary. Do you understand me!?”
– …….

A measured breath emerged. Then Bakien’s voice dropped to something cold and steady.

– No.

He’d been refused.

Click.

The call disconnected.

“…….”

After that, Batalion’s assistant professor had no choice but to listen to his senior professor demolish every piece of furniture in the office for the next two hours.

* * *

Early morning. I arrived at the airship. Wilhelm raised his hand in greeting.

“Hey there. Professor Dante.”

A tall, middle-aged man with a languid air—slovenly in dress, stubble not quite shaved clean, hair that curled in loose waves.

“A pleasure to work with you, Wilhelm.”
“Yeah, likewise.”

I exchanged greetings with him, then with the others present.

“Mmph….”

Wilhelm yawned with an expression that looked utterly unmotivated, though in truth he simply possessed that sort of disposition naturally.

He held Ranking 876 in Assassination Protection Magic and served as a professor in that discipline.

He was the eldest member of this filming expedition and the representative voice of Hiaka Academy’s interests.

An Imperial dual national, he was the man who had secured this shoot with the notoriously stubborn Assassination Daily.

Though aligned with the White Path, he had readily accepted Grey’s—a Black Path member’s—attendance, which spoke volumes of his character.

“Grey departed first on the Royal airship. We should head out now too.”
“Understood.”

We arrived at Zone 4 Airport, where I’d caused such a commotion the day before.
Once we reached the Empire, our party would number eight: Wilhelm, his assistant professor, myself, Grey, Lucy the Academy maid, the Princess, and Cheongru and Leim.

Before long, the airship took flight.
Toward Peacefall Valley in the Empire.

A city within the Empire where the Assassination Daily Headquarters stood. The continent’s most important companies converged here.

Along the way, I leafed through the magazine that had set the Assassination Daily’s record circulation for the year.
In this “magical world,” magazines were something like subscription-based video services. Every image printed on paper came alive as moving footage.

‘Hmm.’

I’d already reviewed the magazine several times, but as I examined it once more, my conviction solidified.

‘Grey is better.’

By my assessment, Grey had competitive appeal.
Her circumstances, her character, her abilities—all of it could enhance Hiaka’s overall image while simultaneously demonstrating that Illusion Magic remained potent, and she possessed the competitive edge of a national figurehead.

‘As long as the shoot goes smoothly, that is.’

That’s when it happened.
A quest appeared.

┃ Main Quest [Faculty Advisor]
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 25 / Differential payout based on Assassination Daily photoshoot model results

Twenty-five pieces—that was generous.
I’d received fifty before (a hotfix), and a hundred (Hwa Pyeong-seong’s gift), but those were extraordinary one-off bonuses.
For a single quest, this was record-breaking.

‘It means the payout from those twenty-five pieces varies depending on the model’s public opinion.’

I planned to make it a clean sweep—10 to 0—and claim all twenty-five pieces.
And so, after crossing the sky for a couple of hours.

“……Well, we’re almost there.”

My first trip to the Empire.
As we descended from the airship, an enormously vast and beautiful city unfolded before us.
Aesthetically refined urban planning. A tenth of those colossal structures floated in mid-air.
For those who’d spent their lives in Hiaka, the sight was breathtaking.

“Wow…. It’s really incredibly spacious.”
“This is the Empire’s largest industrial city? Is it even possible that the same people designed all these buildings?”

The party marveled like country folk seeing a grand city for the first time.
For reference, Peacefall Valley’s total city revenue ranked fourth among continental nations—the reason the Empire held such overwhelming hegemony.

“Professor, look at that castle. It’s flying!”
“Hmm…. The light refraction is poor, though. Well….”

With Wilhelm’s leading tone fading into listlessness, we headed toward the Assassination Daily Headquarters.
It resembled a modern news agency or broadcasting station, though the crowds were absolutely overwhelming.
After meeting with various staff members, we made our way to the waiting room.

“Oh, look at her.”

Near the restroom, a girl in dazzling, ornate attire suddenly caught my eye.

● Assassination Studies Department, Amulet†

Ah, so that girl’s here. I didn’t expect to see her in person.
Croitz’s gifted Illusion Magic assassin student.
Grey’s rival.

It seemed she’d put considerable effort into making an impression at this important event. Tall as Elise, wearing high heels studded with jewels, a tiara that caught the light—she was dazzling from head to toe, as if brightness itself were bursting from her.
Wilhelm’s chief assistant lifted the adjunct professor’s chin with his hand. ‘Close your mouth.’ ‘Oh, I’m sorry….’ The man had been standing there slack-jawed.

“…It’s quite the Imperial style, isn’t it?”

The adjunct professor spoke. It was like a medieval European dress dripping with jewels, though somewhat more contemporary in cut. Still, every detail screamed a determination to rack up points with the Assassination Daily.

“Amulet. Quickly.”
“Hmm? Oh….”

Just then, the professor escorting Amulet spotted us and hurriedly ushered the girl away, shielding her protectively.
From their perspective, we must have looked like murderers.

“Hmm. Our girl’s better.”
“You haven’t even seen her compete yet.”
“Enough. Our girl’s simply superior.”

Wilhelm struck the adjunct professor on the back of the head. That was how we made our way to the Waiting Room. Even the Waiting Room itself was nicer than my professor’s private estate.
While Assassination Daily staff came by to brief us on various precautions,

I slipped away separately and headed for the Dressing Room where Grey was. As I moved, I placed my hand on the Giant Soldier’s Sword ○ and drew my tension taut.
It was because of the second incident I’d witnessed in the fabricated timeline.

───
Imperial Security Investigation Log – Grey Habanero Assault Incident
Initial Occurrence of Attack #01 – Attack Classification: Unidentified Explosion / Location: Assassination Daily Dressing Room / Time of Incident: 13:21
….
───

Three minutes away.
Common sense said there would be no terrorism since Rebecca had arrived, but one could never be too careful.

I checked for trouble using the Mini Map. Nothing showed up.
Still, just to be safe, I planned to enter the Dressing Room and use the Giant Soldier’s Sword ○ to shield the entire space with my hand—so nothing could be caught by any explosion.

Finally, with one minute left,
I reached for the Dressing Room door.
But before my hand could touch the handle, the door swung inward sharply, and someone appeared.

“…Hah, you startled me.”

A voice far too familiar.
But the appearance was not.

“Professor.”

Even as I moved my hand from the Giant Soldier’s Sword ○ to shield the interior of the Dressing Room, my senses snapped back to reality.
Standing before me was Grey.
And she was,

Wow.

I’d been curious earlier—when Croitz showed me Amulet—about what Grey might’ve become, and I was genuinely taken aback. Enough that a hollow laugh escaped me.
Hair pinned up neatly, a wooden hairpin fastening it in place. Her neck exposed in a clean line. Below that, a dress—a dress in an old-fashioned grey. Yet something about it felt familiar.
According to the lore, it was Hiaka’s traditional garment.
Long ago, Dante once described how each world was tailored to fit a single player. Perhaps that was why. Hiaka’s traditional dress resembled a fusion hanbok.
Sparse in decoration, it conveyed restraint and negative space. Even so, with her shoulders and neck laid bare, red and blue tattoos were embedded like ornaments across her skin.
As the finishing touch: a black choker adorned with a cat’s bell—the emblem of House Habanero.
I felt pure admiration wash over me.
Symbolism, grace, a touch of audacity, and paradoxical beauty—it all converged.
The Royal Family’s attendant’s skill is remarkable. To transform this reckless fool into something like this?

“So…?”

At that moment, she gathered her skirt hem and turned in a full circle.
Then, affecting grace, she tilted her head slightly and asked,

“How is it?”

In the dressing room, as she’d put on the dress and been made up,
she must have felt it.
What she looked like now.
She already knew the answer. So there wasn’t even a hint of bashfulness about her.

It irked me.
I absolutely didn’t want to give her that answer.

“…You really are beautiful.”

But what could I do?
Those were the only words I had.

……

Grey slowly lifted both hands and covered her eyes with the blue butterfly tattoos on the backs of her hands, her head tilted slightly down. But between her wrists, her lips were already curled upward, ear to ear.

“Do you know? That you’re beautiful?”

Grey shook her head left and right,
but her smile was already in full bloom.

“…I don’t.”

The dressing room, by contrast, didn’t explode.

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