Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Genius Professor - Chapter 92

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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 92
EP23 – The Hand (2)

Grey had hit the jackpot!

……but that fact didn’t make everyone in Hiaka happy.
There were those whose moods had soured because of the news.
For instance.

“What’s so pretty about that street rat? I can’t understand it.”
Marina, the embodiment of jealousy, a Welyoung Academy cadet of the Black Path!

“If she was going to do it, it should’ve been Elise. Of all people, tsk—”
Toy, the extreme Black Path hater and senior professor of the White Path!

“She’s gone again today…? Whimper, I wanted to play together…”
Elise, who’d lost a friend regardless of jackpots and fanfare!

And then there was one more cadet, driven by an entirely different thread of displeasure.
His mood had darkened as well.

“The escorting professor for that schedule was… Professor Dante, you say…?”
It was Valmond Nibelung of Zamryong Academy.

……

Of late, Valmond had been despondent. The entire sky, the earth, the sea, the very air—all conspired to torment him.
There were many reasons, but it all began when the addled Kendrick Drake came to need his help.
The man ate well enough, used the bathroom without issue, exercised regularly, yet bathing had become something he inexplicably avoided.

“…Take off your clothes.”
“Uhhh.”
“I said take them off. It’s time to wash.”

Bathing assistance?!
He’d have done anything to avoid it. Yet he had no choice.
The maids of Zamryong Academy weren’t safe around Kendrick, and he was the only male cadet available.
Damn it.
That bastard had no sense of responsibility.
If he left it to him, the idiot would probably just pour toilet cleaner while laughing like some creep, going “Heheheh…! Is that what I should do…?” and call it done.
So it fell to him.
And all the while, Kendrick thrashed about, groaning in protest against being washed.

“Ugh, come on and strip already, you bastard! I’ve got plans tonight!”
“Nngh… ugh…”

Smack!!

Even one hit felt like he was getting the worse end of the deal.
It was almost like bathing an actual bear.
Regardless, shower on.

– Whoooooosh!!

But his perfectionist nature wouldn’t allow him to do it halfway.
This fool Kendrick was an addled, birdbrained mess, yes, but if Valmond was the one washing him, then he would come out spotless as a newborn’s bottom—nothing less would do.
And so Valmond squeezed shampoo into the red basin, lathered it, meticulously applied body wash to that massive frame, carefully trimmed his fingernails and toenails, shaved him thoroughly, and
at the end of such devoted attendance……

“Ugh… yeah.”

Soft as a baby’s bottom, Kendrick Drake was finally complete……!!

‘…Damn it.’

Even this much was enough to fill him with a sickening gloom.
And then there was Dennis, the discipline officer of Zone 4, who posed his own problem.
That mad bastard who’d dared request the assassination of Professor Dante.
Valmond had sworn to catch him and beat him into submission, but within four days the man had quit the Academy and vanished somewhere.
That too had added to Valmond’s misery.

At this point, Grey had gone out into the Empire and was building enormous recognition as a warrior. Among the Black Path professors, he’d overheard comparisons being made between her and himself—but that was mere irritation, trifling.

“Looks like we’ll have to pin all our hopes on Grey now….”
“The rest aren’t much, are they? Kendrick’s lost his mind, and Valmond, that one….”

What were they trying to say?
He didn’t care. Let those Black Path professors say what they wanted—the only thing on his mind was how to use them.

But the fact that Professor Dante would be Grey’s escort to the Empire—that had definitively shoved Valmond into a swamp of despair. After all, Dante had never even granted him a single sparring match.
In the meantime, Grey often spoke of Dante’s words as though bragging about them.

“Professor Dante told me back then….”
“Last time I trained the Glassy Butterfly with Professor Dante….”

His agitation was doubling by the minute.
Even when she smiled, Grey had always worn an expression filled with nothing but playfulness—but now, her face was brimming with a kind of deep satisfaction.
And who could blame her.
Receiving one-on-one care and attention from the greatest genius professor in human history—thirty years old, master of Time Magic, stronger than the Ranking 400+ Battalion, radiating an aura nearly equal to Constellation Class—it was only natural she’d be satisfied……!!

‘I’m jealous….’

When the Academy crumbled beneath the assassination tournament. When he himself had been drowning in despair, powerless to stop it. It was Professor Dante who had shattered his tightly closed worldview and opened it wide.
And that same man had devoted himself entirely to Grey’s training, caring for no one else—and she was so very happy about it.

‘…….’

After that day, whenever his mood grew dark, Valmond would climb to the back mountain of the Academy and gaze down at the vista of Zone 0.
At such times, a feeling as though something had burst open would come over him, and his mood would brighten considerably.
But this despair was different—no matter how much he stared at that wide-open view of Zone 0, his mood refused to lift.

Ah, it was just…

‘…I’m so damn jealous…!’

Valmond was a melancholy Doberman.

‘…….’

But there was something strange about this despair.
It wasn’t merely an emotion that stopped at the surface.
It was something gripping his heart, something squeezing it tight.

‘…….’

Then came a memory from early childhood, surfacing unbidden.
The memory of his mother bringing scissors toward him, pressing them against his body. The sensation of her cutting away some part of him as she whispered her apologies.
Painful memories.

‘……’

Around that time.

“Everyone is to minimize external contact as much as possible.”

Rebecca gathered the cadets at the academy and spoke those words.
Her expression had grown noticeably irritated of late.
Elise raised her hand and asked back.

“Why?”
“Why do you think?”

Rebecca exhaled with a note of exasperation before continuing.

“Hiaka Academy is in the throes of upheaval.”

These were the words Shaman Croitz, head of the Assassination Department, had spoken to the Zone 0 faculty at the professors’ council.

“The Department Opening and Imperial Academic Exchange are proceeding step by step.”

His expression was more solemn than usual—roughly the same gravity he brought to eating a glazed donut.

“We may well be intoxicated by such a grand opportunity, but this is precisely when we must raise our guard. There are always those ready to thrust out a spoon the moment food appears.”

Even the jowls that would yield three platters when sliced remained unmoved.

“I beg each of you professors to hold fast to your resolve. I trust you will not reach for any temptation, no matter how seductive.”

The meeting ended there.

⋮

And true to his word, his prediction soon became reality.
A Department Opening unprecedented in nearly a century. And scholarly exchange with the Empire.
To carve into this vast pie.
Spoons began appearing from the outside—wielded by figures of considerable influence.

“Are you perhaps Senior Professor Dante Hiaka?”

The voice was polite. When he turned, two neatly dressed men stood before him.
Both wore ingratiating smiles.
Above their heads floated names he had never expected to see.

● Nibelung Family, Kadupin
● Nibelung Family, Mammon

The Nibelung Family.
An organization that counted among Hiaka’s most formidable powers—both political and martial. The organization of Nibelung, matriarch of the Dark Starlight Seat.
The largest crime syndicate of the Black Path, and yet they also held back friction between foreign Black Path organizations at the border, serving as protectors of Hiaka itself.
But what business could they possibly have in Zone 0?

“What brings you here?”
“We’ve only come in briefly, with permission from Branch Chief Betelgeuse.”

He smiled and produced a business card. “Hiaka Welfare Volunteer Corps” was printed across it in bold letters.
This was the public-facing corporate name of the Nibelung Family’s legitimate operations.

“I’ve heard that you have a connection to Master Cain, our distinguished professor of Illusion Magic. If it’s possible, might we arrange a meeting with him?”
“Master Cain’s personal affairs fall under departmental confidentiality.”
“I’m not making this request empty-handed. We’d like to offer our modest goodwill as well.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Still, if you happen to know anything at all… even a small hint would help. We’re trying to do good work for the homeless and orphans.”
…….
“Please. Aren’t you his formal disciple?”

True enough. By now, the department had officially accepted that I was Master Cain’s formal disciple.

“Well…”

I could have given him some vague assurance about “trying to look into it,” using that irresponsible office-worker tone. I had the social skills to deflect with “I tried, but the higher-ups said no” or something similar.
But I didn’t want to.

“I regret to say there’s nothing I can do on my end.”
“Ah, I see… Then might we request a separate meeting with Grey? I heard she was the escorting professor for this Empire visit.”
“That’s not possible either.”
“But—”
“Please direct further inquiries to the department.”

I brushed him off cleanly.
The moment I turned, a sharp murmur slipped out behind me.

“Damn, this bastard’s got nerve.”

I glanced back. One of them had started to lunge, but the other held him back, saying “Hey, wait.”

“You selfish son of a bitch. You get yours and live well, and that’s all that matters?”
…….
“We’re doing good work, aren’t we? While you lot sit around getting fat off our backs, we’re out there doing the hard labor. So why won’t you help? You think the world exists just for you?”

Hm. The department being open was introducing all sorts of complications.
I had no particular thoughts about him—I was just watching him carefully because I needed to probe the Nibelung Family’s intentions through the Script.

【”We don’t have just a handful of Dark Path students. This is the perfect chance to expand the organization into the Empire…”】
【”The division chief Betelgeuse said it couldn’t be revealed, but if I keep digging, something should come up eventually…”】

Nothing but predictable intentions.

“Look, I heard Master Cain and Grey are doing pretty well lately, so you think you’re somebody now? You’re just a tagalong with an inflated ego.”
“Hey, stop it…”
“You do know our company belongs to the Nibelung Family, right? What’s with all this attitude? Should I teach you punks a lesson about where you stand? Huh?”
“Just stop. Please stop…!”

I’d seen enough. I turned and walked away.
Men like that were, to put it bluntly, covered in filth.
I didn’t want to touch them.

* * *

“Valmond!”

If his tail had existed, it would have wagged, short as it was.
In the gloom, Valmond’s expression brightened a little.

“Kadupin, Mammon.”

For the first time in ages, he felt a warmth toward these members of his family organization.

“It’s been too long, brother.”

Valmond had never been particularly close to these two, but they were men he owed gratitude to—at the very least, they had chosen neutrality when his grandmother came after him.
Among a sea of those who would have stripped off their own shoes and handed him over to her, that neutrality had meant more than he could say.

“How have you been keeping, sirs?”
“And you—after leaving the organization, have you managed alright? How’ve things been treating you?”
“Yes. I’m doing well. I’d heard the department was opening up, but I didn’t expect you gentlemen to come all this way.”

The two organization members chuckled.

“Hell, look how much this coward’s grown.”
“Seriously.”
“Back when he was with us, kid could barely hold a conversation without crying and calling us big brother every other breath.”
“That’s right. Remember this? This little bastard swore he saw a ghost once, came running out of the bathroom pants around his ankles, rattling on about it—”
“Ha ha ha ha! That’s the one, crying to Amelia about how scared he was. What was that, ten years ago?”

Coward—that had been Valmond’s old nickname.

“Please, sirs, that’s enough…”

Valmond felt heat rise to his face and waved his hand dismissively.

“Well, how about we sit somewhere and talk properly?”
“That sounds good.”

Then Rebecca’s words came back to him.
She’d warned him to limit his outside contacts.
To stay out of sight.

“Would you be comfortable coming to the academy?”
“Huh? Is that allowed?”
“My room is… well, it’s available.”

And so the three of them made their way to Valmond’s quarters.
It was a remarkably austere room—obsessively ordered. Not a speck of dust on the floor; even the books on the shelves were arranged in ascending sequence.
No one would have mistaken it for a child’s bedroom.

“Damn. The kid’s all grown up now.”

One of the men patted the back of Valmond’s head teasingly, laughing—
but then he began to laugh harder.

“Wait, actually, he’s still a kid.”
“What?”
“What the hell is this balloon thing, you little bastard?”

In one corner of the bed lay a collection of white balloons.

“Ah…”
“Come on, seriously? You’re keeping balloons in here? Does that even match a room like this?”
“Well, it is a bit out of place, isn’t it… Please, sit down. I’ll make some coffee.”

After that, the three of them reminisced, trading old stories—
and as the conversation drew on, the two organization members finally brought up the real reason for their visit.

“By the way, do you know anything about Professor Cain?”
“Ah, yes. He’s quite famous these days.”

In truth, Valmond had been curious about their intentions all along, so when the real subject finally emerged, he felt somewhat relieved.

“But I don’t really know much myself. I’ve only heard he’s an extraordinary man.”

In Valmond’s estimation,
given how Professor Dante had surfaced so suddenly,
he privately suspected that Senior Professor Cain might also be an arrangement by the director. That was his guess.

“So what about Grey? Is there any way for us to make contact with her?”
“With Grey? Why?”
“Why? Because that girl’s family is struggling. If someone from the Black Path is going to try for bigger waters, she needs solid backing.”
“Exactly. A dragon rising from a creek needs a pearl, as you know. Where else in Hiaka can we find a Black Path organization strong enough to stand against the Empire?”

Valmond nodded in agreement.
He disliked the Nibelung Family. He disliked the Matriarch even more.
But their words were true. The Nibelung Family was Hiaka’s largest Black Path organization, after all.
They came with better intentions than he’d expected…
Rebecca had told him to minimize contact with outsiders, but if their intentions were good, surely it wouldn’t hurt.

“Then I’ll connect you with Grey later.”
“Really?! Seriously?”
“Of course. They’re my seniors.”
“Thanks. Really, thanks. Still, only our own people come through. These professors here are hilarious—out there they’re butchers who stab people for money, but here they strut around calling themselves professors.”

The gathering had been warm and pleasant.

It would have remained so—at least until one senior professor came up in conversation.

“By the way, are you close with Professor Dante too?”
“Hm? No.”

Professor Dante?
Just then, Valmond’s inner tail—which had been trailing along in boredom—began to stir and twitch with interest.
Professor Dante. Close acquaintance. Much admired.

“When I met him, he was actually quite interesting.”
“In what way?”

At the words that followed, his tail went still.

“The bastard was incredibly arrogant.”

Valmond fell silent for a moment. Then he asked again,
his voice dropping lower.

“…What did you say?”

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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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