Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Episode 18
EP7 - Bone!(5)
Elise's Relationship Stat increased by a whopping 15. It was the highest increase ever, and I was satisfied.
However, even with such a good atmosphere, I couldn't let my guard down.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: 'Hmm.' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: 'Professor smells nice.' 】
I realized it instinctively. The [Relationship Stat] was still low. It was far from enough to guarantee safety in 'Professor Assassination.'
It had to be over 100 at the very least.
It didn't seem like I would die at the hands of the Students easily anymore, but I decided not to let go of the tension. This wasn't a world that was easily shaped.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: 'What about the smell of blood?' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: 'Curious.' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: 'I want to assassinate…' 】
See? I told you she wasn't right in the head.
I guessed that the tail inside her was slowly stopping.
That's why her gaze had sunk so much.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: 'Assassinate…?' 】
Her gaze moved. Her perked-up ears scanned outside the sickroom.
Slowly, her eyes began to droop.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: 'There are no witnesses here.' 】
I quickly cut off the context.
"Elise Ksikos."
"Yes?"
"Don't even dream about it."
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st year Elise: '……!' 】
Her face showed a flinch of surprise.
Elise stammered and asked back.
"Wh-wh-what are you…"
"You know what I'm talking about."
"I do…?"
She mumbled, avoiding my gaze.
"I… I don't know anything…"
I hit her on the head with the file she brought.
Thwack!
"Kyaa-"
Anyway. My meeting with Elise ended there.
* * *
"Rest well."
"See you again, Professor."
She waved her hand, shaking it.
And after Professor Dante disappeared.
Elise flopped down in the middle of the bed.
Her pink hair spread out like a fan.
She stared blankly, lost in thought.
'?'
Come to think of it.
Something strange had happened.
There had been a few times in her life when she couldn't control her own aggression.
A few times even after losing her father. That's why Elise had to live through some pretty tough times.
'???'
But this situation was different. Elise had definitely felt herself becoming uncontrollably something like before. And as proof, she had a nosebleed.
When entering the 『Thorny Forest Walkway』, Elise moves to kill the target. Very blindly.
If interrupted. She kills whatever is interrupting her first. So, if she had slipped up, she might have tried to kill Professor Dante.
Of course?
Professor Dante is strong, so he wouldn't have died?
Anyway?
The surroundings would have been covered in blood. And Elise herself would have continued from the nosebleed to bleeding from her eyes. And after vomiting blood from her mouth, it would have only ended after she lost consciousness.
It had always been like that.
But Professor Dante had stopped it, and it was the first time it had happened since her father.
How?
After that, Elise thought about various things, but after a while, she forgot what she had been thinking about. She just noticed the dumbbell-shaped pattern on the ceiling panel.
'Bone…?'
It was always like this.
* * *
The beggar who came last year.
He's back again without dying.
┃ Schedule Generated: [Neutral Professor Forum]
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 5
For the fourth time, damn it.
I came thinking that I would quit if it was canceled again this time.
When I arrived at the seminar hall, surprisingly, there was no cancellation notice.
Instead, I received sharp gazes from some neutral professors. Among them was the professor I had pushed.
A profession born from the back alleys.
Assassin.
So, in people's perception, the most vulgar profession among the three major professions (warrior, mage, assassin) was the assassin.
Even so, a professor is a professor.
Everyone is diligently maintaining their dignity.
I know that the dignity of those Assassination Studies professors is incredibly thin.
【 Neutral Professor Gula: 'He's the arrogant type who acts according to his looks. He's got a big head.' 】
【 Neutral Professor Bedrock: 'Professor Dante… He must be losing his mind because he's new, but there were guys like that in my day too.' 】
Those pathetic guys are narrow-minded.
-
Professors, please rise. Battalion Chief Professor is entering.
Anyway, around that time, finally, after attending four times, the Chief Professor showed his face at the forum.
● Chief Professor Battalion of Sniping Studies
Rank is [Grandmaster]. Ranking is 415th.
A monster professor who is no exaggeration to say is responsible for one axis of our Hiaka Kingdom, beyond the Hiaka Academy.
'…Whatever.'
He was a great person, but I didn't feel anything in particular. He's someone who has nothing to do with me.
-
……First of all, as Chief Professor, I apologize for the three forum cancellations. I am sorry for making everyone take a wasted trip.
However, before the full-fledged forum began, the words that came out of his mouth contained a bit… no, a considerable crisis.
Unexpectedly, it wasn't just a simple cancellation of the forum.
-
The elite of the Assassination Squads of neutral Chief Professors, including myself, were assassinated every three days.
The neutral professors stirred. Saying 'What?' 'Huh??'. To that, Battalion added.
-
All three of those attacked were key positions in the Assassination Squad, and all of them died. Among them was one of the Battalion Assassination Squad's… my, disciple.
Battalion then told them to be careful. For some reason, it seems they are only targeting 'neutral' people.
"Heh. What the heck…"
"So, the forum was canceled three times because of the funerals?"
The neutral professors seemed to be hearing this story for the first time.
"Who the hell is it…?"
While they were whispering, I read the 【Thoughts】 of Chief Professor Battalion.
This… The situation was much more serious than I thought.
"Chief Professor Battalion! So, who is the assassin?"
"Haven't you found him yet?"
Some neutral professors asked.
Battalion sighed deeply.
-
Who it is, we are still investigating.
That was a lie.
Battalion knew.
And now I knew too.
"Who the hell…"
Who the culprit was.
* * *
Princess Rebecca is a Student of the Hidden Dragon Society, but her own level is not that high.
Perhaps the weakest in the Hidden Dragon Society.
Even though she trains every day until she collapses from exhaustion where no one sees her.
However, even she had one talent that was overwhelmingly better than others.
Rebecca could see magic power.
Why was that? Rebecca had been able to see the gaps in the 『Barrier』 since she was a child.
The 『Barrier』 is a defensive magic that blocks all sides in a perfect hemisphere. The magic power inside constantly circulates to replenish the scattered magic power.
To use an analogy, it's like a roundabout. Cars move according to order, but at some point, there are places where they have to hesitate and figure out each other's intentions.
Rebecca could see the collision of magic particles that inevitably occurs between the gaps in that circulation.
A very short time. A very small space.
Right at the center of that―
"Shoot."
Balmung pulled the trigger.
Click ─
That was 「Sigfried⚉」.
A jet-black sniper rifle of [LegendⅠ] grade.
A bullet shrouded in darkness flies 3,000 meters.
In an instant, it crossed the space, brushed past a flying bird, penetrated the window of a building, penetrated the window on the opposite side, and then crossed numerous trees in the bushes. At the end of that, it penetrated the target's Barrier in the midst of the crowd.
Thwack-!
A middle-aged man collapsed as he was.
At the same time, the assassins nearby were shocked.
"It's a hit."
"Confirmed."
"Let's go, Princess."
It was such a quiet moment of murder.
As they packed up their equipment and stood up, Balmung said.
"But, you have bad taste."
"What is it."
"To order a snipe from the target's house, even from the target's daughter's room."
That was right. The sniping location was the home of the traitorous target. Even the room of a 12-year-old daughter.
And the daughter was at school right now.
"……."
Looking around, it was full of dolls and pink.
Rebecca stared blankly around the room, then found a family picture that the child had drawn and approached it.
There was also a phrase that the father had clearly written: [I love our princess!]. It was the man who had just died.
The princess stared blankly at the picture.
Then she asked in a low voice.
"...Why did he commit treason?"
A dry voice, like a reed broom sweeping the floor.
"Yes?"
Balmung asked back.
"Isn't it because of money? I heard that the Kreutz Kingdom offered billions to the Chief Professors."
"Still."
"Still?"
"You have to protect them. If you love them."
"……."
While Balmung was silent.
Rebecca shifted her gaze to the girl in the picture and stared at her blankly. Then she muttered like a sigh.
"Pitiful…"
A cold smile spread.
As if there was someone there. The princess stroked the girl's head in the picture.
"He must have loved money more than you. Your dad too."
The appreciation ended there.
⋮
After erasing the traces of the sniping. Rebecca and Balmung quickly ran away from the scene.
"So, is this the end?"
"For now."
"Thank you for your hard work for the past few days."
They had assassinated several traitors over the past few days. To abandon the country. Monsters who were moving to betray Hiaka Academy.
"But, even though they are key members of the rebellion, is that enough?"
"Then. Are you going to kill the Chief Professors? You don't have the ability. You have to do as much as you can so there are no problems later."
"Ah, yes. That's true."
A vehicle was approaching in the distance.
The princess's old knight and the shadow unit were visible.
Was it Lord Cheongru and Lord Reim?
"Princess!"
"Get in!"
Safety was secured at this point.
Because those two can be trusted.
'Hmm. But, it's more boring than I thought…….'
It was too easy of an assassination.
Even though the opponents were elite assassins of [Emerald] or [Diamond] grade.
'……I thought it would be different this time.'
There should be one lesson in every assassination. But there was no lesson in the 4 assassinations.
'Assassinating weak opponents is anticlimactic. But if I assassinate a strong opponent, I'll die.'
That's why Assassination Sparring and a Professor to give guidance are needed…….
Again, a question arises.
The question of how strong Professor Dante is.
Balmung, who returned to Zone 0, hurriedly headed to Moon Shadow Hall.
"Oh? It's Balmung…"
"What's he doing here…?"
As soon as he appeared in Moon Shadow Hall, the Students were surprised and looked at him.
The elite of the Hidden Dragon Society they long for.
The son of the Nibelung Family, the pinnacle of the Hiaka Black Blade Society.
But it's a gaze that sees a strange person who has been exiled from that great sky and lost everything.
Balmung ignored all those gazes and headed to Marina's room.
"Marina."
She was holed up in her private room, covered in wounds, and scoffed at Balmung.
"...What a sight? You didn't even give me a glance even after chasing you for years."
"It's been a while. Are you okay?"
"How can I be okay when I've been stabbed in the gut? But why. Did you come to insult me too?"
"No. The conflict with Elise is outside my interest. More than that, there's something I'm curious about."
"...What is it."
"How did Professor Dante stop your fight?"
A question I had been curious about all along.
In addition, it was also a question of many first-year Students.
"...Why are even you asking something like that?"
"I'm curious."
"...I don't want to tell you?"
"Please."
Marina sighed.
"...I don't want to? I'm not going to tell you?"
As a result, she hid it until the end.
But she was restless, unpleasant, and kept trying to change the subject when it came to Dante's story. The smell of fear was intense.
At that point, Balmung became a little more certain.
'He must be incredibly strong.'
His sense of smell was right.
Kaiser's words were right.
He felt relieved.
But the question was still not resolved. After all, he doesn't know how strong he is?
I can't stand it anymore.
I decided to check it out myself.
So, Balmung took 「Sigfried⚉」 and headed to the top of the clock tower in Zone 0 to find Professor Dante.
After checking the professors' schedules, he found Professor Dante coming out of the seminar hall 3,500 meters away.
So, he captured his image in the scope.
'…….'
For Balmung, the 'trigger' was a button of trust.
A button that kills the person you see when you pull it.
The targets he had killed over the past few days flashed through his mind.
If I pull this, maybe that person will die too…?
I'm just watching a little more for now.
Dante suddenly approached a professor and started asking something.
'……Ah, that person is.'
Neutral Chief Professor Battalion.
An incredibly strong person who is one of the best among the Chief Professors.
I had requested sparring several times, but he had refused every time as if it was a hassle.
In addition, Balmung had recently killed that person's disciple.
'……Should I shoot them both?'
However, that was just a thought.
At the same time, he zoomed in on the scope to see Dante and Battalion in more detail.
Balmung was shocked by the situation that followed.
As the zoom was pulled in.
The professor turned his head.
At the moment when it was pulled to the maximum.
His eyes met his.
'……!!'
Balmung was horrified and took his eyes off.
It was 3,500 meters. A distance where even a house looks like dust.
It was a much greater distance than any target he had aimed at so far.
But Professor Dante had read such a faint killing intent from such a great distance.
What was even more shocking here was that Chief Professor Battalion saw him half a beat later.
That great Chief Professor was later than Professor Dante!
'…Huh!'
He hurriedly hid his body behind the wall.
At the same time, conviction arose.
'Professor Dante's level is higher than the Chief Professor's…….'
Even if it was short, his tail would have wagged if he had one.
Balmung felt very good.
To the point where laughter flowed out.
"Haha…"
That person is weak?
"Seriously, a bastard who doesn't know anything…"
Kendrake, you moronic chicken-brain bastard.
* * *
┃ Relationship Stat Increase: Balmung [14] (▲8)
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 8
What is it?
A sudden increase in Relationship Stat.
In an instant, the will to attack me appeared on the 【Script】, so I identified the location with the [Minimap] and looked around.
It was so far away that I couldn't see anything, and I was just checking the general direction. Suddenly, it disappeared.
At that time, Chief Professor Battalion tilted his head.
"...Hmm? There was a sniper just now. Did you see him too?"
"I'm not sure."
"Hmm. Well, it's Zone 0…. So, what were you curious about asking me, Professor?"
Returning to the main point.
I had just asked Chief Professor Battalion.
"It's about the people who attacked the Assassination Squads of the neutral Chief Professors."
"Ah, right."
"Could they be affiliated with the Kreutz Kingdom?"
"Hmm? Why do you think so?"
Kreutz Kingdom.
A kingdom that is a rival to Hiaka.
"Well."
Here, I subtly released information that I knew as a veteran, and told the story of the decline of Hiaka's Assassination Studies.
Then, Chief Professor Battalion's eyes began to narrow more and more.
【 Neutral Chief Professor Battalion: 'Good insight.' 】
Then, as my words got longer.
【 'What is it? How does he know this much in detail….' 】
It started to get more and more serious.
【 'Does he know something? Or is he just good at sensing things…?' 】
I stopped before the suspicion grew too much.
Then, Professor Battalion smiled brightly with his monocled eye.
"I'm sorry. Professor Dante. Your story sounds plausible, but I don't know either."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean I don't know. But, I don't think the Kreutz Kingdom attacked us. I think it's the work of an insider."
A roundabout expression.
But the 【Script】 is different.
【 Neutral Chief Professor Battalion: 'The one who attacked us must be that vulgar bug, Princess Rebecca.' 】
"Don't worry too much. Then, goodbye!"
Watching the Chief Professor walk away.
I narrowed my eyes.
【 Neutral Chief Professor Battalion: 'I need to silence them. If even this new professor is getting close, the Dean might already know. Well, it doesn't matter though.' 】
No matter how deep a person's mind is, they cannot deceive themselves.
And a person who cannot deceive themselves.
【 'I've already finished preparing to leave Hiaka…….' 】【 ‘Just need to hold out for a month or two. This disgusting nation.’ 】
You can never deceive me.
“……”
After sending Grand Professor Geuri away, I headed home as well.
My mind was filled with complex thoughts.
‘The Grand Professors are betraying Hiaka. Rebecca, having grasped the situation, is assassinating the traitors.’
This is a turning point.
The game 「Hiaka Academy: Assassination Studies」 consists of a total of 7 to 13 main stories leading up to the final chapter.
As expected, the most difficult first main story was about to unfold.
‘……The first button is fastened in a difficult way.’
Once a prestigious academy ranked 5th on the continent, it has been rapidly declining for the past few years.
An event that marks the downfall of Hiaka Academy.
The collective betrayal and defection of the Grand Professors.
The name of the story is,
「Main Story 1: Treason and Collapse」
The reason this story is difficult is that, unlike other stories that run towards the ending, the story begins with the ending of treason and collapse already confirmed.
To make an analogy, the Battalion has already smuggled all the money, equipment, technology, and assassins to another country.
The traitors are only waiting for the day of the uprising. Stirring things up will only accelerate the collapse.
Furthermore. Enemies towards the player and all of humanity will appear from both inside and outside this first main story.
The appearance of Demons.
‘The difficulty is high, but it’s not bad.’
If I don't die.
I have confidence that I can revive the academy as much as I want with the genius children designed to kill me, and I have confidence that I can turn the whole world upside down. Because I'm a veteran.
‘However, I need to pay enough attention to the Demons.’
It is enough to be aware of this situation in advance.
The Dean knows it. The Grand Professors also know it.
Besides, there is nothing that can be changed.
For now, I just need to live as I have been.
Get stronger. Collect ‘Star Fragments’. Raise [Relationship Stat].
That's all I need to do as a professor.
⋮
┃ Schedule Completed: [Neutral Professor Forum]
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 5
< Star Fragments Held: 62 >
EP7
Bone!
END