Chapter 23
Chapter 23
23.
EP9 - Righteousness (1)
After that, Joaquin reportedly refused to attend school for a while.
He must have been quite traumatized.
There are aspects that are overshadowed because the Hidden Dragon Society is too talented, but Joaquin was also an elite who could have easily joined the Hidden Dragon Society if he were on [Hard Difficulty].
From the Black Blade Society's perspective, the cost of training such an assassin is at least millions of Hica Currency.
A neutral professor suddenly ruined such a promising kid.
There were also professors in the Black Path who felt grateful to me because of the Marina incident, but they were the moderates.
Among the radicals, it was reason enough to harbor ill feelings towards me.
"...Let's end today's class here."
Meanwhile, the class was stabilizing.
As a veteran, I could talk endlessly about Superpowers, and thanks to the Joaquin incident, the Students' will to assassinate had been broken.
So, I finished the class and came outside.
"......"
"......"
The gazes of two Students standing in the hallway were not friendly.
There were already many gazes that wanted to kill me, but these guys' gazes were a little more suspicious. They were hesitating about something.
The glancing guys went outside the building. Then they started talking.
【 Harun, 1st year, Assassination Studies: "What should we do?" 】
【 Mateo, 1st year, Assassination Studies: "What do you mean, what should we do? We have to tell Professor Hakon. He told us to call him before Professor Dante joins the White Alliance." 】
Professor Hakon?
I've heard that name before.
He's quite a high-level professor, a senior professor.
【 Harun, 1st year, Assassination Studies: "Did you see the professor's eyes? They're scary as hell..." 】
【 Mateo, 1st year, Assassination Studies: "Then I'll do it. You stay out of it." 】
...I should leave before I get caught up in something annoying.
That's what I thought, but I was unlucky. I ran into Professor Hakon, whom they were talking about, in the middle of the hallway.
"Who do we have here? Isn't it Professor Dante?"
A body so muscular it looked like it would burst. Moreover, the aura emanating from him was considerable.
● Professor Hakon of the Black Path
"Who are you?"
"Who else? We're fellow professors. Hakon from Assassination Studies."
"......"
He offered a handshake, but I didn't take it.
【 Professor Hakon of the Black Path: 'Won't you take my hand?' 】
【 Professor Hakon of the Black Path: 'I was going to collect some blood.' 】
As expected. He was preparing to cast a [Curse].
"I heard you've been very busy since you were appointed. Do you have some time today? Let's have a conversation."
"Thank you for the offer, but no."
I was about to slowly walk past him in the narrow hallway when.
"Professor Dante."
He said as he passed by.
"Don't be cheeky."
I also stopped.
In an instant, a subtle current flowed between me and him.
"Did the Black Blade Society send you? Or did you come of your own accord?"
"You're being rude. Professor. I clearly told you not to be cheeky just now..."
"Answer."
"...You're a strange one. You've only been appointed for less than a month, and you're stirring things up without any background. What makes you so confident?"
Professor Hakon burst into a hearty laugh.
"Did the Black Blade Society send me? What a ridiculous question. Did you think I came here out of boredom?"
But his words and thoughts were different.
【 Professor Hakon: 'The higher-ups told me not to worry about it, but I can't help it. The Joaquin incident is just the beginning. A professor who doesn't know his place will be a hindrance in the long run.' 】
Unexpectedly, he came of his own accord.
After figuring that out, I moved on.
"Know the value of your life."
He was probably Joaquin's supervising professor.
The White Alliance didn't want to clash with him, so they turned a blind eye to Forte.
He must have thought I was running away, because he raised his voice.
"Professor Dante. You're being too cocky. I'm warning you one more time. While you still have your one and only life, do the work you're assigned as a professor. It's nothing for me to dismember you."
He spewed out anger, but.
I walked on without replying.
【 Professor Hakon: '...Are you ignoring me? How dare you ignore me, the ghost of war?' 】
However, after passing the bend in the hallway, I checked the Script a little more.
【 Professor Hakon: 'That cheeky bastard. I was going to get him to join the Black Blade Society if possible, but I can't now.' 】
【 Professor Hakon: 'Professor Dante. Your cause of death will be not listening to people. See you soon. At your fancy professor's residence.' 】
It seems he's planning to break in soon.
Hakon is a [Master] grade assassin. He's ranked 7,132nd out of 15 million martial artists on the entire continent, and he's a strong senior professor.
If I face him with the tools I have, either I die or he dies, and I don't know what will happen to my relationship with the Black Path.
'...Even so, if he comes to assassinate me, I will definitely kill him.'
Someday, I will inevitably become an enemy with someone.
That's what Assassination Studies is like.
* * *
The rumor that Professor Dante had apprehended Joaquin's proxy assassination spread quickly through Assassination Studies.
Professors from the White Alliance were delighted.
Professors from the Black Blade Society were displeased.
Neutral professors had a bad taste in their mouths.
Most Students giggled and liked it.
"Joaquin was too cocky."
"Shhh. Someone might hear you."
Meanwhile, such rumors reached the ears of the Hidden Dragon Society.
When 4 out of the 7 Students of the Hidden Dragon Society were hiding in an old warehouse.
Dante's topic came up in their conversation.
"Joaquin. I heard he got wrecked?"
"They say it was Disposition No. 9. He lost almost 1 million Hica Currency in fines, including confiscated items."
"Wow. 1 million Hica Currency? Crazy... No, Joaquin was good at Stealth and had a good sense of things. Why did he suddenly run into that professor?"
"How would I know?"
Such trivial conversations continued.
Then, Kaiser, the team leader, said in a low, heavy voice.
"Kendrake."
Then, a Student with a large, violent impression frowned and looked back.
At the long-haired Student standing with the backlight of the warehouse behind him.
"...What. Why."
Kaiser knows everything.
...That's what the Hidden Dragon Society Students think.
Is that why?
In fact, Kaiser called Kendrake's name to point out a mosquito on Kendrake's head.
Kendrake, startled by the sight of the vertically slit pupils, said.
"Okay, damn it. I encouraged the assassination. Why."
"......"
Kaiser had a question mark in his mind. '???'
He didn't know what he was talking about, but he sent a meaningful look.
"...Ah, damn it. Don't look at me with those eyes, you bastard! I might just be curious!"
"About what."
"Balmung keeps saying that Professor Dante is strong. So I just wanted to check."
Balmung scoffed at that.
"You chicken-brained idiot."
"Are you going to shut your mouth? There's a limit to how much I can tolerate."
"Fuck."
Ah, so that's what it was about?
Kaiser was horrified inside.
How dare they commit such rudeness to the professor...
"So, whatever."
"I don't know, damn it. Some data came in. It seems he uses magic too."
"Magic, huh."
"What, he stopped time or something... But it can't be time-based magic, so those bug-like guys must have been flustered and hallucinated."
"...I don't know."
"What are you talking about? What do you mean, 'I don't know'? Time-based magic is a super high-level magic that only archmages can handle."
That's true. There probably aren't even 10 magicians who can handle time magic out of the hundreds of millions of people on this vast continent. Most of them would be top-ranked high-ranker magicians above [Grand Master].
But... Kaiser thought that Professor Dante could do it.
Dante is great.
He saw through his identity, which he had never been caught before, even in front of the dean, royal officials, and the master of the Magic Tower.
Eyes that grasp the essence.
The power to control space.
And even the composure to never easily reveal or show off all of that.
'Professor Dante Hiacapo. Could it be that you can even handle time magic...?'
Kaiser suddenly felt an intense shame.
Because the gift he gave him, no, the bribe, felt too insignificant.
Seriously. A Mana potion for someone who has reached the level of an archmage?
Isn't that the same as sending 100 Hica Currency to the richest man as if you're doing him a favor!
'Ah! How could I send something like that and say [I hope you like it]!'
His body trembled with shame!
Then, the Students subtly looked at each other.
'Kaiser is trembling with anger...'
'That bastard. He must have hurt his pride a lot.'
'What kind of conversation did they have that day?'
The day Dante was brought to the Hidden Dragon Hall.
Kaiser, as their team leader, had a 1:1 conversation with that professor.
And he sent Professor Dante back with a bit of embarrassment.
It was quite a shocking event for them.
Kaiser had never lowered his posture in front of anyone, whether it was a professor or a nobleman.
Even if they brought a king or an emperor, Kaiser would not be pushed back in terms of aura.
Such Kaiser is showing embarrassment.
Regarding this incident, the Hidden Dragon Society recognized that Kaiser had suffered his first defeat against Professor Dante.
That's why Kaiser is suffering as soon as the story of Professor Dante comes up.
But, that's why it seemed like it would be fun to assassinate him.
"I'll have to kill him with my own hands someday."
"You can't do it even if you die."
"Me? I think I can do it?"
While the Students were bickering.
Kaiser took his body off the window frame and said.
"...It's time. Everyone prepare."
At that order, everyone shook off their thoughts and loosened their bodies.
Kaiser snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Then, everyone's clothes changed into servant and maid outfits. After that.
Whoosh-
Kendrake took out the battle axe "Santa Barbara" with the 『Explosion』 magic cast on it.
Swish-
Balmung took out the [LegendⅠ] grade dark sniper rifle "Sigfried⚉", spun it around once, and held it in his hand.
Sharrarak-
Gray also scattered Habanero's family's inherited unique Superpower 『Silver Thread』 in both hands. It was a thread-shaped electric saw sharper than any sword in the world.
The short-term goal is to purge the traitors who commit treason.
The long-term goal is to assassinate the emperor of the empire.
'...I never wanted anything like that.'
Kaiser cried inside and opened the warehouse door and headed outside.
Limping with a cane.
The place was a secret banquet hall in Hica.
Under the antique chandelier, middle-aged people in antique clothes were chatting happily in groups of three or five.
It was a meeting of executives from mid-sized defense companies 'Steel & Labs' and 'Smith'. Everyone had drunk several glasses of alcohol and was quite drunk.
Is that why.
They didn't react properly to the Students who suddenly approached.
"Huh? Who are you guys...?"
"Hello. You are great arms dealers."
"What? Hehehe... Even the servants know."
"Kids are saying all sorts of things. Should I give you an autograph?"
Kaiser continued to speak.
"You are making a lot of money in the Hica Kingdom by using the pressure of the empire. And you have a history of kidnapping our people's children as an imperial scheme to incite conflict. 12 people were kidnapped, and half were killed."
"......"
"In addition, you are currently participating in treason with neutral senior professors and helping to leak technology to enemy countries. Based on these reasons, I would like to say that you are causing a lot of problems for our ultimate plan."
The businessmen were silent. The air became cold. 'Someone...!' They desperately looked for someone, but there was no answer.
Because they had already killed everyone on the way.
Kaiser took out the sword hidden in his cane.
Swish-
A sword with no function.
However, an eerie and intense Mana wave emanated from it.
"We are also sinners."
Immediately after the instruction to carry out the assassination was given.
The waiting room became a bloodbath in an instant.
⋮
Meanwhile, Kaiser was feeling psychological pressure from these events.
When he returned to the Hidden Dragon Hall after completing his mission. Kaiser grabbed the toilet in his private room and vomited.
"Ugh―! Haa, haa..."
It had been half a year already.
Every time he saw someone die, Kaiser had to take this time.
Not only was his personality not violent. He was born into an ordinary family and lived an ordinary life.
But no matter how much he vomited, something lumpy in his heart wouldn't come out. The pain only grew.
"......"
He killed people.
He was killing unrelated people for a dream that had nothing to do with him.
He didn't know if this was right or not, and he was just in pain.
Whether it was a champion of justice or a mastermind, neither suited Kaiser's personality at all.
"Haa..."
So, after vomiting for a while, Kaiser sat down in front of the toilet and blankly looked at the sky through the bathroom window.
It's a frustrating life.
Isn't there a lifeline coming down somewhere?
It was clear that he couldn't escape from this reality. He knew too much. And the Hidden Dragon Society had too much trust in him.
Nevertheless, Kaiser wanted to appeal his situation to someone.
"......"
Ah, that's right.
Isn't there someone who will listen now?
Until recently, he couldn't ask anyone in this world for help, but now it was different.
"......"
He tried to turn on the crystal ball and send a message.
But then, he wondered whether to send it or not, what to send if he did, and whether he was bothering him with something too trivial. He worried about such things for a long time.
He finally wrote and sent one sentence.
-
Kaiser: Professor. What is assassination?