Chapter 35
Chapter 35
35th Episode
EP11 - Professor Assassination: Illusion Magic (6)
It was my first time using 「Liberator⁺₊⋆」 in a real fight. It was as overwhelmingly powerful as I'd expected, but I wasn't in great shape either.
< [MP] : 43 / 1,258 >
As if my core was resisting an electric current, a smell like something burning in my brain was flowing out of my ears.
I felt nauseous from using too much Mana. Dizziness and sickness washed over me.
'My Mana is depleted in such a short time...'
Phantasms created with Shape Fabrication a few times. [Ultrasound]. And the Phantasm's Footwork motions. A few uses of 『Mana Distortion Field』.
And then, a single use of the space-warping 『Kaleidoscope』. I recreated a pre-made polygon, but the range was too wide.
I keenly felt my own shortcomings. I was lacking in everything, starting with Mana. Still, I was able to move.
"Krrr...!!"
I turned my head.
Far away, the guy who had been brutally smashed by an unexpected blow was getting up.
I approached the fallen Demon with 「Liberator⁺₊⋆」 in hand. Its wings had burned away. Its lower body and left arm were also gone.
Its expression was distorted with pain. Considering that Demons aren't supposed to feel pain, that was a good thing. Because the Bright Star⁺₊⋆'s stigma seemed to be a power of light, it was as deadly to Demons as Divine Power.
As I approached, the Demon staggered back, trying to get away with its remaining arm and severed lower body.
"Are you afraid of me?"
There was no answer. Part of its jaw and neck had also burned away. It was quite amusing. Why is life so precious because it's limited? Even a monster that exists to kill humanity is groveling at its end.
That's why it's worth killing. If something isn't precious, there's no value in taking it away. At this moment, I was paradoxically grateful. That it had rejected my offer. Thanks to that, I could shoot its head off myself...
Thwack — !
Radiance spread out, smashing its head and sweeping through the surrounding forest.
As its body collapsed along with its shattered upper half, an unexpected status window appeared.
┃ Achievement Earned: [First Demon Kill]
┃ Reward: Star Fragment × 20
I was given a huge number of Star Fragments.
Satisfaction and elation welled up from within.
I had finally killed an enemy of humanity.
'…….'
My overheated mind slowly cooled down.
It wasn't time to relax yet. Its Superpower happened to be in the [Summon-Taming] category.
Summoned creatures don't just disappear when their master dies. I had to go search its personal space right away.
First, I decided to do what I had to do as a professor. I looked for the fallen Students.
"Are you all alright?"
"Yes..."
I wondered if they were hurt, but they were. They were all bleeding from their noses just from being crushed by Mana, and their eyes were red. If that was the case, there could be damage to their internal organs or brains.
"Hwaru. Dominic. How are you two?"
"...Yes. Ah. I'm okay..."
Perhaps because I had met them on my first day of appointment. They were the ones I couldn't help but feel a little more attached to. As expected, both of them were in bad shape. Dominic, in particular, who had weak Mana, had vomited blood, which had soaked his white Student uniform.
"Can you all walk?"
"Of course, Professor. What is Dominic's only advantage? It's his physical strength."
Dominic collapsed after saying that.
Thud!
He had fainted. The problem was that this guy probably weighed 150kg.
Right now, my strength was only at the level of an athlete, and I was exhausted, so it didn't seem easy to move Dominic the minimum 2km distance to the lecture hall hospital.
'Seriously, this isn't good.'
Because it would take a long time for someone to come even if I called for help.
Then something popped up on the 【Script】.
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st Year Elise: 'My eyes hurt.' 】
【 Hidden Dragon Society 1st Year Gray: '…….' 】
Elise and Gray seemed to have been watching the situation since who knows when.
Perfect timing.
"How long are you going to just stand there and watch?"
"Yes?"
"Are you talking about us?"
Then the Students next to me looked bewildered, and the transparent space gradually cleared, revealing Elise. With her usual cheerful, retriever-like expression.
The Students were horrified by their appearance.
"Hello, Professor."
"Elise. I'll ask you later why you're here. Can you take these kids to the lecture hall hospital?"
Then Elise tilted her head and asked.
"Why?"
It was a strange question, but we hadn't known each other for just a day or two.
She didn't have any malicious intent. She really didn't know.
She's kind, but her common sense is twisted. She's surprisingly cold to strangers she hasn't formed a relationship with.
So I whispered in her ear.
'They all don't have dads.'
'Gasp. I have to help.'
'That's right.'
Soon, Elise spoke into the air. 'Moong. Can you lend me your back?' Moong? Come to think of it, there was something on the Minimap. Probably a giant spirit beast. Elise lifted the Students up into the air and disappeared.
"……."
Then only Gray was standing there blankly. But her expression and reaction were somehow strange.
Why is she like that?
"What is it?"
I examined her expression.
There was nothing in particular on the 【Script】 either.
"Professor. How much have you mastered [Illusion Magic]...?"
Then Gray asked expressionlessly. Unlike the playful way she had been a few times, her expression was stiff. Even hiding her fangs.
"Why are you curious about that in this situation?"
"Because you seemed pretty good at it..."
I had a bad feeling. I didn't know her well yet, but I knew that Gray was quite fickle.
To maintain authority here, it would be better not to share unnecessary small talk.
"I'll be going if you don't have anything to say."
Gray continued to watch me with an unreadable expression. I left the scene.
After that, I had to move quickly.
"Huh? Professor Dante. What happened to you?"
Fortunately, Dean Shaman hadn't left work yet. He shook his thick jowls in surprise. Later, I realized that blood was flowing from my ear.
Anyway, I informed him that Professor Toxin was a 'strange monster.' The Dean had a serious expression and called some high-ranking Discipline Department officials.
So I headed to Professor Toxin's mansion in the faculty housing with two high-ranking Discipline Department officials and the Dean.
Sure enough. There, we found three Student corpses that had been treated as missing persons presumed assassinated.
And, nourished by those three, we found over 1,000 eggs connected to grotesque, veined flesh.
"What the hell...? What is all this?"
"For now, they appear to be monster eggs..."
The Dean and the high-ranking Discipline Department officials also seemed flustered, but I knew.
Those were Death's-Head Hawkmoth Corpse Eggs, favored by Demons of the [Curse] category. They have the ability to spread [Curse].
But the Hornless Demon Toksin I caught was a Demon of the [Summon-Taming] Superpower category. What did this mean?
That Professor Toxin was. Cultivating these for other Demons.
'……At least one more has infiltrated.'
Maybe there was already a group of five or six or more.
The rest was up to the Discipline Department.
* * *
It was something that happened that night.
Doroong. Doroong...
Elise, who was sleeping soundly as usual.
She suddenly woke up to the sound of something shattering.
'Hmm...'
What was that sound?
A sharp sound like glass breaking.
After that, it felt like something was flashing outside the window.
So she listened carefully, but she couldn't hear anything.
She must have misheard.
Just as she was about to fall back asleep,
Crash, this time she clearly heard it.
When she went outside, Gray was in the backyard of the Hidden Dragon Hall.
Glass shards were pouring down around her.
"What are you doing, Gray?"
"...What? Why aren't you asleep?"
"I came because I heard a noise. What were you doing?"
"...You don't need to know. Go away."
"Okay."
Still, she peeked from behind a tree.
Gray was bleeding profusely from her nose.
What is it...??
Then she was caught with an annoyed look.
"...Hey. Stop peeking and go away."
"Okay."
Elise, who had been scolded, had to turn around. If she stayed here, she might get hit. Meanwhile, Gray was muttering things like, 'Ah, damn... why can't I do it...?' but Elise didn't understand what she was talking about.
She came back in and went back to bed.
In the end, what was that?
She was curious, but she didn't think about it for long.
Elise went to dreamland.
"...zzZ."
In her dream, she went for a walk with Professor Dante for some reason.
-
Wait.
She waited obediently.
Then he gave her three bones.
* * *
Thus, the assassination of Toxin ended successfully.
There was one regret.
That there needed to be 'evidence' to confiscate equipment in a professor assassination.
Because of that, there was no basis to confiscate Derek's 「Remote Control Ring」. Because I had only confirmed it with the 【Script】.
That was equipment worth hundreds of thousands of Hica... Even though it was clearly used in the professor assassination, I couldn't confiscate it!
Originally, I was going to create a separate basis after safely avoiding the assassination...
'……Those damn Demon bastards.'
Anger welled up in my heart, but I decided to hold it in. Because it was already ruined...
"I'm glad you're all safe."
When I visited the hospital the next morning, everyone was in good condition. They said they could be discharged tomorrow.
"Thank you, Professor..."
"Really. We really thought we were going to die..."
The Students bowed repeatedly with almost reverence.
【 Assassination Studies 1st Year Derek: 'You didn't even show your face when we tried to assassinate you, but you saved us instead.' 】
Actually, I had simply gone to kill the Demon, but everyone was misunderstanding it in a good way.
【 Assassination Studies 1st Year Dominic: 'The scene I saw yesterday was neither false nor exaggerated. Professor Dante, you are...' 】
In fact, I was still weak, but everyone was misunderstanding me as an incredibly strong person.
【 Assassination Studies 1st Year Hwaru: 'What was that yesterday?' 】
Meanwhile, there was one who had doubts.
The Discipline Department must have silenced them. Telling them not to talk about the dead Professor Toxin.
Well, even if they talked about Professor Toxin, no one would believe them. Because Demons aren't known yet.
'It would be a headache if it became known.'
That's what happened last time. Unnecessary rumors spread that I had killed Professor Hakon, and a black-and-white Assassination War almost broke out.
"Attention."
I decided to silence them this time too. So that I, who was actually weak, wouldn't be rumored to be unnecessarily strong.
"Let's keep what happened yesterday to ourselves. Especially things about me. You know my position as an assassin, that I have to hide, right?"
The Students said they would. Especially those two answered enthusiastically.
"Yes, trust me!"
"Professor Dante. I'm not just heavy in weight. I can show you how heavy my tongue is. You don't have to worry."
I trusted them.
⋮
A little later.
"Hey guys. Something amazing happened today, ah, the professor told me not to say anything... Huh? It's that the professor against an external intruder..."
"Everyone better be nervous. Professor Dante is an assassin monster beyond imagination. You're not curious? Hmm. Just keep it to yourselves..."
⋮
The next day, the academy was turned upside down.
EP11
Professor Assassination: Illusion Magic
END