Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Episode 37
EP12 - Who's Better at Illusion Magic? (2)
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(Breaking) Professor Dante, Partial Loss of Language Function Due to Intruder Attack
Dante clicked his tongue inwardly as he read the article.
It seemed he really was a crazy bastard.
It was a problem of monopoly. The fact that the company could still function even after publishing articles like this… Dante sent a request for correction and decided to remember the name.
Trash Fobtime = Crazy reporter bastard
-
As such, his rising fame within the academy didn't only bring pleasant things.
"This is absurd."
In particular, the neutral faculty began to express negative sentiments toward Professor Dante.
"Professor Toxin of the Black Path suddenly disappeared yesterday, and his mansion was completely cleaned out. But today, an article praising Professor Dante's assassination is published. Even a stray dog knows what this means!"
"Could it not be a coincidence?"
"A coincidence is only a coincidence when it happens once! Is it a coincidence that the professor-killer who killed Professor Hakon killed another professor twice? Then, is it a coincidence the third time, and the fourth time?!"
They had no affiliation.
In the world of assassins openly dominated by the Black Path and White Path, the neutral gray professors had to unite.
And there were many professors who rebelled against the tiresome conflicts of interest.
"Isn't he just shady?"
"Seems like it. They say his [Illusion Magic] level is quite high. Who learns [Illusion Magic]? Mostly shady guys who want to deceive people."
"So?"
"Everyone's being deceived by him. Whether it's the Black Path or the White Path! Frankly, how can there be outsiders in Hiaka? The war ended with the Second Assassination War. There was the Hilden Treaty. We don't send assassins to other academies, so what is this!"
The neutral professors nodded.
"The faculty is also frustrating. They want him, so they're turning a blind eye to this kind of overreach."
"Indeed… Straddling the line between the Black and White Paths to raise his value. And then, trying to seem weak in the Assassination Daily, spreading rumors about a non-existent aphasia."
"We must never look favorably upon him!"
If Dante had been an assassin affiliated with the Black Path or White Path from the beginning, they wouldn't have been so indignant.
But a professor in the same position, neutral, a victim, someone who was obviously weak.
Now he was doing things that seemed like overreach without a second thought. The neutral professors couldn't contain their anger.
'He's a traitor.'
No one said those words out loud, but many harbored similar thoughts.
However, the neutral professors had no justification to do anything more at that point. They only gossiped behind his back because they didn't like him.
On the other hand, there were those who didn't.
-
At the same time. In the sewers. In the darkness, a professor with red eyes exchanged glances with a Student with red eyes.
And again, he exchanged glances with a faculty member with red eyes, and a janitor with red eyes next to him.
They turned their gaze to a man standing far away in the sewers. To a man whose horns exuded a chilling aura even in the darkness.
Finally, the man, who had been in the human world for a long time and was familiar with human language, spoke.
"Professor Dante Hiacapo must be killed."
It was a calm voice. There was no hatred or desire for revenge. Only blind will existed.
"Move the Hidden Dragon Society. It is presumed that their level is higher than imagined. Given that two out of seven of them have low intelligence, they can be persuaded to move."
At that, the humans with red eyes bowed their heads.
【 Gray, 1st year of the Hidden Dragon Society: '…….' 】
Since the first lecture he audited, Gray showed his face by auditing every class.
【 Gray, 1st year of the Hidden Dragon Society: '…….' 】
It became a small burden to me. Because I didn't know the purpose.
【 Gray, 1st year of the Hidden Dragon Society: '…….' 】
Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with any useful ideas for the 【Script】, so the question grew bigger.
Then one day. This [Script] came to mind.
【 Gray, 1st year of the Hidden Dragon Society: '……I can't accept it.' 】
I didn't know what it meant.
What he couldn't accept.
So, during dinner time. I decided to ask the idiot trio (Forte, Hwaru, Dominic) in the Student cafeteria, whom I happened to run into. What Gray's personality was like.
"Gray? He uses a weapon like a thread. His specialty is [Illusion Magic]. He wouldn't be a match for you, Professor."
Forte said that.
"What's his personality like?"
"Um. He's a bit like a cat. His personality seems lively and bright. Sometimes when I see him, he's either smiling or shouting… He was kind to me even when he came as an opponent of the Moon Shadow Scholar before."
If he was kind to an outcast like Forte, he must be a really kind person.
"Um… Gray said that the world should be a place where people who work hard like me succeed?"
That comment is warmer than I thought.
Was I wrongly assuming he was eccentric?
"He probably isn't that warm."
"What?"
Then Dominic, who is in charge of the pig among the wolf, rabbit, and pig trio, raised his glasses and said.
"Everyone says he's like a cat, but as far as I know, Gray Habanero's personality is very unique."
"Unique?"
"That's right. In the first semester, the faculty tried to assign a supervising professor to the Hidden Dragon Society. The Hidden Dragon Society refused, but they still pushed for it. Then Gray came to the faculty office with a bomb vest and a 25kg bomb and threatened them."
"Huh??"
This is another absurd incident.
"He said that if they didn't take away the supervising professor, they would all die together. It's a rumor, but it's confirmed because I heard it from a reliable source in 'this industry'."
What is that "this industry"…
I wanted to ask, but Dominic only showed off his unknown expertise while raising his glasses.
"So, did the faculty take away the supervising professor?"
I asked.
"Yes, Professor. They also contacted the Habanero family, but they said that the family couldn't control him either. Nevertheless, the dean cherished him, so he avoided expulsion."
What kind of personality is that?
Let's summarize.
Gray is. Bright. Likes to laugh. Sociable. Warm and kind. Anti-authoritarian. And he seems to have a passion for learning (isn't that why he's auditing the Illusion Magic class?) At the same time, he's violent. Extreme. Unique?
"He seems like a fickle child."
Adele, who was next to me, summarized and concluded.
That was true.
But then Hwaru, who was picking at his shrimp tempura next to me, awkwardly looked around, and I caught him.
"Hwaru."
"Oh, yes, yes…!?"
"It seems like you have something to say?"
"Ah, no?! I don't have anything to say…! Just, um… I used to be friends with Gray…."
Friend?
Dominic and Forte's eyes widened at this. As if they didn't know at all.
"Hey. Why didn't you say that?"
"That's also a story I'm hearing for the first time."
Hwaru smiled awkwardly at their words.
"But, well, it was a long time ago… And, well, it's a friend's story, so I shouldn't say it carelessly…?"
"Tell me. I'm curious."
"Professor Dante is also curious, isn't he?"
"Uh-huh…."
"Hey, Hwaru. Honestly, you can't say no here. Professor Dante risked his life to protect you not long ago."
"Um… I don't know much either…."
I was about to intervene so that Hwaru, who seemed to be increasingly cornered, wouldn't struggle, but.
"...Gray used to be depressed, timid, and introverted in the family…"
Ah, it suddenly came to mind.
Hwaru and Dominic are famous for having leaky mouths.
"What? Does that make sense? He's cheerful. Kind. Violent. Introverted. Timid. Depressed?"
"...Um, and he had a lot of conflicts with his family in the family… And once he ran away from home for a long time and stayed at my house for about a week. Every day he asked me if there was anyone I wanted to kill, thanking me…"
"Was that before the Habanero incident?"
Forte was from the White Path, so he spoke without thinking.
Hwaru, who was from the Black Path, became serious.
"Ah, sorry……."
I also know about the Habanero incident.
The incident in which the Habanero family was almost wiped out.
You shouldn't talk about it carelessly.
Anyway, Gray seems to have all sorts of complex personalities.
But the only thing that comes up in common is the evaluation that he was 'like a cat'.
'Shall I summarize it for a moment?'
After finishing the meal. I decided to list the names and personalities of the Hidden Dragon Society.
———
☆ = White Path / ★ = Black Path
4 Men
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Kaizer Truman [Team Leader]: Mastermind (…). The second-in-command and leader who sets the direction of the Hidden Dragon Society, but has no authority to command.
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Balmung Nibelung★: Doberman. The son of Nibelung, the "Dark Star Constellation⚉" and boss of the Nibelung Family. His main focus is [Sniping System].
-
Kendrake Drake★: Aggressive and belligerent personality. Showed arrogance several times. His main focus is [Combat Type].
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Quan Oliviera☆: White-haired boy. I don't know much about him.
3 Women
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Rebecca Hiakium von Hiaka☆ [Owner]: Called the Saintess of the Palace, but her actual personality is bad. I don't know her main focus. The number one in the Hidden Dragon Society. The final decision maker.
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Elise Ksikos☆: The daughter of the "Shadowless Star Seat○" Count, whose father is missing. Kind but twisted retriever. Quite strong. She takes my class. Her main focus is [Stealth System].
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Gray Habanero★: The daughter of the Habanero family. Cat-like personality. She's targeting me these days. Her main focus is [Illusion Magic Branch].
———
There was a woman.
She usually liked to snoop around here and there.
This morning was the same. As usual, she was snooping around near her house, and she found a strange note on a bench in the park she always went to.
[ Shall we play a fun game? If you're curious, come to the abandoned parking lot near the Hidden Dragon Hall. At 5 p.m. ]
Isn't it absurd? A fun game… What fool in the world would go after seeing such a suspicious note?
'Curious.'
It was Elise.
So, Elise is currently inside the parking lot.
Without even the sound of footsteps, she shook her light pink hair.
At the end of it, she sat face to face with a man wearing a mask.
"Have you come, Student Elise."
"Game?"
"That's right. A very fun game."
Surprisingly, the man proposed a very interesting game.
It was to assassinate Professor Dante.
"Assassinate Professor Dante?"
"Yes. Wouldn't it be fun?"
It would be fun.
Of course, it would fail, but since she thought it was a 'fun game'.
Wouldn't the masked man in front of her say that he would help her in every way?
"How will you help me?"
"I'll give you 10 assassins. All of them are assassins with [Platinum] rank or higher. If Elise shows her strength, she will be able to kill Professor Dante, who is estimated to be [Diamond] rank."
Oh.
It was a really amazing story.
The difference between these 3-tier Rank Badges, [Iron], [Bronze], [Silver], [Gold], and [Platinum] is incredibly large.
If the value of [Silver] and [Gold] is about twice as different.
The value of [Gold] and [Platinum] is more than 5 times different.
In that situation, all 10 assassins are [Platinum], and he's lending those expensive people for free?
Elise thought for a while and answered.
"It won't work…?"
"Yes?"
"Ten Platinum assassins and me… We won't be able to kill Professor Dante?"
"No. We know that Student Elise's strength is great."
"Um."
Elise's pink eyes converge in the middle and look at the ceiling. She pictured Dante in her head. And then, she shook her head, thinking about herself and the assassins running around.
"It won't work… Professor Dante is very strong."
"But you learned [Stealth] from Shadowless Star, didn't you?"
"I still get caught…."
Elise smiled brightly. Then, as if explaining that the game rules were wrong, she said.
"Professor is very strong. His eyes are sharp. His ears are sharp. His reactions are fast. His sense of distance is good. His combat power is also good. He even killed that strong Professor Hakon."
……For reference, Elise didn't have a good memory.
"Then, I will drastically increase the conditions of the game."
"Drastically?"
"Yes. One [Diamond]-class assassin. Three [Emerald]-class. I'll give you fifteen [Platinum]-class."
"……??"
It was an incredibly drastic proposal. If you add yourself to that? It would still fail, but how fun would the assassination be?
"Are you happy?"
"Uh-huh."
"We are too."
As her pink eyes made it difficult to hide her excitement, the masked man smiled.
And just when all the plans were about to fall into place. The change happened suddenly.
Elise, the masked man, and everyone closed their mouths. The reason was unknown. And suddenly, silence fell in the space. Someone started walking from far away in the indoor parking lot.
Limp.
Long, black, glossy hair.
Limp.
Vertically torn pupils.
Limp.
A Student with a cane.
Limp….
"Kaizer?"
Elise waved her hand. To Kaizer Truman.
The masked man greeted him with a little tension.
"Ah, you're the team leader of the Hidden Dragon Society. What brings you here?"
There is no one in Assassination Studies who doesn't know Kaizer's infamy. The masked man swallowed hard.
At that, Kaizer opened his mouth in a calm voice.
"I just stopped by. I'm always concerned about the location of my colleagues."
Kaizer's words were true. He just came out for a walk and happened to stop by.
"Ah, is that so. If I had known you were nearby, I would have invited you to join us…"
"Who are you, sir?"
"I'm a faculty member, Baisaki. I was just having a conversation with Student Elise."
At this time, the masked man was relieved inside.
Apart from the fact that Kaizer was a dangerous person, he knew that all the Hidden Dragon Society members of this year's class looked down on professors.
From Gray, who attempted a bomb terror in the first semester. To Kendrake, who murdered a professor in front of everyone. Even Kaizer, who actually assassinated four professors.
If he's lucky, he might have another useful card.
That's what he thought.
"Elise."
"Yeah."
"What were you talking about with this person?"
Kaizer asked.
Because he really didn't know anything.
Elise smiled brightly and answered.
"He said to kill Professor Dante."
The next moment.
Kaizer's eyeballs slid and reached the masked man.
"Is that so?"