“Princess, may I enter?”
Kaiser Truman, the team leader of Dormant Dragon Institute, carefully knocked on the # Nоvеlight # second-floor door of the Dormant Dragon Hall.
When a reply came, the handmaiden opened the door gently. Kaiser, leaning on his cane, limped into the room.
It was the middle of the night.
Only a single candle was lit in the princess’s room, and it was dark.
Kaiser bowed his head to the princess, who lay in bed gazing into a hand mirror.
“I know your fatigue has yet to lift, but I’ve come with an urgent request.”
“......”
“I will speak plainly. I believe I’ve finally found one. A professor who our first-year cadets of Dormant Dragon Institute might be able to ask for guidance.”
“......”
“He is the newly appointed professor. I met him personally. His insight was astonishingly precise, and his depth as a person was immeasurable.”
“......”
The princess gave no reply, but Kaiser knew better than anyone how indifferent she was to things that did not interest her.
However, the next line would be different.
“I can say with certainty—he is several steps above me.”
Only then did the princess react. She set aside her hand mirror and turned her gaze toward Kaiser.
“Who is it?”
“Professor Dante Hiakapho. Of the Department of Assassination.”
“Did you request him to be your advisor?”
“...That is the embarrassing part. I made several requests, but he refused each time. Perhaps I am lacking.”
And so he had come to the princess.
His own request, coming from nothing, and a request from a princess of the great Hiaka Kingdom—those two carried different weight.
He thought, perhaps, it might make the man reconsider...
“What a surprise. You, of all people, tucking your tail like a damn mutt.”
No matter how difficult the situation, Kaiser had never once turned to Rebecca. But this time, the fear of letting this professor slip away made him bow his head.
“...Very well. You may go.”
Kaiser gave a deep bow and left the room.
And thus, the following morning, a letter was delivered to Professor Dante.
It was an invitation—summoning him for an audience with the princess.
****
Today marked one full week since I had entered the game world.
There had been several assassination attempts in that time. I had nearly been stabbed while walking, nearly shot, nearly lost a leg to a trap, and once, while eating in the faculty cafeteria, I’d watched a spoon dipped into my soup melt before my eyes.
The fact that I managed to act unaffected in all of those moments was nothing short of a miracle.
“With this level of amateur assassination, even my grandmother in her grave wouldn’t die.”
Despite my nerves still being on edge, lines like that came out far too smoothly.
Through those experiences, I was gradually adjusting to life as a professor.
“Let us begin today’s class.”
This was the Department of Assassination.
And today, we would talk about assassination as a discipline—and about assassins.
In this world, there are three combat professions:
Warrior, Mage, and Assassin.
Of the three, assassins are the profession trained solely for the purpose of destruction.
You might ask—don’t warriors and mages also focus on destruction?
Yes. That is true.
But there is one key difference.
Assassins are trained to unleash the maximum amount of mana in the shortest possible time.
Warriors fight over extended periods.
Mages dominate battlefields with a wide range of spells.
But assassins must pour all of their strength into a target in a matter of seconds to a few minutes and ensure its absolute destruction.
If you were to use an analogy, assassins are missiles.
Therefore, the Department of Assassination at each national academy was essentially a missile factory.
And within that metaphor, Dormant Dragon Institute was a nuclear missile.
They were currently just raw plutonium ore, but once completed, they would possess the ability to devastate an entire nation.
But nuclear missiles always require two launch keys.
So then, who holds those keys?
a. Kaiser
b. Princess Rebecca
I had already assessed option a to a degree, which meant it was now time to examine option b.
I needed to confirm who Princess Rebecca truly was.
Dormant Dragon Institute would continue trying to kill me for the foreseeable future.
I had to survive within that environment while training them at the same time.
And there was a very specific reason for that.
That reason was—
“Each of you, come forward one at a time to submit your assignments.”
The cadets came up one by one to hand in their assignments.
There was a reason I told them to come up individually. In the brief moment of physical contact during that process, I could read their Talent Value.
That was why I had deliberately reached out for handshakes.
“Here it is, Professor! Ah... I look forward to working with you!”
───
Derrick Rojas [1.3]
───
“I did my best.”
───
John McCurlin [1.4]
───
These numbers next to the names are called [Potential].
[Potential] refers to a person’s latent capacity for growth.
In system terms, a potential rating of [1.0] is average.
[1.5] indicates a gifted individual.
[2.0] is enough to be the top cadet of an entire academy.
Professors generally have a potential range of [1.9] to [2.2].
Which is why—
───
Elize Xykhos [2.8]
───
—this is important.
Dormant Dragon Institute is significant because it is a group of monsters like this.
“Elize. Why did you come up empty-handed without your assignment?”
“I forgot. Hehe.”
“Stand with your hands raised.”
“Yessir.”
She listened to me because I was a professor, but judging by her potential, it was like punishing a baby dragon.
The same thing had happened a few days ago.
On my way to the Dormant Dragon Hall, I had discreetly checked the potential of Balmung (the one with glasses) and Kaiser (the team leader).
With Balmung, it was during a handshake. With Kaiser, it happened when I approached him and exchanged contact information.
And then I was internally horrified.
───
Balmung Nibelung [2.8]
───
Balmung, son of the “Black Abyss Star ⚉.” As expected, a monster.
In [Hard Mode], such potential wouldn’t even exist on the continent. The cap in that world setting was [2.5].
This [Hell Mode] world was clearly built with the intent to kill me.
On the other hand—
───
Kaiser Truman [0.5]
───
Seeing this left me dumbfounded.
A potential of [0.5] meant he was half the level of an average person [1.0]—an idiot among idiots. And yet, Kaiser was the team leader of Dormant Dragon Institute.
This guy...
Just what kind of life had he lived?
───
Forte Asimov [1.9]
Hwaru Han [1.5]
Dominic Dominic de Dominic III [0.9]
⋮
───
After checking the rest, none of the cadets attending my class even hit [2.0]. The highest was Forte from Moonshadow Institute at [1.9].
And that was the situation.
That was the reason I had decided to meet the one who held the second nuclear launch key.
This morning, I had received a letter from the princess.
She wanted to have a conversation.
‘Princess Rebecca, huh...’
Through <Synchronization>, information about Princess Rebecca entered my mind.
Princess Rebecca was a well-known figure in this world.
She was referred to as the “Saint of the Palace,” famous for her devotion to all things virtuous and righteous.
She had become even more famous for abandoning the comfort of royal life and unexpectedly choosing to enroll in the Department of Assassination.
To the world, it was ironic.
After all, assassins are tools.
But I figured the reason she joined the Department of Assassination was very simple.
It was probably to keep the artificially constructed monster collective known as Dormant Dragon Institute in check.
‘Before I jump to conclusions, I should meet her at least once.’
After class, I made my way to the Cathedral of the Virgin in Zone 0.
It was a magnificent Gothic-style structure.
A red lantern flickered outside, and smoke symbolic of incense drifted from the chimney.
Inside the temple, there were nearly a few dozen people. In the dim lighting, solemn music filled the air.
At the center were over a dozen coffins arranged in rows.
It was a funeral.
“Hey, move it. Hurry up.”
A low-ranking knight bumped my arm.
I turned my head, and the man glared at me.
“What are you staring at? Get in already.”
“......”
“You’re already late for the princess’s ceremony... You coming or not?”
“What a complete piece of shit.”
I let it slide because I didn’t feel like starting a fight.
Anyway.
In the Department of Assassination, whether it’s cadets, expelled students, or even professors, a lot of people end up dead. The cathedral holds a weekly ceremony to commemorate them.
That very ceremony was underway now.
As I blended into the crowd, hushed whispers reached my ears.
“Is that really the princess...?”
“Yeah. Isn’t she incredible? She left behind an easy, comfortable life to come to a place like this and still offers prayers.”
“That’s one thing, but seeing her in person... she’s beautiful.”
She was visible even from afar, but I decided to get a little closer.
I pushed through the crowd and moved forward.
At last, I saw her—
a girl kneeling on the cold floor in front of the altar, praying.
‘Huh.’
I was a little surprised.
Hiaka Academy was a fabricated world.
Everyone—from Forte to Adele, Gray, and Kaiser—looked like celebrities. As if the gods had sculpted them by hand.
But this person’s face looked like the gods had taken extra time to show off their craftsmanship.
Bright golden hair.
Red eyes filled with compassion as she gazed upon the coffins of the dead. Pale hands clutching dog tags.
The holy robes she wore radiated with grace, and the earrings—clearly made by a master artisan—emitted a subtle glow, making Rebecca appear all the more noble.
There she was—sitting before me, the very image of the “Saint of the Palace.”
After finishing her prayer, Princess Rebecca embraced the bereaved family members and cried with them.
“When she first started attending funeral ceremonies like this, I figured she’d only keep it up for a few months.”
“Right? She must’ve been, what, fourteen back then? Everyone thought it was just for show. She is royalty after all...”
“But she’s been traveling all over Hiaka, week after week, never missing a single ceremony. That changed my perspective.”
The praises continued to pour out.
She was, indeed, admirable.
But if she really only came to these ceremonies out of kindness, that would be hard to believe.
In my memories—linked through <Synchronization> with Dante—Princess Rebecca was not some benevolent “Saint of the Palace.”
Even now, it was the same.
【 Rebecca is currently using 『Curse of Soul Devouring』. 】
Something was flowing from the coffins into Rebecca’s hands.
It was invisible. That was how sophisticated the curse was.
This was Curse No. 75—『Curse of Soul Devouring』.
It extracted and absorbed [soul remnants] from the dead.
[Soul remnants] were useful materials for a wide variety of curses. However, there were side effects—powerful curses would also be inflicted on the caster.
‘...What a dangerous thing to be doing.’
The [Curse Path] was one of the twelve assassination ability types. But those who relied on curses as their main path never met a good end. There’s a reason people say you should dig two graves when you curse someone.
Much later, after the ceremony ended, Rebecca stepped into the priest’s chambers.
She had asked me to meet her there in her letter, so I approached—
but someone blocked my path.
“Stop.”
It was the same bastard who had bumped into me when I entered the cathedral earlier.
● Guardian Knight Batrick
He was a young man in armor. The nameplate on his chest read “Low-Rank Knight.”
For a royal guard to the princess, his level was abysmally low.
“This area is the princess’s resting place. What business do you have?”
“I am Professor Dante of the Department of Assassination. I’ve come to see the princess.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“You think I came here for fun?”
“That’s strange. I never heard about any meeting.”
“......”
I stood still, wondering what the hell he wanted me to do.
The knight furrowed his brow and asked again.
“Do you have any proof? A letter, perhaps?”
That’s when I realized this guy was a total amateur.
He didn’t even know that royal letters—unless official documents—disappear upon being read.
“Go inside and ask if the princess is expecting a guest.”
“Why don’t you just answer me? I asked if you had any documentation or a letter.”
“Personal correspondence from the royal family disintegrates after reading. How long have you even been stationed here? Enough nonsense. Just go and ask.”
His eyes scrunched up.
His pride seemed wounded.
“My service time’s none of your damn business, you punk. And the princess doesn’t like being disturbed while she’s resting.”
I had no idea what this guy wanted.
I opened up the 【Script】 and finally understood his psychology.
Apparently, this guy had been ignored by a professor from the Department of Assassination a few days ago.
Despite being the princess’s newly assigned knight, he had felt completely humiliated.
That shame had been eating away at him ever since—
and now, he was trying to vent it on me.
Soon, a handmaiden approached and whispered something to him. He flinched and grimaced.
But perhaps unwilling to fully swallow his pride, his 【Script】 began to show a new thought: he planned to save face by subjecting me to a “security inspection.”
In all my life, I had never received this kind of treatment.
“You know what, forget it. I won’t bother. I won’t meet her.”
I turned to leave, and the bastard shouted after me.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving.”
“Hey! I’m not done talking! You need to undergo a security inspection first—”
“I will not proceed with the meeting. I see no reason to tolerate this kind of treatment at an invitation. Whatever happened here, you can explain it to her yourself.”
“What did you just say?”
I turned around. I had no intention of engaging with him anymore.
But then he took it a step further—
suddenly activating [Movement Arts] and cutting off my path.
“What the hell are you doing, Professor?”
“I already said I was leaving.”
“I told you I’d let you in if you cooperated with the security check. So why won’t you comply?”
By this point, the nearby handmaids and temple staff had started exchanging nervous glances.
The atmosphere between us had clearly turned hostile.
The handmaiden tried to stop him, but he brushed her aside with a cold “Move.”
“Stop being prideful and just comply with the inspection while I’m asking nicely.”
“Step aside, knight. Do not block the path.”
“This bastard. Who do you think you are, coming here to meet the princess and acting all high and mighty?”
Then, he drew his sword from his hip.
Schrring—
“Get over here!”
My eyes shifted to the sharp edge of the blade.
I went quiet for a moment and thought.
Royal guard. Quasi-noble status. A knight serving the princess.
A sacred place like a cathedral.
And finally—
“Professor...”
The handmaiden tried to stop him again, and now she turned to me, hoping I would avoid the conflict.
There was absolutely no justification for me to fight him.
All I had to do was swallow my pride once.
Simple, right? As a modern man, a working adult—I had swallowed my pride countless times before.
“...Fine. I was wrong.”
“Ha! Now you say that? Get over here, you little shit.”
Now that the bastard was feeling smug again—
I stepped closer and pointed my index finger toward his eye.
“What the hell are you—”
『World Forgery: Phenomenon Forgery – [Flash]』
Light erupted like a bullet, piercing straight into the bastard’s eye.
PZANG—!
The flash was so intense that it turned the crowd behind us into silhouettes.
“W-What?!”
“What was that light?!”
The sudden burst of light sent the handmaids and clergy into panic.
The guardian knight—who had taken the blast right to his eyeballs—collapsed face-first onto the floor.
THUD!!
His eyeballs had been scorched.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH—!!”
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