Tracking is a deeply delicate operation.
That’s because, generally, the speed of the one fleeing and the one chasing is nearly the same.
If one side were overwhelmingly faster, then the act of pursuit wouldn’t even be viable.
A cheetah may chase a gazelle with everything it has, but if it trips on a rock and loses momentum, it’ll never catch that gazelle again.
That’s exactly what was happening now.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“What the hell are these bug bastards, all of a sudden?”
As the elite assassins from Kreutz rushed in, the Reaper Assassination SquadΩ flinched, clearly startled, and had to pull back to create distance.
Just a moment ago, my brain had been fried from the whole elephant ordeal, but to speak seriously, this was a dangerously close call.
To overcome that, I exploited a loophole in the 「Revelation↑」.
Lately, those bastards had been tracking my every move, down to the smallest detail.
So I flipped it on them. I announced through Professor Hicks Bohr that I’d be revealing “Hiakapo’s Final Cleanup.” That meant they had no choice but to keep me alive.
“Shit, what a pain!”
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA—
Darkness surged like a wave and swept over Kreutz, but here’s where it got interesting.
In terms of raw power, the Reaper Assassination SquadΩ had the upper hand—but all of Kreutz† carried the Stigma of the Cross.
That gave them a natural advantage in compatibility.
After all, no one is freer from the fear of death than the devout.
FLASH—!
「 † 」
As divine energy detonated, the aura of death quickly dissipated. Chains of light lashed out, binding them, and the bullets of death barely packed any punch.
—Hey! Stop fighting! What the hell is going on...!
In the midst of all this, the Imperial city guards showed some real skill—but the ones pursuing me were all either [Master]-rank or [Grandmaster], with some even [Challenger].
Every single one of them a numbered monster on the rankings.
Now that the Reaper Assassination Squad and Kreutz assassins were tangled in chaos, there was nothing the guards could do.
Meanwhile, Eve and I managed to escape far, aided by the acceleration of the bike granted by the Emperor himself.
“They’ve lost the trail. We’re alive....”
“......!”
Eve, sensing through sheer animal instinct that we were out of danger, lit up with a bright smile.
Then she moved her pale hand.
She placed her index finger against her nose, dragged it down, then curled it in with a smug look.
Took me a second to figure out what she meant.
“Elephant. Cool?”
That smug pose—somehow it pissed me off.
Cool, my ass.
We almost flattened a few dozen people to pulp.
Sure, let’s pretend to answer “Yeah, our elephant’s the best!”—but I moved my hand to say something else entirely.
“Nope.”
Eve was about to flash a big grin... and her jaw dropped.
“......??”
She probably felt betrayed.
“When we get back. Let’s get you a license. You suck. Honestly. Dante did everything. Useless elephant.”
“......!?”
Eve bit down hard on her lower lip and glared at me.
“Whoa whoa. What are you doing.”
“.......”
Then, out of nowhere, she yanked me by force into the driver’s seat and sat behind me. Then she grabbed a fistful of my hair.
I used 『Stigma Imprint』 to patch up the handlebar and drove us back, but on the way...
My hair was violently pulled the whole time.
“Ow.”
“......!”
“Let go. That hurts.”
“......!”
She was actually going to rip it all out......
“Now presenting, Professor Dante Hiakapo!”
Later, I had a special lecture scheduled at the Legorian Institute.
Of course, it was just a way to escape the crisis, so I had no plans to reveal everything.
“I’m the Dean of the Magic Department at Raiben Academy. I have a question.”
“I’m Ulberg, Chief Illusion Professor at Hattengraj. A pleasure to meet you.”
At that moment, I could feel many gazes—every single one of them heavyweights in the academic world—focused entirely on me.
I realized this could massively elevate Hiaka Academy’s perceived value.
“Numerous research labs and task forces are now debating the core formula and possible improvements to it.”
Ordinary scholars would’ve hidden that part. It’s a weakness.
But I went the opposite route—straight through the front door.
“The Pink Drug dismantles illusion almost flawlessly, yes, but that’s strictly based on disrupting the senses.”
“As you know, the human brain does not accept sensory input in its raw form. Regardless of the type of sensation, the brain constantly compensates to interpret only what suits survival, often distorting the target. Like optical illusions, for instance.”
“The Pink Drug merely shatters that illusion.”
After that, I brought up various [Illusion Constructs] and explained the formulas and circuits in plain, very simple terms.
That way, once the story spread outside, the public could still understand my intent.
“Think of it like this.”
I stretched out my hand and cast [Illusion], conjuring a traditional Hahoe mask and placed it on my face.
“As you can see, I’ve used [Illusion] to create and wear a mask. In truth, it’s just my bare face. But you’re seeing a mask, because I’ve tampered with your perception.”
“That’s how conventional [Illusion] works.”
Put simply, modern [Illusion] is optical deception.
“But some forms of [Illusion]—they don’t just appear to put a mask on me. They actually do. Not by tricking your senses, but by directly interfering with matter and reality itself. And if that’s the case, even if you take the Pink Drug, you won’t be able to see my real face.”
At that moment, the scholars tilted their heads, popped the Pink Drug in their mouths, and swallowed.
And all at once—mouths dropped open.
“Ugh......!”
“W-Wait a minute......!!”
I didn’t even have to look.
These people have been killing themselves trying to find an [Illusion] that can’t be broken by the Pink Drug.
But every one of those attempts failed.
Yet now—
Even after taking the drug, they were still seeing the Hahoe mask on my face.
Maybe that’s why...
The professors all went pale.
“.......”
“.......”
Because what I’d just said—what I was calmly presenting in this small classroom—was terrifying in its clarity.
Everyone was realizing it at the same time.
“Professor Dante!”
That’s when someone raised a hand.
To my surprise, it was Wolfgang, hiding his face with the item 「Infi-Face│ㅅㅇ)」.
The same bastard who tried to kill me, now showing up without shame.
“I have a question about what you just said!”
He was trying to get closer to the truth.
“I’m not taking questions. Just listen.”
Suck it.
“Ggh.......”
He scowled like his pride had just been spat on.
But it wasn’t out of personal hatred for Wolfgang.
Even though I was pretending to be polite, I wasn’t going to hand over the conclusion they all wanted.
“I understand perfectly well what the professors are thinking right now.”
No one else can use [Illusion] at this moment. And yet, I can.
How?
“Only illusions that interfere directly with the world—unique systems that differ completely from conventional formulas—can remain unaffected by this ‘Pink Drug.’”
Do such independent illusions exist? Several professors’ 【Scripts】 lit up with the answer.
『Glass Butterfly.』
And there’s only one person on the continent capable of mastering and teaching it.
Gray Habanero.
I glanced sideways at the masked Wolfgang and spoke.
“Hiaka Academy will soon offer special lectures in Illusion Studies, to introduce this particular form of [Illusion] to scholars and citizens across the continent.”
From now on, the entire continental illusion magic supremacy shifts to Hiaka—to my lab.
Because Gray is under my lab’s banner.
“We look forward to your enthusiastic interest, illusionists of every nation.”
Much obliged.
***
After that, I contacted the Imperial Guard, Count Monseul, and a few others here and there to clean up the whole midday chase incident.
Surprisingly, it was something money could smooth over.
Meanwhile, right after the lecture, the professors were in complete shock.
Professor Dante had been right.
The principles behind [Illusion]—which had given birth to countless branches across the world—were fundamentally the same.
Forgery of the senses.
But there existed one single form of illusion that slightly seeped into the laws of reality—not merely forging perception, but forging the world itself.
Professors, in a panic, rushed home to dig through old manuscripts.
And sighed.
“It’s real. 『Glass Butterfly』 is an ability that forges the laws of the world itself......”
They scrambled to identify anyone within their own countries who had once learned 『Glass Butterfly』—but found no one.
Even those who had studied it in the past had scorned and dismissed it, and thus remembered almost nothing.
“No one knows it?!”
“Seems so.”
“God damn it...!”
Right then, an official notice arrived from Hiaka Academy.
An external special lecture on 『Glass Butterfly』 had opened.
And suddenly, flames erupted beneath the professors’ feet.
“We have to learn it immediately! We ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) need to get ahead of the others!”
“Hiaka has already seized supremacy. That’s done. But from this point forward, it’s critical. We must be first—only that way can we create even a slight gap with the other nations.”
The greatness and potential of illusion magic—no need to even say it.
And Kreutz? They had their own reasons to feel the urgency.
“We have to learn it while there’s still peace.”
If not?
“Once Dante, Gray, and the Hiaka Assassination Squad start using 『Glass Butterfly』 for assassinations, no one will be able to stop them.”
If that happened, it would be the end of Kreutz.
But then—
Things began to get ridiculous.
The issue?
The price.
“W-What?!”
Wolfgang, who had been on a call, jumped up in disbelief.
“Registration for the beginner course of the 『Glass Butterfly』 Illusion Special Lecture is 25 million Hika for three months? 25 million!?”
A woman who introduced herself as Dante’s TA responded in a flat, emotionless voice.
— That’s correct.
“Beginner course is 25 million, and you’re telling me there are intermediate and advanced courses on top of that?”
— There’s also an elite course and a practical course.
Wolfgang’s jaw practically hit the floor.
Wow.
These lunatics have actually lost their minds...
“Put Professor Dante on. Now!”
— The professor is currently unavailable.
“What?! Miss TA, think about this logically! Do you have any idea how insane this pricing is? Do you even know what 25 million Hika means?”
— ?
— I do.
“No, I’m not asking if you know! Are you seriously trying to cash in on wrecking an entire academic field?! You shameless—!”
A neutral, unfeeling voice replied.
— Is it too expensive?
“It is!”
— Then don’t take it.
“......!!”
The kind of voice that made you want to flip a table.
“I won’t take it! Hang up!”
SLAM!
Wolfgang slammed the receiver like he was trying to break it, fists trembling.
“They’ve lost their goddamn minds.”
25 million Hika.
It was more than Wolfgang’s annual salary.
Sure, compared to businessmen or lords, professors were paid poorly.
But he was still a top-tier senior professor. A [Challenger].
Even for someone like him, that amount made his jaw drop.
And that was just the “beginner” course.
“Screw it. Let’s all boycott it. These lunatics need to be humbled before they stop their damn power trip.”
But contrary to Wolfgang’s hopes, the next day, numerous top-class professors from across the continent were already registering for the beginner course.
“...Are there still seats available?”
By the time Wolfgang called back, dragging himself to do so with the emotional state of someone chewing wasabi, horseradish, and vinegar all at once, the TA answered:
— It’s now 30 million Hika.
“What the hell?! You said it was 25 million yesterday!”
— Due to higher-than-expected interest, and the limited availability of lecture slots, we’ve decided to raise the price slightly.
Wolfgang felt like his soul was leaving his body.
“What is this, the stock market?”
Is this fresh fish at a goddamn auction??
“...I’ll register......”
— Please transfer the funds.
“....”
Wolfgang sent the money while silently weeping inside.
But that wasn’t even the end of his despair.
“Professor!”
“What now!!”
A few days later, one of his assistant professors came running in, panicked, saying something strange had appeared in the 「Revelation↑」.
“What? Something strange?!”
“Please look at this!”
「 Revelation: Professor Dante Hiakapo, during his lecture at the Legorian Institute, revealed one of two critical flaws in his own thesis. However, due to time constraints, the final flaw was left undisclosed. 」
The implication was painfully simple.
There was one last piece of “Hiakapo’s Final Cleanup” remaining.
The moment he realized that—
Wolfgang bolted.
“Gah! P-Professor! Please calm down!”
“UWAAAAAAAH!!”
“P-Professor! Professor! Somebody stop him!”
“Y-You can’t, Professor Wolfgang!! Please stop!!”
Wolfgang shook off his assistants, shattered the window of his office, and jumped out.
Into a thunderstorm and pouring rain.
He fell to his knees on the bare ground, looked up at the lightning-filled sky, and screamed:
“Heavensssssssssssssssssssss──!!”
Grant me the death of Professor Danteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!