Scene #1 – The Professors
Scene #2 – Kaiser
Scene #3 – Eve ◀
Scene #4 – Dante Hiakapo
[Potential]
It’s a word loaded with meaning.
Those with high potential grow faster than others. Those with high potential can rise higher than others.
A value of [1.0] marks the potential of an average person.
[1.5]—above average.
[1.8]—impressive, even praised.
[2.0]—the kind of prodigy who appears once a year, if that.
[2.1]—regarded as the best among their peers.
[2.3]—a genius; the top tier even among professors.
[2.5]—one of only thirty on the entire continent deemed to have the greatest human potential.
Even in this world’s [Hell Difficulty], the hierarchy wasn’t all that different.
Professors typically sat somewhere between [1.9] and [2.2]. Hakon was likely a [2.1].
But in this world’s expanded logic, there was another category— potential tied to people involved in the death of the professor (that is, me).
Take Balmung from the Dorm of the Sleeping Dragon, for example:
Balmung Nibelung – [2.8]
Or...
The neutral head professor soon to betray Hiaka:
Batalion Argius – [2.5]
Clearly, the numbers were inflated across the board.
But fine—those two make sense. They’re central to the main story.
But then... what the hell is this?
Eve Lemontree – [3.0]
⋮
We were on the Starfall Mountain inside the [Glitch-Space].
My 19th meeting with Eve.
She hadn’t shown up during the day—no idea where she’d been. But when night fell, she appeared as usual, sitting atop the ancient mound and gazing up at the sky.
As I approached, Eve raised her hands and waved side to side. She’d started doing that during our last few meetings.
The motion was awkward. A typical wave involves one hand going side to side, doesn’t it?
But Eve? She didn’t even open her palms properly. She just kind of shook both hands stiffly, like she wasn’t sure how it worked.
Maybe she hadn’t been raised around people. Like a girl raised by wolves or something.
But when I looked into the surname “Lemontree,” I found it belonged to a nearby baron’s family.
Which meant she wasn’t always like this, holed up here.
Something to look into later.
My objective?
To turn Eve into my ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) tool.
To bend that [3.0] monstrous potential to my own use.
Meaning yes—my approach to her was far from pure.
In other words, exactly what you’d expect from a professor in this damned Assassination Department.
So far, I’d tried dozens of things to win her over—
「Scopes」, 「Bells」, 「Puppies」, 「Perfume」, 「Fish-shaped Pastries」, and more.
Some had meaningful results.
The 「Bell」 in particular? Massive success.
“What.”
“...?”
Even now—
When Eve saw me, she pulled a pinecone from somewhere and shook it back and forth.
“Nope.”
“......”
“Changed my mind. Don’t feel like giving it to you.”
“...?”
She tilted her head, then started waving the pinecone again.
Clearly not planning to hand it over.
Guess she was just in that kind of mood.
“Mind if I sit next to you?”
Eve stared blankly for a moment, then slowly turned her body—
As if to say, "Whatever."
That alone was major progress.
So for the first time, I sat beside her.
From atop the boulder, the sky stretched out above us like it was about to pour down.
Guess she always sat here, looking up at that view.
Didn’t spark any deep thoughts for me.
The sky was just... the sky.
“......”
But for her, it was something worth gazing at like that?
If I had to guess—
Stars.
Was Eve looking at the gods of this world?
“I’ll be off now. See you again.”
Before I left—
She shook the pinecone again.
“Still not giving it to you.”
“...?”
“You can shake it faster all you want—doesn’t change a thing. Anyway, take care.”
“......”
This time, Eve stopped tilting her head. Paused for a second. Then reached into her ragged cloak around the waist, rummaging for something.
And pulled something out.
A knife.
“...You want a bell? Big one? Or maybe a—"
I immediately changed the subject.
“...?”
Eve tilted her head again, set the knife down, then fumbled through her cloak again and pulled out something else.
Bright red. Round.
An apple.
To my shock, it was an actual, real apple.
Eve held it out to me with awkward care, glancing back and forth between me and the fruit.
“...What is this. Where’d you get an apple?”
“......”
Still couldn’t understand my words. But clearly, she wanted to give me something.
So, I took it.
“Thanks.”
“......”
It was the first time she’d ever given me something.
I’d never really thought of our dynamic as one-sided. But now that I reflected on it, this was the first time she’d offered me anything.
And it felt... unexpectedly good.
On the way back, I gave it a bite.
Crunch—!
Perfectly ripe.
And delicious.
Scene #4 – Dante Hiakapo ◀
On the way back, in the car, I threw myself into more training in [Illusion Magic].
< Mastery Level: 88.32% >
Thus, lately—life had been... peaceful. I’d gotten stronger. I’d survived. I was straddling the Black Abyss and White Saber factions quite convincingly. Even my relationship with Eve had progressed.
The mastery level of 『World Forgery』 was brushing up against 90%.
This was the reward for my efforts—and I couldn’t deny a generous helping of luck had come my way.
And maybe that’s why... I found myself more on edge than usual. No matter how I spun it, the looming threats refused to leave my mind.
The main storyline, waiting to explode at any time. Assassination attempts from the cadets, always a hair's breadth away. The Dorm of the Sleeping Dragon, growing more dangerous by the day.
And, more than anything else—
● Hornless Demon: Toxin
That bastard.
In front of the professor’s manor—
As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw them. Those eyes watching me from the top of the clocktower. A demon. An enemy of humanity.
Demon kills yielded large quantities of Starlight Shards. So I was simply waiting for the right stage to be set.
If that didn’t happen soon, I’d go to him myself. Kill him before he got the chance to attack humanity—or me.
I may look calm, but I am still a professor of assassination. I stared straight into his eyes, imagining, for a long time, how I’d kill him.
“...Professor? Aren’t you coming in?”
“I’m coming.”
When the time comes, I plan to snuff out that bastard’s life—somewhere silent. Remote.
Scene #Cookie – The Dorm of the Sleeping Dragon’s Cat ◀
It was during the Illusion Arts class, taught by Senior Professor Kollider.
“In illusion magic, the most important concept is ‘optimization.’ A single person can only simulate a limited number of illusions at once—consciously, within the bounds of their mind...”
Just then, a quiet mumble: “That’s not right...” Professor Kollider closed his eyes and pretended he hadn’t heard it.
“There are various types of optimization. Today’s topic is ‘Modeling Optimization.’”
『Dreamscape Embrace』
He touched a cactus and activated his ability. Crack!
A spark flickered—then a mirage-like shimmer rippled through the air, and a cactus appeared midair.
Identical in shape to the one on the desk.
Then again—“That’s weak...”
Kollider clenched his fist beneath the podium.
“It may look three-dimensional, but most of its space is made of flat surfaces,”
he explained, showing the cactus from the side.
And indeed—it was nearly flat. Like overlapping paper cut into a cross. But to the eye, it still looked 3D.
Delighted by the students’ surprise, Kollider continued:
“So even if the model isn’t truly three-dimensional, it’s more than enough to fool the human eye—”
Then came another jab: “Who’d fall for that crap...”
That did it.
“Silence! Gray!!”
He exploded.
Silence fell over the classroom.
All eyes turned toward a smirking student, revealing a sharp snaggletooth.
“......My bad♡”
Gray Habanero. Gray-haired girl cadet. A skin-tight, stretched-to-burst uniform. Tattoos all over. A look like some feral alley cat.
She was the Gray Habanero of the Dorm of the Sleeping Dragon.
“You! What the hell’s your problem?! Why insult your professor in the middle of class?!”
“Ah~ sorry, sorry~ didn’t think you’d actually hear me~”
“Didn’t think my ass! You think I’m a joke?!”
“Well~ the cactus was just so bad♡”
“WHAT?!”
“Even if you’re optimizing, it’s way too flat. Anyone with basic depth perception can see through it instantly~♡”
The cadets were horrified. Professor Kollider closed his eyes again. He could feel his blood pressure rising.
Of all the students—it had to be someone from the Dorm of the Sleeping Dragon.
Didn’t they say that place was full of assassin nobles and genius killers?
Gray, in particular, was famous for disrupting every class she attended.
“Get out of my class!”
So he decided to cut his losses.
“Out?”
“Out!!”
“For real?”
“Absolutely!”
“Okay~ but my attendance still counts, right?”
“Fuck your attendance! GET OUT!”
Grinning, Gray strutted toward the door.
Like a cat on a stroll.
Then—
With the tip of her finger, she swiped the cactus off the podium.
Clatter!
“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re—!!”
Professor Kollider rose, enraged.
But then noticed something.
The cactus was still there.
What had fallen—was an illusion.
A projection created by Gray. In that brief moment. At that range. Without anyone noticing.
And even—more refined than the professor’s own.
—What the fuck was that?!
His angry shout echoed through the now-closed door.
“Hm.”
At that moment, Elize—who’d also been in class—slipped out unnoticed.
She found Gray perched on the rooftop, staring off into the distance.
Elize sat beside her and asked:
“Gray.”
“Yeah?”
“Why’d you do that?”
“What, just now?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Because it was unbearable. You go to class to learn something, right? That guy was awful.”
“I thought he was fine.”
“Fine, my ass. You elitists are always like that—so rigid and stiff. Totally useless garbage.”
“Really?”
“[Illusion-type] assassins are rare. We’re supposed to have pride. If you’re gonna teach others, you need to think for yourself.”
“That’s... hard.”
Elize stared at Gray, grumbling to herself.
Her family—the Habanero Clan—was a famous illusionist lineage.
So Gray had a serious sense of pride when it came to illusion magic.
“And you? Why do you even take [Stealth Arts]? No professor hides better than you.”
“Hm... good point.”
“Stop agreeing so easily. Are you stupid?”
“Yeah.”
“...Yeah, you are...”
Gray clicked her tongue indifferently. Tsk tsk.
Her snaggletooth peeked out.
“Whatever... You’re just some mutt who kills like it’s a ball game. What do you know about the pride of illusionists? I’m going to bed.”
With that, Gray hopped off the building and walked away.
“Hm.”
Elize, left behind, stared blankly into space.
Come to think of it— Professor Dante’s class “Understanding Assassination and Abilities”...
Next week’s lesson was going to cover [Illusion Magic], wasn’t it?
“Hmm?”
If she had a tail, it would’ve been wagging.
Because Professor Dante was special.
So then... What kind of illusions would he teach?
Curious.
Elize had gotten curious.