The location: the department office. I was reviewing various documents, preparing pop quiz questions, when—
“Professor Saka, what happened to your arm?”
Several professors took notice of a middle-aged senior professor whose arm was wrapped in thick bandages.
“What do you think happened? Got hit with an assassination attempt a few days ago.”
“Stab wound?”
“Burn. Third-degree.”
“Damn. What bad luck.”
“Yeah... Professor Saka can’t use elemental defense magic, right?”
The middle-aged Black Abyss professor let out a long sigh.
“My arm’s burning up. This is why I wanted to skip the section on localized fire spells...”
“You can’t exactly not teach it. You're a magic assassination specialist.”
“Ugh, the pain I can deal with. It’s just... facing the students like this, it’s embarrassing.”
“Then you’d better lay low for a bit. If someone tries to assassinate you again while you’re like this, it could be dangerous...”
Still, if the professor ended up like that, the student must have gotten wrecked.
I was known as the professor who never counterattacked.
Truth is—I just can’t.
The others? They hit back.
Thus, “professor assassination” is both a form of lesson review and pre-lesson prep. The nature of the attempts often reflects the content of the class.
So I was feeling uneasy.
So far, in my “Understanding Assassination and Abilities” class, I’d only covered the History of Abilities.
Aside from my first day, there hadn’t been many attempts.
But starting today, I was finally moving into the actual “12 Ability Types” segment.
First up: [Illusion Arts].
‘...Strangely quiet yesterday and today, though.’
There should have been a “preview assassination.” Maybe it’s thanks to killing Hakon? (Not that I killed him... but still.)
If so, great.
In the meantime, I returned to my office to do some practice—both training and to prepare illusions for class.
< 『World Forgery』 Mastery: 88.35% (▲0.03%) >
That’s when Adele walked in.
“Professor~ Ready for lunch?”
“Sure.”
“But, um... Professor, are you free after class today?”
“Why?”
“Well... there’s something I wanted to talk to you about...”
I turned to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed as she gazed at me. Hands clasped behind her back, chest pushed forward slightly—strangely suggestive.
Could’ve been because one strap of the bustier she wore over her T-shirt was slipping off her shoulder.
“What is it? We can talk here.”
“It’s ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) embarrassing...”
“What’s embarrassing?”
“Mmm... You know what I mean. Don’t pretend~”
Adele stepped closer with a curious expression. Her eyes seemed to imply something.
So I stood to face her properly. She was slightly tall, but I was taller. Her eyes tilted up to meet mine, just under my chin.
“I’ve liked you for a long time, Professor.”
“That’s... sudden.”
“...Is there a student planning to play with fire?”
She stepped closer.
Right up to my face.
And, eyes unfocused, asked—
“...Will you hold me?”
I said nothing.
A sudden development?
Of course it was.
And obviously fake.
This woman didn’t like me. She wasn’t hoping for a hug. In fact—she wasn’t even Adele.
【 Assassination Dept. – 1st Year, Luine: “Just one step closer.” 】
Luine. A student in my class.
I let out a sigh in my mind.
So... the professor assassinations begin again.
【 Assassination Dept. – 1st Year, Luine: “Just a single step... and I can reach him with the knife...” 】
She’d used a type of illusion—[Body Morph]. Basically, a transformation spell.
She’d only altered her face to resemble Adele’s.
Luine’s body was similar in height and build. The voice she must’ve mimicked. And her outfit today? A plain white tee and black bustier—very common. Easy to copy.
【 Assassination Dept. – 1st Year, Luine: “Damn... he’s so freaking good-looking up close... I don’t think I can stab him with both eyes open...” 】
【 Assassination Dept. – 1st Year, Luine: “Maybe... just a quick kiss if I don’t get caught...?” 】
Have you lost your damn mind?
【 Assassination Dept. – 1st Year, Luine: “No... focus. Just stab and run...” 】
That’s when I realized what she had behind her back.
A knife. Held in the hands clasped sweetly behind her waist. And her face? Blushing. Like some lovestruck idiot.
“......”
Either way, good thing I caught on in advance.
Still, the situation was dangerous.
An assassination attempt was a threat on its own— but if I botched my response, rumors could ruin me.
I considered my options, then spoke:
“Adele.”
“...Yes, Professor?”
“Would you close your eyes for me?”
“...Oh my...”
Luine closed her eyes.
『World Forgery: Shape Forgery [Luine]』
I conjured an illusion of her, set it in front of her, and placed two fingers on its lips. Then inserted a sheet of paper in its mouth, reading:
[You’ve been penalized 0.5 points for attempting assassination outside of class. Please meet Adele to submit your disciplinary report.]
I quietly stepped out of the lab.
In the hallway—I ran into the real Adele.
“Professor! Headed somewhere? Not eating?”
“I’ll skip lunch. Going for a walk.”
“Oh! Can I come with you?”
“No.”
“Aw, why not~?”
Because you’re not Adele either.
【 Assassination Dept. – 1st Year, Luidin: “Looks like my sister failed... but now he’s let his guard down.” 】
This time—her twin brother. Also a first-year.
He’d even used [Voice Alteration], but failed to alter his body.
The face was Adele’s—but the broad shoulders were a dead giveaway.
“...Can I hold your hand during the walk?”
Are you insane?
“Sure. But first, close your eyes.”
“Oh my...”
Same method as before.
『World Forgery: Shape Forgery [Luine]』
I put his twin sister’s illusionary hand in his palm, And in the other hand, a Post-it reminding him to submit the failed assassination report.
Then I fled the department building.
And ran into Adele.
“Oh? Professor! There you are. They’re serving steak at the faculty dining hall today—can I join you?”
F*ck.
Another one?
By now I was getting PTSD.
But I checked the [●Name Tag] and—thankfully—she was real.
“What? Ahahahahaha!”
I told her what just happened. Adele burst out laughing.
“Hehe... But Professor, you’re really slow on the uptake.”
“What do you mean?”
“You still think I’m the real Adele?”
“You are the real one.”
“Nope. Watch this, Professor... Nnnnnngh... Mmmwah...♥”
Adele might give off the air of a nobleman's daughter, but if I had to guess—she had zero experience with romance. Her lips, awkwardly puckered, made that abundantly clear.
“...I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.”
“Ahahaha~ That’s so mean, acting like I’m repulsive!”
In any case, the Luine twins’ assassination attempts were just “preview attacks.” I was well aware that I’d be heading into a classroom soon where assassination would be legal, and that “review attempts” would come after the lecture.
“Still, aren’t you eating lunch?”
No.
I plan to starve to death.
***
“Who do you think is the strongest among the new professors?”
Students love ranking things. And ranking professors?
That’s always a juicy conversation.
Who's the strongest?
Who has the most impressive skills?
Who has the most legendary accomplishments?
Lock three cadets in a room and give them that topic, they’d argue over it for three days and nights.
But recently, the debate over “which new professor is the strongest” had gotten stale. Because the answer was always the same.
“Obviously Professor Dante. He beat Professor Hakon—ranked 7,100—without a scratch.”
“Isn’t Professor Eugene from the Curse Division at least close?”
“Come on. Not even close.”
“Seriously. Are you even trying?”
“Honestly, I think Professor Dante could beat most of the senior professors too.”
A few key events had left an impact. Dodging that insane first-day assassination. Catching the proxy killer. Hakon’s death.
Each one cemented Professor Dante’s image in their minds.
“Professor Dante this, Professor Dante that... get real.”
But not every student looked pleased when overhearing that conversation.
The Luine twins, and others who had recently failed to assassinate Dante, looked downright bitter.
“Why the hell is everyone so obsessed with him?”
Sure—he was strong. That much was clear.
He felt untouchable in real life too.
But setting aside strength, there were definite complaints from a student’s point of view.
“Ahem...”
The grumbling started small. No one likes failing an assassination attempt.
Luine frowned and muttered as she passed by:
“...But honestly, Professor Dante? His teaching sucks.”
And that’s how the bad-mouthing began.
“Huh?”
“Really?”
The other students, surprised, tilted their heads.
Was that true?
They hadn’t really thought about it before.
“I dunno, I think his lectures are fine.”
“Yeah, he has a nice voice. Plus, he barely gives homework.”
Luine scowled.
“Be real. The class is Understanding Assassination and Abilities, right? You’d expect to see some actual abilities, but the guy just reads straight from the textbook every damn time.”
The others blinked.
Now that she mentioned it...
“Well... Luine, the unit was ‘History of Abilities.’ What’s he supposed to do, juggle fireballs during that?”
“Okay, fair. But even taking that into account, the lectures were boring as hell.”
Luine crossed her arms.
“Think about Professor Vyper’s Toxin & Trap Mastery or Professor Parthenon’s Magical Assassination classes. Even when they’re just lecturing, it’s fun. You actually learn stuff.”
“Hm... Yeah, those two are good, no doubt. Still—starting this week, we’re moving into the actual abilities, right?”
Even the students who had been defending Dante began to hesitate. Because really—
Being strong, being a brilliant researcher, and being a good teacher...
They weren’t the same thing.
If you separated those factors, Professor Dante’s rating might drop quite a bit.
“Huh... Maybe he’s not actually that great at teaching...”
Doubts about Professor Dante began to stir.
But the boring unit had ended yesterday.
Starting today—
They’d be covering something far more exciting.
“Guess we’ll see how good he really is today.”
With that thought, the students waited for the professor to arrive.
Creak—
A man entered the classroom.
Concrete.
Metal.
Winter.
Ash.
A rainy day...
That’s what came to the students’ minds as they looked at him.
Even his arrival was clinical—exactly on time, down to the second.
“Adele. Take attendance.”
“Yes, Professor~”
While Adele did roll call, Luine and her friends scrutinized Dante’s face. Then, one student raised their hand.
“Professor? It’s Harim. Can I ask something?”
“Speak.”
“Today’s class marks the start of a new unit in Understanding Assassination and Abilities, correct?”
“It does. The ‘History of Abilities’ section ended yesterday.”
The students exchanged glances.
So it was true—
Today was the first class where they’d truly see what Dante’s teaching style was like.
Luine snorted and crossed her arms.
Let’s see how amazing he really is.
And as all eyes turned toward him—
“Quiet.”
Professor Dante silenced the room.