“Interesting.”
After a brief conversation, Kaiser gave a smile laced with implication.
Then he began asking questions—how large the operation was, who was behind it, whether they could build a long-term relationship. And if so, could he meet their leader?
“We don’t have a specific leader guiding our group.”
“Is that so.”
That was a lie.
And Kaiser, realizing this, began to grow increasingly cold.
‘A dozen assassins. One elite-grade. Traps. Bombs. A major curse......’
The scale was far greater than expected.
And the attempt on Dante’s life was far more lethal than he’d imagined.
Just the other day, when Kaiser read that Assassination Daily article, he knew immediately it was one of their usual fabrications.
But even so, the moment he pictured Dante losing his speech function, a jolt of fear hit his heart. That feeling hadn’t gone away.
Maybe that’s why—
Kaiser now wanted to kill the masked man.
From his point of view, even if the assassins couldn’t touch Dante directly, they could still affect those around him.
And if anything happened to Dormant Dragon Scholars?
His blood boiled at the very thought.
“...Did we say something wrong, perhaps...?”
The masked man asked nervously, sensing the chilling atmosphere.
Kaiser flashed his usual dangerous smile.
“...Not at all. You’ve made a generous offer. We’ll prepare a generous answer.”
Kaiser calmed himself.
He’d just need to cut this off at the source.
He’d send Elize and have her wipe them all out. Simple enough.
...Or so he thought, until he returned to Dormant Dragon Hall.
“I don’t want to.”
Suddenly, Elize rejected the assassination.
“...Can I ask why?”
“They said it’d be a fun game, so why would I kill him?”
“...It’s going to fail.”
“Mm. Obviously, right? Still fun though.”
“...It’s not exactly what I’d call a fun game.”
“Hmm? Nah, it is.”
Then Elize pressed both hands to her chest.
“Just thinking about it makes my heart flutter.”
She was thrilled at the idea of such a fun game.
“...Is that so.”
Kaiser was too mentally exhausted to reply.
Of course! Elize might’ve warmed up to Professor Dante, but she was still a maniac who treated assassination like a playground game.
‘Aaaah—’
Kaiser’s carefully maintained inner persona began to crack.
‘...I’m screwed...!!’
The damned incompetent shadow-master! That was his true self, wasn’t it?
If Elize didn’t act the way he wanted, then there was nothing he could do...!
Assassination?
Bullshit!
He’d never swung a sword, didn’t know stealth, couldn’t even run properly.
What the hell could he do!?
‘Aaaaaaaargh!’
He had to admit it to himself—he was a rat. No, lower than a rat. A bug. A microbe. A speck of dust. An atom.
His whole body trembled with crushing helplessness.
Was he supposed to just sit back and watch these outside bastards target Professor Dante!?
‘Nooo!! I’ll protect Professor Dante no matter wha—!!’
He tried all sorts of methods to convince Elize. Failed.
In the end, he just called the whole meeting off.
“Then we’ll consider the offer rejected.”
“Why?”
“We had no choice. It was a deeply problematic proposal—assassinating the Emperor and all.”
“Really? Too bad.”
“I’ll prepare something even more fun. For now, come with me.”
“Mm...”
Elize, pouting, was locked away in her room.
And that was it.
That... was all he could do.
‘Haaah... Why am I so hopelessly useless...’
Just as that wave of despair exploded inside him like a bomb—
—an unexpected hand reached out to him.
Gray Habanero.
“Hey. Kaiser.”
Gray was perched on the window frame, calling his name.
“What is it.”
“You’ve got the sharpest eyes out of all of us, right?”
“......”
It wasn’t even true. But for some reason, everyone believed it.
“...Yes.”
“Right? You limp and you’re weaker than me, but your eyes are the sharpest. You’ve got the best judgment. That’s why we all rely on your decisions, yeah?”
“...I only try not to betray the trust you’ve shown me.”
“Right, right~ Then how about a little chat?”
Kaiser was dragged off, limping ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) awkwardly under Gray’s hand.
Once they were settled on the living room couch, she asked:
“Between me and Professor Dante─”
With a deadly serious expression—
“......Who’s better at [Illusion]?”
What kind of question was that?
Kaiser narrowed his eyes.
Lately, something had been off with Gray.
She was always bubbly, always had a smile—but recently, she’d been deeply serious.
Gray was a complicated person.
But put simply, she was someone who lived off the pride and superiority she felt from her [Illusion] skills.
So if she was bringing up Dante—
‘...Inferiority complex?’
Feeling inferior to a professor?
Then again, most professors couldn’t match Gray’s level.
So this wasn’t just person-to-person comparison.
It was assassin versus assassin—both in the [Illusion] class.
‘Ah!’
A jolt of lightning shot through Kaiser’s brain.
A few scattered fragments suddenly clicked into place!
‘If I play this right...’
After working out a few calculations, Kaiser gave his answer.
“Professor Dante.”
Gray frowned.
“...Seriously? Better than me?”
“Yes.”
“No, come on. Be honest. Sure, he might beat me in a few areas. But overall? Overall illusion mastery?”
“Professor Dante.”
Gray’s snaggletooth poked out.
“No, no, don’t just throw out answers like that! What’s wrong with you today? You usually take my side objectively.”
“......”
“Kaiser. I’ll give you one last chance to answer. Carefully. Objectively. Who’s better at [Illusion]? Is it me, Gray? ......Hmm?”
She cupped her hands under her chin like a flower.
“Professor Dante.”
“HEY!”
“......”
Gray blew up.
“Are you kidding me? What do you know? I’m never accepting that! Elize I get—she’s an idiot. But you too? Did you go blind!?”
Kaiser straightened his posture, tone level.
“...Even if you throw a tantrum, my answer doesn’t change. And I have my reasons.”
“What reason!?”
“When a tiger nears death, it’s weaker than a young mouse. Meaning superiority includes a time factor. I received Elize’s report on the illusion Professor Dante cast on the intruders. He forged a massive space completely. Can you?”
“I can do something like that too! I even came to his class to check it out. And yeah—fine. He’s good. Clean. Precise. I’ll give him that. But I’m also that good!”
“That’s not the point. An assassin must prove themselves through assassination. And lately, you haven’t proven anything.”
“Wha—you little—”
Gray narrowed her eyes.
“Then what do you want me to do? Kill someone? Kill Professor Dante in an illusion duel? Would that convince you? Prove that I’m better?”
Perfect. She was almost there.
“...There’s a very powerful opponent. Want to try taking them on?”
***
Night had fallen.
The masked man removed his mask.
He wasn’t a demon.
He was a human—and a faculty member at Hiaka Academy, merely a servant to a demon.
There were humans like that everywhere. Those who, having hit rock bottom in life, accepted sweet offers from demons and found a “new purpose.”
He was one of them.
“Haha...”
Now, the faculty officer was trembling with delight.
He had just pulled off a deal that even he couldn’t believe.
“I made a deal... with Dormant Dragon Scholars. With the Class of Imperial Year 501, hailed as the greatest in history...”
Every professor, cadet, and even his own “Master” acknowledged this year’s Dormant Dragon Scholars as the strongest cohort to ever exist.
It had made him nervous.
“...But in the end, they’re just dumb kids.”
Meeting them in person, they were absurdly easy to manipulate.
He hadn’t even needed to flash the money he prepared.
‘It’s all just hype. Dormant Dragon, Professor Dante—they’re nothing once you see the real thing.’
Soon, Professor Dante would be assassinated.
From there, Hiaka would slowly fall into his Master’s hands.
And he—he would be cherished.
He imagined this rose-colored future as he walked toward the “Sealed Zone” in Area Zero.
“...Hm? What’s that sweet smell?”
Suddenly, the air turned fragrant. He couldn’t quite place the scent—something like fine liquor, or incense.
Whatever it was, it made him lightheaded in the most pleasant way.
He couldn’t stop inhaling it. In fact, he wanted to inhale more.
“Woooow...”
His steps grew unsteady, his mind at ease, his body drawn along by the aroma.
It felt like a harem awaited him somewhere just ahead.
And then—
Suddenly the world began to look beautiful.
It was pitch black. The rings of Earth stretched out along a dark sky. But now the landscape seemed breathtaking.
“Mmm... this is so nice...”
A butterfly appeared, fluttering past him, glowing in iridescent colors.
“Where you going?”
It fluttered up and down, gently leading him forward.
“Let me come too...”
He felt like a child again. Like running barefoot downhill under the warm sun, watching other kids hop and laugh—his feet felt lighter just chasing the butterfly.
And at the end of that trail—stood a chapel.
A forgotten structure, once used long ago to train “Holy Assassins.” Now abandoned, its underground sanctum had become the lair of his Master.
It was home.
—Kya-ha-ha.
—Heehee.
There were sounds of laughter. Warm, hazy, drunk with pleasure. Women’s voices, floating through the air.
Had his Master prepared a festival just for him?
BANG!
The faculty officer flung open the chapel doors, smiling brightly.
Up above, on the high ceiling, he saw familiar faces—colleagues waving at him, beckoning him to come join them.
—Come, child. Join us.
At the same time, his “Master” lowered a hand to bestow a necklace upon him.
He had to wear it. It was irresistible.
Today’s champion... was him.
He’d done it.
—Take it.
Yes, Master.
The faculty officer accepted the necklace and placed it around his neck.
And in that exact moment—
The world shattered.
—
The interior of the chapel was engulfed in flames.
The fire consumed the dust-covered banners. The wooden walls. The pillars. The pews. The floors.
But far more shocking was the ceiling.
Half a dozen people were hanging in midair—suspended by thin threads, nooses around their necks.
“Guh... ghk...”
“Urgh...”
It looked like a mass execution.
And the moment the faculty officer recognized the victims—his legs gave out beneath him.
They were the [Platinum]-rank assassins he’d prepared in advance.
Their bodies, caught in the updraft, swung gently like pendulums. They weren’t even dead yet. Their legs twitched in agony.
“......”
Through the choking smoke, he saw the body of his “Master.”
Sliced to pieces.
Black wings. A black torso. Torn apart and thrown in the center of the chapel.
It didn’t feel real. His thoughts went blank.
Where were the butterflies? The glowing lights? The comrades in the sky? The women? Where had it all gone?
In the middle of this sensory violation—
A girl, seated in the high priest’s throne, spoke.
“Well?”
Only then did the faculty officer see her clearly.
It was a face he knew all too well.
Ash-gray hair. A cadet.
Gray Habanero.
A member of the Dormant Dragon Scholars.
Which meant—“Gah!”—before he could speak, his feet were suddenly lifted off the ground. The floor dropped away. His lungs collapsed.
The thread he thought was a necklace—wrapped lovingly around his neck—was now pulling him into the air.
“G-Guh... khhh...”
Blood stopped flowing to his brain. His fingers clawed at his own neck, scratching and tearing at the line, eyes rolling back as the world darkened.
And then Gray asked again:
“Do you get it now, Kaiser?”
The cadet with the cane stepped into the room, limp and calm.
Kaiser looked over the bodies.
A deep sense of satisfaction welled up within him.
The feeling of once again standing alongside Professor Dante’s will.
And more importantly—
That thing lying on the floor.
That grotesque thing.
That thing in a human mask was an “external monster.”
Brutal. Alien. A threat to every assassin in both Black Abyss and White Saber alike.
“We’ll head out now.”
“What a freakin’ mess.”
Two cadets turned from the corner—Kendreik and Balmung.
Gray had called them in just in case she got overwhelmed.
And they’d answered.
If the three hadn’t fought together, one of them might have died.
The enemy had been that strong.
‘...What was that thing?’
He couldn’t even tell.
Was that what Dante had fought against...? Something not even remotely human?
“Kaiser~”
“......”
“Why are you quiet? Aren’t you gonna answer me?”
Kaiser turned toward Gray.
Everything the faculty officer had seen until now...
All of it had been [Illusion].
Gray had used it to slaughter assassins and intruders alike.
So yes, she had earned the right to ask the question.
“Who’s better at [Illusion]?”
Kaiser considered.
The goal had been achieved.
Now it was time to give an answer.
But unfortunately... his honest answer would betray Gray’s expectations.
Who is better at [Illusion]?
‘...In my eyes, Professor Dante’s mastery is still far superior.’
But Kaiser thought carefully.
If he said Dante was better here—Gray might once again feel the need to prove herself.
She might challenge Dante directly. Try to kill him.
And that—must never happen.
“I can’t deny it any longer, Gray.”
“Hm?”
“Your [Illusion] surpasses Professor Dante’s.”
Kaiser didn’t want to lose a precious comrade.
“Surpasses...? Hmph. Of course it does...”
Gray turned her head away like it didn’t matter.
But her snaggletooth was on the verge of bursting from her grin.
“...Told ya.”
***
<『World Forgery』 Proficiency: 89.00% (▲0.01%)>
The peak of [Illusion] mastery was close.
A level 9 illusion technique—at 89% proficiency...
From here, growth would be painfully slow. This was the bottleneck before a breakthrough.
But once I hit 90%?
My [Illusion] would leap forward by an entire dimension—
Like going from walking to flying.
At that point, I wouldn’t just be forging physical space.
I’d be able to forge the unforgeable .
At least within the [Illusion] school—one of the 12 major paranormal types—I would rise to stand shoulder to shoulder with the greatest in this world.
‘A new realm—beyond shape, beyond phenomena, beyond space... I wonder just how far I’ll go.’
Time would tell.