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Scene #1 - Kaiser ◀
Scene #2 - Teaching Assistant
Scene #3 - How Did It Come to This
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The final exams ended.
The next day was the weekend. Even so, I wouldn’t be able to rest at the mansion for a while.
There were about 37,000 things I needed to do.
First, I shipped a package to Kreutz.
Next, I had to model my sub-character, “Chief Professor Cain.”
The concept was: a shocking genius. The younger, the better. And if I was going to make a sub-character, I intended to make him the complete opposite of myself.
Shorter in height. Rounder, cuter image.
As I mulled over references, Dino came to mind—the one I met [Offline]. The kind of kid you’d expect to be paraded around in twin tails by his mom or older sisters when he was younger.
I was immersed in creating the model when a guest arrived.
Knock knock.
At the sound of a knock, I minimized the modeling window and told them to enter.
It was an unexpected face.
“Been a while. Have you been well?”
A kind voice flowed from my lips.
Because it was Kaiser.
He walked in with a cane, limping, and bowed his head.
“...It’s been a while, Professor.”
“Come in. I’m glad you made it through the war.”
“...And I’m glad you’re safe as well, Professor.”
But his voice was odd. Normally it carried a calm, dark undertone—like a secret plot in human form. Now, it was much heavier than usual.
Come to think of it, his expression was extremely dark too.
“...I’m sorry for bothering you when you must be busy.”
“It’s fine. What brings you here?”
“...Is that, perhaps, your work, Professor?”
He asked as he glanced out the window—at the massive Christmas tree floating in the sky.
“That’s an Assassination Department classified secret.”
“...Ah, I apologize. I shouldn’t have—”
“Keep it to yourself.”
“.......”
Kaiser’s eyes widened.
Then, his gaze began to tremble.
“...So it really was you, Professor.”
As he spoke, even his hands started to shake.
Wondering what was going on with him, I checked the 【Script】—but nothing popped up.
After calming down, Kaiser and I made small talk, and eventually, he got to the main point.
“...There’s something I wanted to ask.”
“What is it?”
“...What is your righteousness, Professor?”
My righteousness?
Before answering, I looked into Kaiser’s eyes. He flinched away from my gaze for a moment, then looked back up.
My righteousness, huh...
It seemed to be about that conversation from before. When I said assassination was the practice of righteousness—back when I discussed the concept.
“Why are you asking?”
“.......”
Kaiser shut his mouth.
A sunken expression.
It felt like there was something he couldn’t say.
It was a bit of a random question, but I decided to think about it seriously. What do I consider righteousness in my life?
Q. Why do I strive to become stronger, make money, build [Relationships], and work hard as a professor?
A. Because I have to become an important person in this world.
Q. And why do I need to become important?
A. Only then can humanity have a greater chance of victory in the war against the demons.
‘That’s the endgame that appears somewhere between Chapters 7 to 13 of the main story.’
Chapter 2 would begin soon.
I was convinced after the Jinksythe battle. My role—me—was critical to this world. I couldn’t be replaced by anyone.
Therefore, I must become great. I must grow powerful and obtain more authority.
Of course, I couldn’t just say this out loud. But I didn’t want to give a serious answer either. Nor did I feel like lying.
After some thought, I playfully began.
“My righteousness is... to become the ruler of humanity.”
Kaiser blinked and repeated it.
“The ruler of humanity, you say?”
“Yeah. I want to rule humanity—literally. To govern every filthy leader of every nation and every person in the world just as I please—that is my righteousness.”
What kind of bullshit is this?
Kaiser seemed to take it as such too.
He hesitated, then answered:
“...That’s quite... a grand goal, isn’t it? Even for you, Professor...”
“It won’t be easy. But righteousness is about direction. Whether I reach the end or not doesn’t matter. What matters is where I’m heading.”
I hoped he would laugh.
But for some reason, Kaiser didn’t even crack a smile—he murmured seriously:
“I see... So that’s your righteousness, Professor...”
Still nothing popped up in the 【Script】. This could very well be some trick of the ⧉System.
“...I’m sure you’ll achieve it, Professor.”
I thought about telling him it was a joke even now—but it would damage my dignity, so I let it go.
Then, as his murmuring continued... something started to feel off.
“...To rule humanity... If it’s you, Professor, you can do it. A feat no one else can achieve... not even that arrogant emperor of the empire could. But if it’s you, Professor, then even the lowly masses, one day, you will...”
Wait. This is weird.
Why is he going on and on?
“You will become a god...”
“What?”
“Hahahahahaha......”
Ah—now I get it. He’s joking back.
Makes sense. Who the hell would believe in something like world domination?
“You’re saying some wild things. Anyway, does that answer your question?”
“...Yes. I’ve long struggled with how I should live... But your words have struck a deep chord in me. You must be busy... Thank you so much...”
Kaiser finished his thanks, limped away, and left. For a moment, his words felt... strange.
“Thank you so much”...?
Then the next morning, Elize brought me astonishing news.
“...Kaiser dropped out?”
Elize nodded.
“Yup. He said to pass it along.”
“...Why?”
“I dunno. I’m sad.”
Elize looked like she was about to cry.
Then she handed me a bracelet.
A pink bracelet with a skull on it.
“What is this?”
“A present...”
Did Elize make this out of her hair?
Well, I took it for now.
Still... Kaiser dropped out?
“.......”
Could it have been because of our conversation yesterday?
But then again, it made no sense.
After all, I got these messages from him this morning:
Kaiser: Thank you, Professor. Thanks to you, I found my righteousness. Kaiser: I’ll always respect you. Kaiser: I’ll come find you again someday, after I’ve succeeded.What the hell?
Why’d he drop out all of a sudden?
And what even was his righteousness?
Maybe... he lost his will to assassinate after the Kreutz attack.
It would make sense. There were a lot of deaths.
‘Wait—then what about the Dormant Dragon Cadets?’
Huh?
Now that I think about it, something’s weird.
He and I had no [Relationship] value. Even though he was a Dormant Dragon Cadet.
That was really odd. Everyone else I’d interacted with had some sort of Relationship level.
But not Kaiser.
We’d had a pretty intense encounter since our first meeting, and surely we’d built some rapport. So how the hell was it that our Relationship never went up even once?
So I opened <System Settings> and checked [Development] → [Relationships] → [Target List], and sure enough, it said:
[Class of Year 501 Dormant Dragon Cadets: 7 Members]
Which meant yes—Elize, Balmung, etc.—it referred to that group.
‘Kaiser dropped out. But the system still lists 7 names in blue-highlighted active status...?’
A strange theory surfaced in my mind.
In short, this:
Kaiser was never a Dormant Dragon Cadet in the first place.
That’s why his potential rating was [0.5].
And yet, the Dormant Dragon count still says 7—
That means there’s still one person I don’t know about.
‘...Who is it?’
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t figure it out.
So I just stored the idea away in my heart—
That there might still be a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ seventh member of the Dormant Dragon Cadets.
***
That afternoon, there was a summons from Shaman, the Head of the Department of Assassination.
When I arrived at the Dean’s Office, Ezekiel, the Head of the Department of Magic, was also there.
Shaman’s plump face wore a warm smile under his thick jawline, and Ezekiel’s noble, refined face was also smiling.
I knew immediately.
It had gone well.
Now illusionists from all over the kingdom would take part in this event. The Christmas tree might even become a national heritage...
“The royal capital has decided to cooperate with the Imperial Academy of Hatengraju.”
...What?
“The empire, you say?”
“That’s right. His Majesty decided to accept our proposal on an even larger scale. Your illusion will be maintained for the next 70 days, and starting today, District 9 is being converted into a temporary tourist zone.”
A tourist zone?
That was an unexpected development.
A tourist attraction?
Well... I suppose it made sense.
Humans have always worshipped massive structures—look at the pyramids, for example.
The largest, the Pyramid of Giza, stands around 150 meters tall, as far as I know.
But the Christmas tree I created stands at 20,000 meters.
Even now, when I turn my head, the sheer otherworldly scale of the floating tree instills a sense of awe in even its creator.
“Tourism sounds reasonable.”
“Doesn’t it? His Majesty himself is going to visit.”
Even just that was pleasant news.
But then Shaman brought up something even more delightful.
“Fifty percent of the pure profits generated by the 70-day tourism operation—will go to you personally. Is that acceptable?”
I shut my mouth for a moment.
Because the offer was so shockingly generous.
Half of the pure profits.
From a national-level tourism venture.
That would be... money on an incomprehensible scale. Tens of millions at the least, potentially crossing into hundreds of millions of Hika.
Then again, it made sense. I was the one who invested 10 million Hika into the final exam. I was the one who made the exam questions.
‘It’d be a lie to say I didn’t hesitate.’
And yet I pushed ahead because national morale becomes a critical factor in Chapter 2 of the main storyline—“Betting Table.”
This whole situation was amusing. Like, if my house had caught fire and I set up a Christmas tree to comfort my family... and now the whole town was lining up and paying money to come see it.
They had done that.
‘Hiaka...’
...God, I love this place.
I think I just grew a sense of patriotism I never had before.
“And one more thing,” Shaman added. “There’s a proposal from the royal family—addressed to Professor Cain.”
“Ah, yes.”
“There’ll be a peace conference with the Empire once the event ends. You’re to attend on behalf of Hiaka.”
I shut my mouth for a moment.
Then asked:
“...Is this His Majesty’s decision?”
“Oh? How did you guess?”
“......”
King Hiaka III.
He is a living myth.
He defended the kingdom through two Assassination Wars, led Hiaka from the ruins to national revival, succeeded in countless state projects and negotiations once deemed impossible, and has since become a legendary figure.
‘And he’s got a great sense of humor.’
The reason he wants me at a peace conference? Simple: to piss off the King of Kreutz.
And who am I?
The guy who used to teabag dead enemies after matches. The King’s tastes and mine... aligned strangely well.
“I’ll consider it scheduled.”
I’m confident I can handle it. Honestly.
***
But then, a few days later. Shocking news arrived.
Truly, something I hadn’t even imagined.
“Professoooor...!”
It happened while I was eating a peaceful breakfast. Adele, who hadn’t shown up at all that morning, came flailing into the room and blurted out:
“What’s the commotion?”
“Professor, professor! This is seriously, seriously big news...!”
Big news?
I thought, what, another new bakery opened or something? Adele making a fuss wasn’t new.
But this wasn’t that.
“Kaiser’s become the boss of Black Abyss...!!”
“...What?”
I furrowed my brow.
Kaiser? The boss of Black Abyss?
What the hell is this nonsense...
“Explain it clearly.”
“Professor, do you know the Black Abyss organization down in the Lewiyan region? ‘The Reaper Society’?”
“I know it.”
A cult that worships the “Star of Death Ω”—which symbolizes death, descent, stagnation, and the end of cycles.
A massive Black Abyss group overseeing southern Lewiyan.
“Kaiser’s been appointed as the new boss of that Reaper Society...!!”
Absurd. Did he drop out just for that? But it’s only been a few days since he left...
While I was still processing the absurdity, Adele dropped an even bigger bomb.
“And...! This is the crazy part. After taking over the organization, Kaiser renamed it.”
“To what.”
“To ‘The Dominion Society.’ He even removed the symbol of the Star of Death (Ω)! Then he suddenly issued a manifesto, saying The Dominion Society will one day rule humanity...”
Oh, fuck me.
That’s when I realized he had completely misunderstood my ‘joke.’
The guy who said he didn’t know what direction his life should take had now apparently embraced my sarcasm and set world domination as his life goal.
“Isn’t it weird? He says they now worship the ‘Star of Dominion ❆’—but that star doesn’t even exist among the 33 known ones...!”
Exactly. The star that symbolizes dominance and order is already established—it’s the “Star of Transcendence ✯.”
I don’t even know anymore... Is the new symbol a snowflake or something?
In my dumbfounded state, I tried to send him a message through the Crystal Orb—but his contact data didn’t appear. Looks like he smashed his orb.
‘The guy was normal just days ago... and now he’s completely lost it.’
Damn it.