WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 17: Bones! (4)

The rumor that Elize and Marina's crew had a brutal, bloody fight spread like wildfire among the cadets.

“Oh, for real?”

The cadets were always interested in seeing how well Moon Shadow cadets would fare against Black Dragon cadets, especially since the latter were revered as generational prodigies.

“So, who won?”

“I heard Elize’s leg got busted and that her nose was bleeding like crazy.”

“Ah, I guess even a prodigy can’t handle being outnumbered three to one.”

“Actually, I heard Marina and the others got their limbs sliced off... My friend is a medic and said he saw them getting stitched up in the infirmary.”

“That’s insane.”

“They outnumbered her and used their totems, yet still lost? Damn, no wonder she’s a prodigy. She’s built differently…”

But at some point, a new question began to float around. 

“Then how did Marina survive?”

There were plenty of rumors and details about the fight itself, but no one truly knew what had happened afterward. As everyone began to speculate about how the fight had concluded, one cadet spoke up.

“I heard the new professor stepped in and stopped them.”

“Who?”

“What was his name again? D… D-something… Dan… Oh, Dante! Professor Dante!”

“Who’s that again?”

“You know, the guy who ditched his first class on his very first day.”

“Oh, that guy! Wait, it was that weirdo?”

* * *

Smack!

Marina’s head whipped to the side, a bright red handprint throbbing on her cheek. 

Senior Professor Viper of the Black Path stood before the cadet and shouted, “Are you out of your damn mind?”

Marina kept her head lowered, lips sealed. 

She was being chewed out by the professors of the Black Path, one after another. The reason was simple: once a clash with the White Path ignited, it could easily turn into hell on earth.

And while the odds of such an escalation were slim, there was precedent.

Only after Marina obeyed did he continue his reprimand.

"Not only did you pick a pointless fight, but you even lost. If you were going to attack her, you should’ve at least killed her successfully. But you got thrashed around instead!"

If she had actually killed Elize, it would’ve been a catastrophe. But that didn’t mean losing was acceptable either.

Since Elize had won the fight, the assassins of the White Path were probably laughing their asses off by now, mocking their rival faction.

“If that new professor hadn’t stepped in to take control, you’d be dead. And we would’ve been disgraced like never before.”

For that, Viper was genuinely grateful to the new professor, whose name he didn’t remember. He had prevented the absolute worst-case scenario from occurring.

Of course, Viper wasn’t about to go find him, shake his hand, and thank him in person. But still, credit where credit was due...

An absolute disaster had been prevented by the most unexpected of people.

“Curten! Get your ass moving!”

Curten, the supervising professor of the Moon Shadow Division, had been away on vacation when the incident occurred. She had to rush back to the academy much earlier than planned.

Viper exploded in frustration as she approached.

“Professor Curten! What the hell have you been doing on the job, huh?! Why aren’t you teaching and monitoring the cadets properly?!”

“…My apologies, Professor Viper.”

After venting all his anger, the scolding came to an end, and Viper eventually left the room.

Senior Professor Curten then approached Marina.

“Marina, you really did it, huh? I’ve told you over and over since the semester began to keep that inferiority complex of yours in check, didn’t I?”

Marina kept her mouth shut.

“Did you purposefully wait for me to be away to cause this mess?”

“…I didn’t.”

"Don’t lie to me! Dammit. You know I was away with my boyfriend, halfway across the continent, just three hours ago. But I had to come back ahead of time just to deal with this crap."

Professor Curten then unbuckled her belt and pulled it off slowly, like drawing a whip.

“I don’t hate you or anything. But it seems like you do need a beating. It’ll teach you to think twice before causing a mess like this next time.”

Soon afterward, the room echoed with the cracking of leather, accompanied by stifled groans.

It was just another day in the Black Path faction.

In the meantime, the cadets were getting increasingly curious.

Just how strong was this Professor Dante, exactly?

“I heard you couldn’t even see what happened because of the 『Veil of Darkness』.”

But despite the numerous cadets asking the same question, no one knew how he had stopped the fight. Not even the professors who had witnessed the incident firsthand.

“I bet Professor Dante isn’t actually that strong,” one of the cadets commented.

“Huh? Why not?”

“You guys know my dad’s in the Systematic Association, right?”

“Your dad? You mean Professor Vilemon?”

The Systematic Association. It was an organization in the White Path that worshipped the 「Systematic Star⧉」 and possessed the most powerful intelligence network on the continent. 

“Yeah. I snooped through my dad’s stuff. And it turns out that Professor Dante has no records whatsoever. Not a single assassination, nor participation in any teams.”

“Huh. Maybe he was in one of those top-secret squads of the White Path or something?”

“Nope. If he were, there’d be fake records at the very least.”

“Oh yeah, true.”

“But him? His whole file’s blank. No kills, no degrees, no known participation in any squads.”

Hearing this information, the cadet stroked his chin thoughtfully.

So this was what the others meant when they said the professor had no past.

“Then maybe he’s actually pretty weak…?”

Needless to say, these rumors quickly made their way to the Black Dragon Dormitory.

Interestingly, despite there being cadets from both the Black Path and White Path here, there wasn’t any tension among them.

After all, the seven cadets identified more with the Black Dragon Division than with the two rivaling factions. 

Furthermore, Elize seemed to be in surprisingly good shape when they visited her in the infirmary, so they felt like no real harm was done.

Nevertheless, the rumors regarding Dante’s actual strength were intriguing, since everyone still remembered the professor’s arrogance and pride when he had first visited the dormitory.

Which brings us back to the present—inside the male sauna on the first floor of the Black Dragon Dormitory.

“Is Professor Dante still refusing to spar with you?” asked Kwan, the chatterbox with white hair. 

“Yeah,” Balmung replied with a nod. The towel wrapped around his head flopped with the movement. 

“Huh… Perhaps he’s scared of you?”

“Scared?”

“That makes most sense, doesn’t it? Lately, everyone’s been saying that Professor Dante is actually weak.”

“…That’s wrong, Kwan,” Balmung said calmly. “There’s no doubt that he’s strong.”

“You think so? I dunno. If I were him, I’d do this...”

Crackle—!

Sparks of mana burst from Kwan, and part of the sauna’s wooden wall transformed into a sharp spearhead, stopping right in front of Balmung’s throat.

It was a high-level Alchemy Art.

“And shoo away anyone who kept pestering me with sparring requests, just with a little show of strength,” Kwan added with a smug grin.

But his laughter quickly faded when Balmung fixed him with a death glare. 

Oh damn. I’m so dumb!

Kwan had forgotten—Balmung was a hardheaded and inflexible guy who hated jokes like that. 

“Put it away,” Balmung growled, irritated. 

“Y-Yes! Sorry…”

“Professor Dante is strong. And I won’t repeat myself about something so obvious.”

Just then, someone sitting nearby scoffed. 

“You got any proof of that?”

It was Kendrake.

“I don’t. But I know it,” Balmung replied, scowling. 

“How can you be so sure without any proof? Are you stupid?”

“…It’s just a feeling.”

An assassin always hid at least 30% of their skillset. That meant their full strength could almost never be seen. However, what Balmung could sense was Dante’s scent, which was one he was familiar with. 

It was a peculiar scent that only those who had reached an overwhelmingly powerful realm emitted. 

He didn’t have it on the first day… but last time I saw him, I could definitely smell it.

Balmung had grown up around the strongest assassins in his family’s cartel, even before he could walk. He had witnessed dozens of assassin squads in action and had met countless top-class combatants throughout his life.

Among all those powerful people, only one had ever exuded the same scent as Dante.

His mother, the matriarch of the Nibelung Family, and one of the continent’s top powerhouses: 「Pitch-Dark Constellation⚉」.

Of course, Balmung didn’t believe Dante was on her level. Constellations like his mother and Elize’s father were considered national-level strategic weapons. But even so, Dante clearly outclassed the average professor.

Or so Balmung believed.

In truth, it was just that Dante had dumped all his Star Shards into his Illusion Arts after the first day… but Balmung couldn’t have possibly known that.

“Ugh. You and your dumb gut feeling,” Kendrake scoffed. “I asked the professor to fight me a few times, but he just ran away.”

“Really?” Kwan asked.

“Why would I lie about this? Professor Dante is a fraud.”

“Hmmm... Calling him a fraud might be a bit much...” Kwan muttered.

“No, it’s not. Everyone’s falling for it, but he’s actually weak as hell.”

Balmung’s brows furrowed deeper.

He didn’t particularly love Professor Dante, but he had taken a liking to him. Hearing Kendrake badmouth him so carelessly was starting to piss him off.

“Cut the crap, Kendrake.”

“What did you say, asshole...?” Kendrake growled.

“He probably just didn’t want to deal with someone as annoying as you.”

“Oh? Then what about you? Did he avoid you ‘cause you’re annoying too?”

“I don’t know about that,” Balmung said. “He must’ve been busy.”

“Pfft. Look at this coward. Tucking his tail between his legs even before getting a chance to fight,” Kendrake said mockingly.

But Balmung had a gut feeling that Kendrake was the one who was actually scared of Dante. That would explain why he got so fired up every time Dante was mentioned.

“You dumbasses might’ve been fooled, but I’m not. Dante’s all bark and no bite.”

“Hmmm... But didn’t he see through Elize’s Stealth? That’s still impressive,” Kwan offered.

“Then maybe she’s a fraud, too. Maybe the famous 『Shadowless Constellation○』 died a dog’s death because his fraudulent stealth got exposed or something.”

Balmung suddenly stood up. 

It was getting too annoying to continue listening to Kendrake’s mindless yapping.

“Kendrake. Watch your mouth.”

“What?”

“Choose your words carefully from now on. Unless you want a hole in your skull and air for a brain. Oh, wait, you already don’t have one,” Balmung retorted with a smirk. 

A sneer spread across the towering man’s face. 

The cowardly dog was picking a fight with him.

Caught between them, Kwan jumped in fright, trembling like a leaf.

“…Hah! You tiny little piece of shit. Who do you think you are?” Kendrake sneered at Balmung.

Though both were from the Black Path, Balmung and Kendrake had always been at odds. Their families belonged to cartels of similar size, which only made the rivalry more intense.

“Get out. Now. Before I kill you,” Kendrake said flatly.

“I was already leaving, you birdbrained jackass.”

Balmung stormed out of the sauna, muttering various synonyms for dumbass under his breath.

But as he left, a question popped into his mind.

There was no doubt that Professor Dante was strong. But just how strong?

I’ll have to find out.

He was about to go find Marina and ask how Professor Dante had stopped the fight.

That was, until someone caught him first.

“Balmung.”

He turned to find Rebecca holding his arm. “Yes, Your Highness?”

“We have a mission. Let’s go.”

“I shall get ready.”

Without delay, he grabbed his sniper rifle and prepared to depart. 

He’d just have to ask Marina once he got back.

“Good afternoon, Professor.”

A member of the academy’s police force—the Disciplinary Enforcers—came to see me, bowing several times with a grateful smile.

“Not a single cadet ended up dead or permanently injured, and it’s all thanks to your intervention, Professor. It would’ve been a nightmare if even one of them had died, whew…”

In a battle between combatants, what mattered most was whether anyone had died. Medical technology was fairly advanced, and most injuries could be healed, rarely leaving permanent damage. But death was still death; it was tremendously difficult to reverse.

Regardless, as far as I could tell, the White Path and Black Path seemed to have reached a mutual agreement to prevent further conflict.

“But, Professor… is it true?”

“What is?”

“I heard from Marina’s friend, Bianca, that you were insanely powerful…”

The officer’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

These kinds of rumors had truly spread everywhere. Even during lectures, the cadets’ thoughts were flooded with speculation about what had happened, according to the【textbox】.

“Everyone’s curious about what happened inside the 『 Veil of Darkness』. However, those involved and who witnessed everything keep avoiding mentioning you, which only fuels people's curiosity even more.”

Why would the girls avoid talking about me?

I thought about it for a moment, and the answer came quickly.

It’s to protect their worth as assassins.

All three of those punks primarily used Totem Arts among the twelve ability types. However, I bent and nullified their powers with my Illusion Arts. Moreover, this occurred while we were within the domain of the totems, no less.

For their abilities to be overpowered so easily, and by a rookie professor...

If that news got out, their value and credibility as assassins would take a massive hit. It would be terribly humiliating.

“I’m sorry. Battles between assassins are to be kept confidential. I ask for your understanding.”

“Oh, of course. My apologies for asking.”

The disciplinary officer left with a disappointed sigh.

Anyway, it was time to visit Elize.

According to the doctor, she had damaged some internal organs due to poor mana control. Thankfully, none of it was life-threatening.

I made my way to the infirmary and opened the door to the private room.

Elize waved from her bed, greeting me with a big smile.

“Professor!”

Her face was beaming with joy, as if she hadn’t just been dismembering people like a maniac a short while ago. 

“How are you feeling?”

“It hurts,” she said, pointing to her leg, which was tightly wrapped in white bandages. Still, a joyful smile remained on her face.

Out of curiosity, I checked her【textbox】to see what she was really thinking. But Elize wasn’t the type to have many thoughts in her head to begin with. 

“Here. Eat this. I bought it on the way here.”

“Yay! What is it?”

It was a strawberry cream cake. I bought it impulsively after it caught my eye—perhaps because it reminded me of her pink hair.

“Thank you, Professor. But really, I should be the one buying you something…”

“It’s fine.”

“There’s just one problem. I’m not really a fan of strawberry cake.”

“Hehe. Sorry~ I just prefer blueberries over strawberries!”

…This little rascal.

But less than a minute later, Elize was shoving the cake into her mouth, munching away. She was stuffing herself so fast that I questioned whether she was even chewing. And whenever she bit into a strawberry, her face lit up with pure delight.

“Mmmh~!!”

The few times I had seen her in the cafeteria, she had always seemed like the type who really enjoyed eating. On the other hand, I always gave off the impression that I didn’t enjoy food at all, so this was quite a new and strange sight.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t like strawberries?”

“I did?”

“You did.”

“Hmm. Why did I say that…? They’re tasty. Do you want some too, Professor?”

I glanced at the cake, which was utterly destroyed, and shook my head.

“Anyway, I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”

“Mmmh phmm mu.”

“…Chew and swallow your food before answering. Regardless, I hope you recover well. If you need any help, you can reach out to me.”

As I stood up to leave...

Gulp.

Elize quickly swallowed her food and called out before I could go. 

“Oh, um…”

I turned around. Her smile had faded a little.

“…Thank you.”

“I said it’s fine.”

“No, um, earlier… I got chewed out a lot. The Disciplinary Enforcers said I was almost expelled.”

“Well, yeah. You’re an assassin. You should’ve killed them somewhere no one else could see.”

“Huh?”

“What.”

Elize blinked a couple of times in confusion.

“Killing people is wrong, Professor.”

Fair point. But coming from you…?

I was dumbfounded by her statement.

“But, um…”

After a moment of hesitation, Elize asked softly, “Why did you help me?”

The infirmary room seemed to hold the echo of that seemingly minor question. 

“What a dumb question.”

“…Huh?”

“What reason do you need to help someone?”

“Um… but the professors of the White Path were asking why you helped me. And I didn’t know either…”

I took a moment to think. The question carried more weight than it appeared at first glance.

What was the reason?

I wasn’t part of the White Path. The other neutral professors had stayed out of it. It could’ve been risky for me.

So why did I intervene?

The obvious answer was for the sake of increasing our [bond]. That’s what I believed, even now. That was why I had brought her a cake too—to obtain more Star Shards.

“I’m not sure.”

But of course, I couldn’t just say something so shallow. I had to embellish the truth. I could say something like, “Because you’re one of my cadets…”

Or...

“Because it is a professor’s duty…”

Even though I had prepared such excuses, the words wouldn’t come out for some reason. So now, I couldn’t help but wonder about it too.

Why did I intervene?

“Good question. Why did I do that?”

I wasn’t in any real danger in the end, but that was only with the benefit of hindsight. Looking back, it was a risky move. And I knew that. I knew it was risky, yet I still acted.

Was it because I was annoyed by everything that day?

No, that wasn’t it.

And then, a thought occurred to me.

Maybe this DLC’s [bond] system was a bit different from the [affection] systems we were used to seeing in video games. Bonds weren’t one-sided sentiments. They were forged together with another person, a two-way street, so to speak.

Following that train of thought, everything came together. 

“…Because we’ve got to help each other.”

Elize tilted her head, confused. But my thoughts were beginning to take clearer shape in my mind.

We’d shared silly conversations. I had made her bone balloons, and she loved them to no end. We were amicable with each other and pretended to be strong before one another.

And thus, through such daily interactions, the value of our [bond] had increased by five points.

But perhaps it wasn’t just Elize’s bond with me that had increased—it was also my bond with her.

My fondness for her had also increased by five points.

“We fellow fatherless folk ought to help each other.”

A faint smile grew on my face as the words escaped my lips.

I couldn’t believe I was saying something so ridiculous.

Elize didn’t say anything for a bit. She didn’t understand my words right away. But eventually, her eyes slowly widened.

“Oh!”

It seemed she had remembered our conversation from a few days ago. Her gaze drifted slightly out of focus.

“Oh, that’s true.”

She spoke in a soft voice, sweet like cotton candy.

Her whipped cream-smeared lips curled into a gentle smile.

“…Right. We fellow fatherless folk need to.”

It was a little different from her usual smile.

There was something more to it, like a quiet sense of peace and satisfaction.

After a moment, Elize regained her bright expression.

“Oh! Then…”

“Hm?”

“We should start a club! You know, like a ‘Fatherless Folk Club.’”

“We could invite Balmung and Gray too! And even Kendrake! He has a dad, but it’s like he doesn’t.”

“Oh…”

This kid definitely had a screw loose in her head. Scratch that, she had several screws loose up there.

Still, I didn’t hate it. Her attitude felt pretty nice.

┃ Bond Increased: Elize [20] (▲15)

┃ Reward: Star Shard ×15

And this, too, was pretty nice.

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