WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 23: Righteousness (1)

After the disciplinary hearing, Joaquin refused to attend school for a while. It seemed the psychological shock had been severe.

Because the Black Dragon Division was filled with geniuses, it often overshadowed other cadets. However, if I were playing on Hard Mode, someone of Joaquin’s level would have certainly made it into the Black Dragon Division.

From the Black Path’s perspective, training just one assassin like Joaquin costs at least several million hika.

And yet, a child with such a bright future had suddenly been ruined by some neutral professor.

There were professors in the Black Path who felt grateful toward me because of the Marina incident, but they were moderates.

Now, there was more than enough reason for the radicals of the Black Path to hold a grudge against me.

“…That’s the end of today’s class.”

In the meantime, my classes had begun to settle.

Being a veteran of the game, I could talk endlessly about abilities, and thanks to the Joaquin incident, the cadets’ motivation to assassinate me had clearly taken a hit.

I finished class and stepped outside, only to notice two cadets standing in the hallway, staring at me.

Their gazes were far from friendly.

Of course, I was always getting looks from those who wanted to kill me, but these kids were a bit different. They were hesitating about something.

The two sneaked more glances before slipping out of the building, whispering to each other. 

【 Assassin Department, First-Year, Harun: “What should we do?” 】

【 Assassin Department, First-Year, Mateo: “What do you think? We tell Professor Hakon. He told us to call Professor Dante before he joins the White Path.” 】

Professor Hakon? That was a familiar name.

He was a high-ranking senior professor.

【 Assassin Department, First-Year, Harun: “Didn’t you see that professor’s eyes? He’s scary as hell, man…” 】

【 Assassin Department, First-Year, Mateo: “Then I’ll do it. You just stay out of it.” 】

…I can’t be bothered.

I figured I’d leave before getting dragged into something annoying.

But as I turned to walk in the opposite direction, hoping to escape, I ran into the exact person I didn’t want to meet right now.

It was Professor Hakon approaching me from the other end of the hallway. Just my luck.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Professor Dante?”

With a massive, muscular build that made it appear as if his clothes might burst at any moment, he exuded immense pressure.

● Black Path Professor, Hakon

“And you are?” I asked. 

“Come on, now. You should know me. We’re colleagues from the Assassin Department. I’m Hakon.”

He reached out for a handshake. I didn’t take it.

【 Black Path Professor, Hakon: Not taking my hand? What a shame. I was going to extract a bit of his blood. 】

I knew it.

He wanted my blood sample to cast a curse.

“I heard you’ve been quite busy ever since your appointment. Do you have a bit of time today? I’d like to have a talk.”

“I appreciate the offer, but no thank you.”

I slowly began walking past him down the narrow hallway.

“Professor Dante.” 

He called out as I passed him.

“Don’t get cocky.”

I came to a stop.

Tensions between us were rising. 

“Were you sent by the Black Path? Or did you come of your own will?” I asked, my tone sharp.

“Watch your tone, Professor. I just told you not to get cocky...”

“Answer me.”

“...You’re an odd one for sure. You haven’t even been here a month, you’ve got no background to speak of, and yet you stir things up like you own the place. What makes you so confident?”

Hakon let out a loud, hearty laugh before continuing.

“Sent by the Black Path? What kind of ridiculous question is that? Isn’t the answer obvious? Or what, do you think I came here simply because I was bored?”

But contrary to his words, his thoughts told a different story.

【 Black Path Professor, Hakon: The higher-ups told me not to worry about it, but there’s no way I could let this slide. The Joaquin incident is just the beginning. A clueless professor like him will be a constant obstacle. 】

To my surprise, he had actually come of his own accord.

I resumed walking away.

“You’d best learn to value your life,” he said, his voice low and menacing.

Hakon was probably the professor in charge of Joaquin.

The folks from the White Path had likely turned a blind eye to Forte’s suffering at Joaquin’s hands because they didn’t want to clash with him.

He raised his voice before I got any farther away.

“Professor Dante. You act up too much. Let me warn you again. Just focus on your own job while you still have your one and only life. Tearing a guy like you apart, limb by limb, would be a piece of cake for me.”

His rage smeared every word, but I walked on without responding.

【 Black Path Professor, Hakon: …Ignoring me, is that it? Ha! You dare ignore me, the Wraith of War? 】

Even after I turned the corner in the hallway, I kept an eye on the textbox.

【 Black Path Professor, Hakon: You arrogant bastard. I was thinking of recruiting you into the Black Path, but scratch that. Professor Dante, the cause of your death will be failing to listen to others. I’ll see you soon at that fancy residence of yours. 】

It seemed he planned to ambush me sometime soon.

Hakon was a Master-rated assassin, ranked 7,132nd among the 30 million combatants on the continent.

Even among professors, he was a powerful senior professor whom most people feared.

If I had to face him with the tools I possessed, it would be a matter of kill or be killed. I wouldn’t be able to go easy and spare his life as I could with cadets. I’d have to fight with everything I had. 

And if I happened to win, there was no telling what would become of my relationship with the Black Path.

…Even so, if he comes to assassinate me, I will kill him.

I was bound to antagonize someone eventually. It was inevitable in the Assassin Department.

And it just so happened that the ones I would antagonize first were the members of the Black Path.

* * *

Rumors that Professor Dante had thwarted a proxy assassination attempt by Joaquin quickly spread through the Assassin Department.

Professors from the White Path were delighted by the news, while those from the Black Path were visibly displeased.

Neutral professors remained unsettled, but most cadets laughed among themselves, thoroughly enjoying the drama. 

“Joaquin was always acting way too cocky.”

“Shhh. Someone might hear you.”

Naturally, the rumors reached the Black Dragon cadets, too.

Four of the seven members were holed up in an old warehouse when Dante’s name came up.

“Joaquin really got wrecked, huh?”

“Apparently, he got penalized with Disciplinary Order No. 9. Between the confiscated items and the fine, I heard he lost nearly a million hika.”

“Wow. A million hika? That’s insane… I mean, Joaquin is good at hiding and has sharp instincts. Why did he suddenly go at that professor like that?”

“Beats me.”

As their pointless chatter continued, their leader, Kaiser, spoke in a low, growling voice.

“Kendrake.”

The towering cadet turned with a scowl. A menacing aura hung around Kendrake.

Standing in front of the warehouse’s backlight, Kaiser glared at Kendrake, his long hair creating a shadow over his face.

“What...?” Kendrake replied, confused.

Silence persisted for a couple of seconds. However, Kendrake couldn’t handle it any longer and cracked first. 

“Ah, fuck it. Fine. I was the one who instigated the assassination. So what?”

Kaiser knew everything… or so the Black Dragon cadets believed.

Shaken by Kaiser’s vertically slit pupils staring into his soul, Kendrake confessed on the spot.

But on the inside, Kaiser was just… confused by Kendrake’s confession. His head was filled with question marks. 

He had only called out because he saw a mosquito land on Kendrake’s head. He was simply trying to help a fellow cadet avoid a bite. That was it. 

And now? Kendrake was admitting to instigating an assassination attempt. 

Maintaining his poker face, Kaiser gave a slow, knowing nod. 

“…Ah, shit. Don’t look at me with those damn eyes, you bastard. I was just curious, okay?!” Kendrake barked.

“About what?” Kaiser asked. 

“That punk Balmung kept spouting about how strong Professor Dante is. I just wanted to see for myself, that’s all.”

Balmung snorted in ridicule. “Bird-brained jackass.”

“Shut your damn mouth. Even I have my limits. Don’t test me.”

“Try me, bitch.”

Ahh. So that’s what happened… 

Kaiser was quietly freaking out inside.

To think Kendrake had the nerve to pull that kind of crap on the professor...

“So, how was he?” Kaiser asked. He was genuinely curious now. 

“Hell if I know. Barely got any scraps of intel. Word is, he uses magic too.”

“Magic, huh?”

“Yeah, supposedly stopped time or something… But there’s no way it was actual time magic. Probably just freaked out those lowly maggots and made them see things.”

“…I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Kaiser murmured. 

“What do you mean? Time magic is some ultra high-level shit. You need to be, like, an archmage to cast it.”

That part was true. Among hundreds of millions of people across the continent, there probably weren’t even ten mages who could manipulate time.

Those who could were Grandmaster-level mages—ranked within the top 999 combatants, if not higher.

But in Kaiser’s mind… it didn’t seem impossible. If it was Professor Dante… maybe it was time magic.

He had seen straight through Kaiser’s identity and poker face—something no one else had ever done. Not even the dean, the royal officials, or the Mage Tower Master.

Eyes that pierced through to one’s essence.

Power that dominated the very space he stood in.

And the composure to hide it all, never showing off his abilities.

Professor Dante Hiakapo… Could it be true? Can you actually cast time magic…?

Suddenly, Kaiser was overwhelmed by deep, burning embarrassment.

The gift—no, the bribe—he’d offered the professor was pathetic.

To think he had handed a mana elixir to someone on the level of an archmage… That was like donating a single coin to a billionaire.

Aaagh! And I even sent him a message saying, ‘I hope you like it’!

His entire body trembled in shame.

The other cadets watched, misreading the situation entirely.

Kaiser’s shaking with rage…

Damn. He must really be offended by this whole incident.

What on earth did he and the professor talk about that day?

The day Dante first visited the Black Dragon Dormitory, Kaiser had spoken to him alone.

Afterward, Dante walked out perfectly calm, while Kaiser… showed a rare trace of defeat.

That had shocked the other cadets.

Kaiser never lowered himself before anyone—not nobles, not professors.

In fact, even if the king or emperor himself walked in, Kaiser would remain standing tall, maintaining his pride and confident aura.

But after talking to Dante, he’d looked like he’d lost something. 

To the other cadets, the message was clear as day: Kaiser had tasted defeat at the hands of Dante Hiakapo for the first time.

No wonder he looked tortured every time the professor’s name came up.

Still… it made the idea of assassinating the professor all the more exciting.

“One day, I’ll kill him with my own hands.”

“You? Not a chance in hell.”

“Hey, what about me? I think I could pull it off.”

As the cadets bickered, Kaiser stepped away from the window and spoke.

“…It’s time. Get ready.”

At his command, they snapped out of it and began warming up.

Kaiser snapped his fingers.

In a blink, their clothes transformed into servant uniforms and maid outfits.

Whoooom—

Kendrake pulled out 「Santa Barbara」, a battle axe inscribed with an Explosion spell.

Whirr—

Balmung spun his matte back sniper rifle, the Legendary Ⅰ-grade, 「Siegfried⚉」.

Shrrrr—

Gray summoned her innate ability passed down in House Habanero, 『Silver Thread』,a chainsaw in the shape of a wire, sharper than any sword on the continent.

Their short-term goal: Purge the traitors of the nation.

The long-term goal: Assassinate the emperor.

…Not that I ever asked for any of this, Kaiser thought bitterly, limping forward with his cane and opening the warehouse door. 

Their destination was a secret banquet hall somewhere in Hiaka.

Under antique chandeliers, a dozen middle-aged men in tailored suits laughed and chatted with glasses in hand. 

Executives of the mid-tier defense contractors Steel & Labs and Smith Corp were flushed and tipsy, deep in their cups and utterly unsuspecting.

So, naturally, they weren’t prepared when the cadets entered.

“Hm? And who might you kids be…?”

“Greetings. It’s a pleasure to meet such fine gentlemen and arms dealers,” Kaiser said smoothly. 

“What? Hah! Even the servants know of us!”

“You kids sure know how to flatter people. Want an autograph or something?”

Kaiser’s tone remained calm and measured. 

“You gentlemen used the empire’s pressure on the kingdom to profit massively within Hiaka. You’ve even orchestrated kidnappings of local youth for the empire’s interests. Twelve were taken. Half of them were killed.”

The laughter stopped. 

He continued, “Furthermore, you’ve recently conspired with the treasonous chief professors of the neutral faction to leak classified tech to the enemy. Due to these reasons, I must say you gentlemen are causing significant setbacks to our ultimate plan.”

A profound silence lingered. 

The air chilled. The men glanced around, panic setting in.

“Guards! Where are the guards—!”

But the guards weren’t coming. The cadets had already killed them on the way here.

Shliiing—

Kaiser unsheathed the blade hidden inside his cane—a plain one with no fancy enhancements or gimmicks. 

But a wave of thick, oppressive mana pulsed from it.

“We, too, are sinners,” he said. 

It was the secret command. 

Within seconds, the room was drowned in a sea of blood.

⋮

Later that night, Kaiser returned to the Black Dragon Dormitory.

He limped into his private room, made his way to the bathroom, then launched himself onto the toilet, gagging.

“Blegh—! Hah… hah…”

This had become routine. For six months now, every time he saw people die, he needed to throw up.

These missions and assassinations weighed heavily on his mind, causing psychological anguish. 

He wasn’t a violent boy by nature. He had grown up in an ordinary home and lived a normal life.

But no matter how much he vomited, the knot in his chest never loosened.

The torment and pain only intensified with time.

“Hah… Hah…”

He had killed people. For someone else’s dream.

Strangers who had done nothing to him. 

Was it right? Was it wrong? He didn’t know anymore.

All he knew... was that it hurt.

Kaiser didn’t feel like a hero. Nor a villain.

Justice or cruelty, light or shadow—none of it fit him.

“…Haah.”

Slumped before the toilet, the boy stared blankly out the bathroom window.

Life was suffocating.

Wasn’t there some lifeline out there? Some rope dangling down, waiting for me to grab it and escape?

No. He knew better.

There was no escape. He was in too deep. He knew too much.

And the Black Dragon cadets followed him blindly.

But still…

He wanted to talk to someone about it—about himself, his life, and his pain…

“…Ah.”

There was someone now—someone who might hear him out.

Until recently, there hadn’t been a soul in this world he could confide in. 

But now…

Kaiser turned on his crystal ball watch, his finger hesitating.

Should I send a message? Would it bother him? Would he think it’s pointless?

After minutes of doubt, he finally typed a single sentence. 

——

– Kaiser: Professor. What is assassination?

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