WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

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Chapter 31: Professor Assassination: Illusion Arts (2)

The crowd always demands that the hero prove himself endlessly.

All of the hero’s previous moments of glory are dismissed as things of the past, and the crowd’s enthusiasm and emotional fervor cool like an old cup of tea.

Thus, the outstanding hero is forced to prove their excellence again and again, forever and ever.

If they fail to meet expectations, they must be prepared to face blame and insult, with even their smallest flaws picked apart and criticized.

In Professor Dante’s case, he wasn’t exactly a hero. But he was being treated as something close.

His show of force during the first-day assassinations, the Marina and Elize incident, the proxy assassination, and the killing of Professor Hakon—all of it had made him something of a star.

Now, the cadets demanded more. They wanted him to prove himself again.

Everyone agreed that he was strong.

But was he a capable teacher?

Did he deserve to lead a broad, high-level course on the "12 Ability Types"?

Doubts had begun to grow as Dante dragged on the dull ‘History of Abilities’ chapter for more than two weeks. But that chapter was over now.

And so, amidst rising expectations and nagging doubts, all attention focused on the professor in the lecture hall.

Soon enough, Dante began his class.

"How to kill someone… It is a thought first pondered long ago, by a brother who envied his younger sibling."

His voice was calm, yet heavy with weight.

"God favored the younger brother alone. Thus, on a day when jealousy flared beyond control, the elder decided to kill him. Preferably in a place where no one could witness it. He said, ‘Come, let us go out into the field.’"

The professor stepped off the podium and took Adele gently by the wrist.

“…Oh my!”

"As he looked around, the older brother luckily found a decent tool nearby."

A sharp stone suddenly materialized in the air.

The cadets flinched in surprise.

The illusion had appeared without a single magical spark or trace from the professor.

"They say humanity’s first assassination left the younger brother’s blood soaking the field. So the weapon was likely blunt—a club or a stone."

Dante raised the stone and mimed a strike at Adele.

"Oh no!"

Adele played along, collapsing into a nearby chair. Laughter broke out among the cadets.

"But the club or stone wasn’t very effective. He couldn’t kill his brother with one blow. He had to chase him and finish the job while the boy tried to flee. Unfortunately, the screams reached their parents’ ears. That was the problem. He wasn’t discreet enough."

Then, the floor of the lecture hall shifted

"Whoa…"

A desolate field spread out before the cadets. Blood pooled at Adele’s feet, staining the land.

They blinked in disbelief. The illusion was flawless—shockingly realistic and detailed.

Wow. Is this for real?

Crazy. This is what Illusion Arts can do…?

Despite their skill in combat, even these cadets struggled to create something as simple as a matchstick without visible mana traces. Yet Dante had conjured an entire illusion world, and not a single spark had escaped him. 

Luine looked just as awestruck as the rest. 

"The older brother lived the rest of his life in fear that someone would kill him in return."

Even while maintaining such a powerful illusion—one that most would never master in a lifetime—Professor Dante spoke with casual ease.

"Despite being a murderer, he feared death. Surely, he regretted his actions. Had he killed more discreetly, neither his father, nor his mother, nor even God would have known…"

That moment marked the beginning of humanity’s contemplation of assassination.

Dante quickly skimmed through the ‘History of the Development of the 12 Ability Types.’

To kill a swordsman using Combat abilities, humans developed bows and throwing weapons—Projectile Abilities.

To approach a marksman and kill them, humans refined their footwork—Movement Technique Abilities.

To strike down a target before they could react, firearms emerged—Sniping Abilities.

To defend and survive against gunfire, spells were born—Magic Abilities.

"By the Age of Magic, assassins could no longer rely on a single method."

When it became impossible to approach your target, Stealth Abilities were born.

To cripple moving targets, Trap Abilities were invented next.

Since traps alone couldn’t always be lethal and deliver the final blow, Poison Abilities evolved to finish the job. 

And when weapons were prohibited at balls, banquets, and palaces, humans developed Alchemy and Totem Abilities.

Assassination had matured into an art form over time. 

"In modern times, humanity began contemplating the very essence of assassination. Eventually, our predecessors discovered astonishing potential in what had once been the lascivious playthings of mages."

That was Illusion Arts.

Until then, Illusion Arts had only been used for debaucherous entertainment, distorting the senses for the amusement of nobles.

But once assassins got hold of the art, everything changed. 

"The foundation of Illusion Arts is sensory distortion. It makes you see what isn’t there, hear what doesn’t exist. And when pushed to its limit, it can warp not only the five senses and mana, but even the perception of existence itself."

Professor Dante snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, five handsome and muscular men appeared around Adele, encircling her chair.

"Oh my~"

Each was an illusory figure: a crazed, obsessive dom; a golden retriever-like cutie; a silly but lovable bottom; a mature gentleman; and a closed-off, tragic male lead with cat-like eyes. 

They leaned toward Adele with sensual, smoldering gazes. 

"Oh my! Oh my, oh my~"

Blushing fiercely, Adele covered her face and looked around in panic. 

"How does it feel, Adele, being surrounded by fake men?"

"What do you take me for? Do you think I’d fall for this?" she huffed, then murmured softly, "…I like it."

Laughter erupted and rippled across the room.

"Assassination is the union of murder and deception. And among all the tools we possess, Illusion Arts elevate deception to its highest form."

Dante continued, his voice steady. 

"The key to fooling your target is understanding what they want to perceive. Humans always see what they wish to see and hear what they wish to hear. The truth is only secondary. And once you figure that out—"

Snap—!

The five illusory men drew daggers and pointed them at Adele.

Startled, she tried to flee, but it was useless. Their limbs coiled around her like snakes, locking her in place.

The blades hovered inches from her throat when the illusions froze, locked in a dramatic, cinematic pose.

"...Please save me, Professor."

Adele slowly raised both hands in mock surrender.

More laughter erupted from the cadets.

"You should beware of handsome men, Assistant Adele."

"Yes..."

Dante finally dispelled the illusions. Adele exhaled in relief, feeling as though she’d narrowly survived death. 

At this point, every cadet was fully immersed in the lecture. 

Even Luine and her friends were captivated.

Wow… This is crazy…

I mean, how on earth can a newbie professor be so skilled with illusions…?

All the doubts they’d held about Dante just moments ago had completely shattered, and their critical attitude toward the lecture vanished without a trace.

He had guided the class seamlessly from the history of murder to the rise of Illusion Arts, weaving it all together with a clear narrative. His demonstration was nearly perfect—concrete, threatening, and elegant. 

Now, every cadet in the hall was completely focused, analyzing his every word.

* * *

As the cadets sat, captivated by the lecture, one person’s thoughts had drifted elsewhere.

It was Elize Csikos, the Black Dragon cadet.

…Hm?

She pouted, absentmindedly balancing a pencil on her lips while pouting like (ㅇ3ㅇ), listening blankly to the lecture.

But suddenly, a question struck her, and she raised her hand high.

"Professor! I have a question!"

Dante gestured for her to continue. "Ask away."

The other cadets turned their attention toward her with curiosity.

Elize’s combat style was completely opposite to the content of Dante’s lecture.

Unlike Dante's Illusion Arts, which were about tricking and revealing others with things that weren’t there, Elize, the daughter of 「Shadowless Constellation○」, excelled at vanishing and concealing what was there.

"Are Illusion Arts really necessary for assassination?" she asked.

"Elaborate,” Dante replied. 

"Ah, umm… Assassination is about killing people discreetly, right? Then isn’t it enough to just hide and stab them?"

She posed a fundamental challenge, something the others had anticipated. 

Vanishing was the heart of any assassin’s work, and Elize was unrivaled at it. 

In fact, House Csikos was renowned as the greatest assassin family not only in the White Path but throughout the entire country, solely because of their unmatched ability to vanish. 

Whoa. How will the professor answer that?

That’s a seriously tough question…

How is he supposed to explain that ‘revealing’ is more important than ‘vanishing’ to Elize, of all people?

The cadets held their breath in anticipation.

Dante spoke calmly.

"Elize. Do you know how to hide a tree?"

"How to hide a tree?"

With a snap of his fingers, an illusory tree appeared right in front of her. 

Elize stared at it blankly, then reached out toward it. 

"Hmm... Something like this…?"

The cadets were stunned by what followed. 

The tree illusion slowly turned transparent and vanished from sight. 

She had concealed someone else’s illusion imbued with mana!

That's insane. She can cast Stealth and hide an illusion she's never seen before?

What the hell? How is that possible? Even for a Black Dragon cadet, that’s—!

It was a feat that was difficult even for professors. Yet Elize had done it effortlessly. 

But Dante simply nodded.

"Well done. However, making something vanish isn’t the only way to hide it."

"Really?"

He waved his hand, and the tree that Elize had hidden reappeared. 

A gust of wind blew through the room. 

Foooosh—!

The cadets instinctively closed their eyes. When they reopened them, a dozen identical tree illusions had appeared.

Still, not a single trace of mana had sparked off the professor.

"Now then, where is the original tree?" Dante asked.

Elize’s eyes widened. The other cadets leaned forward.

With so many identical trees filling the room, there was no way to tell which one had been the first. 

Dumbfounded, Elize blinked a couple of times and answered.

"…I don't know."

"Then, is the tree hidden?" he asked again.

"Yes…"

"Indeed. Thus, another way to hide a tree is to place it inside a forest."

Only then did the cadets fully understand.

They realized that hiding wasn’t only about disappearing, it was about blending in. It was about manipulating the background, whether by erasing yourself or by creating camouflage so convincing that no one could find you in the first place. 

Ah, so that's why a sniper hiding in a crowd is harder to catch…

There was that case where an assassin disguised themselves among the palace guards to kill a royal, right?

Realization settled heavily over the class.

"…From today’s class onward, you will begin learning basic Illusion Arts from me,” Dante said.

The lecture flowed like a dream, each moment fresh and vivid. 

The cadets eagerly learned the foundations and basics of Illusion Arts. Those who already had the basics were guided into more advanced techniques. Everyone participated with enthusiasm...

Until Professor Dante shattered their bliss.

"There will be homework after today’s class. But don’t worry, it’s not too much."

Adele began handing out the papers. 

The cadets glanced at the two-page assignment, and their faces began to pale. 

There was a lot of homework.

Actually, ‘a lot’ was an understatement. There was an absurd and overwhelming amount of homework.

Wait…? Is this for real…?

How are we supposed to finish all this by next week…?

They exchanged glances in silent horror. 

But Dante was unaware of their turmoil, as he wasn’t constantly checking the【textbox】.

So he spoke casually, judging by his own standards. 

"If you focus properly, it can be completed in fifteen minutes."

The cadets froze and stared at him, completely dumbfounded. 

What the fuck are you talking about?!

And so, the once joyful class ended in shock and despair.

After the lecture ended, Professor Dante exited the classroom. 

Elize remained behind, weaving through the cadets and striking up small conversations. 

"What did you think of today’s class?" she asked, intending to explain it later to Gray. 

The first cadet she asked happened to be Luine.

"Huh?" Luine blinked.

"What did you think of the professor’s lecture? I’m not really familiar with Illusion Arts,” Elize said. 

Luine opened her mouth to respond but hesitated. 

Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. All the frustration she had carried about her failed assassination had vanished entirely. 

She let out a sigh.

 "…It was the best."

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