WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Translator: Touch

Editor: Grass

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Chapter 42: Small Bugged Space (3)

The level 8 totem had already been deployed. Everyone was finished preparing for battle. It was only a matter of time before chaos and destruction unfolded in the sky.

And yet, we had a stowaway on the airship.

Gray was lying on a mat, covering herself with a blanket as if she were in her own bedroom.

“Gray Habanero.”

I quickly closed the door to the engine room behind me.

“What are you doing here, cadet?”

“Nappin’…?”

“Why?”

“Why? Because this is the Graydout… Hah! Get it? Graydout, short for Gray’s Hideout…”

“What nonsense is that? Why would the academy’s airship be your hideout?”

“Well, no one was usin’ it, so… Yeah… Hic!”

A strong smell of alcohol wafted over from her. Only then did I notice the blush on her face and the three bottles of liquor rolling around.

“Hmm? Come to think of it, whatcha doin’ here, Professor…? No one’s come here in half a year…”

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples.

A thought crossed my mind—the House of Habanero was descended from a clan of cat beastfolk. And cats could sleep anywhere.

But that wasn’t an excuse to be sleeping here right now!

« 155…! 150…! 145…! »

The countdown to battle was being relayed to me in real time through telepathy.

This was the middle of a battlefield. But this cadet wasn’t prepared for combat at all.

She had just woken up from a nap, so of course she wasn’t ready.

But the worst part was that she didn’t have a parachute.

The professors and the airship’s captain had only brought one each before boarding. There were no spare parachute magic tools. The airship had been hastily dragged out of the hangar without additional supplies.

Fuck.

What was I supposed to do in this situation?

“Oh, right, right. Professor…” Gray grinned, exposing her cheeky fang.

“Didya know? I got some funny news to tell you…”

“News?” I asked.

“Kaiser said that I’m overwhelmingly better than you at Illusion Arts.”

“…What?”

“Shocking, right? I mean, I told him he was wrong, but Kaiser kept insistin’ I was better hehehe~ Hic!” She paused to collect her thoughts before continuing.  “So, if there’s anythin’ you still need to learn, I could teach you a thing or two, hehe. Hic! I don’t like the other lame professors, but I wouldn’t mind teachin’ you~♡”

She giggled aloud, that smug smile showing off her fang in full glory. 

But I couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was babbling about, and the reeking stench of alcohol was distracting.

Not to mention, I had just faced a demon. My heart was still pounding with boiling anger.

“What nonsense are you spewing right now?” I spat.

“Hm? So, Kaiser said that—”

“Enough.”

“…Hm?”

“I won’t listen to that nonsense. Get it together, Gray Habanero. Don’t start spouting random shit like you’ve lost your mind after getting hit in the head.”

I snapped. My voice came out harsher than I expected.

But since I was being so serious…

“…Eh?”

The smug smile disappeared from Gray’s face. Her fingertips curled, and her eyes widened, fully revealing her gray irises.

“W-Why are you getting angry…?” she muttered, seemingly shocked that I had raised my voice.

But I didn’t have time to worry about that.

« 130! »

Time was running out.

I inspected Gray’s condition more closely.

She was completely drunk.

Her cheeks and ears were flushed. Her body temperature was elevated, and her eyes were already half-closed again. She looked disheveled, as if she hadn’t properly washed in a while.

“Hey.”

After mumbling to herself for a while, she finally spoke again, her expression slightly more resolute.

“Why did you suddenly get m-m-mad at me… sir?”

As I approached her, she flinched.

“Gray Habanero. I am currently extremely busy. And I am not in a good mood.”

“…So what?”

“So answer my questions properly. How much did you have to drink?” I asked sternly.

“…Why?”

“Answer. Now. How much?”

She kept silent for a moment, staring up at me fearfully.

Then suddenly, she grinned.

“One glass♡”

A blatant lie.

Reading her thoughts in the textbox, she had apparently chugged all three bottles lying around.

They were cheap, yet large, with 35% alcohol.

In other words, she was completely plastered.

I knew she was impulsive, and at times, violent.

So her impulse control could be even worse while drunk.

« 110! »

There was a non-zero chance Gray might run out onto the battlefield while we were facing the monster in the sky.

“Do you have a 「Parachute Magic Tool」 on you?”

“…Why are you asking something like that?”

Gray suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“I didn’t steal anything,” she said quickly, clearly misunderstanding.

“Just answer me. Do you have one or not?”

“Nope. I didn’t steal it. The storage room in front of the ship was already empty… I didn’t steal anything…”

“Understood. Raise your arms.”

I hurriedly took off my own parachute and moved to put it on her.

I could always create and get a new one for myself using Illusion Arts if necessary.

“…Whatcha doing, Professor?”

“Raise your arms.”

“…Why? Why should I?”

“To put on the parachute.”

“Parashoot? What’s a parashoot…?”

“You don’t need to know. Arms. Up.”

“N-No, I dun wanna…”

She began to resist, swaying unsteadily like a drunkard.

I had no choice but to force it on her, but she kept struggling.

“I dun wanna…! Why are you doing this to me…?”

“You won’t understand anything I tell you right now. Just raise your arms. They’re getting in the way.”

“No, stop… Stop it… It hurts… Why do you keep trying to touch me…? Are you curious about my tattoos…?”

“I don’t have time. Hold still.”

“No, it hurts. It hurts… You’re holding my arms too strong…”

« 50! »

« Professor Dante! What are you doing?! Hurry up and get out here! »

Leo’s voice echoed urgently as Chief Professor Toy’s countdown approached zero.

Panic surged through me.

I instinctively grabbed both her arms and pinned her against the wall using my full weight.

Thud!

Gray’s eyes went unfocused as her body jolted from the impact.

Now that she was pinned, she stopped resisting.

Thanks to that, I managed to put the parachute on her and fastened it securely.

But then I changed my mind. Instead of fastening it normally, I tied the straps completely so she couldn’t take it off.

“What are you…?” she muttered, scrunching her face in discomfort as she tried to remove it.

But I had tied it too tightly for her drunken fingers to undo.

“Gray Habanero. You seem very drunk, so I’ll keep this short. Don’t come outside. Just stay here and nap some more. Understood?”

“I’m not drunk… Hiccup!”

“I get it. But I’ll say it again. Don’t go outside. Got it?”

She turned her head away, mumbling quietly. 

“…I was going to sleep some more anyway…”

If the airship started crashing, the engine room would automatically open up as a safety feature.

And in that case, the 「Parachute Magic Tool」 would deploy on its own as she fell.

So it was safer for her to stay put rather than wander around the ship.

“…Hic!”

Having dealt with her, I left the room, closing the door to the engine room behind me.

【 Gray: …What’s wrong with him? I was even trying to be nice… 】

I sincerely hoped she wouldn’t come out unnecessarily.

« 20! »

* * *

I hastily returned to the ship’s deck.

« 5! »

The moment the totem was fully deployed, it would burst with sparks of mana. Once that happened, the eyeless demon would surely detect our location—and realize our hostile intentions.

« 4! »

But what concerned me the most was that I knew absolutely nothing about this Bugged Space.

« 3! »

If a glitch caused all three of those arms to carry the 『Curse of Instant Death』, Hiaka Academy would lose three of its top professors…

« 2! »

But right now, I had no other choice but to throw myself headfirst into this uncertainty.

So please…

« 1! »

I pray the arms’ curses aren’t the worst ones…

Pzzzzzzzt―!!

Large sparks of mana burst from the totem as its domain, the『Sanctuary of Fireflies』, unfolded. A green aura spread across the area, forming a 40-meter diameter spherical zone. 

Then, I noticed a new, unfamiliar, figurative button forming inside my body.

I instinctively knew that if I pressed this button, I would teleport to another location within this space.

In any case, I had to be extremely cautious in this battle.

My rifle only had two bullets, so each shot needed to count. Precision and impact were everything.

« Let’s go! »

The first to rush forward was Viper. His twin swords, 「Poison Fangs」 emerged from his palms, piercing through his skin. He leapt and destroyed one of Jinxsite’s fingers before summoning a massive cobra, approximately fifteen meters long. The serpent sprang forward and coiled itself around one of Jinxsite’s wrists.

Immediately, all of Jinxsite’s other fingers spread open. It had sensed Professor Toy’s totem and Viper’s assault and was about to retaliate.

That’s when Leo dropped from above, landing a blow on another finger.

Boom!!

The finger, larger than an adult human’s body, was hacked off.

Leo instantly activated 『Blink』, teleporting higher into the air. 

« Chief!! » he shouted telepathically.

Chief Professor Angela also used 『Blink』 to rise 40 meters into the air, then activated a Movement Technique, stepping through the air to climb even higher.

Once she reached 100 meters, she twisted her body upside down and began her descent like a meteor.

Despite being a woman in her 80s, Professor Angela was a Combat Arts assassin wielding a massive 3-meter-long scythe—the Legendary Ⅰ-grade 「Grim ReaperΩ」 stigma weapon.

She was a monster in human form.

And she descended toward the other monster, like a god of death delivering judgment to the world below.

Sunlight reflected off the scythe’s blade, casting a beam that split the sky.

With a chilling aura, the massive scythe came down in a vertical arc, aimed squarely at the wrist Viper had pinned.

A strike imbued with the full power of a three-digit-ranked Grandmaster assassin.

BOOOOM────!!

Following the explosion, Jinxsite’s entire hand—roughly the size of a four-story building—was sliced clean off.

But the shockwave didn’t stop there. It continued up the limb, cracking and crushing the bones of the forearm.

All of this happened within five seconds of the operation’s start.

That was how assassins fought.

They didn’t prolong the battle. They either destroyed their target in one blow or were destroyed themselves.

« We did it!! The ambush was successful! »

« Fall back! Now!! »

Chief Professor Toy gave the command from beside his totem.

Collider cast an Illusion Art, ready to counter Jinxsite’s next move.

I moved as well.

I also used 『Blink』 to ascend as high as I could, then stopped in midair with 『Air Walk』. Focusing more mana into my eyes, I needed a clear view of the entire battlefield to plan my next steps. 

Soon, both of Jinxsite’s remaining arms started to twist.

Their movements were slow and heavy, like industrial machinery. Yet, the way they mimicked human hands was grotesque.

I watched them carefully. I was the only one who could read the subtle signs of each curse...

« Isn’t this good enough?! » Collider shouted, exhilarated.

But then I saw it.

« Domination!! It’s the 『Curse of Domination』! » I yelled.

« W-What?! »

Fuck! One of the remaining arms just had to have a 90-series curse.

Curse No. 90: 『Curse of Domination』.

Hundreds of eyes sprouted from the moving arm.

The enormous hand, carrying that dreadful curse, extended one finger, pointing directly at Professor Toy.

« Chief Toy! Dodge it!! » I screamed through the telepathic link.

A moment passed.

Then, all the eyes on Jinxsite’s hand eerily shut at once.

Professor Toy vanished from the ship’s deck and reappeared at the far side of his totem’s zone—near Collider.

« Chief!! »

« Ah, I’m fine! I’m fine. I dodged it! »

« T-Thank goodness! »

No. It’s not fine…!

« Collider, get away from him―!! »

I shouted through the telepathic comms, but it was too late.

Shhhlrk―

A blade pierced through Collider’s chest from behind.

« C-Collider! »

« Chief Toy! What are you… Argh—!! »

That was when the monster’s other remaining arm moved.

The center of its palm split open, revealing a gray totem.

It unleashed a massive, two-meter-wide gray beam toward Viper.

“Ugh!!”

Viper twisted through the air just in time to dodge it. But the giant cobra beneath him wasn’t so lucky. The beam struck its head, and it instantly turned to stone.

« The second arm has the 『Curse of Petrification』! Damn it! »

And just like that, the battlefield descended into chaos.

Collider plummeted from the sky, blood gushing from his chest.

Chief Toy lunged toward Leo, his next target. But Chief Angela intercepted him mid-strike.

« Chief Professor Angela! Don’t get in my way! I’m fine! The one under Domination is Leo, not me! »

Despite clearly being dominated, Professor Toy insisted that he was completely fine.

There were no visible signs of mind control.

But no one was going to fall for that.

« Chief Angela! Behind you!! »

Warned by my shout, she shifted aside in a split second.

A heartbeat later, the 『Curse of Domination』 struck a spot where she had just been standing.

« Thanks, Dante! »

She had successfully avoided it, unlike Toy.

Fortunately, Angela specialized in Combat Arts. She was a Grandmaster-rated assassin who had meticulously honed her skills for over 70 years.

The gray beam of petrification targeted Viper again, who weaved and dodged through the sky. The shots missed him, instead striking the ground and petrifying bystanders and buildings across the area.

That was when I started moving again.

I had to figure out exactly what I could do to help and act with minute precision.

« Chief Angela! We need to destroy the one wielding the Curse of Domination! » I yelled mentally.

« I know! But I’m the only one who can handle Toy right now! »

« Leo! I’ll give you a signal. When I do, head for the sky! » I ordered.

« Roger that! » Professor Leo responded. 

But Toy, being under domination, could hear our comms too. 

Still, it didn’t matter.

His “sky” and our “sky” were entirely different.

『 World Forgery: Perception Forgery [World Reversal] 』

« Now!! »

Everything happened at once.

Leo, Angela, Toy, and I activated 『Blink』 at the same time.

But moments before giving the signal, I had already flipped Professor Toy’s senses and world upside down.

Despite being a Grandmaster, he failed to notice the reversal as my Illusion Arts were among the most advanced in the world.

When he teleported to what he thought was the top of his totem’s domain, he actually reappeared 20 meters below—at the very bottom.

Meanwhile, Angela and Leo opened their eyes to find themselves high above, opposite him in the sky.

At that moment, I brandished 「Liberator ⁺₊⋆」 and aimed it downward.

For a while now, the eyes on Jinxsite’s 「Hand of Domination」 had been glancing at me repeatedly.

The demon was probably wary of the「Radiant Star ⁺₊⋆」’s stigma in my rifle.

BANG!!

As I fired the shot, it twisted its massive arm to evade the bullet’s trajectory.

But from the start, my target was never the hand.

 It was the totem.

BOOOOM!!

The totem that maintained the 『Sanctuary of Fireflies』 on the ship deck exploded in a single hit. 

Its domain vanished, taking with it the power that allowed me to stand in the sky.

But that wasn’t just for me.

Chief Professor Toy had finally noticed the reversal in his world perception and tried to 『Blink』 into the sky to reach us.

However,  with the destruction of his totem, 『Blink』 failed to activate, and he began to fall.

« Why the hell would you destroy the toteeeeeeem—?! »

Enough with that nonsense. Stop acting like you’re not dominated, you crazy bastard.

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