WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Translator: Touch

Editor: Grass

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Chapter 54: Welcome back, ‘Professor’

Sitting on the sofa in the living room of my residence, Rebecca greeted me.

“Welcome back, Professor.”

Her voice lacked energy as always, sounding worn out and weary.

I wasn’t particularly surprised by her unexpected presence. I always knew that I would eventually run into her again—somewhere, somehow, no matter what.

It just happened a little earlier than I had anticipated.

“Would you two give us a moment?” Rebecca spoke to her guards.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And don’t eavesdrop on us when you're outside.”

“…Understood.”

She dismissed her guardian knight, Cheong-ru, and the shadow operative, Reim. I also nodded at the anxious-looking Adele, signaling her to step out as well.

After a brief moment, Rebecca and I remained alone in the room. I walked over to the armchair facing her and sat down.

Why had she come to speak with me? Regardless of what she had to say, my opinion of Rebecca was already fairly negative.

“I see you’re the same as always, trampling on the rules however you please and breaking them without a thought,” I stated.

“Am I?”

“You tried to assassinate an ally during wartime. And today, you barged into a professor’s residence uninvited. And as if that wasn’t enough, you unlocked my front door and walked inside wearing your shoes, when they’re supposed to be kept at the entrance.”

“I—”

“Your Highness.” I cut her off.

“Yes.”

I had to make it clear. I was the external pressure that would bring down the tyrant. I would always be the person to put her in her place.

“Take off your shoes. You’re in my house.”

She stared at me quietly. 

My voice sounded stern even to my own ears. Perhaps it was a tone Rebecca had never heard in her life.

But to my surprise, she bent down and began to take off her shoes.

“Better now?” she said, showcasing her pale feet where blisters, bruises, and wounds blossomed.

She was being unexpectedly obedient.

“What brings you here?” I jumped straight to the point.

“…I’ve been told that I’m fairly cold-hearted, but you might be worse than I am, Professor.”

“Cold-hearted, me?”

“Don’t you have a single word of concern to say after seeing your pitiful student’s feet so ruined?”

Her feet had ended up in such a sorry state because of the numerous funerals she had attended over the past weeks.

The assassination war occurred in multiple areas, including Zone 0 and Zone 2. After everything concluded, the princess visited every memorial site and funeral procession, offering her prayers tirelessly for days.

The Assassin Times newspaper has been filled with pictures of the princess for a while now, showing her devout love for the deceased. The Assassin Town online forum was also overflowing with praise and gratitude toward her.

But with the endless walking, crouching, and kneeling she had done, her feet were in a poor state.

“That, I have to admit. You’ve worked hard.” I praised her.

“…Thank you.”

“Did you punish Elize when she returned to the dormitory?”

“I did not. I was unsure whether I should at first, but I could understand her actions considering it was a command from someone like you, Professor.”

It seemed Rebecca knew about the commands that could control members of House Csikos. I wasn’t too surprised to hear that she knew of it since the commands had always been a royal privilege.

“So, why has the princess with such sore feet come to visit a measly professor without taking a rest first?”

“I have come to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“For attacking an ally during wartime. For telling you that you were unnecessary. And for ordering Elize to assassinate you. I sincerely apologize for all of it.”

Even as she apologized, Rebecca remained proud and haughty, sitting straight on the couch and refusing to bow.

Still, I was quite surprised. Her words didn’t align with the Rebecca I had encountered so far. Princess Rebecca was not someone who apologized to others.

“I accept.”

But I knew the apology was just an excuse to come talk to me.

Sure enough, after glancing around a little, the princess brought up the real topic she wished to discuss.

“…The administration will soon make a deal and enter into an agreement with the Empire. They plan to open the Assassin Department and begin academic exchanges with the Imperial Academy. Were you aware of this?”

It appeared she wished to discuss the events that would happen during 「Main Story 2: Betting Table」.

“I am aware.”

“Of course you are. I’m not even surprised. I won’t ask how you know these things anymore… However, I want to put a stop to this deal.”

“…Why?”

“Because in the long term, there’s a risk we’ll become a vassal state of the Empire.”

Rebecca then began listing her reasoning, one after another.

I could get the gist of her concerns even without hearing her out, because a lot of what she explained were things that could happen in one of the game’s bad endings.

But what mattered most was why Rebecca was bringing this up.

…It must be because the arrangement would hinder the Black Dragon Division’s goal.

Their goal was to assassinate the Emperor.

But if the Empire were to gain concrete knowledge about the Black Dragon Division—such as their identities, skill sets, and their constantly evolving assassination and combat tactics—their chances of assassinating the Emperor would drop drastically.

“I heard you’re going to be used as a key figure in this agreement, Professor. Did you know?”

…That was news to me.

“I must’ve underestimated how important you really are, Professor.”

I didn’t know how to reply, so I remained silent. 

“So, will you lend me your power? If you help prevent the deal, I will offer you 100 million hika as compensation.”

Rebecca offered a staggering sum. I now had an opportunity to instantly earn 100 million hika without slaving away for the White Path for four years.

But my stance on this matter was already firm. No matter how much she offered, it meant nothing to me.

Should I help Rebecca sabotage the agreement?

No. A hard no.

First of all, I had no reason to kill the Emperor.

Second, as a veteran player, 「Betting Table」 was the best scenario to acquire more Star Shards.

And finally, I had my own personal ambitions as a professor.

Just imagine...

Imagine Elize revealing herself to the world in the future, showcasing her spectacular abilities. She may still be lacking now, but guiding her improvement from this point forward—that is my responsibility.

In other words, the impact Elize would one day have across the continent as an assassin would be shaped by my own hand. And that was immensely appealing.

Moreover, I’d earn a huge amount of Star Shards in the process.

I would have to be crazy to sabotage a deal that would benefit me so much. In other words, my stance was already determined.

All that remained was to refuse Rebecca’s offer.

But…

“Very well.”

I agreed instead.

For a brief moment, a wave of shock rippled through Rebecca’s crimson eyes.

“You agree to lend us your power?” she asked.

“That easily?”

“I don’t know why you sound so surprised, but I shall indeed help you prevent the deal.”

The corner of Rebecca’s crimson lips twitched. She tilted her head with a frown, clearly struggling to make sense of my change in behavior. She must have expected me to reject her as I always had before. 

At the end of her deliberation, a short question slipped from her lips, showing a rare hint of genuine emotion surfacing for the first time since I’d met her.

A simple question. But my answer was just as simple.

“Because I want to help you.”

That was a blatant lie.

Rebecca didn’t reply. Instead, she folded her arms, leaned back into the couch, and crossed her legs again. Her gaze bored into mine, as if trying to pierce through my facade and discover what I was truly thinking. 

There were three reasons behind my lie.

First, since our relationship was already defined by hatred, I intended to deepen that bond of hatred and collect more Star Shards.

Second, during 「Betting Table」, the Black Dragon Division would play a crucial role, and this presented the perfect opportunity to eliminate the problem that was Rebecca.

Third... I just didn’t like her.

「Hiaka Academy: The Assassin Department」 has always been a game where players navigate challenging and urgent scenarios, making countless choices to discover their own answers to the story.

And my choice was to betray Rebecca completely once 「Betting Table」 began.

I would expose the entire Black Dragon Division to the Empire and, as their supervising professor, nurture them in preparation for the war against the Demon King.

The only potential issue was that Rebecca might try to kill me.

But I was fairly strong now, and if I made a proper deal with the department dean, I could ensure my safety.

From a player’s standpoint, this was the optimal choice.

“You want to help me?” Rebecca asked after a long silence, continuing to study my expression.

“I don’t get it. Why would you help me?”

Now it was time to act—to gain her trust until the deal with the Empire was finalized.

I slowly lowered my gaze.

“Look at your feet.”

“My feet?”

Rebecca looked down at her red, blotchy, bruised, and blistered feet.

“Yes. Those beautiful and admirable feet.”

“…I still don’t understand what you mean.”

“We had traitors defect to an enemy country, and entire districts collapsed during a bloody war. Meanwhile, Kreutz continuously mocks Hiaka with a haughty attitude. The atmosphere in our country is heavy with defeat and misery. But do you know where the populace looks in times like these?”

“Where?” she asked quietly.

“They look up.”

I raised a finger and pointed toward the ceiling. Rebecca’s crimson eyes followed the gesture.

She likely saw her own reflection in the glass of the small chandelier above us.

“Throughout history,” I said, “there are countless instances where a crumbling battlefront was reversed by the return of a single inspiring commander—where a losing war turned course at the mere news of a ruler joining the field.” I paused, locking eyes with her. “But what about Hiaka? Instead of becoming an inspiring figure, the royal family drastically reduced the academy's funding.”

Rebecca remained silent.

“I can understand their stance. The assassins already deployed in the field are performing just fine, after all. Meanwhile, the academy has become a gaping liability, with its declining performance and track record. But what was the result of the royal family’s announcement to cut funding? Numerous cadets and professors immediately requested to leave.”

At that time, the only royal who stepped up for the academy’s sake was Princess Rebecca.

I remembered the forum posts in Assassin Town praising her.

——

< It's reassuring to have Princess Rebecca around. >

< Is the princess okay? She's been attending each memorial and funeral every day for two weeks straight…. Heard that she hasn’t even returned to her dorms in a while. Looks like she hasn’t had the time to wash herself either… >

< Yo, did you guys hear? Thanks to the princess, the royal relief funds have increased fivefold. >

She had made a tremendous effort.

“You accomplished things that even the professors couldn’t.”

Rebecca raised a hand and brushed back her bright blonde hair. Then, for the first time, she showed a bit of humility.

“I only did what needed to be done.”

And I, too, was only saying what needed to be said—to earn her trust.

Since I was making good progress, I decided to take it one step further.

I grabbed a first-aid kit from my inventory, approached her, and knelt on one knee right in front of the dignified princess.

“What are you doing?” she asked, shifting her feet slightly back.

But I firmly held onto one of her ankles.

“Professor…”

“Stay still. I’ll treat it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Your foot is not fine.”

“No, I mean… I don’t like it when other people touch my bod—”

“The residents of the Assassin Department have been comforted and reassured thanks to all the distance this foot has traveled. But you’ve yet to receive any thanks from the academy faculty, have you?”

Rebecca didn’t respond.

“Stay still.”

I gave her basic first aid by cleaning the wounds, treating the blisters, wiping away pus and blood, applying ointments, and finally wrapping the foot gently in a bandage.

But what surprised me was how calloused her feet were.

I had assumed that as a royal princess, her feet would be pale and soft. But every spot I touched was rough, hardened by calluses.

“The other foot,” I said.

Rebecca didn’t reply. But she didn’t pull her foot away either.

Thanks to that, the second treatment went a bit more smoothly.

All of this was part of my ploy.

I had looked into Rebecca and found that she was quite an unstable princess.

She wasn’t even a legitimate royal princess to begin with.

She was the daughter of King Hiaka III, born of a concubine. In fact, she hadn’t even been born in the palace, but in some rural backwater.

To this day, the royal elders referred to her as having “the blood of vermin.”

“Did you also consider me nothing more than the filthy spawn of a low-born street girl? That I was vermin—unfit to be treated as a princess?”

The words—those she had spat while grabbing her treacherous maid by the hair after our first meeting—made perfect sense now.

And I knew that in games like this, characters with such backgrounds often harbored inferiority complexes, leaving them susceptible to kindness and human warmth.

To get rid of this tumor named Rebecca from the Black Dragon Division later on, winning her trust through an act of compassion was ideal.

I felt like I deserved an Oscar for my flawless performance.

Or so I thought… until Rebecca spoke again.

“You’re not going to betray me, are you?”

She spoke the line softly, but the air instantly turned cold.

“What?”

I looked up into her red eyes. I feigned indifference, but inwardly, I was rattled.

“...You’re not going to betray me after all this, are you?”

Something felt… off.

Rebecca’s gaze was usually sharp or, at best, weary. But now, it was strangely soft—uncharacteristically so.

“Betray you? Why would I do that? I’m a poorly paid professor, and you’re offering me a hundred million hika.”

“I heard you were loaned a national treasure. With that kind of power, a hundred million hika is nothing to you.”

“And what exactly would I gain from betraying you?”

“Who knows? People want all kinds of things in life.”

“Who in their right mind would betray the princess of their country?”

“That’s not true. Everyone… ended up betraying me.”

Her voice faltered ever so slightly.

For a brief moment, I wondered if I was making a mistake.

But no—I had made my decision for something more important.

I was faking kindness, doing something I didn’t want to do, all to earn her trust.

And I was in the middle of successfully earning it.

Upon checking my convictions again, everything still made sense in my mind.

“If you have even the slightest intention to betray me—say it now,” she said. “I’ll cancel our whole agreement and pretend none of this ever happened.”

Rebecca fell silent after that, watching me closely.

But as I reassessed the situation, I realized something:

Rebecca, too, was pretending. She was using me.

I couldn’t know for sure since I couldn’t read her thoughts in the textbox, but it had to be the case.

After all, everything I’d said to praise her earlier was just lip service.

Rebecca sacrificing herself for the academy? What a joke. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

She hadn’t visited the memorials and funerals like some noble saintess for the academy’s sake.

No, this monstrous woman had only pretended to pray for the deceased, while secretly casting the 『Curse of Soul-Devouring』 on each and every victim.

Among the hundreds and thousands of dead in recent months, Rebecca had absorbed their souls for her own gain.

I wasn’t here to judge or criticize her. I wasn’t any different.

Just as she planned to use me and the dead for her own purposes…

“You have nothing to worry about. I won’t betray you.”

I would use Rebecca for my own as well.

Rebecca gave a small nod.

As she stood up and tried to slip on her shoes to leave, she staggered.

It seemed the new layers of bandages on her feet had made it difficult to find her balance.

“…Ah.”

She stumbled forward…

And naturally, I caught her in my arms.

* * *

BOOM!

Eve sprang up and ran.

Even as her knees, feet, and elbows scraped along the gravel—leaving trails of blood—she had to keep running.

“That way!”

“Get her!”

The assassins were coming.

Welcome back, ‘Professor’ – END

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