WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Professor

Translator: Touch

Editor: Grass

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Chapter 81: Chief Professor Cain (2)

This story begins an hour earlier.

The Empire was coming to see Cain, which made for a considerably nerve-racking situation.

After all, 『World Forgery』 was a forbidden skill.

If I were caught using it, the Empire would immediately order my death, and Constellation-rated combatants would come to destroy me.

It’d be game over in under two hours.

There were three possible types of people who could get me into deep trouble:

First, someone who had mastered illusion arts to a similar degree as I had.

Second, a cleric with extremely strong divine power.

Third, a Constellation combatant.

Each of them would be capable of seeing through my forbidden skill.

Option 3, the Constellations, could identify it solely by the characteristics of my mana—however, those were people of much higher rank and wouldn’t visit Hiaka Academy just to check on someone like Cain. Therefore, Option 3 was a non-issue.

To be fair, Agion, the 「Radiant Constellation⁺₊⋆」 did praise me, but still…

A Constellation coming to the academy would be like a Tsar Bomba nuclear warhead casually walking into Seoul National University.

The government would naturally take notice, raise every red flag, and inform everyone of the potential danger.

And since I hadn’t heard a single thing, Option 3 was out.

There were a few other possible ways I’d get busted—like the Dukedom of Sombania’s national treasure seeing through my forbidden skill—but they were fairly unrealistic, so I dismissed them.

If the Empire brought people who fit Options 1 or 2, though… I could be in trouble.

I’d better prepare in advance.

So, while I was alone, I brought out the Cain I’d made previously and gave him some final tweaks.

Ah, first, I need a mask for him.

After thinking it over, I decided on an elephant. I crafted an elephant mascot costume’s headpiece to use as Cain’s mask. The ears were large and floppy, and the trunk was long and soft. It could even move.

“Not bad.”

But why did I think of an elephant?

I had no clue.

Anyway…

Ideally, I would act as Chief Professor Cain myself—transmitting mana signals to the illusory Cain and constantly inputting new [Variable Actions].

But if the Empire brought people who fit Options 1 or 2, they’d surely notice the mana flowing back and forth from the boy.

Yet, a single [Variable Action Input] wouldn’t be enough to resolve this situation. Human interactions were far too complex to be programmed with just one.

But that’s fine.

There was a way around this. I just had to create Chief Professor Cain for real.

How?

By forging a human.

Time Forgery and Memory Forgery weren’t the only formulas I had obtained by achieving 90% proficiency in 『World Forgery』. I also gained a deeper understanding of how to combine formulas together.

I’ll merge an ultra-advanced Phenomenon Forgery with Perception Forgery and Memory Forgery.

It was a complicated process, so the details could be left out. But it roughly went like this:

⋮

—— Dante’s Unnecessary Thoughts and Explanations ——

1. To enable Cain’s five senses, I built advanced sensory and processing centers into his body using Form Forgery. So, he will see, hear, and feel like a human.

2. I used Phenomenon Forgery to give him the ability to reason. So, he will think like a human.

3. I inputted “interaction with the outside world” itself as a [Variable Action]. Thus, he’ll speak and act just like a human.

But if I went this far, no matter how much of a genius I was, the illusion would become choppy and laggy. Chief Professor Cain would move in a jerky, stuttering way. 

This wasn't an issue caused by my incompetence—even a Constellation would struggle with this. The illusion would simply become too heavy.

There would be too much complexity packed into this small body. But that was okay.

4. I cast Perception Forgery onto Cain, making it so that the gazes and senses directed toward Cain would receive TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing). 

It fills in the gaps in Cain’s movement to make it appear smoother and more natural. 

To compare, it’s like replacing a 1-meter tall step with ten 10-cm steps, making the climb smoother and easier.

But the problem with this Perception Forgery is ghosting issues.

Cain’s movements might leave behind unwanted trails and afterimages.

Initially, I planned to cast another formula to reduce the ghosting, like smudging the afterimage to make it less visible. But…

Huh? It’s not working…

The formula was quite complex, and couldn’t be added onto Cain since he was already too heavy.

If I make him even more complex, he’ll stagger and lag even more, needing additional fixes. But those fixes will make him even heavier and more sluggish…

It was an endless, vicious cycle. 

Was there really no way around this?

Hmm… Ah!

As I thought about it, I came up with a breakthrough.

Cain just needs to be a slow-moving child.

If Cain’s movements were quick, the lag would become more obvious. But if he were sluggish to begin with, the stuttering would barely register.

This’ll work.

I attached a [Slow Mode] to the illusory boy.

Finally,

5. If I used Memory Forgery on top of the previous formulas to implant my memories of designing the final exam into Cain’s mind… 

Then the forged human known as Chief Professor Cain would be complete.

—— Dante’s Unnecessary Thoughts and Explanations: END ——

And so, I finished crafting Cain.

And this boy’s [Variable Actions] were firmly under my control. There would be no issues of disobedience with this artificial human.

"Lift your head, Chief Professor Cain,” I ordered him.

Cain, who was sitting quietly with his head drooped, slowly lifted his head. Light filled his large, round eyes as he looked directly into mine. We gazed at each other for a moment.

“…”

That was when I realized my mistake.

There was a problem. An unintended one.

Cain stared at me blankly.

It wasn't a technical issue.

He recognized me. He deduced that I was his master—and acted accordingly.

He extended his arms toward me. His movements were slow, but without stuttering.

Nevertheless… there was a problem here.

Professor Cain slowly wrapped his arms around my neck.

It was something I wasn’t expecting. His small arms wrapped around me as his tiny forehead pressed against my cheek.

He was… embracing me.

I grabbed him by the nape and peeled him off.

With nowhere to go, his arms drooped back down slowly.

But then Chief Professor Cain slowly smiled, beaming broadly.

Then in a tiny voice, he whispered,

“Hello…”

Here was the issue:

Firstly, since he was a newly created life form, he was a spotless, pure-white canvas with no speck of dust.

Secondly, his slow movements perfectly matched his newborn, innocent, and naïve nature.

Lastly, humans tend to be selfish, protective, and aggressive due to their struggles for survival and propagation. But this child had none of those traits.

Ezekiel was right. How could this adorable creature be a professor?

That was my problem right now.

“…?”

Since I remained silent, Cain tilted his head in confusion.

I was at a loss. I couldn’t present him to the imperial professors in this state.

I don't have much time…

But I had to do something. So I decided to go ahead and start educating him, just as I had planned.

“Your name is Cain.”

He nodded confidently, albeit slowly.

“From now on, I will be educating you.”

“Remember, the key when interacting with people is to say only what’s necessary.”

“Answer me.”

“Yes…”

“So, what do you say to people?”

“Only what’s necessary…”

“That’s right. The same goes for your actions. You should do only what’s necessary. Do you understand?”

Good.

After that, I trained him vigorously through simulated interviews in preparation for meeting the imperial professors.

“Did you create that tree, Professor?” I asked.

“How did you make it?”

“Diligently…”

“What’s the secret to your great prowess at such a young age?”

“Diligence and sincerity…”

Good. He passes.

“May I ask how old you are?” I continued.

“One year old…”

“That’s fair, but you need to pretend you’re much older,” I explained, dropping the interview act.

“Two years old…?”

“No, no. Much more than that.”

“Um… a thousand years old?”

“…What?”

I was stunned by his suggestion. But after a moment of consideration, I decided to go along with it.

“Heh. That might actually be better. We don’t have to reveal everything about ourselves, and this gives you a mysterious vibe.”

“One thousand years old, then…?”

“Yes, that’s good,” I agreed.

Cain nodded in satisfaction.

He seemed pleased that the very first idea he’d devised on his own had been approved.

Next, I decided to ask slightly more difficult questions.

“I have a question about the expansion of circuits, Professor. You used a [Beta Expansion Formula] that’s not commonly used for the tree. May I ask why?”

Cain looked at me with a blank expression and pressed his lips together.

“A-A small illusion… wouldn’t have been enough… in order to… combine everyone’s powers…”

“If you really designed the tree yourself, could you reconstruct that circuit here and now?”

His words faltered, but the boy proficiently and flawlessly created the circuits.

After all, he had the actual memories of the person who had designed the tree from scratch.

“Whoa… that’s really remarkable,” I said, on purpose.

Clap, clap, clap!

At my enthusiastic applause, Cain’s nervous expression melted away, and a bright, delighted smile crossed his face once more.

With that, his basic education was finished.

The imperial professors surely didn’t come here merely out of pure curiosity.

They were most likely sent by someone from the academy’s upper echelons—perhaps a dean or the board chairman.

“Chief Professor Cain,” I addressed the boy again.

“There are many people in the Empire who are curious about you. Could you say a few words to them?”

Cain blinked, scratched his cheek with a tiny hand, and fidgeted with his fingers.

The [Variable Actions] I’d input into him hadn’t prepared him for this.

So now it fell to him to come up with something to say to total strangers.

He contemplated for a long time.

Then, to my surprise, he gave an answer I hadn’t expected.

“I love you…”

I sighed.

This was to be expected from a newly created human. His words and thoughts weren’t fully logical. He was still very naïve and innocent.

I’d told him to say only what was necessary, and yet… here we were with this ridiculous confession of love.

Still, everything else had gone reasonably well, so I decided not to dampen his confidence.

“Good. That’s it for your education. When you meet the imperial professors, make sure you say only what’s necessary. All right?”

“Yes…!”

The boy answered confidently.

* * *

———

< Report to His Imperial Majesty, the Great Emperor of Hattengraj >

Date: Imperial Year 502, January 23rd, 17:13.

Authors: Hashiroa Krumishien, Chief Professor of Illusion Magic Studies (Primary) / Circe Ryu, Chief Professor of Illusion Magic Studies (Secondary)

Subject: Cain, Chief Professor of Illusion-Assassination Studies of Hiaka

Full Report:

To His Imperial Majesty Hattengraj—the great, rightful, and legitimate sovereign of the continent and the world—we, the humble professors of the Imperial Academy, humbly present this report.

Today, Professors Hashiroa and Circe met Chief Professor Cain of Hiaka Academy—an individual known only by rumor and hearsay until now.

Hiaka strongly demanded that we not take photos, so we could only secretly capture a few. Unfortunately, the professor was wearing a mask, and we must apologize for being unable to provide a clear image of his face.

Below is a chronological account of our meeting. For more detailed thoughts and clarifications, please refer to the (▼see more) sections. We kindly ask Your Imperial Majesty to review the sections of interest.

1. First impressions were bewildering. Cain appeared to be no more than a young boy, around five or six years old. He stood barely a meter tall and wore the mask of an elephant costume. He seemed far too young to be called a “chief professor.” At first, we wondered if this was Hiaka’s ludicrous attempt at deception. (▼see more)

2. The child kept curiously fiddling with the elephant trunk, and we could only sigh in disbelief. When we asked his age, he claimed to be a thousand years old—with such mischief in his tone that we seriously considered walking out of the room. And yet… as we interviewed him and collaborated on an illusionary decoration for the Cain Tree, our initial impressions started to change.

3. Cain’s mastery of illusion arts was surprisingly advanced. His claim of being a thousand years old no longer seemed entirely implausible. We even wondered if he was someone who had achieved the miracle of Rejuvenation. We speculate that he is by far the top illusionist in Hiaka and would rank among the top ten illusionists across the continent. (▼see more)

4. Additionally, Cain’s illusion art is fundamentally based on “the imitation of form,” which surprised us even more. It did not resemble any other styles of illusion art we had seen before. It had a unique originality similar to the 『Glass Butterfly』 of House Habanero. However, Professor Circe kept insisting that it was similar to the illusion arts of “Abraxas.” (▼see more)

5. Regarding the Cain Tree, it is unquestionably Cain’s own creation. While he appears timid and hesitant during normal conversations, he demonstrates unwavering confidence, precision, and accuracy during the illusory creation process. When we struggled to understand certain aspects, it was us who were tested, and we were… (▼see more)

6. The most shocking moment came later. Despite our failure to meet the challenge, Professor Cain voluntarily explained his insights to us, even revealing the inner workings of a secret circuit. Professor Circe and I were stunned. The type of knowledge he shared would normally cost millions of hika if taught by top-ranked illusionists such as Gyul-Gyul, Luna, or even Agion. And yet, Cain offered it freely—without demanding recognition or reward. (▼see more)

7. We must apologize in shame, Your Imperial Majesty. From that moment onward, we became truly excited, not as emissaries of the Empire, but as pure scholars.

8. For nearly 30 minutes, we carefully discussed the progress and challenges of our own illusion arts research. Professor Cain kindly engaged with every challenge we mentioned, even offering solutions or ideas for some of our longstanding puzzles. (▼see more)

9. At one point, as we sat around a small desk and took notes together, Professor Circe remembered her son who passed away last year and asked for a brief break from the interview… But upon hearing her situation, Professor Cain unexpectedly hugged her and said, “I love you.”

10. It was a gesture of comfort. Though it was a cold midwinter day, Cain removed his elephant headpiece and pressed his cheek against Professor Circe’s, sharing his warmth. At that moment, I was struck by a final, overwhelming shock. The face revealed beneath the mask was simply indescribable. It was truly… (▼see more) (▼see more) (▼see more)

11. That concludes our account of this meeting.

12. One remaining point of doubt is the possibility that Chief Professor Cain is, in fact, an illusory construct, controlled remotely by a separate true body. However, there was absolutely no indication of this to any of our senses.

13. After 50 years of silence, Hiaka was blessed with a third child of incredible talent by the heavens, following the 「Shadowless Constellation○」 and the 「Pitch-Dark Constellation⚉」.

14. If Hiaka and the Empire pursue academic exchanges in the future, Chief Professor Cain’s presence alone would serve as a profound source of inspiration and knowledge. However, I believe that is not sufficient. In our view, the Empire must strive to bring him into our fold regardless of the long-term cost. We should spare no expense in this effort. (▼see more)

15. Chief Professor Cain is wasted on Hiaka.

Chief Professor Cain – END

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