Surviving the Assassin Academy as a Genius Professor-Chapter 246: A World Where Everything Is Perfect (1)

The seasons passed.

In a scorched corner of the city, a single dandelion bloomed.

When the tears dried up, people began to smile. War turned into somebody’s tale of derring-do.

Newly enrolled child assassins fell for each other. On empty streets they secretly held hands and walked, hearts pounding.

At the tavern a liquor called “Galois Milk” was a massive craze. A drink that made people honestly happy without hangovers or addiction. Assassins of Black Abyss and White Saber—mortal enemies—would drink it and burst into loud laughter, taking selfies together.

This place was—

A school where everyone is happy.

Beautiful Hiaka Academy.

⋮

Life is punishment.

It’s a thought Rebecca often has.

So every single moment she lived and breathed felt a little unfair. It’s not like she did anything wrong, yet she was always being punished.

Once upon a time, even the faint guilt she felt while killing someone came from the same place. Everyone’s being punished. Aren’t I cutting short your punishment for you?

“...That’s not so, Your Highness.”

“Hm?”

“If you come to like someone, it might not be punishment.”

It was Dame Layme who said that.

“If you come to like someone, life isn’t punishment?”

Rebecca laughed.

“Insane. Are you serious?”

What a ridiculous line.

Hilarious. Dame Layme of all people has a surprisingly soft side.

An assassin.

And not just any assassin—an elite top-tier agent serving as an instructor for special-operations training—she’s the one saying something out of a children’s fairy tale?

And then Dante Hiakapo walked into her life.

......

At first, that man she thought was just an unlucky bastard of a professor—

......

As they slowly grew closer,

......

Princess Rebecca thought to herself alone,

“...Huh. That shouldn’t be possible.”

Well.

But couldn’t it happen?

She was still young... and when people keep living, there are days when their thoughts change...

I mean...

To be honest, when she suddenly found herself really liking Professor Dante—

Mm...

She almost felt like she kind of understood what Dame Layme meant.

“...You think I’d say that? Fuck that. Don’t even start.”

In the end she got dumped, though.

When did she confess and when did she get dumped?

She only asked him to please dote on her a little—anyone who isn’t a moron would know that’s a confession.

He didn’t answer, but Rebecca isn’t a moron. Not answering means a rejection, doesn’t it?

“Fuck. He dumped me?”

Are you blind?

Anyone could see he was the one losing out.

She’s younger than him. She’s pretty. She’s a royal. She’s a genius mage.

Sure, she’s a fucking brat with attachment issues, but honestly she’s a cute fucking brat, isn’t she?

“And you really dump that? You crazy bastard.”

And who did he throw her away for?

Not even a human—something with disgusting horns on its head, can’t even speak—a gross thing he shacked up with. Unbelievable.

“What the hell. So life really is punishment after all, huh?”

Now there was no Dante in her life. So there wasn’t any particular reason to try hard. The Emperor was dead. Her father’s dementia had cleared. World peace seemed to have arrived. Flowers were blooming. Ah, fuck it. Whatever.

Since it’s come to this anyway, I’ll just...

“Should I just kill myself.”

On a warm summer day after the Summerneken War ended, Rebecca pressed the muzzle of a pistol against her lower lip and thought that.

Then she felt someone behind her.

“Why,”

Flinch. Rebecca’s shoulders hunched.

A voice she shouldn’t have been able to hear.

“do you put such ill-mannered words in your mouth.”

After the Summerneken War, Professor Dante—who hadn’t come home and had stayed only in the professors’ building—suddenly came looking for her.

“...Uh, huh? Long time...?”

She found herself standing up without knowing why. She didn’t even know why she immediately backed away once she stood.

“Long time no see. Have you been well?”

“......”

Rebecca blinked.

How could he act like nothing happened?

He didn’t come while she was stuck in the hospital?

He dumped me?

A fouled millstone rolled in her head.

“...Why are you here?”

“Is there any problem with a husband coming home?”

“What bullshit? You said you didn’t like me.”

“Seems you’ve had a rough time. You weren’t one to make things up.”

“?”

What on earth was going on?

Rebecca hurried to pull herself together.

“...Whatever. Obvious, right. You’re here to sweet-talk me into going to hunt demons again.”

“That is correct. Will you come with me to hunt the remnants of the demons.”

Rebecca snorted.

“Go ahead.”

Two hours later they were at a summer resort.

Under the warm sunlight, Rebecca—sitting on a rock—blinked.

“???”

Fwoosh! Dante surged up, heaving the water aside. Seawater splashed.

“What are you doing. Not coming in.”

“......?”

“Are you planning to just stay there?”

“......Hold on. I can’t swim. And what exactly are we even doing here, right now?”

Dante tilted his head.

“Does the princess not know how to have fun?”

“That’s not what I mean. Why the hell am I—playing like this, here—with you—”

She couldn’t finish the sentence because Dante grabbed Rebecca’s hand and yanked her into the water. “Kya!”

Splash!

As she thrashed, something supported her body. A solid, muscular arm.

“Hands off!”

Startled, she shoved him and Dante laughed. His face was so annoying she splashed him with a lot of water. Water went in his eyes and he grabbed something and tossed it. A harmless jellyfish. When Rebecca recoiled in fright, Dante laughed a little louder. And so, somehow, she ended up splashing around with him.

He simply taught her how to float, how to swim, how to open her eyes underwater. Annoyingly enough, he really taught well—professor that he is. When she swam with her eyes open, a beautiful world of coral unfolded beneath.

It felt strange. She used to think splashing around in water was an extremely stupid thing to do. In the end, if it presses down on you, you drown; ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) what’s the point of flouncing in the shallows? But right now Rebecca herself was doing exactly that.

“I’m tired.”

“Are you.”

He hoisted Rebecca up and set her on the rock. Dante’s head was between her knees. The sense of distance was a bit peculiar.

The sun was warm.

The water was cool.

And—

“...Why are you being nice to me?”

The princess asked very slowly.

“Because I like you.”

“......”

She couldn’t understand it. What on earth he was scheming... truthfully she had felt tipsy for a while now. Or maybe she was dreaming. Something.

Something felt off...

But hadn’t she just been about to kill herself? So who cares. Whether it’s a dream or she’s drunk—Rebecca liked the scene in front of her eyes.

What she wanted wasn’t a clear-cut truth.

“...If you like me, then hold me.”

So, she hands him the trigger.

If this is a dream, pull it with your own hand.

And yet, why—

“Come here.”

“......”

This time she lowers herself into the water on her own.

Then she’s seized and drawn in.

As she’s gathered into his arms—movements unmistakably different from all their unavoidable brushes until now—and as she feels the slight warmth that stands out in the cold water, Rebecca thought for a moment.

'......'

Maybe I’ll be punished a little longer. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

***

The Summerneken War sent a national shockwave through Hiaka.

Everywhere—press, salons—Shaman’s death, a man respected as an adult wherever he went; and the death of Betelgeuse, the spiritual pillar of Black Abyss—these shook countless assassins.

Meanwhile, those who saved the Academy brilliantly from the assaults of no fewer than six one-horned and two-horned demons began to be hailed as heroes.

Many professors and Dante Hiakapo. And—

The Hero Party were the very protagonists of that feat.

At present their heightened fame had spread so widely that even a sewer rat passing by could recognize them and pretend to know.

On the other hand, there were those who, despite getting caught up in the core of the incident and successfully taking down one hornless demon 3-on-1, received no particular attention, so it became nothing more than their own private tale of valor.

“...Did we fight hard because we wanted that kind of thing?”

“Mm-hm. Right, right.”

“Hmph. A true hero remains quietly behind the stage by nature.”

Namely, the Idiot Trio.

Recently they were being used as Dante’s TAs and spent their days under Ran, handling administrative work and such.

“Clinging to being recognized is conduct unworthy of a hero.”

“......”

“......”

Even so... this level of indifference?

They didn’t even get recruitment offers from assassin groups that everyone else seemed to be getting.

Graduation was upon them, and they were about to be thrown barehanded onto the bottom rung.

‘Well, we did almost every term over again...’

‘Mm, even I wouldn’t hire me...’

“A sad thing indeed. This world fails to recognize the true worth of Dominic de Dominic Dominic III.”

It was depressing.

Forte’s family was half-ruined. Hwaru’s family had never been much to begin with, and Dominic was the son of a fallen noble; say no more.

Meaning, with not a penny of family support, with parents elderly or ill—some of them—they had to jump into the job market at the very bottom with no one’s help.

‘Still, we’re not the only ones having it hard. We’ve gotta try.’

They were trudging gloomily toward the Assassin Hall when—

Forte flinched to a stop.

“Freeze.”

“Huh? Why, Forte?”

“...Killing intent. Be careful. It’s an assassination.”

“Eh?”

“What?”

Hwaru and Dominic tensed and lowered their stances.

“Hm. Strange. Why attempt an assassination on us? Maybe they’ve got the wrong info?”

“Right? We’re not even professors, just TAs...?”

“Stay sharp. It’s not just one or two.”

Swhiiish—!

A bullet came for his head in an instant. When he dodged, the tree behind him exploded.

“Three-twenty, one-twenty.”

Calling the coordinates, Forte returned fire. Bang bang! Dominic, too, whipped his heavy forearms and body like a lash and launched shuriken.

The enemy avoided both attacks, but Hwaru was already there. Using her [Leap] ability, Hwaru’s blade struck true.

“Got you! You’re gonna be so—! ...Huh!?”

Then she froze.

Because the enemy’s identity was Professor Dante.

“Your movements are decent. You pass.”

The three went stiff as boards.

By chance they’d had many points of contact with him, but—

Ever since he became a Constellation, meeting him was harder than plucking a star from the sky.

“W-what brings you here, sir?”

Asked Forte, taut with tension.

An astonishing answer came back.

“I have not forgotten that you’re about to graduate. I know your situations. If you’re willing, I was thinking I’d write you a letter of recommendation to a good place.”

“Huh!?”

“Mm? Really?”

The three who had been about to end up sucking their thumbs nodded at once.

A few days later.

The three swallowed dryly and stood in the Empire’s “Peaceful Valley.”

< Assassination Daily >

The trio adjusted their clothes. For those who’d only ever worn assassin uniforms or cadet uniforms, this was an utterly unfamiliar outfit for brand-new members of society.

— Pardon? Assassination Daily, sir?

Good lord! It was an insanely good offer. Sure, it’s a workplace that gets a lot of hate, but it’s an Imperial company and a media house famous for making bank.

It wasn’t strange that Dante had connections there. But they had a question.

— Why us, at Assassination Daily...?

— From what I’ve seen all along, you three are perfect for being reporters.

— Reporters?

— Eh? Us?

After that, the three put their heads together to figure out the detailed reason, but no matter how they thought, they couldn’t tell.

Surely Assassination Daily is a place for those whose nature is to inflate rumors and run their mouths, isn’t it?

Where in the world would you find assassins like themselves—taciturn, keeping faith, able to hold secrets—

Anyway.

“All right, interview time. Let’s go, you guys.”

“Mm!”

“So this is the place. Where the legend of Dominic begins...”

They set off.

On the brink of the end of their childhoods, the new future of three assassins—was starting right here.