On a day when there was no regular meeting of the Golden Apple, the conference room was lit by candlelight in the middle of the night.
The first to enter was Professor Buckingham, followed by a few other professors who came in one after another.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes, including myself, these are the professors participating in this plan.”
“Hello, I teach the history of the Empire.”
“Hello, I teach the theory of jousting.”
There were faces that weren’t visible last time.
I could tell they were dressed formally and wearing smiles, but like the professor in front of me, their expressions were all rather dim.
However, I didn’t think it was strange.
Unlike the recognition-inhibiting magic that confuses onlookers, I was clearly able to perceive the individuals in front of me.
They seemed very natural but had a vague impression that made them hard to remember.
The professor who was to teach the liberal arts turned around and spoke.
“The reason we’re all gathered here is that Professor Buckingham, the initiator of this operation, wanted to discuss the Hunting Festival.”
“I see… so everyone is here… then let’s begin the meeting regarding the Hunting Festival.”
Having confirmed that everyone had gathered, Buckingham took his seat and began the meeting.
He had a surprisingly arrogant attitude compared to when he was at the Golden Apple.
“First agenda item. With the first week passing… most students have decided where they will participate. It’s impressive speed, considering there are only two weeks left.”
“However, I hear the student you were hoping for is not participating in the Hunting Festival.”
“Yeah… any opinions on that?”
That student… I was talking about Atlas.
The original plan was like this.
For the safety of the students, during the Hunting Festival, they would attach an artifact that can assess their condition to their arm, and the artifact given to Atlas would be marked as ‘a talisman to summon monsters’, making it a target for Orthos, the two-headed beast located in the deepest part of the Black Forest.
It would be best if Atlas died to Orthos, but even if he managed to defeat it, I thought about making him responsible for the chaos caused by using the ‘talisman to summon monsters’ that was banned at the Hunting Festival.
But this plan had already collapsed from the start.
The target, Atlas, declared that he would not participate in the Hunting Festival.
Without participating, he wouldn’t even encounter monsters, making it impossible for him to possess the talisman to summon monsters.
Considering his combative nature, I had assumed he would participate, but I was faced with an unexpected outcome.
Other professors began to throw in their opinions one by one.
“Class 5 clearly mentioned they would run a tea house, right? It would lure the monsters.”
“That’s too simplistic… The Academy’s building is not so flimsy that monsters would just barge in. The moment a monster steps out of the Black Forest, instructors and professors will take the lead.”
The distance from the Black Forest to the Academy is quite far.
Unless the monsters can perform space movement, the professors would notice beforehand.
“I’d like to propose an idea.”
“Go ahead.”
After the first suggestion was rejected, someone next to me spoke.
“So how about luring them into the forest?”
“Luring them into the forest?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that student holds their people in high regard… If we choose one, mark them, and let Atlas know, wouldn’t he rush into the forest?”
“Oh, that’s a great idea!”
The next method proposed was to use hostages.
If Atlas himself refuses to go into the Black Forest, we could take one of his friends hostage and threaten him with death by monsters if he doesn’t come.
Though Buckingham’s face went pale, he managed to hold it together.
“Indeed, just as someone teaching history would say. Then how about this? We mark the class while briefly turning off the Academy’s defensive magic.”
“Even if the principal isn’t in the right state of mind, remember that all his focus is on proving the Academy’s safety. Defensive magic is closely connected to the Archmage; if it turns off even for a moment, he’ll notice immediately.”
“Even if he notices it’s off, we can create a situation where he can’t respond. Make the area around the Black Forest a complete mess, directing all his attention there, and then release the magic.”
“Oh, that also sounds like a very good method.”
“No, there will be too many casualties among the regular students.”
Buckingham rejected the next proposal based on the specifics.
Even so, the suggestion to sacrifice numerous students was dizzying to hear.
“I knew you’d say that. This is just one of the methods anyway. We’re also reluctant to prepare something so large-scale. Hahaha.”
The man suggesting the sacrifice of numerous students appeared to know Buckingham would reject it, simply laughing.
All while completely unaware that someone was watching from above their heads.
“I’m well aware of your disgusting thoughts.”
Suddenly, all the candles extinguished at once.
As pitch-black darkness surged in, I heard the sound of chairs being pushed back from various directions.
Flustered professors stood up from their seats.
And then screams echoed.
“Gaaah!!!”
“Ah!!”
Along with a scream from a person, there was also the sound of something breaking.
Explosion sounds, cracking sounds, smashing sounds, tearing sounds. It didn’t take long, but in the darkness where not even a single inch could be seen, someone was vigorously breaking something apart.
“Gah…!! You betrayed me, Buckingham…!!!!”
“Betrayal is an act established between trusted parties… Have we ever built such a thing?”
I had been quietly listening to their discussion from above since the meeting started.
I hadn’t even informed Buckingham.
I had just told him to go about his usual meeting.
I subdued three professors… no, people disguised as professors.
Naturally, even in an abyss of darkness where not a single ray of light penetrated, they moved skillfully, but wherever they blocked my attacks, they were smashed as a result.
When the candles were lit again, they all lay sprawled on the floor, their arms and legs broken like worms.
“Ugh…”
Seeing the three seemingly normal people suddenly turn into worms writhing on the floor made Buckingham tremble.
It was hard to understand how someone who was supposed to be a soldier shook like this.
He stopped his hand, which was about to lift up one of the men disguised as a professor.
The reason was simple.
Though it was clear that three had fallen, I sensed more than that.
“You bastards hid your forces and snuck in.”
“?!”
As I spoke what I felt, cracks appeared on their faces.
Without hesitation, I raised my foot high and stomped down.
– Thud!!!
I didn’t just stomp down with pure force; I filled the entire ground with aura waves.
The room shook as if an earthquake occurred, and taking in the candlelight, their shadows danced chaotically.
“Uwaaaah!!!”
“How did you notice this??”
As the shadows shook and scattered, they transformed into individuals clad in black clothing.
I recognized that technique.
It was a skill known as Shadow Veil, learned by assassins in this world… in other words, it’s a technique that anyone who reaches expert-level skill in swordsman can master.
It appears the assassins are entangled in this incident.
“Now that you’ve realized this… die!!”
With two people per assassin, a total of six individuals dressed in black swiftly pulled out their hidden weapons to charge at me.
I have to say, their quick judgment deserves some extra points.
“Stop!! You’re not capable of handling this opponent!!”
“…Two would be enough to speak.”
I guess it wasn’t the right judgment, but it was worth a penalty.
The leading assassin leapt into the air, wielding a short dagger.
It looked like a flashy move that seemed impractical, but that was just a decoy.
The other assassin behind the dagger-wielding one threw six projectiles over his shoulder.
The range of those projectiles was quite wide.
If I stepped back to dodge the dagger-wielding assassin, I’d be hit by the projectiles, and if I moved forward to avoid the projectiles, I’d get stabbed by the dagger.
Even if I cut down the dagger-wielding assassin or sliced him, dodging the subsequent attacks from the other assassins would be a challenge.
For an ordinary person, that is.
Unfortunately for them, I’m not a typical swordsman.
Without the aura surrounding me, I swung the squire’s sword horizontally and forcefully.
– Whoooosh!
From the outside, it seemed like just an ordinary swing.
A swing done with a sword that had no aura around it.
But that single strike was imbued with the essence of cutting through all problems with one swing.
– Clang!
– Splurt!!
As the flying projectiles swirling in the air fell to the ground, the sound of something hitting the ground sounded like that of sliced tomatoes dropping.
Though it had the implication of being moist and red like tomatoes, what fell was not tomatoes.
What fell were the bodies of the assassins, now cut in half horizontally.
The powerless chunks of meat began to bleed profusely from their cut surfaces like burst water balloons.
“Ugh…”
In one swift stroke, three men had been diced.
One charging forward, one throwing projectiles from behind, and one preparing to rush from just behind them, all three corpses turned to rubbish in an instant.
“!!!!”
The two assassins who saw their comrade splatter right in front of them charged in frenzy.
As assassins, they’re supposed to keep their cool, even when their bodies are being torn apart; these guys messed that up.
Originally from the existing three shadows, now two emerged from each, making it nine, but with three dead, only six remained.
That was a bit too much for questioning, so it was time to thin their numbers.
Without a single drop of blood on the squire, I sprang into action.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The conference room was now filled with a heavy stench of blood.
What had once been nine is now reduced to two, and the blood pouring from the seven meat chunks soaking into the carpet.
The two who remained had their arms and legs broken, their faces pressed into the carpet soaked with their comrades’ blood, and were trying to grit their teeth.
‘Gritting your teeth, huh?’
In one swift motion, I grabbed their faces and lifted them up.
“Cough…!!”
“I won’t allow you to kill yourselves.”
“Ghh…ugh…”
– Gag!
Using sheer force, I pried their mouths open and pulled out two hidden poison capsules they had concealed inside.
I thought it would end with just breaking their limbs, but they were trying something else.
I’d have to keep them talking and ensure they can’t move as they wish.
“Hyiiieek??”
Seeing me extract the poison capsules from their mouths was enough to make Professor Buckingham step back.
Watching people turn into chunks before his eyes was terrifying enough, but seeing someone get their teeth pulled would likely make him faint.
“Good job. Things are about to get a bit cruel, so you can leave now. You can stay if you wish to watch.”
“N-no!!!”
Buckingham rushed out the door.
Now only three were left.
I felt an unusual sensation in my grasp around their facial features.
It was a feeling like a shell being peeled off.
Concentrating on my fingertips, the skin on both their faces quivered as if they were cheap rubber masks sold around Halloween.
“Face-changing techniques, presence-hiding spells, techniques to hide in shadows… I already know where you are affiliated. Who hired you?”
“You think we’re going to tell you that…?”
One of them grinned.
It seemed they didn’t understand the situation they were in.
“!!!”
With one pressed down, the other’s facial muscles stiffened, and they froze like a shut-off electronic device.
The blood-soaked carpet, where the assassins’ faces were planted, bore witness to their horror.
“You… killed him, didn’t you…?”
“No, I just injected aura into his central nerve to immobilize him. Simple, isn’t it?”
“Injecting aura into the nerve…?? That could make someone unable to move forever!”
They must never have imagined someone would behave so recklessly to inject aura into such sensitive and delicate nerves.
As I had said, it was a potentially dangerous technique that could easily render someone unable to live normally.
But I never make mistakes.
“Even if they become handicapped for life, that’s none of my concern, right?”
“You… madman..!!”
“Getting praised for saying something like that is certainly commendable for a terrorist. Anyway, that guy is too well-rested now.”
– Poke.
I placed my hand on the waist of the last assassin and pressed the pain switch.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!”
“Now you just have to tell me everything you know, got it?”
“Ghhh… Ghhh….”
The assassin breathed heavily, dripping blood from half of his face.
I had stimulated their nerves, forcing them to scream in pain.
“What’s it like having screams erupting from your lower abdomen?”
“What did you do to my body…!!”
“The one asking the questions is me.”
I pressed the pain switch again.
Seeing my pinky finger plunge into the gap between the rigid spine was spine-chilling.
“Guhhh… Aahhhhhh!!!!”
Once again, the assassin screamed out.
“You went through all the effort and expense to break into the Academy, so who hired you?”
“Ghhh… Ghhh… Don’t think a simple pain like this can break me…!!”
An ordinary person would have lost their composure by now, begging for their lives, yet he held on well.
However, this wasn’t just simple pain.
I was stimulating functions essential for human movement that a human cannot resist.
“Sounds like three-tier villain talk… Do you want to die before you even get to speak?”
As I spoke, another piece of information surfaced in my mind.
“No, wouldn’t it be faster to have a necromancer do this? With seven heads lying around here, that should be sufficient, right…?”
Hearing my words, the assassin’s complexion gradually turned pale.
