Chapter 77. The Suspicious Professor
During Basic Physical Fitness class.
Radel was talking in a low voice with Tunia while running in the training ground.
This was the first time they had talked properly since the last hunting competition.
Radel recalled the documents he had received from Armandy and said.
“Sorry to say this, but I checked separately to see if what you told me was true.”
“Why is that sorry? It’s only natural. Otherwise, how would you believe me?”
Tunia answered with a cold face, but for some reason, it felt easier to talk to her than at the hunting competition.
Tunia quickly glanced around and lowered her voice without changing her expression.
“As you may have guessed, the client is your half-brother.”
Radel held up two fingers, and Tunia gave a slight nod.
‘So it was the 2nd Prince after all.’
Radel had expected it.
Although he hadn't expected him to follow him all the way to the academy to try to kill him...
He could have thought that now was his chance since Radel had no significant power yet.
More than that, she had casually revealed the client's information, which was an absolute confidential matter for an assassin.
“Is it okay to say all this?”
“Of course it’s not okay.”
Tunia looked at Radel as if to say, what are you talking about?
“If I want you to believe me, I have to say at least this much, don't you think?”
Radel quickly understood Tunia’s meaning.
Telling him even the client’s identity was a resolve to never get off the boat they had boarded together.
It was a resolve that just as Radel trusted her, she would also trust Radel.
And it meant that she would tell him all the information from the beginning so that if she disappeared without a trace, he could guess who was behind it.
Radel's expression became serious.
“When will the other assassin come to deal with you?”
“In a week.”
Tunia answered nonchalantly.
If she couldn’t kill Radel within a week, the next assassin would come.
It was highly likely that the younger siblings who had received assassination training with Tunia would come.
‘I have to break this cycle.’
Tunia resolved.
The Black Fang was an organization that the current guild master had re-established by gathering starving orphans after the guild collapsed 10 years ago.
As a child, Tunia had trained at first because they gave her food.
Later, she trained out of fear of being abandoned by the organization.
Now, she couldn't quit being an assassin because she knew that she would be killed if she betrayed the organization.
It had been nice to attend the academy for a few days without any worries.
To have freedom.
Tunia wanted to let her younger siblings, who had grown up with her, know that as well.
Radel read the composure in Tunia’s cold expression.
Seeing her firm resolve, Radel thought he should also prepare.
Just then, Tunia, who had been running silently in the training ground, glanced at the professor and then whispered to Radel.
“Be careful. There’s an assassin.”
“What?”
Radel was flustered by the sudden remark.
The Basic Physical Fitness professor was an assassin?
“That can't be. This is inside the academy.”
“I’ve been watching him for a while. I’m sure.”
Assassins had to develop an eye for recognizing their own kind.
That way, they could avoid provoking each other unnecessarily.
“He’s not from our organization, at least. But there’s no harm in being careful.”
Tunia’s cold gaze turned to the professor’s side profile.
Although he was trying not to show it, a habit of unconsciously not leaving his traces was noticeable.
It was certain that he had received systematic assassination training.
Radel also looked at the professor at Tunia’s words.
However, to Radel’s untrained eyes, he just looked ordinary.
‘There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual.’
Well, considering that Armandy and Tunia had also infiltrated, it wouldn’t be strange if there was an assassin among the professors.
First-class assassins were also skilled in disguise, so that might not be his real appearance.
As Radel quietly observed the professor, something came to his mind.
‘Wait. Didn’t Armandy say that there was a colleague who was a former assassin inside the academy?’
Radel decided to go and see the professor during the break.
* * *
“Professor, I came because I have something I’m curious about.”
The Basic Physical Fitness professor, upon seeing the student who had come to visit him during the break, spat out the water he was drinking.
Ptooey!
On top of that, he even dropped the water pitcher he was holding.
Clang!
“C-cough!”
“Are you alright, Professor?”
The student approached and checked the professor’s condition.
Fortunately, he seemed fine except for the coughing.
“Cough, I-I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
The student even picked up the water pitcher the professor had dropped and gave it back to him.
“Professor, here’s the water pitcher you dropped.”
“Gasp!”
The professor hastily backed away as the student approached him with the water pitcher.
It was a movement that felt so urgent, as if he had a bad memory associated with water pitchers.
“Professor?”
The student was puzzled by the professor’s behavior.
He, as if he had realized his mistake, cleared his throat and corrected his posture.
“I was worried I might cough again. Cough! A-it’s nothing.”
“Oh? Wait a moment. There’s something on the water pitcher.”
The student took out his handkerchief and began to wipe a mark on the corner of the water pitcher.
Seeing that, the corners of the Basic Physical Fitness professor’s mouth trembled.
It seemed he had recalled some unpleasant memory.
The fingertips of the hand that received the meticulously wiped water pitcher were trembling slightly.
“…Thank you. Anyway, what is it?”
“Yes, it’s nothing much, I was just wondering if I could have a short consultation. I have many questions about physical training.”
The Basic Physical Fitness professor smiled awkwardly.
“With me?”
“Yes, especially in the last lecture, I was deeply impressed by your words that if you want to be good at swordsmanship, it’s important to train not only the lower and upper body, but also the back and abdomen.”
“I-I see.”
The student began to passionately pour out questions to the professor.
The Basic Physical Fitness professor knew this academically enthusiastic student.
In fact, it was impossible for anyone teaching the 1st-years at the academy not to know him.
It was because he was not only a prince of the empire but also the 1st-year representative.
Radel Silvert Cretian.
He was a person who was often mentioned among the 1st-year major professors recently.
Discussions about which major Radel Silvert Cretian would choose were often held.
‘Why did he come to me out of all the professors?’
The Basic Physical Fitness professor felt burdened by Radel.
No, he was very burdened.
He began to answer the questions, avoiding Radel’s eyes.
“That part is also important, but you shouldn’t forget the pelvis. So, the reason why it’s necessary to train the muscles around the pelvis when doing swordsmanship is…”
Meanwhile, Radel was observing the Basic Physical Fitness professor while listening to his answers.
It certainly seemed like he was avoiding his eyes to a suspicious degree.
‘It’s like he’s doing that because he doesn’t want to get caught for something…?’
He was someone he had never met before listening to his lecture, but he somehow seemed familiar.
“Professor, wait a moment!”
Another student called the Basic Physical Fitness professor from that direction.
Then, the professor, whose expression had noticeably brightened, asked for Radel’s understanding.
“I’d like to tell you more, but I have to go to the other student, so it’s a shame. Next time, I’ll tell you about how to train your back intensively.”
“Yes. Thank you, Professor.”
Radel saw the professor off and then put his hand in his pocket and took out Armandy’s notebook.
And he opened the last page and whispered the activation word.
“Show.”
Then, a red dot began to appear on the empty paper.
There was no need to check who the owner of the red dot was.
The Basic Physical Fitness professor was a secret agent of the Ability Management Bureau.
* * *
“Is your business finished?”
When Radel returned to the training ground, Gusto was waiting for him.
“I’ve confirmed it. It seems Tunia was right.”
“I see. I didn’t think she would be lying.”
Gusto said nonchalantly while wiping his sword.
Seeing that, Radel had a question.
“Gusto, did you trust Tunia from the beginning?”
“No. The one I trust is you, Your Highness.”
Radel was momentarily at a loss for words at Gusto’s nonchalant reply.
Was this the effect of having an affinity of 50?
“To be more precise, I predicted that she wouldn’t be able to betray you easily. The moment she got to know a little bit about who you are, Your Highness, she had no choice but to change.”
“Um… I see.”
The trust of an apprentice holy knight is truly something.
Anyway, it was certain that the Basic Physical Fitness professor was an agent of the Ability Management Bureau, and according to Armandy’s information, there was a colleague who was a former assassin, so it was highly likely that they were the same person.
‘But he did avoid my eyes to a suspicious degree.’
A certain person came to his mind.
If it was someone who had to hide their identity from him, there were only two people in the Ability Management Bureau.
Agents who were directly related to Radel.
Once he realized that, the puzzle in his head fell into place.
‘One is Armandy. The other is…’
A person who didn't want their identity to be revealed to him.
A person who would show a strange reaction to a water pitcher.
The agent who had come to secretly monitor him when he was lying unconscious in the temple, had been caught, and had left after paying a donation.
Although he hadn't been able to confirm his face until the end because he was wearing a mask, a figure from a fond memory came to mind.
“I think I know who it is, but I need to confirm.”
At Radel’s words, Gusto proposed.
“Then it would be best to move at night.”
“You think so too?”
Radel’s heart was also moved by Gusto’s quick proposal, which was full of intention to attack.
However, to put it into action immediately, there was one problem that needed to be solved.
To approach him, he had to disable the strong security of the academy that was placed on the professors’ quarters.
This was a different case from when he had attacked Armandy last time.
‘The professors’ quarters would be on a different level.’
It was the quarters of the professors of the Imperial Magic Academy, so there was no way there wasn’t a single magic alarm.
This required a skilled expert.
But what about an assassin skilled enough to be deployed on a mission to assassinate a prince?
Gusto, as if he had the same thought, looked at Radel and gestured.
It was in Tunia’s direction.
Radel immediately went to Tunia and asked in a low voice.
“Tunia, we’re in a cooperative relationship, right?”
Tunia answered with an expression as if to say, why are you like this when we were just talking fine a moment ago?
“Right.”
Tunia didn’t know what the result of this answer would be.
* * *
That night.
“…Was this what cooperation meant?”
Tunia muttered in a cold voice.
A suspicious mask was on her face. It was a mask that Radel had brought separately.
“You’re not even an assassin, so why do you have something like this?”
“I bought it last time because I thought I might need it.”
Radel answered confidently with his masked face.
Gusto, who was also wearing a mask, nodded in agreement.
“An excellent choice. I was just thinking that I should get one.”
Tunia looked at the two extremely suspicious people.
‘Are these guys’ daily lives just infiltration?’
Anyway, as long as they were in a cooperative relationship, she had to help, whether she liked it or not.
“Listen to my instructions carefully and do only as I say. Let’s go.”
The suspicious trio in masks thus began their operation.