Another relentless, hectic day rolled by.

I had to schedule cadet training and adventure assignments, check their health, gear, and condition, and somehow squeeze in my own training too—for the next operation.

And along the way, I was starting to feel it.

The popularity.

When I opened the mailbox at the dorm villa, letters poured out. Media requests for interviews, invitations to meet—messages from countless martial artists and reporters. I tossed them all aside.

This had been going on for three weeks.

Shaman nagged me through the crystal orb.

– You know... wouldn’t it be a good idea to show your face in an interview or broadcast?

“...Not sure.”

– You’re going to get recognized in the Empire anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to accelerate the process? Plus, you’ve got people here in Hiaka going crazy to know more about you!

“......”

– Thanks to your assassination team skyrocketing in the Marquisate League, the trickle-down effect on our ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) entire department has been huge. Honestly, the whole school’s getting ready to back you with everything we’ve got.

In short: do some public appearances.

“I’ll consider it,” I said and cut the call.

Interviews.

Broadcasts.

Public engagement.

Sure, it had its benefits.

Higher visibility meant becoming a star professor.

It would open more doors—ducal leagues, capital leagues, and so on.

And when the “Paradigm” came, the academic world would definitely start paying attention.

‘Besides, it’s not like I’ve done anything completely absurd this time. Not like Cain or Abeltus.’

Even so, the reason I’d been putting it off—

‘...Honestly, I’m not confident.’

Up to now, everyone thinks I’m some genius professor.

But I know better. It’s all been the system’s doing. Acting. Presentation. Smoke and mirrors.

I’ve just gotten lucky each time. What if I screw up and say the wrong thing on air?

In my view, broadcast media is vicious. One slip of the tongue—or a glimpse of some buried dark thought—and it’s immortalized. It’ll haunt you forever.

So I hesitated.

– Professor~! You should do the interview!

The next day, Adele said the same.

– Professor, aren’t we doing any broadcast stuff? The team that got second place last time has been all over the interviews...

Even Gray, stuck at 199,900 followers on Empire social media platform Starfield⧉, chimed in.

– Hmm, I wasn’t saying it for my own follower count or anything...

Sure.

And so—

“......”

I summoned Cain, Abeltus, and Dante in front of me and asked seriously,

“What if we made a dedicated illusion body just for media appearances?”

To which:

“I like it...!”

Cain, who loved everything, agreed instantly.

“I approve. My master should not have to appear before filthy humans in person. It is far beneath your station.”

Abeltus, the warlord with a hatred of mankind, also gave his support.

“I object.”

Then Illusion-Dante crossed his arms and responded.

Objection?

“Why?”

“Because it’s a petty and worthless idea.”

“Wouldn’t it be better than me personally making a slip-up? A fixed illusion body is unlikely to glitch.”

“Spoken like a true idiot... Your logic is wrong.”

“What part of it?”

“Even asking the question is idiotic.”

...What’s with this guy? Why’s he going in so hard?

‘Ah.’

This guy...?

‘It’s the Negative Dante.’

The one from that time on Starfall Mountain—he’d driven both me and Knight Kashan crazy with his endless negation. I should’ve reprogrammed him ages ago, but I’d been too busy surviving.

‘Maybe now’s a good time to rewrite his action variables.’

Just as I reached into Negative Dante’s brain—

A call came in from a professor I knew.

– Professor Dante! You’ve been well, I hope?

“Professor Villemon. Long time.”

It was Professor Villemon of the System Shrine⧉.

– I’m glad to see you doing so well these days.

– My team’s heading out for their first run in the Marquisate League today.

“You must be busy with preparations.”

– Haha. Thank you. Hopefully we’ll do half as well as you.

I was a little glad to hear it.

Forte, Hwaru, Dominic... the “Three Idiots”—I’d heard they’d ended up in Villemon’s assassination squad.

‘Ordinarily, those kids wouldn’t have made it to the Empire with their grades.’

This must be the ripple effect. With Dante’s team doing well, Villemon’s team got their shot too.

– But one of my cadets got seriously hurt yesterday...

“...Dominic?”

– Ah, no. It was my son. The clumsy idiot broke his toe...

Apparently Villemon’s son was also in the squad, making him the unofficial fourth Idiot.

– We were planning a short run into a C+ dungeon, and I was wondering... could we borrow one of your team members as a temporary mercenary?

A mercenary?

I could’ve refused easily.

But Marquisate League rules required a minimum of four participants. Without that, they couldn’t enter at all.

So I called out to Balmung from the villa lounge.

“Balmung.”

“Yes, Professor?”

“If you’re free today, would you consider joining Villemon’s squad as a temporary mercenary?”

“Yes. I will.”

Polite posture.

Not a single question.

The attitude of a proper tool.

“Where are the others?”

“They’re all doing individual training. Today’s my rest day, by routine.”

That afternoon, I brought Balmung to meet up with Villemon’s assassination team.

It had been a while since I last saw the Three Idiots.

Wolf, rabbit, pig.

As soon as they saw me, they practically jumped.

“Ah—Professor! It’s been a while!”

“Whoaah...!”

“Professor Dante! You’ve been the talk of the academy lately. (...shhh)”

Once again, I was reminded of my own popularity, thanks to the league.

Normally, they’d cling to the front row of my classes and act all chummy.

Now they approached a bit stiffly. Like they were greeting the neighbor kid who got into med school.

After some light chatter, Hwaru cautiously asked,

“Professor, you’re not gonna pretend you don’t know us, right...?”

“Why would I pretend not to know you?”

“Because we’re not on your level now...?”

...Useless worry.

“Professor Villemon, if it’s okay, shall I take a quick look at their condition?”

“Oh, yes, of course! I’d appreciate that!”

To integrate Balmung, I gave them a simple test. Sent some beasts at them. Formed cliffs. Tossed them into a few simulated situations.

This is why skilled illusion-type assassins cost so much.

And I was honestly a little surprised.

“Huff, huff... How was that?”

Forte asked with a smile, visibly confident. Understandably so.

Unexpectedly, the three had improved quite a bit.

Enough that I, as a professor, was starting to feel tempted.

I’d assumed they’d made it to the Empire on a rural-scout exemption.

But maybe not.

“When did you get this good?”

At my question, the three answered with serious expressions.

“Ever since the Jinksythe incident, we’ve been training like crazy.”

“That’s right...”

“We really felt like we had to do well. And once we got accepted into the Empire, we started training non-stop without even sleeping.”

I felt like a windmill was spinning inside me.

Yes. Hiaka was now standing before an unprecedented opportunity. Everyone, from their own position, was gritting their teeth, trying to climb higher.

“We have to do well... We have a reason.”

Hwaru said with a stiff face.

“What reason?”

“Our acceptance rate to the Empire was 9 to 1. That means we beat out eight other teams to get here. If we screw this up, we can’t face them...”

The rabbit’s face was pure seriousness.

I liked desperate people.

And the Three Idiots... they were starting to grow on me. I wanted things to work out for them too, just like my own team.

But...

Apparently, “trickle-down effect” doesn’t only apply to good things.

Even if just a drop or two of poison gets mixed in with the falling water, the ones at the bottom can’t avoid it.

“...Ah, hello, sir.”

The problem showed itself in Villemon’s son.

His toe bone had been completely shattered. At this rate, heading into a dungeon just a few hours later was impossible.

“How’d you get hurt?”

“I tripped while running... I’m so sorry... this was such a huge opportunity...”

The kid hung his head like a criminal.

“It’s all right, kid. Professor Dante’s helping us out. Don’t look so crushed.”

Villemon tried to comfort him.

Just looking at the injury alone, it could’ve ended as an unfortunate accident.

But I didn’t miss the passing 【SCRIPT】.

【 Villemon: ‘...Should I say it was the Foreign Adventurer Association cadets who did it? No... we’re already getting looked down on just for being from Hiaka... If I say anything, it’ll just make things worse...’ 】

The Foreign Adventurer Association?

Those were the same bastards who tried to recruit me not long ago.

Inside me, a drop of water fell. Plop. But it was pitch black.

“I’m fine! Thank you again, really...”

Villemon’s son smiled and bowed, but the unease had already settled deep.

After all, my assassination team had come into the Marquisate through direct negotiation by the department head. But every other Hiaka-based team had entered via the Foreign Adventurer Association.

And from what I’d heard, the Association was highly displeased with me.

Because I’d turned down their recruitment offer.

“Everyone, gather around for a moment.”

I stepped outside and called over the Three Idiots and Balmung.

“We’re going to run a check on the association-provided gear.”

“Right now?”

“But we deploy in thirty minut—”

There was no need to explain.

“Begin.”

At my words, the four laid out the equipment they’d received from the Association. They looked confused, but followed orders because, well, they were orders.

Every expedition comes with support. No one goes into a labyrinth or dungeon completely unarmed. From basic potions and medkits to actual equipment—some level of support is standard.

Among the gear, one item caught my eye.

＊「Vitality♥」Reverse-Summon Earring [Rare, Stigma, Defective]

This was a stigma item called “The Miracle of Vitality♥,” one of the most mass-produced and widely replicated pieces of equipment in existence.

If you suffer a critical injury in a dungeon, it forcibly ejects you back outside—a last-resort failsafe to protect martial artists used as entertainment fodder.

“...Professor, is something wrong?”

I must’ve looked pretty bad. Balmung, Professor Villemon, and all four of the kids suddenly turned dead serious.

“It’s defective.”

“...Defective? The earring?”

Professor Villemon rushed over and checked it himself. At first he looked unsure, since the light turned on once he fed it mana—it appeared to work.

“The circuits seem normal...”

“The light circuit is. But the reverse-summon stigma circuit probably won’t activate properly.”

“But... as long as the Vitality stigma is present...”

No point arguing.

I picked up Dominic’s hand axe and smashed the earring.

KA-BANG!!

And then something bizarre happened—the earring exploded. It split in two and destroyed part of the wooden table. Then, the [Stigma] triggered and half-assedly restored the shattered piece.

“Ah!”

“Wh-what the hell...”

The looks on Villemon’s face and the Three Idiots’ faces all froze.

It was impossible not to imagine it: what if this had happened during an actual mission? What if it had exploded right next to someone’s head?

“Ah.”

Then Dominic frowned. “What?” Hwaru asked, and Dominic brought up an article on his crystal orb.

“Professor Dante’s team’s first expedition... their earring’s reverse summon spell didn’t activate either.”

“Oh, that was that magician... Harin, right?”

And Elize had rescued Harin back then.

I checked the time.

Thirty minutes to dungeon entry.

For Villemon, this was the first expedition he’d been preparing for ever since the team’s Empire acceptance was confirmed months ago.

“Those fucking bastards...”

They found another defective item in Villemon’s son’s equipment.

Furious, Professor Villemon grabbed his crystal orb and urgently made a call.

The association staff picked up. He explained the issue—that he was Professor Villemon from Hiaka, and that their reverse-summon earrings were faulty.

The response he got was absurd.

– Ah yes, we’ll exchange it for you.

That line pressed Villemon’s last button.

“What?”

– Sorry?

“Excuse me? Did you seriously just say that?”

– Uh, I mean... if it’s defective, we can swap it—

“No, you fuck! Are you insane?! You think saying ‘we’ll exchange it’ makes this okay?! Your shitty safety device nearly got someone killed. You think a replacement fixes it?! Should I cut your car brakes and say I’ll fix it after someone crashes?! Huh?!”

As Villemon exploded in rage, I quietly stood up.

“Professor? What is it...?”

I had a feeling.

This wasn’t something to be handled with words.

It was clearly a retaliatory act targeting me, using Hiaka as the pretext.

So I asked—

“Professor Villemon. Where is the local branch of the Foreign Adventurer Association that issued this gear?”

* * *

Knock knock.

A man knocked on the door. It creaked open.

But no one was there.

So he looked down—and nearly had a heart attack from how adorable the little boy staring up at him was.

This photo would get so many clicks...

“Who...?”

The boy tilted his head and asked.

“Ah! Hello! I’m Trashy Forbtime from Assassination Daily! I’m a close journalist friend of Professor Dante! Haha.”

“...?”

“I’m here about a possible interview. Oh, are you perhaps... Professor Dante’s son?”

“......??”

He wasn’t. But hearing that the man knew Dante, Cain smiled and let him in.

Then, an intimidating old man walked out.

“You. What are you.”

“Ah, I’m Trashy Forbtime. I came hoping to do an interview on Professor Dante’s accomplishments. Haha... Might you be his grandfather?”

“......”

He wasn’t the grandfather.

But since the man had said he wanted to write praise about Dante’s achievements, Abeltus allowed him into the reception room.

“Ah yes, this way? Okay, sure.”

“If you do anything foolish, I’ll kill you.”

“Hahaha... gulp O-of course, not at all...”

Trashy started to feel something was off. The old man and the boy—something about them was just slightly... off.

Still, all the other reporters had been ignored or ghosted. But not him.

This was what connections were all about, wasn’t it?

With that self-satisfaction, Trashy entered the reception room.

And there was Dante.

Arms crossed.

Legs folded.

Wearing a vicious scowl.

This guy’s terrifying, as always... Trashy thought to himself, then forced a cautious smile.

“Good day, Professor...?”

Dante responded.

“No. It’s not a good day.”

...Eh?