Phillip made his way towards the boys’ dormitory with determination. As he confidently ascended the stairs, Neria asked him curiously.
‘Master, don’t you think you should disguise yourself?’
“Why would I need to disguise myself?”
‘Well, if you want to secretly investigate sothing like this, it’s only natural.’
“Secretly? Who said anything about secret investigations? I can just go in and observe.”
‘… That takes all the fun out of it.’
At the academy, the authority of an instructor was more significant than people realized. It allowed for dormitory searches under the pretext of inspecting prohibited items.
Although he didn’t have official permission, Phillip had decided to take the initiative.
His first target for investigation was Kilian Valbion, a timid first-year male student.
Kilian had long, black hair and a lanky fra. Despite his reserved nature, he was a diligent student who kept up with his studies.
“I feel bad for suspecting him, but I have no other choice.”
Rather than hesitating due to conscience, Phillip believed it would be better for both Kilian and himself to swiftly prove the young boy’s innocence.
Kilian’s room was numbered 506.
Standing in front of the door, Phillip carefully opened it without making a sound.
“Ugh… Uhhuh… Olivia….”
Inside, he saw a boy sitting at his desk with his head buried in his hands, and he sobbed quietly. It was unmistakably Kilian Valbion.
Surprised, Phillip asked, “Um, what are you doing?”
“Ah! Who are you?”
Kilian Valbion finally noticed Phillip’s presence and was taken aback. He quickly got up from his seat.
“How… How did the instructor get in here…?”
“It’s the instructor’s duty to regularly check the living spaces of the students. But why were you crying? Can I help you with sothing?”
In response to Phillip’s question, Kilian hastily shook his head.
“No… sniff… there’s nothing.”
“Really? Well then, I’ll leave you be.”
“Wait a mont, Instructor! I have sothing to confess!”
As Phillip tried to leave, Kilian hurriedly caught up with him. Phillip gently pushed him away with a awkward smile.
“Alright, tell . How can I assist you?”
Kilian opened his mouth with a determined expression.
“Instructor… The truth is, I confessed my feelings to Olivia Nuez yesterday.”
“Olivia? Olivia Nuez?”
Phillip recollected the mories about the girl referred by Kilian.
The young lady whose hair were elegantly tied in twin braids.
Undoubtedly attractive enough to capture any boy’s heart, but confessing so early seed rather hasty.
“It’s only been just over a month since the sester started, and you’re already making a confession?”
The actions of young students could sotis defy common sense. Phillip looked at Kilian with an admiring gaze.
He had thought Kilian was a timid student, but he didn’t expect him to be so audacious.
“Yes, Olivia Nuez. You ntioned her during the observation class. You said you were an expert in love advice.”
‘That was just a casual comnt.’
Though he felt that way, Phillip couldn’t say it here, so he simply nodded.
“Yes, I rember. That’s true. But it seems like your confession didn’t go as planned.”
“How did you know? Has the rumor spread already?”
“If you had succeeded, would you still need my help?”
“Well, you have a point.”
Kilian sniffled, his expression turning somber.
“… I didn’t even get a chance to say everything I had prepared. She interrupted as if she already knew what I was going to say, and simply told , ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in dating right now,’ and then she walked away.”
Phillip nodded. Given the Olivia Nuez he knew, a surprisingly mature girl who knew how to express herself clearly, her response didn’t co as a complete surprise.
‘Why are you giving love advice to an assassin?’
Neria asked.
Phillip lightly tapped her handle, signaling her to be quiet.
“We’ll discuss that later. Have you ever had a one-on-one conversation with Olivia Nuez?”
When Phillip asked, Kilian shook his head.
“No, not really.”
“From what I’ve observed, you didn’t seem particularly close to her. Did you confess just based on first impressions?”
Startled, Kilian gasped, then gulped before answering.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“In that case, it’s no wonder she turned you down. Think about it. She might not have any reason to date you when she doesn’t even know what kind of person you are.”
“Why?”
“Why do you like her?”
Kilian began to recount a long, elaborate story.
In essence, it was about a humanities class incident last week, where the professor scolded a student for not submitting their howork due to illness, and Olivia Nuez intervened to defend the student.
“… Her bold and intelligent deanor looked so captivating.”
“So, you confessed to her based on that?”
“Yes. When I mustered up the courage and confessed, I felt like she would appreciate my bravery.”
Having listened to the explanation, Phillip nodded and pondered to himself,
‘At least, this person doesn’t seem like an assassin. Attempting to avoid suspicion by disguising as a lover is rather foolish, though.’
“That wasn’t bravery you displayed; it was more like revealing your recklessness. But it’s not too late. If you start showcasing your strengths in front of that person, they might realize they were mistaken about you. So, what do you think are your strengths?”
Though reluctant, Phillip tried to respond sincerely. After contemplating for a mont, Killian hesitantly answered.
“My strengths… you an like talents? I can’t really think of any.”
“Let’s not give up just yet.”
“What do you an?”
“No, not like that. Why don’t you try to identify your strengths first? Show them to Olivia Nuez so that she can see the best in you.”
At Phillip’s last words, Killian’s face brightened as if he had an epiphany.
“… You’re right, Instructor. I was too hasty.”
“That’s right. You still have a long way to go at the academy, so put in your best effort.”
With that, Phillip left the room.
‘Can we really dismiss our suspicions that easily?’ Neria asked, appearing curious.
‘If his acting skills were that advanced, he wouldn’t be sent to the academy; he would be assigned to the imperial palace. Moreover, I didn’t sense anything unusual about his magical abilities; he seed quite ordinary. If there weren’t other potential candidates, I might have considered further investigation.’
‘Well, kids these days can be quite audacious. If they ca to the academy, they should be focused on their studies. But instead, they’re already thinking about romance, and that’s why the continent is in such a state.’
‘Yeah, you’re right.’
Phillip gave a vague response as he headed to the next location.
His next task was to confirm the second candidate student, ‘Collins Chamber.’
However, after entering room 504, Phillip erged without any valuable information.
Collins Chamber appeared to be an utterly ordinary and unremarkable student.
‘I heard he only has books and clothes in his possession. I wonder what kind of excitent he expects to find in this world,’ Neria comnted, and Phillip proceeded to the next location.
‘This one feels different.’
This assassin event had different content depending on the ga’s difficulty level.
From easy to hard difficulty, the assassin’s traces were easily spotted, and the assassin was relatively weak. However, in the highest difficulty level called ‘Reality,’ an assassin appeared whom the protagonist couldn’t defeat with their current abilities.
“No way… it can’t be.”
However, as Philip glanced back at the won’s dormitory, his conviction grew stronger.
“This situation has beco rather complicated.”
‘… What do we do now? Could it be that there’s no assassin?’
“That’s not the case. There’s bound to be an assassin, but it might take so ti.”
Without hesitation, Philip made his way outside the academy, and headed towards the shopping district. To execute his new plan, he needed black attire.
* * *
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Philip guided Neria towards the towering clock tower situated in the Academy Square.
The clock tower stood six stories tall, with a width comparable to a sizable farm.
“If I’m correct, this must be their hideout.”
This area was strictly off-limits to students, as the clocks within held imnse magical value. One wrong move, and thousands of gold coins could be lost.
As the protagonist, infiltrating the tower would require ticulous planning and diversion of the patrolling guards’ attention. However, for Philip, an esteed instructor, gaining access was a relatively simple task.
“Um, Instructor, do you really have to go into the clock tower…?”
Solon, the guard responsible for the academy’s night security, peered at Philip with concern.
“Why would a sword instructor want to go in there?”
Having served at the academy for three years, Solon had never encountered a sword instructor with such intentions.
“I’ll take full responsibility if any issues arise. And if any consequences arise from letting in, I’ll bear the responsibility and recomnd you for the Joseph Association. Ah, and there’s no need to worry about not coming out.”
“… If you put it that way, I guess I have no choice.”
Upon Philip’s confident assurance, Solon reluctantly opened the entrance to the clock tower. In truth, he lacked the authority to prevent faculty mbers from entering.
Once inside the clock tower, Philip surveyed the interior.
An array of unfamiliar machinery and magical devices filled the space.
Such a clock tower was an extraordinary facility, even by the standards of considerable magical towers. However, it was possible here, given that the headmaster of Privia Academy was a renowned mage known as the Grand Archmage.
“Now, we just have to wait here until the person known as the assassin arrives.”
“Yes, that’s right. Though, there’s no guarantee that the assassin is a person.”
Philip ascended the stairs slowly, reaching the pinnacle of the clock tower. The place seed filled with enigmatic contraptions and devices, possibly known only to mages.
‘I need a place to conceal myself.’
Carefully seeking a secluded spot where he could remain unobtrusive, he soon discovered a column entirely enveloped in shadows.
“This should be perfect.”
Moving behind the column, Philip unraveled a scroll infused with silence magic, which he had acquired from Instructor Perak during his visit.
‘But, what if the assassin doesn’t appear today?’ inquired Neria.
Philip’s expression turned serious as he replied, “What can we do? I’ll have to stay here all night if necessary.”
‘Is that so?’
“That’s the nature of undercover work. We wait until they reveal themselves. Let’s hope they show up soon.”
Although he said that, Philip felt certain that Crescent’s assassin would appear today. By now, Lisriel must have learned of the protection request from the academy, making this hiding place a highly probable target.
But the uncertainty of the exact mont of the assassin’s arrival kept him on edge, requiring him to maintain constant vigilance.
He refrained from sitting down, suppressing even the urge to sneeze when his nose itched.
After several hours passed, soone finally erged at the top of the clock tower, a place so desolate that even beetles rarely visited.
“ow~”
The figure turned out to be a black cat. Philip couldn’t fathom how it had infiltrated the area, but it lounged not too far from him, while gently swishing its tail.
‘It’s a cat. Look, Master. A cat. It’s adorable.’
Neria exclaid with delight, but Philip gulped silently, making no sound.
That very cat was the assassin Philip had been anticipating all along.
———-
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