“Dante! You little bastard...!! No, I an—how could you say sothing like that so recklessly?! No matter how upset you are, how can you talk about leaving the Academy?!”
Shaman shot up like he was ready to attack , and Balkan quickly stood to stop him.
“Are you serious, Golden Rat?”
Ezekiel frowned deeply.
“You’d leave the entire Academy over a single assistant in an assassin’s den?”
To them, it was no different from swapping out a tool in a workshop.
I was the master. Adele was the tool.
So were flustered.
Others, like the Director, were stunned into silence.
The owl suit’s beak hung open, frozen.
That bastard was now caught in a dilemma.
1. It needed to kill Adele without my knowledge.
2. I’d figured it out and was getting in the way.
3. But System⧉ exists for the sole purpose of letting enjoy the ga. And the na of this ga is Hiaka Academy. If I left the Academy, System⧉ would lose its reason for existing.
Stalemate.
“...Professor Dante.”
The owl tried to recover.
“What are you doing?”
The voice had softened again—but the pressure behind it hadn’t.
“What do you an?”
“We’re not doing this for our own good, are we? We’re supposed to help each other. But right now, Professor, you’re asserting your rights and nothing else!”
“Director. It’s simple. If Adele dies, I leave. If she doesn’t, I stay. How is that one-sided?”
“If you keep tornting like this—what makes you think I won’t retaliate?”
A not-so-subtle threat.
“I have my own ways, Professor Dante.”
My eyes narrowed. Because just then, sothing appeared in the 【Script】.
【Director Hedwig: ‘At this rate, I’ll have to request a permanent delay to the [Hotfix].’】
Ah, shit.
That was the Director’s next move. If I didn’t kill Adele, she’d block the hotfix.
Which was a serious threat.
Right now, the only place I could get more information was [EndOcean]. That community of clear-rate players that practically worshipped . They were the first to identify Adele’s 2.1.5 bug.
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⋮
No devs moderate the ga’s communities.
Which ans: [EndOcean] lies outside the domain of System⧉.
“So this is a win-win, isn’t it? Professor Dante gets to save Adele. And we don’t do our job. Everyone’s happy, hmm~?”
“......”
The Director was using the [Hotfix] as blackmail—because she knew how much I needed it.
“......”
I fell silent, deep in thought.
【Director Hedwig: ‘You’re scared, aren’t you? Nervous, hmm?’】
【Director Hedwig: ‘Dante-kun must’ve suffered a lot from bugs. But if we don’t clean up the bugs, what can you even do?’】
The longer I stayed quiet, the more confident she beca.
【Director Hedwig: ‘In the end, System⧉ is the reason you exist, Dante-kun.’】
Next to , the departnt chairs offered their thoughts—Balkan, Ezekiel... “calm down,” “talk it through.”
Finally, Shaman approached and sighed.
“...Professor Dante. Please don’t antagonize the Director. Conflict between Hiaka and the Academy will only lead to the worst possible future...”
The old man was worried—for , and for the Academy’s future.
That’s when I made my decision.
“...My apologies, Director.”
“Oh? You’re backing down?”
“...Yes.”
“Hmph!”
The owl’s face curled into a pleased smile.
“You should’ve done that earlier. After all the trouble you caused, did you think I’d just forgive you now?”
“Director!!”
Shaman growled. The owl flinched slightly, then turned away in a huff.
“Ahem! Very well, Professor Dante. Then you agree to Adele’s execution?”
“Yes. I will carry it out.”
“Hmph! See? That’s better.”
“But. She’s an assistant I’ve grown attached to. Please allow to kill her myself.”
“...Yourself?”
The air shifted subtly. Hedwig’s mouth closed.
The owl suit turned toward —and for just a second, I thought I saw eyes glowing deep in the black nostrils of its beak.
【Director Hedwig: ‘...Is this a trick?’】
She suspected .
【Is Dante-kun trying to deceive ?】
And imdiately, her mind spun up scenarios.
【IF this is a trick—what is Dante-kun after?】
【A: He wants access to the [Hotfix]. He’ll try to reach those other-dinsional bastards from EndOcean.】
【There are 59 minutes left until the [Hotfix]. In that ti, Dante-kun will pretend he’s about to kill Adele, stalling so I won’t submit the hotfix delay request.】
【And that hotfix delay is my exclusive authority... if I’m fooled, Dante wins.】
【If he says sothing like “Adele, I always loved you...” and hides a dagger behind his back, how could I possibly submit the request mid-scene?】
【And Dante-kun’s illusion magic is advanced. If he creates an illusionary corpse—Adele pretending to be dead—I might not be able to tell. Then she lives, the hotfix goes through, and I lose.】
I bit down hard on my lower teeth.
Had I been found out...?
Was it too obvious?
The Director was analyzing everything, down to the last variable—dissecting my plan in real ti.
And then—
【Director Hedwig: ‘Am I right?’】
【Director Hedwig: ‘Co to think of it... Dante-kun can read my thoughts, can’t he?’】
【Director Hedwig: ‘You’ve been watching the whole ti, haven’t you? Reading my shaful little secrets?’】
She realized I could see her 【Script】.
Our eyes locked.
【Director Hedwig: ‘Pervert.’】
Right after that, her thoughts... changed.
【Nuke, bug, patch, balance, nerf, buff, hotfix, update, maintenance, server, client, rank, matchmaking, report, ban, abuse, account suspension, user DB, loading, ping, debugging, rollback, traffic, event, coupon, service policy, announcents, user feedback, test server, live server, crash, disconnect, login error, server rge, content rebalancing, seasonal mode, rewards, monetization, premium currency, pay-to-win.】
You can't “not think of an elephant,” but you can drown it out by thinking of sothing else.
It was a counterasure I’d once theorized. She was using it.
And just like that—she shut down every angle I’d been planning to exploit.
Then, at last, she spoke.
“Alright? Professor Dante, go ahead and kill Assistant Adele.”
She smiled. Viciously.
“But do it here. Right in front of .”
Ah.
That was her solution.
Eliminate all tricks. Force to kill Adele on the spot.
“...Director. Isn’t that a bit much?”
“What is?”
I scrambled to object.
“...If I’m going to say farewell to soone I cared about—why must I do it in front of everyone? Isn’t that just public execution?”
“Yes! Public execution!”
“We’ve spent ti together. Shared words. There are things I want to say. And you’re demanding I do that here?”
“Mmhm.”
The other departnt chairs looked visibly uncomfortable. Assassin or not, we’re still human. Publicly executing soone you knew? That was too far.
“If you won’t do it, just say so! I’ll use other ans!”
The smug bastard owl kept asserting her dominance.
So developers think gars should be trained.
That’s how Hedwig treated .
“......”
So now I had two choices.
Lose the [Hotfix]. Or kill Adele.
“What are you doing?”
She asked when I touched the Crystal Orb.
“Sending a ssage...”
“Call her, Professor Dante. On speaker!”
She wanted everything under her control.
That was the essence of System⧉.
—Hello?
Adele picked up imdiately.
—Oh, Professor? Isn’t it almost our date ti? Hehe~
“...Adele. Could you co to the 5th floor sub-conference room of the Assassin Building?”
—Right now? Why...?
“...It’s about your thesis.”
—Oh?! Really?!
—Did you tell the departnt chairs or senior faculty??
“...Sort of.”
—I’ll be right there!!
Her cheerful voice made the departnt chairs grimace. But even now, the Director felt she hadn’t been cautious enough.
“Chairman Shaman? Give Professor Dante the Execution Dagger Ω.”
“Director, how dare you...!!”
Shaman flared up.
“What? If she’s going to die anyway, shouldn’t it be painless? That’s a rcy.”
Item #82 from the Imperial Assassination Manual: Execution Dagger Ω.
Grade: [Legendary I].
One of Shaman’s three prized throwing daggers.
Pierces deep, severs life signals instantly.
Shaman didn’t refuse. He, too, believed Adele had to die.
But when the towering old man approached , his face was shadowed—like he was mourning the tragedy about to unfold.
“......”
I took the dagger without a word.
It was heavy. Cold.
And then... we waited.
Silently.
For Adele to arrive at this room.
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Knock, knock. A knock at the door. I told her to co in.
The 5th floor belonged to senior officials. Adele stepped in cautiously. “Professo—...oh?” She smiled at .
Then tensed at the sight of the three departnt chairs.
Then froze when she saw the Director.
Understandable. The owl was notorious but rarely seen.
Because I said it was thesis-related, Adele bowed deeply and greeted everyone cheerfully: “Hello!”
That’s when the Director whispered.
“Do it now.”
She wanted to crush even the smallest pause for emotion.
“Adele.”
“Y-yes...?”
“Nervous?”
“Y-yeah...”
“Before we talk with the chairs, I have sothing to say to you. Privately. Is that alright?”
“O-of course...?”
I moved with the dagger hidden near my waist. Approached until I was right in front of her.
We’d never been this close in public.
Adele looked startled, stepped back. I followed.
“Profess—wha...?”
I bent down and hugged her. My dagger hand behind her back. My other hand cupping her forehead.
She didn’t resist—just froze up.
And I whispered in her ear.
Not a farewell. Not a last word.
But an order:
‘Kill the Director.’
From under my coat, Adele’s hand hesitated—then sealed a 『Sign印』.
Splatter—!
The “head” inside the owl suit exploded.
In the sa instant, I grabbed Adele’s hand and dashed for the window.
“Run, Adele!”
“P-Professor?! What the—!?”
“Shut up and run!”
“Professor Dante!!” Balkan leapt to stop us, but Ezekiel’s arm blocked him.
“Sir Ezekiel—!”
“......”
As the two growled at each other, the window lood ahead.
“Professor?! This is the fifth floo—!”
“We’re jumping!”
“Whaaa!?”
Crash!!
I smashed through the window and leapt with Adele.
From the fifth floor. Down to the ground.
“Kyaaa—”
I clutched Adele as tightly as I could. We landed. Hard.
And then—a car drifted to a stop in front of us.
“Get in!”
It was Ran, already waiting after receiving my ssage.
We dove in. She slamd the gas.
Vrrroooom!!
The clue had been this:
The Director’s earlier thought—
【Hotfix delay is my exclusive authority... if I’m fooled, Dante wins, right?】
That ant:
Once the Director died, no one else could stop the hotfix.
And no matter how powerful a [Challenger] or [Constellation] might be—
No one survives Curse No.96: Curse of Instant Death.
It has to be stopped before it activates. But I had shielded Adele—hidden her hand.
Still, this wasn’t over.
Even if the hotfix couldn’t be canceled, System⧉ would # Nоvеlight # now do anything to kill Adele.
Anything at all.
“Professor! Hostiles incoming!”
Of course. Pursuers were right behind us.
If I could keep Adele alive until the [Hotfix]...
Then I’d reach the truth.
And solve everything.
Now, it ca down to 40 minutes.
If we could survive that—
Victory was mine.
And exactly 40 minutes later...
Adele and I were still alive—barely—inside the wreckage of a totaled car.
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