I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes

Chapter 16: The Assassin Who Hides his Assassination (2)

Sinia observed Ceylon’s moves and came to a conclusion.

This is assassination technique.

More precisely, it is movement within the realm of assassination technique.

‘He doesn’t have any form or style.’

Just swinging a sword doesn’t make it swordsmanship.

To become a skill, it must adhere to consistent forms and styles.

In that sense, Ceylon’s movements were no different from randomly swinging a sword in terms of swordsmanship.

However, those random swings were incredibly powerful.

Sinia quickly came up with the word that would define his movements.

‘Talent.’

He is not an assassin.

He has never learned assassination techniques.

He simply possesses the talent for assassination techniques.

‘Is it possible that he’s just hiding his identity as an assassin?’

She tilted her head at the thought.

There was no way Ceylon could make such a move unless he had precisely erased the assassin element from his makeup.

Even if Sinia imitated swordsmanship clumsily and swung a sword randomly, the accumulated power within her body and subconscious would naturally emerge and transform into a splendid sword strike.

‘But I should make sure.’

Sinia gestured toward Ceylon.

“Number 348, can you come over here for a moment?”

Ah, now that she remembered, Lebringer mentioned something about Number 348 having potential.

“And also Number 347.”

As Sinia tried to call them separately…

“Yes?”

Suddenly Kasha appeared behind them.

“Oh my, did I call Number 344 too?”

“I think I should also hear what he has to say.”

The way both of them looked at Ceylon was peculiar.

It was as if they, too, had picked up on something unusual in his movements.

They have good instincts.

“Alright, you have a right to hear it.”

Sinia entered the office prepared for their meeting with the supervisor along with three others.

Firstly, she leaned forward towards Number 348 and slightly pushed her face closer to Ceylon’s face.

Her light red hair touched her shoulders with its pinkish hue.

Her eyes were of the same color as her hair and drew faint lines along her gently relaxed eye corners.

The same with her eyebrows and the corner of her mouth.

Sinia stared at Ceylon with an impression that perfectly matched someone who was kind-hearted.

“Number 348, come to think of it, I haven’t gotten your name yet, what’s your name?”

“Oh, my name is Ceylon, Ms. Officer.”

“Good Ceylon. Let me ask you directly then: Participant number 348 – Have you ever had any contact with Harashin or any experience in learning assassination techniques?”

However, her demeanor…

It was clearly like an experienced investigator.

The sharpness in Sinia voice spoke to Ceylon.

She wouldn’t tolerate lies.

Ceylon responded with a bewildered expression.

“Yes, Harashin…? What is that exactly?”

But it was a different kind of confusion than what Sinia had worried about.

Ceylon stunned reaction reassured her.

Ceylon is not an assassin.

That movement just now was merely a coincidence where Ceylon’s talent happened to manifest itself accidentally.

Sinia smiled brightly.

“Oh no, I’m glad it’s not true. The reason I asked is because the movements you showed during the test earlier seemed to fall within the realm of assassination techniques. So, let me ask you this: In what context did those movements come out when you were subduing the mana golem? Can you tell me?”

In response, Ceylon raised an eyebrow and twitched his nose as if he found her question somewhat surprising.

“Well, when I entered the magic circle and encountered the mana golem… Oh dear! My breath got caught in my throat.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“So while wondering how on earth I should deal with it, I remembered something Number 347 said before taking the test – ‘If you have embarked on the path of an assassin, then you possess qualities for success.'”

“Ohhhh. So by being conscious of that and wondering what exactly assassination techniques are or whether possessing innate qualities as an assassin means anything… Did such movements naturally come out without even realizing it? Is that right?”

“Exactly! You’re indeed a professional examiner!”

“Hmm.”

With her arms crossed and lost in thought for a moment, Sinia suddenly burst into laughter.

“This is really fortunate! It could have been disastrous.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Sinia thought to herself.

It’s fortunate that this man is here at the academy.

It’s fortunate that he didn’t stray onto the wrong path.

If his destination was not the academy but rather the underworld…

And if he had entered Harashin’s eyes and officially walked the path of an assassin…

‘I don’t even want to imagine.’

He would have become a dreadful being capable of causing immense chaos on the continent with just one capricious whim or personal emotion.

Clap!

Sinia clapped her hands, changing the subject.

“Regardless of the evaluation of participant number 347 for 348 was accurate, Participant number 348, I believe you have what it takes to excel as an assassin. You demonstrated that clearly in the second test. I will acknowledge your record! Partcipant number 348’s performance is commendable! However, may I make a suggestion?”

“If it’s your suggestion, I’ll consider it positively no matter what.”

“Hehe, thank you. Here’s my proposal: Can we invalidate your record? You will still pass but we will erase your record. I will personally set a slightly higher score than the average for participants.”

“Oh… This is quite an unexpected proposal. Could it be that even our esteemed examiner cannot tolerate a commoner surpassing nobility-”

“Hahaha, what nonsense are you talking about? I’m making this proposal solely for your benefit. Nothing more than that. Based on the reaction just now at the examination hall…”

Seeing Kasha looking extremely confused since earlier, Sinia smirked mischievously.

“As you can see from the reaction of participant number 344-”

Ahem!

“Your record is… well… blatantly exceptional. If I were to report this officially to the Academy and have it reflected in your grades… there might be another situation like before happening again but on a much larger scale within the Academy itself. In which case, everyone in the Academy would want to verify your record. Perhaps even people outside the Academy. A commoner surpassing members of the Lebringer and Hahanan families as a genius. It’s impossible not to be interested.”

“If it becomes known that I possess the qualities of an assassin, my situation could become complicated. So let’s keep it hidden. That seems to be the case.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, thank you for your proposal. But if something goes wrong, won’t it put you in a difficult position?”

“I appreciate your belated recognition of my sincerity. And yes, of course, it will put me in a difficult position.”

“But why?”

“I told you, I’m going to repay this debt. You saved my life, and now it’s my turn to save yours.”

Sinia smiled with confidence and winked.

The posture was cute, but the wink was a bit clumsy.

“Oooh… what a clumsy, cute wink…!”

“Participant Number 348, do you want to die?”

“Oh! Sorry about that! It just slipped out unintentionally.”

“Anyway, let me get this straight: first of all, letting others know about your innate qualities isn’t going to cause you any more trouble than you can handle right now.”

If Sinia could read the assassin’s qualities in Ceylon’s movements, she could also read the fact that he had never learned the art of assassination.

“It will still be quite troublesome though. There might be disruptions during admission into the academy as well. So please… at least until after the academy entrance exam is over… keep it hidden.”

“So you’re saying I should give up on being ranked first and refrain from revealing these assassin-like qualities until after the academy entrance exam is finished?”

“That’s right. From what I’ve seen, I believe you have enough potential to pass the academy entrance exam regardless. However-”

“However…?”

“Unfortunately, you will miss out on the top spot.”

“Officer!”

Kasha interrupted.

“What are you saying!? You’re saying he’ll miss out on the top spot?”

“Well? It means exactly what it sounds like.”

Kasha looked at Ceylon with an expression of disbelief.

“So, according to your words just now… Does this mean that he has the potential to take first place in the entrance exam? Surpassing me and Drin Lebringer?”

“Well, depending on the nature of the third test, things might change. But it’s a highly possible scenario based on what I’ve seen. Just as we witnessed earlier.”

Sinia replied with a shrug, and Kasha’s expression showed the shock she couldn’t hide.

“Well… for the participant number 348, it would be regrettable. However, it’s still better than any disruptions occurring during admission into the academy itself. And there are people who recognize your original abilities as well. First and foremost is myself and then-”

As Sinia turned her gaze towards Drin, Drin start to spoke to Ceylon.

“Ceylon, I think the officer is right. I think you should forgo your grades and prioritize your entry into the Academy.”

“Uh… Participant Number 347, don’t tell me you’re thinking of taking the top spot from me…!”

“What!?”

A dumbfounded exclamation came from Drin as Ceylon formed a thin line of a smile from the corners of her mouth and eyes.

Drin was extremely flustered and waved her hands in the air.

“Oh no! Is that really implied by what I just said? Ceylon! Goodness gracious! Did such an intention come across from my words just now?”

“Hahaha~ Just kidding. It was a joke. You know that naturally already; our participant number 347 is not that kind of person.”

“…”

Drin flapping hand fell down abruptly.

With both hands extended forward and a cold expression on her face, she muttered quietly.

“No, actually, you’re right, it’s because I’m afraid I’m going to lose the top spot from you. So please, show your skills to the fullest without letting someone like me take it away. I’ll follow behind.”

Gooong.

As if hearing that sound effect, Drin muttered.

She was still a bit irritated by her lowly third-place finish.

“Uh… Ms.Officer…? Is it really possible for me to take the top spot…? Above this person…?”

“…Now that I think about it again, maybe it’s difficult…”

Drin sighed deeply at Ceylon’s frightened appearance.

Then Ceylon immediately opened his mouth with a smile on his face.

“Oh, by the way participant number 347- no, Drin-ssi. I haven’t thanked you yet.”

“What is it now?”

“Just now, thank you sincerely for defending me in the exam hall. At that time, you were a great help. Really.”

Ceylon said that in a rare moment of sincerity.

Seeing Ceylon’s sincere expression, Drin let out a bitter laugh and relaxed her impression of him.

“You went through such trouble to help me even though we have no relationship whatsoever. It was truly touching!”

But at her next words, Drin’s face crumpled again.

She muttered at a volume no one could hear.

“No relationship?”

“What did you say just now, Drin-ssi? ”

“…Since there is no relationship between us, don’t talk to me.”

“What?”

“We have no relationship.”

With those words as an ending statement, Drin abruptly turned her head away from him.

“Officer, I will return first.”

“Huh…?”

Ceylon was genuinely surprised as he watched Drin return to the exam hall.

Most of Ceylon’s reactions towards her had been intentional up until now but this time it wasn’t like that at all.

He couldn’t understand why she suddenly reacted like that.

Ceylon scratched the back of his head and looked at Sinia.

Sinia just shook her head without saying a word.

“Well, anyway-”

Ceylon gaze then turned to Kasha.

Kasha’s body, which had been stiff earlier, trembled.

“Participant number 344?”

“What…what is it?”

Her attitude was still rough but her momentum had clearly diminished.

“How about that? Will participant number 344 also acknowledge me now?”

“…”

Kasha muttered, helplessly averting her gaze.

“Being an assassin. It’s all the same.”

Those piercing navy blue eyes flickered slightly.

Ceylon stared meaningfully at Kasha’s figure.

Ceylon watched her for a moment with a smirk on his face, then spoke in a calm, clear tone that seemed to reach her ear.

“That’s a pity, then, for it would be a pleasure to be recognized by the esteemed Kasha-ssi.”

“…What?”

When Kasha turned her head again, looking as if mesmerized by something, Ceylon had already taken his eyes off her.

“Now then – participants numbers 344 and 348. Shall we go back to the exam hall? The other participants must be waiting.”

Kasha blankly watched Ceylon walk away from her.