The Academy’s Sashimi Sword Master

Auditore da Sicilia.

A group in the shadows of heroic society.

Called by many names, they were a family of assassins tasked with carrying out the internal purification of the corrupt hero society.

For heroes who fought hand-to-hand against magical beasts, they were both an object of fear and of repulsion.

The reasons were many, but the main one was that they practiced torture. Their inhuman acts were tolerated under the pretext of being a “tradition.”

Furthermore, due to a tacit pact between the founder of Auditore and Balor Joaquin 700 years ago, only Auditore had official permission to “torture” heroes.

There were various methods, but the most feared among the heroes was, without a doubt, the so-called heavenly space.

A curious name.

And the strangest thing was that it didn’t leave a single scratch on the target’s body. They were simply left there, in a completely white space.

Total abandonment. Until the mind withered and collapsed.

The group in the shadows, Auditore da Sicilia.

After centuries of research, they concluded that the most terrible and brutal torture was solitude.

***

Tap.

Knox’s fingers touched the glass and stopped.

At that moment, he was inside the heavenly space. Not as a prisoner, but as a visitor.

“…Chloe…”

His voice was broken, cracked. Through the glass, Knox looked at Chloe.

She was huddled in the exact center of the space, with a vacant stare. They were her eyes, the windows of the soul, but they didn’t reflect a shred of spirit.

“I’m not at ease either, Knox.”

Altair Auditore was at his side.

Knox controlled the rage rising to his head. His intention was to convince the head of the family, no matter what.

“Was there really no other way, chief?”

“You also know what condition Chloe was in.”

“…But her condition improved thanks to the Awakening of the Blessing, with Heavenly Sword’s help…!”

Because of the constant killings, Chloe had reached the threshold of Blessing Awakening. Although it sounded grand, it was in reality a curse that devoured life expectancy.

Even the Sword Master limited the time he maintained that state.

Chloe, both physically and mentally, was still immature. If she was exposed to the awakening at such a young age, she would die before reaching forty.

And in that state, after what happened in Seoul, everything changed. While she was confined, she not only awakened the Blessing, but also as a mage.

A cruel joke of fate.

All at once, Chloe had absorbed the two most extreme supernatural phenomena in the world.

Her mind was crumbling in real time. She was constantly entering berserker mode.

That was why Altair made the heart-wrenching decision to temporarily confine her in the heavenly space.

Is Chloe destined to die young?

Her health was also visibly deteriorating. Each time she writhed in pain, Knox’s chest tightened.

And then, Kang Geom-Ma put an end to the Seoul disaster. Not long after, Chloe’s health began to improve, if only minimally.

But there was no time for gratitude.

“…Inside Chloe, a substance similar to a subspace is proliferating.”

Even Altair, when saying it, felt as if he were chewing stones with his tongue. It was too shocking, even after hearing it several times.

Knox’s hand, which was touching the glass, slid downward.

“Why… why is this happening to Chloe?”

“…I’m sorry. It’s my fault…”

Knox didn’t respond.

The chief wasn’t to blame.

This was just a tantrum, a powerless scream against reality.

“Even so…”

When Knox was beginning to fall into despair, Altair looked into his eyes with tenderness.

“…It seems that a possibility has arisen.”

“…R-really!?”

“The situation seemed absolutely hopeless, right? But you know what they say—the lower you fall, the higher you bounce. Knox.”

Knox raised his head abruptly.

“What is that possibility? If it’s in my hands—no, even if it’s not—I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Don’t worry. As I said, the shadow covering Chloe was so dense that the sun won’t take long to rise. We only need to acquire one item.”

“Acquire? Then no blood will have to be shed.”

At that moment, he finally felt like he could breathe again. If it was something they could buy, it wouldn’t be a problem for the Auditore family, one of the richest among the nobles.

“I misspoke. It’s not acquisition… it’s an auction.”

“An auction? Do you mean…?”

“Do you remember the Pertinax auction house?”

“Of course. The one where Heavenly Sword saved Horntail. And where Chloe also…”

Knox looked to the other side of the glass and sighed. His breath fogged the surface.

“…Yes, I remember. It was where she lost control.”

“Near there, a new auction house has opened. Rumors are circulating that they are going to put on sale an ancient tome that contains information on Blessing Awakening and magic.”

“With all due respect, I doubt the reliability of that information. If it’s in that field, it should be in the Joaquin Academy library.”

Seven hundred years.

The Joaquin Academy prided itself on its long history and legacy.

“This comes from an organization with even more history than that.”

“One with more than seven hundred years…?”

Knox held his breath.

There was only one such place.

“The Imperial Family.”

Altair nodded.

“It seems you’ll have to go with Heavenly Sword.”

“…But he and Joaquin are now…”

They were busy preparing for the Commemorative Ceremony. It was tomorrow, if he remembered correctly.

“I already told you, Knox. The darker the shadow, the faster the light arrives. Fortunately, the auction will be after the ceremony.”

Altair gave a faint smile as he looked to the other side.

At his granddaughter, Chloe.

Aged feelings were reflected in the wrinkles of his eyes, uncharacteristic of a hardened assassin.

“Even so, it would be best to make the request in advance.”

***

“Hey! How could you hang the lamp there?! Everything in the back is misaligned! Take it down and put it back again!”

Speedweapon shouted. His subordinates, who were up on ladders hanging lanterns on the trees, lowered their heads in embarrassment.

“That’s not the color that goes there!”

Speedweapon was personally directing the site. Only half a day remained until the commemorative ceremony.

Of all the people I know, the fastest and most efficient at working is Speedweapon.

‘Ryozo is a goddess.’

The academy director knew this too, which is why she entrusted him with organizing the event. Although in reality, it was Ryozo’s maneuver to exploit him thoroughly.

Look, I’ll say it clearly—Speedweapon is easy to handle. He’s absurdly diligent.

When Ryozo transferred total control of the event to him, Speedweapon’s face lit up with excitement. It seemed that directing an event at his old school had him euphoric. You could see it even in the tension weighing on his shoulders.

“Speedweapon.”

I put a hand on his shoulder. Damn, so tense. As soon as I did, his hawk-like eyes turned toward me.

His tight features relaxed when he recognized me.

“Ah, it’s you, president.”

“And if it wasn’t me? What were you going to do, Speedweapon?”

“Take it easy. This is an academy activity, and the association is just helping. No need to kill yourself over it.”

“No, no. Joaquin’s festivals have always had a lot of help from the association. And besides, the director herself told me…!”

He pointed his thumb proudly at his chin.

“She said that in the hands of this Speedweapon lay the destiny of the ceremony.”

“That’s not exactly what she said.”

“President, you know I’m a bit of a perfectionist, right?”

“Ha. There you go, running away. That only makes me want to tease you more.”

“And yet, in the academy you weren’t exactly perfect with your grades.”

“P-president, you…!”

The stares settled on us. The association employees who were hanging lights stopped to listen. They looked at me with pleading eyes.

‘Crush him, please!’

‘A dose of justice, boss! We want an ice-cold soda!’

With pleasure, I’ll crush him with facts.

“Eternally second place.”

“That was…!”

“The king of almost.”

“Argh!”

“And that was when Ryozo didn’t even study.”

“Aaaaaaah!”

A cry of anguish exploded in the place. The subordinates cheered openly. You could tell they were enjoying it.

“We love you, Heavenly Sword!”

“You’re the hero of our generation!”

“More, more! Hit him harder!”

‘What a great reception.’

But better leave it there. After all, Speedweapon was the general manager of the event. I couldn’t leave him in shambles.

I took him to a café, while the employees followed me with eyes burning with fervor. Some even looked at me with reverent eyes that Abel and Ryozo would hate.

In fact, that’s why we left.

Anyway, after soothing his wounded soul with a café au lait, Speedweapon began grumbling.

“President, that was too much. Comparing me with Ryozo is cheating. How are you going to compare a heavenly with a human?”

“Sorry, sorry. But honestly, I think you’re also from the heavenly plane.”

“Heavenly, me? Yeah, right…”

While sipping his café au lait, Speedweapon looked out the window. Outside, students strolled around campus with faces full of excitement. Youth was in the air everywhere.

“When I was a student, I thought I was going to be someone important. But then I went out into the real world… and I wasn’t anything.”

“Come on, don’t be modest. You’re making great progress in the association. At your age, no one else has achieved what you have.”

“Yes, that’s true… but…”

Speedweapon gave a bitter smile.

Though the café au lait was sweet.

“My classmates… my classmates, you know? Not to go far, Saki is the academy director, Abel is the queen of the social circle, Leon is a hero, Rachel is the new face of Lancelot. And you, president… bah, you don’t count, you’re outside the category.”

Hmm.

‘So he also had his own burdens.’

Speedweapon is the one who keeps the mood. When things get tense among my old classmates, he’s always the one who speaks up to ease it. Thanks to him, the inflated egos don’t explode into conflict.

But now I realize that maybe, for a long time, he’s felt left behind among us. As if he were the only one lagging. It wasn’t envy, it was anxiety.

Thanks to you, we’re still friends.

But between men, this kind of words sound too corny. And I know he doesn’t want to hear them.

Unfortunately, this is something Speedweapon has to overcome alone. Internal struggles—each person must solve them for themselves.

“Hahaha. But come to think of it, I’m pretty amazing.”

Speedweapon burst into laughter.

“After all, I was the one who competed for first place in written exams with Saki during school.”

“Yes. That’s impressive.”

Speedweapon smiled proudly.

“And since I was her rival, I can say it with certainty: that woman is absolutely incredible.”

“I know.”

“No, Kang Geom-Ma. More than you think.”

“Hmm?”

“Hey, you know the matter of moving the capital is underway, right?”

I nodded halfheartedly.

“Yes. It’s causing a huge stir. But most people seem to agree. For once, the public says the politicians are doing something useful.”

“The moment when the deputies broke with the nobility. And how they quickly consolidated new sponsors. Do you really think they did that on their own, in such a volatile and confusing situation?”

…Ah.

“Did you know that recently Saki invited en masse Japanese nobles living in Korea, with her as prime minister?”

“Well, it’s the neighboring country, I guess for diplomacy…”

“Right at this moment? It wasn’t coincidence. Everything comes from one mind.”

Speedweapon tapped his temple with his index finger.

And smiled broadly.

“If you think about what Saki was like when she entered the academy—it’s like heaven and earth. Before, she only slept and ate sweets. And now she’s sacrificing sleep to move all her staff and available resources.”

“…”

“I feel proud to have been her rival back then. That person is pulling the strings of all Northeast Asia from the shadows.”

“Speedweapon.”

I stood up.

Speedweapon shook his head as if he expected it.

“Go. With family, you have to show gratitude on time. If you take it for granted, you become a bad person, president.”

“I… thanks.”

After being the one who gifted soda to the employees, now I felt a lump in my throat.

“This was confidential, and you told me just like that.”

“You were going to find out soon. I just gave you the news two days early. Go on, go.”

I turned around. Speedweapon stayed sipping his café au lait. As I took the first step, I spoke without looking at him.

“You’re more incredible than you think.”

He didn’t turn around. Even so, I kept speaking, even though it embarrassed me.

“Just as you feel proud to have been Saki’s rival… I feel proud that you’re my friend.”

“…”

“I’m going. Don’t bully the employees too much.”

I left the café. It was a bit away from the bustle of the festival, so it felt quiet.

Only the soft sound of someone sniffling remained.

And so, between emotion and expectations, we welcomed the commemorative ceremony.