[Yujin, may I ask you something?]
Of course, Tia. Go ahead.
Having wrapped up his conversation with the Headmistress, Yujin nodded readily as he made his way toward where Professor Reina had left.
[That girl… considering you called it punishment, you didn’t really do much to her. Was that enough?]
Yes, it was enough.
Just having her keep the fact that the Headmistress is a dragon a secret was sufficient. When he said this, Tiamat’s expression turned somewhat strange.
[It’s odd for me to bring this up now, but don’t you think you’re being unusually merciful, unlike with that elf before? To leave it at just keeping her identity as a dragon a secret…]
You’re talking about Mirien, I assume. Well, the circumstances are different this time.
Yujin chuckled inwardly for a moment before speaking to Tiamat.
When I think about it, most of the fault lies with me. Just because I was appointed as a professor at the academy doesn’t mean I had the right to trespass. And even though I had my reasons, it’s true that I was heading toward the student dormitories despite not being a disciplinary professor. Looking at it from her perspective, I must have seemed like an intruder breaking into the academy.
[Hmm…]
“The Headmistress has a duty to stop intruders. From her perspective, there wasn’t much wrong with her actions. So to punish her beyond that would be absurd, wouldn’t it?”
Saying this, Yujin glanced back at the Headmistress who was following hesitantly at a distance behind him. Seeing her flinch when their eyes met, Yujin chuckled lightly and then turned back to Tiamat.
That’s the reason. Regardless of the malice and hostility she held toward me due to a misunderstanding, her actions were justified. I simply took that into account.
[I see. I understand now.]
Haha, of course, I did place a restriction to make sure that the fact I’m a dragon stays hidden.
The Dragon Word holds the power to overturn even the laws of the world. Imprinting a restriction onto a single human soul is hardly a difficult feat.
When you think about it, the power of dragons is inherently unfair. With just a few words, they can control the life of a person.
Then again, maybe that’s true for all high-ranking beings.
Yujin smiled bitterly at the thought and continued walking forward.
***
Meanwhile, Reina Sahart stood in the Headmistress’s office, which was located in the deepest part of the academy, with an anxious look on her face as she stared toward the direction of the academy’s garden.
Having brought the princess to what she believed to be the safest place due to the thought that she might become a target, Reina now felt a mixture of confusion and anxiety at the lack of any unusual occurrences so far.
Nothing happened… What on earth is happening?
The place that should have been more chaotic than ever remained eerily calm. There was only silence.
Could it be that they had moved locations, fearing the academy might be engulfed in flames? But would that man have agreed to move so easily?
She didn’t know. Perhaps everything had already ended before any commotion could arise. Or maybe it was all just a misunderstanding on their part.
The latter seemed more like wishful thinking, but in the current situation where they had no real grasp of the man’s power, it was the only hope she could cling to.
Wasn’t he the one who had easily overpowered even the Archmage, the Head of the Mages Association? Reina didn’t want to believe that the Headmistress could lose so easily, but in the worst-case scenario, even the Headmistress might find herself helpless against him.
Hoping desperately that such a nightmare wouldn’t come to pass, Reina could only stare intently at the princess seated on the sofa in the Headmistress’s office…
Clack.
“!”
It was then. The door to the Headmistress’s office suddenly opened.
Reina immediately turned toward the sound.
“Headmistress!”
And there, she saw a familiar figure come into view.
A woman with fiery red hair and dignified golden eyes appeared, and Reina’s face lit up with relief.
The Headmistress Ines Karandar smiled warmly as she greeted her.
“Professor Reina.”
“Thank goodness…! I was so worried that something had happened to you—”
Reina began rushing toward her in urgency, but then stopped in her tracks, freezing as if she had been turned to stone after confirming something.
“Hello, Professor Sahart. Haha, somehow it feels like it’s been only two days since we last met.”
A man with black hair and mysterious narrow eyes stood there.
Yujin was standing behind the Headmistress naturally as if nothing had happened.
“H-how… why…?”
“Oh, Professor Reina. There’s no need to be alarmed. This gentleman… no, Professor Yujin, is not a dark mage.”
Seeing Reina’s eyes tremble violently as if an earthquake had struck her pupils, Headmistress Ines hurriedly explained.
“It was all a misunderstanding on our part. So, for now, please stay calm and hear him out.”
“……”
At the Headmistress’s words, Reina hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath.
No… that’s right. She had left open the possibility that this could all be a misunderstanding. After all, the suspicion surrounding him was based purely on circumstantial evidence, and they had no concrete proof.
It was entirely possible that everything was just a misunderstanding. And if that were the case, there was no reason for her to be so flustered.
But… this person…?
Still, in her brief moment of confusion, she had overlooked something strange. The Headmistress had just used an unusual term of address. “This gentleman?” That was the kind of phrase one used when speaking to someone of considerable status or importance.
But was there anyone worthy of such reverence from the Headmistress? For decades, she had reigned as one of the world’s foremost powers, a figure who could stand tall even in front of the Emperor of the Empire without bowing her head.
Though something about the situation didn’t sit right with her, Reina chose to trust the Headmistress. Surely, if the Headmistress said it was a misunderstanding, she must have her reasons.
With that belief, Reina addressed the two of them.
“How… how did this happen?”
“It’s exactly as I said. I had a conversation with Professor Yujin, and I determined that he is not a dark mage.”
“Is that so…?”
Had she used a lie-detection spell? But would such a spell even work on a mage of Yujin’s caliber? For magic like lie detection or confession spells to work, there had to be a significant difference in skill level between the caster and the target. If their levels were even remotely close, such spells could easily be countered or rendered ineffective.
Of course, this was assuming the gap between the Headmistress and Yujin wasn’t substantial. Or that Yujin was even stronger than the Headmistress….
He’s strong enough to have subdued the Head of the Mages Association with ease. It’s hard to believe the gap between their abilities would be that vast…’
Though Reina trusted the Headmistress without question, she was also able to assess the situation objectively. The Head of the Mages Association was undoubtedly a powerful mage who had reached the level of an Archmage. For Yujin to have easily subdued someone of that caliber, it was hard to imagine that there was an overwhelming difference between him and the Headmistress. Besides, the Headmistress herself hadn’t been able to fully gauge his abilities.
Then did Yujin willingly accept being subjected to lie detection or confession magic?
But as previously mentioned, such spells could be deceived. The Headmistress was certainly aware of this fact, so she wouldn’t rely on them unquestioningly.
As Reina considered this, she looked directly at the Headmistress who spoke again.
“Think about it. From the start, we were basing our suspicions entirely on circumstantial evidence. And when you really think about it, even that circumstantial evidence was vague and full of inconsistencies.”
“That… that’s right.”
Reina did not deny it either. If they had truly been certain that Yujin was a dark mage from the start, they wouldn’t have bothered investigating him; they would have immediately tried to apprehend him. The investigation only happened because certain aspects about him raised suspicion, and even the results of the investigation seemed somewhat ambiguous.
“Above all, the idea that he harmed the princess was a misunderstanding. Take another look at her. Professor Yujin actually helped her instead.”
“…Understood.”
At those words, Reina approached Elicia who was lying on the sofa in the Headmistress’s office. She placed her hand gently on Elicia’s forehead.
Woooom…
Reina channeled her magical energy and began examining Elicia’s body. Then…
…I don’t feel any demonic power?
She realized there was no trace of demonic power coming from the princess. No, to be precise, it felt as though the energy had been hidden away.
Deep within her, demonic power still surged like waves, but it wasn’t rampaging or corroding her body. It was as though it had been sealed.
“How is this possible…”
“I’m not entirely sure myself, but Professor Yujin said he sealed the demonic power. If he were truly a dark mage, would he have had any reason to do such a thing?”
“……”
Hearing those words, Reina finally accepted the truth, and at the same time, she felt relieved.
So that’s what happened… Everything had simply been a misunderstanding. She had expended so much mental energy over nothing but an unfounded assumption.
Though she felt drained, she was also incredibly thankful.
“…I’m sorry, Headmistress. I caused you unnecessary worry by bringing this up.”
Reina straightened up and bowed her head toward the Headmistress. The Headmistress shook her head.
“There’s no need to apologize. You were just doing your job, weren’t you? I’m the one who fueled the misunderstanding.”
“No, that’s not true. I was the one who spoke out of turn…”
“Enough of that. Let’s not dwell on this any longer. If you feel the need to apologize, do so to Professor Yujin later.”
The Headmistress waved her hand dismissively and gestured toward Yujin. Reina turned to look at him and then bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry, Professor Yujin. My baseless misunderstanding caused you inconvenience.”
“It’s all right. I fully understand your perspective, Professor Sahart.”
Yujin smiled and nodded as he graciously accepted her apology.
At that point, the Headmistress clapped her hands and spoke.
“Well then… Professor Reina? Please assign Professor Yujin a place to stay. Make sure it’s one of our finest rooms.”
“Understood.”
“And Yujin… I’ll contact you later, so please come by the Headmistress’s office. There are procedures to follow, apart from appointing you as a professor.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
“Well then, you may go now.”
With the Headmistress’s words, Reina took the lead and stepped forward.
“Professor Yujin, please follow me.”
“All right. Headmistress, I’ll see you next time.”
With that, Reina and Yujin left the Headmistress’s office.
“Phew…”
The Headmistress let out a long sigh, now that she was alone in the office. Or rather, with only the sleeping Princess Elicia remaining.
“For now… I’ll send Princess Elicia back to the dormitory…”
Woooong
She muttered to herself as she began to create a teleportation circle to send Princess Elicia back to her room.
Now completely alone in the Headmistress’s office, she spoke softly to herself.
“What should I do… I told him I’d contact him and asked him to come by, but… would he find it unpleasant that I summoned him like that? More importantly, how am I even supposed to contact him…?”
Consumed by needless worries, she ended up spending the entire day in her office.
***
Meanwhile, in the academy’s corridor, Yujin and Reina walked side by side.
An awkward silence hung between them. Yujin didn’t particularly mind, but Reina, having caused unnecessary trouble due to her earlier misunderstanding, felt uncomfortable.
Reina who was self-aware enough to understand her position knew she couldn’t casually strike up a conversation. This resulted in the heavy silence between them.
Normally, Yujin would have been the one to break the ice in such situations, but he was currently talking with Tiamat as they walked, so he didn’t even notice the awkward silence.
Becoming a professor sounds pretty exciting. I can’t help but think about what I should teach the students and what I need to prepare.
[Fufu, seeing how excited you are makes me happy too. Do your best.]
With such a conversation occupying his mind, it was only natural that he wasn’t aware of the uncomfortable atmosphere.
And so, the two of them arrived at the faculty dormitory without saying a word.
“Oh, this is a really nice place.”
The faculty and staff dormitory, as one of the academy’s facilities that prided itself on offering the very best, was a place of such luxury and comfort that it could rival or even surpass a modern five-star hotel.
It was equipped with facilities such as a swimming pool, hot springs, and a spa, and even professors with separate residences frequently used it as if it were their own private villa.
“Professor Yujin, this will be your residence from now on.”
“Yes, understood. Thank you for showing me around.”
“And… um…”
Reina hesitated for a moment, looking uncertain, before finally speaking again to Yujin.
“I’d like to apologize once more. I acted rudely toward you because of my baseless misunderstanding.”
“Hmm…”
Yujin glanced at her briefly and observed her.
…I feel like teasing her a bit.
Then he spoke with a peculiar smile on his face.
“It’s fine.”
“But…”
“No, it really is fine. Besides, it wasn’t even much of a misunderstanding to begin with.”
“…Huh?”
At his words, Reina blinked in surprise and hesitantly lifted her gaze. What she saw was a man looking down at her with an expression like that of a snake’s grin.
She flinched.
Unconsciously, she shivered. She didn’t know why, but the man standing before her now felt overwhelmingly ominous.
That snake-like inscrutable smile. And then, like a snake flicking its tongue, his mouth opened.
“Professor Reina, you know what pus is, don’t you?”
Pus.
The inflammation that forms when a wound becomes infected. Why was he suddenly bringing that up?
“…What do you mean, all of a sudden?”
“When a wound festers and pus builds up, if you don’t release it, the wound eventually rots and deteriorates entirely. What about demonic power?”
“…….!!!”
Professor Reina’s eyes wavered. Her mouth slowly opened as an expression of shock spread across her face.
“If the sealed demonic power builds and builds and eventually rots… what do you think will happen?”
“Wh-What…”
“Before that happens, it has to be released. But what would happen if you released the sealed demonic power? I’m quite curious myself. I really have no idea how to handle it. Don’t you agree?”
Tap… Tap…
She instinctively shuddered and took a step back. Right now, at this moment…
“Y-You…”
“Professor Reina, you have quite a sharp intuition. And I don’t dislike people like that.”
Step.
As he said this, Yujin took a step closer to her.
And then, she took two steps back.
“Safety first… It’s a nice phrase, but don’t you think it’s dreadfully boring? Someone has to stir things up a bit for work to feel worthwhile, don’t you think?”
“……”
“So, why don’t we play a little game?”
Yujin spoke with a bright smile. At first glance, the smile looked utterly innocent.
However, the words that followed stood in stark contrast to that innocence. They were dripping with malice.
“Guess who I am. And then reveal the truth.”
“…….!”
“What do you think? Simple, right?”
Upon hearing those words, Reina took several steps back; her face was already growing pale.
Then without hesitation, she turned around and started running off somewhere.
Yujin quietly watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning and entering the room assigned to him.
[…Yujin.]
Tiamat, who had been observing the scene, looked at Yujin with a peculiar expression.
[Yujin. Why did you go out of your way to say such strange things and scare that child?]
“Oh, that?”
Yujin briefly averted his gaze as if trying to dodge the question, but soon smiled and replied.
“It was just a prank.”
[.…….]
“Haha, I just felt like teasing her a little. Since I’d already been mistaken for a dark mage, I decided to play the role for a bit and mess with her. What do you think? Wasn’t it pretty convincing?”
Tiama who heard this thought to herself.
[It was too convincing. You have a rather nasty personality, don’t you?]
“Haha, thank you for the compliment.”
[That wasn’t a compliment.]
“Hmm…”
Yujin scratched his head sheepishly.
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