Yujin asked Tiamat “Why?” but no answer came. She simply remained silent with her eyes carrying a hint of sadness.
He could guess that there was some reason behind it, but that was all. Because of that, he couldn’t easily respond to the promise Tiamat had asked of him.
“Let’s talk about this again next time.”
[…Yujin…]
“It’s not that I’m ignoring your words, Tia. I just… don’t want to make a promise carelessly when I don’t understand anything.”
[………]
“When the time comes that you can tell me the reason, I’ll give you my answer then.”
Tiamat remained silent for a moment, then eventually nodded her head.
[…Yeah, you’re right. That’s how it should be. Sorry, I think I was forcing my own perspective too much.]
“It’s alright. I know you’re saying this because you care about me.”
[…Thank you.]
Although she hadn’t told Yujin everything, neither of them harbored any doubt or let it strain their relationship. Their bond had grown too deep for something like this to drive a wedge between them.
Finally, Tiamat spoke one last time.
[…Yujin, just take this as a piece of advice. Keep it in mind, but don’t let it bind you too much.]
“…Advice?”
[Yes, advice. If…no, regardless of whether it’s a demon or anyone else, if you ever have a child with another being, then at the very least, take responsibility for them.]
“……”
Hearing those words, Yujin fell silent for a moment before letting out a small chuckle.
“That is a fundamental duty of life. Even the most insignificant of beasts take responsibility for the lives they bring into the world.”
[You’re right. It’s just… there are plenty of those who don’t.]
As she spoke, something in her voice carried a rare trace of anger and disgust. These were emotions she never usually showed.
[Even lowly beasts understand such basic right and wrong, and yet… there are those who don’t.]
“……”
Yujin instinctively understood that when she said “those who don’t”, she was referring to demons.
What exactly had Tiamat experienced in the past? The fact that she warned him not to have children with a demon meant that there had been cases of interbreeding between demons and dragons.
It couldn’t have been Tiamat herself. From everything he had seen, he was certain that she was a virgin in the truest sense.
Most likely, it was something that had happened among the dragons under her command. An incident that had led to some kind of tragedy.
But that was as far as Yujin could speculate. Beyond that, he had no knowledge, and anything more would be pure conjecture.
“…I understand for now. I’ll keep it in mind.”
And so, he simply took her warning to heart and continued on his way.
***
Meanwhile, rewinding time a little—
“…Where on earth did he go…?”
Professor Reina Sahart wandered through the campus. She was busy searching for Yujin.
To her, this was only natural. She was convinced that Yujin was a dark mage, and the mere thought of failing to keep an eye on him and whatever might result from that was something she didn’t even want to imagine.
Damn it… Don’t tell me he actually went to the princess’s dormitory…?
No matter how much she searched the campus, he was nowhere to be found. That left only one place that came to mind. A place Yujin might have gone. It was the princess’s dormitory.
But I doubt Her Highness would just let a male professor walk into her dorm unannounced.
Princess Elicia, due to an incident in her childhood, was not someone who easily allowed others to get close or earn her trust.
Would such a person suddenly welcome an unexpected visit from a male professor? Even if that professor was the one who had sealed her demonic power?
Reina didn’t think so. From the very beginning, Yujin carried an air of suspicion around him. There was no way the princess wouldn’t be wary of him.
Moreover, Elicia was an exceptionally strong individual. Even if Yujin attempted to use force, there was no way he could resolve things quietly without causing a disturbance.
Of course, reality was quite different, but from a rational perspective, Reina’s reasoning was sound. Because of that, she ruled out the possibility of Yujin being at the princess’s dormitory.
…Well, he should be back before the afternoon lecture…
She was frowning as she continued walking when—
“…Hmm?”
Something caught her eye, and she stopped in her tracks.
Nearby, on a bench beside a café, two female students sat together.
“Elly~ So, what exactly happened with Professor Yujin that made you so scared?”
“Wh-What? I-I’m not scared or anything!”
“Aww, come on. Your reaction says it all. I heard about it. You ran into Professor Yujin during the labyrinth exam, didn’t you? Something must have happened there, right?”
A black-haired female student and a brown-haired female student were chatting. Reina’s eyes gleamed.
Student Elly.
She was the one who had encountered Yujin during the labyrinth exam.
Reina had momentarily forgotten about her due to Yujin’s sudden disappearance, but she had always intended to ask the girl about what had happened inside the labyrinth. It didn’t take long for her to recall that plan.
She took a step forward.
“…Student Elly.”
“Eh?! “
“Whoa!”
Startled by Reina’s sudden voice, the two girls jumped and quickly turned around. Then they hurriedly stood up straight.
“P-Professor R-Reina! M-May I ask why you called me?”
Elly spoke in a trembling voice. Regardless of Yujin, Reina was famously strict when it came to magical studies, so there was no reason for her not to be nervous.
In fact, since Reina had the power to significantly lower her grades, it was only natural for Ellyto be shaking.
“I have something to ask you, Student Elly. Student Sera.”
“Ah, yes!”
At Reina’s call, the brown-haired girl beside Elly, Sera, stood at attention and responded loudly.
Reina continued.
“I need to speak with Student Elly alone for a moment. Would you mind stepping away? It won’t take long.”
“O-Of course!”
With that, Sera quickly left the scene.
Elly who was left alone in an instant glanced at the spot where Sera had been moments before and screamed, “Traitor!” in her head as she fought back tears.
“Student Elly.”
“Y-Yes!”
But she had no time to dwell on her betrayal. The moment Reina called her name again, she had no choice but to stand at attention and answer.
Seeing her so stiff, Reina spoke.
“You can relax.”
“O-Oh… Y-Yes!”
At those words, Elly relaxed slightly. Watching her, Reina spoke.
“As I just mentioned, the reason I called you, Student Elly, is because I have something to ask you.”
“S-Something to ask… me, Professor?”
“Yes. It’s about none other than Professor Yujin.”
“…Hic!”
The moment Yujin’s name was mentioned, Elly’s face turned pale. At the same time, she let out a small hiccup.
Seeing her reaction, Reina became certain. Elly knew something.
“Th-That… W-Why are you asking about P-Professor Yujin…?”
“That is…”
Reina hesitated for a moment at the question.
Should I really say this?
She still didn’t know whether Elly was aware that Yujin was a dark mage. If she revealed that fact now, could it put Elly in danger as well?
No, it’s too soon to bring up the dark mage suspicion.
After making that judgment, Reina decided to test Elly with a different question first.
“Miss Elly, you seem to be especially wary of Professor Yujin.”
“…W-Well, that’s…”
“There’s no need to deny it. I believe you already know it yourself. It’s quite obvious that you feel particularly uncomfortable around him.”
“……”
“If I recall correctly, the first time you met Professor Yujin was during the labyrinth exam, after reaching the third floor. Is that correct?”
“Y-Yes… that’s right.”
“After meeting him there, did something happen between you and Professor Yujin?”
“……”
At Reina’s question, Elly’s face turned pale again. Reina narrowed her eyes and continued to press.
“What exactly happened?”
“Th-That’s…”
“You can be honest with me. Even if something unfavorable to Professor Yujin occurred, and he tries to hold you accountable, I will protect you no matter what.”
“……”
Elly remained silent at those words, then she asked Reina with a trembling voice,
“…P-Professor, why are you asking me this?”
“That is…”
Reina hesitated once more. This was the turning point.
If she spoke directly to Elly about the dark mage, she might be able to hear the full story from her. However, doing so would also increase the likelihood of Elly being put in danger.
On the other hand, if she chose to speak in a roundabout way, Elly might respond just as vaguely. Considering that, it seemed better to ask directly…
For now, Reina decided to prioritize the student’s safety and phrase her question more carefully.
“Elly, I don’t know exactly what happened between you and Professor Yujin, but I do know that you are especially afraid of him. If Professor Yujin did anything to harm you, I have a duty as a professor to address it and hold him accountable. This is for your sake as well.”
“Ah…”
At those words, Elly looked at Reina, as if touched. Seeing that reaction, Reina felt inwardly relieved.
“…Th-Thank you for saying that, Professor Reina. But it’s not that he harmed me or anything. It’s just that… how should I put it… if I had to explain, it’s more like I was just scared and embarrassed on my own…”
However, the words that came out of Elly’s mouth were entirely different from what Reina had expected.
Elly recounted how she had been a burden to her group during the exam, and how Yujin had guided her through her first kill as if he were teaching her. Because of the shock of that experience, she had come to fear and avoid him, even though he had actually helped her. It was a trivial story; nothing more.
In fact, this was something she had already heard in a report from Hugo, the party leader responsible for overseeing the group at the time. Reina narrowed her eyes.
Is she still hiding something?
Judging by Elly’s reaction, she didn’t seem to be lying, but Reina couldn’t bring herself to accept that she had simply misjudged the situation. Especially after witnessing Yujin practically reveal his true nature before her eyes.
“Elly, are you absolutely sure that’s all there is to it?”
Determined to get a clear answer, she even used a lie-detection spell. Elly who sensed the magic looked flustered at first but soon composed herself and answered sincerely.
“I-I swear, that’s really all.”
“……”
The response was truthful.
Reina began to wonder if she really had jumped to conclusions, but…
…Even so, could something that minor really be enough to make someone fear him that much?
She still couldn’t accept it. Running a hand through her hair, she searched her thoughts.
Dark magic often involves interfering with a person’s mind or life force.
Could it be that Elly’s memories had been tampered with? What if her soul still remembered experiencing something far more terrifying, but her conscious mind had been manipulated, making her mistake her fear of Yujin for the lingering trauma of witnessing a killing?
It was an absurd assumption. But after witnessing Yujin’s true nature firsthand, she had long since entered a stage where she doubted everything. In reality, she had become downright paranoid.
Memory manipulation is an advanced form of dark magic… but if it’s Han Yujin, he might just be capable of it.
If that were the case, it would be a serious problem. Magic that interfered with the mind was mostly classified as dark magic, but even among pure magic, there were spells of similar nature. However, mental magic of any kind was considered dangerous, and research on it was strictly forbidden.
Of course, there were relatively simple dispelling techniques that could undo light brainwashing or hypnosis. But as for memory manipulation….no known method had been developed to reverse it.
In that case, the only option is to draw out the relevant memories…
That was a risky move. Retrieving those memories would inevitably mean exposing the truth. That Yujin was a dark magician.
If Yujin had indeed altered Elly’s memories as a safety measure, then revealing his identity recklessly could be dangerous.
Even so, she couldn’t just sit back without securing some kind of proof. She grabbed Eri’s shoulders and spoke.
“Elly, listen to me carefully.”
“…. Y-Yes?”
There was no other choice. She could only hope that Elly would handle it well and do everything in her power to protect her.
With that resolve, she began to reveal the “truth”…
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