The sky was collapsing.
Every time the colossal golden dragon struck the city’s barrier, the sky flashed.
With a single flap of its wings, a shield built by hundreds of wizards crumbled.
[The price for touching a dragon’s treasure… will be paid by the entire city.]
Aris’s voice shook the soul. A roar filled with the fury of a dragon who had lived for thousands of years.
“What a precious research material… To think it came here on its own wings.”
At that moment, Lucy’s cold voice rang out.
Shouts from wizards echoed throughout the city.
“Raise power output to 85%!”
“Reload the mana cannons!”
“Deploy the auxiliary barriers!”
Golden flames poured outside the window. The sound of mana colliding echoed endlessly.
Chaos, where Aris’s roar and the wizards’ spells mixed together.
“Yes, this kind of chaos is exactly what I needed.”
It was the perfect chance to escape the surveillance net. But the problem was…
RUMBLE!
The ground shook again. Aris’s breath struck the city’s barrier. The entire Mage Tower trembled.
“How can one escape the obsession of a dragon thousands of years old…”
The sky turned golden. Truly, it was the might of the Gold-Eyed Dragon.
For a moment, Aris and I locked eyes. Even the flames burning the city seemed to pause briefly.
“Ahaha, hello. I missed you, Aris.”
[Why did you run away, dear? Do you still not understand? I would never hurt you. If you wanted, I could have let you walk outside the nest anytime.]
A voice both graceful and chilling pierced my soul. Her usual refined tone was now laced with obsession.
“Well… you see… I came to the Mage Tower… for you.”
[Lies.]
Her cold voice shot back. Sharp and perceptive as always.
“I just needed time to prepare myself.”
…
The dragon’s massive eyes focused on me, as if trying to read my true intentions.
“It’s because… I’m worried about our difference in lifespan.”
[That excuse again? Didn’t I say I would handle that?]
“No, listen. I happened to learn about the magic you were researching. You were planning to share your lifespan with me, right? Giving me half of your lifespan so we could spend the remaining thousands of years together?”
I hadn’t spent my time at the academy just playing around with kids.
Aris’s wings trembled slightly. Was it embarrassment from having her secret research exposed?
“But that’s not what I want. I can’t let you sacrifice half of your existence because of me. My pride as a man wouldn’t allow it.”
[…It was entirely my choice. Lifespan means nothing if it’s for you!]
“Not to me. Dragons protect their treasures even if it means sacrificing everything. You’re trying to give up too much for me—your pride as a dragon, your very essence.”
Aris’s breath halted for a moment. My words must have struck her heart.
Even old fairy tales say it wasn’t swords or spears that brought down dragons, but the sincere heart of a young knight.
“You know how beautiful you are, don’t you? A wise dragon shining in gold. I don’t want to see you as only half of yourself. I… want to stand by your side proudly, as equals, without one-sided sacrifices.”
[You…]
“That’s why I came to the Mage Tower. I wanted to find a way for us to be together without stealing your lifespan… on my own.”
[You… always think of me so preciously…]
At that moment, Lucy suddenly cut in.
“What are you talking about… Hero, you were trying to use dimensional teleportation magic…”
“Oh no…”
I shot her a sharp glare. Please, just keep your mouth shut.
Luckily, Aris seemed to hear only my voice and nothing else.
“So, my point is… I came to study magic theory, but the headmaster suddenly wanted to use me as an experiment.”
[How dare they… touch my treasure!]
Aris’s gaze shifted to Lucy. The dragon’s fury flared up once again.
It wasn’t a lie. Just… a little twisted truth.
This time, I looked directly at Lucy. It was time to provoke her scholarly madness.
“Actually… I wanted to study with you too, Headmaster. I’ve read all your papers. Becoming a graduate student was my dream.”
Her eyes sparkled. I could see the curiosity of a scholar rising within her.
“What? Suddenly saying such a thing…”
“You know I’m from another world, right? Back in my world, I was a student pursuing knowledge. After over twelve years of study, I was attending a higher education institution. So I’m incredibly curious about this world’s magical system.”
It’s not entirely a lie. I was a college student! Though… in the humanities.
“But as soon as I arrived in this world… I became a hero. And I couldn’t exactly say no.”
I lowered my voice, as if sharing a long-kept secret.
“And as you can see, a very… enthusiastic guardian… I mean, dragon… strongly opposed it.”
I glanced at the golden dragon fighting the city’s defense forces.
“Especially your research on ether caught my interest. I think it might have a connection to my world’s quantum mechanics theory…”
Lucy’s pupils dilated. She had taken the bait.
…
“Quantum mechanics, you say? What is that?”
Her voice trembled, filled with a thirst for new knowledge.
‘Perfect. Got her.’
A faint smile formed on Lucy’s lips. She was clearly hooked on my words. After all, I was the only one who held knowledge from two worlds.
“Yes, it’s a theory from my world’s physics. The wave-particle duality of ether might be connected to…”
I trailed off. Sometimes, not saying everything is the most effective persuasion.
Besides, I don’t actually know what quantum mechanics is.
The important thing is that Lucy’s curiosity was on the verge of exploding.
“What do you mean? Please, continue!”
“Ah… I’m sorry. Dragons forbid such topics. If Aris finds out…”
-…
“Are you saying dragons suppress scientific inquiry? Now that I think about it, dragons are quite conservative, aren’t they?”
“Exactly. A dragon collaborating with humans on research? Their pride would never allow it. In fact, Aris joined our party to monopolize knowledge from my world.”
Lucy’s gaze shifted. Now, she was looking at Aris outside the window.
“So I… was hoping to ask you, Headmaster. If you could free me from the dragon’s restraint…”
“You mean you’d join our research… in exchange for your unique knowledge?”
Lucy cut in, finishing my sentence.
I nodded. Provoking a scholar’s thirst for knowledge isn’t difficult. Especially for a professor desperate for graduate students.
“Don’t worry. Interfering with research… is something I—no, our entire Mage Tower city—cannot tolerate.”
A stronger magic circle unfolded with her gesture.
The blue mana clashed against the golden flames.
“Hehe… human magic has already surpassed dragons. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to seize the dragons’ knowledge.”
Lucy laughed coldly. A glimmer of madness rose in her sky-colored eyes.
“And the sage of the dragons and the hero from another world… I’ll use both as research materials.”
Dozens of magic circles unfolded. The entire city was enveloped in blue light.
‘It’s done now.’
Perfect. If I can just make the two fight each other…
The sound of obsession colliding with obsession echoed in my ears. The dragon’s possessiveness and the scholar’s pursuit of knowledge.
In between them, I had to find my chance.
The full-scale battle resumed. Golden flames swept across the city. Blue mana split the sky.
[How dare you… covet my most precious treasure. Are you testing a dragon’s patience?]
Aris’s roar shook the magical circuits of the city.
[Treasure is something dragons hold dearly… something you cannot understand. The one and only light I’ve awaited for thousands of years…]
Her golden eyes gleamed coldly.
[Forever, forever… destined to stay with me in my nest. Surely, my treasure desires the same.]
“How foolish. Are you trying to monopolize knowledge? Are you willing to stop the progress of magic because of your possessiveness? 300 years of research, the dreams of countless scholars…”
Blue mana surged from her fingertips. The mana spread throughout the magic tower, and soon the entire city responded.
“The desire for new discoveries… progress never stops. I won’t tolerate any more interference. Even if it’s the sage of the dragons.”
The entire city operated as a massive magic circle.
The other tower leaders were pitiful, suddenly caught in a full-scale battle with dragons.
“The ‘treasure’ you seek… is our most precious research subject. The secret of the hero from another world… that special knowledge… I will reveal it all!”
Two obsessions collided. The mad possessiveness and the rational pursuit of knowledge.
The dragon’s flames scorched the city, and the scholar’s magic split the sky.
[Knowledge? I cannot trade such a trivial thing for treasure.]
“Trivial? Your blind possessiveness is the most trivial desire of all!”
Human reason and the dragon’s instincts collided. Different madnesses embroidered the sky.
At Lucy’s gesture, the magic circle in the principal’s office activated. Mana flowing along the walls became more distinct.
I quietly observed my surroundings. They were still hesitant. A bit of chaos… No, the seasoning for the battle was needed.
I gripped the holy sword. And my voice sliced through the air.
“The dragon is trying to burn the city!”
Lucy’s eyes sharpened.
“Aris! The principal is trying to dissect me!”
A dragon’s roar echoed from the sky.
Let the chaos deepen. This was the perfect opportunity to escape.
“Now that I think about it…”
I muttered while hiding in a safe corner, watching the battle.
“I’ve been quite impressive. To have lasted 5 years with such party members.”
Aris’s roar resonated with my soul. A cry of rage mixed with the pride and obsession of the dragon race.
[Give me the day!!!]
Golden breath struck the city. The magic tower’s barrier trembled, but the shield, with its 300-year history, did not break so easily.
“Indeed, a sage of the dragon race. But…”
Lucy’s cold voice echoed. Her sky-colored eyes sparked with the madness of a scholar.
“This city is a crystallization of centuries of accumulated magic. You alone…”
[Alone, you say?]
Dozens of grimoires appeared around her.
The legendary grimoires I had found for her: ‘Grimoire’, ‘Necronomicon’, ‘Erebus’…
[Hehe… Let me show you the true feast of magic.]
The grimoires opened in unison. Forbidden ancient spells reverberated in the air.
“This…”
Lucy’s expression hardened. Black mana pierced through the city’s barrier.
“Could it be… from the legends…”
[Yes. All these are my beloved, the gifts Haru gave me.]
The situation was favorable. The more their powers were evenly matched, the greater my chance.
“Now that I think of it, people used to call me the hero of balance.”
Magic clashed in the air. Golden flames and black spells struck the blue barrier.
“But can this really be called balance? Making them tear each other apart?”
Is it really balance to make two mad forces collide?
The battle continued in the sky. Golden flames engulfed the city. The blue barrier blocked it. Black spells rained in between.
“Hmm… I suppose if they keep each other in check, it can be called balance.”
I sighed.
I had grown used to dealing with their obsessions. Stimulating their desires to keep balance.
By avoiding the party members and fleeing, I had somehow become a yandere expert.
“Sigh… Is this really what a hero should be doing?”
I shook my head. But at this moment, this was the best option.
It would be impossible to fight both at once.
While they tore into each other… I had to find my opportunity.
The precarious balance between the dragon’s obsession and the scholar’s madness.
To survive in this chaos… I had to become more cunning.
“Alright, now slowly…”
I rose to my feet. It was time to find an opportunity to escape.
Rather than the hero of balance… perhaps I should be called the hero of escape.
A bitter smile crossed my face. On days like this, even the Demon King might laugh at me once.
But right now… this was the best option.