I Dream of the Future Yet to Come
In my sleep, I dream of the future that awaits me.
In that dream, I am still a professor at the academy.
Despite my relentless efforts, I ultimately fail to overcome the petty sabotage against me.
Time passes as I remain trapped here, aimlessly drifting forward until I find myself at the climax of the story.
Alongside the main cast, I prepare for the final showdown with the ultimate antagonist.
Of course, there’s no way I could ever defeat that monster.
Desperately, I call upon the Prime Dragon for help, but there’s no response.
After all, this is a world within a story.
In fiction, an overpowered side character rarely has the chance to show their power when it truly matters.
The Prime Dragon, sealed away for some reason, cannot protect me now.
“So, who else is there to confront this final boss?”
“I’d like to say ‘no one,’ but I feel eyes on me from behind.”
“We believe in you, Professor Riyan!”
“With you, that enemy is no match!”
The absurd voices of my students fill the air.
Mistaken as some kind of genius professor who even surpasses the Prime Dragon, I am shoved forward to face the final boss due to my students’ misplaced confidence.
Naturally, my strength is laughably inadequate.
The boss’s initial attack, thrown at me just for fun, tears my body in half.
”This is insane.”
At that moment, I wake up from the horrifying dream.
My head begins to throb.
My mental fortitude isn’t weak enough to be shaken by a single nightmare, but this dream was unsettlingly vivid.
It’s not something I can dismiss as a random bad dream.
It’s a terrifying vision of a future that will soon become reality—a serious threat approaching me.
”And to think, this was the hopeful scenario.”
Reality is even more ruthless than the dream.
The mere idea of surviving until the end of the novel is absurdly optimistic.
Just look at my current situation.
In only my first month as a professor, I’ve nearly died seven times.
A life where I face mortal danger every four days is the very definition of a nightmare.
If I keep living like this, I really will lose my mind.
“I have to escape this hell, no matter what it takes.”
I can’t deny that things have taken a drastic turn for the worse, but I quickly regain my resolve.
The Prime Dragon of the Iron Blood Palace, and the support of not only the Imperial Family but even the Academy’s board—I’ve gathered allies in high places.
‘But so what?’
My determination remains unbroken.
I have no intention of quietly accepting my destined death.
Besides, every crisis can be turned into an opportunity if you know how.
“Things aren’t so bad right now.”
Just like the backlash against a celebrity with a perfect image when they commit a scandal, my image could work to my advantage.
A flawless, genius professor.
The more everyone mistakenly believes in this ideal image, the greater their disappointment will be when I finally let them down.
“I’ll show everyone an unsightly, repulsive side of myself until they’ve had enough.”
“And what’s the perfect way to achieve that?”
“Swordsmanship class. There’s no better choice than that.”
It’s no use simply tormenting the students as I did before.
They’d just dismiss it as some kind of unconventional training and participate without complaint.
So, I’ll conduct a swordsmanship class.
I have no talent for swordsmanship, and I mean none.
I’m a natural klutz, my frail body struggling even to swing a wooden sword.
I’ve practiced alone a few times, and the sight was embarrassingly laughable.
Imagine if I displayed that pathetic skill in front of everyone?
***
A professor who injures his own foot with his own sword and cries like a child, acting as if he’s some kind of expert.
I would become a complete laughingstock.
Everyone would see how pitiful my skills are and how arrogantly I pretended to be someone important.
And when I pettishly punish the students who insult me, my reputation will hit rock bottom.
This plan is perfect from every angle.
“This time, I’ll finally realize my wish.”
With no reason left to hesitate, I resolve myself and immediately begin laying the groundwork.
…Sweet dismissal awaits me.
The academy is fully restored within a single day.
Strolling down the corridor, marveling at the Prime Dragon’s extraordinary power, I soon arrive at my destination.
The office of the headmistress, Sion, at the Imperial Academy.
I take a deep breath and open the door.
Though my resignation has now been transformed into a trap to catch the criminal, it’s true that I once reflected on my abuse of power and locked myself away.
Now, I’m back, shamelessly asking them to create a class just for me, disregarding the academic schedule.
In any normal situation, this would be the height of arrogance.
In fact, this might be the hardest part of my plan.
I had mentally prepared myself for this.
“Welcome, Riyan! I knew you’d come, so I’ve been waiting for you!”
The Prime Dragon greets me with a cheerful smile.
She speaks as if she already knew I would be coming here.
Startled, I look at her, and Sion smiles brightly, saying, “If I couldn’t anticipate something like this, I wouldn’t deserve to be called the Prime Dragon.”
In hindsight, Sion possesses the Dragon’s Eye.
She must have easily seen through my intentions.
With nothing left to delay, I state my purpose directly.
“I saw some flowers blooming beautifully. Would you like to…” “I’m here because I want to create a new class.”
Unfortunately, our words overlap at the worst possible moment.
The Prime Dragon, flustered, quickly recovers.
“Ah, yes! The class! That’s exactly what I was going to talk about! You’re always so dedicated to the students! As headmistress, I’m so grateful.”
Sion’s rapid response, her face pale with embarrassment, leaves her looking pitifully distressed.
For some reason, she seems on the verge of tears, repeatedly insisting I forget what she almost said, entirely forgetting to address my request for the class.
‘Is this moodiness also a result of wear and tear?’
After a moment of thought, I make a decision.
It’s time to use the item I’d prepared just in case.
“Oh, I almost forgot. While the class is important, I have something even more urgent to discuss.”
From My Pocket Came a Bag of Cookies
I pull out a bag of cookies from my pocket.
Not store-bought, but handmade.
Cooking is something I’m quite good at, so I can guarantee the taste.
These were prepared as a bribe, just in case the Prime Dragon refused my request.
They also served as my reply to the cookies she had given me previously.
“Though humble, I hope you’ll enjoy them.”
This should lift the Prime Dragon’s spirits a bit.
There’s an issue with gaining her favor, but I’ll consider it the cost of smoothly carrying out my plan.
Thinking so, I flash a bright smile.
Suddenly, I hear a sniffle.
The Prime Dragon covers her face with her tail and shouts, “Don’t look this way! Close your eyes at once!”
However, I don’t follow her command. If she’s cursed, I need to figure out a way to lift it.
I quickly approach the Prime Dragon.
The distance between us shortens with my urgent steps, and just as I’m about to remove the black tail covering her face…
Crash!
The Prime Dragon throws herself through the window.
It seems she’s trying to return to her true form to take flight, but her poorly undone polymorph leaves her wings too small to support the weight of her chubby, mascot-like dragon body.
A loud crash echoes as she lands.
The sudden commotion draws everyone’s attention. Students start gathering around the mascot dragon.
They ask, bewildered, what on earth happened.
But no matter how many questions they ask, there’s no answer.
Now flushed red like a Red Dragon, Sion closes her eyes tightly and begins to ignore everyone around her.
After a full thirty minutes pass, and with both the entire student body and professors gathered around her, the Prime Dragon finally opens her mouth.
“It seems… that vile demon tried to pull another trick on me.”
The first-ranked of the 72 Evil Demons, Bael.
That elusive demon had attacked Sion.
The Prime Dragon explains that her mind was controlled so thoroughly that she doesn’t remember anything that happened today.
Everyone who hears this grits their teeth in anger.
“Bael, you fiend… to toy with the Prime Dragon and humiliate her like this. We won’t forgive you!”
In the end, the usual story: blame the demon.
United in anger, everyone vows revenge.
And with that, the commotion finally settles down.
***
[Regarding your lecture proposal, I’ll handle everything.]
When I return to my room, I find a letter left behind.
How someone who claims to have lost her memory managed to write this is beyond me.
And why did she attach such a strange condition about confirming the schedule verbally at a nearby restaurant?
A theory pops into my head, but… sometimes, it’s best to leave things unsaid.
After all, love is a fickle thing.
Soon enough, the Alpha Male protagonist will come along, rescue the Prime Dragon, and add her to his harem.
There’s no need for me to worry about that.
For now, I decide to ignore the ominous feeling and toast to the fact that my swordsmanship lecture has finally been approved.