‘My plans, so cruelly thwarted.’
Now, not only within the academy but also outside of it, the fame of the new professor was spreading steadily among the people of the empire.
This was the current reality.
‘Isn’t this a bit too much to worry about?’
But perhaps the world was truly going mad.
The shareholders and journalists gathered at the press conference venue.
If they kept spreading fabricated heroics, and if I kept making mistakes that gave them more reasons to praise me, things would spiral out of control.
The abnormality of the empire.
The explosive increase of fanatics.
The empire turning into something like the Imperial Academy.
Having seen such things before, it was only natural for me to be troubled by these concerns.
But surprisingly, my mental state recovered much faster than I expected.
It wasn’t because I had exceptional mental strength, but simply because humans are inherently fickle beings.
It’s like feeling bad about my gacha results, but then seeing someone else blow a fortune only to fail utterly and thinking, ‘Well, at least I didn’t hit rock bottom.’
Even when upset over failures, seeing someone who’s worse off brings both solemnity and relief.
And in this case, there was someone.
Someone who had failed so badly that I felt solemn just thinking about it.
***
“Congratulations, Riyan! I heard you accomplished something great again!”
I was trembling as I held the newspaper in my hand.
Stepping outside with the sole purpose of burning this ominous stack of papers, I encountered the Progenitor Dragon.
And as expected, she was full of praise.
“You make me proud. Truly, you’re the professor of our Imperial Academy. Having you join us was the greatest stroke of luck in my life,” she said, heaping compliments upon me.
Normally, I would have simply muttered a brief thank-you and walked away.
But there was something odd about the Progenitor Dragon’s expression.
Despite her words, her face betrayed no happiness.
‘What’s going on with her?’
As I stared at her intently, the Progenitor Dragon grew flustered, hastily opening her mouth as if to explain herself.
“Th-that aside, people really are foolish, aren’t they? Someone of your caliber wouldn’t concoct such a scheme just to make some money, would you?”
Beads of cold sweat rolled down her face as the girl continued to speak.
“You must have been using cryptic language, but they didn’t even understand that and just jumped straight into investing. If they lose a fortune, they only have themselves to blame for being so stupid.”
My mind started spinning rapidly as I listened to her words.
The goodwill level had already been high.
‘How likely was it that Sion, believing in my words without a doubt, had recklessly invested a huge sum in H.L. Corporation?’
‘What were the chances that the biggest loser in this situation was none other than the Progenitor Dragon?’
‘And if, just if, the Progenitor Dragon did suffer losses, could she be compensated for it?’
‘Would a prideful dragon ever admit that she failed to scrutinize thoroughly before investing a massive amount or misunderstood the true meaning of Riyan’s message?’
The answer was already clear.
“Really, people are such fools, don’t you think, Riyan?”
A fool looked at me.
A fool who couldn’t hold back tears and sniffled pitifully.
In the end, large teardrops rolled down the fool’s cheeks.
She murmured something about dust getting into her eyes, an excuse no one would believe.
As I stared at the forlorn Progenitor Dragon, what surged along with solemnity was a pang of guilt.
From the Progenitor Dragon’s perspective, this was all her fault.
[Do you happen to know a good investment opportunity?]
I had approached her before anyone else.
I had subtly hinted that H.L. Corporation was suspicious to prevent the information from leaking, but she probably felt guilty for misunderstanding and failing to recognize the truth.
But I alone knew the real story behind all this.
‘That wasn’t coded language or anything like that. I just wanted to prove how terrible my judgment was by recommending a stock with no future to the Progenitor Dragon.’
The great dragon couldn’t possibly make a mistake.
She would have realized something was off about the stock I chose, or at least moderated her investment if she decided to go through with it.
I had calculated things to some extent before taking action, but with results like this, I had nothing to say even if I had two mouths.
‘Just how much had she lost?’
The sight of the white-haired girl still sobbing pitifully filled me with guilt.
‘I’m still human, after all.’
Feeling the weight of my conscience, I finally spoke to console her.
“…Since we’ve run into each other like this, why don’t we have dinner together?”
Whether this was fortunate or unfortunate, one thing was certain.
It was an incredibly effective suggestion.
I was completely fooled by the Progenitor Dragon.
As I was led by Sion to a restaurant, I realized the truth the moment I saw the luxurious building.
A great dragon who has lived for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.
There was no way such a being’s accumulated wealth could be ordinary.
Price tags that would make anyone gasp in disbelief.
Even though her stock had been delisted, and she had cried tears over it, the Progenitor Dragon casually paid for my meal.
Sion wasn’t wailing because she had lost her entire fortune.
Like someone throwing a tantrum over getting one question wrong on an exam, she had just been overreacting and making a scene.
‘But what was the point of regretting things now?’
‘We had already come too far to turn back.’
***
The Progenitor Dragon looked at me with a blissful smile.
“Meeting you has been the greatest fortune of my life. Even though I keep disappointing you, you always think of me. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
The food on the table was already forgotten.
The meticulously decorated dishes made with premium ingredients sat untouched, growing cold.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but admit it.
‘Perhaps lowering the Progenitor Dragon’s favorability is impossible. Maybe I’ll have to leave it to the alpha-male protagonist to figure something out.’
“If you ever need help with anything, just let me know. If it’s your request, I’ll gladly do anything!”
‘In that case, let’s just accept her goodwill this time. If there’s no way to earn her disfavor, I might as well secure some insurance.’
‘And besides, there was something I wanted to ask her for anyway.’
The dragon’s words.
I wanted to analyze their system properly.
A type of magic similar to rune magic but also distinct from it.
Understanding its principles could surely improve mana efficiency.
And while this might be a childish ambition, I wanted to achieve a goal I had sketched out in my younger years.
Even if it was magic I could never use, I wanted to complete it.
Unique Technique No. 3: “Heaven Defiance.”
Rewriting one’s destiny after deciphering it.
A technique that was just one step away from completion.
Perhaps the dragon’s words could serve as the final piece of the puzzle.
So, I decided to request her cooperation.
The moment I opened my mouth to speak with that in mind…
***
[Forget it. That is knowledge you do not need.]
For a moment, my mind went blank.
A voice suddenly echoed in my head.
[We have never sought to defy the heavens.]
My perception was forcibly distorted.
My memories began to fade away, one by one.
Both the details about that voice and the unique technique I had devised were slowly being erased from my mind.
The situation was so sudden.
But there was no way I would just stand there and let it happen.
I quickly grabbed Sion’s hand.
Despite her appearance as a fragile girl, the one before me was the great Progenitor Dragon of the empire.
A dragon wiser than anyone else.
She would have noticed from my urgent expression that I was under attack.
What I needed to do in this situation was very simple.
My power alone wasn’t enough.
So, I had to borrow the Progenitor Dragon’s strength.
I channeled my mana into Sion’s body, taking control of the mana flowing through her.
I forcibly manifested magic by manipulating her circuits.
It was an absurdly difficult task, but if the target didn’t resist, it was a different story.
Runic magic formed, constructed by overwhelming mana.
It severed all interference aimed at me.
The voice subsided.
I managed to barely preserve my memories, but what now filled my mind wasn’t relief—it was countless questions.
‘What just happened?’
‘Who did this to me?’
And above all…
‘Why did that voice sound exactly like mine?’
‘It was incomprehensible.’
‘This wasn’t something I could take lightly. ‘
‘Judging that, I naturally turned to the great Progenitor Dragon.’
‘In times like these, there was no better ally than her.’
‘No matter who the enemy was, as long as Sion was by my side, I had nothing to worry about.’
At least, that’s what I thought…
***
What unfolded before me was a bizarre scene.
Her hand, which I was firmly holding.
I had established direct contact to hijack her mana circuits, yet the Progenitor Dragon didn’t seem to notice.
The white-haired girl.
She had her face flushed red, her eyes tightly shut.
Her lips, slightly pouted, seemed to tremble nervously as they pushed forward toward me.
It was as if she was clearly asking for something.
My mind naturally began to drift into a haze.
Finally, I looked at her incredulously and asked:
“What on earth are you doing, Progenitor Dragon?”
…She truly had no sense of time or place.
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