I am essentially a reincarnator.
Someone who lived a normal life but accidentally became aware of their past life.
Not only was I a company worker who found joy in reading web novels, but I was also a resident of this world.
Thus, I still held a sense of reverence.
A being of myths—a great dragon who founded and protected this empire.
I had my own admiration and awe for that proud dragon.
It was an impression ingrained in me since childhood.
Changing that perception was no easy task.
It wasn’t easy at all, but the progenitor dragon managed to accomplish it.
An overwhelming level of absurdity.
An unfortunate nature that surpassed the understanding of common sense.
‘Was the progenitor dragon truly the strongest, even in being ridiculous?’
I thought so as I observed the embarrassing spectacle caused by that lizard.
“So, you’re saying that you grabbed my hand so suddenly, you were too shocked to even comprehend what was happening?”
It wasn’t that I arbitrarily assumed Sion would assess the situation.
Completely seizing control of someone’s mana was practically equivalent to holding their life in your hands.
Surely, the progenitor dragon would have noticed this. That was my reasoning.
“Oh, come on! This was unavoidable!”
The progenitor dragon protested, questioning if such things couldn’t happen when surprised.
She seemed to be seriously claiming that it was partly my fault for holding her hand, but even excuses had their limits.
“It didn’t seem like you were shocked; it looked more like you were expecting something. If you hadn’t suddenly closed your eyes to block your vision or refrained from puckering your lips, you might have realized the gravity of the situation.”
Why on earth did she do something like that?
When I criticized the progenitor dragon, she was at a loss for words.
Her eyes darted around, frantically searching for an excuse.
“Just so we’re clear, don’t try to claim your swollen lips are due to a food allergy. It would be unfair to the chef who worked so hard on this meal.”
The dishes prepared seemed painstakingly crafted.
Unlike me, the chef didn’t know the dragon’s true nature.
He must have given his all to serve a figure he likely revered.
The chef glanced our way nervously.
He was probably worried if there was something wrong with his food since things had suddenly turned chaotic.
There was no need to hurt an innocent person.
I added that comment to the progenitor dragon, though, in hindsight, it might have been too much.
“What do you take me for? Even I wouldn’t falsely accuse someone of such a thing!”
The progenitor dragon retorted indignantly.
She rarely made such reasonable remarks.
‘Perhaps Sion wasn’t as disgraceful as I thought…’
“I was going to insist that you, under the influence of a hallucinatory spell, saw illusions! You must’ve been ensnared by a succubus, dreaming up something indecent aligned with your tastes!”
Or so I believed.
Before I could fully reassess her, Sion boldly revealed her scheme in front of me.
My face naturally shifted to one of utter disbelief.
It wasn’t long before a bead of sweat trickled down Sion’s neck.
In her desperation, she ended up blurting out something self-destructive.
Realizing her mistake, the progenitor dragon tried to salvage the situation, but it was already too late.
“…Just to confirm, were you planning to frame me as a pervert with such a false accusation? To claim that it was me, not you, harboring indecent desires?”
My gaze was filled with reproach and scorn.
Her eyes spun in confusion, as if she were dizzy.
Her white clothing clung to her skin, translucent from the sweat, exposing the texture beneath.
The embarrassed dragon, now visibly distressed, ultimately opted for retreat.
To protect her mental state, she denied reality.
She unfurled her wings and bolted… only to return.
She had no choice but to come back.
Despite everything, she was still concerned about me.
To prevent any unforeseen attacks, she had to accompany me to the academy protected by anti-intrusion barriers.
After fleeing in shame and returning on her own, the progenitor dragon was flushed to the point that she was indistinguishable from an apology itself.
Embarrassed, she couldn’t even make proper eye contact with me.
There was no way I’d let such an opportunity pass me by.
“Shall we hold hands on the way to the academy? You seem to enjoy it so much.”
I teased the unfortunate dragon relentlessly for a long time.
This entire ploy was initially intended to lower her favorability towards me.
Although it deviated somewhat from my original plan, teasing her thoroughly and reducing her goodwill succeeded nonetheless.
This could very well be considered my monumental first victory.
Back in my quarters, I fell into deep contemplation.
Of course, my concern wasn’t about the voice I heard earlier.
That was only natural when I thought about it.
***
If it had been the work of a demon or someone attempting to attack me, I could now confidently say such attempts would no longer work.
That’s because, as compensation for keeping quiet about her recent disgraceful behavior—and not teasing her over one mistake—the progenitor dragon had given me something extraordinary.
A complete barrier against all mental attacks.
A relic whose value couldn’t even be calculated.
In terms of game fantasy, it was equivalent to acquiring an S-grade ability.
No matter how powerful the opponent who had attacked me earlier might have been, there was no need to worry anymore.
…Although the identity of the voice still bothered me, worrying about it wouldn’t bring any answers anyway.
Thus, the reason for my current predicament was the same as always.
‘How could I escape this cursed labyrinth?’
The longer I stayed here, the more suspicious and ominous incidents kept occurring.
‘What could I do to break free?’
In simpler terms, I was brainstorming a plan to get myself fired.
I closed my eyes as if meditating, then opened them again.
It was a fleeting moment, barely ten seconds.
It was impossible to come up with a brilliant and intricate scheme for getting fired in such a short time, but that didn’t matter.
I didn’t need such a complex plan anyway.
‘Looking back now, most of my past attempts to cause big incidents have backfired.’
Blatantly discriminating against students.
Ruining the training I suggested with my own hands.
Harassing students outright, embezzling academy funds, and even committing crimes like stock manipulation.
I had tried to make waves so significant that I’d surely be fired, but somehow, none of it had worked.
In other words, I had terrible luck.
So, I shouldn’t do anything drastic anymore.
‘This time, I’ll deliberately do nothing.’
By doing absolutely nothing, I would achieve my goal of being fired.
This plan couldn’t possibly go wrong.
With a satisfied smile, I took out a coupon.
It was given to me by a foxfolk masseuse I called during a swordsmanship lesson—a 30% discount voucher for a massage.
The day had finally come to use it.
In other words… today would be a self-declared vacation.
I would abandon my duties and indulge myself.
It was time to relax at the plushy club and heal my weary soul!
Humming a cheerful tune, I headed off.
***
The classroom for Class A.
The ticking sound of a clock echoed there.
Not for three seconds.
Not even for three minutes.
Not even thirty minutes.
It had been three whole hours.
The professor had not shown up for three hours.
It was the first day of the academy’s midterms.
Today, each class was supposed to undergo evaluations by their assigned professors.
Yet, no matter how long they waited, the professor showed no intention of arriving.
At first, the students thought there must be some unavoidable reason for the delay.
But their patience had run out.
Finally, one brave student volunteered to go and find the professor.
And then… they returned.
However, the student did not bring the professor back.
Instead, the student carried a strange note.
[I’m not in the mood to work today, so I’m taking a break.]
“T-This was stuck to the door of the staff quarters! It’s not a joke! Why would I lie about this?”
The situation was absurd beyond belief.
Everyone initially suspected the student of playing a prank.
But to their surprise, the note was indeed written by the professor.
The handwriting and even the magical signature matched perfectly.
Naturally, disbelief spread across everyone’s faces.
These students prided themselves on knowing Professor Riyan better than anyone.
They were certain the professor would never do something so irresponsible.
Yet, here was irrefutable evidence proving otherwise.
This paradoxical situation left everyone in confusion.
‘Could the professor have truly decided to act on a whim?’
‘Could he have abandoned the exams and gone off to rest?’
While the students were entertaining such blasphemous thoughts, someone spoke up.
“Do you all still consider yourselves students of Class A, personally guided by Professor Riyan, after this display?”
It was the empire’s second princess, Sylvia Leonhart.
Her words immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Although she usually avoided being in the spotlight, the circumstances made it unavoidable.
“Do you still not understand Professor Riyan at all?”
Even foolishness had its limits.
Professor Riyan would never abandon his duties.
That was an unchanging truth.
Even if the world were to collapse, that would remain steadfast.
“There is only one possible explanation.”
The professor had not taken unauthorized leave.
He had not abandoned them.
He was fulfilling his responsibilities even now.
It was merely their own incompetence that had prevented them from realizing it.
In other words…
“The exam has already started.”