Chapter 46
Who is the greatest being in this Empire?
The answer to that question was crystal clear.
Not just the six Masters of the Magic Tower, but the Cardinals and Pope of the Holy Empire, and even His Imperial Majesty who directly rules this Empire - they would all declare in unison.
The most noble being was that proud dragon.
Despite possessing power that could overwhelm entire nations single-handedly, she was never arrogant. She neither forced others into submission through strength, nor did she bend her own beliefs and will.
What mattered was not martial might, but chivalry.
Rather than being intoxicated by power and acting on selfish desires, she performed good deeds according to her convictions.
That was the great Primordial Dragon before me, and...
"...What in the world were you thinking?"
She was also the crazy pervert of a principal who had groped my body while I was vulnerable and intoxicated.
Any remaining respect crumbled completely.
No matter how many magnificent achievements you stack up, when you add the criminal fact of fondling a much younger male student's chest, that sense of reverence just evaporates.
"T-That wasn't my intention! Remember the mark from before? I momentarily sensed the aura of a kindred spirit from you and lost my reason without meaning to!"
Zion frantically made excuses.
She even tried playing the sympathy card about considering my loneliness without kin, but that sort of thing wouldn't work.
If you're going to lie, at least put some effort into making it believable.
I haven't yet evolved into a dragon species. Even if I gave her the benefit of the doubt and assumed the Primordial Dragon genuinely mistook me for kin, her claim still absolutely couldn't stand.
"Dragons don't even have mating instincts in the first place."
The dragons who were as noble as immortals, untouched by base desires, went extinct precisely because they were too transcendent.
They could bear children but felt no need to do so.
Unlike humans, they were fundamentally immortal, so they lacked even the instinct to pass on their genes to future generations.
"You weren't helplessly controlled by instinct - you're just a pervert who'll go down in dragon history, Principal."
She couldn't help herself around young boys.
She even felt sexual desire despite being a different species.
In human terms, she's both a pedo and a furry.
With it crystal clear who the crazy pervert is and who the poor victim is, she hung her head low.
Was that her last attempt at resistance?
It's not that any human male would do. She tried claiming that she was swayed for other reasons, but when I told her to explain in detail, she only blushed.
Zion finally asked me with the most servile expression.
"C-Couldn't we pretend today never happened?"
Cold sweat trickled down her nape.
Trembling hands and desperate eyes.
Looking like someone addicted to gambling, the young girl tightly grasped my hands and made an earnest proposal.
"If you agree to just a short-term memory erasure, I'll grant whatever you wish! If there are any treasures you want, you can take anything from my vault!"
A proposal that reached the heights of depravity.
The dirty adult's trick of sexually harassing someone's body, stealing their chastity, and then trying to buy the victim's silence with money.
The appropriate response in this situation was obvious.
I immediately nodded while looking at her.
...It's not particularly because I lack self-respect.
There were two good reasons to accept this proposal.
"If you can find me an artifact to use as a backup mana source, I'll gladly accept that offer right now."
The first is insurance for my life.
Using mana from external sources has much lower efficiency, so unless it's something like that dragon heart necklace from before, it won't be very effective.
But conversely, if I can get my hands on another item like that, I can unleash my true power like I did then.
If successful, the benefits would be beyond imagination.
When your life is at stake, what does chastity matter? I quietly closed my eyes before her.
Hurriedly crafting a spell formula, worried I might change my mind.
The memory erasure magic erased the Primordial Dragon's dark history.
And thus I completely forget whatever happened today - such events never occurred.
This is the second reason I accepted the proposal.
Because I never intended to honor the deal fairly in the first place.
With my mana having increased slightly recently,
I could easily dispel even magic cast by the great Primordial Dragon without her noticing at all.
Zion's nonsense about it being my fault for being too tempting is still clearly etched in my mind.
'Well, I should at least act convincingly.'
I put on an appropriately dazed expression.
The Primordial Dragon, convinced I've lost my memories, lets out a relieved sigh and pokes my cheek to wake me up.
"W-Why are you acting strange, my dear professor?"
An awkwardly theatrical tone.
Zion continues while looking into my eyes.
"Didn't you invite me to your room to serve me a meal you made yourself? Did drowsiness suddenly hit you? If you're tired, I can cast a recovery spell."
I almost broke my poker face at her words.
Honestly, after pulling something like this, you'd think she'd show some restraint, but she was brazenly trying to get a free meal too.
Well, I am a man too. And the Primordial Dragon was quite beautiful when she kept her mouth shut. While I wasn't particularly upset about this incident...
I couldn't help feeling somewhat annoyed.
Though I took pride in my cooking, this time I completely abandoned that pride and prepared an inedible dish.
Noodles drenched in a sauce so spicy that even I, a child of the fire noodle nation, couldn't handle it. I served what was essentially poison.
Sure enough, the Primordial Dragon's eyes well up as soon as she puts the noodles in her mouth. Having been taught a harsh lesson, she would surely learn restraint now, but...
"Th-This is quite the delicacy. A taste I'll remember for life..."
Even as tears streamed down her face,
Even with her voice choked with sobs,
Even as her right hand holding the chopsticks trembles, clearly not wanting to put any more in her mouth.
The white-haired girl forced a smile.
She praised me effusively, insisting it was truly delicious.
...My face turned pale seeing this.
I wasn't quite that oblivious after all.
Someone who can freely manipulate magic. Even though she could easily block her sense of taste if she wanted to, she doesn't.
Worried that I might notice and feel hurt that she blocked the taste of the meal I worked hard to make, not wanting to see my sad face asking if my cooking was so bad it needed taste blocking...
...This was a severe case.
The alpha male power of a web novel protagonist.
While I didn't disbelieve it, I had an ominous feeling.
If that Ciel bastard can't seduce the Primordial Dragon and add her to his harem, my firing will remain a distant dream.
No matter what trouble I cause, she'll try her best to cover for me. This spice-sensitive crybaby was clearly going to be the biggest obstacle to my plans.
I need to lower her affection somehow.
I quickly rack my brain for ideas.
Fortunately, a solution emerged before long.
I just needed to exploit a dragon's nature.
'They have strong possessiveness over their treasures.'
Dragons are creatures that hide precious metals and jewels in their dens and guard them. Their aversion to losing valuable treasures must be considerable.
Help thieves break into her cave.
Make her suddenly lose all her carefully collected gold coins.
In other words: Operation Evaporate the Primordial Dragon's Wealth.
That method would be quite simple.
Zion, who had barely finished her meal.
I carefully asked her:
"I know of a good investment opportunity, would you be interested?"
*****
My plan failed spectacularly.
As soon as word spread that Professor Ryan had invested, the seemingly worthless stock kept skyrocketing endlessly.
People who made fortunes thanks to me were busy singing praises of the Academy's new professor with beaming smiles. The current situation was terrible no matter how you looked at it.
...But my expression remained perfectly calm.
I'm not quite that stupid after all.
The stock market that no one in the world can understand.
Though I carelessly threw money at it trying to lower the Primordial Dragon's affection, given my luck, things were bound to go wrong.
I had noticed that much long ago.
Therefore, I had prepared a secret technique.
A single scheme to turn this situation to my advantage.
The plan hasn't failed.
This is where the real plan begins.
Ahem, I cleared my throat.
Channeling my inner Mars-loving uncle, I practiced the words I'd declare in public tomorrow:
"While I did say this stock was worth watching, it wasn't to this extent. I believe it needs to fall by at least '95%' from the current price to reach fair value."
I could already hear the screams of shareholders.
The angry mob that would attack me demanding their money back.
A wicked smile naturally formed on my lips.
...It was time to become a market manipulator who would go down in history.