Chapter 52: Echoes of the [Redacted], a Date, and an Exam (1)

My plan, tragically, had been thwarted.

Now, the reality was that the New Professor's fame was gradually spreading among the Empire's populace, not just within the Academy, but even outside it.

This might be a bit of an overreaction, but...

Perhaps the world might go completely mad. The Shareholders and Reporters were at the Press Conference Venue.

If those guys kept spreading fabricated heroic tales, and if I kept making mistakes that gave them an excuse to praise me, things would spiral out of control.

The Empire underwent abnormalization. There was an explosive increase in Fanatics. The Empire would turn into another Imperial Academy.

Given what I'd seen so far, it was only natural for me to worry and rack my brain over such concerns, but...

My mental state recovered much faster than I expected. It wasn't because my mental fortitude was particularly strong; it was simply because people are inherently fickle.

It was like how, even if my gacha results were bad, seeing someone who'd spent hundreds of thousands of gold coins and still failed to get what they wanted, despite their immense investment, would make me think, “Well, at least it”s not the absolute worst.'

Because it's human nature to feel a sense of solemnity and relief when you see someone who's failed even more spectacularly than you, even when you're depressed about your own failures.

In other words, in this incident, there was someone.

Someone who had failed so spectacularly that it made me feel solemn.

“Congratulations, Rian! I hear you've done something great again?”

I was trembling, clutching the newspaper in my hand. *Let's just burn this ominous wad of paper.* With that thought, I stepped outside and ran into the Progenitor Dragon.

Sure enough, she showered me with all sorts of praise.

‘I'm proud of you. You truly are a Professor of our Imperial Academy. Your arrival here is the greatest fortune of my life,’ she said, showering me with commendations.

Normally, I would have offered a polite thank you and left, but... the Progenitor Dragon's expression was somewhat odd.

Her face, contrary to her words, didn't look happy at all.

Why was she acting like that? As I stared intently at her, the Progenitor Dragon, flustered, hastily opened her mouth as if to make an excuse.

“Th-those people are truly foolish, by the way. Someone of your caliber wouldn't possibly concoct such a scheme just to make a bit of money, would they?”

Sweating profusely, the girl continued.

“You must have used some kind of code, surely. To not even understand that and just invest right away... If they're that foolish, they deserve to lose a fortune.”

My mind raced as I listened.

Her affection for me was already overflowing. What were the chances that Sion, blindly trusting my words, had invested a massive sum in H.L. Corporation without thinking?

And what were the chances that the biggest Victim of this whole situation was none other than the Progenitor Dragon herself?

And what if... What if the Progenitor Dragon really had suffered a loss?

Could she receive compensation for the damage?

Could a proud dragon admit that she had invested an enormous sum without proper investigation, or that she had made a mistake by not understanding Rian's true message?

The answer to that was already clear.

“E-everyone is so foolish, aren't they, Rian?”

One fool looked back at me.

The fool couldn't hold back her tears and sobbed miserably. Eventually, tears like large pearls streamed from the fool's eyes.

An excuse no one would believe: “Suddenly, something got in my eye.” As I looked at the pitiful Progenitor Dragon, a sense of solemnity washed over me, accompanied by Guilt.

From the Progenitor Dragon's perspective, this was all her own fault.

*-I know a good investment opportunity, are you interested?* She had asked me before anyone else. She would feel guilty for not understanding that I had subtly hinted that H.L. was suspicious, to prevent the information from leaking.

But only I knew the truth of this matter.

That wasn't code or anything. It was just me recommending a stock with no future to the Progenitor Dragon, simply to prove how terrible my judgment was.

There was no way that great dragon would make a mistake. She would either notice that the stock I chose was strange, or she would invest moderately, not excessively.

I had made my calculations before doing it, but with results like this, I was speechless, even if I had two mouths.

Just how much had she lost? The white-haired girl was still sniffling pitifully.

I was human, after all.

I felt guilt. I eventually uttered a single sentence to console the girl.

“...Since we've met like this, how about we have dinner together?”

Should I call this misfortune or good fortune?

One thing was for sure: it was an incredibly effective suggestion.

---

*I've been completely tricked by the Progenitor Dragon.*

Led by Sion's hand, we arrived at the Restaurant. The moment I saw the luxurious building, I realized the truth.

A great dragon had lived for thousands, tens of thousands of years. It was illogical to expect the wealth accumulated by such a being to be ordinary.

Price tags made me gasp in shock at every item. Even though she had been crying tears over the Delisting of her stock, the Progenitor Dragon casually paid for my meal.

Sion hadn't lost all her assets, but wailed. She had merely thrown a tantrum, like someone crying hysterically after getting only one question wrong on an exam, making a grand spectacle of herself.

But what good was regret now? I had already come too far to turn back.

Grinning. The Progenitor Dragon looked at me, a happy smile on her face.

“Meeting you has truly been the greatest fortune of my life. Even though I keep betraying expectations, you always think of me, and I don't know how to thank you enough.”

The food was already an afterthought. The dishes, made with luxurious ingredients and meticulously decorated, were growing cold, untouched.

Watching that, I had no choice but to admit it.

*Perhaps it's impossible to lower the Progenitor Dragon's affection. It seems I can only pray that the Alpha Male Protagonist will somehow fix everything.*

“If there's anything you need help with, just tell me. I'll gladly grant any request you have!”

So, this time, I decided to accept her goodwill. If there was no way to make her dislike me, it was better to have another insurance policy than to waste my efforts.

*I did have one thing I wanted to ask for, after all.*

The Dragon Language. I wanted to properly analyze its system.

Magic was similar to runes, yet different. If I could understand its principles, it would surely help improve Mana Efficiency.

And though this was a somewhat childish desire, I wanted to achieve a goal I'd envisioned in my naive youth. Even if it was Magic I couldn't use, I wanted to complete it.

Unique Spell Formula No. 3, Defying Heaven. It reads one's own destiny and rewrites it anew.

A Spell Formula is just one step away from completion. Perhaps the Dragon Language could be the final Puzzle Piece.

So, I decided to ask for her cooperation.

It was the moment I opened my mouth with that thought.

"Forget it. That is knowledge you do not need."

My head went blank for a moment. Suddenly, that voice echoed in my mind.

"We have never once attempted to defy Heaven."

My perception was arbitrarily distorted. My memories began to disappear haphazardly.

Both the voice itself and the Spell Formula I had conceived were slowly being erased from my mind.

It was an utterly sudden situation. But I had no intention of just passively enduring it.

I quickly grabbed Sion's hand. No matter how clumsy she might seem, the girl before me was the great Progenitor Dragon of the Empire.

She was a dragon wiser than anyone. She must have noticed I was under attack just from my urgent expression. What I needed to do in this situation was very simple.

My power alone wasn't enough. So, what I needed to borrow was the Progenitor Dragon's power.

I poured my mana into Sion's body. The mana flowed through her, and I seized control of it.

Manipulating other people to forcibly manifest Magic. While it was an unrealistic task to a certain extent, it was a different story if the target didn't resist.

Runes were constructed by overwhelming mana. They blocked all interference directed at me.

The voice soon faded. I had barely managed to protect my memories. But what filled my mind now was not relief, but countless questions.

What exactly had happened? Who had done this to me?

And most importantly...

Why was *its* voice “exactly like mine”?

I simply couldn't understand it.

This was absolutely not a matter to be taken lightly. Having decided that, I naturally looked at the great Progenitor Dragon.

At a time like this, there was no more reliable ally than she. No matter who the enemy was, if Sion was by my side, I had nothing to worry about. That's certainly what I thought, but...

What unfolded before me was an utterly bizarre sight.

Our hands were clasped. I had clearly made direct contact and seized control of her Mana Circuit, yet the Progenitor Dragon hadn't even noticed.

The white-haired girl. Her face was flushed crimson, and her eyes were squeezed shut.

Her lips were subtly pouted, as if she were scared, yet they were clearly demanding something from me.

My mind naturally went blank. Dumbfounded, I asked her.

“What in the world are you doing, Progenitor Dragon...?”

...It was truly an ill-timed and inappropriate display of foolishness.