Chapter 9
Where exactly had it all gone wrong?
The plan to infiltrate the Academy as a professor for the organization had been successful. For these 8 years, he had diligently built up trust until he had completely blended in.
Finally, the day of reckoning had arrived.
A perfect opportunity to destroy the Empire's symbol, the Academy, and assassinate both the Imperial family and the Saintess.
But it had all been for nothing.
The magical beasts he'd gathered over a lifetime, the grand scheme he'd prepared for 8 years - it had all turned to bubbles.
A terrible chill devoured the world.
Spears of ice rained down from the sky, mercilessly piercing through enemies. The frozen magical beasts met their end without even a final scream.
Standing alone and proud at the center of the bitter cold was the new professor that Charon hadn't even bothered to notice.
'Ah...'
Only now did Charon realize his mistake.
He had misjudged who he needed to be wary of.
Not the Empire's Primordial Dragon, nor the great war heroes - that unremarkable new professor was the most dangerous existence.
-You specialize in Illusion Magic?
Come to think of it, Ryan's attitude had been strange from their first meeting through Professor Scott's introduction. He had been intently contemplating something while looking at him.
Only that man had looked at him with suspicious eyes when no one else doubted him.
-It was Ryan's suggestion. We decided to conduct a mock attack using Illusion Beasts for this entrance ceremony.
He had even made such a proposal on the very day they planned to carry out the real attack. Though they had no choice but to proceed since all the beasts were already in position.
That must have surely been a kind of warning.
You're already in the palm of my hand. I've seen through all your plans, so don't try anything foolish.
But Charon had foolishly failed to realize it.
-Just how many more times do I have to nearly die...
Words overheard while bugging the faculty dormitory.
He had been completely fooled by Ryan's act of lamenting his weak position while drunk.
To maintain the weak act even when no one was around - even Charon had to marvel at such thoroughness.
'With those abilities, yet he brazenly acts weak.'
Even when casting the same magic, the structure of the spell formula varied drastically depending on the caster.
Thousands of runic characters and geometric patterns.
To grasp such complex structures in an instant? And then modify them freely to make them his own?
Realistically, such a thing should have been impossible. Yet that professor accomplished it without breaking a sweat.
Making the impossible possible.
What else could you call such a person but a genius?
'Both the range and power far surpassed the spell formula I originally constructed. Did he even manage to efficiently restructure it in that brief moment?'
The scale of the summoned blizzard and the intensity of the ice spears raining from the sky far exceeded Charon's limits.
Half of that fierce attack was now focused on Charon. Most of the defensive artifacts prepared as countermeasures against the Primordial Dragon had already been depleted.
"Help me Professor Scott! It seems that new professor was actually the spy orchestrating this attack!"
He tried that as a final desperate measure, but all he got in return were murderous glares and slashing attacks.
How dare you slander such an upright young man. You must be the spy. Even if not, the sight of him raging that you should just die was utterly shocking.
The person he had barely managed to get close to over 8 years. That man who suddenly appeared had enchanted him in just a few days.
No matter what he tried, he couldn't win. That man was always several steps ahead of Charon. Cold sweat dripped down as the hand slowly tightened around him.
'This is no time to worry about prophecies.'
The most threatening enemy to the organization wasn't some nameless girl, but the opponent before him. As long as that monster of a man remained, the Empire could never be brought down.
...It was time to make a decision.
With the Iron-Blood Duke joining in, he could only hold out for about 30 seconds. Charon immediately charged toward Ryan who was manifesting the spell formula.
No matter how much of a genius he may be, he can't move while casting such large-scale magic.
Overdrive. Recklessly circulating magical power. Not caring whether his body could handle it or not. He wasn't doing this with any intention of surviving anyway.
"...Professor Ryan!"
Scott rushed over desperately to shield him, but even the Iron-Blood Duke had depleted all his magical power.
There was no way he could fully withstand the explosion.
Terrible pain surged through him. His body kept grotesquely swelling up. Yet Charon's lips bore only a relieved smile.
To eliminate such a dangerous factor at the cost of just one life - wasn't that more than worth it?
An earsplitting boom rang out.
A massive explosion greedily devoured everything.
Everyone remaining here should have been erased by that overwhelming force, without leaving a trace. That should have been the result, and yet...
Something was going strangely wrong.
His head spun.
His stomach churned violently.
His vision darkened on its own.
In the increasingly blurry world, the last thing reflected in Charon's eyes was an enormous silver dragon.
*****
Charon who had been holding Ryan's arm while smiling.
That large form instantly compressed and vanished.
Dragon Language that distorted the laws of the world.
The principal of the Imperial Academy who subdued the enemy with a single word gracefully descended before the two professors.
The great dragon that had displayed an overwhelming majesty that could devour the moon had already transformed back into the familiar form of a young girl.
"The P-Primordial Dragon came to save us!"
The Empire's undisputed strongest. Now that such a being had arrived, there was nothing more to worry about. Though the students cheered with such conviction...
The face of the one receiving those cheers was dark.
"To think seven students were injured. After promising to take responsibility for the students' safety, what an utter disgrace. I have no face to show you all."
The betrayal of a professor who had devoted 8 years to the Academy.
She never dreamed that someone who had been more diligent and hardworking than anyone else had been planning such terrorism behind the scenes.
But this wasn't a case of force majeure.
If only she had paid a little more attention, she surely could have prevented such a terrible incident.
"Especially to you Ryan, it seems I keep being discourteous. I'm ashamed of my shallow insight."
And for good reason - once again, that new professor had seen through everything on his own.
"Come to think of it, it was strange from the start. A mock attack with Illusion Beasts? That could traumatize sensitive children. You would never suggest such a thing."
It had seemed interesting. Getting excited over such a foolish reason, she had immediately planned the mock attack without thinking.
"Looking back now, that must have been your signal. That the Illusion Magic professor was suspicious, that he seemed to be preparing an attack, asking me to deal with it."
A warning conveyed indirectly out of concern for being bugged.
Yet in her stupidity, she had failed to recognize it.
She truly had no right to call herself principal at this rate.
Ryan had relied on her, yet once again she had betrayed his expectations.
"That's not it. The circumstances just happened to align by chance. Please raise your head."
Yet Ryan said this to the dejected Zion.
Those kind words made emotions well up spontaneously. The reason he desperately told such an outrageous lie.
The Empire's Primordial Dragon wasn't so inept as to not understand it was the man's gentle consideration to avoid wounding her pride.
"...I am truly fortunate. To have such a talented person as one of my own. It gives me such reassurance."
Zion placed her hand on the new professor's shoulder while struggling to hold back tears. Her heart wanted to throw away all pretense and embrace him.
But there was still something that needed to be done.
Having been discourteous twice - she wasn't so shameless as to not take responsibility for her mistakes just because the other party had forgiven her.
"Tell me what you desire. Whatever your wish may be, I swear by the name of the Primordial Dragon that I will make it come true."
If he wanted vast wealth, she would gladly open the dragon's treasury. Then Ryan could obtain riches surpassing even the Golden Duke.
If he wanted honor, she could make him part of the Imperial family. If she abused the Primordial Dragon's authority without regard for consequences, such a thing would be simple.
Once she staked her name, the oath became absolute.
Whatever wish Ryan voiced would surely be granted.
"I want to quit being a professor."
Of course, even such a wish was no exception.
If anything, it was a wish she had been hoping for.
The Primordial Dragon cheerfully smiled while patting Ryan's back.
"Our minds are in sync! I'll roast that old geezer and make you the Director, so just wait a bit!"