I’m Not the Mastermind

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The next day.

Yujin came down to the first floor after a comfortable night at the inn.

“Oh, you’re up? The other slobs are probably still sprawled out with the ladies! You’re quite motivated!”

As he reached the first floor, the innkeeper, Mary, greeted him. Yujin laughed heartily and responded.

“I happened to wake up early. Did you sleep well, Madam Innkeeper?”

“Of course! I need to eat and sleep well to get my work done! By the way, what a polite greeting! Friends from the East sure know their manners!”

Mary replied cheerfully. Yujin couldn’t help but smile back at her bright demeanor.

The lively atmosphere of such a spirited person uplifted those around her. Even though Yujin had fallen into an unfamiliar world, he had a feeling that he would become comfortable here, perhaps due to these newfound connections.

“By the way, aren’t you hungry? I was just about to prepare breakfast.”

“Well, I just woke up, so I’m not really feeling hungry… but the scent coming from the kitchen is definitely tempting. How long should I wait?”

“Just a little while! The table is already set from yesterday, so take a seat wherever you like!”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

With that, Yujin found a table in the first floor tavern and sat down.

To be honest, even though he had just gotten out of bed, he didn’t really have an appetite. However, his words weren’t just empty chatter.

Hugo had boasted about the food being fantastic, and already a delightful aroma wafted from the kitchen. It was true that he felt his appetite stirring somewhat.

Sure, as a dragon he didn’t necessarily need to replenish nutrients, but “gourmet” was a term that existed for a reason.

『Food… Now that I think about it, this would be the first proper meal since our camping last time.』

Meanwhile, Tiamat, who was always with Yujin, muttered as if she were looking forward to something.

Curious, Yujin asked, ‘Can you taste the food as Tiamat now?’

『Didn’t I mention? I can taste the food you eat too.』

‘Ah, I see.’

He hadn’t realized it since Tiamat didn’t say anything during their last meal while camping, though it was understandable since the energy packs they consumed wouldn’t exactly be considered delicious.

『So I’m looking forward to it. It’s been ages since I’ve had a proper meal…』

‘Not tasting food for thousands of years would certainly lead to that.’

Yujin also chuckled inwardly as he thought this.

And then, at that moment.

“…By the way, I see some familiar faces approaching.”

Yujin felt something and peeked over his shoulder. Sure enough, moments later, the inn’s door swung open, and someone walked in.

“Madam Innkeeper, we’ve arrived!”

“Oh my, Hugo!”

“Haha, we got here faster than I thought!”

Hugo’s party entered the inn. Mary welcomed them warmly.

“What’s up? Why are you here so early?”

“We have a breakfast appointment with Yujin… and we’ve finalized our settlements, so we also came to distribute Yujin’s share.”

“I see! You came just in time. Breakfast is almost ready!”

“Yes, then excuse us.”

Hugo, along with Chrome and Mirien, made their way inside. Yujin greeted them as well.

“Hello, Hugo! And welcome, Mirien and Chrome!”

“You woke up early, Yujin.”

“…Hello.”

Hugo greeted back with a smile while Mirien offered a short bow in response.

“Wow, waking up this early just to fulfill a meal appointment? Thought it was going to be a drinking party!”

On the other hand, Chrome whined about wanting a drinking party, prompting Yujin to tilt his head in confusion.

“A drinking party?”

“Don’t mind him, Yujin. Chrome wanted to combine a drinking party with the meal appointment, but I forced him to honor the breakfast commitment instead. Mary wouldn’t let us drink this early anyway.”

“Damn! How much damage will that drinking expense cause?!”

“So, can we consider this meal as keeping the appointment?”

“Ah… I see.”

It seemed Hugo was worried about future drinking expenses, so he ended up combining the meal appointment with breakfast. Yujin smiled wryly.

“Ah, but if Yujin wants a drinking party…

“No, it’s alright. I don’t particularly enjoy drinking either.”

“Tsk, are humans really that clueless about the joys of alcohol?”

Chrome looked quite dissatisfied but didn’t complain further. Instead, he simply occupied a spot at the table where Yujin sat.

Mirien and Hugo also took their seats, and the four of them gathered around the table.

As they sat together, Yujin glanced around before speaking.

“By the way, where are Eri and Sia, and Hans?”

“Ah, Eri and Sia are probably in the academy dormitory. Being students, they have to be at the academy at this hour, especially since exams just finished. And Hans, he was a temporary porter with us this time and has his own schedule. He’s probably busy helping another party by now.”

“I see. Hans is diligent too.”

While engaging in this conversation, Mary approached them with large trays of food.

“Alright, here’s the food! I didn’t prepare too much for breakfast, but you need to fill your bellies!”

‘This isn’t a lot?’

Just looking at it, it seemed like the table would break under its weight. Sure, there were light soups and bread, eggs, bacon, sausage, and salads—typical elements of what one would call an English breakfast.

However, with roast turkey, stew, steak, and even dishes Yujin didn’t recognize, it was more than enough for breakfast! It felt like far too much for a normal meal.

Of course, Yujin, being a dragon, could handle it, but it was still a daunting amount…

“Wow, Mary, you really outdid yourself!”

“Haha! We’re going to have a hearty breakfast today!”

“Thanks for the meal.”

‘…Is that really the case?’

Instead of being daunted, Hugo’s party seemed to be eagerly anticipating the food. Was the food culture in this world really that different from Earth?

『Yujin, you should hurry and dig in. I’ve been longing to taste proper food for a long time.』

Tiamat also urged him on. It seemed he was the strange one here.

Yujin concluded this and picked up his utensils, beginning the meal with Hugo’s party.

First, he took a spoonful of the light soup and tasted it.

‘…Oh.’

Yujin let out an inner exclamation. The rich flavor of the soup was surprisingly good.

Compared to the MSG-laden fare of the modern day, it was certainly on par.

『Ah… this is nice. How long has it been since I’ve had food this good?』

Tiamat said with a satisfied smile. Yujin chuckled, thinking he needed to pay more attention to gourmet experiences from now on.

And so, the meal with Hugo’s party began.

***

“By the way, Yujin, you said it’s your first time in the Maze City, right?”

While they continued to eat, this was something Hugo remarked. Yujin paused momentarily to swallow the piece of meat he had been chewing before responding.

“Yes. I did some studying and research, but I still have a lot to learn.”

“I see. Hm… But from what I can see from your performance in the maze, it appears you know the basics quite well… Oh, have you joined the Mage Association?”

“The Mage Association, you say?”

Yujin feigned ignorance while already being aware.

Of course, he knew what the Mage Association was. It was, quite literally, an organization formed by mages.

Created to solidify the territory of the inherently closed-minded mages, the association oversees various exchanges among mages and hoards their knowledge, sharing none of it with outsiders.

Not only that, they create various privileges that apply only to mages, making them a rather exclusive and arrogant group. However, the benefits for those who are members are immense, while mages who fail to join face discrimination and unfair treatment.

Hugo explained all this briefly.

“That’s how it is… but, Yujin…”

“I’ve never been a member of the association.”

“That makes sense. The association can be quite harsh toward mages who are independent without an affiliation or faction. I don’t know much, as I’m not a mage myself, but I’ve heard the discrimination can be severe.”

And indeed it was. Mages without an affiliation or faction were often dismissed as unacknowledged outcasts.

Belonging to a faction merely meant being recognized and accepted by that faction. Thus, those without affiliation were viewed as unacknowledged mages, encountering disdain.

Moreover, Yujin appeared to be human from the Eastern Continent on the surface, a human from a region far removed from magic. Without any affiliation? He’d be treated with even more discrimination than others. Chances were high that the association wouldn’t even accept him.

‘Honestly, it doesn’t matter much to me, though…’

But deep down, Yujin didn’t care whether the association discriminated against him. True, not being able to access the privileges created by the association or being uncomfortable around mages might be inconvenient, but that was about it.

Of course, having to endure inconveniences in a place where he would be living from now on wasn’t ideal, but Yujin didn’t see it as something to overly fret about.

But…

‘What does Tiamat think about this?’

『Can I be frank?』

‘Please do.’

『It’s ridiculous. The origin of magic is undeniably us dragons, yet we have to endure inconveniences related to magic due to the privilege mentality of mortals. That’s just wrong.』

‘I see.’

Usually, Tiamat was rather benevolent toward mortals, but her pride regarding dragons and magic seemed to be unwavering.

So what could be done? Either crush the association’s arrogance to put an end to this madness or at least shatter the privilege mentality of the mages or completely free himself from those entanglements.

“Um… that’s tricky. Yujin is an excellent mage, but mages tend to recognize scholarly knowledge over raw power and are very exclusive, so I’m not sure how to help…”

“Hugo.”

“Ah, yes?”

While Hugo was deep in thought trying to find a way to help Yujin, Yujin called out to him.

As Hugo looked at Yujin with a puzzled expression, Yujin continued.

“What do most mages consider their greatest wish? Or perhaps what unresolved issues remain?”

“Um… I’m not really sure about that…”

Hugo wasn’t a transitory mage, after all. That’s why he scratched his head and wore a foolish expression.

At that moment.

“…Space-Time Magic.”

“Huh, Mirien?”

Mirien, who had quietly continued eating, spoke up. Hugo and Yujin turned their attention toward her.

“Eep!”

When Yujin’s gaze fell on her, Mirien flinched, but upon seeing Yujin’s encouraging expression, she continued.

“…Just like how the Philosopher’s Stone is a lifelong dream for alchemists, there is something similar for mages… and that’s Space-Time Magic.”

“Space-Time Magic…”

“The types of space magic currently in use are teleportation, space contraction and expansion, and space pockets. As for time magic, it doesn’t even exist. The three types of space magic were barely managed through the knowledge left by the Transcendents, and even that can only be used by a select few talented mages.”

“Hmm…”

“Therefore, mages consider Space-Time Magic to be their lifelong dream. After all, it’s an area ruled by the Transcendents in the first place…”

“Then that’s what we should pursue.”

“Huh?”

Mirien blinked in surprise, but Yujin merely flashed a meaningful smile and returned to his meal, grabbing another bite.

‘If a paper has accomplished achievements that even the association can begrudgingly acknowledge… surely it would be enough to pave the way somehow?’

 

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