I’m Not the Mastermind

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The scenery resembled a thriving small town.

With an interior that exuded both grandeur and sleek cleanliness, beautifully decorated gardens, and buildings—this was nothing short of breathtaking.

Labyrinth Academy.

Built with the wealth poured in by nobles who didn’t want their children to stay in a poor place, this beautiful space continues to receive extravagant donations even now.

You can literally feel that this place was created with money. Everything from the items used to the facilities was designed to ensure that even the haughtiest nobles wouldn’t feel lacking here. Naturally, the aesthetics are also stunning.

And in conjunction with the dim moonlight sinking into the night, this landscape was displaying an even more subtle beauty, with a man walking gracefully ahead, as if to punctuate the scene.

His pitch-black hair that seemed to dye the starless night sky fluttered in the gentle breeze, and that man, with his subtly opened crimson eyes, resembled nothing less than a painting.

A picturesque man in a picturesque scene; the background and the figure harmonized to create a piece of art. If there had been just one painter around, they would surely want to immortalize this vision on canvas.

And the man in that scene, Yujin, strolled down the street, turning slightly to the side as if to strike up a conversation with someone.

“It’s quite a beautiful sight, isn’t it, Tia?”

To anyone else, it might seem like he was talking to himself, but he wasn’t crazy—not exactly. There was just someone beside him whom others couldn’t see.

“Indeed, human artistic sense has certainly developed quite a bit.”

If there had been another person who could see her presence, they would have surely gazed at the scene in awe.

The woman walking alongside the man looked so appropriate for a picturesque view.

“It’s nice. This feeling of walking together on the street… It’s not something I easily get to feel just by living as a Dragon.”

“Isn’t it?”

“It could be because it’s you, Yujin.”

Tiamat smiled brightly as she said this, and Yujin gazed at her for a moment, breaking into a smirk.

“Tia, have you really never had any romantic interest from men?”

“Huh? W-what do you mean? How rude to ask suddenly…”

“I mean, I just can’t believe that someone as stunning as Tia would have not a single guy harboring a crush.”

It seemed like Yujin was genuinely curious rather than trying to flirt with her, making Tiamat more embarrassed than she thought she’d be.

“W-wait a minute… I am the leader of Dragons! There shouldn’t be anyone who thinks of me that way!”

“Is that so?”

Upon hearing that, Yujin was convinced that Tiamat probably captivated many male dragons without even realizing it.

After all, it’s usually those who are unaware of others’ feelings who say things like that, assuming no one could possibly have any feelings for them.

Yujin chuckled bitterly and said, “Let’s just go with that.”

“Going with that… I’m serious, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s the way it seems. By the way, Tia…”

Yujin squinted slightly and looked in a certain direction.

“I have this strange sense of déjà vu. Is it just my imagination?”

“!”

At Yujin’s words, Tiamat also squinted and turned to look in the same direction he was indicating.

“It reminds me of when I first faced my trial in the Maze.”

“…Yeah, it does.”

Tiamat frowned slightly.

“Another Demon, huh? It’s not just a Demon’s power… it’s like it’s trying to transform into something, like a weak seed.”

“Aren’t Demons the ones who all either died or got trapped in the Maze?”

“I thought so too… But perhaps it’s a case somewhat similar to you, Yujin.”

“Hmm.”

At that, Yujin slowly stroked his chin in thought.

In a space outside the Maze, and in an Academy—how does that work?

Yujin had no idea. But Tiamat suspected it could be a similar situation to that of Yujin, a case where a Transcendent trapped in the Maze is trying to transform a mortal into another Transcendent through their seed.

“It might be a parasitic relationship—like a host and parasite. Given it’s a Demon, the probability of that is quite high.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Yujin stroked his chin for a moment before he opened a space pocket, reaching inside to pull something out.

It was a horn. A small horn that scattered black magic.

And then, a voice came from the horn.

[Uh, hmm? Uh, what’s up? Why’d you call me…?]

The Demon, Enkeos, whom Yujin had stashed away in the space pocket because he didn’t particularly need him, spoke with confusion.

“Enkeos, do you know anything about the energy coming from over there?”

[From over there…? Huh? That’s… the magical energy of a kindred spirit?!]

Enkeos spoke in a fluster at Yujin’s question, continuing with:

[Moreover, this is the magical energy of Lady Lilith… She should have passed away, how is this possible?]

“Lilith… From what I’m hearing, she seems like a deceased Transcendent.”

“I remember her too. Lilith… she was quite a renowned Demon.”

“Do you know what she’s like?”

“All I know is that she was said to have died during the Great War, and I’ve never fought her, so I’m not sure.”

“Then what about you, Enkeos?”

[…She possessed the power to bloom a flower by feeding on the soul and essence of living beings. Simultaneously, that flower carries an incredibly strong mental domination ability. Those who lay eyes on the flower are entranced by its beauty, those who smell its fragrance are intoxicated by its sweetness, and those who taste the honey from it find themselves suffering an irresistible addiction to its deliciousness, losing their will and ultimately becoming another flower’s host or puppet. That power works even on Transcendents of lower rank.]

“I see.”

Just hearing about it was quite a dangerous power. The fact that it could even affect Transcendents of lower rank is alarming. Given her high reputation, it wouldn’t be surprising if she was quickly marked as a dangerous entity and eliminated by other Transcendents.

Moreover, considering that she had never encountered a strong entity like Tiamat, it seems likely that she skillfully evaded such powerful beings.

In any case, it’s clear that this is a rather perilous Demon.

“Let’s go check it out. But first…”

Yujin mumbled and then pulled out one more item from the space pocket. It was a crystal ball.

“Shall we send a word in advance? After all, we just arrived, and I should have contacted her earlier.”

Yujin poured mana into the crystal ball. Soon after, a voice echoed from it.

[Nailse. Are you ready?]

It was the voice of Ines, the President of Labyrinth Academy.

Yujin responded nonchalantly, “Ah, President. Actually, I’m at the Academy.”

[…What?]

The President sounded quite flustered. She must be wondering how he got there so quickly. Yujin had sensed the spatial coordinates here were rather tangled at first, but that didn’t mean much to him.

“The Academy is certainly vast. I was worried I might get lost. Is it possible that… it’s the Student Dormitory?”

Yujin said while glancing at the direction where he felt the aura of the Demon. Indeed, the feeling of a Demon was emanating from the Student Dormitory.

Then, Yujin continued with a light chuckle.

“So, before I accidentally walk into trouble, could you please come over?”

It would be best if she came quickly to explain or handle it, or else Yujin might just end up taking things into his own hands without knowing whether it was a student or a Demon.

[Wait…!]

Snip.

Yujin cut off the communication with the crystal ball immediately after and tossed it back into the space pocket. Then he muttered, “Alright, shall we go?”

He began to move forward,.

“What are you planning to do?”

“Well, it seems like a dangerous Demon, but just to be safe, we need to check it out. After all, this is my workplace.”

“If you determine it’s dangerous, will you eliminate it right away?”

“I could also seal it and carry it around like Enkeos.”

[……]

Enkeos fell into an annoyed silence at that.

Regardless, Yujin took his time and walked ahead without warping. He headed toward the place that appeared to be… the Student Dormitory.

Why take his time instead of warping? It’s because…

“Did I sense Enkeos’ energy approaching quickly from that direction? They seem to be coming at a pretty fast pace.”

Because someone was indeed approaching from afar at a quick pace. Yujin thought there was no need to rush. If he warped straight to the Student Dormitory, he might run into the President before confirming anything.

Anyway, before he knew it, as Yujin stepped into the garden between the dormitory and the street, he could feel that someone was getting closer.

How long had he walked? Upon reaching the flowerbed in the center of the garden…

Rustle, rustle!

From beyond the bushes came the sound of rustling, signaling that someone was about to appear.

And then…

Swish!

“Haah, haah…!”

“…Hmm.”

From beyond the bushes, someone suddenly popped out, breathing heavily.

With white hair reflecting the moonlight and curves indicating some mature charm, this woman had facial features that could rival Tiamat’s beauty, with a pinkish left eye.

And on her right eye, covered by her hair, was a budding white flower.

She possessed an unusual yet mysterious beauty.

At the same time, there was an excitement in her smile that was very captivating.

“Ha, ah…?”

When she saw Yujin, she froze for a moment, then quickly turned her gaze to the horn of Enkeos he was holding.

Thud!

Her once intense gaze trembled upon seeing it, and she knelt as if all strength had left her body.

The radiant smile etched across her face vanished, and her vacant gaze locked onto the horn Yujin held.

“Ah…”

Then, she began to cry, tears streaming from her remaining eye as she sat there.

Yujin stared at this spectacle and thought…

‘What’s going on?’

He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

 

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