READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 31
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Looking down at the President, who sat there staring blankly, Yujin forced a smile.
“President, shall we have a candid conversation for a moment?”
Even though the President had the motive to kill him, Yujin decided to try talking first.
There was no other choice. If he killed the President in retaliation for trying to kill him, the consequences would be too hard to bear.
Besides, the President wasn’t really in a position to harm Yujin. As a mage, the President was utterly powerless in front of a Dragon, one of the great magics’ essences.
Just as with Mirien, there was no need to overreact to something that wasn’t dangerous.
“Y-yes?”
But the President, visibly flustered, asked back.
Even though she had used magic to kill him, now she wanted to have a chat? And it was the great dragon who was suggesting it.
They were supposed to be noble and arrogant, merciless to those who challenged their authority…
“A-are you not going to punish me?”
“Punish? Well… let’s think about that later. For now, it seems you have some misconceptions about me, so shall we clear that up first?”
Yujin said this, squinting his eyes slightly and smiling brightly.
“First of all, President, I truly did not harm the Princess. I merely sealed the magic.”
“Huh? Ah, no, that’s not what I meant…”
“Hmm? Is there something more important we should discuss?”
The fact that a Dragon had appeared right in front of him was far more pressing than sealing the Princess’s magic, and the President stammered as she spoke.
“A-are you really a Dragon?”
“Oh, is that what you meant?”
Yujin chuckled at the question and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
A Dragon… Well, it wouldn’t hurt to let that little secret slip if she handled it well, but it felt a bit too easy for something that should remain a secret. Similar to the situation with Mirien.
Of course, Yujin was unaware that Mirien had sensed the aura of a Dragon yet still hadn’t noticed she was one.
Anyway, Yujin decided to just let the President in on it. Her eyes seemed almost sure that he was a Dragon, so hiding it would be pointless.
“Yes, that’s right.”
….!!!
The President’s eyes went wide. She had almost been convinced just by the Dragon’s aura, but hearing it directly from its mouth felt entirely different.
Really, truly a Dragon!
Thump, thump!
His heart pounded wildly with excitement, the fact that the Dragon of his dreams was right in front of him blanked out everything else in his mind.
What do I do? What if it’s angry because I dared to attack? More importantly, how can it roam freely on the ground?
“W-what happened? Surely, all other transcendents except the gods should be dead or trapped in a maze…”
“Dead or trapped in a maze… then let me ask you one thing, President.”
Yujin asked, raising one eyebrow.
“What’s more real, what you see in front of you, or a history you have never experienced?”
“That’s…”
“No need to overthink it. You seem convinced that I am a Dragon, so there’s really no reason to deny the truth in front of you, is there?”
“……”
“So don’t worry too much about why I’m still alive and wandering outside the maze. History could be wrong, or there could have been some anomaly. And that’s something that doesn’t concern you.”
Yujin firmly drew a line, emphasizing that it wasn’t the President’s business. The President nodded slowly, and after a moment, looked down and said.
“I-I’ll keep that in mind. I apologize for being so rude.”
“It wasn’t that rude. So don’t lower yourself too much.”
“Ah, no! Please, lower your words. I’m just a mere mortal who has a bit of Dragon’s blood. There’s no need for you, a supreme transcendent Dragon, to speak so highly to someone insignificant…”
“It’s fine. I find it comfortable this way. But, have you cleared up your misconceptions about me?”
“Huh? …Ah, yes! Of course! So you sealed the Princess’s magic…”
The President recalled Yujin’s explanation from earlier. Yujin asked.
“Do you need proof of that?”
“Uh, no! It’s fine! There’s no reason for a Dragon to lie to someone like me!”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
Yujin felt a strange sensation as she watched the President react.
What should she say… Even though the other person is a Dragon, isn’t she being too humble? Especially for someone who has spent a lifetime standing above others.
Of course, Yujin quickly understood. The look of admiration and awe in her eyes suggested that perhaps it was instinctive respect toward the Dragon due to her bloodline.
Anyway, if the President approached her like this, it would make things easier for Yujin. The President then said.
“However, even a seal is only temporary. The second princess has already become closer to a Demon than a human. Now that her magic is sealed, she will continue to weaken.”
Yujin relayed the information she had heard from Tiamat to the President. The President’s expression hardened for a moment upon hearing it.
The President cared for her student. Hearing that her student’s condition was poor was something she had to take seriously.
“What should we do then?”
“There are methods. While there’s no way to revert her back to human from Demon, there is a way to maintain her identity.”
“……”
At those words, the President’s expression turned complicated. She asked.
“Is there no way to return her completely to human? Even with the powers of a Dragon?”
“Just because the powers of Dragons are close to omnipotent doesn’t mean they are truly omnipotent. If the Princess had just been on the brink of succumbing to the Seed of the Demon, it might have been possible… but she has already become one with it. In other words, she has already been reborn as a Transcendent. And reversing a Transcendent back to their previous state is not an easy task.”
With that, the President’s eyes widened. She asked again.
“A Transcendent? You’re saying the Princess has become a Transcendent?”
“Still only a half-hearted one. But still a proper Transcendent… The powers of a Dragon cannot fully exert their might against another Transcendent.”
“……”
The President fell silent with a dark expression. Observing the tension, Yujin decided to lighten the mood by asking.
“By the way, can I ask you a few questions too?”
“…Huh? Ah, yes! Ask anything! I’ll answer as long as I can!”
With that affirmation, Yujin ventured into the questions she had been curious about all along.
“It’s nothing major, but you’ve been quite guarded toward me from the beginning. Is there a reason for that?”
“…Huh?”
Yujin had been curious from the start. The President and Professor Reina had shown suspicion and hostility toward him right from their first encounter.
Of course, it looked plenty suspicious to just stand there watching a girl who was lying unconscious, but that hostility had crossed the line, leading Yujin to suspect there was some other reason behind it.
However, upon hearing that, the President could only freeze in place.
‘…W-what do I do?’
How could she explain that she had mistaken the Dragon she admired and respected for a Dark Sorcerer all this time?
Considering how she had attacked him and worried whether he bore a grudge, adding this newfound detail seemed entirely out of the question.
“Th-that is…”
But realizing it was better to just take the hit than face a more significant punishment for hiding it, the President decided to reveal everything.
She disclosed the recent disturbances caused by Dark Sorcerers, the party that had faced a Demon after only reaching the fifth floor, the suspicious joining of the mage during that time, and the fact that the mage’s whereabouts had been entirely unknown until today, along with the incident involving the Princess…
Thinking back, everything was just flimsy circumstantial evidence without a shred of real proof, but her preconceptions and first impressions had led to endless blunders. Remembering those failures deeply embarrassed her again.
“I see.”
But Yujin understood. It was a bit absurd to be mistaken for a Dark Sorcerer, but given that suspicious circumstances had emerged around a suspect, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for them to react that way.
“Well, I get it. I’d probably have done some digging too had I been in your shoes. There may have been a bit too much misunderstanding, but…”
“Ugh…”
“Still, it’s fine. It hasn’t blown up into a major problem, and I won’t be particularly concerned about it, so lift your head.”
“…Y-yes? But…”
Surprised by Yujin’s words, the President instantly raised her head again. But Yujin maintained her calm, inscrutable expression.
The face that had seemed suspicious to her earlier now somehow looked compassionate.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“Yes. I have no lingering personal feelings about it at all. Of course, that said, there will still be a price to pay.”
“Ah…”
That made sense. If she had harbored hostility and murderous intent toward a Dragon, she should expect to pay the price. The President bowed her head.
“Whatever punishment you decide, I will accept it. But please, may I ask one favor…”
“I’ll hear you out.”
“If you must punish me, please let it end with just me. I wouldn’t want to bring harm to my family or the academy…”
She didn’t want to cause trouble for others, and as she said that, Yujin smiled bitterly.
“That’s only natural. Is that all you want to say?”
“…Yes.”
A bit relieved by Yujin’s response, the President believed a great transcendent would not speak out of both sides of their mouth and closed her eyes.
“Then I will deliver your punishment. Let’s see… this should work.”
After murmuring for a moment, she turned to the President.
“From now on, I will impose a ban on you with the Dragon Language. You must not defy what I say from now on.”
“…Understood.”
The President nodded, swallowing hard.
And then, the words of Yujin resonated.
“『From this moment, you cannot disclose my identity as a Dragon anywhere, unless I permit it.』”
Whooooom!
It felt as if the entire universe was rumbling, and Yujin’s words sank into the President’s mind. It felt like words were being etched into her very soul.
Inside, the President quietly nodded. She thought this condition was only a natural expectation. There would be no benefit in revealing that Yujin was a Dragon in too many places.
But this couldn’t be all. There had to be more…
“『This ban will remain until I either die or lift it.』”
…”Huh?”
…Is that it?
…Really?
There was no way it could end so lightly. Considering how she had harbored hostility toward him, it seemed improbable it would just end like this.
“That’s it. We’re finished.”
But just like that, a calm voice replaced the feeling of words being carved into her soul. The President asked absentmindedly.
“…Is this really the end?”
“Hmm? Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no… it’s just…”
The punishment was far too light, if anything. Yet asking for more punishment seemed off, given he was insisting it was fine.
The President was at a loss for words, and Yujin observed her curiously before turning away and beginning to walk somewhere.
“For now, shall we head to Professor Reina Sahart? It seems she has some misconceptions about me too, so let’s clear those up first.”
“……”
The President had nothing more to say and could only watch Yujin walk away in a daze.
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