Surviving at the Magic Academy

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Professor Ilian took a quiet breath. Despite her powerful magic, her physical form was that of a girl. That’s why I found it hard to be certain about her true identity.

Her body in the form of a girl looked too fragile. If she ever panicked like this, her body wouldn’t follow her control properly. It seemed far too ridiculous to belong to a dragon.

But now I was convinced. There was definitely a dragon hidden within this small body. I gently stroked her back with magic, which activated the spells contained in some chairs.

Those spells enveloped her body and slowly began to soothe her. Approaching her, I carefully poured her another cup of tea.

“Are you okay? I seem to have startled you, Professor. Here, something warm will make you feel a bit better.”

She looked at it with a slightly sullen expression before quietly accepting the cup. She then started to sip it slowly. I cautiously offered her pieces of cloud. She quietly accepted and ate them.

She nodded in satisfaction. Hmm, it seemed my efforts at bringing her snacks regularly had paid off. It appeared she was getting a bit used to my touch. That was Mira’s advice: light contact was necessary to become familiar.

As she was chewing, she suddenly shivered and waved her hand. The magic originating from her fingertips bounced off all the spells that were wrapping around her body. She touched her forehead and frowned slightly.

“Here we go again. So I’m a dragon, huh? Now I can understand all the strange things I’ve been doing.”

“What I found out is… Ah!”

I momentarily paused. I had accurately grasped the hidden intention behind her words. I met her gaze and lightly nodded. Then I bent forward towards her.

“That’s right. There’s no way it could be true. You’re absolutely right, Professor. I must have been mistaken this time.”

It seemed she wanted to keep her identity hidden. That meant I had to respect her wish as her subordinate. So, from now on, she was no longer a dragon.

I straightened my back and sparkled my eyes. Then I flashed a bright smile at the professor. It was a smile filled with my feelings for her.

“This kid is already lost in her own world and not listening at all…”

She looked at me intently and let out a sigh.

“Then spill it. Why did you conclude that I’m a dragon?”

It was something I had to do if she wanted it. That was my duty. I carefully took a carving knife from my pocket and presented it to her, reciting the entire process I had gone through.

Starting from her kindness, I pursued the question until I came to regard her as a dragon. And with Mira’s help, I gained the conviction that this came from Professor Ilian’s scale.

As she listened, the professor blinked in surprise. It seemed she was impressed by my seamless deduction. The clues she had dropped were connected very clearly, as if daring me to find the answer.

So I started to think she might have intentionally revealed this to me. She had discreetly disclosed her true identity to her only loyal subordinate. And that led to my reaching the truth.

Ah, how grateful I am! That she cares for me this much. I didn’t know how to repay such immense kindness. My sincere devotion and love blossomed in my chest.

As I finished speaking, I looked at the professor with a bright smile. She was gazing at the carving knife in front of her with an expression of hesitation.

I approached the table slowly and filled her cup with tea once more. The fragrance refreshed the space and cleared my mind. She looked at me and slowly nodded.

“…I never thought I’d leave such traces. Well, I guess it’s okay if you know. Yes, I’m a dr….”

“No, I was wrong.”

I shook my head firmly. More important than whether my deduction was right or wrong was the professor’s will. She had wanted to hide her identity until just a moment ago. I had to respect her wish.

I quietly shifted my thoughts. She was not a dragon. Thus, my deduction that she was a dragon was wrong. Therefore, she is not a dragon. This perfect triad was the truth of this world.

“No, I am a dragon….”

“It seems my deduction has an error. There’s no way the professor could be a dragon. I will bury this meaning deeply in my heart. I sincerely apologize for presenting such a flimsy speculation.”

“You got it all right…”

“No! I was wrong!”

“Will you let me finish…?”

“Such a fool! How dare I think of the professor as a dragon!”

The one who was wrong was me. The professor was always right. So, she was not a dragon! I beamed at her with that determination.

Professor Ilian met my gaze. Then she clicked her tongue. The magic swirling around her began to exude a dense pressure.

“This won’t do. It’s too heavy right now, so let’s just fix that head first and talk.”

Head? What does that even mean? I blinked, pondering. Her magic tightly gripped my body. Before I knew it, I was kneeling before her, looking up.

She placed her hand on top of my head. This was yet another blessing from the professor! She was touching my head. How could such a thing offer me such gratitude?

As her hand began to shimmer, a golden magic started to pour down upon me.

This magic penetrated my mind like a web. And it began to gather everything within my head. It was a sort of search magic.

What originally belonged to me naturally passed through the web, but some slight stains began to catch onto it, one by one. The magic originating from treasures that had reached the very tips of my mind.

It would be more accurate to say that rather than the web finding those things, they were drawn in by the influence of its magic. Thus, the web began to clear away all the taints of treasures that resided in my mind.

At the same time, a revelation struck me. So that was why she hadn’t hit me all this time. If I merely brushed against her magic, the magic of the treasures would be attracted like this.

My mind gradually started to clear. Thoughts I had never considered before flowed naturally, filling me with a sense of liberation.

“Well, that should be a bit better.”

The professor spoke. I looked up at her. Her hair glimmering with golden hues reflected the sunlight, exuding a radiant light. Beyond that, her two eyes containing a hint of sullenness gazed down at me.

It was the usual professor. But for some reason, the rising fondness for her that had surged moments ago had faded. Only a slight sense of pressure filled my heart.

I quietly clenched my hands. What on earth have I been doing? Just moments ago, I had even fed her treats myself. Hmm… such courageous feelings, I couldn’t believe it.

Of course, while I thought that, my body was still drawn towards her. She had only cleared the stains from my head. But I could overcome the degree of thought that made me think solely of her.

“…Yes, thanks to you. I truly appreciate it.”

I smiled wryly. Ever since I became convinced that she was a dragon, every time I stood in front of her, the magic of treasures would begin to invade my mind. So I became infatuated with her, just like Hao who was intoxicated by the heavenly ring.

Perhaps it stirred up my excitement a bit. The antics I had just pulled came rushing back to me. I bowed my head toward her in an apologetic manner. The professor peered at me and clicked her tongue softly.

“Now that things have calmed down, I can say a few words.”

She let out a deep sigh. Then she lightly patted her forehead.

“I never thought that a single scale would lead you to deduce my true self, that the magic of treasures would draw you in like this. Well done.”

At those words, my eyes quivered slightly. She admitted it herself that she was a dragon. I had been confident, but hearing it directly from her made it feel fresh and exciting.

“Well, just because I admit I’m a dragon doesn’t change anything.”

She shook her head lightly and closed her eyes. She said it didn’t make a difference. But that wasn’t the case. At this moment, even without being under the magic of treasures, my sincere feelings for her began to grow.

Her being a dragon had transformed from mere conviction to a fact. Moreover, my status as her subordinate remained unchanged. Thus, I was undoubtedly a dragon’s loyal servant.

And thus, my fondness for her began to well up again. This was not a fondness born from the pull of the treasure’s magic. It was my genuine adoration for her.

I opened my eyes wide and looked at the professor. Somehow, it felt like a certain aristocratic grace typical of dragons was naturally flowing from her. Then I spontaneously prostrated myself before her.

“A dragon! How amazing! I am truly grateful for such a blessing. Of course, it’s you, Professor. I will believe and follow you for life!”

As I shouted that, I lifted my head and flashed a bright smile at her. As I grinned at her like that, she looked at me with a slightly horrified expression. Of course, this was partly a joke.

“Is he under the magic, thinking he’s a treasure or something? It feels like his head has really gone weird….”

The professor mumbled softly. I sparkled at that. Treasure, that was spot on. I too could be considered a treasure. A treasure resting in her hands!

“I am incredibly grateful for such words from you, professor. To think of me as a treasure, how heartwarming! I will engrave your golden words in my heart and live on!”

I shouted this with just a hint of mischief. Of course, the rest was all sincere. At that, the professor let out another sigh.

Then she waved her hand. Magic from her fingertips struck me forcefully.

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“And so that’s how I got kicked out.”

At that, someone chuckled. As I glanced towards the sound, I saw Mira smiling as if finding it amusing.

“Hehe, how cute.”

Mira said. Cute, I couldn’t tell whom that compliment aimed at. Was it the professor, or me? Or perhaps both?

“So, how was it? Did my advice help even a little?”

She asked. Her eyes gleamed with interest. I lightly nodded.

“Yes, it was very helpful.”

“That’s a relief.”

Mira smiled and leaned towards me. I gently supported her body and bowed my head slightly. Her advice had been about how to approach the professor.

She said that the professor was picky yet emitted a certain pure vibe. So, it was crucial to approach her very carefully.

Having received that advice, I gradually got closer to the professor over time. Step by step, I grew closer, and today, I could even feed her directly.

And in the end, I naturally discovered the fact that she was a dragon from her own mouth. It had become more than a conviction; it was now a fact. My heart swelled with loyalty towards her.

“From now on, you need to move like this. You must never be impatient.”

“Yes, I felt that today too.”

I nodded. Yes, today I had moved a bit impatiently, aggressively approaching her. As a result, she had felt a tad suspicious. So, I needed to take a step back.

Who would have thought I’d dig this much into the professor? Truly, as expected from Mira, who was adept at reading people’s hearts. I exchanged light smiles with her.

My only wish was for the professor to lean on me more and more. That thought had crossed my mind when I learned she was a dragon.

That was akin to the mindset I had when I first arrived at the university. To dedicate myself and do my utmost to please her. I just wanted to go further and embed my existence in her heart.

“By the way, how daring of you to try to tame the professor.”

Mira said. I shot her a sidelong glance. Taming? That was a crude way to express it. I just wanted to care for each other a bit more, to forge a relationship between a loyal servant and their master.

Just then, as we continued to chat about the future, Unit 0 approached us. In its hand was a small doll.

It placed it on the table and crossed its arms while looking at me silently.

I summoned my magic and examined the doll closely. It looked unlike the ones it usually made, resembling something I created.

It seemed to be Professor On’s assignment. After checking inside, I looked at Unit 0. It met my gaze with a tense expression.

Slowly, I shook my head. I had already done this before. And the moment I created it, I realized it was wrong. Perhaps Unit 0 had already figured it out as soon as it made it. It drooped down immediately.

What it had attempted was the realm of imitation. Just as it had imitated me, I had tried to imitate another Doll Manipulator’s work. But the things created that way had only resulted in a variation of how I normally made dolls.

Professor On had instructed to create a dissimilar doll from mine. I had thought about that a lot and managed to find an answer. To my surprise, the answer was closer than expected. It was none other than Professor Ilian.

She was a dragon, but she also had a human body. And that body was fragile, truly a pure human physique.

As I felt out the peculiarities of the professor with Mira, a thought crossed my mind: could this be applied to dolls as well? Just as dragons become humans, what if dolls transform into different forms?

That was the direction I gleaned while working on this assignment. Well, I never thought I would gain such enlightenment while dealing with the professor. I shared that with Unit 0, just a bit.

It seemed to be pondering deeply as it left. It looked like it was headed off to make more dolls. Watching that, I couldn’t help but smile.

Could it be that Professor Ilian revealed her true identity entirely to teach me this lesson? Of course, that seemed very unlikely.

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