I distinctly remember visiting the Chairman’s office under Iona’s guidance.


    There wasn’t much need for her assistance, as I roamed the Academy, retracing my steps from memory. Soon enough, my surroundings shifted.


    As soon as I arrived in an unfrequented area, I was teleported deep underground—to the ce where her true body resides.


    The bleak, deste atmosphere remained the same, including the incongruously ced water tank at the center.


    Though I had seen this before and knew the scene well, it somehow felt different now.


    Perhaps my heightened sensitivity to mana allowed me to perceive the unease of spatial transfer, which I hadn’t felt before.


    Or maybe it was my faint awareness of the dozens ofyered magical barriers surrounding this small space.


    What remained certain, though, was that Reba, the owner of this room, still held goodwill toward me.


    “Ah, you’re here.”


    “Yes. I came to return what I borrowed and to update you on what’s been happening. After all, you were a great help in this.”


    “Such amendable sense of responsibility. I already know the general situation, but hearing it from you will be different.”


    Her voice, distorted with static-like interference, made it impossible to discern gender or age.


    I chuckled lightly and took out Reba’s staff.


    “All of this was possible thanks to your help, Chairman.”


    “Oh my. A hero who saved Sris from the brink of copse and uncovered the faceless infiltrator disguised as the Empire’s Moon now sings my praises. I’m ttered.”


    “It’s a bit embarrassing to hear such words from one of the most renowned and powerful heroes.”


    Scratching the back of my head awkwardly, I handed over the staff, which Reba retrieved effortlessly with telekinesis.


    “Just teasing. Lately, there hasn’t been anyone who’s achieved as much against the cultists, so I may have gotten a bit carried away.”


    “Well, this is just the beginning.”


    “So, the cultists are truly stirring again?”


    “You suspected as much, didn’t you? Yes, at least that’s what I believe.”


    “Well, considering they’ve gone so far as to send assassins into the Academy, it’s clear they’ve abandoned all subtlety.”


    She answered my question before I could even ask, leaving me tilting my head in mild confusion.


    “Was it you, Chairman, who apprehended the ones lurking near Faye’s workshop?”


    “Iona must have told you. Yes, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve been keeping an eye on Faye, your lover, and they just happened to fall into the trap.”


    “Thank you.”


    When I bowed my head, her soft chuckle grew louder.


    “Think nothing of it. It’s my duty as long as you’re my students.”


    “Uh… if they’re still alive, would it be alright if I interrogated them myself?”


    “Well, I kept them breathing, but it might not be great for your mental health to meet them.”


    “……”


    I had no idea how she interrogated them, but it must have been thorough. I decided it was no longer worth worrying about.


    “By the way, aren’t you going to tell me what happened? You seem like an entirely different personpared to just a few days ago. As an educator, I’m curious.”@@novelbin@@


    “I don’t mind sharing, but applying my case to the Academy’s curriculum would be a bit challenging.”


    Since rumors about my draconic transformation were already spreading, there was no need to hide it. Besides, Reba had once fought alongside Fafnir on the battlefield.


    <em>Crack.</em>


    I felt the sound of something breaking and reassembling within my body.


    Looking at Reba with what must have been vertically split pupils by now, I smiled.


    “Do you happen to remember Fafnir?”


    <hr>


    After a lot of chatter, Reba finally nodded.


    “So… it really was Fafnir.”


    She nodded in understanding, her gaze fixating on my horns.


    “They say a dragon’s horn is so sturdy that it won’t break unless the dragon itself wills it. The battle must have been intense enough to fracture it.”


    “Haha… well, we won, so that’s all that matters, right?”


    Of course, I wasn’t going to admit it had been used as the master key for a colossal golem.


    “By the way, you fought alongside Fafnir in his prime, didn’t you? What was he like back then?”


    “Not hard to describe. Although you weren’t born through normal means, you are still his sessor, so it’s only fair to tell you.”


    “Woah…”


    Listening to stories from the old days, like with Iris and Iona, was oddly fascinating. Maybe it was because these prequel tales weren’t in H&A.


    “To summarize my first impression of Fafnir, he was… a bastard.”


    “…Pardon?”


    “Oh dear, that was harsh. What I meant to say is… he was an utterly insufferable blockhead.”


    “???”


    Is there even a difference?


    Seeing my bewildered expression, Reba began sharing some of her stories about him.


    For example, he once disappeared into hisir, iming intruders had entered his treasure vault, only to return injured the day before a critical battle.


    Or how he ignored the priests’ strategy to attack from a distance, insisting on charging in to uphold his dragon pride, only to nearly die when swarmed by apostles of the Evil Gods.


    And how his constant disparaging remarks about short-lived species often caused rifts within the allied forces, most of whom were, of course, short-lived species.


    “…So he was just a strong bastard?”


    “Huhu. That was only my first impression. As the battles continued and our time together grew, Fafnir changed.”


    He opened up his treasure vault, arming knights with powerful artifacts and distributing spellbooks to the magicians.


    When the walls seemed about to copse, he used his own body to withstand the blows, leaving his once-imprable dragon scales in a constant state of disrepair.


    Even after mocking short-lived species, he fulfilled his duty as a transcendent being by leading the charge in battles.


    “In the final battle, he told us to go on ahead while he held off the cultists and monsters alone. Thanks to him, we fought the Sublime Dominion without any interference.”


    “……”


    “To summarize: Fafnir was a bastard… but he was our bastard.”


    Reba’s silhouette, blurred and mosaic-like in the water tank, remained unrecognizable, yet her words carried warmth.


    “I see. Fafnir must have been preparing for the future in his way. And to think his sessor now attends my Academy. Living this long doese with its surprises.”


    Somehow, I felt as if Reba was smiling.


    The conversation shifted to the Academy’s defenses against the impending cultist activity before I broached my main concern.


    “Since we’re on the subject, I wanted to ask—seeing as the cultists are likely to target me more seriously, could I bring mypanions here? I’m worried about leaving them outside.”


    “Well, it’s generally not allowed, but I’ll make an exception for you. Given all you’ve aplished, no one will object. And if they do, I’ll handle it personally.”


    The Academy, after all, was established to root out the Evil God’s forces. Considering my contributions thus far, this request was entirely reasonable.


    So far, so good.


    “Oh, and while we’re at it, could you also grant Senior Faye and me exemptions from sses? To be honest, focusing on fighting outside or conducting personal research would be more productive than attending lectures.”


    “Hmph.”


    In simple terms, I was saying, “I want ess to the Academy’s facilities and benefits but without attending sses!”


    Even Reba, despite her amodating nature, didn’t respond immediately. After a brief moment of contemtion, she finally nodded.


    “Very well. However, it’s only a ss exemption—you’ll still have to take the exams. And if you fail to meet the passing grades, you’ll be held back. How does that sound?”


    “That works for me.”


    Although I struggled with theoretical concepts, I wasn’t at risk of failing outright.


    This was essentially her way of maintaining appearances while granting my request.


    Even so, I was already grateful, but Reba’s generosity didn’t end there.


    “Take this.”


    “What is…?”


    Arge key dropped into my hand. Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary key—it was clearly an artifact, as I could feel traces of mana emanating from it.


    “This is the key to an unused dormitory. If you’re worried about yourpanions, it’s better for all of you to stay together instead of being scattered. The current dormitory would be too cramped, after all.”


    “Oh.”


    So she was suggesting that I bring Faye and the others to live together in a more spacious, unused building.


    “Th-thank you?”


    I bowed awkwardly, taken aback by Reba’s unexpected magnanimity.


    Seeing how far this had gone, I decided to push my luck a little further.


    “Then, would it be possible to inform me of any iing information about the cultists?”


    “…The Academy isn’t a guild of informants, you know.”


    “I’d use it to prioritize key targets for subjugation.”


    “I’ll ry such information to you through Professor Iona.”