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Chapter 17
He didn’t know how, but somehow, he had obtained the top-secret documents. ‘For now, I’ll just be satisfied with this.’ Who cared how it had opened? That could be figured out later. Right now, the important thing was dealing with these documents properly. He immediately closed the vault and began reading through the classified files one by one.
‘It’s basically a historical record of Garam Academy.’
The top-secret documents contained records of everything that had happened while running Garam Academy, from the academy’s founding 500 years ago all the way to events from the end of last year. At first glance, he couldn’t understand why this was considered classified. Couldn’t this simply be displayed in the library under the title History of Garam Academy?
Thinking that, he skimmed through the documents quickly for about ten minutes. At last, he found the section containing the Principal’s Secret he’d been searching for.
[Black Night. And Jairaon had begun moving in earnest.]
The page began with that sentence.
‘This is ridiculously long.’
The section related to the principal’s secret was three whole pages. Summarized, those pages said:
[I, as the last remaining dragon and guardian of balance, cannot recklessly interfere in worldly affairs.]
[The only thing I can do is defend. To punish with divine judgment those who lay hands upon my territory—Garam Academy.]
The principal could only retaliate against attacks. He could never make the first move. He was bound by that restriction. In other words, as long as nobody touched Garam Academy, there would be no reason to fight the principal at all.
‘Whether he’s some impossible monster or not, if all he can do is watch from inside Garam Academy, then he’s not worth fearing.’
From then on, Black Night stopped being cautious and seriously began moving to conquer the world.
‘Erase it.’
This information absolutely could not fall into Black Night’s hands. He tore out the three pages containing the principal’s weakness.
‘Obviously, it’ll leave traces…’
There was no helping it. It wasn’t like he knew magic capable of erasing text from documents.
‘Done. Now if I burn the torn pages…’
He created flames and burned the three ripped pages.
BOOOOM!
At that moment, an explosive roar echoed outside as if a bomb had gone off. Apparently, the battle between Yodalla and Lionel was becoming even more intense.
‘Need to get out quickly.’
He had to leave before the instructors who went to stop the monster rampage returned. He tucked the classified documents into his clothes, stepped out of the secret vault, restored all the mechanisms including the painting to their original positions, and closed the entrance.
‘Yodalla. I secured the classified documents.’
‘Keep drawing attention for one more minute, then retreat.’
Sending telepathy to Yodalla, who was fighting outside, he ran from the faculty building.
‘Please let nobody be near the exit…’
He escaped safely. He’d worried someone might spot him while leaving, but fortunately that didn’t happen. Thanks to Yodalla’s spectacular distraction.
‘If Yodalla hadn’t cleverly drawn everyone’s attention, I never would’ve made it out.’
While he infiltrated the building, opened the vault, and checked the documents, instructors who heard about Yodalla’s attack rushed back in large numbers. The area around the building became packed with them. If Yodalla hadn’t dazzled everyone with flashy techniques, escape would’ve been impossible.
“Master!”
As he thought that, a strange aura gathered in the center of his room and Yodalla appeared. Not in her maid disguise from last night, but in her true form.
“You arrived with support at exactly the right moment…! I’m seriously touched!”
Yodalla immediately threw herself into his arms.
“Breaking through that level of security in only ten minutes… As expected of Master.”
Yodalla seemed genuinely moved.
…Had all her suspicions disappeared?
“The instructors are gathering around this building.”
At that moment, Yodalla narrowed her eyes.
“Judging by the fact that ugly man isn’t here, they probably haven’t pinpointed my location…”
“If instructors are coming at this timing, then they’re surely doing a headcount.”
“Yes. Seems like it.”
Yodalla stepped away and sighed regretfully.
“Sadly, I’ll have to postpone expressing my gratitude. Master, could you hand over the classified documents?”
“They’re here.”
He pulled the bundle of documents from inside his clothes and handed them over. Yodalla frowned immediately.
“There’s no need to verify them—these are definitely originals. The principal’s unpleasant aura is soaked into them enough to make me sick.”
Her face twisted with disgust. She looked at the documents as though they were filthy garbage.
Did she hate the principal’s mana that much?
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Jian, you there? An instructor said they’re checking attendance. Everyone’s supposed to come out.”
The voice of the male student next door. Yodalla glanced toward the door before smiling softly again.
“Then, Master. I’ll head back first. See you next time.”
After speaking quietly, she dissolved into mana and vanished.
“Jian? Not inside…?”
He confirmed Yodalla’s presence had completely disappeared before opening the door.
“What? You were here? If you were, then answer—”
“I was changing clothes.”
“Oh… really?”
He instantly cut off the student’s complaints and walked toward the stairs where everyone gathered.
“You all know something happened outside. We’ll be checking attendance. Respond immediately when called. Galarov.”
“Yes!”
Listening to the voices of instructors and students, he sighed inwardly in relief.
‘Whew… I somehow got through it.’
He’d nearly caused the scenario to jump straight to Act 3.
“Reaper. I’m back.”
Holding the classified documents in one hand, Yodalla returned to Black Night’s hideout where Reaper waited.
“You’re about twenty minutes later than planned. Was there some variable?”
“Something happened.”
Yodalla tossed the documents onto the table and explained everything.
“Hm. Lionel. The commander of the Radiant Tiger Knights moved…”
After hearing the explanation, Reaper’s expression turned cold.
“Our plan wasn’t leaked, was it? Only you, me, and Master knew about it.”
At Reaper’s words, Yodalla forced a bitter smile inwardly. Unlike herself, Reaper didn’t suspect Master at all. Seeing that made her feel strangely unpleasant, like she alone had become trash.
“I think it may simply have been coincidence.”
Maybe Lionel happened to pass nearby and spot Yodalla.
“No. It didn’t feel like coincidence. That ugly man seemed convinced there’d be an attack here.”
“I see.”
If Yodalla judged it that way, it was probably true.
“Then it’s reasonable to think someone predicted our plan and moved Lionel.”
“Is that even possible? Noticing the monster rampage was a diversion is one thing. But predicting the real target was the faculty building? That makes no sense.”
“No, it’s possible. If the person making the prediction knew the principal’s secret vault existed inside the faculty building.”
Reaper picked up the classified documents and slowly turned the pages.
“Of course, even knowing that, sending Lionel directly to the faculty building is odd… Usually, if someone suspects something hidden there, they’d protect a treasury or artifact storage first.”
“That’s exactly my point.”
Lionel hadn’t checked other storage areas first. He’d gone straight to the faculty building. That was the unbelievable part.
“Hm… What could it be? How exactly…”
That was when Reaper noticed the missing pages. Judging by the torn marks and empty gaps, three pages had been removed.
“This is…”
A hypothesis flashed through Reaper’s mind.
“…I see. So that’s what happened.”
His eyes gleamed as though he’d realized something.
‘This world definitely hates me.’
Just when one crisis ended, another appeared.
“Jian. How exactly did you know a Black Night executive was targeting the faculty building?”
Princess Aris stared at him with deadly seriousness. Beside her sat Lionel, wrapped in bandages with his arms crossed. His fight with Yodalla must’ve taken a heavy toll.
“Answer me, Jian. How did you know Black Night’s movements in advance?”
To stop Yodalla, he had no choice but to move Sir Lionel. And to move Lionel, he’d had to explain the situation in detail. He’d mentioned Black Night while borrowing Lionel’s strength—and now he was being interrogated.
‘What am I supposed to say…?’
At a time when neither the Canarion Kingdom nor any nation could track Black Night, how could he explain that someone with no backing had accurately predicted their movements?
‘I obviously can’t tell the truth.’
What excuse would get him through this safely?
‘Right. This should work.’
The answer came instantly.
“I’m extremely sensitive to mana.”
“Hm. That does seem true.”
The princess nodded immediately.
“Maybe because of that… I could see it. The strange energy filling the bodies of the rampaging monsters.”
Her eyes widened.
“You saw the mana inside the monsters?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
…Why was she so surprised? Seeing mana wasn’t that unusual.
“Jian. Are you saying you can see mana beneath flesh—not merely external mana…?”
Was seeing internal mana different?
“Then that means you can clearly perceive monsters’ weaknesses as well.”
How did she jump to that conclusion?
“I think I understand. Your eyes don’t merely see magic formulas—they see the essence of magic.”
Aris fell into deep thought. It felt like she was misunderstanding something enormously.
“I’ve heard of it. Eyes that perceive the essence of mana. They’re called Dragon Eyes… eyes possessed only by dragons.”
Aris stared at him with widened eyes.
“Could it be… are you a dragon?”
The exact same question Rosaline had asked yesterday. Yesterday he reacted with immediate disbelief, but now he couldn’t.
‘Actually… am I really a dragon?’
Earlier, while raiding the principal’s vault, he’d seen a message saying his biometric code matched. If the biometric code matched, then he possessed a dragon’s biological signature.
Which meant…
he was a dragon.
“No… that can’t be. Dragons went extinct long ago. Forget what I just said.”
Actually, they hadn’t. The last dragon—the principal—was still alive.
“Then perhaps you possess some kind of mystical eye comparable to a dragon’s… Regardless, astonishing. Eyes that perceive mana’s essence…”
The princess was sincerely impressed.
“So then—you discovered the strange energy within the rampaging monsters, traced its source, and realized the one controlling them was near the faculty building. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Princess Aris nodded.
“I understand now. You didn’t have some information network capable of tracking Black Night’s movements.”
Afterward, she sighed softly in disappointment and sank into thought.
‘Okay. The excuse worked.’
Watching Aris, he sighed inwardly in relief.
‘Now there’s only one problem left… what relationship do I have with dragons?’
Am I really a dragon?
‘Come to think of it, the status window showing [???] for race was strange…’
If he were human, it should simply say Human.
‘If definitive proof appears that I’m a dragon… will it change?’
He opened his status window and checked the Race section. The moment he saw it, he was speechless.
[Dragon, ???]
‘…Huh?’
Really?
