I'm Not the Mastermind

Chapter 33

"Don't worry too much. I was just teasing her a little, not trying to cause trouble. I do plan to apologize and compensate her properly."

Yujin was sincere. After all, it was a misunderstanding that wouldn’t last long. He wasn’t actually a dark magician, nor did he know much about them.

When the misunderstanding cleared up, he intended to apologize to her sincerely and make amends. Of course, she would probably end up resenting him, but...

'Oh well.'

Yujin had never been particularly close to people in the first place. A little resentment wouldn’t make much of a difference.

『Of course, I’m not criticizing you. It’s not uncommon for dragons to find amusement in influencing mortals.』

"Is that so?"

『The very games that dragons play are meant to find new stimulation in their otherwise monotonous, transcendent lives. Influencing and being influenced by mortals isn’t unusual, is it? Mortals live by constantly interacting and influencing one another, so why should it be any different for us?』

"That’s true."

『If this is your form of amusement, I won’t reprimand you for it. After all, it’s not causing significant harm to the mortals. I was just a little surprised. In some ways, you seem endlessly mature and detached, but...』

"Am I malicious?"@@@@

Yujin said with a chuckle. Tiamat responded with a peculiar expression.

『No, it’s just... your personality is a little unpleasant.』

"That’s basically the same thing, isn’t it? I won’t deny it. I don’t think I have a particularly good personality either."

Yujin laughed lightly as he spoke.

"This reminds me of something from a long time ago. It happened on Earth, actually. There were kids who particularly disliked me."

『Kids who disliked you?』

"It’s nothing significant. It must’ve been about two years after my parents passed away."

『......』

At the mention of his parents’ passing, Tiamat fell silent for a moment. It was naturally a somber topic.

Receiving her silence, Yujin continued speaking.

"At that time, I was already following my parents’ teachings. Things like, 'Yujin, don’t let others know what you’re thinking,' and, 'Always conceal yourself and become an adult.' They warned me that showing my true feelings in society was a fatal weakness and to never reveal them to anyone."

『......』

"Even in middle school, I did the same. I avoided revealing my thoughts, always wore a smile, and made sure no one could figure me out. I even started using polite speech habitually back then. But that made me stand out among the kids—a peculiar, alien trait. Many of them found me off-putting and avoided me."

Yujin spoke as if recounting an old story he no longer cared much about.

"Did I mention that Earth experienced the emergence of something called gates and awakeners?"

『You did. A world without mana or the four primal forces... truly fascinating.』

"Not anymore, though. Anyway, by the time I turned 14, it became common practice to segregate awakened children from non-awakened ones for separate education. Naturally, I was among the awakened, and, as you can imagine, kids that age tend to show off when they suddenly gain superhuman abilities."

『So, you’re saying...』

"Being an orphan and a social outcast made me an easy target. Of course, they could’ve picked on non-awakened kids, but back then, using powers on non-awakened people meant immediate repercussions. Naturally, their targets narrowed down to awakened peers who seemed manageable, like me with my magic abilities."

『......』

Tiamat’s expression hardened at his words. Oblivious to her growing chill, Yujin continued.

"Haha, I still vividly remember being dragged off and beaten almost daily. Though it’s all in the past now."

『...And then?』

Her voice grew noticeably colder. Yujin, slightly puzzled, carried on.

"Well, I couldn’t just sit back and let it happen, could I? So, I came up with a rather amusing idea."

"What is it? Why are you so frantic...?"

"Headmistress! We need to apprehend Han Yujin immediately!"

Reina’s abrupt and urgent declaration left the Headmistress dumbfounded.

Apprehend? Who?

...A dragon?

"...Have you lost your senses?"

"Headmistress!"

"I’m not deaf, so speak calmly. Did you just say we need to apprehend Professor Yujin?"

Ines looked at Reina with a slightly stiff expression. Reina, noticing her reaction, felt a twinge of unease.

'The Headmistress... looking at me like that?'

Reina Sahart was one of the Headmistress's most trusted confidants. Their relationship was built on mutual trust and loyalty.

Granted, barging into the office uninvited and shouting out-of-the-blue accusations was undeniably rude. However, under normal circumstances, the Headmistress would have first asked for an explanation.

Yet now, the Headmistress seemed faintly displeased, as though annoyed by Reina’s claim that Yujin should be apprehended.

Feeling an unsettling sense of foreboding, Reina spoke desperately.

"Headmistress, you must listen to me. Han Yujin is a dark magician!"

"We’ve already resolved that matter. Why bring it up again...?"

"He revealed his true nature in front of me! The sealing of the princess’s magi was a ploy to suppress it and cause greater harm later!"

"What? That’s absurd..."

The Headmistress was too taken aback to respond immediately.

Of course, she knew Yujin wasn’t a dark magician. He was a supreme transcendent being—a dragon, a creature far beyond the likes of those cockroach-like dark magicians.

And yet, Reina didn’t appear to be lying. She wasn’t the type to deceive the Headmistress, and there was no reason for her to suddenly make such claims without basis.

Ines pondered for a moment. What exactly was going on here?

'...Come to think of it, Yujin does take on a human appearance.'

Dragons, the great transcendent beings who lived for eons, often disguised themselves as mortals to blend in and find new experiences to alleviate their boredom.

It was a form of amusement.

Perhaps this was just part of Yujin’s game—pretending to be a dark magician to mislead Reina.

If that were the case, the situation made sense. Understanding the context, the Headmistress finally spoke.

"...I understand. I’ll look into this myself. For now, step back."

"Headmistress! We need to apprehend him right now—"

"How do you propose we apprehend someone without evidence? Calm down, Professor. This isn’t like you."

"......"

Reina faltered at the Headmistress's words, taking a hesitant step back.

"Compose yourself and leave for now. I’ll handle the rest."

"...Understood."

With that, Reina exited the office.

Left alone in the office, Ines sighed deeply.

"A dark magician, huh... Yujin, you’ve chosen quite the troublesome game to play this time..."

Shaking her head, she decided to contact Yujin directly.