Ch.121Academy Transfer – 2

After the lecture ended, I headed to the Director’s office with Leona, who had received the same message. As soon as Leona saw me, she teased me about how there were too many women around me, making it difficult for us to be alone together.

“So you want to be alone with me, just the two of us?”

“Huh? Uhh?”

When I teased her back the way she used to do to me, she immediately shut her mouth.

Come to think of it, she had stopped making those kinds of jokes at some point. I’m not sure exactly when that happened.

“Even so, I can’t believe she raided the imperial palace treasury…”

“She said she’d return whatever was left after making our gifts, so I’m sure she got some of it back. She couldn’t have used everything, right?”

Having been knocked down and sunk by my counter, Leona chose to change the subject to the gifts the Director had promised. When she heard how the gifts were prepared, she was dumbfounded.

I deliberately avoided mentioning that the Archmages had raided whatever might have been returned to the treasury.

After all, the moment I brought up that the Archmages did it because of the black-haired woman right beside me, and that she was actually the Demon Lord, it would cause quite a severe cognitive dissonance.

“How did you hear about that? That’s amazing.”

“You know how much the mages idolize me, right? The Archmages are no exception.”

“…You’re speaking casually to me now? Well, I guess that makes sense. Good riddance to those cult bastards. I never liked them anyway. I’m glad they’re ruined. Glad they’re dead. I hope they suffered as long as possible before dying.”

“……”

Watching Leona fearlessly say things the original hero would never have said, I felt like I was the one experiencing cognitive dissonance. Is this my fault too?

“By the way, what about the holy sword? Still no response?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why, but it’s still the same.”

Yesterday, I had asked Leona to lend me the holy sword so I could talk to the goddess, but there was still no response.

It must be deliberate. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have remained silent for this long.

“Director? We’re here.”

“Come in. The door is open.”

When we arrived at the Director’s office and knocked, a voice replied that the door was open and to come in. This was my first visit since the Director had been seriously injured.

I opened the door and entered. The Director stood up from her chair to greet us. Even with that brief movement, her large breasts, wrapped in a sleeveless vest, made their presence strongly known.

“It’s good to see you, Mira Crate and Leona Brunhild.”

“Hello, Director.”

“How are you feeling?”

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. After all, I was treated by the very person who created healing magic. What could possibly be wrong? Rather, I should be the one asking you that question.”

“We’re fine too. It’s been quite a while now. We weren’t injured, but even if we had been, we would have recovered by now.”

At my comment about not being injured, Leona gave me a look that suggested she had a lot to say. I subtly avoided her gaze.

“I suppose so. I wondered what power had healed me, but I never imagined it would be magic.”

The Director gently touched the arm that had been completely severed at the time.

“I have mountains of questions, but the fact that you haven’t volunteered information means you wish to keep things to yourself for whatever reason. I won’t ask how you came to know such magic, so rest assured.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Pleasantries aside, I’m simply doing what should be done by someone who has received a favor.”

Saying this, the Director bent down and pulled out two elaborately decorated boxes from under the desk. They were so ornate that I suspected she must have used quite a few items from the treasury just for decoration.

They were also quite large, but in the hands of the Director, who stood over 2 meters tall, they looked normal-sized. Or perhaps it was because of those enormous breasts positioned right behind them.

“Here you are. The gifts I mentioned. Once again, thank you for fulfilling my wish.”

“What is it?”

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you in advance. Open them yourselves.”

Leona took her box and unlocked it. She looked inside and then picked up the contents with a surprised expression.

“It’s… a dress?”

“A dress imbued with the blessing of a dragon. I pondered what would be best for you, but couldn’t come up with anything good. After much thought, I decided to give you something that would protect you when you’re most vulnerable—when you’re not a hero, but simply a woman.”

“When I’m not a hero, but simply a woman…”

Leona repeated those words absently as she looked down at the dress.

“It may not match the finest armor worn by the Royal Guard, but it would rank just below that. I’ve not only embedded protective jewels but also sprinkled it with powder made from my scales.”

“What?!”

Surprised by the mention of dragon scales, Leona ran her hand over the dress fabric. Nothing came off on her fingers. The Director laughed lightly.

“It wouldn’t come off so easily. The dress would tear before the scale powder would fall off. But that doesn’t mean its durability is poor, of course.”

“So all these sparkling things are…?”

“My scales that I’ve sprinkled on it. They will serve as armor more than adequately. With all the blessings and protective jewels I’ve applied, it should easily withstand several attacks even from a demon army commander. Would you like to try it on now? I can provide you with an empty room if you wish.”

“Ah, no, that’s fine. I’ll try it on later. Thank you.”

Leona, looking somewhat dazed, kept thanking the Director while hugging the dress tightly. Seeing this, the Director turned her gaze to me, silently urging me to open my box.

Click. I unlocked it. The box, lavishly decorated with all sorts of treasures, opened slowly.

“Is this… a dagger?”

Inside was a dagger.

The handle was black with a slight grayish tint, and the blade was pure white. The length from the end of the handle to the tip of the blade seemed to be about a span longer than my foot size.

I wasn’t sure if it could be called a dagger at that size. Perhaps “small sword” would be more accurate.

“It’s a dagger forged from my scales and fangs.”

“…Made from what?”

“I used my scales for the handle and core, created the crossguard by melting and combining orichalcum and mythril, and made the blade from one of my fangs.”

“Uh…”

I unconsciously glanced at the Director’s mouth. She chuckled.

“Don’t worry about my teeth. I can regrow them anytime if needed. Would a dragon of my stature be unable to replace a single missing tooth?”

“I… I see.”

“I know you already have an excellent weapon, but I still wanted to give you this as a gift. I would be grateful if you like it. Oh, it also has a size-adjustment function, so try it out later. Given the original size of my scales and fangs, it would be a waste to use it only as a dagger.”

“I understand. I really like it. Thank you.”

I sheathed the blade in the scabbard that was placed next to it, which was the same color as the handle, and fastened it around my waist. The Director nodded with satisfaction.

“It suits you very well. Are you leaving now?”

“Um… I suppose so?”

Leona looked at me hesitantly and mumbled.

“In that case, I’m sorry, but could Mira Crate stay for a moment? I have something to discuss.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll do that.”

At the Director’s words, Leona left first with a puzzled expression. Once we were alone, the Director cast a soundproofing spell. A barrier of blue magic circles enveloped the entire room.

“I imagine basic soundproofing is already in place, so another sound barrier suggests this is quite an important conversation?”

“It might be. Or it might be a somewhat tiresome one. Is that alright?”

“It’s fine.”

“Thank you.”

The Director smiled gently, her tone much softer than her usual authoritative manner. She perched slightly on the edge of the desk, hesitated for a while, and then began to speak.

“…Ever since I fled to the human world 130 years ago, I’ve lived solely for revenge against Mahvat. Both as Erestica the Director and as Melligor the dragon.”

Though not her biological child, it was understandable given that the first being who made her feel emotions was eaten alive.

“But you know what? After I buried my child in my heart and ended the grudges of the past… I found that my reason for living had disappeared as well. I have an eternity ahead of me, but no driving force to continue that long life.”

“Surely you’re not thinking of dying—”

“I won’t say I haven’t considered it.”

The Director’s eyes filled with melancholy.

“My former self would have been fine. Before meeting my child, I was literally a lazy dragon who did nothing. But that’s not who I am now. I’ve come too far to return to living on dragon time. I’ve become too accustomed to living on human time. In just 130 years. Perhaps that’s how breathlessly I’ve been living.”

Her voice was heavy with emotion.

“But recently, I realized my thinking was wrong. There was still something near me that could become my purpose in life.”

Her golden vertical pupils fixed on me. Her gaze was much gentler compared to usual.

“Did you know that you resemble my child in some way?”

“Me? But I’m a man—”

“I’m not talking about physical appearance. I’m talking about the aura you give off.”

“Even if you say aura… I don’t really understand. I think you mentioned before that your daughter had a very lively personality.”

“You don’t need to be similar in every aspect. Do you remember that time? When you returned with your finger torn off.”

“Yes, I remember.”

The incident the Director was referring to must be when I bit off my own finger to create a pretext for killing Alexander, pretending he had done it to me.

So that’s why she reacted so differently from usual, panicking and trying to comfort me by pulling me into her arms.

“My child once had a similar injury. While hunting monsters, the exact same spot was injured when they returned. They also said they were fine and not to worry.”

The Director added that afterward, she kidnapped a priest to heal her child’s hand and then released them with a suitable treasure.

“From that moment, I felt an inexplicable emotion toward you, Mira. Perhaps it was maternal instinct, or some other positive feeling. One thing is certain: I was convinced I could trust you. And I was convinced that you could fill the empty space in my heart.”

I had a general idea of what she was trying to say. But it was an awkward situation—neither easy to accept nor to reject outright.

“Of course, I’m not conflating you with my child. My child is my child, and I’ve already buried them in my heart. I’m not trying to use you as a replacement either. If you felt that way, I’m truly sorry. But I never, ever intended that…”

For some reason, explanations I hadn’t even asked for came pouring out. She looked visibly desperate.

“I haven’t said anything yet. Let’s calm down a bit.”

“Oh? Y-yes. I should calm down. I’m sorry for showing you this side of me.”

After taking several deep breaths, the Director approached me with wistful eyes.

“So, Mira. I know it’s a shameless request, but…”

Her fingers, easily a joint longer than mine, gently wrapped around my hand.

“Would you become my reason for living?”