Chapter 31: My Favorite Protagonist

“I’m innocent! I swear I’m innocent!!”

“Shut up and get in already!”

Dragged away by the knights of judgment, I shouted my protest at the top of my lungs.

I struggled desperately, genuinely feeling wronged, but they showed no mercy.

They threw me into a carriage without hesitation.

That man was me.

The charge was terrorism against the academy.

I was arrested on the spot right after capturing the doppelganger.

“I captured the demon that infiltrated the academy and even stopped its plans! Isn’t this too much?!”

“You planted explosive magic in the dueling arena ahead of time!”

“Th-that was all for this exact moment!”

“You expect us to believe that nonsense? If you don’t want to get slapped with an additional charge for obstructing justice, you better behave!”

“This is ridiculous! I saved the academy!!”

My cries echoed across the academy grounds as the carriage door slammed shut.

Once the door closed, I dropped the act, wiping all emotion from my face.

The knights around me let out small, awkward laughs as they untied the ropes binding me.

“So, how was my acting?”

“I honestly thought you were part of a traveling theater troupe.”

“Thanks for the compliment. I’ve never actually belonged to one, though.”

“Then how could you act with such full-hearted conviction?”

“I hypnotized myself into believing I was really being wrongfully dragged away.”

“Haha… Impressive…”

Since it was early morning, thankfully, there were no casualties from the explosion.

However, the chaos was too big to simply sweep under the rug.

Too many people had witnessed the dueling arena being blown away—buildings and all.

I proposed to the knights that we pin the blame for the explosion on the corrupt professors.

However, the knights, who never compromised with evil, refused to make any judgments before hearing the full story.

As a result, I ended up being taken away as the main culprit behind blowing up the dueling arena.

“Still, it’s a hassle having to go all the way to the headquarters just to explain everything.”

“We appreciate your understanding. These procedures are required by imperial law.”

“What happens after I explain myself?”

“Your contribution in stopping the demon’s plan will be recognized, and you will be entitled to claim damages from those who conspired with the demons.”

“So basically, I can charge the professors for the cost of rebuilding the arena?”

“That is correct. Is there anything else you would like?”

“No, that’s plenty. You’ve already been generous in accommodating my unreasonable requests.”

I had specifically asked the knights to treat me thoroughly like a criminal when arresting me.

The reason was simple.

My reputation had skyrocketed way too much.

The doppelganger that infiltrated the academy had not targeted Erin, but me.

It meant my existence had become more widely known than necessary.

Eleneze must have thought that before she could bring down Erin, she had to eliminate me, her mentor, first.

It was similar to how, in the original story, the demons recognized Luke as Erin’s supporter and tried to kill him.

‘If I draw too much attention from the demons, Erin won’t be able to grow properly.’

Since Luke, the original protagonist of the novel, was gone, Erin had to become the new main character of this world.

And a protagonist’s journey must include overcoming trials and growing through hardship.

That was why I gave my all to deliberately ruin my own reputation.

‘Even if I’m proven innocent and released, they’ll probably order me to lay low for a while. During that time, the demons will surely target Erin.’

This would be the perfect opportunity for Erin to overcome challenges and achieve explosive growth.

The bittersweet scheme of a teacher sacrificing himself for his student.

Ha! Even I had to admit it was the perfect supporting role performance.

Feeling proud of myself, I gazed out the window.

The carriage was leaving the academy grounds and heading toward the imperial palace.

Come to think of it, this would be my first time visiting the palace.

Considering my past, when I used to bury corpses on the battlefield, it was an almost unbelievable rise.

Although, since I was only going there to explain my criminal charges, calling it a “rise” might be a stretch.

‘If I hadn’t met my teachers, I would never have had the chance to visit the imperial palace.’

Looking back, it was thanks to my teachers that I could help and save the heroines.

If any of the heroines had died or fallen due to my incompetence, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.

Gratitude for my teachers welled up inside me, and a soft smile naturally formed on my lips.

In two months, it would be Teacher’s Day.

I would definitely prepare something to express my thanks.

***

“Before we arrive at the palace, I need to go over a few precautions.”

“Please go ahead.”

“First, please refrain from any reckless behavior while at the palace. Although you won’t be meeting His Majesty directly, he may be observing from somewhere.”

The Knights of Judgment were responsible not only for rooting out corruption but also for guarding the emperor.

The captain of the Knights of Judgment resided in the palace and personally protected the emperor.

That was why I had no choice but to go to the palace to meet him.

“Understood. What’s the next precaution?”

“Except for knights, carrying weapons inside the palace is prohibited. If you have any weapons, please hand them over to us now.”

“That’s fine. I left my trusty shovel back at the dormitory!”

“…?”

The knights looked at me in confusion.

Apparently, using a shovel as a weapon was unfamiliar to them.

‘A shovel is a pretty decent weapon too, though…’

“Lastly, since you are entering the palace as a criminal, you must wear mana-suppressing cuffs. You won’t be able to use mana, so it might feel a bit stifling, but we appreciate your patience.”

“I’m amazing at enduring things, so no problem.”

“Then please hold out your arms.”

“Excuse me.”

I stretched my arms out in front of me, signaling that they could restrain me as much as they liked.

The knight, who had been explaining the procedures, pulled out a pair of blue-tinted handcuffs and locked them around my wrists.

Sure enough, the moment the cuffs clicked shut, an odd tingling sensation spread through my body.

It felt like having an itch on my back that I couldn’t quite reach.

“Huh?”

Ping!

I tried my best to endure it, but suddenly, cracks formed along the handcuffs, and shards clattered to the ground.

The knights stared at me and the broken cuffs, their mouths hanging open.

As I frantically shook my head, insisting I had done nothing wrong, they blurted out something completely unexpected.

“A-Are you the child of a dragon, my lord?”

“…What?”

‘Did they just pull the “your parents are dragons” card out of nowhere?’

I was so stunned by the knight’s shocking statement that I couldn’t even respond at first.

However, when I caught sight of my reflection in the knight’s polished armor, I realized why they were reacting that way.

My pupils had become elongated, slit-like—just like a dragon’s.

“We deeply apologize! We had no idea you were of such noble lineage and acted so rudely…!”

“There’s been a misunderstanding! I am not a descendant of dragons, so there’s no need to treat me so formally!”

“But… your eyes…!”

“T-That’s just a quirk of my constitution! So please, let’s move past this quietly.”

“…Yes, understood.”

The knight’s reluctant response made it clear he was not fully convinced.

Even though I explained that I wasn’t of dragon blood, their suspicious looks didn’t go away.

‘Who would’ve thought that my mana would resist suppression like a dragon’s?’

Since mana tends to have a proud, arrogant nature—similar to dragons—it must have instinctively refused to be restrained.

Thanks to that, things had gotten pretty complicated.

The knights, who had been casually friendly before, were now stiff with tension and treated me with excessive politeness.

Having been through similar misunderstandings at the academy, I knew how this kind of thing spiraled out of control.

“Um, do you have another pair of handcuffs?”

“Ah…! Unfortunately, we do not have any spares prepared. So for this time only, we will make an exception and allow you to proceed without restraints!”

‘Liar.’

There was no way the perfect, by-the-book Judgement Knights wouldn’t have spare handcuffs.

In the original story, they had pulled out twenty sets of cuffs when subduing demons!

“We’ve arrived at the Imperial Palace. Please, step out this way!”

The Judgement Knights courteously opened the carriage door for me.

Compared to the time they had roughly shoved me into the carriage, the difference was staggering.

I really needed to clear up this misunderstanding somehow, but I had no idea how.

“Please follow me.”

Without any additional formalities, I was led straight into the palace and toward the Commander’s office.

A captain of the Judgement Knights, someone who guarded the Emperor himself, would surely have the pride not to grovel even before a dragon.

***

“This is outrageous! A Saint who performs miracles could never have committed a crime!”

“How could they treat the hero who solved the Tower of Magic’s greatest riddle as a terrorist? This is unacceptable!”

“Commander Raymond, Lord Muthertz has expressed serious doubts about the thoroughness of this investigation. Are you absolutely certain he committed the crime?”

“I told you we need to hear the full story from him first! Barging in like this is not helping!”

Even before reaching the Commander’s office, my head was starting to throb.

Several visitors had arrived before me and were loudly arguing with Commander Raymond—about me, no less.

I desperately wanted to turn back to the academy, but the knight escorting me knocked on the door.

“Commander Raymond, I’ve brought the person you requested. May we enter?”

“Good! Finally! Bring him in at once!”

“Yes, sir.”

The door swung open, revealing the interior of the office.

Inside, a guest wearing handcuffs sat nearby, and others who appeared to be representatives from the Theocracy, the Tower of Magic, and House Muthertz stood by.

And seated furthest inside was Raymond Furnisht, Commander of the Judgement Knights, grimacing fiercely.

***

“Are you crazy? Have you forgotten the rule that you must cuff detainees before bringing them into the palace?”

“T-That’s…!”

The knight escorting me faltered, struggling to come up with an answer.

Commander Raymond’s expression grew more and more dangerous by the second.

It was obvious that because of me, the knight would soon face a severe reprimand.

Closing my eyes, I drew mana up from deep within my body and then reopened them.

“I am a dragon.”

I had no choice but to swallow my tears and deepen the misunderstanding.