.｡.:✧ Chapter 13 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Things were proceeding at a breakneck pace.

While Rudrick was on guard, tensely preparing for what anyone could see was an unnatural and contrived approach…

“Is this your first time entering the palace? Ah, of course it would be,” Lorenzo remarked.

“That’s right. Even on the rare occasions when I visited the capital, I merely passed by and glimpsed at it from afar,” Sylphia replied, nodding in agreement with Lorenzo’s words.

“The Imperial Palace is a place that even many nobles can’t easily enter without connections in the central government.”

The identity Sylphia had established for herself in this game was the head of a rural baron household that had already fallen into decline, on the verge of extinction.

At that level, they were practically nobles in name and status only, living a life hardly different from commoners. It made for the perfect cover for Sylphia to forge her identity. All she had to do was slightly alter the family seal with magic and carry the forged version.

In a way, it was similar to Rudrick’s situation.

Even if Sylphia went around claiming to be Sylphia Andres, Baroness, and showed her forged seal, most people would question the very existence of such a household, let alone the authenticity of the expertly forged seal.

Nevertheless, it allowed her to prove her noble status and gain entry into the Imperial Palace, which was inaccessible to just anyone.

If she had been an exceptionally talented commoner, Lorenzo would have had to go through more troublesome procedures to vouch for her status. But as a noble, she could bypass such cumbersome processes.

“You won’t be the only one receiving my tutelage. In fact, it’s rather inaccurate to call it tutelage. Both you and Rudrick possess magical talent the likes of which this old man has never seen before. I will merely guide you along the path a bit,” Lorenzo explained.

“It seems this Rudrick fellow is also exceptionally talented. To be honest, even if you say that, I’m not quite sure how outstanding my own talent is.”

“Hoho, and humble too. If you haven’t had the opportunity to learn magic in your life, it’s understandable to think that way. But have confidence. Your talent surpasses anyone I’ve ever seen, with the exception of Rudrick.”

Rudrick, again.

The moment his name was mentioned, Sylphia’s eyes narrowed.

While there might be people with the same name in the empire, it was highly unlikely for someone to share both the given name and surname. And even more so for a mage whose magical talent rivaled that of Sylphia, who was essentially a dragon polymorphed into human form.

Moreover, knowing that his extraordinary talent stemmed from a curse and blessing that caused his body to naturally accumulate excessive mana from birth, she was all the more eager.

It also meant she could closely monitor Rudrick’s condition and intervene to ensure his improvement before it became too late for even a dragon to do anything.

“Is he truly that exceptional?” Sylphia asked, feigning nonchalance.

Lorenzo nodded emphatically in response.

“Indeed. You were unaware of just how extraordinary your own talent is, were you not? Rudrick’s case is similar.”

A hint of anticipation gleamed in Lorenzo’s eyes as he spoke.

Sylphia could easily discern his expectations that Rudrick could surpass the realms she herself had not reached and revitalize the school Lorenzo had independently established after leaving the Magic Tower.

“Magic is a field thoroughly governed by talent. It’s not surprising for the fruits of a single genius’s solitary research to surpass the collective efforts of dozens of ordinary individuals dedicating their entire lives to study. The notion of collective intelligence doesn’t apply at all,” Lorenzo asserted.

“And you’re saying he is such a genius, belonging to the latter category?”

“Which includes you as well,” Lorenzo replied with a hearty laugh.

As they conversed, they soon arrived at the Imperial Palace and made their way to Imperial Court Mage Lorenzo’s research lab. Once there, Lorenzo requested tea from a passing servant and said to Sylphia:

“I’ll go fetch Rudrick. Wait here for a moment.”

“Alright.”

The instant Lorenzo left the research lab…

Sylphia’s expression underwent a complete transformation.

“It’s certain that the princess has regressed, and it’s reasonable to assume the other three have as well, don’t you think?” she mused, her face, which had been playing the role of a gullible and worldly-ignorant young noble in front of Lorenzo, instantly reverting to that of a natural-born predator—a dragon.

In a way, she could be considered fortunate.

If the princess were to leverage her position and make the first move, there were few among the competitors who could respond flexibly.

At most, perhaps the human grand duchess guarding the north.

But Sylphia had headed straight to the imperial capital and, by a stroke of luck, caught the eye of the Imperial Court Mage, allowing her to enter the palace immediately.

And now…

“So, what should I do?” Sylphia murmured softly, furrowing her brow.

Even before the regression, they had already reached a tacit agreement. Though no one had explicitly stated it, they had implicitly agreed to gracefully accept the outcome if Rudrick were to choose one of them.

They had already reached an unspoken consensus to refrain from utilizing their status, abilities, power, and so forth. Even a dragon, who could obtain any earthly treasure with a mere thought, stood on an equal starting line.

Thus, Sylphia began to slowly sketch out her future plans on the canvas of her mind.

The orthodox method, given that they were both disciples of the Imperial Court Mage, was to gradually grow closer through frequent interactions and slowly open their hearts to each other.

It was the most perfect and ideal scenario, but the absence of a decisive move to drive a wedge between them was a sore point.

However, no matter how much she pondered, no more brilliant ideas came to mind. Just as Sylphia was about to take a sip from the teacup the servant had brought, her brow furrowed…

“Sylphia, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long. Allow me to introduce Rudrick Weiss,” Lorenzo announced as he entered the research lab with Rudrick in tow.

“…Ah.”

The moment Lorenzo opened the door and entered with Rudrick, Sylphia, who had unconsciously raised her head, froze in thought.

In that instant of seeing the face she had forcibly tried to forget but could always vividly picture whenever she closed her eyes…

Plop.

A single tear unknowingly fell from her crimson eyes.

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Today was the first time I learned that my mentor was such a talkative person. Though to be fair, I had only known him for a few days.

Based on how he had incessantly praised this person’s talent on our way here, I had started to wonder if they were truly that exceptional.

But the moment we opened the door and entered…

“Sylphia, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long,” Lorenzo greeted her.

The instant I heard that name, intuition struck me.

Sylphia.

It was a name I recalled hearing when I first received the notification about the main heroines’ regression.

Well, that explained it.

I had thought the approach seemed too contrived and unnatural, but she was indeed a dragon.

With that realization, I was about to assess the girl before me, but at that very moment…

“…Ah.”

“…?”

My head tilted quizzically of its own accord.

As expected of a dragon’s polymorphed form, she was a stunning beauty whose appearance could dazzle the eyes. But suddenly, upon seeing me, she burst into tears. With her flawless, pristinely white skin, those tears stood out all the more vividly.

Finding myself unexpectedly witnessing her tearful visage, my mentor and I exchanged glances almost simultaneously.

“…Did you perhaps scold her harshly?” I asked.

“This old man is not some cantankerous fool from the Magic Tower who would make a disciple cry by scolding them harshly. I am being wrongfully accused,” Lorenzo protested.

“Then why is she crying all of a sudden?”

“How would I know?”

It wasn’t as if we were filming a comedy skit.

As the two of us engaged in this absurd banter, Sylphia, who had wiped her tears with her sleeve, parted her lips to speak.

“The truth is, I’m a bit of a crybaby,” she explained.

“A bit…?”

“Sometimes, when I can’t control my emotions, tears suddenly start flowing.”

While her excuse was far too crude to be convincing, it would have been odd to nitpick over it, so I simply took a seat.

Although I couldn’t hide my skeptical expression, my mentor made a valiant effort to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

“…Hoho, is that so? These days, there are effective medications available. If you have difficulty managing your emotions on your own, it might be worth considering taking some,” Lorenzo suggested.

“Thank you for the advice,” Sylphia replied.

“Well, now that we’re all gathered here, why don’t we introduce ourselves? Though Rudrick technically became my disciple first, it’s only been a few days since we met, hasn’t it?”

And then, the dreaded moment arrived.

The very thing I, a social butterfly in my past life, hated the most when a new semester began.

Self-introduction…

Honestly, even now, with my accumulated age from my past life, I still didn’t quite understand how to do it or why it was necessary.

“I am Sylphia Andres, Baroness. I encountered our mentor by chance while walking the streets after coming to the capital… Well, that’s how it happened,” Sylphia began, fortunately taking the lead.

However, it was all lies.

Everything except her name, Sylphia, was a falsehood.

Andres Baroness? No, she was actually a dragon.

Encountered by chance while walking the streets? No, she had intentionally approached him.

From my perspective, already aware of her true identity, her lies were laughable. But I couldn’t very well blurt out, “Lies! You’re a dragon!” without knowing how Sylphia would react, so I refrained.

Her brazen lies, delivered without even wetting her lips, were audacious. But in this situation, I had no choice but to play along for now.

“…I’m Rudrick Weiss. I grew up in Weiss County and became our mentor’s disciple by mere chance. You probably wouldn’t know where Weiss County is, even if I explained. It’s a truly rural backwater.”

I responded with feigned nonchalance, successfully completing my self-introduction. Phew, it used to be so challenging for me to utter even these few words in the past.

As I inwardly grumbled, my mentor, who had been listening with a genial smile, opened his mouth to speak.

“Now, now. I’m sure you’ve both heard rumors about how disciples of mages are treated. But I am not like those rigid and closed-minded old fools in the Magic Tower who mercilessly exploit their disciples. In fact, I run my research lab in a very reasonable manner and will continue to do so,” Lorenzo assured us.

“Rumors?” I asked.

“Ah, it seems Rudrick hasn’t heard. In the Magic Tower, it’s not uncommon for those self-proclaimed mentors to treat their disciples not as human beings, but as mere cogs in a machine, working them to the bone. It’s deplorable,” Lorenzo explained.

…Graduate students?

It wasn’t unreasonable for such a thought to cross my mind. This sounded awfully familiar, like something I had encountered countless times in my previous life…

“If you think about it rationally for a moment, this is the Imperial Palace, not the Magic Tower. With so many servants in the palace, why would I burden my disciples with tiresome errands? It’s far better to spend that time on research instead,” Lorenzo reasoned.

“…Um, you’ll at least let us sleep for seven hours, right?” I asked cautiously.

At my question, the genial smile on my mentor’s face vanished, replaced by a gleam in his eyes.

“Hoho, it seems Rudrick requires a lot of sleep. When I was young, I found sleep to be such a waste of time that I managed with only four hours a day. Ah, but I’m not suggesting you emulate this old man,” Lorenzo chuckled.

“Can we at least have proper meals three times a day…?”

“Are you aware that the time we spend eating actually takes up quite a significant portion of our day? If you’re truly hungry, you can summon a servant and have them bring your meal to the research lab. That much is certainly possible, isn’t it?”

We’re doomed.

The moment those four words flashed through my mind, my mentor added in a soothing tone, as if prescribing medicine after inflicting an injury.

“Don’t worry. We are at the forefront of the pursuit of truth. Eating a little late or sleeping a bit less than others are sacrifices worth making if it means catching a glimpse of the source beyond truth. But rest assured, there won’t be any other bothersome tasks besides research,” he consoled.

Although he seemed to be trying to reassure me, somehow, his words sounded to me like an instruction to leave all the trivial matters to the servants and focus solely on magical research, as there would be no time for anything else.

Was this… the life of a fantasy graduate student?

As I grappled with the despairing reality that my mentor had aptly described as deplorable, Sylphia, who had been fixing her gaze intently on me, parted her lips to speak.

“That sounds great. When do we start?” she asked.

“I already explained the research schedule to Rudrick earlier in the afternoon, so we’ll begin tomorrow. It’s already late today, isn’t it? Take the rest of the day to fully recover, and we’ll start fresh tomorrow,” Lorenzo replied.

I wanted to smack both of them, just once.

Imperial Court Mage or dragon, be damned. I meant it, sincerely.

In that instant, the faces of my parents from both my past and present lives flashed through my mind, accompanied by a mournful sentiment.

Mother, Father. I think I may have made the wrong choice.

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