"But Yujin, if you're here... does that mean Yuria came with you too?"
Kyle's question about Yuria was somewhat unexpected.
I had known long ago that Kyle harbored feelings for Yuria, but I never imagined he would still be holding onto them after all this time.
No, this is Kyle we're talking about. He probably still hasn't realized his own feelings for Yuria.
This guy is the quintessential protagonist, cursedly oblivious to romantic emotions.
"Of course she came with me. Yuria is my personal maid. She's currently serving as both my personal maid and the Head Maid overseeing the entire household."
"It's been several months since that day... Yuria must have changed as much as you have."
"I see. She doesn't seem to have changed much."
I stroked my chin, thinking back to the Yuria of the past. Apart from her increased height, bust, and hips, Yuria's appearance remained largely unchanged.
"Since it's been a while, why don't you go see Yuria? She'll be in the dormitory."
I expected Kyle to refuse, but...
"...Should I?"
Kyle's eyes lit up. It seemed he liked Yuria more than I had realized.
Hmm. I wonder if he'd still like her if he knew she clings to me every day? I'm suddenly curious.
I wanted to tell Kyle immediately who Yuria's Master was, but he was too valuable to lose. I needed to maintain a close relationship with him for at least a few years.
"Yuria will be happy too, Brother. Let's go together after class," I said with a friendly smile.
The Swordsmanship Department was overwhelmingly male. There were a few women, but only two or three in total. In the second-year class, there were no women at all.
The male-to-female ratio is even worse than in engineering.
I clicked my tongue and scanned the women in the Swordsmanship Department. In the fourth-year class, there were two women.
Strikeout.
Literally. They were sturdy women with rugged features, more intimidating than beautiful. Not my type at all. They seemed to get along with the other male students like close friends.
Well, it doesn't matter. My real target is the women in the Department of Magic anyway.
In the original work, the heroine was in the Department of Magic.
Oh, that woman looks quite promising.
My eyes lit up as I watched the woman enter the Swordsmanship Department. She appeared to be in her late twenties, and her lack of a uniform suggested she was a professor.
Her brown hair was tied back, and a large eyepatch covered her left eye, extending down to partially conceal her cheek.
She wore a white coat over a blue blouse, paired with practical pants that allowed for easy movement. Her physique was clearly well-maintained, her toned muscles evident even through her clothing.
What particularly caught my attention was her D-cup breasts, which seemed to protrude even more prominently against her slender waist.
"Are you the transfer student who was supposed to arrive today?" she asked, her tone sharp as she turned to face me.
"Yes, I'm Sung Yujin Prucus. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Floy Lambreida. I teach one-handed swordsmanship."
Floy then asked me several questions, mostly about my skills and swordsmanship. I answered with a mix of truth and carefully crafted lies.
"A high-grade Mana User... Considering your age, that's an impressive Cultivation Realm."
After this brief remark, she began the lesson.
Unlike the Department of Magic, the Swordsmanship Department's curriculum is only 10% theory, with the remaining 90% dedicated to practical training. Coincidentally, my first day as a transfer student happened to be one of the rare theory days.
"The preliminary rounds for the Competition Tournament begin in two weeks. Your performance in the tournament will be factored into your promotion exams, so it's best to start preparing now."
As class ended, Floy gave us some advice.
"The Competition Tournament... that's the one from the Original Work."
The Competition Tournament had completely different content for the preliminaries and the main event. Of course, I planned to participate. In the Original Work, Kyle's relationship with the Heroine deepened significantly through this event. To steal the Heroine, I absolutely had to participate and interfere.
"Sung Yujin Prucus."
She spoke to me informally, but I didn't mind. All the professors held titles of baron or higher.
"Yes."
"I need to assess your exact capabilities. Come find me later."
"I've just arrived here and have a lot to take care of. Would it be alright if I came in about three days?"
"It doesn't matter."
Floy gave a curt reply and left. I watched her shapely hips sway as she walked away, swallowing hard.
Damn, that ass is amazing. I'm gonna fuck you doggy-style.
The problem was figuring out how to get her into bed.
As a professor at Goldway Academy, she'd likely be at least a mid-grade Expert. Forcing myself on her was out of the question; I'd end up getting my ass kicked instead.
Should I try to seduce her slowly? Judging by her personality, that might take months...
I sank into contemplation.
"Brother Kyle, before we head to the dormitory, I want to check out the Magic Department. Can you give me a tour?"
"The Magic Department... why?"
Obviously, I wanted to see the Heroine from the Original Work. Even if I couldn't make a move right away, I wanted to get a good look at her face.
"You know my true identity, ?. This is necessary for the Auditor's duties. Is it really so difficult to visit the Magic Department?"
"It's not that it's difficult, but the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department aren't exactly on good terms. Still, rumors about you must have spread to the Magic Department by now... It might be alright."
With that, we headed toward the Magic Department.
It wasn't far at all. The Swordsmanship Department occupied the northern part of the building, while the Magic Department was in the south. The dormitory was shared by students from both departments.
Sniff, sniff.
Am I imagining things? The air smells better over here.
It wasn't my imagination.
The Magic Department had far more female students than the Swordsmanship Department. With so many women present, the atmosphere itself was bound to be different.
Even if I could only use magic, I would still have joined the Magic Department...
The Magic Department students buzzed with whispers, their eyes fixed on Kyle and me. It had been barely over a month since Kyle became a Special Student at the Academy, yet his name was already on everyone's lips.
"This is the combat practice hall. The Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department share it. And over there..."
I followed Kyle, peering around curiously.
Why isn't the Heroine showing up? She should be here.
Kyle was the Protagonist, after all. It was only natural for the Heroine to appear wherever the Protagonist went.
And as expected, the Heroine appeared.
"Wait a minute, Kyle! As a student of the Swordsmanship Department, shouldn't you refrain from wandering around the Magic Department so freely?"
A woman appeared, dressed in the Magic Department's uniform a short black robe worn over her school uniform.
Her fiery red hair, like burning flames, was tied into twin tails, a hairstyle commonly known as pigtails. Her eyes, with their upturned corners, were ruby-red, resembling precious gems. Her exposed skin was snow-white.
Standing at around 150cm tall, she looked much younger than me, though she was actually the same age as Kyle.
One of the five heroines from the original work: Sharnel Gurchida.
I sighed as I looked at her.
Goddamn it. Her face is pretty, but her figure...
She was short, petite, and had a small A-cup bust.
It was a bit disappointing. I knew she was flat-chested, but the original novel described her as a considerable beauty, so I had hoped for more.
Charnel crossed her arms and glared fiercely at us.
"I'm showing Yujin, the new transfer student, around the Academy. Please understand, Charnel."
"I'm Yujin Prucus."
"Charnel Gurciya. You're the rumored transfer student? Hmm. You look a bit like Kyle."
"Ha. Ha ha. Really?" Kyle chuckled awkwardly, a typical reaction from a man who couldn't lie well.
Charnel scanned me from head to toe.
"You're younger than I expected. What business do you have in the Magic Department?"
Calling me young? What's with this girl who's even shorter than me? I barely restrained myself from flicking her red hair.
"We came to see the Magic Department. We're curious about what makes it different."
"Hmph. It's completely different from the Swordsmanship Department. Goldway Academy practically survives thanks to the Magic Department."
It was a difficult point to argue against.
After all, Goldway Academy's fame stemmed from the magicians who graduated from the Magic Department.
"...Charnel. Aren't you being a bit harsh?"
"Am I wrong? If you disagree, tell me what the Swordsmanship Department has contributed to the Academy!"
"That's..."
Kyle hesitated, having only recently transferred to the Swordsmanship Department. He still lacked comprehensive knowledge about it.
"Hmph. See? You can't even refute me. You said you were here to tour the Magic Department? Hurry up and get lost after you're done. Not that I see any point in you lot touring the Magic Department anyway."
Just as Charnel turned to leave after delivering her piece, a woman appeared in the corridor.
"What are you doing in the hallway, Charnel?"
Unlike Charnel, this woman stood over 180cm tall, with a full F-cup bust, long, graceful limbs, and hair and eyes as blue as the sea.
Her slender waist and voluptuous thighs were exactly my type.
"M-Master! It's not what you think! The Swordsmanship Department came to watch, so I was just chatting with them."
"What business does the Swordsmanship Department have here?"
Her blue eyes swept over Kyle and me. When she looked at me, her brow furrowed slightly.
If she's Charnel's master... that's Priscilla Lipdas! Why is she here?!
Priscilla Lipdas.
Charnel's master, and secretly an Ancient Blue Dragon who had concealed her true form with Polymorph Magic. In the original work, she didn't appear until the later stages of the story, so I never expected to encounter her at Goldway Academy.
And she seems to dislike me... Have we met somewhere before?
That couldn't be right.
I felt a slight tension. Could there be a crime I'd committed that involved Priscilla?
"I... I was just showing Yujin, who transferred here recently, around the Magic Department," Kyle stammered. He seemed just as nervous as I was, clearly feeling the pressure from Priscilla.
Priscilla glanced at us before turning to Charnel.
"Charnel, you've finished all the assignments I gave you yesterday, haven't you?"
"O-of course, Master," Charnel replied, her voice trembling slightly.
"Let's go to the workshop. I'll check them myself."
The two women disappeared. I sighed in relief and wiped my chest. Even in her human form, the pressure she exerted was overwhelming.
"Brother Kyle, that woman seems like no ordinary person... Who is she?"
"That's Priscilla Lipdas, a temporary professor in the Magic Department. She's also Charnel's master. She's an Archmage who roams the continent, often using climate-related magic, which earned her the nickname 'Climate Manipulator.'"
"Wow, she's on another level. Even the Archmage Dean doesn't exude such an aura..."
"That's why there are rumors that she's even stronger than Dean Harvis."
Those weren't just rumors they were the truth.
Priscilla was an Ancient Blue Dragon. Her magical prowess was that of a Grand Archmage, and she could even use Dragon Speech...
If I fought her, I'd be screwed. I'd need to at least reach Grand Aura Master to even stand a chance.
Priscilla is one of the strongest dragons. I can't even begin to estimate how long it would take me to defeat her in a fight.
It would probably be faster to make Yuria the strongest in the world than to become a Grand Aura Master myself. In a few decades, Yuria might be able to defeat Priscilla.
Since Kyle managed to defeat a dragon in the later part of the Original Work, it should be possible.
But damn, she has such a hot body. I want to fuck her so bad. Shit.
After touring the Magic Department, Kyle and I returned to the dormitory together.
Yuria, Rizel, and Kelly immediately bowed in greeting.
"Welcome back, Master. ...Young Master Kyle is with you as well. It's been a while, Young Master Kyle."
Yuria greeted him with her usual composed demeanor.
"Oh, it's been a while, Yuria," Kyle stammered, his eyes darting around as he looked at her. His awkwardness confirmed my suspicions: the bastard still hadn't gotten over her.
"I'm glad you're in good health, Young Master Kyle."
"You seem to be doing well too, Yuria. But 'Master' to Yujin?"
"I swore to serve Master... Yujin-nim."
"Swore? So you weren't just employer and employee?"
"That was the case before, but not anymore."
"..."
Kyle's pupils trembled, a clear sign of his inner turmoil.
Rizel and Kelly, sensing the unusual tension between them, exchanged nervous glances.
I chuckled silently, sending Yuria a discreet hand signal behind Kyle's back.
I tucked my thumb between my index and middle fingers, signaling that I'd "nail" her after Kyle left.
Yuria caught my eye and smiled faintly.
Kyle's hesitant expression softened slightly, as if he were misunderstanding something.