Dragon and Detection
Dragons. Just because I was a dragon, did that mean I had to solve every last problem with magic?
Well, sure—that would have been the easiest path for me. Mana was something I had in endless supply, and casting spells came more naturally than breathing.
But as I'd mentioned before, Ha-yan's mother had practically brainwashed me on the subject. She'd drilled into my skull, over and over until my ears rang with it, exactly which things were allowed in the human world and which were absolutely forbidden.
In the early days I'd tried rebelling a few times, but after one incident or another I'd decided it was better to follow her teachings as closely as possible.
Still, there were certain pieces of "information" I sensed on pure instinct.
That was one of my many innate abilities—precognition.
It wasn't the kind of detailed foresight that showed every little thing, but when it came to the big, important events, it was accurate enough to count on.
And the area where I'd put that gift to the best possible use was, of course, anything involving money.
And the absolute best way to make that money?
Crypto.
"It's multiplying nicely. But this insane human executive actually tried to access the dedicated crypto account? How did he even know about it? I never shared that information with anyone."
"It's not one-hundred-percent proof, but mana detection confirmed he attempted to approach this place, so the circumstantial evidence is solid. Naturally, we also identified his accomplice among the high-ranking human staff."
"If it's mana, that's not circumstantial—that's evidence. My mana doesn't lie."
"You're absolutely right."
Sensing that my mood had soured considerably, Rhea instantly switched to her most respectful tone.
The personality I'd shown so far…
Well, from a human perspective I probably came across as pretty easygoing, a little laid-back, maybe even a bit airheaded.
That applied strictly to Ha-yan and the humans I considered friends, of course.
Ah—and to the homunculi I'd created, same thing.
But everyone else?
Especially humans who dared set their sights on my money? On gold? On a dragon's gold? On my assets?
Those bastards had a death wish.
They wanted the treasure a dragon possessed?
Must have had about two hundred lives to spare.
"Why the scary face? You've been zoning out all through class."
It was the first school day after I'd spent the entire weekend stewing over how to deal with Rhea and that bastard. I'd been wearing a not-quite-scowl all morning, and the moment lunch started Ha-yan walked over, clearly having been watching me the whole time.
"Nah, nothing big. Aren't you studying during lunch? You said starting today you weren't going to let anyone bother you even during breaks."
There was no real need to dump my company headaches on Ha-yan.
She seemed to notice I was changing the subject in a hurry, but she didn't push any further.
If it had been something that could hurt her, I would have told her—or her mother—ages ago.
Still looking a little sulky, Ha-yan answered my question.
"I figured I didn't really need to. Studying without any rest might actually make me less efficient. Plus I got through almost the whole weekend's material already."
"Didn't you keep muttering that you had to finish an entire book?"
"I'm not bad at studying, okay?! I was just grumbling because the range was huge!"
In the end she stuck her lower lip out and threw a half-hearted tantrum at me.
But the rose-colored glasses were already firmly in place; I just grinned at how adorably round and cute she looked and ruffled her hair.
Ha-yan still wore a faintly dissatisfied expression, yet she clearly liked the touch, because she soon started purring like a cat and nestled right into my arms.
From a corner of the classroom, Choi Hoon and Do Ji-yeon watched the two of us cooing at each other.
"Should we kill them?"
"You wanna die?"
They just sat there wearing identical bitter faces, forced to witness the whole lovey-dovey display.
And then midterms arrived in no time at all.
It barely felt like the semester had started, yet here we were in the middle of exam season. For me, though, school life was the same as any other day.
Of course—
"Ugh…"
"Shit…"
"Damn it…"
Watching Lee Ha-yan, Choi Hoon, and Do Ji-yeon stare at their homemade summary notes while their faces shifted through every possible expression of despair was pretty entertaining in its own right.
I sat in the middle of them, desk as the center point, casually sipping the banana milk I'd bought from the school store while the three of them clutched their heads around me.
This kind of post-lunch leisure was the way life ought to be.
And the banana milk I hadn't tasted in ages was delightfully refreshing.
Weren't Choi Hoon and Do Ji-yeon the type who usually went all-in on the CSAT, though?
"If I just hit the average, Mom said she'd get me a PS5…"
"My mom promised me unlimited malatang…"
"…Yeah, that tracks."
But then—
Ha-yan lifted her head with the lifeless eyes of the walking dead, stared blankly at me, and opened her mouth.
"Why aren't you studying? Why am I the only one who has to suffer like this?"
"Me? Well… you already know the answer to that."
I answered bluntly. The other two, having overheard, also raised their heads and fixed me with the same vacant, dead-eyed stare.
Three people with empty, corpse-like eyes silently staring at me without saying a word…
Somehow…
It was getting…
Really scary?
A bad feeling crawled up my spine. I quietly started sliding my chair backward.
The three of them just kept staring blankly as I retreated—until the exact moment I stood up.
"You too!! You study too!! Feel the same pain we do!!"
"You bastard!! That's so unfair!! Siu's cheating!!"
"Hey, you asshole!! Buy me tanghulu!! Fill my brain with sugar alreadyyyyyy!!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Leaving the three of them completely unhinged behind me, I poured every ounce of strength I had into escaping the classroom.
Three people who'd burned through all their energy studying all day versus me in perfect condition.
On top of that, it was humans versus a dragon. If I got caught by those three here?
Being a dragon would have been too sad to live with.
I leisurely shook them off, whistling as I made my way somewhere else in the school.
Rattle.
"Why are you here alone?"
"Because if I stay with them right now, the aftermath would be terrifying. It's exam season, you know?"
"Ah. So that time of year has arrived already. I was wondering why the students weren't showing up."
"You're still a teacher, aren't you? You didn't even know it was exam period?"
"Teacher in name only. I never take a single step outside the nurse's office. Being stuck in this little corner is honestly the best workplace for me. Want a drink?"
"Nah. Just here to rest."
The place I'd casually walked into was our school's nurse's office.
And why was I speaking so casually—so naturally—to the nurse sitting inside?
Because it was only natural.
She was another homunculus I'd created, after all.
I'd figured it wouldn't hurt to plant at least one more of our people inside the school early on, just in case.
Ha-yan already knew about it, of course.
I climbed onto the bed that was basically my reserved seat, still wearing my slippers, and spoke.
Vacant eyes. Long straight hair that fell all the way to her waist. Thick black-rimmed glasses. And a petite height a little shorter than the average girl.
Ah—for the record, Ha-yan had designed her entire appearance.
Whenever the two of us came here, Ha-yan always ended up hugging her tightly; she was the perfect size for it.
Even so, because she was a homunculus, her looks still ranked at the absolute top tier.
The moment I settled in and pulled out my phone, she—Nurse Yang Ho-jin—started grumbling at me.
"Since Master is here, it's fine if I put up a barrier so other students can't come in, right?"
"Yeah. Lunch has… about thirty minutes left, so give me twenty-five."
"Could you stretch that to twenty-five dollars instead?"
"Yeah~ not a chance~"
"Tch."
Yang Ho-jin clicked her tongue and flicked her fingers.
Mana coiled through the entire room, creating a space no one else could approach.
The reason she'd made that dissatisfied face while clicking her tongue?
Just look at her face. Look at it.
How was she supposed to get any peace if other students kept barging in?
But I'd made it so she could never use magic without my direct permission except in life-threatening situations, which was why she was complaining.
Even during exam season when student visits dropped a little, there were always the lonely bachelor teachers or the boys who had a crush on her constantly interrupting her rest.
I myself was practically brainwashed by Ha-yan and her mother into barely using magic at school—and she wanted to use more than me?
Not a chance.
Anyway.
I'd already confirmed through mana detection that the three who'd been chasing me had quietly returned to their seats and started studying again, so I decided to enjoy a leisurely nap for the remaining twenty minutes of lunch.
Lately those afternoon naps had been ridiculously sweet. Not that I skipped sleep at night or anything.
Then, after maybe fifteen minutes—
Flash!!!!
"…You felt that?"
"F-for the first time in my l-l-l-life. Feeling completely different mana is…"
Yang Ho-jin was so flustered she was stuttering, staring out the nurse's office window.
It was a first for me, too.
And this wasn't ordinary mana, either.
The sensation was so intense I shot straight up from the bed.
I flung open the first-floor window of the nurse's office, cast an invisibility spell, and launched myself into the air.
And there, looking up at me with renewed life in her eyes and clear worry on her face, was Ha-yan.
I waved to signal that I was fine, then climbed even higher.
"This time I'm catching it for sure."
The location was right in the middle of the school field.
But then—
Sssssss…
"…What?"
The strange black presence whose eyes I was certain had met mine vanished like mist in an instant.
I landed back in the center of the field and scanned the area, searching for whatever had been there.
Yet it was as if nothing had ever appeared; I found absolutely nothing.
Still, I managed to salvage one thing.
"A mana stone on Earth. And a black one at that. This is a full-on flag if I've ever seen one."
A mana stone about the size of a thumbnail lay quietly on the ground.
And the faint mana radiating from that tiny stone was identical to the presence I'd felt last time—and just now.
"Guess I should finish the exams first and check it out later."
I let out a long sigh, shoved the mana stone into my pocket, and had no choice but to head back to the classroom.