It was a morning like any other.
Another monotonous day in the repetitive rhythm of life.
Today would pass without incident, as always.
That was what the Imperial Academy's administrative clerk, Zagan, thought as he arrived at work. But his dazed eyes widened as he stood frozen, his mouth slightly open.
Perhaps he was hallucinating from overwork.
But no matter how many times Zagan rubbed his eyes, the scene in front of him refused to change.
The financial records for the Imperial Academy's budget were unmistakably altered.
Someone had tampered with documents that were personally overseen by the Great Ancestor Dragon herself. Who in their right mind would dare do such a thing?
Tracing the trail back revealed an unexpected name.
"…Lian? Why is his name coming up?"
The name belonged to the academy's star professor, who was enjoying a meteoric rise to fame.
Lian's reputation had spread everywhere—no surprise considering his recent exploits.
He had vanquished three demons, including the cunning Marbas, ranked fifth among the 72 Great Evils, and Gamigin, fourth in rank, who could devour any attack with his shadow magic.
Lian was also known for "mass-producing Sword Masters." A prodigious mage turned mythical mentor, his fame soared to such heights that anyone who didn't know of him would be considered out of the loop.
But the situation Zagan now faced was something entirely unexpected.
Why would someone like Lian do this?
If Lian had financial troubles, all he had to do was ask for help.
The Great Ancestor Dragon herself, or even the Iron Duke, would have been more than happy to grant him the necessary funds without question.
And yet, the evidence was glaring.
A security guard claimed to have seen Lian sneaking into the academy's administrative headquarters late at night.
The funds diverted from the tampered records were flowing directly into an account under Lian's name. Even worse, the money had already been used to purchase various magical artifacts.
And most damning of all, footage from the security cameras clearly showed Lian manipulating the financial records in the dead of night.
Every piece of evidence pointed to a single culprit.
Zagan's head throbbed as he stared at the damning data.
The logical course of action would be to report this misconduct to the authorities. But Zagan was well aware of what happened to those who made an enemy of Lian.
Would he meet the same fate?
No job was worth risking one's life.
Surely his single life was far more precious than any bureaucratic obligation. He had too many dreams left to fulfill, too much of life still to live.
"I'll just pretend I didn't see anything," Zagan resolved.
Letting his conscience take a back seat to peace of mind, he began erasing the traces of tampering and restoring the records to their original state.
But just as he thought he had resolved the matter quietly—
"What do you think you're doing?"
Someone grabbed his hand.
Turning to see who it was, Zagan was met with a face he knew all too well.
White hair and golden eyes—the infamous genius professor, Lian.
The source of all his current misery.
"How can you, an employee of the academy, try to cover up a crime instead of reporting it? Are you in your right mind?"
With a stern expression, Lian rebuked Zagan, his tone brimming with righteous indignation.
Zagan, stunned by Lian's audacity, suddenly entertained a new theory.
Was it possible that Lian had been framed? Could there be another culprit?
"Ah, so you were falsely accused! I'll share all the evidence with you. Let's work together to track down the real criminal."
Given the overwhelming evidence—the footage, eyewitness accounts, and even the magical signature—it wouldn't be an easy task to catch the real perpetrator.
Zagan's offer to assist seemed reasonable, but Lian's response was anything but.
"Falsely accused? What are you talking about? I grew up in the slums. Stealing is second nature to me. No amount of honest earnings ever feels satisfying unless I take it from someone else."
Lian spoke with a shocking nonchalance, as if theft were a common courtesy where he came from.
"Stop trying to deflect the issue," Lian snapped. "The real problem here is your rotten sense of professional ethics."
The way Lian chastised Zagan made it seem as though Zagan were the criminal caught red-handed.
"I advise you to make the right decision while you still can," Lian said gravely. "If you don't expose my crimes publicly, you'll never be able to live with yourself."
Lian was urging Zagan to report his crimes—a surreal situation that left Zagan utterly speechless.
But Lian wasn't finished.
"If you're having trouble deciding, I'll help you make up your mind. If you don't report me immediately, you'll experience my Heart Sword up close."
Faced with Lian's veiled threat, Zagan could only comply.
It was a rare day off for the students, and yet the academy grounds were buzzing with activity.
The reason? Another incident involving the infamous Professor Lian.
But this time, the situation was unlike any other. Instead of uncovering a villain's scheme or delivering justice, Lian was confessing his own crimes.
"I was blinded by temptation and succumbed to a grave mistake. If I hadn't been caught, I might have continued siphoning funds."
Hanging his head in shame, Lian admitted his wrongdoings in front of a large crowd.
Zagan then presented the evidence of Lian's embezzlement: eyewitness testimony, security footage, and matching magical signatures.
The students were in shock. Even with all the evidence, many wanted to believe Lian was innocent. But Lian himself confirmed the allegations.
The Great Ancestor Dragon, personally verifying that Lian was in full control of his faculties, eliminated any possibility of coercion.
Lian had truly committed the crime.
Chaos erupted among the students.
Speculations ranged from theories about a secret mission to guesses that Lian was testing the academy's security measures.
Among them, Karen, the leader of the academy's guard unit, was particularly distraught.
Karen's mind couldn't process the idea of Lian committing a crime. Her steadfast belief in his infallibility drove her to a rash conclusion:
This must be the fault of that administrative clerk.
Convinced that Zagan had framed Lian, Karen hurled a stone at him.
The stone struck true, drawing blood.
But as Zagan's blood dripped to the ground, it shimmered with an eerie blue glow.
The glow marked him as a demonic entity—a confirmation of Karen's wild assumption.
The crowd turned toward Zagan, their faces twisted in anger.
"W-wait! I didn't do anything!" Zagan stammered, his face pale with fear.
But no one believed him.
And as the students closed in, Zagan's cries for mercy were drowned out.
…It seemed he had been hiding far more than just tampered records.