Episode 608

It was shocking, but Lee Han quickly recovered.

Originally, it was a disciple’s role to look after the professor’s child when ordered.

Although this wasn’t the skeleton headmaster’s child, it was pretty similar.

‘It’s not that difficult.’

Lee Han calmly gripped the handkerchief.

The one before him wasn’t a huge gold dragon, but simply the professor’s young child.

“Hoo. You won’t be able to beat me.”

Hmph! Even if you’re a confident Wardanaz, you can’t defeat Joulin!

The young gold dragon cried out excitedly.

• * *

“……”

The skeleton headmaster sipped coffee and glanced up from -Toberiz the Dog Beastkin Detective-, which he’d picked up from the printer.

Toberiz was exposing the evil prince’s trick and clearing the innocent lich of false charges, but the skeleton headmaster couldn’t really focus.

The sight before his eyes was simply too fascinating.

‘Is he not Lee Han of the Wardanaz family, but the nanny of the Wardanaz family?’

Of course, doing a magical tug-of-war with a handkerchief against a dragon was already impressive.

Most magicians would have collapsed from exhaustion after trying only once or twice.

Yet the boy from the Wardanaz family stood there unfazed even after dozens of rounds.

Even this alone was enough to make most magicians faint with shock…

…But what was even more remarkable was how he was playing Joulin in the palm of his hand.

“Grrrk! Grrrhk!”

Nnngh…

Exerting himself and pouring power into the handkerchief, Lee Han watched for his moment, then weakened his magic.

When Joulin finally managed to pull the handkerchief her way, she leapt with joy.

I won! Joulin won! Wardanaz, you lost again!

“Grrrk. I’m so frustrated.”

Heh. Sorry Joulin is so strong.

“I thought I could win this time!”

Lee Han clenched his fist, expressing genuine-sounding frustration.

The skeleton headmaster was speechless.

‘What kind of failed tower magician act is this…’

You’ll challenge me again, right?

“Wait. Your Highness. Please plant all four feet firmly and sit. It’s dangerous.”

When Joulin, excited, tried to stand up, Lee Han sternly intervened.

It’s okay. Joulin won’t fall.

Lee Han instead folded his arms and looked at Joulin disapprovingly.

The young gold dragon got the hint and quietly sat down. Lee Han nodded with satisfaction and offered the handkerchief.

“Splendidly done, Your Highness.”

Hmph. Of course Joulin is splendid!

‘Is he insane?’

The skeleton headmaster nearly spat out his coffee, watching his disciple command a gold dragon like a puppy in training.

What was even more absurd was that it actually worked.

The Emperor’s third child might have an immature mind, but that didn’t make her easy to befriend.

Rather, precisely because of her immaturity, she would respond more harshly if someone annoyed her.

The skeleton headmaster figured the Wardanaz boy’s abundant mana might help, but…

‘I didn’t think it would be to this degree!’

The gold dragon managed to win another round of tug-of-war with the handkerchief. Lee Han, exactly as before, stomped his foot with frustration.

“Grrrk. I’m so frustrated.”

That was fun! Let’s play something else now.

“As expected of you, Your Highness. Every game you choose is so much fun.”

Really? Wardanaz, you’re so wise!

“What other games are there?”

Gonadaltes made a wrestling mat.

Not wanting to try wrestling with a dragon, Lee Han kept his expression neutral.

“I’d like to hear about another game.”

Mage cards made by Gonadaltes.

‘That’s not bad.’

Lee Han smiled. A mage card game would be an easy way to pass the time.

“Wait. What do you mean, made by the headmaster?”

“It means Her Highness’s deck is made entirely of gold dragons, and your deck is empty.”

“How can I play with no cards?”

“That’s why Her Highness wins every time.”

“……”

Lee Han decided the mage card game was best avoided.

No matter how much Joulin won, if it was just an automatic victory each time, it wouldn’t be fun.

And in a game of chance, it wasn’t easy to purposely lose.

There’s also a chess set made by Gonadaltes.

“…Is this variant chess, too?”

That’s right! Wardanaz, you’re really, really wise! This one’s a gold dragon. It can move any number of spaces in any direction, and it can use breath. That kills all enemy pieces on the whole board!

The history-making variant chess made Lee Han dizzy.

“But I’m not very good at chess.”

Can’t be helped. Joulin is generous, so I’ll let that slide.

“I am only grateful for Your Highness’s mercy.”

But you have to play more with Joulin in return.

Lee Han glanced at Alsicle without thinking.

If necessary, he’d have to revive him and toss him in again, then sneak out of the mansion himself.

‘Stay calm. There must be some playable game.’

“What is this?”

Gonadaltes made a ball for polo. But you can’t play it since there aren’t enough people.

“It looks more like a rock than a polo ball…”

Lee Han was puzzled by the ball’s appearance.

It looked less like a ball and more like a giant boulder.

“If you pour magic into it, it’ll move whichever way you want.”

“Same with the handkerchief earlier and now this rock—why make such bizarre artifacts?”

“…Because Her Highness wanted them.”

The gold dragon nodded proudly, and Lee Han realized the truth.

‘They were made so she could win!’

Thinking back, both the handkerchief and the polo ball were things only a dragon could handle.

You could feel the childish dragon’s desire to always have the advantage.

She hadn’t quite realized that the thrill of victory comes best when things are close.

“Your Highness. Even with few people, there’s a game you can play with this ball.”

What is it, Wardanaz?

“Watch.”

Lee Han poured magic into the rock-like ball. The ball vibrated and readied to move.

Swish!

The ball shot into the darkness deep in the cave.

Lee Han called to Joulin.

“Your Highness. If you bring that ball back quickly, you win!”

Really! Wait there, Wardanaz! I’ll make you lose again!

Joulin happily dashed into the darkness.

Lee Han finally let out a sigh of relief and sat down.

‘Now I can kill time more comfortably than before.’

The previous tug-of-war with the handkerchief—well, magic tug-of-war—was physically draining.

While the game itself wasn’t hard, the excited gold dragon would bounce every time she won, jolting Lee Han as well.

But this fetch game—no, makeshift polo—was much less tiring.

All Lee Han had to do was sit and shoot off the ball…

“……”

Lee Han met the skeleton headmaster’s gaze, who was staring at him like a lunatic, and felt the need to explain.

“I meant no disrespect.”

“Of course…”

Found it, Wardanaz!

The gold dragon excitedly ran back, carrying the rock.

Lee Han clapped and called out.

“Victory to Her Highness the Princess! Oh no, I lost again!!”

Ha!

“It’ll be different this time. Here!”

Feigning frustration at Joulin’s excitement, Lee Han fired the rock ball off in another direction.

• * *

Lee Han had never thought much about the phrase, “A constant drop hollows the stone.”

But after today, playing with the young gold dragon, he experienced firsthand what it meant.

‘…This is exhausting!’

Even just sitting and firing off the ball wore a person out after a few hundred times.

His mana was fine, but his concentration couldn’t help but get drained.

Yet Joulin showed no signs of tiring. She ran back with the rock, calling to Lee Han.

Next! Try me again, Wardanaz!

Even the skeleton headmaster next to him was sticking out his tongue at Joulin’s stamina.

To think she’d tire out a magician with infinite mana first.

“Your Highness. Your Highness.”

What? Want me to throw it farther?

“Are you perhaps not very interested in what goes on in the Empire as a whole?”

Trying to buy time to recover, Lee Han changed the subject.

The gold dragon replied instantly.

Nope.

Dragons, except for their personal interests, cared for little else.

It was only natural for a young dragon like Joulin not to care about Imperial affairs.

“I’m attending Einrogard right now.”

Einrogard! I know. That’s Gonadaltes’s domain.

“That’s right. Lots of interesting things happen at Einrogard.”

Like what?

“For example, last time, the spirits caused a great flood, and all the students had to leave the dormitory.”

That must’ve been fun!

“…Yes, it was fun. We moved using little rafts we’d prepared. The storm was so fierce we summoned a tanjaw fish, too…”

How?

“Professor Verdus helped a lot. He brought us a reagent to summon the tanjaw fish.”

Lee Han, aware the skeleton headmaster was listening, discreetly changed the details.

Professor Verdus seems like a nice person.

“That’s not quite it. Anyway, due to the flood caused by the spirits…”

Lee Han explained in detail what had happened during the flood at Einrogard.

The longer he could stretch it out, the more time he had to rest.

He talked about what they ate during the flood, how they slept, building a fort in the library, clueless monsters attacking, befriending the siren, and how now the siren dashed over just at Lee Han’s face.

Joulin, who’d said she wasn’t interested in Imperial affairs at first, grew more and more attentive.

The skeleton headmaster looked at his disciple with pity for stalling by selling out Einrogard’s behind-the-scenes stories, but didn’t interfere.

Even to the skeleton headmaster, handling Joulin was an extreme form of labor.

“…So, those things happened. The Empire’s affairs are pretty interesting too, aren’t they?”

More!

“Sorry?”

More, Wardanaz. More! Joulin wants more stories!

“…Then I’ll tell you when I went out with my friends and met the sea serpent. Actually, this one is also related to a magical criminal.”

Successfully diverting Joulin’s attention, Lee Han sighed in relief and began another story.

Thankfully, after a year at Einrogard, he had plenty of tales to share.

The king of ghouls, the basilisk, even the king of the frost giants.

When he told the story of winter coming to the school due to dimension overlap, Joulin loved it.

Gonadaltes! Joulin will visit Einrogard too!

“Your Highness may do so anytime you wish.”

The skeleton headmaster replied with his mouth, but signalled to Lee Han with his eyes.

-Absolutely not.

Given Joulin’s unpredictable personality, there was no telling what she’d do if brought to Einrogard.

If she rampaged and got subjugated by students, it wouldn’t be strange for her to hold a grudge for decades.

‘I’d better change the subject.’

“Things don’t only happen inside the school. Like the sea serpent story, there are lots of interesting things happening outside too.”

Lee Han listed the criminals he’d encountered this year.

From anti-magic factions to magic criminals to just regular crooks.

‘…Come to think of it, I really have met quite a lot.’

The gold dragon listened with great interest.

Joulin’s curious about something.

“Ask me anything, Your Highness.”

If Wardanaz keeps getting into so much trouble, isn’t it Gonadaltes’s fault as lord of the domain?

“……”

“……”

For the first time in a while, Lee Han and the skeleton headmaster were truly at a loss.