Episode 862
by CristaeEpisode 862
‘I was foolish. I should have suspected this guy first.’
Professor Thunderstep lamented his own foolishness. As expected, a magician always had to keep learning.
“From now on, for any suspicious matter beyond a certain level in Einrogard, I’ll unconditionally suspect you first.”
“No… Isn’t that too much?”
Lee Han objected, feeling wronged.
Of course, Lee Han was the cause of this incident, but the other cases could’ve been caused by the seniors, couldn’t they?
Lee Han? Lee Han??
“Your Highness! Please don’t smash the wall with your front paw!”
Professor Thunderstep shouted urgently, but Joulin had already heard Lee Han’s voice and swung his front paw.
With powerful mantic mana, the dragon’s claws cleanly cut through the exterior wall of the lecture hall. The 2nd-year students cheered.
“Long live the dragon!”
“According to Einrogard legend, the Liberator is supposed to defeat the skull headmaster and save us. That was the dragon!”
“Quiet, you idiots!”
Realizing that the big, young dragon was Joulin, Professor Thunderstep made the students shut up.
Since the dragon wasn’t here to defeat the skull headmaster and rescue the poor young magicians, it was a relief for now.
But this was a headache in its own way.
‘Didn’t the professors all refuse? The headmaster must have refused as well, right?’
He couldn’t understand how the Emperor’s third child could have visited.
“Your Highness! Why did you come out here!? You said you’d stay inside!”
S-sorry. Wardanaz. I woke up and no one was there…
Joulin, looking uneasy, responded to Lee Han’s outburst.
Having dozed off in a warm lounge and awoken to find no one, he’d gotten scared and come outside.
Like a young beast searching for its parents, Joulin crawled over to look for Lee Han.
By using his dragon senses, it was easy to find that Lee Han and his friends were in the Watercourses Tower lecture hall.
…He shouldn’t have broken the wall, right?
“…It’s okay. Just don’t do it again.”
“What do you mean it’s okay?”
Professor Thunderstep grumbled from the side.
Of course, if he were asked that, he would have to answer that it was fine too, but…
‘The rumors must have spread everywhere.’
Lee Han fell into thought, troubled by his constantly twisting plans.
He had planned to bring Joulin quietly and let him go quietly, but the number of people who knew kept growing.
Plus, Joulin must not have used stealth while coming here in fear, so there were definitely seniors who saw him.
“Professor. Please help. What if someone tries to attack His Highness?”
“There’s no way anyone would! …Is what I want to say, but it’s sadly not true. More importantly, how did His Highness end up visiting?”
Lee Han explained to Professor Thunderstep.
Other friends who had been in the lecture hall listened, so focused that even the drop of a pin could be heard.
They had never seen or heard of such a legendary, high-ranked imperial successor before.
And now, a dragon too!
They couldn’t even guess what kind of secret stories might be hidden.
“…His Highness wanted to come for a visit, and Professor Baegrek was soft-hearted and gave in.”
“……”
“……”
“Who’s the soft-hearted one?”
Professor Thunderstep wondered if he was getting old. His student’s words sounded strange.
“But honestly, only Professor Baegrek got the proposal, right?”
“…That’s true. Hmph. This was a failing on us professors. We should have warned Professor Baegrek more thoroughly…”
“The professors all knew, then?”
“His Highness probably sent letters to every professor he could send.”
“To Professor Verdus, too?”
“I said the professors he could send letters to.”
Professor Thunderstep grew irritated at his student’s pointless question.
What kind of nonsense question was that?
‘True, it was a stupid question.’
Even Lee Han quickly understood.
Joulin was immature, but not stupid.
“Since things have turned out this way, we have no choice. Come on inside and watch the lecture, Your Highness. Wardanaz will stay with you.”
Wow!
While Joulin happily entered the Mage Tower, Professor Thunderstep quickly repaired the damaged exterior wall.
He then whispered quietly to Lee Han.
“About what we were talking about earlier, be careful of the seniors who might target His Highness.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Specifically, His Highness’s claws, scales, tears, blood…”
Professor Thunderstep explained in detail, starting from sinews all the way to molars, the 365 kinds of magical ingredients a dragon could provide.
“…You have to watch out for attempts to steal all those, understand?”
“…T-there are that many?”
Lee Han was overwhelmed by the ingredient list, which was even longer than he expected.
At this rate, Joulin’s name should be changed to -Walking Magic Ingredient Vault- instead.
Professor Thunderstep spoke irritably.
“I kept it simple! So who told you to bring His Highness, of all people, to a place crawling with crazy magicians?”
“I didn’t bring him.”
Lee Han grumbled.
And ‘crazy magicians’? Wasn’t that a bit harsh?
“Some might try to make His Highness cry and steal his tears, poke him to get some blood, or secretly pluck and steal his scales… Just keep all those things in mind.”
‘Hmm. I guess this really is a place crawling with crazy magicians…’
After hearing specific examples, even Lee Han had to admit it.
Einrogard’s seniors were more than capable of such things.
Someone might secretly poke Joulin, pluck off a scale, and run away. Just imagining how Joulin might react was terrifying.
“Honestly, I had thought about the case where rumors spread. Not this quickly, though.”
“How were you planning to deal with it?”
“With help from the seniors and professors, I’d guard him openly…”
“Hmmm. Go on.”
“With 5th-year seniors like Direte or Yukveltire, and professors like Garcia or Professor Thunderstep, who are understanding.”
“Not a bad plan. Me and Professor Garcia would help. But take Yukveltire off the list.”
“……”
When Lee Han was rendered speechless, Professor Thunderstep seriously repeated himself.
“Take Yukveltire off.”
“I heard you. But isn’t Senior Yukveltire okay, too? She’s a 5th-year…”
“If I added Professor Verdus to the list of professors who would help, what would you say?”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Exactly. That’s how Yukveltire sounds to me.”
“…!”
From Professor Thunderstep’s point of view, Yukveltire would be the first student to draw blood, pluck tears, pull scales, and cut claws before making off, instead of protecting Joulin.
Lee Han had no choice but to accept it. Indeed, it was hard for a student to out-logic a professor.
- * *
Are you Nillia? From the Shadow Patrol? I heard about you!
“Uhh. Uhh.”
Tell me about the northern mountain range! Joulin wants to hear your stories!
“Uhhhh…?”
Receiving sudden attention from a dragon, Nillia’s mind froze.
She’d never imagined she’d ever talk to a dragon in her life…
‘Help, Wardanaz!’
Lee Han, who’d gotten Joulin’s gaze, side-stepped out of annoyance.
Seeing that, Nillia deeply regretted her decision.
‘I should have trusted my friend’s words!’
The cost of betraying friendship was this bitter.
“Now. Focus.”
Except for the fact that a huge dragon was sitting at the back of the classroom, the lecture proceeded as usual.
Professor Thunderstep warned the students about the exam next week, threatening them.
“Don’t think you can get by as easily as last time! This time’s exam won’t be so easy!”
Gasp. Wardanaz. I think the exam will be hard. Shouldn’t Joulin take out my Dragonstone??
“…Your Highness. If you do that, it defeats the purpose of the exam.”
Professor Thunderstep replied in a hollow voice.
The Dragonstone taken from a dragon’s body was, to exaggerate, on par with the Philosopher’s Stone as a magical substance.
For an average alchemy exam, you could just throw that in water and chant once to pass.
Joulin made a tearful face.
But if the exam is hard…
“…It probably won’t be too hard for Wardanaz. Don’t worry.”
“What the.”
Lee Han protested.
He’d seen him laying Flood Fragrance and raising Nephthytum before, so what was that lie about?
Professor Thunderstep ignored the protesting student, took out some potions, and put them on Joulin.
“Your Highness. This potion will instantly kill any student who tries to pluck your scales. This one makes your tears extremely poisonous…”
“……”
After detailing the instructions, Professor Thunderstep said to Lee Han.
“If you need help, call for me. Be careful of Professor Verdus.”
“…I’ll bear that in mind.”
“And be careful with Professor Bendozol.”
“Come to think of it, why did Professor Bendozol refuse?”
Now that he thought about it, it seemed more reasonable to send a letter to Professor Bendozol than Professor Voladi.
If Joulin ordered, he was the kind of person who would even risk death.
Maybe Joulin just didn’t know about him?
“The Death Knights probably stole the letters. I’m not sure, but most likely.”
Lee Han admired the competence of the Death Knights.
He felt that the safety of Einrogard was protected thanks to them.
‘If only they’d stolen the letter that came to Professor Baegrek, too!’
- * *
Professor Bendozol was barking at the students in irritation.
“Hey! The wyvern frowned because of you! Are you going to take responsibility if the wyvern’s lifespan is shortened due to stress? Y-you wyvern slayer, you bastard!”
“Isn’t the professor throwing a worse fit than usual?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
The Einrogard students whispered among themselves.
Professor Bendozol was acting even more beastly than usual.
‘Feels like I’ve been tricked by that guy.’
Professor Bendozol’s nerves were frayed precisely because of a certain 2nd-year student from the Blue Dragon Tower.
Even though he himself was helping out with chores, the unicorns didn’t look as happy as he thought.
Of course, the unicorns were getting along fine (in fact, they might do better if the professor didn’t show up), but by Professor Bendozol’s standards, it wasn’t nearly enough.
‘You wicked swindler! Even spending eight days a week wouldn’t be enough, and yet you’re neglecting the unicorns like this.’
Having reached the limit of his patience, Professor Bendozol went looking for Lee Han.
On his way, he heard the students whispering.
-They say he actually rides a real dragon?
-I heard he was chosen by a dragon?
-But I heard he subdued a dragon. Doesn’t that make more sense logically?
“…?”
Professor Bendozol stopped dead and looked back, but the students had already passed and he couldn’t ask.
‘Did they just say dragon?’
Dragon.
The word alone made his heart race.
Wasn’t it the greatest and most beautiful lifeform?
‘…I must have misheard.’
-There really is a dragon? Are there any scales left??
-You didn’t hear? He’s a member of the imperial family!
-So what? There are plenty of imperial family members.
“???”
Once again, Professor Bendozol’s head snapped around 180 degrees.
When their eyes met, the students screamed and ran.
“It’s Professor Bendozol! Run for it!”
“Stop! There’s something I want to ask… Ugh, you damn bastards! Worse than poachers!”
The students were shrewd.
They all knew very well that nothing good would come from running into Professor Bendozol outside a classroom. The professor had no choice but to grumble and return.
‘Might as well go find that guy.’
Professor Bendozol decided to ignore the wild rumors and just look for Lee Han.
“…Your Highness. May I get off?”
…Are you uncomfortable??
“N-no. I’m not uncomfortable. I’m just worried you might get hurt.”
Joulin is fine! Come! Wardanaz, act like a knight!
“Ugh.”
When Professor Bendozol caught sight of Joulin playing dragon knight with Lee Han riding his back, he clutched his chest and dropped to his knees.
It was just too shocking.