Episode 866

“Stop! This person is royalty. I will not forgive anyone who meddles with him recklessly!”

“?”

When the junior drew his staff and cried out, Yukveltire looked around in surprise.

For a moment, she thought someone was attacking her.

But there was no one.

“Who are you talking to?”

“…To you, Senior?”

“Why?”

“…Because you called His Highness Joulin up front?”

“Dragons are a species with outstanding intelligence, so they excel at algebra and geometry. I thought it wouldn’t hurt for the second-year students here to listen as well.”

Seeing Yukveltire’s perfect logic, Lee Han nodded.

Before, when a friend said, ‘Yukveltire senior gives proper lectures,’ he’d wondered what that meant, but now he could see her lessons really were proper.

“I see. Then please ignore what I just shouted.”

Lee Han said that and sat down.

Of course, Yukveltire didn’t let it slide.

“Wait.”

‘Tsk.’

Realizing he’d failed, Lee Han looked up.

Should he have said he was shouting because he was worried about another member of the royal family?

“Wardanaz junior.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“What’s that staff?”

“……”

• * *

Lee Han made an enthusiastic excuse. In fact, there was more cursing of Professor Verdus than actual excuse, but an excuse nonetheless.

Direte, who’d been hiding in the back, also came up to actively support his junior.

“Professor Verdus forced me…!”

“Professor Verdus really…!”

“Anyway, Professor Verdus is…!”

“Professor Verdus is just…!”

Everyone in the classroom, including Joulin, nodded along.

Professor Verdus is truly a bad person!

“Yes.”

If Professor Garcia had been there, he might have salvaged the explanation a little, but unfortunately, only Professor Voladi was at hand.

Professor Voladi wasn’t lenient with magicians who had repeatedly harassed his student.

After cursing Professor Verdus a hundred times, Direte stealthily checked his friend’s expression.

With his cold and expressionless face, it was hard to know what he was thinking.

“…You’re not mad, are you, Yukveltire?”

“Direte. You’ve always had the bad habit of slandering me for no reason. Those emotional outbursts have nothing to do with me. Got it?”

‘Such a lie—she sulked for ages when I didn’t help her with research before.’

Direte grumbled to himself.

Long ago, when Yukveltire asked for help with research and said, ‘I don’t care if you don’t help,’ he thought she truly didn’t care and replied, ‘Sorry, I’m busy, I’ll help next time,’ and declined.

Afterwards, when Yukveltire disappeared, he found her staging a hunger strike in her workshop.

She insisted, ‘I just forgot to eat because I was busy,’ but Direte saw it as 100% sulking over not helping her research.

‘But I’d better put up with it now.’

If it were just about him, fine, but he couldn’t let his junior be caught in the crossfire. That was too childish.

“Of course, black magnetite is a staff material with rare properties, and I designed it accordingly. I’d prepared several spells and essences ahead of time, too. Even if Professor Verdus completed it for you instead of me, I’m not the least bit upset. Got it?”

“…Yes…”

Lee Han felt a pang of guilt.

In other circumstances, he’d have ignored Yukveltire even if she threw a tantrum like Professor Verdus, but this time, he truly owed her for the staff.

“Lee Han, I think she’s mad.”

“I thought so too.”

All his friends seemed to feel the same.

Anyone could see she was clearly angry. Even Adenart, her younger sibling, agreed.

“That really looks like she’s mad…”

“What makes you say that? Unbelievable, Adenart. Are you even a magician? What minute, what second do you have evidence for that?”

“Eek.”

Adenart flinched at her older sister’s anger for the first time ever.

She’d never been like this. Whatever Wardanaz had done, it seemed to have dealt a serious shock.

“…Shall I help with the artificial dimension artifact research?”

Yukveltire’s hand, clenched with world-weary anger, relaxed slightly.

“Why? I recall you weren’t very interested.”

“Upon further thought, it’s a truly great piece of research. It’s amazing, especially when some people are wasting their lives on weird airships. Hope they learn from this.”

Her hand relaxed even more.

“If you’ve changed your mind, maybe I’ll consider letting you help.”

“Ah, senior.”

“What?”

“I might be busy during the semester, would it be all right if I help over break?”

“……”

Yukveltire’s fingertip began to tremble again.

• * *

But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to scold and chase away a cheeky junior.

He was simply too valuable a talent.

“Let’s start the lecture, then. Adenart. You see the coordinates of those two dark planets on the coordinate plane. Express the distance between them as coordinates and prove the formula.”

“……”

Struck by this immediate revenge, Adenart was caught off guard.

“I… I’m not sure.”

“I see. Next. Gainando, on the coordinate plane—”

“I don’t know!”

“Listen first and answer. On the coordinate plane—”

Yukveltire fired off questions at the juniors who’d claimed she was angry.

Her pettiness made students whisper among themselves.

Direte covered his face with his wings in embarrassment. He felt he could never admit being friends with her again.

‘Amazing!’

Lee Han was impressed.

The most impressive thing was that Yukveltire herself didn’t even realize she was taking revenge because she was pouting.

She just happened to choose those juniors who’d said she was angry!

‘Sorry, but this is a bit scary.’

Lee Han had boldly gone against Yukveltire before, but this was different.

Even for a senior, one standing behind the teaching desk wielded a special authority.

He had no choice but to err on the side of caution, not knowing what would happen if he provoked her.

Joulin! Joulin will answer! First, you must use an absolute value inequality…!

Unable to stand it any longer, Joulin waved his forepaw excitedly and shouted.

He knew the answer and couldn’t hold back.

Fortunately, Yukveltire let him answer without stopping him.

“Please explain, Your Highness.”

Joulin happily wagged his wings and tail as he explained.

Of course, just because Joulin explained with enthusiasm didn’t mean the students’ intelligence increased. Most just dozed or watched with open mouths.

Vassal! Vassal! You understood Joulin’s explanation, didn’t you?

“…Ah. That’s me.”

Gainando only then realized who was being called.

Students from the White Tiger Tower could be heard whispering behind them.

-Vassal…?

-That prince…

Gainando’s face turned red.

What humiliation, all thanks to that wicked half-sister!

-Jealous, honestly. That guy gets to do that alone.

-It’s probably because of his blood. Hmph! Not jealous at all.

“?”

Gainando couldn’t believe his ears.

‘Wait. The White Tiger Tower guys are jealous about being a vassal? Why?’

They were weird and ill-tempered as always—jealous of anything. Gainando was dumbfounded.

Poke-poke—

“Gainando, Gainando!”

“Huh, what?”

His friends poked him from the side and called.

“Just say you understood!”

“What? But I don’t!”

“Ask Wardanaz for the answer!”

Otherwise, Joulin would be disappointed—not to mention, all second-year students might look stupid in his eyes.

It was about the face of the second-years as a whole.

“I understood! …Lee Han! Lee Han!”

Ah, wait!

Joulin strode over, scooped up Lee Han in his front paw, and hugged him at the teacher’s desk.

Then he asked Gainando again.

Good! Tell me what Joulin just explained!

“…!”

Lee Han was amazed.

Both the lecture content and the truly innate intelligence of his race were remarkable.

But Lee Han’s surprise was nothing compared to Gainando’s.

‘That… that evil dragon…!’

Gainando shook with rage.

Once he got back, he swore to block the way so that dragon could never return to Einrogard!

“By the way, senior.”

Imprisoned by Joulin, Lee Han called out to Yukveltire standing nearby.

“?”

“Why is Professor Knighten absent?”

Einrogard professors were divided into the diligent and the Verdus type. Professor Alpen, as an Imperial high official, was certainly among the diligent.

For such a person not to show up for class, it had to be a calamity.

‘Did he get kidnapped by a mad ancient clone or something?’

“The headmaster called for him.”

“…The headmaster? Why?”

Yukveltire shrugged and shook her head. It meant she didn’t know, either.

In fact, if Professor Alpen hadn’t told her, she wouldn’t have even known that much. As uninterested in others as Professor Verdus.

Ah! Gonadaltes is busy working in the capital right now. Professor Knighten is probably helping with that!

Joulin, hearing a topic he knew about, excitedly explained to Lee Han.

But Lee Han didn’t feel any joy. In fact, he felt uneasy and threatened by the mere fact that the skull headmaster wasn’t at school.

“…What’s he doing?”

Huh?

Joulin hesitated. He didn’t know the details.

Um… this and that… getting approvals… being annoyed…?

“??”

…Joulin is sorry…

“No, that was plenty helpful. Thank you, Your Highness.”

Lee Han soothed Joulin, though he was inwardly puzzled.

‘What’s he been getting approval for that’s so annoying? Expanding the school? Acquiring more land? Taking over Baldrogard?’

The only one who could deny the headmaster approval would be the Emperor, and it certainly couldn’t be a trivial matter.

Even Professor Alpen has been summoned to the capital.

He couldn’t guess what it might be.

Adding a budget for school construction or expansion, increasing the domain’s funds, or getting approval to destroy Baldrogard…

“Senior, what do you think the headmaster’s getting approval for?”

“Expansion of fifth-year research support?”

‘Shouldn’t have asked.’

Lee Han regretted putting the question to Yukveltire. Meanwhile, Yukveltire called over Direte.

“We’re supposed to guard His Highness Joulin, but I’ll need help. I’ll join you.”

“Ah. Uh. Right. Um.”

“?”

“Uh, that…”

Unable to say anything out of friendship, Direte hesitated, so Lee Han stepped up.

Jobs like this were the junior’s duty.

“Senior, doesn’t it tempt you that His Highness Joulin is carrying around so many powerful reagents?”

“If you’re tempted by ‘powerful reagent’ and covet a dragon’s body, you’re just an idiot. What kind of comment is that, Wardanaz junior?”

Though publicly called ‘Little Verdus’, Yukveltire’s social intelligence was fundamentally much higher than Professor Verdus.

Even if you covet a dragon’s body, all that awaits is vengeful retribution. No ordinary magician could stand up against that.

“…Right! I don’t know why people can’t get that!”

“Yes. Dragons never give a part of themselves to anyone. Remember that.”

Oh.

Listening from the side, Joulin was flustered.

Was that how it worked?