Episode 886

Episode 886

But Joulin did not voice his thoughts. Even though it was a short time, his social skills had improved rapidly while staying at Einrogard.

Perhaps it was the innate intuition of the dragon race.

Joulin judged that if he spoke his thoughts now, even the kind-hearted Lee Han might get angry and throw him out of the lounge.

‘Joulin is smart, so he must wait quietly.’

Feeling satisfied with his own decision, Joulin waited patiently.

• * *

“Your Highness. You must look ahead as you walk.”

Mm.

“Your Highness. Please look ahead as you walk.”

Mmm.

“……”

Lee Han used telekinesis magic to confiscate the out-of-print rare edition of Toberiz that Joulin was holding.

Joulin let out a scream and tried rolling left and right, but Lee Han coldly ignored him.

Even if the corridors or walls of Einrogard were to break anyway, it was the job of the skull headmaster to fix it, not Lee Han.

After several minutes of rolling, when Lee Han still didn’t return the book, Joulin drooped and quietly followed him again.

“I’ll give it back when we return to the lounge. Or you can just read it in the lounge right now.”

No. It’s more fun to follow Lee Han.

“Haha. I’m glad you find lectures interesting, Your Highness… You’re magically promising as well.”

It’s not really the lectures…

Joulin was about to say that what Lee Han experienced was more interesting than the lectures, but stopped again.

Just as he’d sensed before, he felt a sense of crisis that saying it now might get him sent back to the lounge.

Joulin suddenly felt pride in how much he had grown.

“What about the lectures exactly?”

Ah, no. I… just wondered what lecture Lee Han is going to listen to right now!

“It’s the -A Wizard’s Life with Plants- lecture, but to be exact, I’m not going there to listen to a lecture.”

At Lee Han’s words, Joulin tilted his head in confusion, then belatedly realized and shouted.

Aha!

“As expected of Your Highness. You saw right through it.”

Are you going to help the professor make the midterm exam?

“…No…”

Lee Han wondered if Joulin had developed odd misconceptions about Einrogard from going through only unusual cases.

Things had just been unlucky and strange, but usually Einrogard was a bit different.

‘…Or is it? Was it always like this?’

“I don’t usually make exams. I told you earlier that the music magic one was an exception.”

But, surely the other professors, too…

“Ugh. Your Highness not trusting me, I feel so sad I might collapse…”

Ah, no! Joulin trusts Lee Han! Sorry! Don’t collapse!

“Thank you.”

……

As Lee Han recovered right away, Joulin glanced at him with a hint of suspicion.

Was Lee Han deceiving Joulin by any chance?

‘Ah, no. That can’t be.’

Joulin shook his head. There’s no way a kind-hearted wizard like Lee Han would use tricks.

“We’re going right now to look after the plants. Due to the nature of the lecture, it takes a lot of care even during breaks.”

Most students at Einrogard were busy.

Even if their schedules weren’t as packed with lectures as Lee Han’s, they didn’t have much time to leisurely play.

Even if they didn’t attend lectures, they had to study and prepare with their spare time, all the more so.

Especially since the goal of this semester’s -A Wizard’s Life with Plants- lecture was the cultivation of mandrake.

It was a goal that required a lot of attention and effort.

Aha.

Only then did Joulin fully grasp the truth.

“Now you understand, right, Your Highness?”

Mm.

He accepted it, but a new question arose in Joulin’s heart: ‘When does Lee Han rest?’

Meanwhile, Lee Han arrived at the greenhouse on the sixth floor.

Joulin leisurely breathed in the warm humidity coming from inside but grew puzzled when Lee Han didn’t go in.

Instead of entering, Lee Han looked around and knocked on the door of a nearby empty classroom.

-Who is it?

“Someone who knows the true value of mandrake.”

-Wardanaz, come in.

Bartrek and Ratford, who were waiting in the empty classroom next door, greeted Lee Han.

Joulin felt all the more confused and blinked.

Wasn’t he here to tend to the mandrake in the greenhouse?

“So how did it go? The pattern?”

“It’s half done. As expected, the snowflake pattern is difficult.”

“What nonsense…! After taking such expensive reagents!”

When Lee Han rebuked him angrily, Bartrek hurriedly made excuses.

“I-I had no choice. I’m still only a second-year, Wardanaz.”

“Don’t make excuses, Bartrek! Buyers don’t care what year we are!”

“Uh. Wardanaz, I have a question.”

Ratford, listening from the side, raised his hand and asked.

“What is it?”

“…Uh, is it okay for Your Highness to hear this?”

Only then did Bartrek realize that a huge dragon was staring at them from outside the door.

Bartrek shuddered and whispered.

“Hey! Why did you bring Your Highness!”

“If we can bring Gainando, there’s no reason we can’t bring Joulin, is there?”

“Is Gainando the same as Your Highness?!”

Bartrek was furious, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

The three here had gathered with different goals in mind from the beginning of the lecture.

-Apart from the medicinal effects of mandrake, if there are rare patterns on the leaves, they sell for a high price. There are enthusiasts…

-So you’re saying to make separate patterns on the leaves during the mandrake cultivation class to sell for a high price?

-Isn’t that kind of bad?

-No. Let’s do it right away!

Wizards must pursue practicality.

If you can get both good grades and gold, isn’t that what a real wizard is?

Thus, Lee Han and his friends tried both cultivating mandrake and carving patterns on its leaves.

“Calm down. It’s not like His Highness Joulin will go report us anywhere.”

“Okay, Wardanaz. I’ll trust you. …But Wardanaz.”

“What?”

“…Isn’t that the professor standing behind Your Highness??”

Bartrek, ready to accept it, froze when he saw Professor Voladi standing expressionlessly behind Joulin.

It was one thing for royal guests from outside—but a professor really couldn’t be overlooked.

“Ha. Bartrek. Are you deliberately trying to change the subject? To avoid blame for the failure? You call yourself a member of the White Tiger Tower?”

“N-No… This is… a legitimate concern…”

“Don’t worry. Professor Baegrek isn’t someone who’d report us, either.”

‘Is this guy crazy?’

Bartrek shuddered inside.

He knew the boy from the Wardanaz family possessed a madness of a different level from ordinary students, but today’s display was overwhelming.

Walking around with Professor Voladi and saying ‘it’s fine, our professor won’t care.’

“…Alright. Fine. But if Professor Willow hears a rumor and takes the leaves later, just watch!”

“That’s not the problem now, is it? Even after pouring all those reagents, the leaves are only half finished. I used nearly a box of sapphire on the fireflower…”

“Ugh.”

Bartrek dropped his head in shame and averted his eyes.

Whether you were an alchemist or an enchanter, if you received funding and support but couldn’t deliver results, you’d end up like this.

Bartrek himself didn’t realize, but many seniors and professors had taken on this posture countless times.

“Hoo. Can’t be helped, Bartrek. We’ll have to do our best with the time left. Let’s at least finish tending to the mandrake.”

“Alright. Sorry again, Wardanaz.”

“Finish the pattern instead of wasting time apologizing.”

“……”

Bartrek grumbled inwardly.

‘Ugh. Next time I’ll have to get the reagents myself.’

This too was a thought shared by countless senior alchemists before.

As their conversation wrapped up, Joulin, who had been watching, spoke up.

Joulin has a question.

“What is it you’re curious about?”

Are you making the leaf patterns for the gold coins?

“Not only that…”

“We also like plants, but…”

Bartrek and Ratford instinctively made excuses.

They tried, but ended up admitting it.

“Yes…”

“Trying to earn some gold…”

Lee Han too?

“It wouldn’t be wrong to say that’s a big part of it.”

Lee Han admitted it openly. Joulin leaned his chin on his front paw and asked.

Can’t you just use the gold coins in Joulin’s storage?

“…!!”

The three students opened their eyes wide as if struck by lightning.

Bartrek blurted out before realizing.

“Your Highness is saying you’ll sponsor my alchemy??”

No. Joulin meant just for Lee Han…

Joulin answered in an embarrassed voice. Bartrek also became awkward.

“Ah. I’m sorry.”

“…No, it’s alright. Your Highness. We can earn it ourselves.”

Bartrek was slightly impressed by his friend’s refusal.

‘That Wardanaz. Truly a noble’s pride when it matters.’

Bartrek was proud of his own knightly family background, but the dragon’s offer of treasure had completely tempted him.

That’s how famous the dragon’s hoard was.

But Wardanaz honorably and firmly refused.

If he took it, serving the royal guest from outside would just look like a profit-seeking ploy.

“Wardanaz. I’m impressed. Honestly, I was swayed.”

Bartrek patted his friend on the shoulder and then flinched.

Lee Han was staring at Bartrek with murderous intensity.

“…Be sure to finish the pattern this semester. Understood?”

“…I-I get it…”

• * *

“Mekin, doesn’t Bark seem to be working especially hard today?”

Siana tilted her head as she watched Bartrek tending to the mandrake saplings while sweating profusely.

Of course, since the Bark family was renowned even among the eastern dwarf clans for alchemy, it made sense that Bartrek would work hard, but today was different…

“Maybe it’s because the exam is next week?”

“It feels more desperate than that…”

“Hey, there are mana aphids over there.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

Siana sprayed diluted poison and got rid of the mana aphids.

Looking around, she saw that the students’ attitudes varied widely ahead of midterms.

Students like Siana and Yoner, who always tended the mandrake well, were relatively relaxed.

Catching the occasional bug, replenishing water…

In contrast, the previously lazy students were mostly bustling about. frantically trying to patch up bug-eaten parts or chase away insects.

There were also students who were utterly unconcerned. Not out of confidence, but because they had already failed and boldly sold their saplings to seniors.

“Hoohoo… As long as you go to the punishment room, it’s over.”

“Be quiet. It’s embarrassing.”

Bartrek should be in the first group, so why is he so desperate?

They couldn’t figure out why.

Meanwhile, some students from the second group began to approach Lee Han.

“Wardanaz. Please!”

“I can’t hear you.”

“You have to lead us! Like you did in first year!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. People might misunderstand if they hear.”

???

Joulin was fascinated by the students chasing after Lee Han.

Mekin, Mekin. Joulin has a question.

“What are you curious about?”

What are those wizards asking Lee Han for?

“Ah.”

Yoner chuckled as he explained.

Those were students who’d been around since the start of the semester.

To grow mandrake, you need water, attention, and sunlight.

If you could somehow give the mandrake the power of the artificial sun, it’s possible to drastically boost growth.

-I heard the headmaster’s storeroom has an artificial sun artifact—if we just steal that, isn’t it an instant perfect score?

…These students were trying anything to rope Lee Han into their schemes.

Of course, Lee Han was ignoring them completely. He was already tending his plant well and had no reason to take such risks.

If he had it, would Lee Han’s mandrake grow better?

“Probably.”

Joulin glanced at the sapling Lee Han was tending, then opened his mouth wide, narrowed his eyes, and glared at the surrounding space.

As if gauging a safe distance to unleash his breath.

Mekin, you’re really kind!

“…Huh? Why suddenly?”

One more thing Joulin wants to ask. Is there ever a time when there’s no one in this greenhouse?

“There are times…?”

Yoner felt a strange sense of discomfort.

When royalty suddenly gave a compliment, they usually had an ulterior motive.