Episode 888

“How much have you made?”

-I am working hard, Wizard!

“Good. Hurry up.”

A little later—

“How is it going now?”

‘You damn bastard.’

Saratan cursed inwardly.

He had clearly said it would take about a day, but Lee Han had only taken a few steps before asking again.

Wizards were, without exception, a bunch of damned bastards.

-I’m doing my best! But it will really take a day…

“Hm. You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”

Lee Han murmured, sounding suspicious. Saratan forced a servile smile (not visible to the wizard) and watched his reaction.

“Should I summon the King of Thunderstep to supervise you?”

“Isn’t summoning a powerful spirit just for something like this a bit much?”

“Is it? This staff spirit is such a cunning one…”

-…!

At the boy wizard’s calm suggestion of summoning the King of Thunderstep to oversee him, Saratan frantically began to produce a new sprout imbued with power.

• * *

Flash!

In the middle of the night, Joulin opened his eyes. Looking around the lounge, he saw not a single student.

‘Hehe. Joulin is clever.’

Normally, Lee Han would be sitting by the fireplace reading until dawn, but Joulin had managed to send him upstairs earlier.

-Lee Han must sleep!

-Huh? Why are you saying that all of a sudden?

-Go!

-I have so much to do, suddenly sleeping seems…

-If you don’t go up, I’ll tip off the Imperial families that Lee Han never sleeps and just studies all night!

-…Your Highness, did you read something strange again?

Lee Han objected, but when Joulin insisted, he eventually went upstairs and lay in bed.

And honestly, he had been tired too.

Einrogard students had a trait of falling asleep immediately just by putting their heads on the pillow, without any magic. Lee Han was no exception.

‘Joulin will solve Lee Han’s exam.’

Just as Joulin was trying to crawl out from the empty lounge, he heard the voice of the baby basilisk.

-What are you doing?

……

He realized then he had forgotten he was hugging the baby basilisk instead of Lee Han. Joulin paled and waved his front paws.

Shh! Shh! Quiet!

-I-I’m being quiet! …Please don’t eat me! Please don’t eat me!!

The baby basilisk realized Lee Han was gone and was terrified.

There was no one to stop the dragon in front of him from devouring him.

I said be quiet! …Sob!

Joulin, worried the basilisk’s crying would ruin things, started to tear up himself.

The baby basilisk was startled.

-W-Why are you crying??

Because of the basilisk, Joulin might get caught… Ugh, sob…

-N-No, it’s okay. You haven’t been caught. There’s no one here! I don’t know what you’re planning, but…

Joulin had planned so much!

-It’s not over yet!

The baby basilisk comforted Joulin as best as he could.

Joulin, tears still in his eyes, mustered his strength at the encouragement.

R-Really, it’s not over yet…? Joulin’s plan?

-I told you so! But, what is the plan anyway?

Uuhm. Joulin will…

Joulin explained his ambitious plan.

To sneak into the greenhouse at night and breathe his breath on the mandrake Lee Han was growing, accelerating its growth.

Unfortunately, the baby basilisk was not a wizard. As long as it wasn’t a plan to eat him, he was ready to praise any scheme.

-That sounds like an amazing plan!!

R-Really?

-Yes, yes, yes!

Joulin stopped crying and grinned. The baby basilisk’s encouragement made him feel better.

Then I’ll go ahead with it!

-Yes!

Joulin placed the baby basilisk on his own head.

The baby basilisk, realizing only then he’d be coming along, couldn’t bring himself to ask to get down.

-…A-Am I going, too?

Hm?

-Nothing! Let’s do our best!

So we shall!

Joulin transformed into an eagle and quickly flew out the lounge window.

Just then, Professor Bendozol, who had been camping on the ground, snapped open his eyes and soared into the air.

Joulin and the baby basilisk were so startled, their hearts almost stopped.

Aaaah?!

-Kyaaah?!

“Who dares… Oh. Your Highness?”

Professor Bendozol, awakened by movement, was surprised to find not an intruder, but the transformed Joulin.

H-How did he recognize Joulin?

“I can distinguish the thought waves of every race. Even transformed, that doesn’t change.”

……

-T-That’s creepy.

The baby basilisk whispered so only Joulin could hear. Joulin almost nodded but held back.

J… Joulin has somewhere to go. Please let us pass.

“Where to?”

The professor naturally asked in his capacity as guardian.

Nighttime Einrogard was a magical realm full of all sorts of wicked students and not-so-wicked monsters.

Of course, Joulin couldn’t answer and hesitated.

“Dragon?”

Uh… well… that is…

“???”

…Hmph! Why do you question so much! Insolent!

Joulin forced bravado, knowing it made no sense. The baby basilisk thought to himself,

‘This plan already seems doomed…’

But surprisingly, the bravado was very effective. Professor Bendozol threw himself to the ground in a deep bow.

Thud!

“I have committed a grave sin, Dragon! What worth-less wizard dare quiz you on your destination…!”

B-Blood is coming out?!

“It’s nothing.”

Professor Bendozol immediately stood up and wiped away the blood streaming from his forehead.

“Given my disrespectful behavior, I should suffer even more.”

E-Enough…! Joulin was wrong!

Unable to endure the mania of his opponent, Joulin ended up confessing his plan.

Go to the sixth floor greenhouse, and the mandrake…

“Ah! You mean to pull up the students’ mandrakes and stock your dragon hoard! I’ll help you!”

Professor Bendozol shouted in excitement.

Students should be grateful. What an honor to have a dragon like Joulin take all their mandrakes.

…No, it’s to help the mandrake grow…

“Ah! So you have become interested in raising mandrakes. Dragon’s mercy is wider than the continent! I’ll help you!”

No, Joulin isn’t interested in raising them. It looks like Lee Han’s mandrake hasn’t fully matured yet…

“……”

Upon learning the reason, Professor Bendozol glared fiercely up at the dormitory tower. The baby basilisk quickly whispered,

-L-Look at his wizard eyes! He’s looking to kill your master!

Is he glaring at Lee Han now?!

“W-What do you mean? Of course not. Out, eyes! My eyes!”

Professor Bendozol began smacking his own eyes. Joulin cried in a trembling voice.

F-Fine. You don’t hate Lee Han, right?

“………Yes! Of course not.”

-Swear you consider him a beloved disciple.

Truly befitting the king of serpents, the baby basilisk showed cunning wisdom. Joulin relayed this immediately.

Suddenly, tears of blood began to flow from Bendozol’s eyes.

…Eek!

“I’m sorry, Dragon. I just hit myself wrong just now.”

O-Okay… The oath…?

“………..”

Only after displaying dozens of negative emotions on his face did Bendozol grit his teeth and swear.

“On my love of animals, I will consider that… no, the Wardanaz student, a cherished disciple…”

-Can’t you ask for inheritance rights, too?

The baby basilisk asked slyly, but Joulin looked troubled.

T-That feels a little excessive to Joulin…

• * *

Professor Bendozol used all his magic to personally escort Joulin to the greenhouse.

Seniors prowling in the dark quickly kept their distance when they spotted Professor Bendozol from afar.

-Ugh! It’s the crazy guy!

-What? Who?

-The crazy guy!

-Ah. Bendozol? Let’s go the other way.

In times like this, his reputation for madness came in handy. Students never guessed an invisible dragon was following behind him.

Whenever students hesitated, Professor Bendozol scared them off with his cries.

“Growwwl!”

“Ack! The crazy professor!”

“Who!? Verdus?”

“It’s night!”

“Oh, Bendozol! Run!”

After clearing the road, Professor Bendozol wiped the sweat from his brow.

He’d thought for a while now that Einrogard could do with about 1/10 the number of students.

And increase the number of magical beasts tenfold…

‘But how does the dragon plan to grow the mandrake?’

Though Professor Bendozol specialized in magical beasts, he had capabilities in other fields as well. Einrogard professors were basically versatile.

From a professor’s point of view, more powerful growth required some elixirs or potions.

-Arkhan’s Elixir of Growth-, or, as a bold measure, -Ahrak’s Violet Poison- could also help the mandrake’s growth.

‘If you secured these, you could have simply ordered Bendozol to handle it. But to act personally… Wardanaz, you brat…!’

Professor Bendozol shuddered with burning jealousy and resentment.

If he were Wardanaz, he’d live in constant gratitude.

Ungrateful, arrogant, wicked, insolent brat…

I shall go in just for a moment.

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

When they arrived at the greenhouse, Joulin spoke, and Professor Bendozol nodded.

Flaaash!!!!!!

“?”

Caught in surprise at the sight of a sun-like orb glowing through the entrance window, Professor Bendozol was startled.

‘…No way?!’

Besides elixirs or potions, there was another method for growing mandrakes.

That was to artificially simulate the sun.

It sounded completely ridiculous, but with a dragon’s powers, it wasn’t impossible.

“Dragon!”

He hurriedly opened the door and went inside, but the little sun vanished in an instant.

Joulin coughed repeatedly. He was feeling the aftereffects of forcibly using his breath even though he hadn’t fully matured.

Professor Bendozol’s heart almost stopped from a mix of rage and guilt, but he endured and moved.

“Are you alright?!”

J-Joulin is fine. What about… the other mandrakes…

“They are fine. You controlled it perfectly!”

When breathing out and fixing the breath into a temporary artificial sun, the most important thing was control.

Because of the fierce storm of energy, any slip could destroy the area.

With the greenhouse full of plants, any mistake could cause massive destruction.

Of course, Professor Bendozol wouldn’t really care even if that happened…

“They are fine. You managed to focus the light on only that… no, on Wardanaz’s mandrake.”

Hehehe. Joulin’s plan succeeded!

“As expected of you, Dragon!”

-Uh… excuse me?

The baby basilisk called to the self-congratulating dragon and professor.

The mandrake sapling Lee Han had been growing was growing—at an incredible speed!

…At a speed too fast!

———–!!!!!!

Before even pushing above the dirt, the mandrake’s scream struck all three of their eardrums and shook their souls.

Fortunately, being a dragon, a basilisk, and a professor, the three of them could withstand it.

“Out! Get out!”

Professor Bendozol quickly threw them outside, shut the greenhouse door, and began casting sealing magic.

Meanwhile, the overgrown mandrake inside kept up its mad wailing. So fierce was it that even with the seal in place, the shock could be felt outside.

‘I’ve never seen anything like this…!’

Even Bendozol had never seen a mandrake shrieking so wildly underground.

Joulin, realizing things had gone awry, put on a tearful face.

B-Big trouble…! Wh-what do I do? What do I do…?

“Dragon!”

Hm? Professor Bendozol, do you perhaps have a solution!?

“Today, Your Highness was never here!”

……

-……