Episode 1041
by CristaeFeeling deeply wronged, Lee Han protested.
“I really did use dragon’s breath. Here’s the record.”
He produced the journal he’d kept.
It was thanks to Professor Willow, who’d anticipated Lee Han would be joining the Horticulturist Club and instructed him to keep records.
The great artist took the record with a serious expression and scanned it in silence.
“Hm… I see… I see… In that case… Wait. Why Einrogard—did you raise this yourself?!”
The artist nearly dropped the record out of shock.
She seemed more surprised than when she learned the Headmaster’s school had a new youngest apprentice.
“Yes. If I hadn’t, how would a student like me have been invited to the club in the first place?”
“I figured you were just invited for being the Headmaster’s apprentice.”
“……”
Lee Han looked at her incredulously, but the artist ignored it.
Truthfully, she was the one who should have been incredulous.
‘Come to think of it, the Horticulturist Club isn’t that lenient. They wouldn’t let just anyone in—even a madman’s apprentice—without proof.’
“Where did you get dragon’s breath? The madman’s vault?”
“No. I have a contracted dragon.”
“……”
The artist was even more shocked.
“Who?! Wait. Let me guess… was it His Highness Uman??”
Even amid her shock, the great artist’s deductive skills shone through.
Dragons weren’t a race you just bumped into. Not in the modern Empire, even less so than in ancient days.
That meant the most likely dragons to contract with were the emperor’s own offspring.
Of those, the most active and likely to get along with the youngest…
‘It’s most likely the fourth, His Highness Uman.’
A Valkyrie dragon who despised injustice and the Headmaster, a champion of righteousness.
Out of all dragons, that one might well contract with the youngest…
“No, it’s His Highness Joulin.”
“Why?????”
“Even if you ask why, it wasn’t my choice.”
Well, that’s true!
The artist quickly accepted it.
No matter how much a mage wanted to contract, a dragon wouldn’t just play along. Dragon contracts happened solely at the dragon’s will.
“I thought that dragon, like the others, was a recluse…”
“Recluse?”
Lee Han tilted his head.
Because information about dragons was so patchy, even mages like the great artist had misconceptions.
“It’s shocking, but not impossible to believe. As a dragon, he must have seen your magical talent and fate, right?”
“It’s more that I played to—”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from His Highness Uman, but didn’t expect this kind of connection. Amazing.”
‘Don’t tell me that dragon is the culprit?’
Lee Han began to suspect the absent black dragon.
The great artist seemed to have some basic misunderstanding about Joulin.
“Well, let’s save the dragon contract talk for later. The other members are waiting.”
The club members were barely holding back their curiosity.
The secretive conversation between the artist and Lee Han had them convinced the mandragora might actually be real.
“Is it really real?”
“They said it was impossible.”
“But if it is, why all the hushed talk…?”
The artist finished their conversation and declared firmly,
“Everyone, listen. I’ve checked the records.”
“How did you judge it, madam?”
“But first, I need to say something.”
“?”
Lee Han looked at his senior.
What was she about to say?
“Would you mind if I bought this mandragora first?”
“……”
“……”
The horticulturists stared at the artist’s brazen face in disbelief.
It’s real, all right!
- * *
Click!
“It’s open.”
“Excellent, Ratford. I’m always impressed.”
Salko nodded, praising his friend’s skill.
He’d always been a fine engineer, but after entering Einrogard, Ratford’s abilities had skyrocketed.
Now, he could crack not just any ordinary lock but all sorts of magical locks and seals with ease.
Thanks to that, even at the auction halls, he easily found jobs—there were plenty of chests and boxes dug up by adventurers that had yet to be opened.
“The White Tiger Tower punks couldn’t even dream of this stuff.”
Salko said proudly as he meticulously restored a broken statue.
While the White Tiger Tower boasted of their knightly blood, it was adaptability in situations like this that was Black Turtle Tower’s badge of honor.
No one could drum up work faster than them in these circumstances—
“……”
“……”
Ratford dropped his magic lockpick. Salko dropped his magic hammer, too.
Gainando was walking past decked out in every gaudy ornament imaginable.
“…Finally lost your mind?”
“What? No! I bought these with my own money!”
Gainando protested at the sudden criticism, but Ratford offered serious advice.
“Better to convert whatever you have left to gold and turn yourself in now. Really, it’s best.”
“W-Why are you like this, too?! I really earned this! I sold all my mage cards! For a lot!”
“What?”
Salko couldn’t believe it.
Those things were just kids’ toys—how’d they sell for a good price?
“I can’t understand people. Why would such things be worth so much?”
“Hmph. No use being jealous.”
“It is strange though. Gainando’s cards ordinarily don’t go for high prices.”
Ratford, who came from a guild family, wasn’t one to underestimate the value of mage cards.
And Gainando subtly slipped the rest of his cards deeper into his pocket, saying,
“Guess I was just lucky. Guess it’s my reward for always being a good kid?”
“……”
Salko’s grip tightened around the magic hammer, and Ratford quickly intervened.
“P-Please calm down.”
“I am calm. I’m calmly going to punch the brat.”
While they muttered, Gainando opened his arms generously and declared,
“Hey! Since I made so much, I’ll share the wealth with you two!”
“Really?!”
“Of course! We’re all from Einrogard, after all.”
“……”
Salko finally softened. He lowered his hammer.
“Don’t waste it all. Too much spending and it’ll all vanish.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it all budgeted.”
Gainando showed the sharp mind of a Blue Dragon student and explained his plan.
“First, a third will go back into mage cards. Seems there’s good money there.”
“…Fine, sure.”
“And another third is for myself.”
He indicated the ridiculous jewelry he wore. Salko had to hold back a glare.
“The rest will buy Lee Han a present.”
“…?”
“???”
Salko and Ratford exchanged glances.
Those numbers don’t add up.
“And whatever’s left, I’ll buy gifts for my friends.”
“…There’s nothing left.”
“Huh?”
Gainando paused.
Sure enough, after counting his coins, nothing was left.
“Oh. That must be because I started with a quarter and changed it to a third… I guess it got mixed up.”
“I see.”
“Too bad. In that case, I guess I’ll cancel giving you guys anything.”
“……”
- * *
“Did you just hear His Highness screaming?”
“I didn’t hear anything…”
‘Maybe I misheard?’
Siana tilted her head.
Well, this isn’t Einrogard, so there’s no reason to hear Gainando’s scream, anyway.
“This item’s cursed.”
“Indeed! Would you look at this one too, priest?”
“That’s just a mage who botched the spell. That’s why it’s making that noise.”
“Damn! I knew something was fishy!”
The Prisinga Order was one of the empire’s most renowned curse experts, and plenty of people wanted to hire Priest Tijilling in his ceremonial robes.
He busily sorted real cursed items from those that seemed cursed due to botched inscriptions.
Meanwhile, he asked,
“Will you be staying here, Siana?”
“Oh—am I distracting you?”
“Not at all. I just wondered if you wanted a task from the Fleming Order instead.”
The Fleming Order was another major player in places like these.
Since its priests were all alchemy experts, people in need of potions called them right away.
But Siana shook her head.
“I thought about it, but…”
“?”
“…Some crazy rich person bought up all the potions before the auction even started!”
Siana still sounded angry.
Sometimes misfortune caused losses, but this was just a thunderbolt out of the blue.
Some rich lunatic swept up all the potions—and the jobs went with them.
Worse, she’d planned to buy herself some decent potions after her work was done, and now that was blown, too.
“Wouldn’t you have more fun with the other priests?”
“No, I’m happier here.”
Usually stoic, Tijilling actually smiled faintly.
Siana thought to herself,
‘I definitely don’t want to go to the other priests…!’
Sharkal, the shark beastkin, and Nigisor, the fire-spirit mix, were both way too intense.
One just chased sea items all day, and the other cared only for improving fire elements…
Worst of all, after befriending Wardanaz, they’d both just gotten even more proactive.
At this rate, by third year they’d be connecting the tower lounge to the deep sea, or summoning an eternal flame to the fireplace.
Siana used to think herself attention-grabbing in her own order, but now compared to those two, she was downright mild.
She suddenly felt grateful to Tijilling. The Phoenix Tower needed a steady priest like him.
But just as she finished the thought, Nigisor appeared.
Radiating searing heat, the priest-student held out a new lantern and asked,
“Siana. I’ve found a quite decent lantern—could you recommend a potion to fill it with?”
“What’s the purpose?”
“I want to imprison demon’s flame within.”
“You’ve got… demon’s flame?”
“No, but if I ask Wardanaz, I’m sure I can get it. His family is said to have plenty.”
“……”
“To keep that flame burning I’ll have to reinforce this lantern. Any tips…”
“Ah! I just remembered, I promised to meet the other priests!”
Siana jumped up and fled.
If she stayed, she’d be stuck going to Lee Han to ask, ‘Could you lend me a demon, please?’
And she definitely did not want to do that.
- * *
“Why not just promise and be done with it?”
The artist commented shamelessly—no surprise, coming from a former disciple of the Headmaster.
After a fierce struggle (lots of money and jewels flying around), the artist had finally won the mandragora.
Of course, members wondered when the next batch would come…
But Lee Han couldn’t promise.
He’d need Joulin!
“You can’t use it however you wish.”
“You have a contract, doesn’t that mean it’s fine? He probably does whatever he likes anyway.”
“……”
Lee Han almost gave in for a moment.
Contracting a dragon really was a two-way street.
‘…No, I can’t waver!’