Episode 1225
by CristaeLee Han’s gaze unconsciously shifted to the empty cell on the opposite side from Professor Voladi.
‘Is someone else going to be added?’
That must not happen.
He could tolerate Professor Voladi, but there was no way he could allow Joulin to be stuck in a miserable place like this.
For now, Lee Han kept calm and asked a question.
“Are you all right?”
“Hmm? Joulin is fine.”
“…I meant Prince Uman.”
“Ah!”
Joulin grumbled somewhat petulantly.
“Uman isn’t the contractor.”
Joulin was Lee Han’s contractor, not Uman.
So even if he had punched someone in dragon form, Joulin should be worried about himself first, right?
“?”
At that logic, Lee Han cocked his head.
‘Has he been influenced by staying at Einrogard?’
This level of shamelessness was about second semester, first-year Einrogard style.
He picked it up so fast.
“Your Highness. You outrank Prince Uman, do you not? It’s proper for those above to care for those below.”
“That’s true… hmm, but Uman was barely hurt.”
‘Whew.’
Lee Han let out a relieved sigh.
Thankfully, the other party was also a dragon and tough. To withstand a blow from Joulin…
Of course, that didn’t mean he was completely fine.
Especially not his feelings!
That dragon inspector might look tough and confident on the outside, but inside he seemed more fragile than Joulin.
Why, he’d even reverted to his true form and sobbed when the students rioted in anger. If his revered elder sister Joulin gave him a swipe…
‘He’s not going to get depression, is he?’
Lee Han was genuinely worried for Uman. Joulin became even more annoyed at Lee Han’s attitude.
“Hmph! I should have hit him once more!”
“…Your Highness, you misunderstand. I’m not saying I care more for Prince Uman, but it’s just that… he’s a bit… younger and softer than you, Your Highness.”
It felt very odd describing a full-grown Black Dragon, one who could swallow Lee Han in a bite, as “younger and softer,” but he kept a straight face.
Joulin seemed a bit cheered up by that.
“…Uman is a little young.”
“Right? Please be generous with him. And since His Majesty the Emperor learned of the evil god subjugation, Prince Uman can’t spirit me away on his own anyway.”
Joulin sank into thought.
What if he went to the Emperor and landed a direct hit…
“Your Highness, you’re not considering going to His Majesty the Emperor to protest, are you?”
Lee Han asked with a sense of foreboding.
Surely not…
Surely…
Joulin quickly put on a blank expression, feigning ignorance. Time at Einrogard was truly teaching this Gold Dragon many things.
“Joulin hadn’t thought anything at all!”
“I see. Anyway, don’t cause any more incidents, Your Highness. I’m doing fine. In fact, this may be good for you. We haven’t been able to play much lately. Do you want to play Gold Dragon Chess?”
At Lee Han’s suggestion, Joulin hesitated for a bit.
Then, with a resolute look, he replied.
“Ordinary chess is fine too.”
“??”
A surprising answer, but Lee Han fetched the chessboard anyway.
With prison bars between the dragon and his contractor, they began to move the pieces.
Joulin played quite aggressively, but couldn’t break through Lee Han’s solid defense. His pieces got blocked quickly.
“Uuughh.”
Looking miserable, Joulin glared holes into the chessboard. As a dragon, he really might be able to burn through it with just his gaze.
“Your Highness, is there a reason you chose regular chess?”
“…Joulin is a wise dragon so from now on, I don’t play chess with Gold Dragon pieces that can move in every direction and breathe across the entire board.”
‘Something happened here.’
Lee Han realized that Joulin had learned another valuable truth.
Einrogard didn’t only give negative influences. There were positives, too.
Joulin kept glancing behind Lee Han. Lee Han flinched, wondering if his secret tunnel had been discovered, but Joulin was looking at something else.
“Ah. Would you like some cocoa?”
“Yes!”
“Wait a moment.”
As soon as Lee Han stood up with a smile, Joulin instantly moved some chess pieces with lightning speed.
It was one of the tricks he had learned from Eandurde.
Returning with a mug in hand, Lee Han glanced at the board, then stared piercingly at Joulin.
“……”
“……”
‘…Isn’t this a strictly negative influence?’
Joulin, perhaps suddenly feeling guilty, changed the subject.
“By the way, Lee Han. Telling me not to cause incidents means things I did before that are okay, right?”
Whenever this Gold Dragon got flustered or excited, he’d revert to his original way of speaking rather than formal language.
Instead of pointing it out, Lee Han focused on the question.
Things done before…?
“Did you do something else?”
“Not that, but, uh, anyway, it’s fine, right?”
“Hm, depends what kind of incident. Did anyone get hurt?”
Joulin thought for a moment.
After not getting responses from Gonadaltes or Uman, Joulin had gotten slightly angry and summoned some students and professors.
-Set fires and raid the Mage Tower until they let Lee Han out! If you do that, Joulin will personally train your Cerberus!
-Now I understand why the junior is loyal to Your Highness! Let’s do it!
-And… uh, hmm, for professors…
-Your Highness. I need no reward. Loyalty to you is its own most precious reward. Please let us raid the professors’ towers for your sake.
-…Can’t you just take a reward? Joulin finds this a little uncomfortable…
The experienced magicians had caused chaos as promised, but it didn’t have much effect.
After all, at Einrogard, there were plenty who set fires and raided towers even without any pretext, so a bunch of suspicious anonymous magicians causing trouble didn’t even draw attention—just a “here they go again.”
Joulin was bewildered by the nonchalant reaction.
Shouldn’t people have said, “Gasp! How can something so absurd happen at Einrogard? Come to think of it, wasn’t there a junior being unfairly punished? We should let him out!”?
Instead, the reaction was more, “Who is it this time?” “Doesn’t matter, let’s use this chance to grab senior’s stuff, Wardanaz will like that.”
‘Hmm. But I don’t think anyone was hurt.’
“Your Highness?”
Joulin snapped out of his thoughts at his contractor’s call.
Certainly, no one had been injured!
“No one was hurt…”
“Then it’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”
Joulin grinned brightly.
Lee Han had no idea that the dragon before him had actually summoned professors and students and stirred up trouble.
“Uh, Your Highness, both your bishops are on black squares.”
“…A-amazing. M-might be a ghost here in the punishment room…”
Joulin averted his eyes in confusion and at last spotted something odd in Lee Han’s cell.
It wasn’t the overflowing household goods and clutter…
“Lee Han, what’s with that wall?”
“Sorry?”
Lee Han turned without thinking and was horrified.
The blanket hiding the tunnel had fallen away!
“…That wall was always like that…”
“You’re trying to escape!!!”
Joulin jumped with golden eyes glowing in delight.
Hadn’t there been something like this in -Toberiz Escapes the Fortress- too?
As expected, Joulin’s contractor had had a plan all along.
“Ah, no, it’s not really an escape attempt. I was just digging a little tunnel to the next cell… for convenience, Your Highness. Please don’t mention this anywhere.”
Especially not to Professor Garcia.
Joulin wasn’t an idiot. He nodded gravely.
“If anyone finds out about this hole, Joulin will swallow them whole.”
“There’s no need to go that far, just… keep it secret.”
“There should be… Professor Verdus in the next cell? Right?”
“No, it’s Professor Baegrek.”
“Oh.”
Joulin was disappointed.
Even though he’d just heard it was Professor Voladi, he confused it again.
For some reason, whenever someone mentioned a professor in the punishment room, it always defaulted to Professor Verdus.
“So you and Professor Baegrek are passing secret letters written in blood and ash!”
“No, it’s quiet here, so we just talk.”
There was even real ink.
Joulin looked a bit deflated from Lee Han’s answer.
“So the stationery? Is it blankets and leather stitched together?!”
“There’s store-bought stationery…”
Joulin looked even more crestfallen. Lee Han felt oddly guilty.
Had he brought too much into the punishment room?
“Novels really are different from real life…”
“……”
“But! I just had a great idea!”
Undaunted even by cold reality, Joulin excitedly came up with an idea.
Lee Han asked curiously.
“What is it?”
“I have the perfect tool for digging a hole in the wall. It’s…”
Joulin rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a familiar-looking item.
It was a dragon’s tooth!
Lee Han’s expression immediately grew stern.
Joulin, nervous that his contractor would scold him for carelessly removing body parts again, cried out in a hurry.
“Wait! It’s not what you think! It’s not my tooth!”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s Uman’s tooth, and uhh, it fell out when Joulin hit him with the first strike…”
“……”
“…I-it’s not as though I pulled it myself, so strictly speaking, I didn’t break our promise last time…”
Joulin stammered, sneaking glances at his contractor. Lee Han was deeply troubled.
Was Einrogard really a good influence on Joulin…?
“Sigh.”
After Joulin left, Lee Han sighed and picked up the dragon’s tooth.
He felt a bit sorry for Prince Uman, but he couldn’t not use it after it was given. It was the perfect tool for digging into the tough prison wall.
“It’s Professor Verdus.”
“Pardon?”
Lee Han stopped at the abrupt, inexplicable comment from the next cell.
Professor Verdus had come??
Leaving aside how he’d figured it out, that made no sense.
If there was a list of professors least likely to visit, Professor Verdus would be at the top!
‘Maybe Professor Garcia was shy and sent Professor Verdus in his place? No, that can’t be… It’s not as if there’s no one else he could ask…’
Maybe he chose someone he’d feel less guilty about pressuring?
Soon it became clear Professor Voladi was right. From the end of the hall appeared the evil, cute face of a beaver beastman magician.
“How did you know?”
“Footsteps, from the upper floor.”
“…!”
Lee Han was struck.
He’d only considered sounds and mana in the corridor, but upstairs footsteps could be important information too.
Not that he wanted to memorize Professor Verdus’s footsteps…
“Professor Verdus. I never thought you’d visit here.”
“Do you know how to use -Eye of Ahrak-?”
At once, Professor Verdus asked. Lee Han was slightly flustered.
Of course he knew. That was one of those insane dark magic spells forcibly crammed into his head by crazy dark magicians this year.
“I do know, but…”
“-Living Wall-?”
“I know that one too.”
“Then write it all down in detail, here!”
Professor Verdus shoved a thick book full of blank pages through the bars.
Right then, from the next cell, a razor-sharp knife came flying straight at the back of Professor Verdus’s neck.