Episode 1227
by Cristae“What letter?”
Of course, with a dragon’s hearing, Joulin caught it. Lee Han sighed inwardly.
“A letter to ask for Your Highness’s early release. Haha.”
In truth, he also planned to include, ‘We should send Your Highness to the capital before he gets even more corrupted,’ but he’d never say that to Joulin.
“Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“?”
“More importantly, Lee Han. Joulin also wants to dig a tunnel. I’m about to pull another too—”
“I’ll dig it, so please just wait a moment!”
Lee Han shouted in fright.
Even if dragons regrew teeth and scales as expendable things, he couldn’t just watch that happen.
“By the way, Your Highness. How did you even get in here?”
“Hm! Joulin finds the magic here most peculiar!”
“?”
Just then, Lee Han felt a sense of incongruity.
Was this dragon…
Trying to change the subject??
Now that he thought about it, as soon as he mentioned the letter to the Skull Headmaster, Joulin brought up the tunnel.
“Your Highness. How did you get in here?”
“Ah, right. Joulin brought some tea leaves. If you wait a bit—”
“Your Highness.”
“Heeng.”
Joulin sulked when his diversion tactic failed.
It had worked on his first-year friends like Eandurde!
“Did you ask Prince Uman for help?”
Lee Han grew ever more sympathetic for the Black Dragon.
He was probably already sad from being struck by his revered elder sister, and if he’d gone and pestered her about the punishment room…
“Hmm. Listening to you, Lee Han, Joulin does think he was a bit harsh on Uman. Uman is still a young dragon.”
“Uh… well, that’s true.”
“So Joulin apologized to Uman.”
“!”
Lee Han was truly surprised at that. And immediately, he burst out happily.
“Well done! You really are so generous and noble, Your Highness!”
“Hehehe.”
Joulin was extremely pleased with his contractor’s flattery.
“And how was Your Highness after?”
“Joulin just thought his younger brother was still so young.”
“No, I meant Prince Uman.”
“Oh.”
At the contractor’s question, Joulin complained inwardly that he cared about such trivial matters.
“Seems he’s somewhat recovered… At least he came out from under the blanket.”
“……”
He’d really gone under the blanket?
Lee Han couldn’t help imagining the huge Black Dragon sniffling beneath a blanket. A truly pitiful sight.
“R-right. Anyway, I’m glad he’s better. …Wait. If you didn’t ask Prince Uman, how did you really get in here?”
“Well… Gonadaltes…”
Joulin’s voice dropped even lower, almost mumbling.
“You asked the Headmaster?”
“Hm. Something like that?”
“…Your Highness. Please just tell me everything.”
“Heeng.”
When the Skull Headmaster returned from being scolded terribly at the capital, the first to greet him was Joulin.
-Gonadaltes!
-Your Highness. What’s the matter?
-I demand the release of Lee Han!
-…Using high language does not make your request any more convincing, Your Highness.
Naturally, the Skull Headmaster refused.
Having just barely scraped by with the excuse of the punishment room after being berated by the Emperor—‘What’s wrong with you? Stop neglecting your students. If your student says he’s going to hunt an evil god, you should stop him!’ and so on—letting Wardanaz go as he pleased with both Garcia and the Emperor watching with sharp eyes was out of the question.
Otherwise, he’d be dragged back to the capital—‘What’s wrong with you? Stop being so lax! If you keep letting them go, won’t your students think it’s fine to fight evil gods?!’ and get blamed all over again.
-Releasing Wardanaz now wouldn’t do him any favors. At least pretend to reflect… What are you doing, Your Highness? Don’t tell me—
-Joulin’s STRIKE!!!
“……”
There was a coughing sound from the next cell, as if Professor Voladi had choked in shock.
That was how shocking the story was. If Lee Han had been drinking something, he would have spat it out too.
“…You struck the Headmaster with your paw?”
“I thought it would work.”
Joulin sounded disappointed.
He’d hoped that if Gonadaltes fainted, he could forge an order and break Lee Han out…
The Skull Headmaster, fending off the Dragon Punch with just a look, grit his teeth and ordered the guards while enduring a splitting headache.
-You’re getting more and more dragon-like. Put him in Wardanaz’s neighboring cell. Wait. Was Bible there before?
-If you mean Professor Verdus, he’s not in. You said you’d never put him in the professor punishment room again.
-Right. I get confused because he goes there so often.
“Your Highness. Violence doesn’t solve anything.”
Lee Han spoke firmly.
He was seriously growing worried about Joulin.
Yesterday he’d swiped at an imperial inspector; today, he’d struck the Skull Headmaster. If things kept up, he might punch the Emperor tomorrow!
The day after that, Lee Han himself would probably be summoned to the dragon’s court!
He always thought if he went to the dragon’s court, it’d be for something more dignified and proper than this…
“But at Einrogard, they teach you to solve things with violence.”
“…No, that’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness.”
Lee Han inwardly cursed Einrogard.
What a wretched school, imparting such unsavory lessons.
“Einrogard has never taught that. Please just study with me, Your Highness. Then you’ll see what Einrogard’s true teachings are.”
“Gasp.”
Suddenly, Joulin regretted ever coming to the punishment room.
Just a moment ago, it felt like a fun field trip, but now it really felt like a prison.
“N-no. Joulin thinks I understand now. Maybe violence isn’t so good…”
“Wonderful. The wall is almost done, so I’ll send you some books.”
“Novels?”
“No.”
Joulin pouted, but Lee Han was undeterred, burning with motivation.
Scholars always wanted to pass on what they’d learned to others.
“…Wait. The jailer’s coming?”
Excitedly discussing what he’d teach, Lee Han paused.
Why so many visits?
Joulin shouted with a bright face.
“If the jailer sees lessons in the punishment room, he’ll be furious!”
“Sorry? No… they don’t care if you teach in here.”
Lee Han quickly hid the nearly-finished tunnel.
Joulin, having read too many novels, seemed to confuse fiction with reality. This punishment room was not like the Toberiz series—here, chatting didn’t get you punished.
This time, the jailer opened the door to the cell opposite Lee Han’s. Lee Han couldn’t believe it.
“Is it Professor Verdus?!”
“S-seems like it.”
Even Professor Voladi agreed briefly.
The three couldn’t help but be shocked.
How long had it been since he left, and already Professor Verdus had done something to land himself in the punishment room?
Emulating that would be a feat few could match.
‘Seriously, what is that guy doing?’
Creeeak—
From the corridor, the new prisoner appeared.
He was a very large human—so big he banged his forehead on the frame trying to enter.
And very familiar.
“…Prince Uman?!”
“Uman?!!”
Both Lee Han and even Joulin were shocked.
Why would his younger brother show up here?
‘Did Uman hit Gonadaltes too with the -Uman Strike-?’
The prisoners in the other cells called his name, but Uman just entered his cell silently.
Then he reverted to dragon form, coiling up. He looked deeply depressed.
“……”
“……”
Lee Han and Joulin were speechless. Joulin spoke first.
“J-Joulin isn’t to blame!”
“I didn’t say anything…”
“I really apologized to Uman! He said he was feeling better…!”
“Hmm.”
Lee Han narrowed his eyes, examining the large dragon opposite.
Even with his size reduced, the cell seemed cramped.
“Your Highness?”
“Don’t call me ‘Highness.’ Uman doesn’t deserve it.”
“……”
“……”
For a moment, Lee Han considered escaping, but he held back and tried to comfort him.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness? If you stay here, who will help the poor students upstairs?”
“…I used to think so too. But that was a mistake. Even you, Lee Han of the Wardanaz family, don’t trust me…”
When the Skull Headmaster returned from having been scolded at the capital, the second to greet him was Uman.
-Lord Gonadaltes!
-…Why are you doing this too? Just go. And if you try to hit me, dream on.
-Excuse me? That’s—never mind. I wanted to ask what His Majesty said.
-He said exactly what you’d expect. Why even ask?
-…It’s Uman’s fault.
-What? That… never mind, I don’t care about the reason. As long as you reflect, you’re fine. Now’s a great time to donate some gold, while you’re at it.
-If I’d been a reliable inspector, Lee Han of Wardanaz would never have gone on a rogue evil god hunt!
-No… that’s not your fault.
Uman had grown up a bit and was always nitpicking, charging off to enforce imperial justice, which could be annoying, but this time it really wasn’t his fault.
This was just a story about the complex, rebellious dynamics between Einrogard masters and disciples.
Whether Uman, Joulin, or even the Emperor himself had been the inspector, Lee Han would have escaped. The Headmaster would’ve bet his job on it.
-It’s Uman’s fault. As inspector, I accomplished nothing. Sob sob!
-…It’s not your fault! Stop crying!
-Uman is going to the punishment room as well. I’ll atone together.
-What? Why are you… Actually, forget it. It’ll be quieter this way.
The Headmaster was too busy to comfort this Black Dragon.
He planned to let the dragon cool off in the punishment room and talk again later.
There just happened to be a cell perfectly suited for a gloomy dragon.
“……”
Lee Han was speechless.
‘Is the professors’ punishment room always this chaotic?’
“L-Lee Han. Uman seems really down…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to cheer him up.”
If that didn’t work, he’d call friends from upstairs to come flatter Uman.
This Black Dragon had done way too much for Einrogard this semester to be so sad.
He’d restored dozens of students to health, repaired hundreds of broken facilities.
“Joulin helped with all that too, you know…”
While Joulin grumbled, a voice called out from down the hall. Yonner.
“Lee Han. I’m here for your request. Apparently it doesn’t matter if you’re in the punishment room, so I decided to come in pers—”
This red-haired friend did not realize there were now two more dragons; the piercing shriek echoed through the punishment room like thunder.