Episode 1228
by Cristae“D-d-d-dragon?!”
“Joulin is a dragon.”
Joulin tilted his head, looking at Yoner.
He’d even rolled about in dragon form in the Blue Dragon Tower lounge—why be shocked now?
“N-no, it’s not that I’m surprised that Prince Joulin is a dragon… It’s just… I’m shocked there are two dragons in the punishment room.”
“Oh.”
Joulin finally felt a little embarrassed.
He hadn’t noticed among his contractor or Professor Voladi in his cell, but seeing people from outside reminded him of a forgotten shame.
Was being in the punishment room something to be embarrassed about??
“Why are you here?”
“Well, Joulin… Joulin’s Strike…”
“Joulin’s Strike?”
“Yeah… so…”
Joulin fidgeted for a moment, then quickly pointed at his younger brother.
“Uman came down here out of sadness!”
“…???!!!”
“Yoner, don’t ask too much and just tell us about the request, will you?”
Lee Han stepped in, unable to watch any longer.
He was afraid Joulin might burst into tears like Uman.
“R-right. The request. I got a message from my sister. After you got put in the punishment room…”
“Did she want me to come during vacation? It’ll be tough even then.”
“No. In fact, she was glad. Said you’ll be able to focus better, and she’d visit in person.”
“……”
Lee Han made a sour face.
Yoanen of the Meikin family walked confidently, floating a bundle of necessary reagents in the air.
‘It’s burning again.’
A tower and the grounds nearby were blazing and monsters were rampaging, but Yoanen wasn’t surprised.
Every visit to Einrogard seemed to highlight a new oddity.
-This way, Lady Meikin.
“Thank you.”
The Death Knights, whom she’d met a few times, greeted the talented alchemist with respect.
Rumor had it Einrogard was unfriendly to outsiders, but that wasn’t true. Einrogard was kind to capable and generous wizards.
“Is it true that Master Wardanaz is confined because of the evil god subjugation?”
-He’s not confined, it’s just some minor reflection.
-It’s like… a voluntary retreat?
The knights quickly made excuses.
If not, it would sound as if Einrogard couldn’t even control a single student and let him fight an evil god.
The official announcement would be that he participated under strict professor supervision and discretion.
-Don’t trust the Empire’s newspaper. Those guys are garbage.
-They’ve never gotten anything right!
‘Yoner was telling the truth…’
Yoanen thought inwardly.
The more the Death Knights badmouthed the Empire’s newspaper, the more credible Yoner’s tale became.
Sister, there’s a snag with this job. My friend ended up in the punishment room after directly fighting an evil god…
Shocking as it was, a great wizard had to pursue her path steadily even amid surprises. Yoanen looked for useful info in her brother’s letter.
Punishment room, huh.
In a way, wasn’t it a good place to focus on work?
Yoanen wrote straight to the Skull Headmaster and got permission to borrow the punishment room. Her brother, upon receiving the message, was very “happy.”
Even in the punishment room?! Do I really have to do this much?!! I don’t want to!
Pleased by her brother’s “positive” response, Yoanen wrote back in satisfaction.
Thanks for helping. See you in the punishment room.
“Wait, I’ll bring one more student.”
Instead of going straight to the professors’ punishment room, Yoanen headed toward the dormitory towers, confusing the knights.
Who would she bring?
-Student Nillia?
-Why would you think that?
-She has a wide network.
-True.
But Yoanen’s call was unexpected. The alchemist scanned the Blue Dragon Tower students through her amethyst glasses.
“Is His Highness the Prince here by chance?”
“Huh?”
Second-years, hastily scribbling up an escape plan in the lounge, were startled and flipped their tables at the sudden visit.
The Death Knights pretended not to see.
“Prince? Uh, you mean Prince Uman?”
“No.”
“Huh? Then, no.”
“……”
Adenart, among the students, clenched both fists.
She had words on the tip of her tongue.
‘There’s one right here…!’
Even the most seasoned alchemist would be thrown by such a reaction. Yoanen asked in confusion.
“S-student Gainando…”
“Ah! Gainando!!”
“I totally forgot about Gainando!”
“……”
-……
“Gainando! You have a visitor!”
Finally, the friends remembered and called him.
But Gainando was nowhere to be seen. The Blue Dragon Tower students were puzzled.
He was here just a bit ago…
-Ahem. I don’t want to butt in, but Student Gainando is by that window under an invisibility spell.
“…C-coward!!!”
Gainando, who’d been hiding under the window, screamed.
As soon as he saw Yoanen, he tore up an invisibility scroll and hid, but the Death Knights found him anyway!
-A word of advice: Optical-invisibility spells don’t work on undead like us.
“Hmph. If you’re so good at advice, why didn’t you give Lee Han a warning before he went off to fight an evil god?”
-……
The Death Knights were inflamed with rage.
How dare this prince jab at the one thing we can’t retort?!
‘You. Just you wait!’
“Why were you hiding, Gainando?”
“…I was practicing invisibility magic scrolls.”
“You’re not hiding from Lady Meikin, right?”
“What’re you saying! Of course not! No way!”
The other students looked on in confusion.
Yoanen of the Meikin family had a high reputation as an alchemist.
She wasn’t there to kidnap anyone, so why was Gainando horrified?
Gainando looked around for help. With Lee Han in the punishment room, there was no one to turn to.
“H-help me,” Gainando pleaded to Adenart with a pitiful voice. He’d never spoken this way before. Adenart was flustered.
“W-what do you mean?”
“If I get dragged along, I’ll be worked to death! …Just like Lee Han!”
It was a rather rude comparison for a friend, but Adenart let it go.
That wasn’t what was important.
“I… still don’t get it.”
“I got a commission letter from Lady Meikin a while ago, right? Since then, Yoner and Lee Han have looked at me with sly eyes! If I go now, I’ll definitely be worked like a mule!”
“!!!”
Adenart was greatly surprised.
It wasn’t the commission from Yoanen that shocked her.
Well, maybe that too, but at this point, little was surprising.
What amazed Adenart was Gainando’s judgment.
When it came to work, he possessed a truly impressive sense of danger.
Amazingly perceptive!
“A…amazing.”
“Help me! Tell her I have to study!”
Adenart nodded. Gainando’s face brightened.
“Then…”
“Take him. His schedule’s free.”
“?!?!?!”
Gainando looked at Adenart in despair and betrayal.
The princess shrugged.
Suddenly acting like friends now?
Why should I help you?
“Tra… traitor!”
Among royalties, only ruthless schemes prevail. Gainando accepted that as he wailed in anguish.
-Come along, Gainando.
-Don’t struggle.
“Do you not want to go, Gainando?”
“…If I refuse, are you going to send a letter to my mother…”
Yoanen just smiled. Gainando sniffled miserably.
“I’ll come along…”
“Smart choice.”
“So who’s inside the punishment room now?”
“Lee Han and the professor.”
“Professor Verdus?”
“No, Professor Baegrek.”
“???”
Yoanen paused.
Wait—did he get the name wrong?
She figured Gainando might confuse Baegrek and Verdus.
Unfortunately, since the knights had only escorted them to the door, there was no one to ask.
“Why Professor Baegrek?”
“I heard he got locked up for escaping.”
“Why’d he escape?”
“Well, evil god worshippers kept pestering him, so he tried to get rid of them…”
“I see. And what about Master Wardanaz?”
“Uh… Lee Han got angry and went out to hunt them every time he had leave.”
“……”
Viewed through her glasses, Yoanen’s gaze turned icy.
Gainando’s credibility had just plummeted.
At least try to make a believable story!
“Here we are.”
“That’s right. Lee Han!”
Gainando quickly called out to his friend.
He just didn’t want to be alone with Yoner’s sister. He needed his reliable friend.
“Wait a bit! Joulin must defeat Professor Baegrek! …Lee Han. What card should I play here?”
“Shh, Your Highness. Lower your voice. Everyone can hear you.”
“?!?”
“…W-why is there a dragon here?!”
Yoanen finally noticed the peculiarity of the punishment room. Gainando gasped in shock.
“You… you were playing wizard cards?!”
‘Is that what matters right now?’
Yoanen looked at the prince in disbelief.
Still, seeing two prisoners exchanging cards between cells with a black dragon sniffling nearby—that was just as surreal.
Lee Han would take Professor Voladi’s card and place it in the center, then Joulin’s, and repeat.
“Prince Joulin?!”
Yoanen finally realized there was not just one dragon in the punishment room.
Two dragons, in the punishment room?!!
“Oh, it’s Yoanen of the Meikin family.”
“Your Highness… why… why are you in there?”
“……”
Joulin paused.
Then declared, “Joulin is not really Joulin!!”
‘You really learn fast!’
Lee Han was amazed.
The move of pretending to be someone else after making a mess—he’d picked it up, one of the signature tricks of Einrogard students.
“Sis. Everything you asked for is all set up,” Yoner called out wearily. Only then did Yoanen realize her brother was in another vacant room.
“You too!??!”
“No! That’s not true!”
Treated like a fellow convict, Yoner protested indignantly.
She’d only borrowed an empty room to set up her workbench and tools!
‘…Don’t tell me Yoner’s embarrassed about us.’
Lee Han thought to himself.
He worried that his red-haired friend might be ashamed of the three prisoners here.
We’re proud of ourselves!
“Wait! Joulin must win—”
“Your Highness. If you go in for work now, this round is void.”
“Ah! Alchemy work is really more important!”
Joulin swiftly gathered up the cards. Lee Han took the chance to peek at the next card Joulin would have drawn.
‘Darn, if you’d lasted one more turn, you would’ve come back and won.’
Professor Voladi’s hand was mostly bad cards, but Joulin was fooled by the numbers.
“Gainando, as you probably guessed, I need your help with our work.”
“All right. …But you haven’t been playing wizard cards in the punishment room this whole time, have you, while I was gone?”
Gainando eyed the empty cell across the way. Lee Han warned him sternly.
“If you get put into the punishment room, I’ll make you do wizard studies 25 hours a day.”
“…Is that really necessary…?”