Episode 607

“Among the students, there are only a handful who have succeeded with such ridiculous proposals.”

“So there are some who succeeded?”

The skeleton headmaster’s gaze fully returned to its original state.

“Just hear it however you want. Why, do you want to hear what kind of proposals there have been?”

“I was merely curious. May I ask one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“If one accepts a proposal but, with time, finds it impossible to carry out, what happens then?”

“…Are you asking because you plan to take the sponsorship money and run away!?!”

The skeleton headmaster was appalled.

This disciple never intended to take on a reckless challenge from the beginning.

While other arrogant and proud punks would recklessly overestimate themselves, he alone had coldly devised a plan to just take the sponsorship money and bolt!

It was a truly chilling level of composure.

‘The future is frightening!’

“No… sometimes you just can’t see it through. And the sponsorship money that was spent, well, it can’t be helped. I’m not asking because I intend to run away.”

“You are truly insane. Forget it. A magician who only covets the fruit before their eyes won’t last long. If you accept a proposal and fail, it will damage your reputation.”

For Imperial magicians, reputation was as important as ability.

No matter how skilled, who would entrust a large sum to a magician like Verdus?

In fact, Verdus working under the skeleton headmaster was all because he failed at reputation management.

“A failure or two should be alright though, right?”

“…Do it. Do it! Be sure to do it! Just try not doing it.”

“It’s just a question, so no need to get so angry…”

The skeleton headmaster shook off the topic with disgust.

“The sponsor we’re about to meet is a bit different from the ones you’ve met so far, so be careful.”

“?”

Lee Han was surprised at the headmaster’s words.

A different kind of sponsor?

“Do they have a difficult personality?”

“Difficult… You could say they’re eccentric. Maybe not in the way you think, though. They are the third among His Majesty the Emperor’s nine children.”

“!!!”

Since the current Emperor had over a hundred children, none of them individually wielded great authority.

In fact, having faced the Emperor himself, Lee Han could see why heads of great noble families seemed indifferent to royals.

To them, the Emperor, who must rule eternally and immovably, was firmly in his seat, while a bunch of totally unqualified and outrageously young royals were out there saying ‘I want to be the next Emperor!’—how ridiculous that must have seemed.

Lee Han found it even more curious that some loyalist nobles gathered under princes and princesses, firmly believing their chosen royal would become the successor.

‘Do they really believe someone could be a better Emperor than the current one?’

It was probably because they didn’t know the Emperor’s real nature…

Anyway, these mass-produced royals had little inherent authority, and anyone with a bit of sense was aware of it, but a few royals were different even among them.

From the first to the ninth.

These were the true children the Emperor had conceived and bore alone.

Even if they were not qualified for the throne, as dragons, they possessed immense potential.

And unlike the lower royals, the fact that they were dragons was critical.

For all practical purposes, these nine were the ones the Emperor truly acknowledged as his children.

Naturally, not only the skeleton headmaster but also the great noble houses couldn’t ignore these real royal children.

“I see. So these nine are all wealthy thanks to those favors, and we’re going to squeeze money out of them.”

“…Excellent!”

The skeleton headmaster was startled by Lee Han’s perceptiveness.

Normally, when these nine children are mentioned, people only focus on the dragon aspect or on the fact that the Emperor treasures them, and become nervous.

But this disciple was not swayed by such things and pinpointed the true purpose at once.

“Truly impressive. I’m proud of your growth!”

“Haha. It’s all thanks to your teaching, Headmaster.”

Alsicle, walking beside them, shook his head.

What an archmage did was a bit—no, way different from what Alsicle had imagined.

• * *

‘This is nerve-wracking.’

Standing before the mansion wall, Lee Han steadied his breath.

Meeting a dragon was even more nerve-wracking the more you knew about it beforehand.

He’d at least met the Emperor without knowing, but he was tense for the third royal child of the Emperor because he knew in advance.

What kind of dragon would this be?

“Eccentric, right?”

There are all kinds of eccentrics.

Eccentric like Verdus, eccentric like the skeleton headmaster, eccentric like Professor Voladi…

Being among the first nine imperial royals, the age was easily over a hundred, so the chances were high it would be an eccentric like the skeleton headmaster.

Lee Han pictured an old, white-haired man in robust health blowing up in anger.

‘How should I go about flattering them?’

“Ugh.”

“Are you alright, Alsicle?”

“Mm.”

Alsicle didn’t look well. His beak drooped and his shoulders were hunched.

Wondering if it was the pressure of meeting a dragon, Lee Han asked,

“Is it because of the audience, perhaps…?”

“Ugh. It’s embarrassing, but yes. Actually, I’ve met before.”

Lee Han was genuinely surprised by Alsicle’s words.

“Really?”

“It was dreadful.”

“What sort of person were they…?”

“Come in!”

A knight guarding the mansion’s entrance signaled.

Lee Han stopped talking and followed the skeleton headmaster through the main gate and across the front yard. The yard was so expansive that just walking across it took quite a while.

“Are they awake now?”

“Yes. Fortunately, they’re awake.”

The knight answered the headmaster, looking sincerely relieved.

The skeleton headmaster clicked his tongue and patted the knight on the shoulder.

“You’ve had it rough.”

“…N-no! It’s an honor!”

“Getting spit in the face isn’t really an honor. Don’t overdo the flattery.”

“…???”

Lee Han, following behind, doubted his ears.

Spit in the face?

‘Do they spit at people?’

The image in Lee Han’s mind of a crazed old man with white hair grew even more vivid.

Even if you’re a dragon and an imperial child, spitting at your subordinates out of annoyance is…

“Headmaster, isn’t that a bit much?”

“What can you do? It’s His Majesty’s child.”

“No, but…”

Lee Han was disappointed by the headmaster’s uncharacteristically deferential attitude.

Usually, the skeleton headmaster wouldn’t hesitate to string up even the Emperor’s children and throw them in the punishment room if they acted out.

“Can’t you throw her in the punishment room?”

“…You know, sometimes you’re really something, even for my disciple.”

The skeleton headmaster opened the door in disbelief.

The mansion inside was similar to the Emperor’s quarters.

Instead of being divided into various sections and rooms like an ordinary Imperial residence, it was wide open, like a single large cavern.

Perhaps they’d used spatial expansion magic, for the interior seemed many times larger, with damp, dark air flowing out. Close your eyes and you could believe you were deep in some cave.

Wow! Alsicle!!!

“Please!”

With Alsicle’s scream from the side, a giant dragon paw snatched up the penguin beastkin.

The golden dragon threw Alsicle up and caught him, tossing and catching him several times before hugging him tightly.

The skeleton headmaster calmly cast a powerful protective spell on Alsicle.

Even so, the sound of the shield shattering came clearly.

“Your Highness. Please mind your dignity.”

Wow! Gonadaltes too!

“Your Highness.”

U-Understood. Alsicle… Why did you take so long to come? Didn’t you want to see Joulin?

“Uhh… I was busy with work… For mages, magic is a calling… Please let me live…”

What nonsense about magic! Magic is boring!

The dragon spouted, in front of a mage, words that were practically taboo to mages, but Alsicle just flapped his wings, unable to retort.

Lee Han, who’d been staring dazedly at this young dragon tormenting a penguin beastkin magician, came to a realization.

So this dragon was…

“How young are they!?”

“What are you talking about? Oh. You didn’t expect Her Highness to be mature like other species, did you?”

The skeleton headmaster, finally understanding why this disciple wanted to throw the young dragon in the punishment room, nodded.

Before, he’d just thought Lee Han was nuts.

“It’ll be a few hundred more years before Joulin’s head even starts to mature.”

Dragons, after a few decades, could surpass the knowledge of most other species and bring down fortress walls with their strength, but their mental age was another story.

Even a dragon that had lived hundreds of years still had the mindset of a teenage kid.

The exceedingly excited third imperial princess, Joulin, tossed the penguin beastkin with her front paw.

Alsicle, fly! Fly!

“I can’t fly… These are not wings for flying!”

Fly!

“!”

Lee Han shuddered as he witnessed the potential for even brief Word Magic.

Truly, the bloodline of a real dragon was on another level.

Joulin only let Alsicle go after plenty of play. Completely exhausted, Alsicle collapsed and whimpered.

“…Well done. Go rest.”

“Ughh…”

Devoid of a magician’s pride and grieving his fate as a penguin circus act, Alsicle trudged away.

The thrilled Joulin flapped her small wings and belatedly spotted Lee Han.

He was an amazing guest radiating tremendous magical power.

Is this Joulin’s new sibling??

“No, Your Highness. I’m just a human.”

Did Gonadaltes modify you?

“Your Highness. If you do not mind your dignity, we’ll leave and never visit again.”

At the skeleton headmaster’s words, Joulin screamed—a piercing cry that shook the cavern.

The skeleton headmaster glanced at Lee Han, worried he might have been shaken by the powerful cry.

But Lee Han stood calmly. The skeleton headmaster nodded approvingly.

“?”

O-Okay! Joulin did wrong. Please don’t leave!

“Yes. Please mind your dignity.”

You’re a human with so much damned magic. What’s your name?

“Your Highness, that’s not the right way to put it.”

N-Not right? Damned magical…?

“Don’t force unfamiliar curses into your sentences if you don’t know their meaning.”

The princess nodded, crestfallen.

“I’m Lee Han of the Wardanaz family.”

I’ve never seen a magician with this much magic before. Such a magician could play with Joulin!

The gold dragon stared at Lee Han with glittering eyes.

Recalling the cave penguin show Alsicle had just performed, Lee Han called to the skeleton headmaster with a sense of foreboding.

“Am I supposed to do what Alsicle did?”

“No. You’re not a penguin beastkin, and you don’t have his charm. Don’t think you can do things like Pengerine.”

“…That’s not exactly reassuring.”

Eagerly, Joulin fetched a silk handkerchief.

Then she tossed it to Lee Han.

Pour magic into it!

“It’ll rip, won’t it?”

It won’t! Pour it in with all your strength!

Puzzled, Lee Han channeled his magic into the silk handkerchief.

Amazingly, instead of tearing under the huge surge of magic, the handkerchief held tightly, remaining firm.

‘Incredible!’

Probably, the internal magical structure focused solely on dispersing magic, making this possible.

Even considering that, it was remarkable.

To be able to disperse magic to this degree…

Compared to this, even dropping an egg from several thousand kilometers up and having it not break by dispersing the shock seemed easier.

Right? Gonadaltes made it for me! I went to all that trouble, but I had no one to play with, so I’ve just used it myself. Here!

The dragon firmly secured one end of the handkerchief between her front claws and made Lee Han grab the other end.

Magic tug-of-war! Magic tug-of-war!

“…Uh, Headmaster?”

Lee Han called out, but the skeleton headmaster was already seated at a table and chair in a corner of the cavern, sipping coffee.

“Do your best to play.”

“…!”

So that’s why I was brought here!