Episode 874

Episode 874

Gainando snatched the steak like a seasoned hunter and tore into it like a brave lion.

Lee Han asked in surprise.

“Isn’t that hot?”

“Mmoobabfbo mabiibeso.”

“What?”

Gulp!

“I paralyzed my mouth with dark magic!”

Gainando said proudly with a grin.

By numbing the sensation in his mouth locally, he could eat hot food ahead of others.

At that, Lee Han smacked Gainando’s back.

‘Why!?’

Gainando had no idea why he was being hit.

He’d done exactly as Lee Han said—practiced magic diligently and made use of it!

Meanwhile, Joulin took a bite of each cake, cookie, soufflé, and pudding, then quietly pushed the dishes away.

Dragons were not the kind of race that needed to eat food, so this much was enough.

“Your Highness. Please have some more.”

Hmm. Joulin has had enough.

When Lee Han brought over a plate of vegetables, Joulin pretended not to notice.

But his opponent was a magician who had already subdued several picky royal eaters.

“You can’t. You have to eat a balanced diet.”

“I’ll eat it for you, then?”

“Get lost, you. Now, Your Highness.”

But Joulin is a dragon, so it doesn’t matter…

“You do look awfully thin. Good observation. That’s how you serve a master!”

Professor Bendozol chimed in from beside them.

He was a troublesome disciple, but just now handled things fairly well.

A dragon should look much more robust, after all.

At those words, Joulin shot Professor Bendozol a covert glare. From tormenting Lee Han to this—he really was a bad magician.

Lee Han briefly left to chat with some other friends.

Joulin, glancing about, shoved some salad into his mouth.

“???”

Eandurde, sitting nearby, stared intently at the plate. For all that munching, the food had barely diminished at all.

…Such a huge amount left…

Eandurde looked pitifully at Joulin begging, then just took the plate and ate the rest for him. The carrots on the plate vanished mercilessly.

Joulin gazed at Eandurde with sparkling eyes, then lunged to hug him.

“Grrrrrrrr!”

“What are you two doing? Oh. Your Highness, you finished!”

Uh… Uh…

Terrible at lying, Joulin rolled his eyes, then saw something outside the window and stretched out a forepaw.

There’s a paper bird there!

“Who dares to interrupt the dragon’s meal!”

Professor Bendozol shouted in anger and shot down the paper bird.

He marched to the window and yelled out.

“You lazy demons! Don’t you know how to work properly? If you interrupt the dragon’s meal one more time, I’ll eat you!!”

……

Joulin’s face turned pale.

He might eat vegetables, but he didn’t want to eat demons.

“By the way, who sent the paper bird?”

“Probably Professor Verdus.”

“How do you know it was from Professor Verdus?”

“One already came earlier.”

“???”

His friends looked at Lee Han, not understanding. Then they suddenly realized.

‘Ah. Wardanaz shot it down, huh!’

“I shouldn’t have asked so cluelessly. If a paper bird comes, let’s all shoot them down.”

“We must protect Wardanaz from Professor Verdus.”

“…It wasn’t me who shot it down, Your Highness did.”

?!

Joulin was taken aback.

Joulin never did that!

“You did, in your sleep.”

…That was sleeping Joulin, different from awake Joulin! You must forgive him!

Gainando was impressed by this logic. Truly worthy reasoning for a superior.

“You can shoot down Professor Verdus’s paper birds as much as you want, Your Highness.”

“Yes! You did the right thing!”

???

Encouraged by the students, Joulin tilted his head in confusion.

Just what is Professor Verdus…!?

Meanwhile, Lee Han went to the window and asked the demons.

“Could you send me just one paper bird? I should at least check what it says.”

Having suffered under the mad professor’s rule, the demons, when asked, were so moved they replied:

-Which family are you from, merciful magician? Please, tell us your name. We wish to repay your kindness someday.

“…It’s not such a good deed that I’d reveal my family name. Just give me a paper bird.”

At that moment, another paper bird flew in. Lee Han finally checked the contents.

-Help!

‘Of course.’

Even at Professor Verdus’s plea for help, Lee Han wasn’t surprised.

Professor Passelete had been enraged and put a bounty on his head…

‘I’ve checked, so I should return the artifact.’

Since he’d learned from the Yaksha King, there was no reason to keep the Star Guide any longer.

And no matter how annoying Professor Verdus was…

‘Being strung up and burned at the stake—I can’t just ignore him. Or can I? Is the black book making me tired?’

Lee Han took pride in being different from Professor Verdus. After all, the saying “the student surpasses the master” exists for a reason.

-Enemies entered Hall of Sacred Engravings! Hurry!

“??”

This was genuinely surprising.

The basement had been attacked by mysterious just mage attackers, so Professor Verdus would have surely put the Hall of Sacred Engravings on maximum alert.

Yet somehow, enemies had broken in.

‘How? Wait. Did Professor Baegrek move again?’

If it was Professor Voladi acting for hire again, Lee Han would be impressed.

A combat magician does have to be that persistent!

But the culprit was not Professor Voladi.

-The Enchantment School students betrayed me! Don’t trust anyone!

“……”

Having been betrayed by his own students, Lee Han was left speechless.

‘Wait. That means Senior Yukveltire also betrayed him?’

Yukveltire, as Professor Verdus’s star pupil, would at least have stayed neutral…

‘Yeah. Not likely.’

Remembering Yukveltire’s recent behavior, Lee Han shook his head.

If anything, she was probably leading the Enchantment School students at the front.

Lee Han resolved to be more careful when dealing with Yukveltire in the future.

• * *

After eating, Lee Han set out with Joulin.

Eandurde was dragged along by Joulin as he clung, so had no choice but to join.

Professor Bendozol also clung to Lee Han’s ankle, so he had no choice but to come.

The demons brought by the professor, of course, were also forced to go…

‘There are too many people coming “with no choice,” aren’t there.’

Still, it couldn’t be helped.

With Joulin, not having enough guards would be dangerous.

-Which family is that merciful magician from?

“Him? He’s from House Wardanaz.”

-……

Behind him, Lee Han heard a peculiar conversation between the demons and Professor Bendozol, but he was too preoccupied with other matters.

‘If the Enchantment School seniors betrayed him, how do I get in?’

Originally, entering the Hall of Sacred Engravings would have been enough to meet Professor Verdus, but with the seniors having betrayed him, it was a different story.

From outside to inside the mage tower, watchful eyes would be everywhere. If he acted suspiciously, even as a junior, he’d be attacked instantly.

“Halt!”

“I need to go in briefly. I was working on magic research with Anpagon, and the results are inside…”

“Nobody can enter the Hall of Sacred Engravings now. Until Professor Verdus is caught, no variables are allowed.”

“I see. In that case, can’t be helped. Best of luck catching him.”

“Thanks for the support.”

“……”

Lee Han tried to steady his mind at the conversation up ahead.

Joulin watched in amazement.

To accept and return so calmly even with important things inside, without any anger.

Einrogard students are so rational!

“That’s not it…”

Excluding the other school students who accepted the “catch Professor Verdus” talk without question, Lee Han looked around.

The Enchantment School seniors were blocking all approach to the tower to guard against any potential counterattack from Professor Verdus.

For now, they’d trapped Professor Verdus inside by surprise, but a single slip could activate the works inside—total reversal in an instant. The professor’s students knew full well what happened if you gave a powerful master a chance.

‘Tough. To force my way in…’

With no Professor Voladi, but Joulin and Eandurde at his side, Lee Han wanted to avoid direct confrontation.

If they forced entry, the others would have to go back and Professor Bendozol should lead…

“Wardanaz junior?”

At being called by the Enchantment School seniors who recognized him, Lee Han flinched.

“What brings you here?”

“Uh… Well… I left something inside.”

“All right. Go in.”

“…???”

Lee Han was dumbfounded by their answer.

That easy??

‘Is it because I’m from the Enchantment School?’

While bewildered, Salko walked up from behind.

Seeing the seniors block entry, Salko carefully asked:

“May I go inside?”

“No. Nobody enters the Hall of Sacred Engravings now.”

“No matter how much of a senior you are, this is too much…!”

“Until we catch Professor Verdus, no variables are allowed.”

“Ah. I see. Good luck.”

Salko politely supported the seniors and left.

But seeing his friend from Enchantment School turned away made Lee Han even more confused.

“Um. Senior?”

“What are you standing around for?”

“I just don’t get it. Why do I get to go in and Salko doesn’t?”

“The Tutanta House junior came late. Might’ve been bribed by the professor.”

“…I also came late though?”

At Lee Han’s question, the Enchantment School seniors laughed together.

And said:

“You? The junior with most reason to hate Professor Verdus in Einrogard? Don’t joke!”

“……”

The Enchantment School wasn’t exactly the most tight-knit group, but everyone shared stories of the professor’s abuses.

After all, you had to be prepared against the professor’s evil in the future.

The Wardanaz junior had been tormented by Professor Verdus since first-year summer.

The professor had personally shown up to make him work.

If something like that happened to Enchantment School students, they might seriously have sold out their master to outside assassins.

“What are you doing? Go in.”

“Ah… Yes… Thank you. Um, I do have some companions with me…”

“You brought backup to catch Professor Verdus?”

“No. His Highness just came along.”

“Hmm. Convince His Highness to help catch Professor Verdus. Dragons are extremely powerful beings.”

Will do! If we meet Professor Verdus, Joulin will capture him!

Joulin patted his chest as if to say “leave it to me.” Lee Han whispered:

“Your Highness. We’re not here to catch Professor Verdus, you know?”

I know. But Lee Han, I still don’t get why you want to help Professor Verdus.

“…Your Highness. That time you borrowed items, it was from Professor Verdus’s underground workshop.”

But as Joulin saw it, Professor Verdus’s debts toward Lee Han would be hard to repay no matter what. Shouldn’t he get even more goods?

Huh?

Should he?

For a moment, Lee Han wavered at Joulin’s words.

Then one of the demons following behind cautiously advised.

-Um, magician-nim from Warda… House. If I may, wouldn’t it be better to mercifully show the generosity you decided on at first?

The demons (surprisingly even from House Wardanaz!) were genuinely worried that this rare merciful magician might be corrupted by an evil dragon.