Episode 890
by CristaeSaratan’s voice grew even more desperate, now that his showing off had gotten him suddenly accused as the culprit.
-That’s not what I meant, Wizard! Please believe me!
“Believe you.”
-Yes!
“The one who tried to kill me and escape the moment we met.”
-……
Saratan wanted to say, ‘It’s natural for strong beings to brawl in another dimension when they meet, so why are you still fussing about that petty stuff?’
But thanks to the attacks he recently received from the wizard, Saratan’s social skills had become highly developed for a great spirit.
-It’s a misunderstanding!!
“Wardanaz, it’s that spirit! We have to purge that darn spirit!”
“What an arrogant, ungrateful brat! Told you Wardanaz had to rule him by force! This is how he repays concern?!”
The friends from each tower shouted angrily, pointing at Lee Han’s staff.
If Lee Han weren’t there, they’d have snatched the staff away and burnt it themselves.
“Everyone, calm down.”
“Wardanaz, you can’t trust that spirit! He’ll betray you again!”
“No. To safely purge a spirit inside a staff, we have to go somewhere isolated, put up shock-protection spells first, so I told you to calm down.”
“……”
Before they’d even tried to persuade him, Wardanaz already had a detailed purification plan. The students were in awe.
Truly, the brilliance of a top student.
-No! No, Wizard! If I get annihilated while sealed, that’s just…!
“Then you shouldn’t have backstabbed me, should you?”
-I didn’t, I said!!
Stop!!
“???”
When Joulin shrieked, the students all stared in surprise.
“Your Highness. What’s wrong?”
“Ah, was it hard seeing the spirit harassed? Don’t worry. Wardanaz will finish him off where you can’t see.”
That’s not it… That’s not it… that… that was Joulin’s doing…!
“!!!”
Unable to stand the guilt, Joulin finally confessed the truth.
The students, still confused, asked again.
“You did, Your Highness? Are you saying that to protect the spirit?”
“He’s so kind! Why is Gainando so different?”
-You damned bratty wizards! I said I didn’t do it!!
Saratan screamed from the staff. Lee Han frowned, as if the noise was annoying.
“Your Highness, please tell us what happened. And don’t worry. No matter what you did, none of us will be angry.”
When tears welled up at Joulin’s eyes, Lee Han comforted him. The students nodded in agreement.
“That’s right, Your Highness. Accidents like this happen at Einrogard all the time.”
“We can just say the spirit did it, right? That’d be fine for us.”
Everyone… thank you all so much!
hic
Joulin burst into tears, trying to hug everyone. If Lee Han hadn’t placed a telekinesis cushion in time, some students may have broken ribs.
Actually… this is what happened…
After sobbing a long while and calming down, Joulin explained the situation.
He then watched Lee Han nervously, fearing he might get angry.
“This… was Professor Bendozol’s fault.”
“Right. The spirit too.”
“Or you could say it’s the headmaster’s fault for making such a magic school. Anyway, none of this is Your Highness’s fault.”
To comfort Joulin, Lee Han and his friends quickly distributed the blame.
Joulin shook his head.
No, no. It’s not Professor Bendozol’s or the spirit’s or Gonadaltes’ fault… It’s Joulin’s…
-Wizard, he says it’s not my fault! Don’t you hear??
When Saratan protested, Lee Han quietly channeled mana. Saratan understood the warning and shut up.
“Honestly it’s right that Professor Bendozol bears responsibility. That’s what professors are for. Don’t you agree, Professor?”
Lee Han appealed to Professor Voladi for help.
Voladi answered without hesitation.
“A professor’s post requires taking responsibility. Bendozol is at fault.”
“Told you so!”
‘Is that so?’
Joulin, who was self-blaming, was tempted when even Professor Voladi spoke up.
When you’re young, you’re always swayed when everyone says it’s not your fault.
“…What’s everyone doing here?”
Having just arrived after hearing the mandrake’s screams, Professor Willow was bewildered to find the students comforting a large dragon.
“So it’s Professor Bendozol’s fault.”
Hearing the explanation, Professor Willow gave a definitive verdict.
If the professor escorted them, he should have stopped them or at least cleaned up the mess—what was he thinking?
“You see, Your Highness? Professor Willow says so, too.”
R-Really, perhaps that’s so.
“I wouldn’t dare critique the headmaster’s rules, but shouldn’t someone like Professor Bendozol spend more time in the punishment room…? Just because you’re a great wizard doesn’t mean you should be a professor.”
Professor Willow spoke in a wise, experienced voice.
Lee Han was so convinced he asked,
“Why was Professor Bendozol sent to the punishment room?”
“He once set fire to the headmaster’s ranch… Wait. I should deal with the mandrake first.”
Lee Han felt regretful, but Professor Willow focused on the urgent matter first.
He broke the seal, entered the greenhouse, soothed the overgrown mandrake, checked the plants injured by the screams…
He worked with an unbelievable speed for a professor who was usually so slow.
After finishing everything at whirlwind pace, Professor Willow came out with a sigh of relief.
“Fortunately nothing is seriously wrong. But Your Highness, so you breathed your breath inside the greenhouse. Even if Professor Bendozol encouraged it, that’s dangerous.”
Hm?
Joulin was bewildered.
With the story being retold multiple times, the details had gotten distorted.
Breathing there was Joulin’s own choice, so why did they think Professor Bendozol encouraged it?
That was…
“Indeed. Professor Bendozol is so wicked.”
?!
Lee Han cut in and hammered the point home, making Joulin even more flustered.
When Joulin looked at him in surprise, Lee Han gave a small nod.
‘Just say Professor Bendozol did it.’
Joulin shivered.
Is this the social strategy of Einrogard wizards?!
“The mandrake is sleeping now, so just let it be for a while, then harvest it when things have calmed down. That should suffice.”
“Will there be any problems?”
Since it concerned his own grades, Lee Han wanted to check the mandrake’s condition.
Professor Willow fell silent and considered. Seeing him pause, Lee Han tensed.
‘Is there a problem?’
“Just…”
Joulin also grew nervous, hearing his scales click together.
“…that it grew really well?”
“Haha, Professor! You surprised me!”
At his student’s exclamation, Professor Willow smiled kindly.
“There’s no problem if it grew that well.”
Lee Han’s mandrake had grown rapidly, but there was no issue in terms of substance.
It was grown only with pure solar power, not with other potions or elixirs.
Hearing the praise, a smile crept onto Lee Han’s lips. Joulin’s wings fluttered, too.
Hehe.
“Hm. Come to think of it, you’ll have nothing to do until the final exam, little one. It’s fully grown.”
Growth was checked at midterm, and harvest at the final—so it was already as good as done.
Lee Han replied, feigning modesty:
“I’ll help my friends in the greenhouse.”
If he showed off here, they’d just assign a harder final project.
Lee Han was always humble.
But Lee Han was mistaken about one thing.
Even if he didn’t show off, a harder project was coming anyway!
“That’s fine, but you’ll be bored, right? Hm. Perfect timing. Submit this to the -Imperial Horticulturist Club-.”
“……”
Lee Han’s face hardened at the feeling a new, unnecessary task was being added.
Joulin, noticing, also stopped fluttering his wings.
“I-Is it difficult to submit to a club?”
“Cultivating the plant is hard, but submitting isn’t. After harvest, I wanted the students to use the mandrake, or maybe sell the leftovers themselves… so trying this first isn’t bad.”
As explained before, a great wizard must know how to procure great ingredients.
And Professor Willow was an expert in plant studies. Being a member of the -Imperial Horticulturist Club- proved it.
The club’s name was simple, but only the empire’s authoritative botanists could join.
Normally, student-grown mandrakes couldn’t be submitted to the club’s auction, but Lee Han’s was truly special.
With a plant grown to this extent, members would recognize it and compete to bid.
“Bid money?”
“It’s an auction between members. It’d be nice to submit other students’ mandrakes, but that’s probably too much to ask.”
“Bid money!”
“…Did you mishear the mandrake’s scream?”
“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought. I didn’t realize submitting to the club meant auctioning it.”
“Of course, there’ll also be a record left in the club library. Records about plants are kept thoroughly. But because club members are so greedy for plants… ah. If you want to use it personally you can just submit the record and not auction it.”
“No, clubs have their traditions and rules. It wouldn’t look good for an outsider to ignore that. And you have your reputation, Professor.”
“What an admirable thing to say!”
Professor Willow laughed heartily, pleased his student was thinking about his honor, too.
When the professor turned away, Joulin fidgeted nervously.
L-Lee Han, you got even more work because of Joulin, when you’re already busy, didn’t you?
“Your Highness.”
Lee Han replied in a totally serious voice, his eyes shining.
“Thank you sincerely. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to make a fortune.”
Joulin was going to ask, ‘Aren’t you saying this to comfort me?’ but was overwhelmed.
That couldn’t possibly be a lie.
I-I-I’m glad… Joulin is happy too…
“Huhu.”
‘Why is Lee Han so greedy for gold when he’s so busy already? It’s not like he’ll even spend it while living at Einrogard.’
Thinking the same doubts the other tower friends had before, Joulin crawled after Lee Han.
“Oh. Almost forgot.”
Professor Willow poked his head out of the greenhouse again.
“What is it, Professor?”
“You’ve grown much closer to your spirit. You used to be awkward, but not now. That’s good to see. I thought you had potential to be close with spirits!”
“Haha. Thank you, Professor.”
-……
Saratan was so dumbfounded, he was speechless.
He could barely believe he was in such an unreasonable hell.
‘These damn crazy wizards!’