Episode 1005
Episode 1005
Uman was deeply moved by the sight of the mage accepting without a moment's hesitation.
'As expected, there was a good reason why my esteemed elder sister Jowurin praised him so highly. Truly an excellent mage. He must clearly understand what true righteousness is.' Crack!
Due to his intense emotions, Uman's head momentarily began reverting to its original form—a dragon's head covered in jet-black scales.
"Oh no. What a mistake!"
Uman quickly regained his composure and polymorph back into human form, but the ceiling already bore the marks of damage.
Seeing this, Uman fell into deep sorrow.
"I still have so far to go! To think my mental discipline is this lacking!"
"Ah, no. It's understandable to accidentally lose control of your transformation, isn't it?"
"You even possess such a generous heart. It's hard to believe you're the disciple of Lord Gonadaltes!"
Lee Han was gradually realizing that the Skeleton Principal and the dragon before him didn't get along very well.
But he didn't particularly mind.
In the Empire, people who got along well with the Skeleton Principal were actually rare...'Seeing him speak like that actually makes me trust him more.' In some ways, having a bad relationship with the Skeleton Principal could even be considered an advantage.
It wasn't just about receiving vast amounts of gold—just from his words alone, Uman clearly seemed to be a dragon of righteous character who hated compromising with injustice.
For someone like that, having a poor relationship with the Skeleton Principal was nothing but a positive trait.
"Then I shall take my leave now. Please take good care of my elder sister! The other dragonkin are also looking forward to your exploits!"
"...Yes..."
Lee Han had already known this since making the contract with Jowurin, but hearing it again from another dragon's mouth renewed the pressure.
Apparently, when one made a contract with a dragon, news spread to all other dragons as well.
Lee Han silently prayed that the other dragons, given their nature, might laze around and forget about this fact.'Given dragon personalities, it's possible... Though I might grow old and die before that happens.'"
Ah! By the way, do you have any recommendations for methods to restrain a mage?
"Just as Uman was about to stride away, he suddenly remembered something and asked."
Methods to restrain a mage, you say?
"Indeed. Actually, my elder sister made a request!"
There was a reason Uman was in such a hurry. Jowurin had personally made this request.
To prepare a method to thoroughly restrain a mage!
Though Uman himself, being a dragon, had deep knowledge of magic, when it came to methods of restraining mages, perhaps mages themselves would know better.
Moreover, this was a student of Einrogard and that Skeleton Principal's disciple.'Is he planning to attack the Headmaster?' Lee Han wondered.
Jowurin didn't engage much in external activities, so there weren't many mages she'd want to attack.
Given Jowurin's kind nature, it wouldn't be strange if she was angered by the Skeleton Principal's misdeeds in sending the Avatar of Desire for Honor to ascension. Lee Han felt slightly moved.'I should increase the gift budget.'"
The best method I know is polymorphing them into a hamster, but that might be too difficult. Have you prepared defenses against pure mana shock?
"Mana shock? I'd like to hear about that. Please share your wisdom!"
Lee Han offered his best advice.
More mages than one might think had the complacent mindset of 'Where in the Empire would there be someone who crushes magic by brute-forcing with raw mana? Haha, it's not like mana grows on trees,' but there were always exceptions.
A grand mage like the Skeleton Principal could summon vast quantities of stored mana from elsewhere with just a flick of his finger.
Rather than having meticulously prepared spells torn apart helplessly, it was better to prepare countermeasures in advance.
"Indeed! Splendid. I, Uman, have learned something new! I must prepare this as well and offer it to my elder sister!"
"His Highness will be delighted. Haha."
As Uman jumped for joy, Lee Han also felt a sense of pride.
As Jowurin's contractor, he had been of some small help, after all.
The Skeleton Principal was not a mage known for expressive emotions.
But there were times when his emotions did flare up—specifically, when his disciple returned after wiping out imperial bureaucrats.
"Everyone, listen—h..."
Lee Han quickly yanked the Skeleton Principal back.
He couldn't just stand by and let him shout to the entire café again, "This brat who swept away the imperial bureaucrats is my disciple!" like last time.
"Aren't you even embarrassed?!"
"Embarrassed? What nonsense. If I were capable of shame, would I have dared to march into the bureaucrats' offices with such worthless research topics in the first place?"
Lee Han was left speechless by the Skeleton Principal's words. It was too painfully accurate.
'Well... he's not wrong.'
"But since you wish it, I'll let it pass quietly."
The Skeleton Principal's gaze softened—something he hadn't shown since last year. It was a look of such benevolence that one might think he'd forgive his disciple even if they set Einrogard on fire.
'...I think the last time I saw that was in ancient times.'
"Magnificent! Of course, I always knew you'd succeed..."
"Excuse me?"
Lee Han was baffled.
He had always known he'd succeed?
What kind of confidence was that? If Uman hadn't shown up, wouldn't it have been difficult just to get an extension, let alone settle the debt?
"...To think you'd wipe out the debt entirely. Your skills grow by the day!"
"—Isn't it strange?"
One of the Death Knights guarding the carriage voiced his doubt.
"—Of course, we know that the disciple is a master of rhetoric, capable of deceiving even greater demons."
"Excuse me?!"
Lee Han grew even more bewildered.
"—But aren't the Empire's bureaucrats worse misers than hundreds of greater demons combined? For them not just to defer payment but to erase the debt entirely—how?"
The knights' doubts were valid.
They had no trouble believing Lee Han could persuade them, but outright debt cancellation was another matter.
Wasn't this too unrealistic?
Those vile, merciless wretches who wouldn't spare a single copper coin without a thick stack of reports—would they really yield so easily?
"My disciple's persuasion has reached new heights."
However, the Skeleton Principal, in rare high spirits, overlooked his subordinates' skepticism.
"—But..."
"Think carefully. Who could have predicted that Batnaz brat would persuade a Thought-form and even learn to create a Small World?"
"He's right here."
Lee Han grumbled, but the Skeleton Principal ignored him. The Death Knights nodded.
"—Indeed..."
"—That's true."
Upon reflection, the deeds of transcendent beings were beyond the comprehension of ordinary minds.
The heir before them was extraordinary in many ways, but his most exceptional talent was undoubtedly his rhetoric.
Who could have foreseen that he would form a mentor-disciple bond with the Avatar of Desire for Honor and even inherit the secrets of a Small World?
"—You're right. How shameful. I underestimated the disciple."
"—But how did he persuade them? Did he create a Small World to defeat the bureaucrats?"
"—Or perhaps he mastered a Word Magic spell to erase debts..."
As the knights whispered theories about how the debt had been erased, the Skeleton Principal spoke up, as if belatedly remembering something.
"Ah, right. About His Highness Jowurin..."
"...Yes!"
"Why so startled?"
'Did he escape again in the meantime?'
Lee Han quickly deflected. Fortunately, the Skeleton Principal didn't notice.
"His Highness doesn't leave that often... Anyway, rumors are spreading that you've contracted with His Highness."
"!!!"
Come to think of it, Silvas had been surprised by Uman's appearance, not by the fact that Lee Han had contracted with Jowurin.
It was a reaction that would be hard to believe unless he already knew.
"The nobles who should know probably already know, so be careful not to receive unnecessary requests. If you're not careful, things could get bothersome."
Currently, the imperial nobles were divided into two factions: the Loyalists who supported the imperial family and the Noble Faction who opposed them.
Within the Loyalist faction, they were further divided into smaller groups based on which imperial family member they supported as the next emperor. But there was one shockingly effective method to unite not only these factions but even draw in the Noble Faction.
That was to involve the nine pure-blooded children who carried the strongest imperial bloodline.
Even the skeptical Noble Faction or neutral powers would likely switch sides if even one of the nine pure-blooded children seriously declared, "I will become the next emperor."
That's how vastly superior their capabilities were.
"If such a person existed, wouldn't they have come forward already? Even His Majesty seems eager to find a successor and pass on the throne..."
"That's true. Dragons aren't exactly suited to be emperors in the first place."
As evident from the current emperor, the dragon species had an extremely strong individualistic tendency.
Asking such a species to take responsibility for vast territories and the countless races living upon them was never going to resonate.
But there was one exception—oaths.
"Among the nobles, there will be those who try to persuade you to bring His Highness Jowurin into the fold. Of course, it would be amusing to see His Highness on the throne, but..."
"There's no need to worry. That will absolutely never happen."
Lee Han spoke firmly.
If one dragon had to suffer, it was better for the emperor to suffer rather than young Jowurin. 'Hmm. Is this too underhanded of a thought?' But there was no helping it. Lee Han was Jowurin's contractor, not the emperor's.
"Wait. More importantly, why did this rumor spread? Could it be..."
As Lee Han scanned the knights with a look of suspicion, the Death Knights flailed their arms in surprise.
-It wasn't me!
-As honorable knights, how could we be so loose-lipped!
-Please believe us!
"It wasn't the knights."
"?"
At the Skeleton Principal's words, Lee Han stopped glaring at the knights and turned his gaze.
Then who?
"The dragons spread it. To be precise, they didn't spread it—they sent letters."
"????"
"Seeing it for yourself will make it easier to understand."
The Skeleton Principal pulled out a letter and tossed it over. The letter, written on antiqued parchment, was densely filled with characters Lee Han didn't recognize.
"Change."
As the principal declared, the contents of the letter transformed into standard imperial script. It read as follows...
To the esteemed Maykin Family, we humbly inform you that a new Dragon Contractor has appeared... If you have any grievances regarding the contractor, please draw three lines below the seal and write your complaint... Should you threaten or harm the contractor in any way, we warn you in advance that you will face retaliation from dragons who still retain their vigor in this era...
"How considerate, isn't it?"
"...What is this?!"
Lee Han nearly dropped the letter in shock.
Given that it was sent to the Maykin family, it seemed similar letters had reached at least all the major noble houses.
The Death Knight kindly elaborated.
-In the past, there was much unnecessary bloodshed due to racial differences, young disciple.
It was difficult for ordinary people to understand dragon culture.
After frequent incidents where someone recklessly provoked a person contracted with a dragon, only for the surrounding area to be devastated in retaliation, the dragons decided to take a kinder approach.
They now sent advance warnings to influential factions within the empire.
This way, those who didn't want to get swept up in the chaos would naturally prevent problems themselves.
-Don't you sense the wisdom of dragons in understanding and accommodating differences among races?
"No, I don't."
"-?!"
The Death Knights were taken aback by the disciple's indifferent reaction, which was not what they had expected.
Why?!