Episode 1049
Episode 1049
While Jowurin was marveling at the dungeon trap she hadn't anticipated, Lee Han quickly erased the writing.
The dragon who had prepared this treasure chest had written that they should wait about 71 more years.
The reason was that only then would the gem inside regain its full brilliance. 'Better make sure it can't be opened.' Rather than carelessly opening it now and being disappointed, it would be better for Jowurin to obtain the completed gem later.
What's that over there?
Having lost interest in the treasure chest, Jowurin pointed at a newly appeared fountain at the end of the path.
The fountain, built in the architectural style of the Seven Kingdoms era, and the room it occupied didn't seem particularly dangerous.
In some ways, it even resembled the inner chambers of an old noble's mansion.
But Lee Han remained cautious.
"There might be evil creatures hiding in the fountain. Like Sirens."
Sirens! I've heard they exist in Einrogard too!
"You're quite knowledgeable, Your Highness. They're truly wicked beings."
The Sirens hired by professors to interfere with students' exams were a cunning and evil race.
Having nearly fallen victim to them several times, Lee Han knew this all too well.
"I'll check it out."
Leaving Jowurin nodding vigorously behind him, Lee Han approached and examined the inscription on the fountain.
[Rest Area No. 21 (Incomplete)
- Need to add more decorations
- Need to add a large bathtub for water play
- Need to add a large magical gramophone
- Need to raise ceiling height for flight capability...]
"......"
The fact that such a rest area existed in the dungeon was absurd enough, but seeing it marked as incomplete was even more astonishing.
Suppressing the urge to feel utterly dumbfounded, Lee Han covered the text. 'No. Mustn't let my guard down. This is still a dungeon. Other dragons might have raised monsters here to entertain Jowurin.' Clenching his teeth, he gestured for them to come closer, and Jowurin and Eandurde quickly approached.
Don't get too close to the fountain, Eandurde! There might be Sirens!
"Hmph. Even if they come out..."
Come at me!
Jowurin tightly grabbed Eandurde, who was aggressively approaching the fountain, with her front paws.
Bubble bubble
-"?!?"
Lee Han was startled.
Bubbles had suddenly started rising from the fountain's surface. Jowurin and Eandurde began making a fuss, thinking a Siren had appeared.
Just as expected!
The Baby Basilisk raised its tail stiffly and radiated hostility from atop Jowurin.
Then, along with a splash, a Spirit revealed itself. Judging by the powerful energy it emitted, it was clearly a high-ranking spirit.
The high-ranking Water Spirit shook its fluid body as it prepared for work.
Starting with managing the rest area, it needed to check if any of the dungeon's drinking water was contaminated and begin purification if necessary. To fulfill its contract with the dragon, it had to work diligently......
"......"
The Spirit froze when their eyes met. It felt more like an Ice Spirit than a Water Spirit.
Is, is it a hostile Spirit?
Jowurin asked Lee Han.
Not all Spirits were kind and gentle. There were plenty of violent and arrogant ones too.
Moreover, in enclosed spaces like dungeons where magic was distorted, a Spirit's nature could become even more eccentric. In fact, adventurers exploring dungeons would immediately be on guard upon encountering Spirits inside.
But Lee Han instinctively knew the Spirit before him was different.
First, he sensed no hostility or threat, and more importantly... 'It's flustered!' He could tell the Spirit was panicking. Having learned soul perception magic, he could grasp some of its intentions even without conversation.
"...Were you summoned here under contract with a dragon to manage this dungeon?"
-!
The frozen Water Spirit was greatly surprised.
-Y-yes, that's correct. Did you come here knowing that?
"Not exactly..."
-Please have mercy! I must keep this secret!
The Water Spirit pleaded earnestly.
The original contract with the dragon stipulated periodic dungeon maintenance but absolutely forbade being discovered by any future visitors.
"How disappointing would it be if such a caretaker spirit appeared in a perilous dungeon..."
'So that's how it was?'
Jowurin felt slightly deflated as she realized that the other dragons had gone beyond merely maintaining the dungeon—they had been secretly overprotecting it all along.
She had come down here expecting an exciting adventure with her friends, only to find out it wasn't much different from wandering around a mansion.
'Wait a minute. Was that treasure chest earlier not even a real trap either?'
Lee Han inwardly shuddered at the sight of Jowurin's steadily increasing intelligence.
If this continued, it might soon become truly difficult to deceive her.
"More importantly, Your Highness. Shouldn't we deal with the spirit first?"
'I swear I'll keep the secret...'
The Water Spirit fidgeted nervously at the sight of Jowurin sulking as she spoke.
Even though it had received an answer, it couldn't help but feel uneasy.
If the dragon it was contracted with noticed something amiss and voiced complaints...
'Wait. Mage, by any chance... are you Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family? The younger brother of the Butterfly Prince?'
The Water Spirit squirmed, studying Lee Han before conveying its realization.
Lee Han nodded.
"That's correct... Wait. How did you know?"
At first, he thought it might have guessed simply because he was a mage from Einrogard accompanying Jowurin, but upon reflection, it was strange.
Even among the Empire's people, only a handful knew of him—how could a spirit recognize him?
'Ah.'
Only then did Lee Han piece it together.
"It must be because of this."
Among the various sigils he had received through contracts was the mark of Upinum, a spirit who called itself the Tribune of the Great Sea and Rainstorms.
Given that the other party was a Water Spirit, it was highly likely it had recognized him through this.
'Huh? Ah... Could that be the Tribune's sigil!? I-I had no idea!'
"?"
The Water Spirit was startled upon seeing Upinum's mark.
Who would have thought it would encounter the sigil left by the Tribune of the Great Sea and Rainstorms here?
Even among spirits, this rough and violent entity was an object of fear.
"...Well, then how else did you recognize me?"
'Your overwhelming, threatening aura of mana.'
"......"
Lee Han's expression stiffened at the spirit's polite yet impudent telepathic remark.
'This little—'
"Just because you sensed an overwhelming aura, it doesn't necessarily mean it's me, does it? There are plenty of mages in the Empire who radiate such oppressive mana... Well, maybe not plenty, but there are also monsters—"
Lee Han...
Jowurin gave her contractor a pitying look as he rambled on.
Who would have thought her usually composed contractor would react like this?
'M-my apologies. I spoke out of turn...'
"...No, it's fine."
Lee Han stopped the spirit's apology with a bitter expression.
Honestly, he wanted to press further and record every rumor circulating among spirits about him, but he couldn't bring himself to pry.
'Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family. Please grant me this mercy. If you do, I will never forget this kindness.'
"Hmph. It's not like spirits would ever approach me anyway. What's the point?"
'I'll do my best to appease them.'
Only after speaking did Lee Han realize his words contradicted his thoughts. The Water Spirit grew even more flustered.
"Please forget what I just said. More importantly, His Highness is already disappointed... Hmm. Are there any areas deeper inside that are less... maintained?"
'If the dragon gets so much as a scratch, every spirit contracted to this dungeon will meet a gruesome fate!'
The Water Spirit shuddered as if horrified by the mere thought. Though it had no face, its emotions were palpable.
'The overprotection is far worse than I thought.'
Meanwhile, Jowurin was growing increasingly sullen—so much so that Eandurde, who had also been disappointed, was now trying to console her instead.
'I must have chosen wrong...'
"A-ah, no! It's not that bad!"
'She's right! A dungeon this pleasant and comfortable is nice too!'
Amid the chatter, a loud thud echoed from the depths of the dungeon.
Unlike the sound of a physical impact, Lee Han, as a mage, instinctively recognized it as a shockwave of mana.
"Wait! That shockwave just now might have been from monsters attacking from another dimension!"
-No. It's a mana wave created by an artifact absorbing and amplifying mana.
"...Do you perhaps lack any sense of awareness?"
"Professor Voladi is with him?"
"Yes."
Having roughly finished his busy administrative tasks and come to find Professor Garcia, the Skeleton Principal expressed surprise at the unexpected news.
"Had I known that, I wouldn't have needlessly been on guard. I was worried they might intrude into the imperial palace."
"Huh?"
"Never mind."
The Skeleton Principal waved his hand dismissively.
Since they had met at a café with outdoor tables, some passing nobles recognized the Skeleton Principal in his human guise and were startled, attempting to show their respects.
"Your Excellency, the Magic Tower!"
"I don't know that person."
"...Aren't you His Excellency Gonadaltes?"
"Don't know him. Who's that?"
"???"
The nobles wore expressions as if possessed by ghosts and quickly retreated.
Once everyone had left, Professor Garcia covered her face in embarrassment and spoke.
"...Please stop lying like that."
"Why?"
"Because it's embarrassing when you get caught! Won't it be awkward when you meet them again to ask for donations?"
"Doesn't matter. I can just say I was a long-lost clone of mine."
"......"
Professor Garcia was left speechless by the absurdity. The Skeleton Principal shooed away the curious onlookers who mistook him for a new actor from a nearby capital theater troupe, then asked,
"What about Wardanaz? Is he provoking Professor Voladi again to learn difficult magic?"
"Ah, no. Right now, he went to meet His Highness Jowurin. He took Eandurde with him too."
"!"
The Skeleton Principal was startled.
"What? Where did he say he went?"
"To His Highness's residence..."
"Professor Garcia! How could you just let that happen?!"
The Skeleton Principal, in a rare moment of educator-like scolding, rebuked her.
Hearing such admonishment from the person who least worried about students at Einrogard, Professor Garcia blinked in disbelief.
"Ah, no... Why? Isn't it one of the safest places in the capital?"
"It is one of the safest places. But for Wardanaz, it's the most dangerous. Let's go."
The Magic Tower abruptly rose from his seat.
Jowurin wasn't a violent dragon, of course, but dragon growth was inherently unpredictable. The Skeleton Principal had learned this the hard way during his training under dragons in the distant past.
A dragon who played Wizard Cards yesterday might suddenly declare today, 'I wish to change the tragic fate of the war-torn races of the continent,' and no one would bat an eye—that was just how dragons were.
"Are you worried His Highness Jowurin might do something to Lee Han? I mean, other dragons might, but His Highness wouldn't, right?"
"No? He's absolutely the type to do that and more."
The sheer lack of trust was almost admirable. Professor Garcia wavered slightly.
Had she misjudged Jowurin?
"In my opinion, His Highness is highly likely to tie Wardanaz up in chains and not let him out until the semester ends. Hmm. It would've been good if Pengerin were here. Is Pengerin in the capital?"
"W-well, I'm not sure...?"
Professor Garcia averted her gaze.
Pengerin hadn't returned from Petrogard yet.
"Why him?"
"If we throw Pengerin in and retrieve Wardanaz... No. That wouldn't work."
At their first meeting, maybe, but now, one Pengerin wouldn't be enough for such a trade.
You can't buy gold just because a pebble on the roadside looks a little cute.
"Out of my way!"
-I knew we'd get caught...!
The Skeleton Principal shoved the knights aside at the mansion's entrance and barged in through the front door.
Inside, a familiar cave-like structure revealed itself within the mansion. And the chains hanging on the wall, unmistakably dragon-made...?
"!!!"
"I won't say 'I told you so.'"
'After you've already done it all.'
Following the chains, the two discovered the entrance to a pitch-black dungeon.
Professor Garcia let out a scream-laden outcry.
"Did His Highness build this dungeon to imprison Lee Han?!"
"...Th-that can't be it."
The Skeleton Principal was slightly flustered by his former student's vivid imagination.