Episode 1118
Episode 1118
Lee Han had already been planning to lecture the angel about imperial law. At his words, Apazragon made a show of sitting down.
Though currently in a spiritual form that didn't require sitting, the angel complied with the request anyway.
"First of all, that wasn't intentional. A crazy spirit attacked me out of nowhere."
-I see.
Fortunately, Apazragon accepted this readily. Lee Han felt relieved seeing this.
Having recently encountered so many beings from other dimensions who couldn't comprehend his words no matter how clearly he spoke, he found himself appreciating anyone who simply listened well.
-But Pioneer. Given your track record, couldn't you have reasonably expected a spirit to become obsessed with you? Even if you didn't consciously anticipate it, isn't there a chance you subconsciously expected it?
"...Why don't you sit down again."
Just as Lee Han was starting to relax, his expression turned serious again.
This damn angel?
"I don't know what ridiculous delusion you're under, but I absolutely didn't expect it. Understand?"
He already felt wronged, and now the angel's words made him feel twice as aggrieved.
How was anyone supposed to predict that the General of Fire Heaven would come at him like a complete madman?
-Hmm. Is that so. While I find that difficult to fully accept, I'll take your word for it.
Though Apazragon listened attentively to Lee Han's words, he couldn't completely abandon his own suspicions.
It seemed unbelievable that someone who'd attracted attention from multiple powerful beings across dimensions wouldn't have anticipated this. Especially when he even possessed the sigils of powerful spirits.
Perhaps he really had subconsciously expected it after all.
Though Lee Han denied it, mortals were significantly influenced by being confined to physical forms. Their inability to recognize their own capricious thoughts was just one example of this.
'This bastard. He doesn't seem to understand.'
Lee Han glared suspiciously at the angel in his spiritual form.
Part of him wanted to interrogate the angel until he confessed his true thoughts, but now wasn't the time. There were more important matters at hand.
"More importantly, Apazragon. We need to talk about you following people around without permission."
As Lee Han began his lecture on imperial law regarding "why you can't just follow people around without permission," Apazragon looked genuinely perplexed.
As expected, mortal customs contained many strange and difficult aspects.
-I see. I understand now.
"Good. So what should you do from now on, Apazragon?"
-Would it be acceptable if I obtained permission first before following?
"...Let me explain it again from the beginning."
With remarkable patience, Lee Han started his explanation over.
After repeating the content about five times, the angel finally seemed to catch on.
-Wait. Are you telling me not to follow you at all?
"Yes! Exactly that!"
Lee Han was overjoyed at Apazragon's response, as if he'd just seen Gainando solve a difficult problem.
-But I need to observe the Pioneer's actions to learn. Didn't you tell me to do exactly that?
'When did I ever say that?'
Lee Han cursed the angel inwardly.
If the angel hadn't been in spiritual form, he might have hit him.
Seeing how the other interpreted words to suit himself, it wouldn't be surprising if he showed up as Professor Einrogard next semester.
Still, Lee Han remained patient. He'd learned through bitter experience that anger and threats were useless against such beings.
'That yaksha bastard... no, I should be grateful to the Yaksha King. Thanks to him, my patience has grown.'
Persuade without giving up!
"I'm not saying don't learn at all. How about this? You can follow me around when I'm at Einrogard."
-I see... Wait. Currently that domain is difficult for me to approach. What if I still can't enter even after you improve it?
"...Apazragon, trust me on this."
-But you didn't anticipate the General of Fire Heaven's obsession either, did you?
"......"
Lee Han shuddered at how sharp his opponent was proving to be.
While ignorant of continental customs, the angel was far from stupid.
'Damn. He's not easy to deal with.'
-How about this: I won't follow you around while you're in the domain, but I'll accompany you when you're outside?
He was even counter-negotiating!
"...First, let's increase the distance. And also... don't use that Divine Light Extinguished dimension either. At the very least, I'd prefer you move within the Spirit Realm."
As the angel refused to back down, Lee Han eventually made concessions.
Even if he had to be followed, he wanted it to be at least within visible range.
...And with a bit more distance...
-Hmm. If we increase the distance, the accuracy of my observations might decrease.
"You can always come closer and ask questions directly if you need to."
-That's a fair point. Understood.
After Lee Han's persistent persuasion, Apazragon finally relented.
From now on, he would maintain distance and observe without using the Divine Light Extinguished dimension.
As the angel's spirit faded away, Lee Han let out a long sigh. Mentally speaking, he felt more exhausted than when he'd faced the General of Fire Heaven.
"Lee Han."
"Yes?"
"If you ever need a spell to banish an angel, just let me know."
"...I'll keep that in mind if it ever comes up."
Jowurin had been the happiest in the Empire when they'd set out, but as they returned after completing the request, her mood visibly darkened.
Lee Han, unable to bear it any longer, excused himself briefly from Professor Voladi (while Professor Garcia watched with a smug expression) to console her.
"Your Highness. You can always come out again next time."
"But... Uman might get angry..."
'Ah.'
Lee Han realized his mistake.
This was the same conversation they'd had when Jowurin left Einrogard.
-But Your Highness, won't the Inspector be upset? He might be disappointed if he finds out you tagged along without permission...
-Hmph! Jowurin has decided to worry about that later!
When asked whether it was okay to blatantly follow a student's request despite the Inspector's orders, Jowurin had boldly declared, "I'll worry about it later!"
And now that "later" had arrived, it was only natural she'd be gloomy.
"The Inspector cares for you deeply, Your Highness. There's no way he'd truly be angry."
"R-really?"
Jowurin's face brightened.
"Though he might ground you for a little while..."
"......"
Jowurin glared at Lee Han.
How was that any different from being angry?
-You've returned, Professors!
The Death Knights stationed atop the walls noticed the returning group and greeted them warmly.
"Hello, everyone. Nothing major happened, right?"
-Plenty happened. The Inspector has been running the school, hasn't he?
"......"
Professor Garcia, who had casually thrown out the greeting, immediately regretted it. She could sense Jowurin's gaze beside her.
No matter how much discontent she had toward Inspector Uman, he was still Jowurin's younger brother. Complaining about him in front of her was bound to draw attention.
Sure enough, as Jowurin hesitated before speaking, Professor Garcia felt her stomach drop.
"Um..."
"Ah! Yes, Your Highness! Please don't pay too much attention to what you just heard—"
"If the knights are that upset, perhaps I should just forcibly eject Uman from Einrogard by force. What do you think?"
"......"
Professor Garcia was left speechless in disbelief.
Seriously...!
'Did she learn this from Lee Han?'
"If we lack the manpower, Jowurin could always hire mercenaries—"
"That's—that's not the issue, Your Highness! We can't use force to expel an inspector sent by His Majesty the Emperor."
"What if Jowurin fabricates the circumstances?"
"That would make it even worse!"
As they continued their discussion, the gates of Einrogard opened. The knight guiding them inside suddenly remembered something and asked,
-By the way, Professors. What exactly did those Magic Tower bastards want with the successor in the end?
"...They called for him to suppress the General of Fire Heaven."
-Indeed... Huh? What did you say?!
The Death Knight was utterly shocked.
Have the Daylily Magic Tower bastards lost their minds?!!
Upon returning to Einrogard, Lee Han couldn't head straight to his dorm.
The moment he entered, Uman's message had arrived.
-Lord Wardanaz. The Inspector is waiting for you.
Jowurin's face turned deathly pale.
A small part of her still clung to the hope that 'maybe Uman was too busy to notice,' but those words dashed it completely.
-Lady Jowurin is also expected to attend.
"Waaah!"
"Calm down. It's not certain you'll be scolded yet."
"Uman is being absolutely unreasonable! Banning me from going out...!"
Jowurin grumbled as if the travel ban were already set in stone.
Just look at this recent request—she'd helped Lee Han splendidly, hadn't she?!
But when they arrived at Uman's room, an entirely different scene awaited them.
"......"
"......"
"...Uh, by any chance, did the Headmaster curse you?"
Lee Han whispered to Jowurin with a bewildered expression.
He couldn't help it—right in the middle of the Inspector's room lay a massive Black Dragon, sprawled flat on the ground.
Even someone who knew nothing about dragons could tell this Black Dragon looked utterly despondent. Far more so than Jowurin had been earlier.
Who would've thought the perfectly human Inspector would suddenly turn into the world's most depressed dragon?
No matter how he thought about it, the only explanation that came to mind was the Skeleton Principal's sinister schemes.
"Uman has always reverted to dragon form when sad, ever since childhood."
"See? It's because the Headmaster's curse made you sad."
"N-no, that's not what I meant..."
Jowurin faltered slightly.
Gonadaltes didn't seem the type to do something like that...?
Ah. Sister. You've come...
Uman blinked his large eyes slowly. The massive wings on his back flapped weakly.
Jowurin, who had been terrified of being scolded by her younger brother, gasped and shouted.
"What's wrong?! What happened?!"
Sister. The students...
"The students?!"
...hate Uman...
"......"
"......"
A heavy silence filled the room. Lee Han quickly nudged Jowurin. In situations like this, delaying lies was a bad idea.
"N-no, they don't! The students adore Uman!"
Sister. How kind of you. But there's no need to force yourself to comfort Uman.
Uman spoke weakly.
The recent disturbances had been just another day in the life of an Einrogard student, but to Uman, they were a massive shock.
Students setting fires everywhere, raiding storerooms, going on hunger strikes...
Having strongly criticized the Skeleton Principal's teaching methods, Uman felt all the more ashamed. He couldn't face anyone.
I prepared so hard...
'The problem might be that he prepared too hard.'
Lee Han thought to himself.
If Uman hadn't worked so hard, he might've actually become the next Headmaster.
The way to satisfy Einrogard students was incredibly simple.
Torment the Skeleton Principal, torment Professor Verdus, and provide food.
This time, Jowurin nudged Lee Han. Since she lacked confidence, she was signaling for her contractor to take the lead.
"Your Highness. At the very least, I'm truly glad you're here."
Uman's wings twitched slightly before drooping again.
...Don't lie. You're just saying that to comfort Uman.
"It's true. Thanks to Your Highness's arrival, my workload has decreased tremendously."
Since this wasn't a lie, Lee Han spoke even more confidently.
"That's right! Because of Uman, Lee Han has become much happier. But... what's this?"
While consoling her brother, Jowurin noticed the letter on the desk and tilted her head in confusion.
Uman was writing a letter to His Majesty, resigning as Inspector.
"Gasp. Really? When?"
Lee Han nudged Jowurin again. Flustered, she blurted out,
"You absolutely must not do that!"