Episode 1188
Episode 1188
"Strictly speaking, it's not entirely impossible."
If you called it jealousy, it might be hard to understand, but surprisingly, such things often happened when learning magic.
The phenomenon where one magic interferes with the practice of another.
The reasons were varied.
It could be due to a simple difference in difficulty, the rules of interdimensional beings tied to that magic, or because training in one magic hindered the training of another.
"To transform into a dragon, you need to gain recognition from the dragon species itself, right? So it's possible there's some condition tied to the magic."
"Aren't you being a bit too petty?"
Carnella said, sounding incredulous.
Of course, Zarun's speculation had some merit, but that didn't make it sound any less petty.
A restriction that required mastering dragon transformation before other transformations?
For such a dignified and complete species, it seemed a bit...
"Strength and pettiness have always been separate. Just look at the Headmaster. If you read the ancient dwarven records, you'll see just how petty dragons could be."
'Honestly, wasn't that the dwarves' fault for digging all the way down while the dragons were sleeping...'
Carnella kept that thought to herself.
The last time she'd actually said that out loud, she'd almost severed ties with her senior permanently.
Zarun, being an exceptional miner himself, was well-versed in the excavation records left by ancient dwarves and thus knew all about the incidents and accidents the dwarves had caused.
And whenever he got the chance, he'd bring up those incidents to argue that 'the dwarves were wronged.'
But to Carnella, it seemed more like the dwarves were at fault for noisily swinging their pickaxes right beneath where the dragons were peacefully sleeping...
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you thinking something else?"
"Ah, no. What are you talking about, Senior? Those dragons were truly outrageous!"
Carnella hastily defended herself. Zarun was giving her a suspicious look.
"...Well, it's possible the dragons didn't tamper with the magic. It might just be due to the magical structure."
"Structure?"
"That kid has an absurd amount of mana, doesn't he? So when transforming, he might not adapt well to conventional forms."
"!"
Impressed by the plausible explanation, Carnella gave him an admiring look.
Other mages might say, 'What kind of absurd reasoning is that?' but then again, their junior's mana capacity was absurd to begin with.
They had to think on a scale that matched him.
Normally, when casting transformation magic, the mage strives to meet the standards of the transformation target...
...but sometimes, the transformation target has to meet the mage's standards instead.
From that perspective, continuously transforming into a dragon made perfect sense.
During the transformation process, it was easy to lose control of mana, and at such times, one instinctively chose the most mana-resistant form among those they were familiar with.
In their junior's case, that form was most likely a dragon.
"But when transforming only parts of the body, you said even something like the Basilisk was possible, right? Once you get somewhat accustomed to dragon transformation, you should be able to practice other transformations then."
"You should've said that from the start! That makes much more sense than jealousy!"
"I still think the dragons' jealousy is more plausible, though?"
Zarun looked at his junior as if to say, 'What are you talking about?' Carnella quickly backtracked.
"Actually, I also think the dragons' jealousy is more plausible. Those dragons, really."
"So what's the reason?"
Lee Han asked in a weary voice.
The two had been whispering to each other without explaining anything, which was frustrating.
"There's a high chance it's due to the dragons' jealousy."
"Huh?"
"Shocking as it is, the Senior is right. You have to accept it, Junior."
Carnella quickly nodded in agreement, her lips twitching.
'It might be because the dragon form is more comfortable for his mana capacity.'
"......"
Lee Han opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He was thoroughly exhausted from the repeated transformation attempts.
'From now on, I should just ask someone else for help, seriously...'
He couldn't even begin to guess what the two of them were up to that would cause such a reaction.
Fortunately, Lee Han managed to maintain his form before collapsing from exhaustion.
"About thirty minutes? It'd be better not to push beyond that. Actually, when you're first learning, it's best to keep it even shorter."
Zarun offered advice to his junior, who had transformed into a dragon's form.
When one was still inexperienced with Transformation Magic, it was best not to overexert oneself. One had to gradually increase the duration over time.
"I wouldn't recommend trying to transform into other animals until you've gotten somewhat accustomed to this one."
-What about the basilisk?
The baby basilisk cried out pitifully, but the mages didn't hear it. Lee Han did, but he was too tired to do more than nod.
"Hmm. What a magnificent creature, though."
Zarun muttered under his breath. At his words, Carnella asked in surprise,
"Wait, Senior. I thought you had a grudge against dragons?"
"A grudge is one thing, but facts are facts. Dragons are powerful and beautiful creatures."
"Exactly! Look at those gorgeous wings and scales. If we entered a polo tournament, we could trample every other creature underfoot."
Even though His Highness Jowurin hadn't been allowed to compete, there might still be hope if it was their junior.
Carnella's eyes burned with ambition.
Unaware of the mad ambition brewing in his junior beside him, Zarun continued muttering,
"Look at those jet-black scales. No gemstone could ever replicate that color."
...Wait, why am I a Black Dragon?
Exhausted and barely maintaining his form, Lee Han suddenly grew curious and asked.
It was a bit odd to be the one asking while transformed, but he hadn't consciously chosen the dragon's color during the transformation.
Yet the dragon he'd become was unmistakably a pitch-black Black Dragon.
Why?
"Didn't you befriend a Black Dragon among the dragons?"
"No? The dragon our junior is close to is definitely the Gold Dragon."
Carnella replied, puzzled.
After all, His Highness Jowurin, who had been doggedly following their junior around, was unmistakably a Gold Dragon.
"How would you know, Hormasi? He might have another dragon he's even closer to."
"Is that so? Maybe... maybe that's possible."
At Zarun's rebuke, Carnella nodded.
Come to think of it, friendships were hard to judge from the outside.
Perhaps he was closer to that Black Dragon who came as an inspector this time than to His Highness Jowurin...
'Come to think of it, didn't he act as his right-hand man?'
Absolutely not!
Lee Han, startled, forgot his exhaustion and shouted.
No matter how tired he was, this wasn't a conversation he could let slide. If Jowurin ever heard about this, he couldn't even imagine the reaction.
'He wouldn't attack His Highness Uman, would he? ...Well, they are brothers...'
"People naturally grow fond of those who help them rather than those who annoy them. That's just human nature."
Lee Han snorted and blew Zarun backward. The dwarf senior tumbled down the underground slope.
"Hey!"
Stop spreading baseless rumors.
"It was just a suggestion! You rash little—"
Grumbling, Zarun climbed back up.
If it wasn't due to personal connections, there were other possible reasons.
"Have you been handling a lot of Dark Element recently, or associating with prominent figures related to Black Magic? If so, you might've been subconsciously influenced by that."
I have!
Lee Han answered brightly.
He had met renowned Black Mages of the Empire and the Crone they worshipped.
Relieved by the plausible explanation, Lee Han let out a sigh.
But Zarun remained skeptical.
"You're not mistaken, are you? It'd take a truly extraordinary being to influence your transformation so easily."
I met some of the Empire's most distinguished Black Mages and the otherworldly entity they worship. Satisfied?
'He's lying.'
'Is he really that bad at lying?'
The two seniors frowned at the blatantly outrageous claim.
"Even so, to come up with such a ridiculous setting and expect us to believe it..."
Yet the two seniors nodded with smiles on their faces. It was their junior's word, after all, and more importantly, their junior was still transformed into a dragon.
Not provoking a companion while transformed into a powerful creature was an unspoken rule among Transmutation Magic practitioners.
Especially if it was a junior who had just transformed into a dragon for the first time.
"Indeed. If that's the case, it makes sense that you transformed into a Black Dragon."
"It really does make perfect sense, doesn't it, junior?"
...Fine. But can't I change the color, at least?
"The color? Why would you obsess over that?"
For the dragon race, color held no particular significance.
Some enthusiasts claimed that a dragon's scale color reflected differences in their disposition and Authority, but in truth, it was more a matter of the dragon's personal taste and choice.
Wouldn't it be better to practice something else rather than wasting time on that?
It's absolutely necessary. Especially being able to transform into gold.
"W-well... Alright."
When Lee Han spoke with a deadly serious glare, the two seniors flinched. Now that he was spewing magical energy as a dragon, the sheer pressure was overwhelming.
"If it's gold... You could spend more time interacting with the Gold Dragon..."
Is there no other way besides that?
Lee Han recoiled in horror.
The only Gold Dragon he could possibly spend more time with right now was Jowurin, and Jowurin had an unnervingly sharp intuition when it came to strange things.
If she found out he could transform into a dragon, things would become extremely troublesome.
'And if she learns it's a Black Dragon, who knows what might happen?'
-Hmph. You should just be grateful you can transform into a dragon at all.
The Baby Basilisk grumbled.
No matter how close they were, a stomachache was still a stomachache.
"...Are you two really friends?"
"Shh. Their relationship might be a bit strained right now, Senior. Let's not pry too much, okay?"
The two seniors eyed Lee Han suspiciously as he avoided any mention of Jowurin.
First the Black Dragon transformation, and now this—were they not as close as they thought?
"Hmm. Another method... You could try getting familiar with the properties of gold by handling it..."
"Oh! Then Senior could just lend me some gold!"
"Have you lost your mind?"
Zarun immediately turned stern.
This was the same Zarun who wouldn't hand over gold even if his parents came asking.
And now, to a junior?
"I'm just asking to borrow it. Who said anything about giving it away?"
"That's the same thing!"
"You said the junior even stole an Artifact from a professor for you."
"...That's...!"
To be precise, I've never officially acknowledged that fact.
"W-well."
Carnella was slightly taken aback by the junior's meticulous response.
Poof!
Having returned to human form, Lee Han dusted off the dirt clinging to his hands and legs.
The power of a dragon was undoubtedly formidable, but he still had a long way to go before he could properly control and wield it.
-Hmph. When do you think you'll be able to transform into a basilisk?
"...I'll do my best. Sorry I'm not talented enough."
"......"
"......"
Zarun and Carnella stared at their junior with looks of shock and disgust.
After transforming into a dragon in just one day, was this really the time for such words?
'What kind of insufferable brat is this?'
Once again, Zarun realized why he had stopped calling on juniors.
Juniors were nothing but trouble.
"I'll acquire and handle the gold myself."
"Tch. How much could you possibly have saved up, junior? Just ask your senior for help."
At Carnella's words, Zarun muttered something in ancient Dwarven.
"■■■■ ■■."
'No idea what it means, but it's definitely a curse.'
Either way, Lee Han shook his head.
In the past, maybe, but now Lee Han had accumulated quite a bit of gold. All thanks to working tirelessly.
"I've saved up some myself."
"How much?"
Curious, Carnella leaned in and asked him to whisper it in her ear.
"So... about this much..."
"What... That much...?!"
Upon hearing the amount, Carnella's eyes widened. She glanced at Lee Han, then at Zarun.
Finally, she shot Zarun a look of pity and sorrow.
'After all that suffering underground, only this much...?'
"What kind of look is that?!"