Episode 1227
Episode 1227
"What letter?"
'Of course a Dragon would have unnecessarily sharp hearing,' Lee Han sighed inwardly.
"It's a letter asking for Your Highness to be released quickly. Haha."
He'd actually considered adding 'We should send Your Highness back to the capital before you become even more corrupted,' but there was absolutely no way he could say that to Jowurin.
"Ah. That probably won't be necessary."
"?"
"More importantly, Lee Han. Jowurin also wants to dig a dog hole. Right now I'm going to pull out another tooth—"
"I'll dig it myself if you just wait a moment!"
Lee Han shouted in panic.
Even though teeth and scales were renewable resources for Dragons that would keep growing back, he couldn't just stand by and watch that.
"By the way, Your Highness. How exactly did you get in here?"
"Hmm! Jowurin finds the magic of this place quite peculiar!"
"?"
Only then did Lee Han sense something was off.
Could it be...
Was this Dragon trying to change the subject?
Now that he thought about it, the moment he'd mentioned sending a letter to the Skeleton Principal, Jowurin had brought up the dog hole topic.
"Your Highness. I asked how you got in here."
"Right. Jowurin brought some tea leaves. If you just wait a little..."
"Your Highness."
"Hmph."
Jowurin pouted when his tactic of diverting the conversation failed.
It had worked on Eandurde's first-year friends!
"Did you ask His Highness Uman for help?"
Lee Han found himself feeling increasingly sorry for this Black Dragon.
Already depressed after being struck by the older sister he respected, and now being harassed with 'You're going to the Punishment Room!' if he went to see her again...
"Hmm. Hearing Lee Han's words makes Jowurin think I might have been a bit harsh on Uman. Uman is still a young Dragon after all."
"Well... I suppose you could say that."
"So Jowurin apologized to Uman."
"!"
At this unexpected statement, Lee Han was greatly surprised. He immediately cheered:
"Well done! As expected, Your Highness is truly magnanimous and kind!"
"Hehehe."
Jowurin looked very pleased by his contractor's flattery.
"How was Your Highness feeling?"
"Jowurin thought my younger sibling seemed very immature."
"No, I meant His Highness Uman."
"Ah."
Jowurin grumbled inwardly about his contractor asking about such unimportant things.
"Seems like some energy has returned... At least I managed to come out from under the blankets."
"......"
Had he actually been hiding under blankets?
Lee Han found himself involuntarily imagining the enormous Black Dragon wrapped in blankets sniffling. It was truly a pitiful sight.
"I-I see. Well, it's good that your energy has returned... Wait. Your Highness. If you didn't ask His Highness Uman for help, then how did you really get in here?"
"Well... Gonadaltes..."
Jowurin's voice grew even smaller, mumbling as if crawling away.
"You asked the Headmaster for help?"
"Hmm. You could say that?"
"...Your Highness. Just tell me everything."
"Hmph."
It was Jowurin who greeted the Skeleton Principal when he returned to the capital after being thoroughly beaten.
-Gonadaltes!
-Your Highness. What brings you here?
-I boldly demand that you release Lee Han!
-...Speaking in archaic language doesn't make your argument more persuasive, Your Highness.
The Skeleton Principal naturally refused.
He'd just been beaten senseless by the Emperor with comments like 'What exactly is wrong with you?' 'Stop being so negligent with your students' and 'You should stop them when they say they'll fight Evil Gods,' and had only barely managed to get released thanks to the Punishment Room excuse.
With Professor Garcia inside Einrogard and the Emperor watching like a hawk outside, how could he just casually release Wardanaz?
He'd immediately be summoned back to the capital and falsely accused with things like 'What exactly is wrong with you?' 'Stop being so negligent with your students' and 'Aren't you making your students think it's okay to fight Evil Gods by releasing them like this?'
"Releasing Wardanaz now wouldn't be good for Wardanaz either. At least pretending to reflect would be... Your Highness. What are you doing? Surely you're not..."
"Jowurin's strike!!!"
"......"
From the adjacent cell came the sound of Professor Voladi choking, as if he'd inhaled his own saliva.
That's how shocking the situation was. Had Lee Han been drinking something, he would've spat it out immediately.
"...Did Your Highness just kick the Headmaster with your foreleg?"
"I thought it would work."
Jowurin sounded disappointed.
She had hoped that if Gonadaltes was knocked out by her strike, she could quickly forge an order to get Lee Han released...
But the Skeleton Principal blocked the dragon punch with just a glance, then endured his throbbing headache as he instructed the knights.
"You're becoming more dragon-like by the minute. Send that Wardanaz brat to the next cell. Wait. Was Bible in the next cell?"
"Professor Verdus isn't there. He previously declared he'd no longer be confined to the Professor's Punishment Room."
"Ah, right. I keep getting confused since he was sent there so often."
"Your Highness. Violence solves nothing."
Lee Han spoke firmly.
He was starting to genuinely worry about Jowurin.
Yesterday she kicked an Imperial Inspector with her foreleg, today she kicked the Skeleton Principal—who knew if tomorrow she'd kick the Emperor himself?
And by the day after, Lee Han would probably be summoned to the Court of Dragons!
He had thought that if he ever appeared before the Court of Dragons because of Jowurin, it would at least be for something dignified and plausible...
"But Einrogard taught me that many things can be solved with violence."
"...No. Your Highness has misunderstood."
Lee Han cursed Einrogard internally.
What kind of rotten magic academy was this, where the education wasn't the least bit helpful?!
"Einrogard has never imparted such teachings. Why don't Your Highness study with me? Then you'll understand Einrogard's true teachings."
"Eek."
Jowurin suddenly began to deeply regret coming to the Punishment Room.
Just moments ago, it had felt like an enjoyable outing, but now the room suddenly felt like a prison.
"N-no, I think I understand Einrogard's teachings now. Maybe violence isn't good after all..."
"Excellent. Since we've nearly finished digging through the wall, I'll send you a few books to read."
"Novels?"
"No."
Jowurin's face fell, but Lee Han ignored her and burned with enthusiasm.
After all, the nature of scholarship was such that one couldn't help but want to pass on what they'd learned to someone else.
"...Wait. The jailer's coming again?"
Lee Han, who'd been excitedly planning what to teach, paused.
Why did they keep coming so often?
Jowurin brightened and exclaimed,
"If the jailer sees you teaching inside the Punishment Room, they'll surely be furious!"
"Huh? No... They don't say anything about teaching."
Lee Han quickly hid the nearly finished escape hole.
Jowurin seemed to be confusing reality with fiction from reading too many novels. Unlike the Toberiz Series, the Punishment Room here didn't scold people for having conversations.
This time, the jailer opened the cell door opposite Lee Han's. He couldn't believe it.
"Professor Verdus?!"
"I-it seems so."
Even Professor Voladi briefly agreed.
The three couldn't help but be shocked.
How could someone get sent back to the Punishment Room so soon after being released?
That was a talent too fearsome to imitate.
'What kind of person is he, really?'
Squeak—
A new prisoner appeared in the hallway.
The prisoner was an exceptionally large human—so tall he nearly hit his forehead on the doorframe while entering.
And his face was very familiar.
"...His Highness Uman?!"
"Uman?!!"
Lee Han was astonished, and even Jowurin was shocked.
"What is my younger brother doing here?!"
'Could it be... did Uman also use <Uman's Strike> on Gonadaltes?'
The prisoners in the opposite cell called out his name, but Uman entered his cell without answering.
Then, he reverted to his dragon form and curled up into a ball, looking utterly despondent.
"......"
"......"
Lee Han and Jowurin were at a loss for words. Jowurin spoke first.
"I-it's not my fault!"
"I didn't say anything."
"Jowurin clearly apologized! And Uman even said he felt a bit better after cheering up...!"
"Hmm."
Lee Han narrowed his eyes and stared at the massive dragon across from them.
Even though he had adjusted his size somewhat, the cell still felt uncomfortably cramped with him inside.
"Your Highness?"
"Don't call Uman 'Your Highness.' Uman doesn't deserve that title."
"......"
"......"
Lee Han was starting to seriously consider breaking out, but he suppressed the urge and tried to console him.
"What's wrong, Your Highness? If Your Highness stays here like this, who will help the poor students upstairs?"
"...Uman used to think that way too. But it was all just an illusion. Even you, Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family, don't trust Uman anymore..."
The second person to greet the Skeleton Principal, who had returned to the capital after being thoroughly defeated, was Uman.
-Lord Gonadaltes!
-...Why are you like this too? Get lost. If you're thinking of swinging your claws, don't even dream about it.
-Huh? What do you... No, that's not it. I was just curious about what His Majesty said.
-He said the obvious, obviously. Why are you asking about something so trivial?
-...This is Uman's fault.
-What? What do you... Never mind. I don't care about the reason. If you've reflected on it, that's good enough. Just don't do it again. Since you're reflecting, why not donate some gold coins while you're at it?
-If Uman had been a reliable Inspector, Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family would never have recklessly gone after the Evil God on his own!
-No... that... doesn't seem like your fault.
Though the Skeleton Principal found it annoying how Uman, now more headstrong than ever, nitpicked at everything and rampaged around claiming to uphold the Empire's justice, this really wasn't Uman's fault.
Wasn't this just another tangled mess of rebellion tied up in the complicated master-disciple relationships within Einrogard?
Whether Uman had been the Inspector, Jowurin had been the Inspector, or even His Majesty the Emperor had been the Inspector, that damn Wardanaz would have escaped anyway. The Skeleton Principal could have even bet his position as Headmaster on it.
-It's Uman's fault. Uman has accomplished nothing as an Inspector. Sniffle...
-...I told you it's not your fault! Stop crying!
-Uman will enter the Punishment Room. He will reflect on his actions there.
-What? Why would you... Never mind. Just go. It's good timing—I was already feeling irritated.
The Skeleton Principal was far too busy to deal with this Black Dragon right now.
He planned to toss him into the Punishment Room and call him back for a proper talk once he'd calmed down.
And as luck would have it, there just happened to be a perfect cell for a despondent dragon.
"......"
Lee Han was speechless.
'Is the Professor's Punishment Room always this chaotic?'
"I-Ihan... Uman seems really depressed..."
"Don't worry. I'll figure out a way to cheer him up."
If words alone didn't work, he was prepared to call down some friends from upstairs to flatter him.
This Black Dragon had done far too much for Einrogard this semester to be this miserable.
Hadn't he restored the health of dozens of students and repaired hundreds of broken and ruined facilities?
"Jowurin helped with that too..."
While Jowurin grumbled, Yoner's voice echoed from down the hallway.
"Lee Han. I came for the request. They said you were in the Punishment Room, but they didn't mind, so I came to find you myself..."
Unfortunately, this red-haired friend was unaware of the two additional dragons now present. A sharp scream reverberated through the Punishment Room like an echo.