Episode 1262
Episode 1262
"Your Highness. Your Highness."
Flustered, Lee Han immediately moved to stop Jowurin.
What would happen if they just accepted that request without question?
"We are not Senior Yukveltire. We might fail."
Though Yukveltire's standing in Lee Han's mind had fallen to a level similar to Professor Verdus, he couldn't deny her magical prowess.
If the request required a spell only Yukveltire could cast, they would fail immediately.
However, Jowurin remained unfazed and answered with complete confidence.
"Jowurin knows."
"???"
"Even if we fail, neither Jowurin nor Lee Han will lose anything! This is Yukveltire's responsibility!"
"......"
Had he instilled too much confidence in her?
Seeing Jowurin come up with an idea that even an Einrogard student would find audacious, Lee Han instinctively glanced around.
Strangely, he felt the phantom weight of the Court of Dragons looming in his mind.
"Hmm! If we succeed, Lee Han can even extort additional compensation."
Jowurin swelled with pride at her own flawless plan, completely oblivious to the fact that her contractor was shuddering in horror.
"...What was the request again?"
Suppressing a sigh, Lee Han turned to the noble for clarification.
The noble, wrapped in a thick coat, had been watching their hushed conversation with unease before finally exhaling in relief.
Eccentricity was expected of geniuses.
Yukveltire, inheriting her master's magical lineage, had also inherited a similar level of eccentricity.
No one dared say it aloud—especially since mentioning it to her face would likely result in an immediate lawsuit in the Imperial Court (there was precedent)—but it was an undeniable truth.
Thus, even if the other party accepted the request, there was always the risk they would abruptly change their mind and refuse.
'Phew. It seems they're willing to accept.'
"Your Highness has agreed to craft an artifact in their name. If you look here..."
As the noble presented the workshop's name, its facilities, and the roster of affiliated mages, Lee Han felt a flicker of recognition.
This was definitely the same request Senior Yukveltire had shown them at the beginning of the semester.
"Thi... no, Stedal. This request is strange."
Jowurin tilted her head in confusion.
Having spent time among Einrogard students and seen all sorts of request proposals, Jowurin was no stranger to oddities.
Rampant spirit extermination, monster egg retrieval, cursed artifact purification, anomaly analysis and measurement—each request had its own distinct characteristics, but their purposes were always clear.
Yet this proposal was different.
"...Please freely create an artifact that will bring glory to Your Highness's name..."
To go through the trouble of summoning a mage like Yukveltire only to ask for an artifact with no specific conditions—this was, by Jowurin's standards, an extremely bizarre request.
"Could it be a trap?!"
"It's not a trap. It's more of a networking request."
Yukveltire would receive compensation while freely crafting an artifact, and the other party would gain the honor of possessing an artifact personally made by Yukveltire.
The noble before them wasn't the actual client but merely a messenger sent to relay the invitation.
Unless they were a family influential enough to use lower nobles as messengers, they wouldn't be able to commission such an extravagant and expensive request.
'The Markang Family. A high-ranking noble house.'
It was a prestigious noble family from the southern Empire, famous for its floral trade—one Lee Han recognized from frequent mentions in the economic section of the Imperial Newspaper.
"Ah! Lee Han's name is here too!"
Jowurin was surprised to see names listed on the request proposal.
Not just Yukveltire's, but Lee Han's as well.
The noble in the coat spoke in a regretful tone.
"It seems inviting Lord Wardanaz as well would be too much to ask. Rumor has it he's too busy to leave Einrogard these days."
"......"
"......"
To be precise, it wasn't that he was busy—he was locked in the Punishment Room—but the two wisely kept their mouths shut.
Professor Garcia, who could hear even the whispers of birds by day and the scurrying of mice by night in her transformed state, would surely catch any suspicious behavior. It was best not to act suspiciously.
"What a shame. I already considered him an exceptional talent, but now, after this expedition..."
Originally, they had intended to entrust the request to the two most renowned and promising students from Einrogard's Enchantment Magic school. But with Lee Han's fame skyrocketing severalfold due to the Evil God expedition, the disappointment was inevitable.
How wonderful would it have been if they could have summoned both and received an artifact?
Suddenly curious, Jowurin spoke up.
"It seems you were more hopeful about Lee Han than Yukveltire."
"Wh-what... Your Highness! No! Absolutely not!"
The noble in the thick coat jumped in alarm. He was terrified that the arrogant and cold-blooded imperial might nitpick and cancel the request altogether.
Of course, Yukveltire's intellect was sharp. Both Yukveltire and Wardanaz were outstanding talents, but if forced to choose one, the latter was the obvious choice.
After all, what the Markang Family truly desired wasn't magical prowess but fame.
But the noble wasn't foolish enough to say that outright.
"Your Highness, you are a fifth-year student. In truth, your standing is scarcely different from Einrogard's professors, and the spells and works you've unveiled have illuminated the Empire with the radiant light of intellect! In comparison, though Wardanaz has been fortunate enough to achieve several feats, he is still merely a second-year. Frankly speaking, one might even call him a greenhorn."
The noble quickly flattered, sensing that Yukveltire might feel competitive toward her junior.
Otherwise, why would she say something like, 'It seems you were more hopeful about Lee Han'?
Jowurin reacted immediately to the flattery.
"This!"
The dragon, furious at the slander against her contractor, prepared to strike. Lee Han hurriedly grabbed Jowurin to stop her. The noble floundered in panic.
"Haha. It seems Senior Yukveltire holds her junior in high... high regard. It would be wise to refrain from such remarks."
Even as he spoke, Lee Han felt nauseated by the blatant lie but forced himself to endure it.
The noble in the coat turned pale, apologized, and excused himself. Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.
'Strange. This feels more exhausting than working on dozens of magic circles.'
"I wonder what that noble's name is."
Jowurin glared daggers at the retreating noble's back. It was obvious what she intended to do without even asking.
"...Your Highness. Revenge begets nothing."
"But Lee Han, didn't you say last time that revenge is best taken quickly before forgetting—"
"Now! Let's focus on discussing the artifact."
Lee Han swiftly changed the subject. Fortunately, Jowurin didn't press further. Crafting an artifact did seem quite entertaining.
"Creating an artifact seems like it'll be very difficult."
"There might be some prejudice there. But honestly, artifact crafting is... Hmm. Now that I think about it, it really is difficult."
Lee Han, who had reflexively tried to reassure her as he would with friends, quickly reconsidered. No matter what, lying in this situation was out of the question.
"But with Your Highness's talent, you'll undoubtedly pull your weight. Besides, we weren't planning to make anything overly complex anyway."
This request had a few conditions.
It couldn't be too difficult. Since Jowurin was collaborating, she might feel left out.
It couldn't take too long. They had to finish before the festival, as they needed to return before Professor Garcia.
And if possible, they shouldn't tarnish Senior Yukveltire's reputation either...
'Hmm. That last one might be impossible. Better just give up on it.'
Lee Han neatly abandoned the third condition. He had no confidence in managing that on top of everything else.
Senior Yukveltire had likely created dozens of artifacts—surely one mediocre piece wouldn't hurt!
"Since this workshop is located in the capital, we should ask the mages and reagents to be brought here."
"Ah. We're not going somewhere else to make it?"
"His Highness Uman is working hard to help with the festival, so we can't just leave. They'll be short on hands."
"......"
Jowurin looked sullen at having missed the chance to leave Oak Hill and play in the capital's streets.
All because of this younger sibling!
"First, let's decide on the shape, Your Highness."
"I know not where to begin..."
"It's fine. They said we could make it freely anyway."
Lee Han encouraged Jowurin.
Given the circumstances, he decided to use this request as an opportunity to teach Jowurin the joy of magic.
"Now, watch."
With precise psychokinesis, the nearby dirt was carved into the shape of a dragon.
Jowurin was delighted by the majestic dragon figure but then paused abruptly.
"This isn't Jowurin?"
"...It's His Majesty the Emperor. Isn't it splendid?"
"Mmm. But it's not Jowurin."
Jowurin stared pointedly.
Feeling the pressure, Lee Han quickly crumbled the dragon and reshaped it—this time perfectly resembling Jowurin's true form.
"Things like sculptures or ornaments can absolutely serve as the form of an artifact. Feel free to choose whatever shape you desire."
"!"
Jowurin's eyes sparkled with the newfound joy of artifact crafting, expression brimming with creative ideas.
"Jowurin has an idea!"
"Go ahead."
"Jowurin shall make an artifact of Lee Han riding Jowurin to battle an Evil God!"
"...Anything but that!"
Lee Han recoiled in horror.
For one, it was a distortion of facts (Jowurin hadn't even been there), and secondly, this artifact was meant for another noble family. If the artifact depicted Lee Han riding a dragon, what would people say?
-"The form of that artifact on display is astonishing. Is that a mage from the Wardanaz family? Why is he riding a dragon?"
-"Surely he hasn't made a contract with a dragon... Wait, has he? There's a dragon contractor among us??"
The mere thought was horrifying. At Lee Han's plea, Jowurin looked deeply disappointed.
"If it were well-made, Jowurin could've deceived the bards into believing Jowurin was there too..."
'You were thinking that!?'
Lee Han was aghast at the absurdity.
It felt like Jowurin's thoughts were increasingly straying beyond Lee Han's expectations.
After some deliberation, Jowurin compromised by removing Lee Han from the design. The artifact would simply be a dragon-shaped sculpture.
"You've done well."
"But this is but a skeleton. The crucial magic is missing..."
"We can fill in the magic step by step. Think about what spells you'd like. Typically, sculptures have enchantments like protection, purification, warding, or repair."
Since magical sculptures were usually placed in estates, spells that protected or purified an area were common.
Lee Han was confident he could weave such spells in an instant.
'At most, they'd be 4th Circle or lower, so it's manageable.'
The moment he thought that, Lee Han was stunned by his own perception.
Since when had 4th Circle magic become so trivial?!
"Lee Han?"
"Ha, haha. It's nothing. I'll go assist others briefly, so take this time to think about what magic to include. If someone talks to you, keep your answers short, arrogant, and rude—that should suffice."
"......"
-......
After requesting the noble to summon the workshop's reagents, equipment, and mages, Lee Han left to help others.
Left alone with the baby basilisk, Jowurin quietly asked,
"Jowurin thinks Lee Han dislikes Yukveltire."
-That person does torment Master a lot.
"Th-then why didn't you say anything?!"
Jowurin stared at the baby basilisk in shock.
You should've reported it to the professors or the Skeleton Principal!
-...But they torment Master too...
"......"