Episode 608
Episode 608
Though shocked, Lee Han quickly recovered.
After all, it was originally a disciple's duty to care for their professor's children upon command.
While Jowurin wasn't exactly the Skeleton Principal's child, it was close enough.
'This isn't particularly difficult.'
Lee Han calmly gripped the handkerchief.
What stood before him wasn't a massive Gold Dragon, but merely the professor's young offspring.
"Hmph. You won't be able to defeat me."
Hah! Even if you're brimming with confidence, Wardanaz, you can't beat Jowurin!
The young Gold Dragon cheered excitedly.
"......"
The Skeleton Principal sipped his coffee while flipping through Detective Tovarez of the Puppy Beastkin Clan, which he had picked up from the print shop.
Though Tovarez was exposing the evil prince's tricks and clearing the name of an innocent Lich, the Headmaster barely registered the story.
The spectacle unfolding before him was far too fascinating.
'Is that boy not Lee Han of the Wardanaz family, but rather the Wardanaz family's nanny?'
Of course, engaging in a mana tug-of-war against a dragon while holding a handkerchief was impressive in its own right.
Most mages would have collapsed from exhaustion after just one or two tugs.
Yet the Wardanaz boy stood firm without even blinking, even after dozens of rounds.
This alone would have been astonishing enough to make any average mage faint on the spot, but...
What was even more remarkable was how he was playing with Jowurin as if she were perched on his palm.
"Grrk! Grrrk!"
Hng...
Lee Han, who had been pouring his mana into pulling the handkerchief toward himself, subtly eased up after gauging the situation.
Jowurin, having successfully yanked the handkerchief her way, jumped for joy.
She won! Jowurin won! Wardanaz, you lost again!
"Grrk. This is so frustrating."
Heh. Sorry, but Jowurin's just too strong.
"I really thought I could win this time!"
Lee Han clenched his fist, his voice brimming with genuine frustration.
The Skeleton Principal was speechless.
'What kind of acting is this, like some washed-up Tower mage...?'
You're going to challenge her again, aren't you?
"Wait. Your Highness. Sit properly with all four feet planted. It's dangerous."
Lee Han sternly reprimanded Jowurin as she excitedly tried to stand up.
It's fine. Jowurin won't fall.
Instead of responding, Lee Han crossed his arms sternly and stared at her.
The young Gold Dragon, sensing his disapproval, obediently sat back down. Satisfied, Lee Han nodded and extended the handkerchief again.
"Excellent, Your Highness."
Hmph! Of course Jowurin is excellent!
'Is this kid insane?'
The Skeleton Principal nearly spat out his coffee at the sight of his disciple issuing firm commands to a Gold Dragon as if training a puppy.
What was even more absurd was how well it was working.
Though the Emperor's third child was young in mind, that didn't mean she was easy for anyone to befriend.
In fact, precisely because of her immature mentality, she responded even more harshly to those she disliked.
He had assumed the Wardanaz boy's abundant mana would make him seem familiar to her, but...
'I never expected it to be to this extent!'
The Gold Dragon tugged the handkerchief again and claimed victory. Lee Han stomped his foot in frustration, mirroring his earlier reaction exactly.
"Grrk. This is so frustrating."
That was fun! Let's do something else now.
"As expected of Your Highness. Every game you choose is so entertaining."
Really? Wardanaz, you're truly wise!
"What other games do you have?"
The wrestling arena Gonadaltes made.
Not particularly keen on wrestling a dragon, Lee Han maintained his composure as he replied,
"I'd like to hear about other games as well."
The Wizard Cards Gonadaltes made.
'Not bad.'
Lee Han brightened.
Wizard Card games were the perfect way to pass time comfortably.
"Wait. What do you mean the Headmaster made them?"
"It means His Highness's deck consists solely of Gold Dragons, while yours is completely empty."
"How am I supposed to play without any cards?"
"Which is precisely why Your Highness always wins."
"......"
Lee Han decided it would be better not to play the Wizard Card game.
No matter how much Jowurin won, simply letting her win without any challenge wouldn't be fun for her.
And with a Wizard Card game relying on randomness, it wasn't easy to deliberately lose either.
There's also the chess set Gonadaltes prepared.
"...Is this by any chance a variant of chess?"
That's right! Wardanaz, you're truly, truly wise! This is Gold Dragon Chess. The pieces can move any number of squares in any direction—forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally—and they can use their breath attacks. A single breath attack wipes out all enemy pieces across the entire board!
Lee Han felt dizzy at the thought of this revolutionary variant that would go down in chess history.
"But I must admit, I'm not very skilled at chess."
Oh well. Jowurin is magnanimous, so I'll let it slide.
"I can only express my gratitude for Your Highness's generosity."
In return, Wardanaz, you'll have to play with me even more.
Lee Han instinctively glanced at Alsichul.
In the worst-case scenario, he might have to heal the creature, toss it aside, and sneak out of the mansion unnoticed. 'Stay calm. There must be some usable game here.' "What's this?"
A polo ball prepared by Gonadaltes. But we don't have enough people to play.
"It looks more like a boulder than a polo ball...?"
Lee Han was baffled by the appearance of the so-called polo ball.
It resembled a massive rock more than any ball.
"If you channel mana into it, it'll move in the direction you want."
"First the handkerchief, now this boulder—why did you create such peculiar artifacts?"
"...His Highness requested them."
As the Gold Dragon nodded in satisfaction, Lee Han realized the truth. 'She had these made just to guarantee her wins!' Now that he thought about it, both the handkerchief and this polo ball were clearly items only a dragon could handle.
He could practically feel the young dragon's desperate desire to stack every game in her favor.
She hadn't yet grasped that a fair challenge was necessary to make victory truly enjoyable.
"Your Highness, even with few players, there's a game we can play with this ball."
What is it, Wardanaz?
"Watch closely."
Lee Han channeled mana into the rock-like ball. It vibrated, ready to move.
Whoosh!
The ball shot deep into the darkness of the cave.
Lee Han called out to Jowurin.
"Your Highness! If you retrieve that ball quickly, it'll be your victory!"
I see! Wait for me, Wardanaz! I'll make you lose again!
Jowurin excitedly dashed into the darkness.
Only then could Lee Han finally sigh in relief and sink into a chair. 'This should buy me a bit more comfortable downtime than before.' The earlier tug-of-war with the handkerchief—no, the mana tug-of-war—had been somewhat draining.
The game itself didn't require much stamina, but the excited Gold Dragon's celebratory thrashing had jostled Lee Han every time she won.
But this ball-retrieval game—no, makeshift polo—was far less taxing.
All Lee Han had to do was sit still and launch the ball...
"......"
Locking eyes with the Skeleton Principal, who was staring at him as if he were insane, Lee Han reflexively defended himself.
"I meant no disrespect."
"I'm sure..."
Found it, Wardanaz!
The Gold Dragon came bounding back, triumphantly carrying the boulder.
Lee Han clapped and cheered.
"Her Highness the Princess wins again! Ah, I've lost once more!"
Hah!
"This time will be different. Here!"
Pretending to be frustrated for the delighted Jowurin, Lee Han launched the boulder in another direction.
Lee Han had never deeply pondered the saying about water droplets piercing stone.
But after spending the day entertaining the young Gold Dragon, he was experiencing its meaning firsthand. '...'
"I'm exhausted!"
Even just sitting and shooting rocks hundreds of times was enough to wear anyone out.
Though his mana was still intact, his concentration was bound to dwindle.
Yet Jowurin showed no signs of fatigue. She grabbed another rock and sprinted toward Lee Han, shouting:
"Next! Come at me again, Wardanaz!"
Glancing to the side, even the Skeleton Principal was clicking his tongue in disbelief at Jowurin's stamina.
'To think she could exhaust a mage with near-infinite mana first...'
"Your Highness. Your Highness."
"What? Want me to throw it farther?"
"By any chance, do you have much interest in what's happening across the Empire?"
Lee Han desperately tried to steer the conversation to buy himself some recovery time.
The Gold Dragon answered immediately.
"Nope."
Dragons had little interest in anything outside their personal obsessions.
For a young dragon like Jowurin, it was only natural she wouldn't care about Empire-wide affairs.
"I'm currently attending Einrogard."
"Einrogard! I know that place. Gonadaltes's domain, right?"
"Correct. Many interesting things happen at Einrogard."
"Like what?"
"For example, last time, spirits caused a massive flood, forcing students out of their dorms."
"That sounds fun!"
"...Yes, it was fun. We had to move around on rafts we'd prepared. The storm was so severe we even summoned Tanjuer, but..."
"How?"
"Professor Verdus helped a lot. He provided the reagents needed to summon Tanjuer."
Aware the Skeleton Principal was listening, Lee Han slightly tweaked the truth.
'Professor Verdus seems like a nice person.'
"That's not quite accurate. Anyway, because of the flood caused by these spirits..."
Lee Han meticulously recounted every detail of what had happened during the flood at Einrogard.
The longer he dragged it out, the more time he had to rest.
What they ate to survive, how they slept, how they fortified the library only for oblivious monsters to invade, befriending sirens to the point they now rushed over at the sight of Lee Han's face...
Though Jowurin had initially declared she had no interest in Empire-wide affairs, she gradually leaned in, listening intently.
The Skeleton Principal watched his student with disdain as he sold even Einrogard's most private stories to buy time, but he didn't intervene.
Even in his eyes, dealing with Jowurin was an extreme labor.
"...So, that's how things went. Aren't the Empire's affairs quite interesting too?"
"More!"
"Pardon?"
"Tell me more, Wardanaz. More!" Jowurin was eager for more stories!
"...Very well. Then let me tell you about the time we went out and encountered a Sea Serpent. Actually, this story is also related to magic criminals."
Having successfully diverted Jowurin's attention, Lee Han sighed in relief and unraveled another tale.
Fortunately, after spending a year at Einrogard, he had plenty of incidents to recount.
From the Ghoul King and the Basilisk to even the Frost Giant King.
When he told her about how overlapping dimensions brought winter to the school, Jowurin was utterly delighted.
"Gonadaltes! I'm visiting Einrogard too!"
"If Your Highness wishes, you're welcome anytime."
The Skeleton Principal answered politely but shot Lee Han a sharp look.
—Absolutely not.
Given Jowurin's unpredictable nature, bringing her to Einrogard was a recipe for disaster.
If she caused havoc and ended up getting subdued by the students, she'd likely hold a grudge for decades.
'I need to change the subject.'
"Not all incidents happen inside the school. Like how we encountered the Sea Serpent outside, there are plenty of interesting things beyond campus too."
Lee Han listed off the criminals he'd met this year.
From anti-magic extremists to magic criminals and even regular offenders.
'...Now that I think about it, I might've met a few too many.'
The Gold Dragon listened with great interest.
Jowurin had a question.
"Ask anything, Your Highness."
"If Wardanaz keeps getting into so many crises, isn't it Gonadaltes's fault as the lord of the domain?"
"......"
"......"
For the first time in a while, Lee Han and the Skeleton Principal were genuinely at a loss for words.