Episode 859
Episode 859
Contrary to Lee Han's preconceptions, the Skeleton Principal was not at all pleased about the Emperor's young child visiting Einrogard.
Einrogard students were unpredictable beings, as most wizards tended to be (and the Skeleton Principal knew full well that he was the one encouraging such behavior). If such students were to attack the Dragon, tragedy could befall both sides.
The students would be torn to pieces, and Jowurin would suffer emotional scars—what a tragedy!
At the very least, the students being torn apart was something that could be managed. But if Jowurin were to suffer even the slightest emotional wound, even the Skeleton Principal would have trouble handling the aftermath.
Unfortunately, Dragons were creatures—much like the boy from the Wardanaz family—against whom magic was not very effective.
Luckily for the Skeleton Principal, Jowurin was still a young Dragon.
The whims of a young Dragon were as fickle as boiling porridge—here one moment, gone the next.
So when Jowurin, who had met the Wardanaz boy during the previous winter break, excitedly declared, "Jowurin shall visit Einrogard!" the Skeleton Principal didn't pay it much mind. He assumed this declaration would soon be forgotten, just like past proclamations such as "Jowurin shall no longer be picky with food!" or "Even if Jowurin loses at chess, Jowurin shall not flip the board with a forepaw!"
But even the Skeleton Principal's predictions were wrong on rare occasions.
Jowurin's fervent desire to visit Einrogard was precisely such a case.
The chaotic, riotous life at Einrogard—as described by a certain boy from a certain family—had been far too intriguing.
Of course, that boy had embellished his stories somewhat for royal ears, but that embellishment had backfired spectacularly.
No matter how much the Skeleton Principal tried to dissuade Jowurin, the young Dragon stubbornly dug in its heels...
"Jowurin shall visit Einrogard!"
'Your Highness, how about taking a nap and reconsidering?'
"No! Jowurin said Jowurin will visit Einrogard! Is Gonadaltes hoping Jowurin will just forget about it?!"
"Absolutely not. It seems there's been a misunderstanding."
'Tch. Ever since talking with that Wardanaz brat, his intelligence has gone up.'
"Then Jowurin shall visit Einrogard!"
"His Majesty would disapprove."
"Jowurin already got permission!"
"Excuse me? Damn... Is it time for the Empire to fall already?"
"What?"
"Ah, no, Your Highness. The students would be terrified too."
"Who cares! As long as no one finds out, it's fine! Jowurin will hide in Wardanaz's room!"
"Your Highness is too large to fit inside."
"Jowurin can just take human form!"
"It would be uncomfortable for you."
"Jowurin can endure it!"
"You won't be properly fed there. You can't bring knights or servants, nor any toys. The environment is indescribably wretched!"
"It's fine! ..."
"But isn't Gonadaltes the lord of that territory? Why would he leave it in such a miserable state?"
"Hahaha. The students are so wild and unruly that even my attempts to discipline them have limits, Your Highness."
"Anyway, Gonadaltes! Jowurin will visit Einrogard, so prepare accordingly! If you make any more excuses, Jowurin will take it as you interfering!"
"Understood, Your Highness."
Realizing that further excuses would be futile, the Skeleton Principal reluctantly retreated.
But that didn't mean the Skeleton Principal had been defeated.
Upon returning, he simply began ignoring Jowurin's letters and biding his time.
He would ignore them until the other side forgot!
If the Skeleton Principal didn't respond and just stonewalled, what could Jowurin possibly do?
But here, the Skeleton Principal overlooked one crucial fact: Jowurin could be surprisingly resourceful too.
When the Skeleton Principal ignored the letters, Jowurin began sending them to Einrogard's professors instead.
Quick-witted Einrogard professors calculated the potential consequences and promptly burned the letters, pretending they'd never received them. But among them was one professor with a softer heart.
"Clearly, Leehan Wardanaz invited Jowurin to visit, but Gonadaltes—and even the other professors—are interfering! Professor Bagrak, if you care for your students, help Jowurin out!"
"Hmm."
Professor Voladi agonized over whether he could heartlessly refuse someone who had received an invitation from one of his only two students.
After much deliberation, Professor Voladi finally replied:
"Among a professor's privileges, there is no authority to invite His Highness as a member of the imperial family. My apologies, but if you wish to visit, you must come in the capacity of an examination official."
'Excellent! But what does that mean?'
"It means Your Highness must visit in the capacity of being involved in setting the midterm exams."
'This is absolutely, completely, truly going to be so much fun! Full approval! I accept Professor Bagrak's suggestion!'
"Understood."
"Oh! And it's a secret from Wardanaz! I want to surprise him!"
"But considering Your Highness's abilities, if we inform him in advance, he could prepare—"
"No! Wardanaz can handle it perfectly well!"
"That sounds about right."
"What sounds about right?" Lee Han snapped, overhearing the conversation.
Who would have thought Professor Voladi could be fooled by Jowurin!
Even in hindsight, it was hard to believe. 'To think there'd be someone who gets tricked by His Highness Jowurin...' Lee Han berated himself.
This was practically an unpredictable natural disaster, but he still should have prepared better.
At the very least, he should have been on guard when Jowurin showed interest in Einrogard... 'Damn it. It's the Headmaster's fault.' No matter how he looked at it, the Skeleton Principal bore at least half the responsibility.
Back then, hadn't the Headmaster needlessly said things like "His Highness will forget all about it after a nap," making Lee Han let his guard down?
"Professor. When will His Highness arrive?"
Lee Han refused to give up and pressed with another question.
This wasn't over yet.
Before Jowurin arrived, he could still send another letter to stop the visit. 'I should say Wardanaz has been kidnapped by the Crazy Doppelganger and isn't in a position to meet His Highness.' Since it wasn't entirely false, it might just work.
"Next Monday."
"I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'll send another letter to His Highness."
"Misunderstanding?"
"Actually, I wasn't the one who invited—"
KRRRUMBLE!
A deafening roar echoed as something massive collided beneath Professor Voladi's underground lecture hall.
Lee Han jumped in surprise. "What was that?!"
"The underground landing field."
Aside from the Spire Stable, Einrogard had multiple landing sites for incoming aerial vehicles.
The underground landing field was frequently used by those who preferred discreet arrivals.
A massive cavern—
Stretching like a tunnel, its magically concealed entrance could accommodate dozens of flying carriages at once.
Normally, Lee Han would have been thrilled to discover a new location in the school...
But not this time.
"...What just happened at the underground landing field?"
"It appears a large, heavy lifeform has landed."
"What are the chances that it's His Highness Jowurin?"
Instead of answering, Professor Voladi simply stared at Lee Han. The expression on his face said it all.
"...Let's go greet His Highness..."
"I thought you said there was a misunderstanding."
"The misunderstanding was that there was a misunderstanding."
Lee Han replied in a voice heavy with sorrow.
At this point, there was no turning back.
Following the senior, Eandurde's eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.
"Eandurde. You mustn't attack when you meet His Highness."
"Why not?"
'Because you'll get wrecked like a dog...'
Though Eandurde was a natural-born fighter, neither her age nor her skills could compare to Jowurin's.
Even if Jowurin held no malice, a few swipes of his forelegs would send Eandurde flying.
"His Highness is my friend."
"Ah!"
Eandurde nodded in understanding.
Though inwardly, she felt a pang of disappointment.
She'd wanted to test herself against a dragon just once...
"But Professor. Is it alright for Eandurde to hear about His Highness Jowurin?"
It was technically an imperial secret—was it really okay for Eandurde to know?
To Lee Han's question, Professor Voladi answered breezily.
"An Einrogard student would be fine."
"I see. So Einrogard has that level of authority."
"?"
Professor Voladi looked at his student, wondering what he was talking about.
"...Wait, wasn't it because she's an Einrogard student that she has clearance for classified information?"
"I meant there would be a magical prohibition placed on her."
"Ah."
Lee Han immediately understood.
While the Skeleton Principal had lazily let him off the hook, other students would have prohibition spells cast on them.
As they walked through the deep underground passageway, Eandurde couldn't hold back and asked Lee Han:
"How are we supposed to fight?!"
"Hmm."
Hearing his naive junior's question, Lee Han felt the return of a fact he'd rather forget.
Since this was for midterms, the test was truly going to be against Jowurin. 'If I pick Psychokinesis, do I have to lift and throw Jowurin? If I pick Alchemy, do I have to brew a potion that can knock Jowurin out?' Regardless of passing or failing, he was worried about getting arrested the moment he stepped outside the school.
Ugh!
From far away, the familiar voice of a dragon could be heard. Lee Han called out:
"Your Highness?"...
J-Jowurin isn't here.
"???"
Thinking this was nonsense, Lee Han focused mana into his eyes.
Then he saw Jowurin embedded in the wall of the underground hangar space ahead.
She must have been so excited while flying that she couldn't slow down and crashed straight into the hangar wall.
While she herself was unharmed, the surrounding walls naturally couldn't withstand the impact. They crumbled noisily, covering Jowurin.
"Your Highness. Are you unharmed?"
Mmm...
"You said you weren't here just now?"
"Shh. Eandurde. When people make mistakes, they sometimes pretend they don't exist."
"??"
Eandurde was confused by Lee Han's words.
Aren't dragons the wisest and most sacred race in the Empire?
How could such a dragon make a mistake and hide in the rubble like a five-year-old child, refusing to come out?
"Your Highness. Please come out. That kind of damage is easy to repair anyway. It's just some scratches."
R-really?
Seeming tempted, Jowurin crawled out from the pile of debris. Though not fully grown, the large Gold Dragon blinked her eyes as she revealed herself.
When Lee Han entered her field of vision, joy immediately bubbled up.
Wow! Lee Han!
Jowurin precisely grabbed Lee Han with her massive foreleg. Having experienced this before, Lee Han familiarly anticipated it and created a barrier with instant-cast Psychokinesis magic.
The proficiency was such that Professor Voladi, watching from the side, felt proud of his student's growth.
"Ugh. Your Highness. I'm dying."
No, no! Lee Han! Don't die!
"Because Your Highness used too much strength..."
I let go! I command you to come back to life!
"Thank you. I've been revived."
Lee Han said while dusting himself off.
Eandurde, watching from the side, was confused about whether she should attack the evil dragon assaulting her senior or stay still as promised earlier.
"???"
Who's that?
Jowurin asked while looking at Eandurde.
Both Professor Voladi and Lee Han knew her, but this was the first time the dragon had seen this mage.
"My junior. Her name is Eandurde."
Nice to meet you, Eandurde!
Delighted to hear she was Lee Han's junior, Jowurin tried to hug her.
Despite using much less strength than before, the suffocating power made Eandurde flail with a shriek.
Wh-what's wrong? Is there a problem?
"You might need to tone it down further."
As Jowurin startled and lessened her strength, Eandurde fiercely clawed at her foreleg (which Jowurin didn't even feel) and escaped.
She then distanced herself and growled from afar. Seeing someone dislike her, Jowurin's eyes welled up with tears.
L-Lee Han! Does Eandurde hate Jowurin?
"Well... that is..."
Lee Han glanced at his junior. His junior growled, clearly unwilling to say she liked her.
"Grrr!"
"...Eandurde. If I give you this, will you change your mind?"
Handing his junior some chocolate, Lee Han attempted negotiations.