Episode 861
Episode 861
"A servant?!"
Gainando flared up in anger, startling Jowurin.
D-did he just get angry at Jowurin?
"Of course I'm angry! Who do you think you're calling a servant?! I'm of imperial blood—"
"Grrrr!"
Eandurde, who had been ordered by Lee Han to 'get along well with Jowurin,' faithfully carried out her duty.
She immediately ambushed Gainando from the side and subdued him.
Gainando, who hadn't expected an attack from a junior he considered somewhat close (by his own standards), was knocked flat on his back.
"You... you!? Don't you know me!? I'm your senior! Hey! Aah! I said I'm your senior! Lee Han! Lee Han!"
Lee Han! Did you see that!? Eandurde stood up for Jowurin! As Jowurin's friend!
"Truly touching."
"Lee Han?!"
Gainando screamed as his arm was twisted behind his back.
How could the only reliable friend in this chaotic room abandon Gainando like this?!
"Eandurde. Let him go. And Gainando, how can you lose to a first-year?"
"H-he ambushed me from my blind spot! And I only lost because I went easy on him as his senior!"
"Grrrr."
When Eandurde's eyes gleamed threateningly as if she might pounce again, Gainando quickly hid behind Lee Han.
Lee Han blocked his junior and explained the situation as quickly as possible.
"...So now His Highness Jowurin, being of imperial blood, is visiting for midterms. Gainando, can you keep this a secret?"
"Of course!"
"Thanks. Since he's of imperial blood, we should treat him as well as possible, but given that this is Einrogard, we have to be careful. There are too many crazy seniors here."
"Right. Just trust me, Lee Han... Huh?"
Gainando, who had been pounding his chest and nodding enthusiastically at the task entrusted by his friend, suddenly paused.
Because he's of imperial blood, they should treat him as well as possible?
"...Uh, Lee Han. Am I also of imperi—?"
"Wardanaz. Are you here?"
Adenart, who had come looking for Lee Han, cautiously entered the room since the door was open.
Her eyes widened at the scene unfolding inside.
"W-what in the world...?!"
Huh? Is she Jowurin's younger sister?
Jowurin looked Adenart up and down before asking in confusion.
Lee Han was surprised.
"How did you know?"
I could sense it faintly! I had a hunch!
"Your Highness is truly remarkable."
At Lee Han's flattery, Jowurin flapped his wings bashfully. 'Wait, didn't Gainando ask if he was a servant?' The thought crossed Lee Han's mind, but he let it slide. It wasn't important right now.
"Princess, listen. Right now, you see..."
Lee Han repeated what he had just explained.
Then he said seriously,
"Since he's of imperial blood, we should treat him as well as possible."
"Indeed... Wait a moment. Wardanaz, I'm also of imperial—"
Adenart felt slightly wronged.
She was of imperial blood too, so why was Jowurin the only one getting special treatment?
But Lee Han didn't give her a chance to question it. He cleared the remaining space with Professor Voladi and turned the private room into a temporary dragon's nest.
Jowurin wagged his tail up and down happily.
It's small but cozy!
"I'm glad. Then..."
Lee Han, friends, servants, even a younger sibling! Coming to Einrogard was the best decision ever!
Gainando tilted his head and asked,
"Is Adenart a servant too?"
"No."
"...Hey! I told you I'm not a servant?!"
When Gainando exploded, Jowurin flinched in surprise. Adenart quietly advised him.
"Gainando, such rudeness in front of His Highness Jowurin—"
"You! You're only taking his side because you're not a servant!"
"Wh-what... I won't tolerate such insults."
"The insult is calling someone a servant! What, do you think all dragons are servants?!"
Jowurin's expression darkened. Tears welled up in his large vertical pupils.
Seeing this, Gainando hesitated, his heart softening.
"N-no... don't cry."
Gainando kept getting angry at Jowurin...
"W-well, it's because you called me a servant."
But Jowurin needs servants...
"......"
With teary eyes, Jowurin stared straight at Gainando.
Unable to resist that gaze, Gainando finally declared.
"...Ugh! Fine! I'm a servant! A servant!"
Wow!
"That guy is seriously annoying, Lee Han! If only my mom were a dragon, I'd be treated like that too!"
"...Gainando. About His Majesty the Emperor... Never mind. It's nothing."
"??"
It seemed Gainando didn't know the Emperor's race.
Since Lee Han didn't want to shock his innocent friend, he let it slide.
Meanwhile, a head of red hair peeked through the slightly opened door. It was Yoner.
"Why's it so noisy? Gainando. Stop bothering Lee Han and come down to clean..."
Yoner abruptly stopped speaking as Professor Voladi seriously advised his student.
"You should probably inform your friends."
Lee Han's private room was being visited by friends far more frequently than anticipated.
When Jowurin descended to the second-year lounge, her friends initially thought, 'Finally, the Skeleton Principal has kidnapped a dragon to kill Lee Han.'
Their next thought was, 'Finally, Professor Bagrak has kidnapped a dragon to...'
After hearing the explanation, their final thought was: 'If only Gainando were a dragon too, that would've been cool.' Then fighting against other top students would've been much easier.
Under their intense stares, Gainando grumbled.
"Fine. I'm a servant. What? Got a problem?"
"Oh, no no. Gainando. We were just admiring your devotion."
"Exactly. Even though you're of imperial blood, you set aside your pride to serve His Highness. Honestly, we respect that."
Afraid their true thoughts might be exposed, the friends quickly covered up. Hearing this, Gainando seemed slightly mollified.
"Really?"
"Of course! Who else could take on the role of a servant like you?"
Gainando is an excellent servant!
"Hmph. Heheh."
"Make the fireplace burn brighter. Jowurin likes warmth."
"Understood."
Gainando fetched firewood.
Chopping and drying wood from the forest was one of the menial tasks students had to do.
Though it could be quite bothersome since they had to replenish what they used, Gainando boldly stacked the logs.
Cozy and drowsy, Jowurin curled up with a low whimper.
The surreal sight of the second-year lounge transforming into something resembling a dragon's nest left the students astonished anew.
"To think Einrogard can still surprise us..."
"But what exam brought Your Highness here?"
"They say he has to compete with Wardanaz."
"...Wait, does that mean we have to assassinate him now?"
"Shh. Quiet. If Wardanaz is planning something, we should lull him into complacency even more."
While some students chattered on one side, Yoner and alchemy students prepared the dragon's meal on the other.
"Eandurde. You've worked hard coming all this way. Here, take this."
"Thank you!"
Eandurde happily accepted the warm meal from Yoner, whom she hadn't seen in a while.
"Are your studies going well?"
"......"
Eandurde averted her gaze, her eyes trembling slightly. She still remembered how sternly Yoner had drilled her during winter break.
"Mm-mmph-mmph!"
"Alright, eat first, then talk...Eandurde. You're not stuffing your mouth just to avoid answering, are you?"
Nearby, Ashan, who was helping Lee Han prepare ingredients, asked curiously.
"But Wardanaz. How does that first-year junior see us?"
First-year juniors—with a few exceptions (mainly Wardanaz)—couldn't sense their seniors.
So how could that first-year junior do it?
"Professor Bagrak cast a spell on them."
"Wow. How kind of him."
"Thanks to that, if you get caught, it's the Punishment Room for you. Can you really call that kindness? Ashan. Think again."
"...W-Wardanaz. Are you... mad at Professor Bagrak?"
Ashan was taken aback by his friend's stern tone.
Though his friend wasn't wrong, it didn't seem like Professor Voladi was particularly at fault.
"Angry? I don't know what you're talking about, Ashan. Thanks to this, His Highness visited the school, but I'm not angry at all. Though I now have to worry about what kind of test to prepare for His Highness, I'm not the least bit angry about that either."
"......Maykin! Maykin! I'll boil the pot! Can we switch seats?!"
Ashan quickly ran away.
He sensed the danger that if he stayed next to Lee Han any longer, he might get hit.
* * *
Entering the lecture hall, Lee Han let out a long yawn.
Not just Lee Han, but all the Blue Dragon Tower students attending the <With a Drop of Potion Instead of Complex Magic> lecture looked exhausted.
Taking care of a dragon in the lounge was harder than expected.
Preparing massive meals that the dragon could devour was just the start—they also had to manage temperature, humidity, lighting, and occasionally even sing lullabies.
Moreover, Jowurin would only listen to Lee Han's lullabies. If other students tried singing, she'd shake her head repeatedly and slam her tail on the floor. When Gainando sang, she'd even growl threateningly.
'Music magic... seems to work when caring for dragons too...'
Nilia kept tilting her head, sensing something was off.
There seemed to be something going on with just the Blue Dragon Tower students, but she couldn't figure out what.
"Hey. Wardanaz. Wardanaz."
Nilia came up beside Lee Han and whispered.
"Huh? Oh. Nilia."
"What's going on? Did something happen in the Blue Dragon Tower?"
"Something... well. Sort of."
Lee Han hesitated as he looked at his dark elf friend.
Should he tell her?
It wasn't a matter of secrecy—it was that the moment she heard, she'd have to suffer alongside them taking care of the dragon.
If she were from the same tower, maybe, but burdening a friend from another tower like this...
'...'
It'd be a good thing.'
In Einrogard, the power of drowning others was stronger than the power of friendship. Lee Han sighed and spoke.
"Sigh. But this is a Blue Dragon Tower secret."
"Huh?!"
Nilia's ears perked up, and she fidgeted anxiously.
A secret among her friends that excluded her?
"Th-that kind of thing?"
"I can tell you, but you'll have to participate too. Sigh. Though I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Not that it's unrewarding or anyth—"
"Tell me. I don't know what it is, but I want in too!"
The cold, composed hunter from the Shadow Patrol answered immediately. Lee Han smiled faintly.
"Actually, there's a dragon in the lounge. We've been taking care of it."
"......Wardanaz. If you don't want to tell me, just say so. I'm leaving."
Nilia turned away sulkily.
Of course, friends could have secrets, but at the very least, the way you refused should have some sincerity.
Rejecting her with such an outrageous lie?!
"N-no, Nilia. It's true."
"Hmph."
Before Lee Han could explain further, Professor Thunderstep entered, and the lecture began.
The professor briefly explained next week's exam and then carefully detailed how to make this week's topic, <Dragon Scale Potion>.
"Let me say this again—you must be extremely careful when making this potion! Its name comes not from its defensive properties but from the miserable state you'll be in if you fail. Never forget the component detection and conversion steps, and pay special attention to when you add the Lixus Potion! If you fail, you'll become like a dragon—"
"A DRAGON!!!"
"Don't start panicking already, you bronze-brained fool."
The dwarf professor looked at the student disdainfully.
If they failed, they'd turn scaly like a dragon—there was no need to freak out as if a dragon had actually appeared...
"IT'S A DRAGON?!?!?!"
When Professor Thunderstep turned his head, he nearly fainted at the sight of a large, young dragon blinking at him from the window.
'What absurd nonsense—has the time come for Einrogard to fall?'
Thinking the exact same thought the Skeleton Principal and Lee Han had once before, Professor Thunderstep struggled to grasp the situation.
"If anyone has any idea what's happening right now, speak up."
"I have no idea, Professor."
Lee Han answered immediately.
'If Wardanaz doesn't know, then none of these brats will. Could it be Bendozol? Where's Lee Han?'
"......"
(The dragon's telepathic waves)
Eh—
Professor Thunderstep glared at his students with a grim expression.