Episode 886
Episode 886
However, Jowurin didn't voice her thoughts aloud. Though it had only been a short time since she started staying at Einrogard, her social skills had improved rapidly.
Perhaps it was due to the innate intuition of the dragon race.
Jowurin judged that if she spoke what she was thinking now, even the kind-hearted Lee Han might get angry and kick her out of the lounge.
'Since Jowurin is smart, I should wait quietly.'
Pleased with her own judgment, Jowurin obediently waited.
"Your Highness. You should watch where you're walking."
Hmm.
"Your Highness. Please watch where you're going."
Hmm-hmm.
"......"
Lee Han used telekinesis to confiscate the out-of-print rare edition of Puppy Beastman Detective Toberiz that Jowurin was holding.
Jowurin screamed and attempted to roll left and right, but Lee Han coldly ignored her.
Even if the corridors or walls of Einrogard were to break, it would be the Skeleton Principal's job to fix them, not Lee Han's.
After several minutes of rolling around failed to get Lee Han to return the book, Jowurin deflated and obediently followed again.
"I'll give it back when we return to the lounge. Or you can just read it there now if you prefer."
No. Following Lee Han around is more fun.
"Haha. To think Your Highness finds the lecture interesting... You truly have magical promise."
It wasn't really about the lecture...
Jowurin was about to say that Lee Han's experiences were more entertaining than the lecture but stopped herself again.
As she had sensed earlier, she felt a sudden crisis—if she spoke carelessly now, she might be sent back to the lounge.
Jowurin suddenly felt a deep sense of pride in how much she had grown.
"What were you saying about the lecture?"
Ah, no. Um... I was just curious about which lecture Lee Han is heading to now!
"It's Life of a Wizard with Plants, but strictly speaking, I'm not going to attend the lecture."
At Lee Han's words, Jowurin tilted her head in confusion before belatedly realizing and exclaiming:
Aha!
"As expected of Your Highness. You grasped it immediately."
Are you going to help the professor make the midterm exam?
"...No..."
Lee Han worried that Jowurin had developed a skewed perception of Einrogard due to experiencing too many unusual cases.
It was just a streak of bad luck that led to those peculiar incidents—normally, Einrogard was slightly different.
'...'
Or is it? Was it always like this?'
"I don't usually make exams. I told you the Music Magic one was an exception."
But surely other professors also...
Cough. "If Your Highness doesn't trust me, I'm so sad I might collapse..."
Ah, no! Jowurin trusts Lee Han! Sorry! Don't collapse!
"Thank you."
......
As Lee Han immediately recovered, Jowurin gave him a slightly suspicious look.
Was Lee Han deceiving her?
'Ah, no. That can't be.'
Jowurin shook her head side to side. A kind-hearted mage like Lee Han wouldn't resort to trickery.
"I'm going now to tend to the plants. Due to the nature of the class, they require a lot of attention even during breaks."
Most students at Einrogard were busy.
Even if they didn't pack their schedules as tightly as Lee Han with lectures, there wasn't much free time to relax.
Even when not attending lectures, they had to spend their remaining time studying and preparing, making it even more demanding.
Especially this semester, the goal of Life of a Wizard with Plants was cultivating mandragoras—a task that demanded constant care and attention.
Aha.
Only then did Jowurin properly grasp the truth.
"Do you understand now, Your Highness?"
Hmm.
Though she was convinced, a new question arose in Jowurin's mind: When does Lee Han ever rest?
Meanwhile, Lee Han arrived at the sixth-floor greenhouse.
Jowurin, leisurely inhaling the warm, humid air wafting from inside, grew puzzled when Lee Han didn't enter.
Instead of going in, Lee Han glanced around before knocking on the door of an empty classroom next to it.
—Who is it?
"A person who knows the true value of mandragoras."
—Wardanaz. Come in.
Batrek and Ratford, who had been waiting inside the empty classroom, welcomed Lee Han.
Jowurin blinked her eyes in even greater confusion.
Weren't they here to tend to the mandragoras in the greenhouse?
"How did it go? The pattern?"
"It's half finished. The snowflake pattern is harder than expected."
"What kind of nonsense is this...! After receiving such expensive reagents!"
As Lee Han pressed angrily, Batrek hastily made excuses.
"W-well, what can I do? I'm still a second year, Wardanaz."
"Don't make excuses, Batrek! Buyers don't care what grade we're in!"
"E-excuse me, Lord Wardanaz. May I ask a question?"
Ratford, who had been listening nearby, raised his hand to ask.
"What is it?"
"...Um... is it alright for His Highness to be hearing this?"
Only then did Batrek realize there was a large dragon staring intently at them from outside the door.
Batrek panicked and whispered urgently.
"Hey! Why did you bring His Highness along?!"
"I brought Gainando too—is there any particular reason I shouldn't bring His Highness Jowurin?"
"Are Gainando and His Highness the same?!"
Batrek flared up as if to say, 'What kind of nonsense is that?'
The three gathered here had been students with different goals from the others since the start of the lecture.
[The medicinal effects of mandragoras aside, if their leaves have rare patterns, they sell for high prices. There are collectors...]
[So during the mandragora cultivation lecture, you're saying we should create special patterns on the leaves to sell them at a premium?]
[That does sound a bit questionable, doesn't it?]
[No. Let's do it right away!]
A proper mage ought to know how to pursue practical gains.
If they could secure both academic credit and gold, wouldn't that make them true mages?
Thus, Lee Han and his friends had taken on the challenge of cultivating mandragoras while simultaneously engraving patterns on their leaves.
"Keep it down. His Highness Jowurin isn't the type to go reporting this to anyone."
"Fine, Wardanaz. I'll trust you on this. ...But, Wardanaz."
"What?"
"...Isn't that person behind His Highness... a professor?!"
Just as Batrek was about to accept the situation, he noticed Professor Voladi standing expressionlessly behind Jowurin and was horrified.
They might have been able to overlook an external royal visitor, but a professor was another matter entirely.
"Ha. Batrek, are you deliberately derailing the conversation to avoid responsibility for failure? Is this how a member of the White Tiger Tower behaves?"
"N-no... that's... a fair point..."
"Professor Bagrak isn't the type to go reporting this either, so don't worry."
'Is this guy actually insane?' Batrek shuddered inwardly.
He knew the Wardanaz family's scion carried a madness on a different level from ordinary students, but the insanity he was displaying today was overwhelming.
To casually say things like 'our professor is fine' while dragging Professor Voladi around...
"...Fine. Fine. Just wait until Professor Willow hears the rumors and comes to confiscate the leaves!"
"That doesn't seem to be the issue right now. The real problem is that the leaves are only half-finished despite pouring so many reagents into them. We used nearly an entire box of fire-repelling herbs and proposal stones..."
"Ugh..."
Batrek had nothing to say and lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
Whether alchemists or enchantment mages, they all adopted similar postures when failing to deliver results after receiving budgets and support.
Though Batrek himself didn't realize it, this was a stance countless seniors and professors had taken before.
"Sigh. No helping it, Batrek. We'll just have to do our best with the remaining time. Let's go finish tending to the mandragoras first."
"Understood. Sorry again, Wardanaz."
"Don't waste time apologizing—finish the patterns."
"......"
Batrek grumbled inwardly. 'Ugh. Next time, I'm getting the reagents myself.' This, too, was a thought countless senior alchemists had shared before.
As the conversation wound down, Jowurin, who had been observing, spoke up.
Jowurin has a question.
"What would you like to know, Your Highness?"
Is the leaf pattern for gold coins?
"Not necessarily..."
"We do like plants too..."
Batrek and Ratford instinctively made excuses.
After trying to deflect, they eventually admitted.
"Yes..."
"Trying to save up some gold..."
Lee Han too?
"I suppose you could say that aspect isn't insignificant."
Lee Han admitted it boldly. Jowurin propped her chin on her front paw and asked.
"Can't you just take the gold coins from my treasury?"
"...!!"
The three students' eyes widened as if struck by lightning.
Batrek blurted out without thinking.
"Y-Your Highness, are you saying you'll sponsor my alchemy research?!"
No. Jowurin had only mentioned Lee Han...
Jowurin replied in an awkward tone. Batrek became equally awkward.
"Ah. My apologies."
"...No. It's fine, Your Highness. We can earn it ourselves."
Batrek was slightly impressed by his friend's refusal. 'That Wardanaz kid. At times like this, he truly lives up to being from a great noble family.' Though Batrek himself took pride in coming from a knightly family, he had been completely tempted by the offer of a dragon's treasure.
Such was the legendary reputation of a dragon's wealth.
Yet Wardanaz had honorably and firmly declined the offer.
If he accepted, wouldn't it appear that he had entertained the imperial family's visit purely for profit?
"Wardanaz. I respect you. I was honestly tempted."
Patting Lee Han's shoulder, Batrek looked at his friend—then flinched.
Lee Han was glaring at Batrek with murderous intensity.
"...Make sure to complete the pattern within this semester. Understood?"
"...U-understood..."
"Lady Maykin. Doesn't Sir Bark seem unusually diligent today?"
Siana tilted her head as she watched Batrek sweating profusely while tending to the mandragora saplings.
Of course, given that the Bark family was renowned for alchemy among the eastern dwarf clans, Batrek's diligence wasn't surprising—but today, it felt particularly...
"Could it be because exams are next week?"
"It feels more desperate than that...?"
"Over there. Mana aphids appeared."
"Ah! Thank you."
Siana sprayed diluted poison to eliminate the mana aphids.
Looking around, the students' behaviors varied greatly as midterms approached.
Students like Siana and Yoner, who had diligently cared for their mandragoras all along, were relatively at ease—plucking occasional pests, replenishing water...
In contrast, those who had been lazy were mostly frantic, hurriedly patching up areas eaten by insects or making a fuss to drive pests away.
And then there were the completely relaxed students. These weren't confident—they had already ruined their saplings and boldly sold them off to seniors.
"Haha... Just go to the Punishment Room and be done with it."
"Quiet. It's embarrassing."
Batrek technically belonged to the first group, so why was he so desperate?
It was impossible to understand.
Meanwhile, students from the second group gradually approached Lee Han.
"Wardanaz! Please!"
"I can't hear you."
"You have to lead us! Show us the skills you displayed in our first year!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Others might misunderstand."
Jowurin watched curiously as the students chased after Lee Han.
"Maykin, Maykin. I have a question."
"What is it, Your Highness?"
What are those mages begging Lee Han for?
"Ah."
Yoner chuckled as she explained.
Those students had been at it since the start of the semester.
Raising mandragoras required water, attention, and sunlight.
If they could artificially provide the power of the sun to their mandragoras, they could dramatically accelerate their growth.
—'The Headmaster's treasury has an artificial sun artifact, right? If we steal that, we'd get full marks, no?...'
Students who had reached this conclusion were desperately trying to recruit Lee Han.
Of course, Lee Han was completely ignoring them. He was already raising his mandragora well—why take such a gamble?
Would Lee Han's mandragora grow even better with that artifact?
"Probably, right?"
Jowurin glanced at Lee Han's sapling, then opened her mouth slightly before narrowing her eyes and scanning the surroundings.
As if gauging the safest distance to unleash her breath.
"Maykin, you're truly kind!"
"...Huh? Why suddenly?"
One more question. Are there times when this greenhouse is empty?
"There are, but...?"
Yoner felt an odd sense of unease.
When royalty suddenly gave compliments, there was usually an ulterior motive.