Episode 889
Episode 889
The baby basilisk was the first to regain its senses and cried out in disbelief.
-You call that a solution!
It had expected the professor to calm the overgrown mandragora and stop its crying, but to say 'Let's pretend we were never here today!'?
But Professor Bendozol paid no heed.
"Lord Dragon. If it were about accelerating growth, that would be one thing, but there's no way to revert a fully grown mandragora. This is truly the best solution we have now."
H-however... Jowurin seemed... a little troubled by her conscience...
Naturally, Jowurin also showed reluctance.
She might have been fine with Einrogard students or professors doing this, but Jowurin still retained some sense of being an outsider.
"Lord Dragon. To be honest, I don't mind revealing the truth either. I truly don't care at all."-...
Why wouldn't you care?
The baby basilisk was baffled once more.
How could anyone not care when another professor's classroom was in such chaos right now...
"But Lord Dragon. If I may be so bold, you are so merciful and kind-hearted that you even listen to the petty complaints of insignificant students. The mere thought of Lord Dragon feeling distressed makes this Bendozol's heart ache unbearably...!"
Bendozol beat his chest with fanatical loyalty. The baby basilisk muttered in a disgusted voice:
-That guy's scary.
W-well... his argument does make some sense.-...?!
The baby basilisk was startled when Jowurin's attitude suddenly shifted.
-Why!?
Well... Jowurin... doesn't want to get scolded by Lee Han...
Clutching her front paws together, Jowurin hesitated.
Other students might not care, but if Lee Han got angry and said 'You! Go back to the capital!' she might die of heartbreak.
The argument was so compelling that even the baby basilisk was momentarily speechless.
-I feel the same way.
Right?
The baby basilisk fell into deep thought.
Should it speak the truth, guided by conscience and loyalty?
Or should it listen to the shady professor's underhanded suggestion and hide the truth?
-Let's hide it!
True to being the king of serpents, the baby basilisk made its decision. Jowurin, who had been groaning in distress, brightened up when her friend agreed.
Really??
-Yes! We were never here!
As the baby basilisk wagged its tail and declared, Jowurin flapped her wings in response.
Seeing this, Professor Bendozol's eyes grew moist with emotion.
Perhaps this was why he worked as a professor at Einrogard—to witness such beautiful moments.
Yes! No one will know we were here!
"Excellent! I'll even cut out my tongue to keep this secret!"
When Bendozol enthusiastically shouted this, the two recoiled in horror, putting distance between them.
* * *
Lee Han, who had just woken up, came downstairs with a frown.
"What's wrong, Wardanaz?"
"It's nothing... I just had a strange dream..."
"I think I know why. You always sleep in chairs instead of your bed."
"......"
Lee Han gave Ashan a look of disbelief, but the other students actually seemed to agree with him.
"That makes sense. Wardanaz, you should really use your bed more."
"Exactly. Private rooms are meant for sleeping, not just storing books."
"Everyone's so noisy."
Waving his staff, Lee Han sent perfectly toasted bread slices flying from the frying pan over the fireplace.
Simultaneously, glass jars filled with various jams, butter wrapped in brown paper, and slices of cured ham emerged from the cupboard in perfect order.
Before the Blue Dragon Tower students could marvel at their friend's brilliance in using 5th Circle magic for household chores, they scrambled to grab the bread first.
In their rookie days, they would chatter during meals, but now they were proper Einrogard students.
They knew full well that if they kept chattering while doing other things, they'd only be hurting themselves.
"Wardanaz. How many exams do you have next week? Did you finish them all already?"
"...I said no, didn't I? Who the hell keeps spreading these baseless rumors?"
"Gainando was bragging to the White Tiger Tower guys that you'd already finished all your exams, so I thought it might be true."
'That bastard.'
Lee Han shuddered as he identified the culprit nearby.
While childish arguments with students from other towers were one thing, spreading false rumors was crossing the line.
"I'll finish preparing over the weekend. Language lecture, Transmutation Magic lecture... Ah, right. I should visit the greenhouse."
"Let's go together. I need to catch some bugs too."
"More importantly, why hasn't His Highness woken up yet?"
The students looked curiously at Jowurin, who was sound asleep by the fireplace.
"Shouldn't we wake him? If we leave him behind, he'll definitely sulk later."
"But why is he sleeping so long? He usually wakes up earlier than any of us."
Jowurin was a young Dragon.
Which meant he was practically invincible in terms of stamina.
For someone who always woke up early and rolled around impatiently to go outside, it was strange to see him still asleep.
"Your Highness. Your Highness?"
Mmm... Jowurin didn't say anything...
"What is it?"
...
Lee Han!
Jowurin, who had just woken up belatedly, blinked at the students. His face turned pale.
Even if Jowurin had just said something strange, it was all sleep-talking! Just sleep-talking!
"You didn't say anything, Your Highness."
...
R-right? Jowurin is innocent!
"...??"
At Jowurin's undeniably odd reaction, the students—including Lee Han—began murmuring.
"Did Gainando come by last night and poke you with his staff before running away?"
"Come on... No way... Even he wouldn't go that far."
"Nah. You know how jealous Gainando is."
Meanwhile, Lee Han tucked the Baby Basilisk back into his sleeve.
Normally, the little creature would be up by morning, chattering away, but seeing it dozing off made Lee Han suspicious.
'What's going on? Did the two of them do something last night?'
"Your Highness. We're planning to visit the greenhouse—would you like to join us?"
Huh... Uh, uh, we went yesterday too... Isn't that too much? I feel bad for the Einrogard students!
"Your Highness...!"
The students were all moved.
To think he could be so merciful!
Some of them even vowed to join the imperial faction supporting "Jowurin for Emperor" after graduation.
Given the benevolence he had just shown toward their kind, he was more than qualified.
"Still, we have to go. We need to plant those new sprouts too. They should be ready by now, right?"
-No need to worry. You'll be pleasantly surprised!
Saratan rubbed his hands together slyly and cunningly.
The recent attacks had left this arrogant and aggressive spirit severely diminished.
"Good. I'll trust you. This spirit here promised to grow the Mandragora for us. You should come too, Your Highness? We can show you the plants you missed yesterday."
"Wardanaz. Most of the plants you missed yesterday are the kind that attack people..."
"So what? His Highness would probably find that even more entertaining."
Most plants couldn't even scratch Jowurin's scales. Knowing what Jowurin liked, Lee Han confidently made the suggestion.
B-but... Jowurin might be a little scared...
"?!??"
Lee Han was genuinely startled.
"Your Highness. Did something happen? If you're worried about Einrogard now, we can turn back anytime..."
N-no! That's not it!
"Gainando didn't come out last night and attack you with magic before running away, did he?"
Absolutely not... Jowurin will go see the greenhouse...
Jowurin glanced enviously at the Basilisk sleeping in Lee Han's sleeve.
If only Jowurin had been asleep too!
"You're not going to change your mind later, are you?"
"Don't worry. Didn't I say you'd be surprised?"
Lee Han continued tormenting the spirit every five minutes even on the way there.
Friends who didn't know what grudge existed between them whispered among themselves.
-Isn't Wardanaz being too harsh on the spirit?
-It must be the Wardanaz family's way. You need dignity to subdue a powerful spirit.
-Indeed. That's why spirits keep running away...
Ooooooooooooh!
As an unsettling vibration sound echoed from the distant greenhouse, all the students instinctively covered both ears...
Except Lee Han.
"What's that?"
"Wa, Wardanaz! The greenhouse... in the greenhouse...!"
"It's definitely a mandragora being pulled!"
Yoner, who grasped the situation first, shouted. If the sound could be heard outside the door, among greenhouse plants, it could only be a mandragora.
"Everyone! Take these potions!"
"Thanks, Yoner!"
"Everyone except Lee Han!"
"...I know."
When Yoner angrily told them to distribute the potions to friends, Lee Han felt slightly hurt.
Of course, even if Lee Han drank it, it would be meaningless... 'But she didn't have to say it like that!'
The students who barely managed to take out mental protection potions and mandragora earplugs let out sighs of relief.
"Why was the mandragora pulled?"
"Who knows...?"
Lee Han, who approached the greenhouse, paused abruptly.
He noticed an unfamiliar magical seal on the greenhouse door. 'What's this? Did Professor Willow put it up?' But if Professor Willow had placed it, there'd be no reason to do so without telling the students.
Instead of breaking the seal, Lee Han first tried to check the situation inside.
"......"
Then he recoiled in shock, taking several steps back.
"What's wrong, Wardanaz?"
"...Can mandragoras normally grow like that?"
"??"
Wondering what Lee Han was talking about, his friends pressed their faces close to the greenhouse window.
Then they too recoiled in shock, stepping back just like Lee Han.
Normally, mandragoras—which scream and have human-like bodies—are buried deep underground with only their leaves and stems slightly protruding.
But now, an enormous mandragora's leaves and stems, unlike anything they'd ever seen before, filled the greenhouse. They were so large that the leaves covered half the greenhouse.
Students from other towers who arrived late also gasped in shock upon seeing the situation inside.
"What on earth happened?"
"Can mandragoras grow like that?"
"More importantly, was it crying underground? So the mandragora didn't come out, but...?"
"T-this level of sound even outside the greenhouse door..."
"I've got it!"
When Siana shouted, everyone's gaze turned toward her.
"What did you figure out, Priestess Siana?"
"I know why the mandragora became like this. Lord Wardanaz."
With the confident posture of a detective, Siana pointed her finger. At its tip was Lee Han's staff.
"The spirit dwelling inside that staff is the culprit!"
-...????!!!!
Saratan, who had been waiting with fresh sprouts, suddenly screamed at being framed by the mage.
Of course, Saratan's voice didn't reach any of the students except Lee Han.
"Who else could have made the mandragora grow like that? Besides, that spirit has a motive! It holds a grudge against Lord Wardanaz, so it wouldn't be strange if it twisted his orders!"
"Indeed... a spirit's revenge...!"
"So that's what he meant by waiting a day!"
All the students marveled at Siana's deduction.
Powerful and fierce beings from other dimensions, even when bound by contracts, were never docile.
They were always looking for loopholes to screw over their contractors.
-ABSOLUTELY NOT! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Who is that damn brat of a mage trying to frame?! I'll kill them!
Saratan was fuming.
Just having to make this excuse felt utterly absurd.
Bowing to a young mage was humiliating enough, but now he had to defend himself like this?!
But Lee Han was already half-convinced by Siana's deduction.
"Come to think of it... didn't you say we'd be surprised when we reached the greenhouse?"
-......