Episode 898
Episode 898
"Everyone, calm down!"
Yoner tried to soothe her panicking friends.
"Let's check the exam details first. It's too early to despair. What does it say?"
The students attending the lecture each received a wooden box containing <Thunderstep's Red Sandalwood Incense>, which they had to neutralize by next week.
—Thunderstep
"Has he gone mad?!"
Upon reading the exam details, Yoner flew into a rage and flung the paper into the air.
Students who didn't know what Red Sandalwood Incense was still hadn't grasped the situation and asked,
"Maykin, what's Red Sandalwood Incense?"
"Remember that floral incense we covered in class before?"
"Yeah. Oh, if it's something like that, then maybe in a week we could..."
"It's dozens of times more complex than that."
"HE'S GONE MAD!"
The students collectively panicked, flailing in confusion.
Lee Han was equally baffled and fell deep into thought.
'What? Why did the exam change? Did the seniors mislead us from the start?'
Even though Lee Han was the top student in his year, he hadn't expected the professor to deliberately target them like this.
Meanwhile, his friends began ranting—starting with the professor's wickedness and escalating to criticizing the incompetence of their club seniors.
"These people told us to trust them! Did they even research properly?!"
"See, I told you we shouldn't have relied on the seniors!"
"Uh... What's going on...?"
Jowurin, who had been peacefully napping by the fireplace, woke up to the students' commotion.
The students of the Blue Dragon Tower were brandishing their staves with an ominous air.
D-did intruders break in again?!
"No, Your Highness. The professor just announced the exam."
"Oh."
Still half-asleep, Jowurin blinked slowly before cautiously asking,
"All this fuss over that...?"
"Shh. If the others hear you, even Your Highness might be in danger."
Lee Han quickly pressed Jowurin's snout shut.
His friends were already half-crazed from the unexpectedly difficult exam. Provoking them now would be unwise.
Jowurin lowered her voice.
"All this fuss over that?"
"It does seem quite difficult."
At Lee Han's words, Jowurin was startled.
If it were any other student, he might have doubted it—but if this boy from the Wardanaz family said so, then it must be truly difficult!
"Really? But... why the sudden understanding?"
"I want to see what it's about too!"
Eager to shine again like he had in Magic Algebra and Arcane Geometry, Jowurin excitedly tapped the wooden floor of the lounge with his front claws.
Lee Han gave him a suspicious look...
"What? What? Did Jowurin do something wrong?"
"N-no, Your Highness. I just remembered that time you suddenly breathed fire and charged..."
"......"
Jowurin grumbled internally.
It seemed like Lee Han would bring up the fire-breathing incident every chance he got.
'That was an accident!'
It was an accident, so Lee Han should just forget about it already!
"Understood. Come to think of it, I also recall Your Highness sneaking into the greenhouse and breathing fire."
"......"
Pouting, Jowurin clamped his mouth shut and turned away.
When a large dragon sulked, nearby furniture tended to suffer. As Jowurin's tail lashed side to side, smashing chairs, Lee Han finally relented and placated him.
"My apologies, Your Highness. You did have good intentions."
"Exactly!"
"Then, if I show you the exam, you won't act recklessly, right?"
"Of course! Lee Han can trust Jowurin!"
Flapping his wings, Jowurin declared proudly.
This time, he truly had no intention of ignoring Lee Han and doing something reckless.
"Here, take a look. This is the exam."
"...Uh..."
Jowurin was taken aback by how difficult the exam was.
Arithmetic and geometry were his forte, but alchemy like this required experience and specialized knowledge.
He took a cautious sniff of the Red Sandalwood Incense wafting from the box—but it was so intricately crafted that he couldn't even begin to decipher it.
"Gasp. The hallucination..."
"My skin is turning to stone!"
In fact, Jowurin was at an even greater disadvantage due to her natural resistance.
The other students could immediately experience the effects upon smelling the incense and analyze them in reverse to understand its composition.
But those like Jowurin or Lee Han, who possessed innate resistance, could barely perceive any effects from the Red Sandalwood Incense.
While this was usually an advantage, in this situation, it became a drawback.
"Hmm. Still no effect, as expected."
"This is unfair! Only Lee Han is suffering here!"
Jowurin shouted angrily at the unfair reality where only Lee Han was at a disadvantage.
Students still experiencing hallucinations or with skin turning to stone glanced at her incredulously, but Jowurin didn't notice.
"Every advantage has its drawback, Your Highness. Anyway, this is the exam."
"Hmm... Hmmph!"
"Your Highness, you don't have to help me with every exam. This is my test, and I can handle it myself."
Lee Han spoke up, slightly worried as Jowurin seemed to be taking this too seriously. 'Do I look that miserable to her?' From an outsider's perspective, Lee Han's schedule might seem excessively harsh, making Jowurin act this way.
Of course, it was indeed harsh, but he didn't want to worry the young dragon.
No! Jowurin wanted to solve this exam brilliantly to show off to the other students—especially Lee Han!
"......"
Lee Han was taken aback by her unexpectedly materialistic reasoning. Even Gainando, who was reassembling a broken chair nearby, let out an impressed sigh.
"That guy. Annoying, but he knows his stuff."
"Hey, I'll fix the chair. You go study."
Lee Han shooed Gainando away. Muttering something like, 'And you always tell me to serve the Tower!', Gainando retreated.
Jowurin, who had been deep in thought, suddenly widened her eyes as a brilliant idea struck her.
"Lee Han!!"
"...What is it?"
"Why are you doubting me? I haven't even done anything yet!"
"Haha. I wasn't doubting. Just asking. So, what is it?"
"Jowurin is a dragon."
"Well, that much is obvious."
"A dragon's body is an incredibly potent reagent—"
"Hold on."
Lee Han immediately cut her off.
Having dealt with numerous royals before, he recognized the telltale signs of a royal about to spout nonsense.
"Your Highness, you're not suggesting we use parts of your body—like scales or claws—to attempt Incense Neutralization, are you?"
"Well... That's... Kind of... What do you think, Lee Han?"
"Hmm. Unlike other reagents, such a powerful one would certainly make the process much simpler and quicker. It'd save time too."
"Right! Jowurin thought so too!"
Lee Han smiled. Jowurin grinned back, hehe.
And then, Jowurin spent the next hour getting scolded.
'It's not over yet...!'
Night.
In the lounge, Jowurin pretended to sleep, cracking one eye open slightly.
Amid the chaotic movement of passing students, she precisely tracked Lee Han's movements.
And the reagent pouch he was carrying. 'Jowurin will prove her worth!'
Before coming to Einrogard, Jowurin would have obediently stayed put after being told not to do something.
But after arriving at Einrogard, she had grown mentally at an astonishing rate. Naturally, her stubbornness had grown proportionally.
Though she had been scolded for confronting a demonic monster and forcing Mandragora growth, that was then, and this was now.
This time, Jowurin was right!
Had Lee Han known, he would have deeply regretted introducing her to Einrogard, thinking, 'I've raised a little dragon troublemaker.'
'But opportunities like this are rare. Must act carefully.'
Jowurin used her dragon-kind's sharp intellect to carefully consider the situation.
Normally, she would have experimented with various dragon byproducts, but since Lee Han had sternly refused, that option was off the table.
Unable to analyze the Red Sandalwood Incense or test reagents, it seemed all paths were blocked, but...
Actually, that wasn't the case.
"Maykin. Maykin. Jowurin has a question. I'm curious about which reagent from a dragon's body is the most powerful!"
"Uh, did someone ask Your Highness for it? And... is that professor by any chance a beaver beastman?"
Yoner was suspicious, but as Jowurin stubbornly persisted, she eventually answered.
"Most byproducts from a dragon's body are powerful reagents, but the most potent one in this situation would undoubtedly be the Dragon Stone."
"This small stone formed within a dragon's body can neutralize any scent in an instant."
"Fufufu..."
"Your Highness. Seriously, no one asked you for this, right? It's not Professor Ber Mo, is it??"
Even if they couldn't analyze the scent or test the reagents, it didn't matter.
Jowurin planned to pull out the Dragon Stone and solve everything in one go.
"U-um, excuse me?"
Hearing the Baby Basilisk's voice, Jowurin snapped out of her meditation.
A wise dragon never acts alone in such matters. Naturally, Jowurin sought out allies.
The Baby Basilisk and Eandurde. These two companions, bound by friendship, would surely become reliable accomplices.
"......"
The two, suddenly summoned, wore expressions of deep reluctance.
"Last time, you breathed fire in the greenhouse and caused a huge mess!"
"That was the old Jowurin! The current Jowurin has grown and is different now!"
"This seems reckless..."
"Eandurde, do you not trust me?!"
"Huh? Yeah."
Eandurde stared at Jowurin as if questioning what she was saying. Jowurin was deeply shocked.
Shouldn't the answer here have been 'I trust you'?...
"If you don't help, I'll tell them you participated in the greenhouse incident last time!"
With malice rising, Jowurin immediately switched tactics.
Thanks to learning from an excellent teacher, Jowurin's threats were quite effective. The Baby Basilisk was startled.
"T-that's not fair...! Eeek...!"
"Hmph. Stop crying and decide whether you'll participate. Before it's too late."
Eventually, the Baby Basilisk tearfully agreed to join.
Next was Eandurde. Jowurin looked at her and spoke.
"Jowurin is disappointed in Eandurde."
"Sure."
Eandurde replied indifferently, whether disappointed or not.
"You always say you want to get stronger, yet you won't participate in things like this?!"
"...What?"
"Think about it, Eandurde! Why is Lee Han so strong? Because he boldly steps forward even when things seem reckless and difficult. He doesn't make excuses and avoid things like you do!"
"......"
Eandurde's face stiffened.
Jowurin's speech had struck a nerve. Almost growling, Eandurde shouted.
"...Fine!"
"Jowurin knew you'd come through!"
As both friends ultimately stepped forward out of friendship, Jowurin was overjoyed, nearly jumping with excitement.
"So, what's the plan?"
"It's very simple."
Jowurin eagerly explained.
1. Steal Lee Han's reagent pouch.
2. Put the Dragon Stone inside.
3. Return it.
4. When Lee Han opens the pouch to prepare for his alchemy test, he'll realize he was wrong and reflect.
5. The end! Long live Jowurin!
Even Lee Han, who had scolded her before, wouldn't be able to blame Jowurin for this.
"Huh, why?"
"??"
"Because there's no proof! No proof that Jowurin did it!"
The two privately thought that if an extremely rare reagent like the Dragon Stone suddenly appeared in the pouch, the culprit would be obvious—but they kept it to themselves.
They feared that voicing this might make the dragon come up with another bizarre plan.
After all, it wasn't like they'd be the ones getting scolded...
"I'm in!"
"Great! Then go steal the reagent pouch!"
"Suddenly I'm not so sure..."
The Baby Basilisk grumbled.
She hadn't expected to be the one doing the stealing.
Though, given her size, she was the most suitable for the role...
"Eandurde, you'll need to distract Lee Han!"
"......"
Eandurde briefly considered reporting this to their senior right then and there. Sensing danger with her innate dragon instincts, Jowurin quickly added,
"If we back out now, it means Eandurde got scared and retreated!"
"Fine, I get it."
In the end, Eandurde grumbled but accepted her role.