Episode 899
Episode 899
'But How Did You Draw Their Attention?'
Eandurde fell deep into thought.
Whether it was during her fights in the illegal fighting pits of the past or her current battles with other Tower students, Eandurde's mindset of 'I'll kill you first, kyahhh!' hadn't changed much.
However, her perspective and way of thinking had drastically transformed since enrolling at Einrogard.
The world was vast, and there were many powerful individuals. In the confined space of the fighting pits, she could defeat enemies with just her Gorgon bloodline, but that was impossible in the outside world.
The boy from the Wardanaz family, who was currently roasting their entire grade, was one such powerful individual.
"You bastard. Aren't you going to clean up this mess quickly?"
"I-I was going to clean it up later. I was busy studying."
"Studying my ass. I saw you playing Wizard Cards with Gainando earlier."
"How the hell did you see that!? Wardanaz, you weren't even looking this way! You even covered it with an illusion!"
As night fell, Lee Han chased away his playful friends and tidied up the lounge for those who wanted to study.
The friends who had been about to play chess and marbles got their backs slapped and their butts kicked by Lee Han.
"Just study! Study, damn it!"
"Wardanaz, you bastard. What are you going to do if we score higher than you on the exams!?"
"...Hey. No matter how angry you are, don't say ridiculous things."
Lee Han brewed a large batch of coffee with the students attending alchemy lectures. Boiling water surged from the pot placed on the fireplace and flew into each of their cups.
"Amazing skill!"
"The seniors didn't believe me when I told them about Wardanaz's coffee magic. They said, 'What kind of madman would waste magic on something like that...'"
Yoner carefully measured sugar on a balance scale before tossing it into the lined-up cups of coffee. Sugar was an important resource that shouldn't be wasted.
"I trust none of you are like Gainando, secretly taking extra to eat at night."
"...Hey!"
"Sorry. I should've said 'student' instead of 'Gainando.'"
Normally, the students would scatter to take night walks or stay in their private rooms, but gathering in the grade lounge as exams approached was a unique tradition of the second-years.
There were many reasons this tradition had formed, but the biggest was undoubtedly the nanny from the Wardanaz family.
"Eandurde. Have some coffee too."
"Thank you!"
"How's your midterm preparation going?"
"Uh... yes."
Eandurde blinked rapidly at Yoner's question and slightly averted her gaze.
Truthfully, Eandurde was average. Most first-year students showed passion only for a few lectures they liked, approaching the rest with an 'Ugh, I don't want to listen' attitude.
"Tell me your grades during the break. I wonder if you're wasting time because of His Highness Jowurin."
"It's fine! I'm only studying what's necessary!"
"...Eandurde? Eandurde??"
After receiving her coffee, Eandurde quickly slipped away. Yoner had a strict side, and she probably wouldn't be pleased to hear that a junior was studying 'efficiently.'
'Please hurry up!' The baby basilisk perched on the windowsill wagged its tail at Eandurde as if pleading. Eandurde gestured slightly as if to say 'Wait.'
It was easy to forget while watching her brew coffee and serve snacks, but her senior was an incredibly powerful individual.
To draw the attention of such a strong person would require a very clever and ingenious strategy...
"Eandurde. What are you doing over there?"
"Eek!"
"Huh?"
Lee Han looked puzzled as his junior jumped up and down in surprise.
"Aren't you staying here too long because of His Highness? I'll pack you some snacks, so why don't you head back soon?"
"I-I'll stay a little longer."
"Why?"
"......"
Eandurde desperately racked her brain. At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through her mind.
"His Highness can't sleep without me by his side!"
"Oh dear. You've been through so much."
If the dragon by the fireplace had heard her say 'What if we turn Jowurin into a complete idiot?!', he would have flown into a rage, but fortunately, he didn't catch it. Eandurde felt not an ounce of guilt.
After all, wasn't this all to help carry out Jowurin's plan? The Baby Basilisk seemed to agree, sending an approving signal from the windowsill. 'Cunning and ingenious strategy. Cunning and ingenious strategy...' As Eandurde pondered, Lee Han posed another question.
"By the way, do you have any questions about lectures? Professor Bagrak's lectures, Professor Bagrak's exams, Professor Bagrak's assignments, things like that..."
"???"
"Sorry. I meant to mention another professor, but it just slipped out."
Seeing Lee Han apologize, Eandurde had another flash of inspiration.
Now that she thought about it, nothing could draw attention better than this!
"I have a question!"
"Oh, really? Go ahead."
Lee Han pulled up a chair himself and gestured for her to sit. Gainando, looking miserable, staggered over from behind.
"Lee Han..."
"Take out the Ankle-Snaring Poison, Gainando. Your skeleton won't handle the poison well, and it won't last long either."
"Thank you!"
"Ma... magic?!" Eandurde gasped as she sat down.
How could he answer that without even looking back or asking for details?! 'The top student of the year... is truly incredible!' Eandurde recalled the beastman student from the same year who specialized in ice magic.
Unlike the other Blue Dragon Tower students who wandered around during breaks, this one devoted every waking moment—even cutting into sleep—to magic. Whenever the topic of the top student came up, his name was always mentioned.
Would Pengerin be capable of something like this in just a year?! 'Unbelievable...!'
"Alright, Eandurde. Professor Bagrak's magic is the most wicked and vile..."
"...?"
Eandurde tilted her head at the strangely emotional lecture but listened attentively nonetheless.
Meanwhile, the Baby Basilisk began to stir.
Its target was the reagent pouch hanging at Lee Han's waist. 'Here I go!' The Baby Basilisk leaped from the windowsill onto a bookshelf. Then, from the bookshelf, it jumped down onto Adenart's parchment.
Adenart carefully picked up the Baby Basilisk and handed it back to Lee Han. Having failed its stealthy approach, the Baby Basilisk slumped in defeat. 'Pathetic creature.' Eandurde shot it a disdainful look. Even Jowurin, pretending to nap by the fireplace, seemed to cast a scornful glance—or was it just her imagination? 'Th-this was the plan all along!' The Baby Basilisk rationalized internally as it slowly crawled out of Lee Han's sleeve again.
Then it slithered down to his waist and began flicking the pouch's strings with its tail...
"What are you doing?"
"......"
The Baby Basilisk froze solid at Lee Han's voice. Even if petrified by a direct gaze, it doubted it could have turned this stiff.
"You want this? Want to play with it? Here."
Lee Han untied the pouch and handed it to the Baby Basilisk.
He kept the important reagents separately anyway—this pouch only held emergency-use ones. It didn't matter if the Baby Basilisk played with it.
"Wah, wah!"
The Baby Basilisk snatched the pouch as if this had been its plan all along.
Lee Han and the other students watched fondly as the Baby Basilisk rolled around with the pouch.
"Still just a baby after all."
"Childish, but cute."
"......"
Trembling with humiliation, the Baby Basilisk barely made it back to Jowurin.
"I'm never doing this again!!"
'Well done. Jowurin will praise me!'
"I don't need it anyway..."
While the Baby Basilisk grumbled, Jowurin carefully took out the Dragon Stone.
As the golden, icosahedron-shaped substance was taken out of the mouth, a brilliant wave of sunlight suddenly flooded the lounge like a tidal wave.
"What the hell!?"
"Hey! Are you hogging the lounge all to yourself? What kind of jerk does that!?"
"Whoever it is, you broke my concentration! Ugh! I could've gotten a perfect score!"
Jowurin moved faster than she ever had in her life. Her front paw swiftly covered the Dragon Stone, and the sunlight vanished.
"Wardanaz. We need to find the culprit!"
"Stop messing around and sit back down to study."
"...Yeah..."
Fortunately, the students didn't bother hunting down the culprit. Lee Han didn't seem suspicious either, likely assuming someone had just made a magical mistake.
Not a single student had actually seen the Dragon Stone, so in a way, it was only natural.
Whew.
Jowurin cautiously lifted her front paw. The Dragon Stone, now emitting a dimmer light, was revealed.
"Wow. That's seriously amazing."
The Baby Basilisk couldn't help but blurt out in admiration. The power of a dragon was truly awe-inspiring—enough to command respect even from the kings of serpents.
The sheer, complex power contained within that stone...!
'All done. Now I just have to return it! Then Jowurin can pretend to be asleep.'
'Not sure that'll work, though.'
As the Baby Basilisk crawled back with the reagent pouch containing the Dragon Stone, it couldn't help but think to itself.
Now that it thought about it, would this really fool anyone?
Professor Thunderstep yawned.
The morning sun heralded the start of a new week—the beginning of midterms, and the start of the students' suffering.
"Professor."
"!"
Hearing the familiar voice of his student, Professor Thunderstep froze.
'Is this an ambush?'
Statistically speaking, Einrogard students started attempting to ambush professors from their third year onward. The success rate was close to zero, but rationality was never Einrogard's strong suit.
And considering the skills and audacity of the boy from the Wardanaz family, it wouldn't be surprising if he tried it in his second year.
'High probability. He has no reason to be here otherwise.'
Midterm exams were something you could spend an entire week on and still not have enough time. Even for a Wardanaz, finishing in a single day was impossible.
Professor Thunderstep slipped his hand into his pocket, loading a potion. Then he slowly turned around.
'Oh. Not an ambush.'
Relieved, the professor took in his student's expression—not one of cunning scheming, but one filled with despair, anger, and sorrow.
Just the usual dark expression of an Einrogard student facing an exam.
"What is it, Wardanaz? Did you come to ask something?"
"It's not that..."
"Where's His Highness?"
Noticing the absence of the dragon prince, who usually followed Lee Han around like a baby bird, the professor grew curious.
Lee Han's expression darkened further.
"His Highness is under house arrest."
"...What? House arrest?"
"Yes."
"Did he do something wrong?"
"You could say that."
"House arrest for His Highness! Impressive."
Professor Thunderstep was genuinely impressed.
Who else could be so strict with Jowurin? It was something only this boy from the Wardanaz family could pull off.
'No wonder they say it takes a monster to slay a monster.'
"No. I think it's my fault for not looking after him properly."
Lee Han sighed deeply, his voice unusually bitter and subdued.
The professor was taken aback by his demeanor.
"Why—why are you like this? Did something happen?"
"It's just... His Highness has been acting out a lot lately, and I can't help but think it's because of me."
"Bwahahaha! That's ridiculous—wait, are you serious?"
Professor Thunderstep was truly flustered.
"His Highness is a growing dragon. Acting out is natural! Don't you remember when he smashed the classroom wall last time?"
By all accounts, Jowurin was growing up just fine.
He wasn't trying to eat people, wasn't dabbling in dark magic, and wasn't hoarding stolen treasures in his lair...
"Even that was because he came looking for me."
"Enough. So why are you here? Did you come to ask for a potion to curb his mischief?"
"Ah. No. I came to submit my exam."
"......"
Professor Thunderstep's legs nearly gave out beneath him.