Chapter 1227

"What kind of letter?"

As befitted a dragon, her hearing was needlessly good. Lee Han sighed inwardly.

"A letter asking them to let Your Majesty out quickly. Ha ha."

In truth, he also intended to write afterward, 'I think we need to send Your Majesty back to the capital quickly before you become even more corrupted,' but he could never tell Jowrin that.

"Ah. I don't think you need to do that."

"?"

"More importantly, Lee Han. Jowrin wishes to dig a crawl hole too. Jowrin will pull out another tooth—"

"I'll dig it for you, so please wait!"

Lee Han shouted in horror.

No matter how teeth and scales were consumable parts that continuously regrew for a dragon, he could not simply stand by and watch that happen.

"By the way, Your Majesty. How exactly did you get in here?"

"Hm! In Jowrin's opinion, the magic of this place is extremely peculiar!"

"?"

Only then did Lee Han feel something was off.

Could this dragon...

be changing the subject??

Come to think of it, the moment he had mentioned sending a letter to the Skull Principal, she had immediately started talking about the crawl hole.

"Your Majesty. I asked how you got in here."

"Right. Jowrin brought tea leaves. If you wait just a little—"

"Your Majesty."

"Hing."

Jowrin became dejected when her attempt to change the subject failed.

It had worked on Eandurde's first-year friends!

"Did you ask His Majesty Uman?"

Lee Han was beginning to feel more and more sorry for the black dragon.

He was probably already upset after being struck by his respected elder sister, and if she had gone back to torment him again by saying, 'I want to go to the punishment room!'...

"Hm. After hearing what Lee Han said, Jowrin thought perhaps Jowrin had been a little too harsh on Uman. Uman is still a young dragon."

"Uh... I suppose that's one way to put it."

"So Jowrin apologized to Uman."

"!"

Lee Han was greatly surprised by the unexpected words. Then he immediately brightened and exclaimed,

"Well done! As expected, Your Majesty is truly generous and kind!"

"Hohoho."

Jowrin was extremely pleased by her contractor's flattery.

"How was His Majesty?"

"Jowrin thought her younger brother really was very young."

"No. I meant His Majesty Uman."

"Ah."

At her contractor's question, Jowrin grumbled inwardly that he was asking about something so unimportant.

"He seemed to have recovered a little... At least he came out from under the blanket."

"......"

He really had been under a blanket?

Lee Han unconsciously imagined the gigantic black dragon covered with a blanket and sniffling. It was a truly pitiful sight.

"I-I see. In any case, I'm glad he seems to have recovered. ...Wait. Your Majesty. If you didn't ask His Majesty Uman either, then how did you actually get in here?"

"Well... Gonadaltes..."

Jowrin's voice grew quieter. It trailed off as she mumbled.

"You asked the principal?"

"Hm. Maybe something like that?"

"...Your Majesty. Please just tell me everything."

"Hing."

***

The one who greeted the Skull Principal when he returned after being thoroughly chewed out in the capital was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Jowrin.

-Gonadaltes!

-Your Majesty. What is it?

-Jowrin formally demands that Lee Han be released!

-...Using literary speech doesn't make your words any more persuasive, Your Majesty.

Naturally, the Skull Principal refused.

The Emperor had spent an outrageous amount of time berating him with things like, 'What exactly is wrong with you?' 'Stop neglecting your disciple,' and 'If your disciple says they're going to hunt an evil god, you're supposed to stop them,' and the only reason he had barely escaped was because he had been able to mention the punishment room.

With Professor Garcia keeping a sharp eye on things inside Einroguard and the Emperor doing the same outside, release Wardanaz however he pleased?

He would immediately be summoned back to the capital and falsely accused with things like, 'What exactly is wrong with you?' 'Stop neglecting your disciple,' and 'Isn't your disciple starting to think fighting evil gods is fine because you keep letting them off?'

-Releasing Wardanaz right now isn't good for Wardanaz either. He needs to at least pretend to reflect on his actions... Your Majesty. What are you doing right now? Don't tell me...

-Jowrin's Strike!!!

***

"......"

From the neighboring cell came the sound of Professor Voladi coughing as though they had choked.

That was how shocking the story was. Lee Han felt that if he had been drinking something, he would have sprayed it out immediately.

"...You struck the principal with your forepaw?"

"Jowrin thought it would work."

Jowrin sounded disappointed.

Her plan had been to knock Gonadaltes unconscious with Jowrin's Strike, then quickly forge an order and get Lee Han out...

The Skull Principal blocked the dragon punch with a single glance, then endured the throbbing headache and ordered the knights,

-You're becoming more and more like a dragon. Put Her Majesty in the cell next to that Wardanaz brat. Wait. Was Bivle in the next cell?

-If you mean Professor Verdus, no. You said before that you would no longer put Professor Verdus in the punishment room for professors.

-That's right. They go to punishment rooms so often that I get confused.

"Your Majesty. Violence doesn't solve anything."

Lee Han spoke firmly.

He was beginning to worry about Jowrin in earnest.

Yesterday she had struck the Imperial Inspector with her forepaw, and today she had struck the Skull Principal with it. Tomorrow she might strike the Emperor of the Empire.

And the day after that, Lee Han would probably be summoned before the court of dragons!

He had always assumed that if he ever ended up before the court of dragons because of Jowrin, it would at least be over some more dignified and plausible incident...

"But Einroguard taught Jowrin to solve many things through violence."

"...No. Your Majesty misunderstood."

Lee Han cursed Einroguard inwardly.

What a rotten magic academy that contributed absolutely nothing to proper education!

"Einroguard has never passed down such a teaching. Why don't you study with me instead, Your Majesty? Then you'll be able to understand Einroguard's true teachings."

"Gasp."

Jowrin suddenly began to regret coming to the punishment room.

Until just a moment ago, it had felt as enjoyable as a picnic, but now the room suddenly felt like a prison.

"N-no. Jowrin thinks Jowrin has understood Einroguard's teachings. Violence may not be good..."

"Excellent. I've almost finished digging through the wall, so I'll send you a few books."

"Novels?"

"No."

Jowrin became dejected, but Lee Han paid no attention and burned with enthusiasm.

Learning naturally made one want to pass on what one had received to someone else.

"...Wait. The Prison Keeper is coming again?"

Lee Han, who had been enthusiastically talking about what he should teach, stopped.

Why were they coming so often?

Jowrin brightened and exclaimed,

"If the Prison Keeper sees you teaching inside the punishment room, they will surely become extremely angry!"

"Pardon? No... They don't complain just because you teach someone."

Lee Han first hid the crawl hole he had almost finished digging.

Jowrin seemed to have read too many novels and was confusing them with reality. Unlike the Toberiz series, this punishment room did not punish people simply for talking.

This time, the Prison Keeper opened the cell door opposite Lee Han. Lee Han wondered if it could possibly be.

"Professor Verdus?!"

"I-it seems so."

Even Professor Voladi briefly agreed.

The three of them could not help being astonished.

How long had it been since Professor Verdus left, and they had already committed something serious enough to end up in the punishment room?

That was a talent one would not dare try to imitate even if they wanted to.

'What kind of person are they, seriously?'

Creeeak—

The new prisoner appeared in the corridor.

The prisoner was an extremely large human. So large that while entering the cell door, they struck their forehead on the top.

And the face was extremely familiar.

"...Your Majesty Uman?!"

"Uman?!!"

Not only Lee Han but even Jowrin was stunned.

Why was her younger brother here?

'Could... could Uman also have used <Uman's Strike> on Gonadaltes?'

The prisoners across the corridor called his name, but Uman entered the cell without answering.

Then he returned to dragon form and curled his body into a ball. He looked utterly depressed.

"......"

"......"

Lee Han and Jowrin were left speechless. Jowrin spoke first.

"I-it isn't Jowrin's fault!"

"I didn't say anything."

"Jowrin definitely apologized! Uman said he felt a little better and had recovered some energy...!"

"Hmm."

Lee Han narrowed his eyes and looked at the gigantic dragon across from him.

Even though Uman had adjusted his size to some extent, the cell still looked cramped around him.

"Your Majesty?"

"Do not call Uman Your Majesty. Uman does not deserve such a title."

"......"

"......"

Lee Han was beginning to think about escaping, but he restrained himself and tried to soothe the dragon.

"Why would you say that, Your Majesty? If Your Majesty stays here, then who will help the poor students above?"

"...Uman once thought the same. But that was a delusion. Even you, Lee Han of House Wardanaz, do not trust this Uman..."

***

The second one to greet the Skull Principal after he returned from being thoroughly chewed out in the capital was Uman.

-Lord Gonadaltes!

-...Why are you doing this too? Go away. And don't even think about hitting me with your forepaw.

-Pardon? What are you... No. I was curious what His Majesty said.

-He said the obvious things in the obvious way. Why are you asking something so obvious now?

-...This is Uman's fault.

-What? What are you talking... No. I don't care why. If you've reflected on it, then that's good. Just don't do it again. Since you're reflecting anyway, why don't you donate some gold coins?

-If Uman had been trustworthy as an Inspector, Lee Han of House Wardanaz would never have gone off hunting an evil god however he pleased!

-No... I don't think that's your fault.

Uman had become rather troublesome now that he was older, constantly picking faults with everything and rampaging about protecting the justice of the Empire, but even so, this incident truly was not Uman's fault.

Was this not about the complicated rebellion tangled up in the master-disciple relationships of Einroguard?

Whether Uman had been the Inspector, Jowrin had been the Inspector, or His Majesty the Emperor himself had been the Inspector, that Wardanaz brat definitely would have run away. The Skull Principal would have staked his position as principal on it.

-It's Uman's fault. Uman came here as Inspector and accomplished nothing. Sob!

-...I told you it's not your fault! Stop crying!

-Uman will enter the punishment room. Uman will reflect together with them.

-What? Why would you go to the punishment room... No. Just go. Things are chaotic enough already. This works out nicely.

The Skull Principal was far too busy to comfort this black dragon.

He intended to throw Uman into the punishment room and call him back out for a talk once he had calmed down a little.

As it happened, was there not a cell perfectly suited for tossing a depressed dragon into?

***

"......"

Lee Han was dumbfounded.

'Is the punishment room for professors always this chaotic?'

"L-Lee Han. Uman seems very depressed..."

"Don't worry. I'll find some way to cheer him up."

If that failed, Lee Han was even prepared to call his friends down from above and have them flatter Uman.

This black dragon had done far too much for Einroguard this semester to be this sad.

Had he not made dozens of students healthier and repaired hundreds of broken and damaged facilities?

"Jowrin helped with that too..."

While Jowrin grumbled, Yonair's voice called out from the far end of the corridor.

"Lee Han. I came because of a commission. I told them you were in the punishment room, but they said they didn't care and that they'd come see you directly..."

Unfortunately, this red-haired friend did not know that two dragons had been added to the punishment room.

A piercing scream echoed throughout the punishment room.