Chapter 1228

"I-i-i-it's a dragon!"

"Jowrin is a dragon."

Jowrin tilted her head as she looked at Yonair.

She had even rolled around the Blue Dragon Tower lounge in dragon form before, so why was Yonair only reacting now?

"N-no. I'm not surprised that Your Majesty Jowrin is a dragon... I'm surprised there are two dragons in the punishment room."

"Ah."

Only then did Jowrin feel slightly embarrassed.

With her contractor and Professor Voladi in neighboring cells, she had not noticed it, but looking at someone outside while she herself was inside a cell suddenly brought back the shame she had forgotten.

Was being locked in a punishment room perhaps something embarrassing??

"Why are you in there?"

"Well, Jowrin... Jowrin's Strike..."

"Jowrin's Strike?"

"Yes... so..."

Jowrin hesitated, then quickly pointed at her younger brother.

"Uman came down here on his own because he was sad!"

"...???!!!"

"Yonair. Could you stop asking questions and tell me about the commission?"

Lee Han finally stepped in because he could no longer watch.

He was afraid Jowrin might burst into tears like Uman if this continued.

"R-right. I came because of the commission... My sister contacted me. When I told her you were in the punishment room..."

"Did she say to come during vacation? I think even vacation might be difficult."

"No. She said it worked out even better. She said it would be good for concentrating. She's coming here herself."

"......"

Lee Han made a reluctant expression.

***

Yoanen of House Meikin strode forward confidently with bundles containing the necessary reagents floating in the air around her.

'Something's burning again.'

Far in the distance, a tower and the grounds around it were blazing while monsters rampaged above and below, but Yoanen was not particularly surprised.

Every time she visited Einroguard, there was always something strange somewhere.

-This way, Lady Meikin.

"Thank you."

The Death Knights, whom she had met several times before, greeted the accomplished alchemist politely.

Einroguard had a reputation for being unfriendly to outsiders, but that was not actually true. Einroguard was reasonably friendly to capable mages who made large donations.

"Is it true that Lord Wardanaz was confined because of the evil-god subjugation?"

-He isn't confined. It's more like a little time for reflection.

-You could call it a period of self-restraint.

The knights hurriedly made excuses.

Otherwise, someone might think Einroguard had failed so badly at controlling a single student that it had allowed him to personally confront an evil god.

The official announcement would, of course, say that he had participated at his own discretion under the professors' thorough supervision.

-Do not believe the Imperial newspaper. Those bastards are absolute trash.

-They never say anything true!

'So what Yonair told me really was true...'

Yoanen thought inwardly.

The more the Death Knights badmouthed the Imperial newspaper and told her not to trust it, the more credible Yonair's story became.

Sister, there's been a bit of a complication with this commission. My friend fought an evil god directly, so he's in the punishment room...

It was certainly a shocking and astonishing story.

But an accomplished mage had to know how to pursue their path without wavering even when something unexpected happened. Yoanen found the useful information in her younger sibling's letter.

He was in a punishment room.

In a way, wasn't a punishment room an excellent place to focus on work?

Yoanen immediately wrote to the Skull Principal and obtained permission to borrow a punishment room. Her younger sibling had also been very pleased upon receiving the reply.

Even in the punishment room?! Do we really have to go that far?!! I don't want to!

Satisfied with her younger sibling's positive reaction, Yoanen sent another letter.

Thank you for helping. See you in the punishment room.

"Wait. I'm going to bring one more student."

When Yoanen turned away from the route to the punishment room for professors and headed instead toward the area where the dormitory towers stood, the knights looked puzzled.

Who was she going to bring?

-Nillia, perhaps?

-Why do you think that?

-She has a wide network.

-True.

But Yoanen's choice defied their expectations. The alchemist's eyes gleamed behind her amethyst spectacles as she called out to the Blue Dragon Tower students.

"Is His Highness the Prince here, by any chance?"

"Pardon?"

The second-years, who had been scribbling down escape plans in the lounge, panicked at the sudden visit from an outsider and hurriedly flipped the desk over.

The Death Knights tactfully looked away.

"His Highness the Prince? Uh, do you mean His Majesty Uman?"

"No."

"Huh? Then there isn't anyone."

"......"

Adenart, who was among the students, clenched both hands tightly.

The words she wanted to say rose all the way to her throat.

'There is one...!'

Even an experienced alchemist could not help being slightly flustered by a reaction like this. Yoanen asked in confusion,

"Student Gainando..."

"Ahhh! Gainando!!"

"Right, Gainando was here!"

"......"

-......

"Gainando! You have a visitor!"

Only then did his friends remember Gainando and call for him.

But Gainando was nowhere to be seen. The Blue Dragon Tower students became puzzled.

Hadn't he been here just a moment ago?

-Ahem. I do not wish to interfere, but Student Gainando is hiding under the window over there with invisibility magic.

"...C-cowards!!!"

Gainando screamed from beneath the window.

The instant he had seen Yoanen, he had torn an invisibility scroll and hidden, only for the Death Knights to find him!

-One piece of advice, Student Gainando. Invisibility magic that works by refracting vision is not particularly meaningful against undead like us.

"Hmph. If you're so good at giving advice, you should have advised Lee Han before he fought an evil god directly."

-......

The Death Knights became furious.

This prince brat was shamelessly wielding facts they could not refute?!

'Just you wait!'

"Why were you hiding, Gainando?"

"...I was practicing an invisibility scroll."

"You're not trying to avoid Lady Meikin, are you?"

"W-w-w-what are you talking about? I'm not. Absolutely not."

The Blue Dragon Tower students were puzzled.

Yoanen of House Meikin was a renowned alchemist.

It was not as though the Death Knights were kidnapping him. Yoanen herself had come to get him, so why was he acting so horrified?

Gainando looked around. Of all times, Lee Han had disappeared into the punishment room, leaving no one he could ask for help.

"H-help me."

Gainando called out to Adenart in a pitiful voice. Adenart was flustered by the plea from a blood relative who had never once spoken to her like this before.

"H-how am I supposed to help?"

"If I get dragged away this time, they'll work me to death! ...Like Lee Han!"

It was a very rude comparison to make about his friend, but Adenart let it pass for the moment.

That was not the important part.

"I still don't understand."

"Last time I got a commission letter from Lady Meikin, right? Ever since that letter arrived, Yonair and Lee Han have both been staring at me with sinister looks! If I go now, they're definitely going to work me!"

"!!!"

Adenart was greatly surprised.

Not because Wardanaz had received a commission from Yoanen.

No, of course that should originally have been surprising too, but by now it hardly felt new.

What surprised Adenart was Gainando's situational awareness.

Whenever a situation arose in which he himself might have to work, he displayed extremely sharp judgment.

Truly astonishing!

"A-amazing."

"Help me! Tell her I-I have studying to do."

Adenart nodded. Gainando's face lit up.

"Then..."

"Please take him. He says his schedule is free."

"?!?!?!"

Gainando stared at Adenart with shock and despair.

The princess shrugged.

Trying to act close to her all of a sudden now.

Why should she help him?

"Tra... traitor!"

There were only merciless schemes among members of the Imperial Family. Gainando realized that truth and screamed.

-Hoho. Come along, Student Gainando.

-Now, now. Stop struggling.

"Lord Gainando. Do you perhaps not wish to go?"

"...If I don't go, are you going to send a letter to my mother...?"

Yoanen smiled instead of answering. Gainando sniffled and said,

"I'll come..."

"A wise decision."

***

"Who is currently inside the punishment room?"

"Lee Han and a professor."

"Professor Verdus?"

"No. Professor Bagreg."

"???"

Yoanen stopped.

Huh?

'Did he mix up the names?'

It seemed entirely possible that Gainando might confuse Bagreg and Verdus.

Unfortunately, the knights had only escorted them as far as the entrance to the punishment room, so she could not ask them.

"Why is Professor Bagreg there?"

"I... think they were imprisoned because they ran away."

"Why did they run away?"

"Well, the evil-god worshipers kept bothering them, so they went to deal with them...?"

"I see. Then why is Lord Wardanaz there?"

"Well... Lee Han got angry too, so he subjugated them whenever he went outside."

"......"

Yoanen's gaze behind her spectacles turned cold.

With those words, the credibility of Gainando's testimony plummeted.

He should at least say something believable!

"This is it."

"Right. Lee Han!"

Gainando hurriedly called out to his friend.

He no longer wanted to be alone with Yonair's older sister. He needed his dependable friend.

"Wait a moment! Jowrin must defeat Professor Bagreg no matter what! ...Lee Han. What card should Jowrin play here?"

"Shh. Your Majesty. Please keep your voice down. Everyone can {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} hear you."

"?!?"

"...W-why is there a dragon here?!"

Only then did Yoanen belatedly notice how strange the punishment room was. Gainando shouted in surprise as well.

"You were playing mage cards?!"

'That's what matters to you right now?'

Yoanen stared at the prince in disbelief.

Still, the sight of two prisoners exchanging cards across a punishment room was certainly almost as surreal as a black dragon sitting inside another cell and sniffling.

Whenever Professor Voladi played a card, Lee Han took it and moved it to the middle. Then whenever Jowrin played a card, he took that one and moved it over in the same way.

"Your Majesty Jowrin?!?!!"

Only belatedly did Yoanen realize that there was not just one dragon.

There were two dragons in the punishment room?!!

"Ah. It's Yoanen of House Meikin."

"Your Majesty. Why... why are you inside there?"

"......"

Jowrin fell silent for a moment.

Then she shouted,

"Jowrin is actually not Jowrin!"

'You really do learn quickly!'

Lee Han was impressed.

She had naturally employed one of the secret techniques of Einroguard students: 'Cause trouble and pretend to be someone else.'

"Sister. I prepared everything you told me to."

Yonair called out in a tired voice. Only then did Yoanen realize that her younger sibling was in another empty room.

"You too!??!"

"No!"

Yonair snapped when she was treated as another prisoner.

She had merely borrowed an empty room and installed the work tools and facilities there!

'...Yonair isn't embarrassed by us, is she?'

Lee Han thought inwardly.

He was suddenly concerned that his red-haired friend might be ashamed of the three prisoners here.

We have nothing to be ashamed of!

"Wait just a little longer! Jowrin will definitely win—"

"Your Majesty. If we begin the work now, we can declare this round void."

"Ah! Alchemy work seems more important!"

Jowrin quickly swept the cards away. Lee Han secretly checked the card Jowrin would have drawn next.

'Damn. If you'd held on for just one more turn, you would have turned it around.'

Professor Voladi's hand consisted mostly of garbage. Jowrin had been fooled simply by the number of cards in the professor's hand.

"Gainando. You probably already guessed this, but I'd like you to help us with the work a little."

"Fine. ...But you haven't been playing mage cards in the punishment room the whole time I've been gone, have you?"

Gainando glanced toward the empty room across from them. Lee Han warned him firmly,

"If you come down to the punishment room, I'll make you study magic twenty-five hours a day."

"...You don't have to get that angry..."