Dragons fundamentally had a reputation for greed.

There was a reason old stories were full of people sneaking into dragon lairs to steal treasure, only to suffer terrible punishment afterward.

But that reputation mostly came from people who didn’t understand dragons properly.

To be more precise, dragons weren’t greedy so much as they possessed an extremely rigid sense of ownership.

Calling dragons greedy because thieves got punished after breaking into dragon lairs is ridiculous.

The greedy ones were the people trespassing into someone else’s home to steal, not the dragons.

No matter how much dragons enjoyed hoarding gold and treasures as a hobby, thieves had no right to take them.

If Lee Han had been a dragon himself, he would have been furious too.

They protect their property rights thoroughly, yet somehow they’re the ones branded greedy. Does having fewer people really matter that much?

Dragons were so few in number, and most lived in seclusion, that there was no way for them to stop the continent’s other races from spreading whatever nonsense they pleased.

Lee Han inwardly lamented the Empire’s majority-rule rumor culture.

“Dragons are simply protecting what belongs to them, yet people misunderstand them ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) as greedy. It’s honestly unfortunate.”

Hehe.

Jowrin scratched her cheek with a front paw, clearly delighted that Lee Han was taking her side.

Yukveltire answered as if rumors about dragons were beneath concern.

“Groundless gossip from ignorant people means nothing. What matters is that dragons never relinquish what belongs to them.”

Hmph.

Jowrin drooped again. Then lowered her voice and whispered to Lee Han.

Lee Han. Please keep what happened earlier a secret...

“What secret?”

Hearing the whisper, Yukveltire turned with interest. Lee Han immediately improvised an excuse.

“It’s nothing. She wants me to keep quiet about the fact that she cursed Professor Verdus.”

“There’s no reason to keep that a secret.”

Having successfully deceived Yukveltire, Lee Han comforted Jowrin once more.

“Your Majesty, don’t take your senior’s words too seriously. Everyone has different personalities. You don’t need to worry about things like ‘dragons should act this way.’ You should just live as yourself.”

Lee Han!

Deeply moved, Jowrin’s eyes widened.

Then next time, can I give you presents again too?

“Absolutely not. Please don’t say absurd things like that.”

...

Jowrin puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

That completely contradicts what you just said!

***

Lee Han, Diret, Yukveltire, Professor Voladi Bagreg, and Jowrin emerged from the lecture hall and stood together in the corridor.

Lee Han thought to himself:

This is a group I absolutely do not want to get involved with.

If he had been any other student, he would have cast invisibility magic the moment he saw them, then immediately thrown himself out a window to escape.

It was the sort of horrifying lineup where you couldn’t even begin to predict what kind of disaster might erupt nearby.

“Your next class is <Wand Materials and Magical Amplification>, correct?”

“Yes.”

Since it was Professor Verdus’s lecture, Yukveltire already knew Lee Han’s schedule.

“There’s no real reason for you to attend, then.”

“...Right.”

Lee Han answered cautiously while reading the mood.

Under normal circumstances, finishing an entire semester’s worth of lectures early would have been something worth bragging about.

Unfortunately, the victim whose wand had been stolen by Professor Verdus was standing right in front of him.

Jowrin looked ready to scold him.

The young dragon waved both front paws as she spoke.

“Your Majesty. In that case...”

Do not worry, Lee Han. Jowrin is a dignified member of the Imperial Family and would never attack recklessly!

“No. I was going to say you could hit him once, if that’s the case.”

...?!

Yukveltire continued expressionlessly.

“Since you now have free time during lectures, I have a recommendation.”

“?”

Lee Han and Diret tilted their heads at the same time.

Yukveltire had a recommendation?

“What exactly are you recommending?”

“...Yukveltire doesn’t seem like the type to offer advice to juniors in the first place.”

Even Diret sounded bewildered. This was completely unlike Yukveltire’s usual behavior.

“Magic drafting instruments. Since you’re taking <Magical Algebra and Arcane Geometry>, you’ll need decent drafting tools.”

Ah.

Drafting instruments included more than ordinary rulers and protractors. They also included compasses, dividers, and other tools used for creating blueprints.

No matter how brilliant a mage might be at mentally constructing eternal magic circles or designing structures inside their head, if they wanted Imperial investors to hand over gold, they still needed diagrams.

Ordinary drafting tools forced mages to calculate and draw everything manually.

High-quality magic drafting instruments skipped those tedious steps entirely.

The finest ones were practically comparable to highly intelligent spirits, or even contained intelligent spirits within them.

Knowing Yukveltire was considered one of Einroguard’s greatest enchantment geniuses, even among other prodigies, Lee Han asked with hopeful eyes:

“Are you giving me one as a gift, perhaps, senior?”

“No. I don’t own any.”

“...”

Even stingier than Jowrin.

Even Jowrin muttered in disappointment.

To say all that and not offer even a single treasure.

Professor Voladi Bagreg added from the side:

“If you need materials, I’ll help.”

Yukveltire’s eyelashes trembled faintly at everyone’s reaction.

Though Yukveltire didn’t realize it personally, the aftereffects of Professor Verdus stealing the wand still lingered.

“...There’s no need for that. Continue listening, Wardanaz Family junior. I may not own any, but I know how to obtain them. I know where they are.”

“Ah.”

Lee Han immediately discarded his disappointment and looked hopeful again.

At Einroguard, knowing where something was located wasn’t much different from owning it yourself.

Knowledge is power.

The thieves always held the advantage.

“Let’s go.”

Professor Voladi Bagreg also seemed pleased with the idea and agreed immediately.

Lee Han hesitated.

“...Professor. Is it really alright to bring Prince Jowrin to a place we’re planning to rob?”

“If you’re the one stealing instead of being stolen from, there’s no problem.”

Damn it. Why does that logic actually sound convincing?

Lee Han became wary of himself for nearly accepting Professor Voladi Bagreg’s reasoning.

Maybe greed really was clouding his judgment.

Lee Han. Jowrin really wants to come too...

“No, that’s... Um... Fine. Let’s go together.”

Unable to outright say we’re going to rob someone in front of the young dragon, Lee Han eventually gave in.

Meanwhile, Diret asked:

“A place with artifacts good enough for you to recommend, yet they’re still inside the school? That’s strange. Where are they?”

“The Sacred Workshop.”

“...”

The Sacred Workshop.

In other words, Professor Verdus’s magic tower.

So you really are furious after all...!

Diret screamed inwardly.

No matter how he looked at it, there was no other explanation for Yukveltire suddenly showing concern for juniors after ignoring them for years.

***

The group boldly advanced toward the Sacred Workshop.

No one present felt even the slightest guilt about robbing Professor Verdus.

...Should Professor Garcia have been here instead...?

Diret thought uneasily.

Of course, if someone asked him, If you could freely take whatever you wanted from Professor Verdus’s tower, would you do it?, he would probably think about it for a moment before saying yes.

Still, watching Professor Voladi Bagreg personally dismantle the defenses made him feel strangely guilty.

Was this really acceptable?

Crack!

The core of the defense golem shattered with surgical precision, fragments scattering in every direction.

Powerful restoration magic immediately activated, trying to reconstruct the golem, but Professor Voladi Bagreg layered disruption spells over it and interrupted the process entirely.

The golem that had just collapsed was no ordinary construct.

Each one had been built from high-purity moonstone and magnetite, making them absurdly expensive.

Only Professor Verdus, who refused to spend even a single coin on disciples while pouring everything into research, would maintain defenses like these.

Yet Professor Voladi Bagreg destroyed them with overwhelming efficiency.

It resembled a legendary warrior collapsing from a shepherd’s stone.

Wow!

“Professor’s magic really is the pinnacle of efficiency.”

...Is this actually okay?!

Watching Lee Han and Jowrin excitedly admire the destruction, Diret descended into another wave of internal conflict.

Robbing the place was one thing.

But a professor participating personally somehow felt morally questionable.

“Yukveltire. What do you think?”

“The defenses have improved another level.”

Professor Verdus had strengthened the Sacred Workshop’s defenses considerably after recent incidents.

After all, one professor had grabbed Professor Verdus by the collar while a certain student repeatedly looted valuable assets.

From that perspective, the reaction was perfectly understandable.

...Of course, that wasn’t what Diret had actually meant.

“Forget it. I’m the idiot for asking.”

“??”

Rumble—

While they talked, Professor Voladi Bagreg had already annihilated every defense golem on the first basement level.

Lee Han and Jowrin applauded in admiration.

This is what a real professor looks like!

If Lee Han had attempted this himself, he would have needed countless tricks and brute-force methods to break through.

Professor Voladi Bagreg simply rushed in, struck the precise weak points, then sabotaged the restoration magic before it could react.

This, Lee Han thought, was the level required to properly raid another professor’s workshop.

“Ah.”

Professor Voladi Bagreg suddenly stopped and glanced around as if searching for something.

Lee Han asked curiously:

“What’s wrong?”

“I should have left one intact. That was a mistake.”

“...Why?” 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“Didn’t you want to fight one yourself?”

Wow!

“Please stop saying ‘wow,’ Your Majesty.”

Lee Han immediately stopped Jowrin.

Jowrin was probably imagining Lee Han fighting at the same level as Professor Voladi Bagreg, which was absurd.

“I’m nowhere near that level yet.”

But Lee Han is already an incredibly skilled mage...

“Hmm.”

Seeing Professor Voladi Bagreg actually pause to consider Jowrin’s words made Lee Han’s heart sink.

I should’ve left Professor Bagreg behind too!

Filled with regret, Lee Han quickly stopped Jowrin again.

“I’m not at that level. I’m still only a second-year. Surviving at Einroguard is already difficult enough.”

“That’s not true.”

“That doesn’t seem accurate.”

“...”

When even Yukveltire joined Professor Voladi Bagreg in disagreeing, Lee Han developed a headache.

This really was the worst possible combination.

“Senior, just guide us. I want to finish this and leave before Professor Verdus returns.”

“This way.”

Yukveltire leisurely walked through the devastated first basement level, guiding the group onward.

As Yukveltire repeatedly paused along the way, Lee Han asked suspiciously:

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Let’s continue.”

“...If you’re enjoying the sight, you can take a little more time appreciating it.”

Lee Han subtly encouraged.

If Lee Han had been Yukveltire, he would have spent at least an hour admiring the destruction of the entire basement level.

“There’s no reason to.”

“Should we preserve this as a picture?”

At Lee Han’s whisper, Diret nodded in agreement.

Even Diret thought this scene was worth recording.