—If an evil dragon deceives you, even the wisest mage is finished, so please be careful...

J-Jowurin isn’t evil!

Jowurin bristled at the demons’ false accusation.

As expected of demons, their methods were petty and vile.

She had only offered advice because she was thinking of Lee Han, yet they dared slander her like this.

Lee Han! Jowurin advises you to forgive Professor Verdus and revere him as your master!

Jowurin snorted, looking between Lee Han and the demons as if to ask, How’s that?

“Uh, I don’t want to. What made you think saying that would help?”

Lee Han, of course, answered as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

Returning the stolen artifacts was already enough. In fact, he was currently wondering whether even that might be too much. He had absolutely no intention of going any further.

...!

Realizing she had been tricked by Lee Han’s cold reaction, Jowurin glared fiercely at the demons.

Evil beings!!

***

Professor Verdus’s feeble voice drifted out from within.

—Let’s negotiate!

“Understood, Professor. Let’s negotiate. Please come out.”

Princess Yukbeltire spoke while staring at the attic where Professor Verdus was hiding, her expression ice-cold.

Meanwhile, her hands never stopped moving. The meaning of her signals was simple.

—Fire the moment he comes out.

The enchantment magic school students behind her nodded.

They could not give Professor Verdus the slightest opening. They had to take him down immediately.

—Good. Then fall back to the end of the corridor!

But Professor Verdus trusted his opponents just as little. He knew very well that his disciples were more than capable of selling out their own master.

“That won’t be possible, Professor.”

—You said we were negotiating!

“Yes. But if we move back, you’ll summon other artifacts inside the magic tower.”

The Sacred Workshop was Professor Verdus’s magic tower, and every floor was packed with artifacts he could call forth with a single command.

They had managed to corner him only because they had ambushed him and trapped him in the attic. In a head-on confrontation, the students would have been swept away.

—No! Trust me!

“We don’t trust you either. Please trust us.”

—Yukbeltire! I’ll double the promised payment!

The students stirred at Professor Verdus’s shout.

If they could receive twice the bounty Professor Paserlet had offered, it was definitely worth considering.

Princess Yukbeltire, however, shook her head coldly.

“I can’t trust you.”

—I’ll pay in advance! I’ll tell you where I stored it, so go take it!

“I can’t trust you.”

—Why are you being so stupid?!

Professor Verdus was flustered.

This disciple from the Imperial Family had the flaw of caring only about herself and rarely helping with her master’s work, but she was not a mage who acted stupidly or emotionally.

So why was she rejecting this offer?

“Sta... I’m not acting irrationally at all. Open the attic door, Professor.”

—I refuse!

“Bring the magic cannon.”

At Princess Yukbeltire’s command, the students moved swiftly.

With the rumble of rolling wheels, a massive bronze cannon densely carved with magic circles revealed itself.

Professor Verdus jumped up and down inside the attic in outrage.

—That’s mine!!

“You were supposed to deliver it two years ago, Professor.”

—I can still improve it further! Why? Why have you really become this stupid?!

Professor Verdus did not realize that the more he spoke, the more he poured fuel onto his disciple’s hatred.

Princess Yukbeltire looked up toward the attic and made one final offer.

“Sta... Open the door. Otherwise, I’ll begin the siege.”

—The artifacts in here are more than enough for defense. You’ll never break through.

“Time is on our side. Who would possibly come to help you, Professor?”

—O... Osyu?

“The Principal has gone to the capital.”

—...

After thinking it over, Professor Verdus changed tactics and pleaded.

—Two and a half times! Yukbeltire! I’ll give you two and a half times!

“Sta... Not necessary.”

—Staff?

“I didn’t say anything.”

—No. You said staff.

“Begin the attack.”

The enchantment magic school students excitedly loaded their magic.

Professor Verdus looked around in a panic.

Because he had been ambushed while in the attic, there were not many artifacts inside.

The ones he had on hand were for self-defense and work.

Most of the artifacts with overwhelming firepower or the ability to subdue mages were on the lower floors. The few powerful artifacts in the attic had already been neutralized during the ambush because Princess Yukbeltire knew about them.

Professor Verdus desperately tore apart the work materials inside and began assembling temporary artifacts. He reinforced the defense around the attic entrance and added intercepting spells.

Kwaaaaaaang!

“!!!”

“D-Did Professor get more artifacts somehow?”

The students cried out in shock at the fierce spells that flew at them the moment they approached.

That level of firepower made them wonder whether Professor Verdus had somehow secured additional artifacts.

“Don’t falter. It’s a bluff. He made them hastily out of the materials inside.”

Princess Yukbeltire had a perfect grasp of how the magic tower’s supplies were arranged.

Since they had blocked him from summoning other artifacts, all Professor Verdus could use were the materials inside the attic.

There were limits to anything made in a rush.

Even under the barrage of lightning and flames, the students slowly prepared their defenses and advanced. Professor Verdus cursed again.

“What a wicked, spiteful mage! How dare you steal someone else’s artifacts and use them as ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ you please!”

“Professor. I’m here.”

Professor Verdus let out a scream unique to beaver beastmen and fell backward.

Jowurin stared at him, then spoke to Lee Han in disbelief.

He looks so cute, but that’s really Professor Verdus??

“Haha. You’ve learned another lesson. You must never be deceived by appearances, Your Majesty.”

***

After giving Jowurin that lesson, Lee Han first checked the situation below.

Since he had entered through the secret passage Professor Verdus told him about, he had not seen what was happening outside.

Lee Han was shocked.

What is this? Did a war break out?

Princess Yukbeltire and the other enchantment magic school upperclassmen were armed to the teeth and had even deployed siege weapons.

“What on earth did you say to Princess Yukbeltire? Did you perhaps mock her about her staff?”

For someone as calm as Princess Yukbeltire to be this determined to kill him, Lee Han suspected that Professor Verdus had provoked her again without his knowledge.

Of course, Professor Verdus felt deeply wronged.

“I didn’t! Why would I do something so pointless? And what’s this about a staff?”

“Think carefully, Professor. Even if you didn’t realize it, Senior might have taken it that way...”

“I’m telling you, it really isn’t true! More importantly, we need to get out of here quickly! Yukbeltire is trying to kill me! She’s completely insane! She must have gone mad!”

Yukbeltire isn’t that kind of mage...

When Jowurin cautiously took Princess Yukbeltire’s side, Professor Verdus finally noticed the dragon.

“A dragon!”

“Yes. This is Princess Jowurin.”

“Then claws, scales, tears, blood...”

Professor Verdus was about to list the three hundred sixty-five magical materials that could be harvested from dragons, starting with tendons and molars.

But his exclamation never reached the end.

Professor Bendozol lunged forward first and began strangling him.

“I’ll kill you right here!”

“Gack... Wardanaz!”

Caught off guard, Professor Verdus desperately called out the name of his most reliable disciple.

I really shouldn’t have come.

Lee Han sighed deeply, wanting nothing to do with this.

Beside him, Eandurde looked at his senior with eyes full of sympathy.

To think that a sky-like senior was suffering so much because of professors!

“Everyone, please calm down! Professor Verdus, you’re not actually coveting the dragon’s body, are you? You could be cursed and hunted forever.”

“Wouldn’t it be fine if the dragon gave it willingly?”

“Stop talking nonsense before I kill you!”

Professor Bendozol warned him with bloodshot eyes. Even the bold Professor Verdus flinched at that murderous aura and stepped back.

“Do you think Her Majesty the Dragon would ever deign to give even a single part of her body to lowly mortals?”

Lee Han saw Jowurin fidget and avoid his gaze.

It’s all right, Your Majesty. No one will know.

Th-that’s true, isn’t it?

“More importantly, Professor. Can’t we leave through the side path we came in from?”

“Yukbeltire carved a tracking mark on my tail. She’ll notice if we go out that way.”

Professor Bendozol grumbled.

“Then cut it off.”

“It’s a curse. It regrows even if I cut it.”

“Then cut it again!”

“Are you stupid? If that could solve it—”

Stop fighting! Jowurin is going to die of frustration!

Jowurin finally exploded and pounded the floor with her front paws.

Eandurde patted Jowurin’s tail, looking pleased for once.

“S-sorry, Dragon! It’s all because of that bastard. I’ll tear him apart!”

“Exactly! Because of him—mmph.”

Lee Han quickly covered Professor Verdus’s mouth.

“Can’t you dispel the magic?”

“There is a way.”

“What is it?”

“Bring the artifact that cast the magic, or bring a dispelling artifact.”

“Where are they?”

“Yukbeltire has both.”

“...”

Lee Han had no choice but to admit Professor Verdus’s top disciple was terrifyingly meticulous.

Did she spend a long time preparing an assassination plan for Professor Verdus?

“What if we make one ourselves?”

“We’d need reagents and materials...”

“Does Princess Yukbeltire have those too?”

“Yes.”

Should I just sell him out?

Lee Han considered it for a moment, then held back.

After all, this was happening because of the artifact he had taken.

“...Then persuasion is our only option. Professor, here is the <Star Guide>. Once Professor Kraer receives this, the bounty should be lifted.”

“!”

Professor Verdus stared in surprise at the artifact Lee Han pulled out.

“You got this?!”

“...Yes.”

“Isn’t that strange?”

Professor Bendozol asked, sensing something off.

An artifact had disappeared from Professor Verdus’s workshop, and Lee Han had brought it back this quickly.

Usually, in Einroguard, that meant the culprit was—

“The reason is simple.”

Professor Verdus, now in a better mood after getting the artifact back, answered triumphantly.

“What is it?”

“He respects me, so he hurried to retrieve it!”

“...”

Lee Han nearly kicked Professor Verdus’s tail.

This happened because of the artifact I took. This happened because of the artifact I took.

“You call that a sensible explanation?”

Professor Bendozol shouted in disbelief. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Professor Verdus’s disciple rescuing him out of respect for his master?

That would never happen before Einroguard fell into ruin.

No! Jowurin will testify!

Seeing that Lee Han might be suspected, Jowurin hurriedly tried to cover for him.

Professor Bendozol looked as though he wanted to hang himself.

“Is... is that true?”

“Yes... I hurried to retrieve it out of respect...”

Lee Han had no choice but to say it.

Professor Verdus’s triumphant expression was strangely infuriating.

“Wardanaz has respected me for a long time. He even helped me with my work during vacations.”

“...Ugh.”

Lee Han let out a pained groan.

It was harder to endure than most curses.

If I stay here any longer, I might actually go insane.

“Professor. I’ll persuade Princess Yukbeltire for now. Since we’ve recovered the artifact, the bounty should disappear soon.”

“Yes. Be careful. She’s completely mad.”

“Senior isn’t that kind of person. Princess Yukbeltire! This is Lee Han—”

“Trying lowly tricks with a fake voice?”

The answer came with a murderous attack.

Lee Han dodged quickly, then cursed Professor Verdus.

“What exactly did you do?!”

“I really didn’t do anything!”