“Why are you looking at me like that?”

-Is that not far too shameless a lie?

The baby basilisk whispered.

Jowrin had become much better at reading the mood lately, yet Lee Han had told such a halfhearted lie...

“You still do not understand.”

-?

“When there is no evidence, a shameless lie like this is not a bad choice.”

-......

The baby basilisk thought, 'Why are you proud of knowing something like that, Master?' but merely wriggled its tail in silence.

If it said anything unnecessary, Lee Han might shout, “Then go to Jowrin!” and throw it out of his sleeve.

His personality had already become much rougher lately...

“It sounds like a lie...”

Jowrin muttered quietly.

“Pardon?”

“Ah, it was nothing.”

Unfortunately, this young dragon could not even bring herself to seriously entertain the idea of strongly suspecting her contractor.

Had other senior dragons who had formed covenants with contractors seen this, they would have lamented, “No matter how much you cherish your contractor, you still need to be suspicious.”

Having achieved his goal, Lee Han hid his triumphant smile and changed the subject.

If they continued talking about this, even Jowrin might eventually notice.

Since Lee Han intended to smash the evil-god worshipers first whenever he went out on a commission from now on—or rather, search for them first—he absolutely could not tell Jowrin.

She would probably react in one of two ways, and neither was acceptable.

-Jowrin shall come too!

-It is dangerous, so absolutely not!

'Hmm. I am curious which of the two reactions she would have.'

“So, what were you doing?”

“Ah... Uman... Uman has been making Jowrin work!”

Jowrin tattled angrily.

She wanted her contractor to give her wicked younger brother a severe scolding.

Not only had Uman made her turn over the forest, but he had also worked her without rest on all kinds of tasks: checking the oases in the desert region, examining the condition of the bedrock in the mountain range, repairing the walls and the main buildings, and more!

“That is wonderful!”

Lee Han exclaimed in admiration at everything Jowrin had done.

To think Jowrin had been doing such admirable work while he was traveling outside for the commission.

“...What?”

“Wow. Your Highness, that is truly incredible!”

“That is wonderful. I am moved.”

When not only her contractor but even the priests looked genuinely impressed, Jowrin became even more flustered.

W-Wait?

“What is everyone talking about?”

“The truth is, Her Highness...”

Professor Garcia and Professor Kirmin, who arrived later, were also greatly surprised when they heard the story.

To think Jowrin had personally been doing even such unpleasant work.

“Your Highness. You did very well!”

“I am impressed!”

“...Hehe. Something of this level is not particularly difficult for Jowrin.”

Intoxicated by the praise, Jowrin quickly changed her attitude.

Jowrin had truly learned many things from the students of Einroguard.

“Jowrin came here while purifying the forest even now, so Jowrin shall return and finish the work!”

“Your Highness. Why not rest for a little while before continuing?”

Lee Han tried to stop Jowrin because she seemed to be pushing herself too hard.

She seemed to have taken an interest in repairing and maintaining Einroguard as though tending a garden, but with work, it was never good to do too much at once.

However, Jowrin, whose shoulders were already filled with pride, immediately returned to her gold dragon form and shouted boldly.

Jowrin shall protect Einroguard for the students!

“I was going to make you a snack with the supplies I hid... Ah. She is gone.”

Lee Han felt slightly lonely as he watched Jowrin’s back rapidly recede into the distance.

He knew she was growing, but he had not expected her to reject even a snack like this and fly away.

-I will eat it in her place!

“...Thank you.”

Lee Han looked warmly at the basilisk inside his sleeve.

At least with this one, it seemed he would not feel lonely about its growth for quite some time.

“We can eat it in her place too.”

“Will you be all right with the punishment room?”

Lee Han was puzzled.

Lee Han was confident that even if he were searched, he would not be caught, but his priest friends...

However, Siana nodded confidently. Seeing that, Lee Han wondered whether his friend had some kind of method.

'Impressive.'

“We can just go there for a little while and come back.”

“......”

Lee Han looked at Nigisor and Tiziling with an incredulous expression. The two priests subtly avoided his gaze.

***

-Professor Verdus. You are being released.

“Mmm.”

-But why are you walking on all fours...?

The Death Knight questioned Professor Verdus, who was walking out of the punishment room—or rather, crawling out.

Professor Verdus answered in an irritated voice.

“I told you, I lost a bet!”

-We know. We asked again because it is pleasant to hear every time.

In truth, Professor Verdus had not originally been dragged to the punishment room.

No matter how much Lee Han had advised him, Uman was fundamentally a gentle dragon and was not ruthless enough to throw an Einroguard professor into the punishment room without warning.

So Uman had first confined Professor Verdus in a small room.

Then Uman assigned Professor Garcia’s work—which had originally been Professor Verdus’s work—and made a proposal.

-Professor Verdus. If you diligently finish all of this work, I will definitely release you. There will be no other punishment. Do you accept?

-All right! I will work hard!

-Is that so? Thank you for understanding. There are many bad rumors about Professor Verdus, but Uman trusts the professor. People can change at any time, can they not?

-Right. Right. Do not believe rumors.

-Thank you. Then I will trust you and leave it to you.

Five minutes after Uman left the small room.

Professor Verdus attempted to escape, was caught by the Death Knights, and was dragged back.

-......

-It was too boring, so I had no choice.

-H-How can you say something like that so calmly...? You do not do assigned work for fun. You do it out of responsibility. Professor Verdus!

-All right. I just have to do it, right?

-I truly will trust you and leave it to you.

And three minutes later.

Professor Verdus attempted to escape once again and was immediately caught. The knights dragged the professor back while grinning broadly.

Uman was horrified.

What kind of mage was this?

-Professor Verdus, could you not spend that time working instead?!

-I said I will do it...

-I cannot trust you!

-No. Trust me. I really will do it this time!

-......

Uman pretended to leave the small room, then secretly hid around the corner of the corridor.

Professor Verdus immediately turned the solitary room’s door into liquid and attempted to escape.

Uman had vowed never to become someone like the Skull Principal.

That Uman finally roared in fury.

-Confiscate everything and throw Professor Verdus into the punishment room!!!

The knights grinned as they took Professor Verdus to the punishment room.

They had all expected this to happen.

Once placed under surveillance far stricter and more vicious than in the small room, Professor Verdus finally accepted that working was more efficient than escaping.

Starting with Professor Garcia’s work—which had originally been Professor Verdus’s work—and extending to various other duties.

Of course, there had still been escape attempts. Whenever the work became so boring that it felt suffocating, Professor Verdus would cautiously speak to someone.

-If you help me escape, I will make you an item that can evade Gonadaltes’s pursuit... Ow! Ow! Why are you hitting me?!

-Ha ha. When else will we ever get a chance to take revenge on a professor like this?

-Damn it. Let me hit the professor too! Why are only you hitting the professor?!

-You should have drawn a better lot.

Naturally, it had little effect.

There were few people who held as much resentment toward Professor Verdus as the Death Knights did.

And now.

Professor Verdus had completed the first batch of assigned work and was released. After spending so long unable to work on personal projects and doing only other people’s work, the professor’s face was extremely gloomy.

“I feel as though my soul has hardened from doing nothing but boring work...”

-But Professor, managing the ledgers and accounting of the enchantment magic school was originally your responsibility.

“Professor Garcia is a professor too.”

-......

-Be patient. Be patient.

When one knight became enraged and tried to kick the professor, the others held the knight back.

Had this been an escape attempt inside the punishment room, it would have been different, but they had to endure it outside.

Though they did want to strike the professor once...

-Go prepare your lecture. If you carelessly rush through it, you will be taken back again.

“It was nice in the punishment room because I did not have to give lectures.”

Professor Verdus muttered and pulled a bundle of papers from inside the clothes.

The professor remembered even the volume and weight of the smallest miniature screw in a personally made artifact, but could hardly remember student lectures without looking at a bundle of papers.

“... What kind of lecture was this?”

-...It is a magical architecture lecture taken by students who joined the Stonemason Club or students with a strong interest in construction.

One of the fields in which Imperial mages played an active role was construction like this.

Since magic was deeply involved in clothing, food, and shelter alike, it was only natural to inscribe magic into buildings as well.

Magical architecture did not use only the magic of a single school. Magic from a variety of schools was used evenly.

Alchemy and transformation magic for the materials, divination magic to check durability or earthquake resistance...

...But the enchantment magic school could be said to be what connected all of those things to the building itself.

In that regard, there was nothing strange about Professor Verdus, a professor of the enchantment magic school, being responsible for this lecture.

However, Professor Verdus cried out in horror. The professor even jumped on all fours.

“This is Professor Knighton’s lecture!”

Professor Alpen Knighton, a former Imperial official and even a senior administrator, taught students not only various arithmetic-related lectures but also construction lectures like this one.

In a way, it was only natural.

Magical architecture was not something a mage could accomplish merely by being skilled at magic alone.

The mage had to speak with the members of the stonemason and carpentry guilds who came for the work and understand their requests, and also had to know how to negotiate with local nobles and officials.

If a newly constructed magical building absorbed the region’s mana and damaged the existing buildings, it could take decades for the dispute to be resolved.

That was why it had not been strange for Professor Alpen, who was not only an excellent mage but also had connections with various stonemason and carpentry guilds and even with officials, to take charge of the lecture.

-Yes. While you were in the punishment room, Professor Knighton submitted a petition to His Highness the Inspector.

Of course, Professor Alpen had not found that situation particularly pleasant.

There was a more outstanding specialist like Professor Verdus, yet that specialist refused to teach simply because of not wanting to.

Professor Alpen had only accepted because the Skull Principal had practically begged, saying, “I simply cannot entrust it to that bastard.” Professor Alpen had never actually accepted the logic of the situation.

So when Uman said to Professor Alpen, “I am accepting complaints related to Professor Verdus,” it was only natural for this lecture to be brought up immediately.

“D-Despicable! I never knew Professor Knighton was such a despicable person!”

Professor Verdus squeaked and vented in fury.

That anger was also directed at the professor’s own self.

Professor Verdus could have submitted a petition to the inspector before the other professors and removed every lecture!

'Where does the confidence that such a request would be granted even come from?'

'Leave it alone.'

-Professor Verdus. I dare to offer some advice. Please stop being rude to people from outside.

The knights advised the professor while surrounding and escorting Professor Verdus so the professor could not escape. Since Professor Verdus was walking on all fours, it looked somewhat strange from the outside.

Because of the nature of this magical architecture lecture, various outside parties visited, and as everyone knew, Professor Verdus’s specialty was infuriating outsiders.

“All right. Do not worry.”

-......

-Be patient. Be patient.

The knights reached the lecture hall, sighed, and opened the door.

Honestly, they felt certain that Professor Verdus would cause an incident.

“If it were me, I would try using and . It is this sort of magic...”

“Oh! That is truly an excellent method. Wow. The atmosphere is this pleasant even without Professor Verdus here. Perhaps it would be better if the professor continued not to appear!”

“Ha ha! What a joke!”

“Ha ha ha! It is not a joke!”

-......

-......

The knights were horrified by the cheerful atmosphere inside the lecture hall.

The members of the stonemason guild who had come from outside by invitation were laughing happily.

Lee Han was helping Princess Yukbeltire as a lecture assistant, and all the students, including the two of them, also looked happy.

“It seems to be running perfectly well without me. Can you release me?”

-...No. Go inside!

Although they felt sorry for the students and the guests, the knights firmly shoved Professor Verdus into the lecture hall.