While Jowurin marveled at the dungeon trap she had not known about, Lee Han quickly erased the writing.
The dragon who had prepared this treasure chest had written that they should wait about seventy-one more years.
The reason was that only then would the gems inside regain their complete radiance.
I should stop her from opening it.
Rather than having Jowurin open it carelessly and be disappointed, it would be better for her to obtain the completed gems later.
What about over there?
Having lost interest in the treasure chest, Jowurin pointed to a fountain that had newly appeared at the end of the path.
The fountain, built in the architectural style of the Seven Kingdoms era, and the room in which it stood did not feel particularly dangerous.
In some ways, it looked like an inner chamber from a manor once used by nobles in the old days.
However, Lee Han did not let his guard down.
“Evil enemies might be hiding in the fountain. Like sirens.”
Sirens! I heard there are some at Einroguard too!
“You know very well, Your Majesty. They are extremely evil beings.”
The sirens who accepted requests from professors to interfere with students’ exams were a cunning and wicked race.
Lee Han felt this all the more strongly because he had nearly been caught by them several times.
“I’ll check it.”
Leaving Jowurin nodding eagerly behind him, Lee Han approached and checked the words carved into the fountain.
Common Room #21 (Incomplete — decorations still need to be added)
ㄴNeed to add a large bathtub suitable for playing in the water
ㄴNeed to add a large magical phonograph as well
Since she may fly around, the ceiling height should be more...
“...”
The existence of such a common room inside the dungeon was absurd enough, but the fact that it was still incomplete was even more surprising.
Lee Han suppressed the feeling that he was becoming endlessly stupid and covered the text.
No. I can’t let my guard down. This is still a dungeon. The other dragons might be raising monsters to satisfy Jowurin.
After enduring that thought, Lee Han gestured toward the back. Jowurin and Eandurde quickly ran over.
Don’t let her get close to the fountain, Eandurde! Sirens might come out!
“Hmph. Even if they do come out...”
Come here!
Jowurin tightly embraced Eandurde, who had been approaching the fountain aggressively, with her front paws.
Bubble, bubble.
“?!?”
Lee Han was startled.
Suddenly, bubbles began rising above the surface of the fountain. Jowurin and Eandurde started making a fuss, saying that sirens had appeared.
As expected!
The baby basilisk raised its tail straight up and spewed hostility from atop Jowurin.
Then, with a splash of water, a spirit revealed itself. Judging by the powerful force he felt, it was definitely a fairly high-ranking spirit.
The high water spirit shook its flowing body and prepared for work.
Starting with the management of the common room, it had to check whether any of the dungeon’s drinking water had been contaminated. If there were any problems, it would have to begin purification work. To fulfill its contract with the dragon, it had to move diligently...
...
“...”
-...
The spirit’s eyes met theirs, and it froze in place. It felt more like a spirit of frost than a water spirit.
Is it a hostile spirit?
Jowurin asked Lee Han.
Spirits were not necessarily kind and gentle by nature. There were plenty of violent and arrogant spirits as well.
Moreover, in enclosed spaces like dungeons, where magic was distorted, spirits’ temperaments could become even more eccentric. In fact, adventurers exploring dungeons would immediately go on guard when encountering spirits inside.
However, Lee Han instinctively knew that the spirit before them was different from those cases.
First, he did not sense any hostility or threat. More importantly...
It’s flustered!
He could feel the opposing spirit struggling. Having learned soul-recognition magic, he could understand intentions to some degree even without conversation.
“...By any chance, were you summoned to manage the dungeon after making a contract with another dragon?”
-!
The frozen water spirit was greatly startled.
-That’s, that’s right. Did you know before entering?
“That’s not the case, but...”
-...Please have mercy! I must maintain secrecy.
The water spirit pleaded earnestly.
Originally, the contract with the dragon had been to periodically manage the dungeon, but never be discovered if visitors came later.
How disappointing would it be if a cleanup spirit like this appeared in a perilous dungeon?
...That’s what it was?
Jowurin felt slightly deflated upon realizing that the other dragons had been secretly overprotective beyond simply maintaining the dungeon.
She had come down to have an exciting adventure with her friends, but it turned out to be little different from wandering around a manor.
Wait. By any chance, that treasure chest earlier wasn’t a trap either?
Lee Han inwardly shuddered at how much more intelligent Jowurin had become lately.
If just a little more time passed, deceiving her might become truly difficult.
“More importantly, Your Majesty. You should deal with the spirit first.”
I shall keep the secret...
The water spirit became flustered at Jowurin’s dejected response.
Even after hearing her answer, it was still extremely worried.
If the dragon who had entrusted the management to it noticed something strange and expressed dissatisfaction...
-Wait. Sir Mage. By any chance, are you Lee Han of House Wardanaz? The younger brother of the Butterfly Duke?
The water spirit twisted its body and looked at Lee Han, then conveyed its thoughts as if it had noticed something.
Lee Han nodded.
“That’s right. ...Wait. How did you know?”
At first, he thought it might have guessed because he was an Einroguard mage traveling with Jowurin, but on second thought, that was strange.
Even among the people of the Empire, extremely few knew that fact, so how could a spirit know?
Ah.
Lee Han finally guessed.
“It’s because of this.”
Among the various emblems he had received through contracts was the emblem of Upinum, the spirit who called itself the protector of the great sea and storms.
Since the other party was a water spirit, it was highly likely that it had recognized him through this.
-Yes? Ah... By any chance, is that the protector’s emblem!? I, I didn’t know!
“?”
The water spirit was startled upon seeing Upinum’s emblem.
Who would have thought it would see the emblem left by the protector of the great sea and storms here?
This rough and violent spirit was an object of fear even among other spirits.
“...Then how did you recognize me?”
-I felt a threatening, overwhelming presence from your magical power.
“...”
Lee Han’s expression hardened at the spirit’s polite attitude as it sent such rude telepathy.
This bastard?
“Just because you feel an overwhelming presence doesn’t necessarily mean it’s me, does it? There are so many mages in the Empire who emit an overwhelming presence through their magical power... well, not that many, but there are also monsters...”
Lee Han...
Jowurin looked at her rambling contractor with pity.
To think Jowurin’s always cool-headed contractor would react like this.
-I’m, I’m sorry. I made a baseless assumption...
“...No.”
Lee Han stopped the spirit’s apology with a bitter expression.
Honestly, he wanted to write down every specific rumor circulating among the spirits, but he could not bring himself to pry any further.
-Lee Han of House Wardanaz. Please bestow your grace upon us. If you do so, we will never forget this kindness.
“Hmph. All the spirits will avoid me anyway, so what’s the point?”
I’ll do my best to appease it.
After speaking, Lee Han realized that his thoughts and words had come out in reverse. The water spirit became even more flustered.
“Please forget what I just said. More importantly, His Majesty is already disappointed, so... Hmm. Is there perhaps a less well-maintained area inside?”
-If the dragon gets hurt, all the spirits contracted to this dungeon will meet a terrible fate!
The water spirit shuddered as if the mere thought were horrifying. Even though it was a spirit without a face, its emotions were palpable.
The overprotection is much worse than I thought.
Meanwhile, Jowurin was becoming increasingly dejected. So much so that even Eandurde, who had been just as disappointed, was trying to comfort her instead.
Jowurin made a poor choice...
“Ah, no. It’s not that bad!”
-That’s right! This comfortable and pleasant dungeon is nice too!
While they were chattering, a thud came from deep within the dungeon.
It was different from the sound made by a physical impact. As a mage, Lee Han instinctively recognized it as an impact caused by magical power.
“Wait! That impact just now might be monsters from another dimension attacking.”
-No. It is a magical wave created as artifacts absorb magical power and become strengthened.
“...Are you perhaps oblivious to the situation?”
***
“Professor Voladi is with them?”
“Yes.”
The Skull Principal, who had come to find Professor Garcia after roughly finishing his busy paperwork, expressed surprise at the unexpected news.
“If I had known that, I wouldn’t have been so wary. I was worried they might infiltrate the Imperial Palace.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
The Skull Principal waved his hand dismissively.
Perhaps because they were meeting at a cafe with tables set up outside, several passing nobles recognized the Skull Principal in human form and were startled, trying to show their respects.
“Your Excellency, Imperial Mage Marshal!”
“I don’t know such a person.”
“...Aren’t you His Excellency Gonadaltes?”
“I don’t know. What kind of fellow is that?”
“???”
The nobles walked away with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
Once everyone had left, Professor Garcia covered her face in embarrassment and said,
“...Please stop telling such lies.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s embarrassing when you get caught later! Aren’t you embarrassed when you meet them while receiving donations?”
“I don’t care. I can just say it was an old projection of mine that split off.”
“...”
Professor Garcia was speechless with disbelief. The Skull Principal shooed away with hand gestures the enthusiasts who approached, thinking he was a new theater actor from a nearby capital troupe, then asked,
“What about Wardanaz? Is he learning difficult magic again by provoking Professor Voladi?”
“Ah. No. Right now, he went to meet Prince Jowurin. He took Eandurde with him too.”
“!”
The Skull Principal was shocked.
“What? Where did he go?”
“To His Majesty’s manor...”
“Professor Garcia! How could you just leave that be!”
The Skull Principal scolded her as an educator for the first time in a long while.
Being lectured like this by the person who worried least about the students at Einroguard, Professor Garcia blinked.
“But, but... why? Isn’t it one of the safest places in the capital?”
“It is one of the safest places, yes. But for Wardanaz, it is the most dangerous place. Let’s go.”
The Imperial Mage Marshal abruptly rose from his seat.
Of course, Jowurin was not a violent dragon, but dragon growth was inherently difficult to predict. The Skull Principal had learned this painfully when he trained under dragons in the distant past.
A dragon that had been playing with Mage Cards yesterday could suddenly declare today, “I want to change the tragic fate of the continental races marked by struggle,” and it would not be surprising.
“Are you worried that Prince Jowurin might do something to student Lee Han? Unlike other dragons, Prince Jowurin isn’t that sort of person.”
“No. He’s more than capable of doing exactly that.”
His complete lack of trust was almost admirable. Professor Garcia wavered slightly.
Had she misjudged Jowurin?
“In my opinion, His Majesty is highly likely to tie Wardanaz up and not let him out until the vacation ends. Hmm. It would have been good if Pengerine were here. Is Pengerine in the capital?”
“Well, I’m not sure?”
Professor Garcia averted her gaze.
Pengerine had not returned from Petrograd yet.
“Why Pengerine?”
“If we throw Pengerine in and get Wardanaz back... No, that won’t work.”
It might have worked when they first met, but now one Pengerine would not be enough for a trade.
You could not buy gold just because a pebble rolling on the street looked a little cute.
“Move aside!”
-I knew we would get caught...!
The Skull Principal pushed aside the knights in front of the manor, then opened the main gate and entered.
Then a familiar cave revealed itself inside the manor. And chains hanging on the wall that were obviously made by a dragon...?
“!!!”
“I won’t bother saying ‘what did I tell you.’”
After saying all that.
Following the position of the chains, the two discovered the entrance to a pitch-black dungeon.
Professor Garcia let out a scream-like cry.
“Did His Majesty create this dungeon to imprison student Lee Han?!”
“...That, that can’t be it.”
The Skull Principal was slightly flustered by his former student’s rich imagination.
