Lee Han protested, feeling deeply wronged.

“I really did grow it with dragon breath. I even have records here.”

Lee Han took out the records he had written himself.

It was thanks to Professor Willow, who had told him to keep records in anticipation of his participation in the Horticulture Club.

The Great Artist accepted the records from the younger student with a grave expression and read them in silence.

“Hmm... indeed... I see... if that is the case... wait. Why would Einroguard... You grew this yourself?!”

The Great Artist was so startled the records nearly slipped from hand.

The reaction was even stronger than when the Great Artist had heard that the Skull Principal’s school had gained a new youngest disciple.

“Yes. If I hadn’t grown it myself, how would I, a student, have received an invitation to the Horticulture Club?”

“I thought you were simply invited because you were the Principal’s disciple.”

“...”

Lee Han stared at the Great Artist in disbelief, but the Great Artist ignored it.

In truth, the one who had every right to be dumbfounded right now was the Great Artist.

‘Come to think of it, the Horticulture Club isn’t such an easygoing place. They wouldn’t let that madman’s disciple in for no reason.’

“Where did you get the dragon breath? Did you take it from that madman’s vault?”

“No. I have a contracted dragon.”

“...”

The Great Artist was even more shocked.

“Who?! Wait. Let me guess. ...Could it be His Majesty Wuman?”

Even in shock, the Great Artist’s powers of deduction remained sharp.

Dragons were not an easy race to encounter. That was even more true now, in the current Empire, than it had been in ancient times.

Then the dragons most likely to form a contract would be the children personally borne by the Emperor.

Among them, if it was a dragon who was relatively active and had a personality that would match well with the youngest disciple...

‘The fourth, His Majesty Wuman, is highly likely.’

The brave dragon who hated injustice, hated the Skull Principal, and protected justice.

It would not be strange if that dragon had formed a contract with the youngest disciple...

“No. It’s Prince Jowurin.”

“Why?????”

“You ask why, but it wasn’t as if I got to choose.”

That was true!

The Great Artist understood immediately.

No matter how badly a mage wanted to form a contract, dragons did not simply oblige. A contract with a dragon was carried out entirely according to the dragon’s will.

“I thought that dragon was definitely a recluse, like the other dragons...”

‘A recluse?’

Lee Han tilted his head.

Information about dragons was not widely spread, so even mages like the Great Artist seemed to hold misunderstandings about certain things.

“It’s shocking, but not incomprehensible. As a dragon, he must have recognized your magical talent and destiny.”

“That’s not it. We just play togeth—”

“I have heard many stories from His Majesty Wuman, but I never imagined such a connection would form. How surprising.”

‘Could that dragon be the culprit?’

Lee Han grew slightly suspicious of the absent Black Dragon.

No matter how he thought about it, the Great Artist seemed to have misunderstood something about Jowurin.

“In any case, let’s discuss the dragon contract later. The other members are waiting.”

The club members had been waiting as if they were dying of curiosity.

The Great Artist and Lee Han had been whispering to each other, and the way things were going strongly suggested that the mandragon might actually be real.

“Is it really real?”

“I said it was impossible.”

“But if it were impossible, there would be no need to talk for this long...”

The Great Artist, having finished the conversation, declared firmly.

“Everyone, listen. I have confirmed the records.”

“How have you judged it, Great Artist?”

“Before that, there is one matter I would like to discuss.”

“?”

Lee Han looked at the senior.

What was the Great Artist trying to say?

“May I purchase this mandragon first?”

“...”

“...”

The horticulturists stared at the Great Artist’s shameless expression in disbelief.

So it really was genuine!

***

Click!

“I unlocked it.”

“Excellent, Ratford. I’m amazed every time I see you work.”

Salco nodded and praised Ratford’s skill.

Ratford had already been an outstanding technician, but after entering Einroguard, that skill had improved by leaps and bounds.

Beyond ordinary locks, Ratford could now easily disable all kinds of magical locks and seals.

Thanks to that, finding work at the auction house was simple. There were quite a few safes and boxes that adventurers had excavated but still failed to open.

“Those White Tiger Tower bastards couldn’t even dream of this.”

Carefully polishing a broken statue, Salco spoke with pride.

If the bloodline of knightly families was White Tiger Tower’s pride, then this kind of adaptability was Black Turtle Tower’s pride.

No one else could find work faster than they could in a situation like this...

“...”

“...”

Ratford dropped the magical lockpick. Salco also dropped the magical hammer.

Right before their eyes, Gainando was walking by wearing all sorts of flashy accessories.

“...Have you finally lost your mind?”

“What? No! I bought these with money I earned!”

Gainando bristled at the sudden criticism.

Ratford, however, offered serious advice.

“Even now, you should convert whatever is left back into money and turn yourself in. That would probably be better.”

“...Why are you acting like this too?! I really earned it! All the Mage Cards I put up for sale sold! And at high prices too!”

“What?”

Salco found that hard to believe.

Those childish, toy-like things had sold for high prices?

“People are truly incomprehensible. To think such things sold for high prices.”

“Hmph. There’s no point in being jealous.”

“It is certainly strange. The cards Gainando put up for sale shouldn’t have had such a high market price.”

True to Ratford’s guild background, Ratford did not dismiss the value of Mage Cards.

At that accurate analysis, Gainando quietly hid the remaining bundle of cards deep in his pocket and said,

“I must have been lucky. I’ve always lived virtuously, haven’t I?”

“...”

When veins bulged on Salco’s fist around the magical hammer, Ratford hurriedly intervened.

“Ca-calm down.”

“I am calm. I’m going to hit him once, coldly and rationally.”

While the two whispered to each other, Gainando spread both arms wide with a generous air and shouted,

“Look! Since I earned this much, I’ll be generous to you too!”

“Is that really true?”

“Of course! We’re all from Einroguard, after all.”

“...”

Salco’s expression softened slightly. The hand gripping the hammer also relaxed.

“Don’t waste too much. No matter how much you earned, it’ll disappear in an instant if you squander it.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve calculated everything.”

Displaying the intelligence befitting a Blue Dragon Tower student, Gainando explained his plan.

“First, I’ll invest one third back into Mage Cards. It seems more profitable than I thought.”

“...Well, fine. I understand.”

“And one third is for me to spend.”

Gainando pointed to the flashy accessories. Salco had to suppress a look of disgust.

“The remaining third is for buying Lee Han a gift.”

“...?”

“???”

Salco and Ratford looked at each other.

Wasn’t that calculation wrong?

“Now I need to buy gifts for my friends with what’s left.”

“...But there’s nothing left?”

“Huh?”

Gainando hesitated.

When he counted the Imperial gold coins, there really was nothing left.

“Ah. I made a mistake. I started with one fourth at first, then changed it to one third. That must be why I messed up.”

“Indeed. That must be what happened.”

“Can’t be helped. I’ll have to cancel being generous to you.”

“...”

***

“Didn’t you just hear the Prince scream?”

“I didn’t hear anything...?”

‘Did I mishear?’

Siana tilted her head.

Well, this was not even Einroguard, so there was no reason she would hear Gainando screaming.

“This is a cursed item.”

“Indeed! Could you take a look at this as well, Priest?”

“This is just a mage who cast a spell incorrectly and is making strange noises.”

“Damn it! I knew something was suspicious!”

The Shisenza Order was one of the Empire’s leading groups of curse specialists, and quite a few people wanted to entrust work to Priest Tiziling, who wore that order’s priestly robes.

While sorting truly cursed items from items that only appeared cursed because of incorrectly engraved letters, Priest Tiziling asked,

“But is it all right for you to keep staying here, Siana?”

“Oh. Am I interfering with your concentration?”

“That’s not it. I was wondering if you might want to take work from the Flameang Order instead.”

The Flameang Order was also an order in considerable demand at places like this.

Since all its priests were specialists in alchemy, anyone short on reagents would call for them immediately.

However, Siana shook her head.

“I was originally planning to do that...”

“?”

“...Some crazy nouveau riche bought up all the reagents before the auction even started!”

Siana spoke as if she were still angry.

Sometimes one suffered losses through simple bad luck, but this was truly a bolt from the blue.

Some nouveau riche had swept up the reagents, taking the work opportunities along with them.

That was not all. Her plan to replenish useful reagents by participating in the auction after finishing work had also gone awry.

“Wouldn’t it be more fun to go around with the other priests?”

“No. I find it more enjoyable here.”

Priest Tiziling, usually expressionless and quiet, showed a faintly pleased expression.

Siana thought to herself.

‘I don’t want to go to the other priests...!’

Both Sharucal the shark beastkin and Nigisor the fire-spirit hybrid had excessively strong personalities.

One kept searching only for sea-related items, while the other suspiciously kept looking only for ways to increase the power of the fire element...

And the most frightening part was that after becoming friends with Wardanaz, they were becoming even more proactive.

If they were like this in second year, then by third year they might connect the tower common room to the deep sea or summon eternal fire into the fireplace.

When Siana had been at the order, she had thought she stood out quite a bit, but compared to priests like those two, she was extremely ordinary.

Siana felt newly grateful for Priest Tiziling. Phoenix Tower needed such a steady priest.

But no sooner had she thought that than Nigisor appeared.

The priest student, radiating blazing heat, held out a newly acquired lantern and asked,

“Ah. Siana. I found a fairly decent lantern... Could you recommend a reagent to fill it with?”

“What’s the purpose?”

“I want to trap demon flames inside it.”

“You obtained... demon flames?”

“No. But I think I could get some if I ask Wardanaz. I heard his family has quite a lot.”

“...”

“To store those flames without letting them go out, I think I need to replenish the power inside this lantern, so I’d like a recommendation...”

“Oh! Come to think of it, I had an appointment with the order priests!”

Siana sprang to her feet.

The moment she made a recommendation here, she would have to go with Nigisor to Lee Han and say, ‘Please lend us some demons.’

And she really did not want to do that.

***

“Instead of refusing so coldly, why not at least promise me?”

The Great Artist spoke shamelessly, as befitted someone who had once been the Skull Principal’s disciple.

After a fierce battle—one in which Imperial gold coins and gems changed hands—it was ultimately the Great Artist who obtained the mandragon.

Naturally, the members were curious as to when a new mandragon would appear, but...

...Lee Han could not promise that.

He needed Jowurin to raise them!

“You can’t use him so arbitrarily.”

“We have a contract, so what’s the problem? That side will probably act fairly arbitrarily anyway.”

“...”

Lee Han was almost persuaded for a moment.

Indeed, contracts with dragons did have that aspect to them.

‘...No. I mustn’t waver!’