"Everyone is helping each other to prepare for the flood."

"??"

Yi-Han, who was listening next to them, couldn't believe his ears.

"Uh... those Black Tortoise Tower folks... the price... no."

Yi-Han stopped himself from saying, "They're the bad guys for raising prices because of the flood, and I'm the good guy for not raising mine."

This wasn't like tattling in front of the skul principal; it was disgraceful.

"Yeah. Everyone is diligently helping each other."

"What are you saying, Priest!"

"The Black Tortoise Tower guys are ripping us off!"

The White Tiger Tower friends protested while shaking off the water, but Yi-Han ignored them as if he hadn't heard.

"Are you guys preparing well?"

"Of course. Who do you think we are?"

"..."

Yi-Han hesitated and couldn't answer the White Tiger Tower students' question right away.

Then the White Tiger Tower students shouted in anger.

"Hey, you bastard. Why are you hesitating!"

"Sorry. I couldn't think of what to answer for a moment."

"Knights! We're knights! What's so difficult about this!"

The young knights were furious at the sight of Wardanaz, who answered difficult questions amazingly but couldn't answer the easiest question.

As they were from knight families, the White Tiger Tower students had the ability to respond to such situations to some extent.

Lifting the luggage piled up outside, digging drainage ditches around the tower, preparing rafts and oars in case the water overflows...

The Black Tortoise Tower students were naturally skilled at such preparations, and the Immortal Phoenix Tower priests were not lacking in ability as they had grown up in temples.

The problem was the Blue Dragon Tower.

'I wonder if they'll be okay.'

Although Yi-Han had given instructions to some extent, he was worried if they were doing it properly.

After roughly finishing his business, Yi-Han said to the White Tiger Tower students.

"This is perfect timing. Come with me for a bit."

"Huh? Are we going hunting?"

"No. I'm going to the Blue Dragon Tower dormitory to do some work."

"..."

"...Why should we do that?"

The White Tiger Tower students asked as if it was absurd.

Unless they were shot with an arrow in the head, there was no reason to help the Blue Dragon Tower guys.

What's so pretty about them...

"I bought expensive magic items at cost. Shall I start selling them now?"

"No, what the...!"

At the short but powerful threat, the White Tiger Tower students trembled.

One of them made a face as if he had gained enlightenment.

'So this is the power of monopoly that Wardanaz guy was talking about!'

Last time, when he said 'If you monopolize essential goods in the market, you gain great power,' I dismissed it, thinking 'What nonsense? Is it a black magic spell?' But experiencing it directly, I understood right away.

"You can just help. If you help..."

"Wardanaz."

"?"

"At least tell the Blue Dragon Tower guys that we came to help them honorably as knights."

"...Ye, yeah. I got it."

Gainando yawned as he watched Princess Adenart use spirits to dig deep drainage ditches.

'Why is she working so hard...'

"Gainando. Stop playing and move the shovel quickly."

"I, I'm recovering mana."

"Even if your mana is depleted, you can still move your body."

Gainando grumbled and grabbed the shovel at his friends' scolding.

Yi-Han wasn't there, but there were too many friends who had only learned bad things from Yi-Han.

"Gainando. Think carefully. Do you know the story of the ant and the grasshopper?"

Asan opened his mouth to boost Gainando's motivation.

"If you don't prepare in advance, that's what happens."

"Can't we just persuade the ant and live together..."

"Would you accept it if you were the ant?"

"If I prostrate myself and say I'll serve as a servant, wouldn't they accept..."

"..."

Asan was almost convinced by the strange logic.

Indeed, if Gainando prostrated himself and said he would serve as a servant, Asan would probably accept him and torment him for a long time.

The ability to make even enemies surrender out of contempt!

'Is this also an ability?'

Asan looked at Adenart.

Just as she was showing her innate dignity as royalty, Gainando's innate contemptibility...

'...But what's the point of having the ability to look contemptible? Where do you use it?'

"What is it? What were you thinking about?"

"Your innate ability as royalty."

"!"

Gainando's face brightened.

"What is it? What is it??"

"Uh? Oh."

Asan was unusually flustered.

"That's... uh..."

"It must be the ability to unite the hearts of other friends. Right?"

"Wardanaz!!"

At the voice coming from behind, Asan turned his head with a bright face.

'But did he have such an ability?'

"Everyone is preparing well..."

Yi-Han looked around the tower and let out a deep sigh.

At that sight, his friends avoided his gaze as if they had committed a sin.

The drainage ditches were uneven, 2/3 of the pre-made rafts were unbalanced, and the supplies to be moved up remained as they were...

Since they lacked experience, there were bound to be many trials and errors and slow work.

Even while everyone was discouraged, the princess alone maintained her posture upright. She had some confidence in the work.

Even compared to what other friends had done, the part the princess was in charge of had overwhelmingly higher completion!

"We should start working right away."

"?!?!?"

However, Yi-Han didn't even check the part the princess was in charge of and immediately started working.

The princess stared at Yi-Han with greatly shocked eyes.

The White Tiger Tower students behind him whispered as if puzzled.

"Why is that princess glaring like that?"

"It's obvious. She's keeping Wardanaz guy in check. Think about it from the princess's perspective."

"Ah. Indeed. It's hard to have two suns in one tower."

The White Tiger Tower students nodded their heads, recalling Jijel.

How mercilessly were the friends who challenged Jijel's authority trampled?

As royalty, they had to be even more sensitive to power.

When Wardanaz was in the tower, he was so overwhelmingly dominant that they were only looking for an opportunity, but now that he had disappeared from the tower, the story would be different.

She would definitely try to bring the power of the tower back into her own hands.

In such a situation, it was natural for Wardanaz's return to not look good.

"Hehe. This will be fun. If the Blue Dragon Tower guys also fight among themselves... Moreover, that Wardanaz guy seems to be completely off guard."

"Let's not tell Wardanaz. Hehehe."

There was nothing more enjoyable than watching hateful guys fight among themselves.

The White Tiger Tower students nodded their heads, making sinister eyes.

"What is it? You guys. Why are you making such suspicious eyes?"

"Ah... it's nothing?"

"Wh, why are you doing this to us, who came to help?"

"Hmm. It's strange... I got it. Oh. These White Tiger Tower friends came to help."

At Yi-Han's words, the Blue Dragon Tower students were startled.

"What? Why?"

"Is it a trick?"

"Oh my. Be quiet. They came to help as fellow friends, as knights."

The Blue Dragon Tower students were even more startled at Yi-Han's explanation.

"Wardanaz! It's definitely a trick...!"

"Be quiet."

Yi-Han shut his friends' mouths with force and started working.

Jijel moved her steps with Anglago and Bartreck.

The three had very tired faces.

It was because Jangcliff from the Jangclin family was raving like crazy next to them.

"So, young knights... Ah. That's right. I forgot something while talking, so again..."

'It feels like blood is flowing from my ears.'

For Jijel, who absolutely hated talkative people, the vice-captain of the Chestnut Tree Knight Order was the devil incarnate who had descended to the present world.

His title would probably be something like Eloquent or Chatterbox.

Papapapapapapak!

Jangcliff momentarily shut his mouth at the sight of the dirt wildly gushing up and the path being created in front of him.

The three felt their lost senses returning as Jangcliff became quiet.

"It's over... Wait. What are you guys doing there??"

The three were surprised to see their friends helping with the Blue Dragon Tower construction and asked.

Why on earth?

Their friends also seemed to think the same way, looking very perplexed, and belatedly answered.

"...For, for the sake of honor?"

"Ex... excellent!!"

Jangcliff shouted, moved to the point of tears.

"Actually, I heard that Einroguard students don't get along well with each other since they come from all over the empire, but the knights here are different! I'm really touched!"

"...Th, that's right."

"We're a bit like that."

The White Tiger Tower students holding shovels admitted it by chance.

Next to them, the Blue Dragon Tower students looked at them with eyes saying 'What nonsense.'

"When were we ever close..."

"Hey. Give us some face."

"We helped you! Give us some face!"

"..."

Meanwhile, Jijel frowned and turned her gaze.

She was curious why her friends were doing this, but she had no intention of asking.

The headache that had already risen because of Jangcliff would only get worse.

"Wardanaz. Let's go slowly."

"What? Where?"

"...What are you pretending for, you bas..."

Jijel was about to curse but realized there were many people watching and decided to maintain her dignity.

"...The gathering. You remember, right? We all agreed to attend together."

"We're leaving already? What about Friday's lectures?"

"I'll tell them and take them next time. There will only be one or two lectures on Friday anyway."

"No, there aren't."

"..."

Jijel was at a loss for words at Yi-Han's remark.

Come to think of it, that Wardanaz guy was different.

"Anyway, I understand. Indeed, it will take time to get there, so we should leave now. I'll ask other friends to tell the professors."

"Yeah. Prepare quickly."

"Wait. Moradi."

"...What. Again."

Jijel asked back in an annoyed voice when Yi-Han called her.

"A flood is coming soon, is it okay for me to go out?"

"What can we do? It's fate."

Then suddenly, a fierce reaction erupted.

"That evil White Tiger Tower bastard!"

"He's going out!"

"Moradi! No matter how much you go out, Wardanaz is also needed by us! How short-handed will we be without that guy!"

Even the White Tiger Tower students reacted, and Jijel was dumbfounded.

These crazy bastards...

"Figure it out and prepare, you dimwits! Do I have to spoon-feed you that too! Is Wardanaz your nanny?"

Yi-Han was hurt by Jijel's sharp retort.

"Calling me a nanny is too much..."

Huh?

Am I a nanny?

Yi-Han recalled what he had done and was slightly shocked.

"Wardanaz! Don't be fooled by an evil person like Moradi! Our friendship isn't like that!"

"That's right. Wardanaz! You're not like a nanny! What nanny beats us up like that!"

"...Ye, yeah."

Yi-Han answered like that for now, but he thought he should prepare to leave right away.

Friends of this level will do well on their own!

"Horses are really amazing."

"...Th, that's right?"

When Niffirg neighed in protest, Yi-Han quickly stroked his mane, meaning to be quiet.

In any case, it didn't seem like a good idea to say 'I ride a griffin transformed into a horse' in front of the knights.

Jangcliff looked at the young, or perhaps more appropriately described as still childlike, knights following behind him with a joyful expression.

To be able to move together with the talents who will shoulder the future of the empire.

That alone was an honor and joy.

"To be able to pass through the night road with the empire's talents like this..."

'Oh my god.'

'Dear god.'

'I should have prepared something to put in my ears.'

"...By the way, everyone. Are you performing well in your studies at Einroguard?"

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han and Jijel were relatively confident, but the other two began to sweat.

Jangcliff smiled mischievously as if he understood.

"I understand. Numbers and letters can be difficult for those from knight families. But since you all are excelling in horseback riding or swordsmanship, there's no need to feel discouraged at all."

"..."

This time, even Jijel began to sweat.

Surprisingly, in all the lectures mentioned so far, other tower students had been taking the top spot away from her.