Chapter 113

‘He knew and just went anyway?’

It wasn’t surprising anymore, but he couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.

“More importantly, has the Abyssal Dragon hatched? Those dark clouds, lightning, and the hole earlier—the Abyssal Dragon must have definitely emerged!”

Timothy shouted as he ran pattering with his short legs.

— Abyssal Dragon? What is an Abyssal Dragon?

The students cocked their heads at the unfamiliar name.

Demona giggled and shouted to Professor Timothy.

“Hahaha! By any chance, are you talking about Roan’s black dragon? It’s not an Abyssal Dragon, it’s a black dragon.”

Then she added a word to Roan.

“Roan, Professor Timothy doesn’t seem to know this well too~ You guessed it at once, right?”

But Roan was biting his lower lip tightly.

‘It was finally almost all over!’

What had he been doing all this time, only to appear at the end and throw cold water on it!

In any case, thanks to Demona’s words, the students, realizing what Timothy was talking about, parted to both sides and cleared the path to Roan.

Seeing the Abyssal Dragon held in Roan’s arms, Timothy’s eyes went wide, popping out.

“T-T-T-That is!”

Conversely, Roan closed his eyes tightly.

It was the moment Roan’s efforts to hide the fact that it was an Abyssal Dragon went down the drain.

“An Abyssal Draaaaagonnnn!!!”

Timothy shouted vigorously and jumped up.

No, he actually did a somersault.

He spun five times at that.

And not satisfied with that, as he tried to spin one more time.

Thud—!

Unable to overcome the physical limits of a dwarf, he ended up planting his head upside down into the ground.

‘Well, even if it weren’t Timothy, Harden would have said it anyway.’

Seeing that sight, Roan gave up in despair.

Thinking that the only thing he could hide at Akerandir would be his identity as a black mage.

Timothy, who rushed to Roan in a single bound, delivered a passionate speech with the momentum of gathering all the fuss of Akerandir.

“Is not the Abyssal Dragon that legendary dragon born over 10,000 years ago who, losing a bet to the Principal 5,184 years ago, was banished from the Bideln Mountains! The greatest rival whom even the Principal testified, ‘If the Abyssal Dragon had been just a little more naive, I would have almost lost’…”

“Somehow he looks like Roan making a fuss…”

Ignoring Demona’s words.

He was so eager that thick spit was on the verge of splattering over Roan and the Abyssal Dragon.

The Abyssal Dragon, positioned right at Timothy’s eye level, made “kyah-kyah” sounds, but when Timothy didn’t even pretend to listen, it just gave up and turned its head.

“Unlike the similar-looking black dragon, the Abyssal Dragon uses a power called ‘the abyss,’ which is actually a unique power different from the abyss of black magic, and rather, this one is the original…”

Since Roan already knew all these facts, he just listened, letting it go.

But the other students, carelessly listening to Timothy’s words pouring down like a torrent, ended up astonished.

— Did you hear? The Abyssal Dragon uses black magic!

— Hey! Didn’t I say Darc summoned it with black magic?

— I told you, how could Darc use black magic!

— Then how are you going to explain it! Tell me!

The students, suddenly becoming noisy, bickered with each other.

Regardless, Demona approached with sparkling eyes and asked Professor Timothy.

“Professor, is that really true? It uses black magic? Roan, I want that one!”

“…Would that work.”

Roan said to Demona in a dumbfounded tone.

It was extremely rare for a divine beast that had once chosen its owner to serve a new owner even if that owner died.

Although it was relatively higher probability than hatching a new Abyssal Dragon.

In any case, realistically, it meant both were impossible.

And Roan warned Demona subtly.

“Demona, you’d better run away now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“That’s because…”

Roan subtly gestured with his chin toward where Timothy was.

Demona also looked at Timothy following Roan’s signal.

There stood Timothy, his face turning red and blue as if he had downed 300 barrels of dwarf beer, glaring at Demona.

“You scoundrel with not a shred of respect for history! How dare a guy like you enroll to take my class! You are fined 1,000 Talents!”

The thing Timothy hated most was distorting history.

The second thing he hated most was failing to understand his explanation properly.

Demona had done both simultaneously, so the result had to be that way.

“Uwahhh!”

Demona screamed, holding her head without even asking the reason.

It was thanks to having received fines so often that she knew asking the reason was useless now.

However, having just paid off all her accumulated fines only to get another 1,000 Talents was truly a disaster.

— Hieek! 1,000 Talents!

— Who said the Abyssal Dragon uses black magic! I won’t forgive you!

— The abyss of the Abyssal Dragon is strictly different from the abyss of black magic, indeed!

— The righteous Abyssal Dragon! You must grow up splendidly~

Meanwhile, the students who avoided the fine thanks to Demona’s brave demonstration (?) praised the Abyssal Dragon loudly, without anyone leading.

‘…Is this good?’

Still, rather than buying useless misunderstandings, it was better to nip it in the bud by borrowing the professor’s authority like this.

…And the fact that Timothy’s explanation entered the students’ heads accurately made him look like a legendary professor, judging by results alone.

Even if Joy talked for three hours, the students of Akerandir wouldn’t remember three words of it.

In any case, Timothy suddenly stretched both arms out to Roan.

“Even a young specimen of such a rare divine beast has the highest research value! Hand it over quickly, Student Darc.”

“Yes?”

Roan wondered if he had misheard something.

Timothy was speaking to him confidently, as if reclaiming an item he had left in custody.

When Roan only wore a dumbfounded expression, Timothy cocked his head and then laughed loudly as if realizing.

“Wahahaha! Don’t worry, no matter if it’s an Abyssal Dragon, I, Timothy, am not weak enough to lose to a baby.”

“No, it’s not that.”

What kind of mindset did he have to think that Roan was worried about Timothy?

Seeing that Roan still had no intention of giving him the Abyssal Dragon, Timothy hardened his expression slightly and said.

“Ahem, one must not put private greed before research. I should be able to return it before your graduation, so hand it over!”

‘This bastard?’

It was a dragon, of all things.

A dragon he had never even obtained when playing the game.

Unless Roan lost his mind, there was no way he would hand it over submissively.

“Professor, even so, taking a student’s divine beast is…”

Perhaps thinking this was going too far even as an assistant, Joy who was watching stepped in to stop Timothy.

“Assistant Joy! Do you know how immense the academic value of the Abyssal Dragon is?”

“Yes, I know, but I don’t think this is the right way.”

“Silence!”

Timothy bellowed and tried to rush at Roan, as if there was no further need for argument.

Tap—

Joy easily blocked his approach by placing a hand on Timothy’s forehead, utilizing her superior height compared to the dwarf.

“Are you really going to make me go this far!”

Timothy snorted in frustration, pulled a round object out of his pocket, and threw it at the Abyssal Dragon.

It was a high-grade spirit beast capture tool.

‘Specter’s Hand.’

Of course, Timothy’s behavioral pattern was obvious, so Roan was prepared.

A hazy form slipped out of Roan’s chest and sent the capture tool flying elsewhere.

Thump—

“Uh, Eong-eongi!”

The innocent Purgatory Penitent Beast floating next to Hector got hit by the capture tool and fell to the ground, bound.

Hector, seeing the Purgatory Penitent Beast shedding tears of blood, was startled.

“Tsk! I have no use for a Purgatory Penitent Beast!”

Timothy grew even more frustrated.

Roan, finding it hard to watch any longer, spoke in a fierce voice.

“Professor, the Abyssal Dragon is my divine beast that I hatched. Please restrain yourself.”

Kyah— Kyah—!

The Abyssal Dragon also cried fiercely in his arms, as if Roan’s words were absolutely correct.

Roan was willing to resort to force to some extent if he still didn’t back down.

In the Empire, an attack on a divine beast or spirit beast was considered an attack on its owner.

The justification was on Roan’s side.

— Wow, Darc isn’t afraid of fines.

— Relentless bastard…

The students didn’t dare step forward easily since they had just seen Demona get hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Talents, but.

Still, this time, they leaned toward Roan’s side.

No matter how much they hated Darc, a professor trying to steal a student’s divine beast was intolerable.

“What would you do even if you kept the Abyssal Dragon! Nothing more than foolish holy wars! In that case, it would be far better for me to research it!”

Timothy yelled loudly.

‘…That is true.’

Roan also deeply agreed with his point.

What if the Abyssal Dragon had gone to another student instead of himself?

It would surely have been destined to roll around in the holy war arena all its life.

— …Can it be used in the holy war?

— Then what do you do with a divine beast like the Abyssal Dragon?

The students, who had been raging at Timothy’s tyranny, were bewildered at that moment.

Just then, a new voice solemnly vibrated in the air.

“Again, again, I told you not to act so narrow-mindedly toward the students.”

“P-Principal!”

It was Harden.

Harden clicked his tongue as he looked down at Timothy with an expression of viewing a truly pitiful life.

“Tsk, tsk. If a fellow like the Abyssal Dragon is born at our school, you should know how to congratulate them as a professor. How is it proper to make a fuss because you can’t steal it?”

“But… as you know, Principal, the academic value of the Abyssal Dragon is…”

Timothy, who was genuinely covetous, dared to talk back to Harden.

“If you are curious about the Abyssal Dragon, come find me and ask. Don’t torment the children.”

“Y-Yes, Principal.”

Timothy bowed his head flatly.

Of course, Harden had said it thinking, ‘Would he really come find me over just this?’

…But Timothy was a man fully capable of staying glued to the principal’s office all day.

“Anyway, an Abyssal Dragon… can you raise it well?”

“I will try.”

Roan quietly bowed his head at Harden’s question.

He was somewhat grateful since Harden had stopped Timothy’s rampage.

“You’ve obtained a divine beast that suits you quite well. Should I call this fate too… Congratulations.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Roan looked at Harden with a slightly curious gaze.

The atmosphere felt in his words was unusual.

Harden chuckled as if asking how he didn’t even know that.

‘I might not know a few things!’

Roan felt aggrieved, forgetting that he had been grateful to Harden just a moment ago.

In the first place, the Abyssal Dragon was a legendary creature whose records only documented its birth and disappearance, just twice.

“Belzahar Darc—that is, the first Darc’s divine beast was the Abyssal Dragon. You memorize other things effortlessly, so why are you like this with your own family history, tsk tsk.”

Even though his words blamed Roan, Harden did not hide his pleased look.

Even in his eyes as a Holy Spirit, the word fate suited the current situation very well.

‘The first Darc?!’

Naturally, Roan was startled inwardly.

To think even the Abyssal Dragon was intertwined with the Darc family.

The first Darc back then wouldn’t have hatched the Abyssal Dragon himself, and they probably formed a relationship later, but.

‘Then Harden, toward his friend’s divine beast…?’

Roan, having fit together a piece of history he hadn’t known, became even more wary of Harden.

In any case, that much was a minor matter, and Roan looked down at the Abyssal Dragon held in his arms with fresh eyes.

Kyahat—!

The small Abyssal Dragon raised its head high, putting on airs.

Finding that sight cute, Roan patted the Abyssal Dragon a few times and raised his head.

“Darc…”

“Roan…”

However, his friends around were on the verge of shedding tears, as if the secret surrounding the Abyssal Dragon and Darc was deeply moving again.

— Did you hear? They say the Darc family raised Abyssal Dragons generation after generation.

— So that’s why he risked a fine of 1,000 Talents…

— That fellow Darc, he has quite some romance in him, doesn’t he?

The other students were also sniffing in unison.

‘Are those bastards having issues with daily life at that rate?’