Chapter 118

“Then is it a ‘bastard’?”

“……?”

Roan seemed slightly taken aback by Demona’s free-spirited way of thinking.

No matter how free-spirited she was, asking without hesitation whether a professor was a “bastard” was not normal.

Rafia corrected Demona’s thoughts from beside her.

“Didn’t he mean they are not a human?”

“Aha~ Then he should have said so.”

Demona nodded as if she finally understood.

The next question was from Sion.

“Not a person… then what are they? Is there anyone similar among the people we’ve met so far?”

Roan fell into thought again for a moment.

It was difficult to find someone similar to the professor of Ancient Hilonian.

Since they weren’t human to begin with.

Even from the perspective of the imperial people, who considered many races such as spirit beast-hybrids and beastmen as human, that professor was unique.

“So… if I had to choose, perhaps the Principal.”

Because Roan seemed to be struggling so much to answer, Sion and the other friends harbored a slight doubt.

‘Can’t he just tell us clearly?’

Seeing him go that far, he seemed to know what kind of entity the professor was, so it was questionable why he was beating around the bush.

Did his parents tell him not to go that far?

At that moment, Harden popped up from the middle of the table.

“To think that old man and I are similar. How unpleasant.”

“Ugh! It’s the table ghost!”

The startled Demona reflexively threw the bone she was holding.

Although aimed at Harden, the bone naturally passed right through the holy spirit and hit Hector’s face opposite her.

“……Heretic.”

Hector’s eyes burned fiercely, but he seemed to endure it for now since he was in front of Harden.

“How dare you throw a bone at me, you foolish Wycronon! Consider it mercy that I don’t refer you to the religious council!”

Naturally, Harden was also furious.

‘Isn’t it his fault for suddenly popping up from under the table?’

Of course, Demona throwing the bone was a problem, but Harden was definitely the one who provided the cause.

In fact, Harden probably knew that as well, which was why he let it go.

“Darc and Wycronon are fined 300 Talents each.”

After saying so, Harden vanished right through the cafeteria ceiling with a whoosh.

Demona stared blankly up at the ceiling where Harden had disappeared, looking devastated.

She seemed unable to believe that her fine had increased by as much as 300 Talents in less than ten seconds.

Even including the fine she received from Timothy earlier, it was 1,300 Talents!

Demona was suddenly in a position where she had to pay a fine equivalent to the entire fortune of an average student.

“……Is this a dream?”

Roan also frowned.

‘Why me…’

His friends had asked him to tell them someone similar, and he had done so, so what kind of disaster was this?

Although 300 Talents was not a burdensome sum, it was regrettable to have his hard-earned money snatched away.

‘Did he just come here because he wanted to fine me?’

It was a reasonable suspicion.

Meanwhile, the other friends were astounded by one more thing in addition to Harden’s sudden appearance.

”’T-To think the Principal calls him an old man?!!?”’

Harden was about 5,000 years old.

Then the age of the Ancient Hilonian professor was…?

One of the students who had been listening to the comedy between Roan and his friends felt relieved.

—Whew, I’m glad I chose Introduction to Holy War Strategy.

—……Were you debating?

Roan put down the utensils he was holding and spoke to Sion.

“If you’re finished eating, let’s get up.”

Sion tilted her head.

“Yes? But there is still more than thirty minutes left until class time.”

“For this class, we need to go that much earlier.”

After saying so, Roan got up first, as if telling them to stay longer if they wished.

Having never suffered a loss from listening to Roan’s words, Sion quickly followed him.

“Roan, what about me?”

“……Are you taking a different class from us?”

“Hing…”

Demona also got up from her seat after looking regretfully at the rib bone, which had not a single scrap of meat left.

***

The Ancient Hilonian class was held in Saint Cassius Hall in the center of Akerandir.

Cassius Hall was one of the oldest buildings even within Akerandir, which boasted an immense history.

Unlike buildings of a similar era that had undergone several renovations, leaving almost none of their original appearance.

Cassius Hall still preserved its appearance from thousands of years ago.

‘I wonder why there is a tiled-roof house in a game with such a Western setting, but well, that’s just how the setting is.’

Roan felt a unique emotion as he looked at the grand appearance of Cassius Hall.

The sight of a six-story building built entirely like a hanok was an unfamiliar spectacle that he had rarely seen even in South Korea.

“Darc, aren’t we here too early?”

“It’s fine. Even this will be tight.”

“?”

Sion still did not seem to understand Roan’s meaning.

No matter how she thought about it, going to the lecture hall thirty minutes before class started was something that exceeded the category of ‘diligence’.

“Sion, what do you expect from Roan? Roan must be possessed by a ghost that died because it couldn’t take classes.”

“…….”

Sion could not make any reply to Demona’s words.

It was because she thought it might really be the case.

After all, unlike other students who naturally became lazy while living with friends away from home, Roan always had his parents appearing in his dreams…

‘W-What am I thinking!’

Sion shook her head in surprise.

“Let’s go in.”

Roan glanced at Sion and went inside Cassius Hall.

The interior was also very hanok-like, with wooden floors, doors with paper and lattices, and main beams.

A characteristic was that mainly researchers of at least advanced courses, rather than students, were visible in large numbers.

“The atmosphere is quiet…”

“This place is almost like a laboratory.”

Cassius Hall was a building focused on research rather than classes.

The reason there was almost no remodeling was also because it could affect the research.

And it was because of the will of the Ancient Hilonian professor, who could be called the master of Cassius Hall.

Creak—

As the door creaked open, Demona was startled.

“Th-this doesn’t look like a lecture hall?”

Indeed, the atmosphere was not one where students would take classes.

The people inside were equally startled.

—Students have come?

—Freshmen?

Seeing at least assistants, and a considerable number of professors seated, any student would have no choice but to be surprised.

……This was especially true for Demona, whose only memories of professors involved fines.

To Roan, they were all familiar faces.

Even though the Ancient Hilonian class was a first-year elective, most of the students were assistants and professors.

Strictly speaking, it should be called auditing rather than taking the class.

He wondered what the game devs were thinking when they placed it in a first-year course, but it was the result of reflecting Harden’s strong will that the old ways were important.

Among the seated professors, there were also some familiar faces.

“Abyssal Draaaaagon!!!!!”

First of all, Timothy.

Crazy about history as he was, there was no way he would miss a precious opportunity like the Ancient Hilonian class.

……In fact, the professor themselves would be more interesting to him than the class.

At any rate, the moment Timothy saw Roan’s face, he sprang from his seat like a coiled spring and tried to rush him.

Crackle—

“Aaaack!”

However, the moment he stepped within a certain range, a fierce holy power flared up, and he was flung far away.

Harden had undoubtedly taken measures of his own to prevent anyone from approaching Roan.

Even after suffering a bitter lesson, Timothy tried to approach Roan again.

—Professor Timothy. Restrain yourself.

—If you step forward any further, we will consider it as disregarding the Principal’s will.

—No matter if he is a first-year professor, tsk tsk.

When the other professors warned him with stern eyes, he sat down, on the verge of tears.

“The Abyssal Dragon… the Abyssal Dragon is right there…”

Of course, the professors who had stopped Timothy were also looking at Roan and the Abyssal Dragon with interest.

Roan could understand that much perfectly.

However,

‘It’s just that they aren’t activated yet, but those professors will be formidable when I meet them in class.’

He couldn’t help but feel dread for the future when he would have to face them.

Fearing that too much burden would be placed on the students starting from their freshman year, Harden had issued a strict order forbidding anyone other than the first-year professors from approaching the freshmen.

The moment they advanced to the second year, those polite professors would change completely.

The players called that ‘activation’.

Meaning that the glances observing Roan and the Abyssal Dragon with interest now could perhaps be interpreted as them wondering if he was the future assistant.

—Ahem. We shouldn’t greet him, right?

—Yeah, we’ll get scolded by the Principal.

……It seemed Roan’s guess was indeed correct.

Roan made an effort to avoid the professors’ gazes directed at him.

Next was Beleck.

“Student Darc. Student Beatrice and Student Wycronon as well, it has been a long time.”

Demona tilted her head at Beleck’s greeting.

“We had your class this morning, though?”

At that, Beleck said, visibly flustered.

“Ah, ahaha. Was that so? Come to think of it, you’re right.”

Beleck congratulated Roan and Sion on the hatching of their precious divine beasts, offered warm words of encouragement, and returned to his seat.

Roan also replied gratefully and thought.

‘As expected, the black mage’s personality is far better.’

A clergyman whose eyes roll back to rush a student just upon seeing their divine beast, versus a black mage who offers pure words of congratulation.

Something was severely reversed.

Next was Anne, the apostle of Eucherim and assistant.

“Saintess candidate, have you been well?”

“Yes, I hope you also had a time filled with Lady Hiloa’s blessings, Apostle. The things you taught me are proving to be of great help.”

The greeting between Anne and Sion was an exemplary showcase that could be called the model for sensible clergymen.

However, Anne was subtly ignoring Demona.

Considering the nature of Mind’s Eye, she should be able to see even if she was in a complete blind spot.

‘What on earth happened in the last class…?’

“Assistant Anne! I’m here too!”

Demona hopped up and down next to Anne, trying to draw attention.

“……So you were. I didn’t manage to spot you, Student Wycronon.”

Anne spoke in a tone that made it obvious she was replying reluctantly, then returned to her seat.

“I feel sorry for the Apostle…”

Demona looked at Anne with pity, wondering how she had interpreted the words “didn’t manage to spot you.”

Roan and Sion had slightly different thoughts.

‘You’re the one who is pitiful.’

The fact that the kind Anne had not even offered a greeting meant she had gotten thoroughly on her bad side.

Although it was surely her own doing.

At any rate, Roan, Sion, and Demona went and sat in seats as far away from the professors as possible.

Sion was now looking at Roan with fresh eyes.

“……Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“So that’s why you said we had to come early!”

Sion admired.

Although it seemed like nothing, there was a reason behind every single word and action of Roan.

She must have thought he believed coming as early as possible was the polite thing to do since they had to take this class together with professors and assistants.

“It’s not really that… Well, it’s similar.”

Although Sion seemed to harbor a solid misunderstanding, it was not wrong in the grand scheme of things.

When Roan readily admitted it, Sion’s eyes grew even more sparkling.

Roan found such a reaction from Sion burdensome.

Because she had been burning with jealousy after the Holy War earlier, yet now she was acting so friendly again, making it hard to adapt.

—His Holiness Former Pope Vicius is entering. Everyone, please show your respect.

“As expected!”

“……Just think whatever you want.”