Chapter 135

When Roan opened the incubator, a blue-green shape soared up like a flame from inside.

As if the most beautiful jade and emerald sculpture in the world had been brought to life, as if the most primitive, fresh blade of grass had sprouted.

The blue-green bird soared for a long time, eventually reaching its peak and gliding slowly through the sky.

Feathers, long like a peacock’s tail feathers yet sharp and brilliant like a sword, wrapped slenderly around its body like a cloak.

It was a humanoid, blue-green avian divine beast with two arms and legs.

It was the appearance of the Heavenly Sword Peacock King.

Step—

Having flown in the sky while looking down at everyone with a haughty posture for a long time, the Heavenly Sword Peacock King finally stepped onto the ground.

Kirrrr—

Compared to its splendid and presence-filled figure, the Heavenly Sword Peacock King that landed on the ground had a small body, befitting a newborn.

Everyone swallowed hard at the extraordinary sight.

Its straight legs, arms, and wings.

Moreover, feathers draped like a cloak wrapped around the divine beast’s body.

At the end of the cloak-like feathers, in addition to the blue-green, colors of red, blue, white, and black were stained like jewels, drawing even more attention.

─ Waa…

Amidst everyone’s admiration.

‘……Why are there four colors?’

Only Roan was feeling slightly anxious.

[What’s wrong?]

Feeling Roan’s mind, the Abyss Dragon tilted its head and asked.

‘There are supposed to be only three.’

The Heavenly Sword Peacock King was supposed to have only red, blue, and white on its cloak-like feathers.

Although several more colors would be added later, that was strictly a story for when it had grown significantly.

It was said that divine beasts born from the mating of other divine beasts sometimes mixed mutations different from the original species, but how likely was that?

‘The initial feathers should definitely be only three.’

The Heavenly Sword Peacock King was a divine beast that used its cloak-like feathers like swords to fight.

Moreover, the different colored feathers of the cloak were the greatest characteristic of the Heavenly Sword Peacock King, which made him feel even more uneasy.

Softly, softly—

Meanwhile, looking around, the Heavenly Sword Peacock King slowly walked toward Roan with a posture that was exceedingly elegant, matching its appearance.

And then.

Step—

Did it not kneel on one knee before Roan, just like a knight before their lord!

The Heavenly Sword Peacock King’s splendid cloak-feathers even spread out around it with a rustling noise, imbuing it with even greater dignity.

─ Is… is that a holy beast?

─ Didn’t Darc secretly summon that?

The students murmured in surprise.

No matter how amazing a divine or holy beast was, it was still an animal.

It was impossible for it to have learned human etiquette like that.

However, this could also be said to be a characteristic of the Heavenly Sword Peacock King.

‘Peacock’ was a double entendre, meaning both the bird and the noble title of Duke.

The Heavenly Sword Peacock Kings were excellent at maintaining manners, like natural-born nobles.

“R-Roan. What kind of holy beast is that?”

Lafia seemed slightly put off as she watched the Heavenly Sword Peacock King greet with more dignity than herself, an aspiring Paladin.

…In fact, she had grown up in a rural estate and was slightly lacking in etiquette.

Roan replied with a faint smile.

“The Heavenly Sword Peacock King.”

“Wow…”

The students admired the name, which was as cool as its appearance.

“Why, why are both named ‘Heavenly,’ but it’s only meeee!!!!”

Hector went wild, clutching the Thousand-Eyed Hole Serpent in his arms.

In fact, he had been quite sad since the holy beasts of Sion, Lafia, and Riel hatched one after another, but seeing Roan’s Heavenly Sword Peacock King, he could no longer hold it in.

Sob, sob, sob, sob—

Tears streaming—

However, since he now had the Purgatory Penitence Beast and the Thousand-Eyed Hole Serpent beside him, who truly cherished and devoted themselves to their master, he was not as lonely as before.

…Or so it seemed.

In any case,

“Oho, a Heavenly Sword Peacock King. Was a divine beast mixed in too?”

Vulcan expressed surprise, sparking with electricity.

‘You should at least wet your lips before lying.’

Considering he had personally arranged the divine beast egg for Roan, it was quite the performance.

─ Whaaaat!!!!

─ A… a divine beast?!

Naturally, the students went wild at Vulcan’s words.

A second divine beast, following the Abyss Dragon.

─ There was a divine beast egg in there?

─ Lies! This is unfair! Who knows if someone secretly slipped it to Darc?

─ Hey! That’s crossing the line!

─ Ah, is it?

‘……How did they know?’

They were so angry that if Roan had looked even slightly weak normally, someone might have thrown a punch.

Roan quickly scanned his surroundings, prioritizing whom he should cast paralysis on first in case of an emergency.

‘For now, Trian or Garland are the most dangerous.’

…Fortunately, no such thing happened.

Although they did not dare to charge at Roan, the students were deeply heartbroken.

─ O Hiloa! Why did you give birth to me and then give birth to Darc!

─ Then what is it that Darc doesn’t have?

─ H-His family and parents?

─ ……How can you say something like that?

─ Ah, without realizing it…

Considering they were blurting out things they would normally never dare to say out loud for fear of Roan’s reaction.

Of course, Roan decided to forgive them with a generous heart, just for this once.

Instead of casting a paralysis spell on anyone, Roan reached his hand out to the Heavenly Sword Peacock King.

“Rise.”

Kiruru—

The Heavenly Sword Peacock King lowered its eyes gently and stood up according to Roan’s command.

The scene looked like a meeting between a king and a fantasy knight in a fairy tale.

[Tch, I can do that kind of thing too. Should I show you?]

‘It’s fine. You don’t have to do things like this.’

Trying to kneel on one knee with an Abyss Dragon’s body would only look ridiculous.

Unaware of this, Bell puffed out steam from its nose and acted cocky.

[Hmph! Of course! I am your child, and that guy is just a subordinate, right?]

It was actually because its current appearance was the cutest, though.

At any rate, the Abyss Dragon seemed to feel quite threatened by the Heavenly Sword Peacock King, so he could play along a little.

─ Tch, what did Darc do in his past life to already have two divine beasts?

─ Did his parents tell him which egg to pick this time too?

─ Why are my parents…

─ Hey, cut it out!

─ Why? Even if they’re healthy, they can still appear in your dreams. You unfilial child.

─ ……Well, that’s true.

The students felt intense jealousy looking at Roan, who had the Abyss Dragon on his left shoulder and the Heavenly Sword Peacock King by his right side.

In fact, in this kind of situation, jealousy and envy were close to a reward.

For Roan, too, if some player had posted a screenshot like this on the “God and Devil” community, he would not have been able to sleep properly for a week.

“Congratulations, Roan!”

“A second divine beast, that’s really amazing!”

“It’s not as good as the Black Knight, though—stop hitting me!”

Of course, his friends, who had obtained holy beasts to their own liking, were exceptions, and Roan was satisfied with just that much congratulations.

“Why on earth are you guys banned when even the Abyss Dragon and the Heavenly Sword Peacock King aren’t! This is absurd!”

…Hector was yet another exception.

The Purgatory Penitence Beast and the Thousand-Eyed Hole Serpent shed bloody tears and slime respectively, grieving along with him.

─ Yeah, indeed.

─ Even if Crybaby uses a bit of black magic, it feels like the Abyss Dragon is more of a cheat…

Surprisingly, the students also agreed with this statement to some extent.

‘My Abyss Dragon actually uses black magic, too.’

…In fact, Roan agreed too.

Though it was not something he would step forward to say out loud.

At any rate, Vulcan spoke to Roan with a papa bear smile.

“Roan, congratulations on acquiring your second divine beast.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“In the school regulations, a clause stating that a student possessing two or more divine beasts must join the Holy War Club…”

“He who profits from false school regulations shall be executed.”

“……I was going to say I wish there were such a clause. One is allowed to think, isn’t one?”

Vulcan, caught red-handed by Roan while trying to pull a useless trick, smacked his lips.

It was enough to know about divine and holy beasts, but he had to know the school regulations uselessly well too!

“More importantly, this fellow is a bit unique. Heavenly Sword Peacock Kings are originally supposed to have only three colors.”

“……You noticed.”

Roan also nodded.

Certainly, someone like Vulcan would have noticed by now.

“It seems we should have a Holy War to find out what skill it is…”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t decided on a name for this child yet.”

Roan naturally cut off Vulcan’s words.

To try and force a newborn baby to fight in a Holy War, what kind of brutal person behaved like that?

…Of course, as mentioned before, such things were commonplace in the Empire.

Oviparous divine or holy beasts hatched after growing sufficiently in their eggs, so it did not really matter.

‘If you couldn’t use a hatched divine or holy beast in battle for months because it was a newborn, even the remaining users would have quit.’

There was also such a sad reality.

“Right. How are you going to name it, Roan?”

His friends seemed somewhat expectant at the mention of Roan naming it.

Since he had named the Abyss Dragon after the first Darc, Belzahar, they thought he might give it another moving name this time.

‘For whose benefit? I’m just going to name it normally.’

Regrettably, Roan had no intention of meeting his friends’ expectations.

Family stories also had to be used only when absolutely necessary for the effect to last long; if used at any random time, one would easily become a boy who cried wolf.

Roan pondered for a moment and decided on a name.

This Heavenly Sword Peacock King was female in the settings.

“Let’s go with Charlotte.”

Charlotte was a legendary hero who was the former commander of the Empire’s Western Order of Knights.

She was famous for numerous victories, including the Battle of Sefern Great Plains, where she overcame a tenfold difference in troop numbers against the attack of the Western Kingdom Alliance.

However, Sion already asked with eyes loaded with a single tear.

“Darc, is that name also your mother’s…?”

Roan shook his head.

“Ah—”

He was about to say that there was no way it was his mother’s name.

At that moment,

“You named the Abyss Dragon after the first generation, and now it’s your mother’s name?”

“““Principal!”””

Harden, who had popped out of nowhere, spoke.

Vulcan, Denver, and the students knelt at the same time to show their respect.

“Yes?”

And Roan, utterly dumbfounded and flabbergasted, asked back.

This was really his mother’s name?

‘Wasn’t it Keekeekee…?’

He was so flustered that he even had such a ridiculous thought.

When Roan reacted like that, Harden was equally dumbfounded.

“……Why. Your mother’s name is Charlotte Denia Bistrin Darc, isn’t it?”

“……Yes.”

It was too detailed to deny, so Roan nodded without realizing it.

Of all things, why did the names have to overlap like this?

“I was embarrassed and tried to hide it, but it is indeed my mother’s name.”

“I knew it…!”

When Roan grit his teeth and admitted it,

Sion already had tears welling up in her eyes and was pulling out a handkerchief.

“Darc…”

Naturally, his friends were already on the verge of a sea of tears.

─ Darc, as expected, is a romantic guy…

─ He is someone who wouldn’t sell the Heavenly Sword Peacock King even if he got a three-thousand-talant fine, indeed.

The other students, who uniquely became generous to Roan whenever family talk came up, were no different.

“Tsk tsk. At any rate, a fellow who knows everything else like the back of his hand becomes like this whenever his own family is mentioned…”

Harden shook his head and spoke, as if he had seen everything.

Demona could no longer hold back and stepped in front of the students.

“You narrow-minded, pathetic fools! You rotten white bones who can’t even recognize Darc’s beautiful heart!”

The students blushed and felt ashamed.

“Is it your definition of justice to cause internal strife among classmates over a single divine beast! Is Acherandir’s pride wishing for a friend’s misfortune while standing shoulder to shoulder and trying your best!”

The students, who ultimately could not lift their heads, eventually repented sincerely and cried out.

─ We’re sorry, Darc!

─ We were pathetic fools!

─ Live happily with Spiky!

‘What is Spiky now…?’