Chapter 140

“Yeah, sorry. Roan.”

“It’s fine.”

“???”

Although Hector was dumbfounded by Demona’s overly cool apology and Roan’s acceptance, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Creak—

“If everyone is done eating, let’s head out.”

Roan and his friends each gathered their own divine and holy beasts and stepped outside.

However, the streets of the commercial district were noisy in a different sense than before.

─ Hey, they say a carriage entered the school.

─ Carriages enter more than ten times a day.

─ You idiot! It’s a carriage from the Holy Palace!

─ You fool, you should have said that in the first place!

Loud voices heard from all around, and students flocking somewhere upon hearing those words.

At the news that a carriage had come from the Holy Palace, the friends naturally looked at Roan.

“Sion, why are you looking at me.”

Roan asked Sion, who was staring intently at him.

Strictly speaking, it meant ‘Why are you doing that when you are the Saintess candidate with the closest ties to the Holy Palace?’

Of course, in Sion’s case, she had stayed at the Vatican rather than the Holy Palace before coming, though.

Sion excused herself, blushing slightly.

“I-It is a coincidence!”

Meanwhile, Demona, looking tearful for some reason, asked Roan.

“R-Roan… Are you getting expelled? Is it because of the wall you broke last time?”

She was worried that Roan was being dragged away for property damage for breaking the Wall of Lamentation.

“I-Is that really true!”

“So that’s why you said you have no volunteer plans…!”

Hearing Demona’s words, the friends, including Hector, also seemed worried, having suddenly grown frightened.

To Roan’s ears, it was all nothing but absurd nonsense.

“How could that be. I did not break the wall. And one doesn’t get expelled just for breaking a wall. You guys are just imagining things on your own.”

If someone truly got expelled for such a thing, the number of Acherandir graduates would be less than half of what it was now.

“““…….”””

Meanwhile, his friends looked at Roan, who was lying shamelessly, with rather bewildered expressions.

He had already been caught, yet there he was…

Still, since it was a matter concerning expulsion (?), they nodded along for now.

Because if they revealed the truth and he actually got expelled, it would be a disaster.

“R-Right.”

“I will let it slide as that for now.”

“It’s not about letting it slide as that…”

Realizing that continuing would only waste his own breath, Roan looked in the direction the carriage was said to have passed and spoke.

“If a carriage from the Holy Palace came just now, it is likely the carriage of the Saint of the Bell.”

The Saint of the Bell was one of only three Saints in the Empire.

And he was a celebrity well-known to all of Roan’s friends.

“Heek—! Then is that Saint of the Bell guy taking you away?”

Except for Demona.

Roan and his friends all looked at Demona with pity.

“No, he came to give a special lecture. We should see him during the Prayer class.”

Since the class of Prayer was taught by the aged Vicius, there were many cases where external lecturers were invited to give special lectures.

“Aha! Then you should have said so from the start~”

Only then did Demona nod as if she understood.

On the other hand, Hector stepped forward this time.

“I-Is that really true! The Saint of the Bell is coming during the Prayer class?!”

“Yes.”

However, just this once, Roan also understood Hector.

This was because, among the Saints who emphasized tolerance, the Saint of the Bell was uniquely specialized in executing heretics and black mages.

He was nothing short of an object of admiration for aspiring Inquisitors like those from the Pavilto family.

Moreover, there was one more reason why the Saint of the Bell was so famous.

Sion softly murmured his name.

“Espard Quilior…”

The name of the Saint of the Bell was Espard Quilior.

In other words, he was a descendant of Harden, the Principal of Acherandir.

“Roan, have you ever met the Saint of the Bell too? A-Are you close by any chance?”

Lafia asked Roan.

Roan pondered for a moment and replied vaguely.

“Well, we aren’t particularly close. Except when I was very young, he stayed outside.”

As far as Roan knew, the Saint of the Bell had traveled the Empire for fourteen years, fighting desperate life-or-death battles with black mages and heretical sects.

Meaning there was no time to get close even if they wanted to.

‘Thinking about that, he normally wouldn’t have any acquaintance, but still, one never knows.’

However, since Roan did not know the past of the original Roan, he had to speak as vaguely as possible.

“But why is he the Saint of the Bell? Does he carry a bell around?”

Demona asked, tilting her head.

“Precisely.”

“Heck! It was real?!”

When Roan nodded readily, Demona was rather surprised instead.

“……If you thought it wasn’t true, why did you ask?”

When Roan clicked his tongue and asked back, Demona replied hesitantly.

“N-No… it’s just that you always say things to me like ‘Does that make sense?’, ‘Make some sense, please,’ or ‘Are you sane?’…”

“I never asked if you were sane.”

There was no need to ask when it was obvious at a glance whether she was sane or not.

At any rate, Demona smiled brightly, looking very pleased that her guess was correct.

“Is it that nice, Demona?”

“Of course~ Roan knows everything~”

Listening to the conversation between Sion, who smirked at that sight, and Demona, Roan thought:

‘It is a bit earlier than usual… well, this much is within the expected range.’

The Saint of the Bell, Espard Quilior.

Just as Demona said, he carries a special holy relic called the ‘Bell of Eternity.’

And Roan…

‘With the Bell of Eternity, growth will be much easier!’

…was already thinking as if the Bell of Eternity had entered his hands.

***

Since there was still a bit of lunch break left, Roan and his friends decided to explore the commercial district further.

Now that they each had holy beasts, the friends enjoyed themselves looking at holy beast supplies and accessories.

“Lafi, how about this? Doesn’t it suit Ssaeng-ssaeng-ie’s mane well?”

“Really~ Riel! It would be so cute to dress Kiki in this outfit!”

The female students tried putting various items against and dressing their holy beasts.

‘Well, putting them aside.’

Roan turned his head slightly to look in another direction.

“Brother Hector! How about this? Wouldn’t it look cool to put a pirate eyepatch on Crybaby? ……If possible, let’s cover both eyes.”

“Oho! Or how about this rabbit headband for the Black Knight?”

‘What is up with those guys.’

Hector and Demona were also excited in their own way.

Suggesting to put a rabbit headband on a rabbit.

Or suggesting to cover both perfectly fine eyes.

‘……Are they even perfectly fine?’

In any case, Roan stood a step back, merely watching the scene.

It was an extremely player-like thought that such things didn’t raise stats, and there was no need to spend money on simple accessories.

[How about this? Does it look good on me?]

However, in Roan’s case, the divine beasts themselves stepped forward to choose what they wanted.

The Abyss Dragon brought a very shiny, large cubic zirconia from somewhere.

‘Where are you going to attach it?’

[? Do I have to attach it somewhere? I’m just going to keep it.]

True to being a dragon, the Abyss Dragon loved shiny things.

Kirru— Step—!

The Heavenly Sword Peacock King, which had been quiet, brought an elegant, antique norigae.

“Hmm…”

While Roan was contemplating if it was okay to buy at least one since they said they wanted them,

Wooooong—

A vibration of authority echoed in Roan’s heart.

In his dantian lay the False Divinity.

In his heart lay the Librarian of the Forbidden Library.

The Librarian of the Forbidden Library had summoned Roan.

Masteeeer— come quicklyyyy—

The noisy voice of Ludiac shook Roan’s inner self.

Demona’s voice outside, Ludiac’s voice inside.

Roan felt as if his eardrums were being damaged and internal wounds were forming just from hearing the voices of the two Wychronons.

‘It’s not even the rental expiration date yet, what is going on?’

Roan took out a hundred-talant note from his pouch and gave it to the Abyss Dragon.

“Buy what you and Charlotte want with this. I have a place to visit for a moment.”

“Where are you going, Roan?”

“Hey! Fanatic, are you planning to follow Roan even to the restroom?”

“Uh… uh… go ahead.”

Having blocked Hector’s attention thanks to Demona, Roan walked into a slightly secluded alley.

Although outside time would stop once he entered the Forbidden Library, there was an entry effect, and since he didn’t know what might happen inside, it seemed best to avoid others’ gazes for now.

“Heck, Yong-yong-ie! You’re already running errands for Roan?”

“And buying things for your younger sibling too?”

“Admirable…!”

Kiiit—!

‘I told you it’s Bell, not Yong-yong-ie…’

In any case, Roan closed his eyes and activated the authority.

Swoosh—

When he opened his eyes again, it was the entrance of the Forbidden Library.

Roan opened the door and stepped inside.

“Why did you just come now! You’re late!”

“I came as soon as you called.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Ludiac, who had been about to complain without thinking, immediately agreed as soon as Roan spoke.

He then scurried off somewhere and brought back a book.

‘Huh?’

Roan also felt he understood why Ludiac had summoned him upon seeing the book.

“It’s glowing?”

A golden radiance shimmered from the thin booklet held in Ludiac’s hands.

Ludiac made a fuss, agreeing with Roan’s words.

“Exactly! You have no idea how shocked I was when I saw it. This is the first time this has happened.”

It was the first time for Roan too.

In fact, until now, the Librarian of the Forbidden Library had simply been for achievements, and he hadn’t particularly utilized it.

Ludiac was also not someone who would quietly let himself be utilized just because someone tried to.

“Here! Solve it quickly!”

“……Excuse me, but aren’t you the librarian, Lord Ludiac?”

“You are the master, though~”

‘Does it work that way?’

Roan felt somewhat uncomfortable but took the book from Ludiac for now.

─ Balance of Light and Dark ─

“This is?”

Roan tilted his head.

“Do you know what book this is?”

“Well… I know roughly.”

“As expected of the master~ Then do you also know why this glowed?”

“I’m not sure about that.”

“What kind of master is like this?”

‘This guy…’

Roan felt a strong desire to test whether the paralysis spell would work on a Holy Spirit.

However, despite looking like that on the outside, Ludiac was the founder of the Wychronon family.

Since it was certain he wouldn’t even break even, he decided to endure it for now.

And in any case, mana could not be used inside the Forbidden Library.

“Open it once. I will permit it specially just this once. Still, you have to return one book you borrowed.”

‘So it could be seen if permission is granted.’

It was a new fact.

It seemed he possessed at least that much authority as a librarian.

Roan returned the already completed recipe of the Gray Shackle of Life and opened the booklet.

Then, the light on the cover faded away, and its contents revealed themselves.

One page written with text, and one large map attached in a neatly folded form.

This book was none other than a map to find the ‘Balance of Light and Dark.’

‘Balance of Light and Dark… It is indeed an item I need.’

The Balance of Light and Dark was a scale-shaped item.

If one placed an item related to holy power or dark mana to be converted on one side, it would summon an item with the opposite effect.

For example, if one placed a holy statue on the scale and used it, a black magic totem would come out.

Normally, players only used it occasionally when an item they couldn’t use came out as a reward, so it wasn’t a very attractive item, but…

‘If this place is Acherandir, and I am a black mage, the story is different.’

Considering Roan’s special situation, it was a massive treasure.

To be able to convert the holy relics overflowing in Acherandir into black magic items one after another as soon as he obtained them, what a blessed story this was.

‘I thought it dropped randomly in dungeons, but it was because the map was in a place like this that I couldn’t find it.’