Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Roan clicked his tongue as he watched Hector’s pitiful sight.

‘Anyway, even if he gets stronger, he’s banned from competing in Sacred Combat, so why is he doing that?’

‘Well, if he were a guy who could understand such a thing, he wouldn’t have been hit by the paralysis spell so many times.’

Roan thought that just as gravity existed on Earth, it was a natural phenomenon for Hector or Demona to occasionally do crazy things like that.

Pop— Pop—

At that moment, a dirt wall rose up as if blocking the path of Hector and several other students.

Hector was startled, looking around as he growled.

“Gasppp! Who is checking me, the future Sacred Combat Champion?”

“……No one is doing that.”

“In the case of cold-blooded spiritual beasts. Entering the tub. Leads to deteriorating health. Students. Will sterilize the cold-blooded spiritual beasts by exposing them to a warm fire. For avian spiritual beasts. A sand bath is sufficient.”

Alphard lit campfires between the tubs and created a sandy beach.

Emphasizing customized care by species of spiritual beast!

It was a completely different world from Vulkan’s class, where he traded blows with a Holy Light Boar from the first lesson and instigated the students.

Hector asked Alphard in a suspicious tone.

“Shouldn’t we force them through harsh training to make the spiritual beasts stronger?”

“Pavilto. No matter how heartless a trainer is. You must not force a sacred spirit beast to do what it dislikes. Getting them to voluntarily perform a avoided behavior. Through communion. That is. True training.”

It was a highly orthodox answer.

— We shouldn’t force them?

— Why? Professor Vulkan resolutely told us to just make them do it.

The students whispered.

At that moment, Alphard’s green eyes turned red and flashed.

“Roan, the Professor’s eye color changed?”

Demona asked, pointing to Alphard’s eyes.

“That is the way the Professor indicates the emotion of ‘contempt’.”

No sooner had Roan finished speaking than Alphard spoke.

“Forcing commands on divine and spiritual beasts. Is not something. A person with a heart would do. Reflect on yourself, Pavilto.”

“Gasppp! I, I……”

Hector seemed to have been deeply hurt.

To think he was a cold-blooded monster with less heart than a golem!

In any case, most of the students moved according to Alphard’s instructions.

The effect was soon revealed.

Woof—! Woof woof—!

Chirp— Chirp chirp—

Slurp— Slurp—

Indeed, the spiritual beasts grew visibly happier and more active.

The spiritual beasts, having started baths suitable for their species, mingled and played with other spiritual beasts.

Among them, some even manifested elements that matched their attributes.

The students smiled warmly at the sight.

— As expected, the golem professor teaches well.

— Indeed, humans should live believing in science and statistics.

‘I hope they actually live like that from now on.’

Roan questioned whether the students had really learned.

Anyway, Bell and Charlotte were also enjoying the campfire and sandy beach, respectively.

[Is this not too warm? Oh…… oh…….]

Nod— Nod—

At first, Bell, who had been flying and fluttering around the campfire as if curious, began to doze off within less than ten seconds.

Charlotte had somehow obtained Professor Alphard’s grass comb and was brushing herself with dignity.

Of course, not everyone was this comfortable.

Meeeeeooowww───!!!

In various places, cat spiritual beasts ran amok to avoid entering the tub.

“N-Noeul! You have to wash! You’re extremely scruffy!”

It was the same for divine beasts.

Noeul clung tightly to Sion’s clothes, even baring claws to avoid being put in the tub, refusing to let go.

Alphard approached Sion and said:

“Feline sacred spirit beasts. Dislike bathing. With a probability of over 90 percent.”

“Th-Then what should I do?”

Sion asked, troubled.

At that, Alphard.

Grab—

He plucked Noeul off Sion and held him by the scruff of his neck.

Tiny Noeul caught in the grip of the giant Mithril Golem!

The students screamed upon seeing this.

— H-He’s going to force him in!

— Since he’s caught in the golem’s hands, Noeul has no choice!

— Even though you said we shouldn’t force them!

Because it looked as if he was going to toss him into the tub by force.

Mewww──!!

Perhaps thinking the same, Noeul tried to escape Alphard’s hand by turning his body into a shadow.

Naturally, as holy magic was added to Alphard’s hand made of Mithril, he couldn’t escape as he wished.

A critical moment where it felt like something was about to happen at any second!

Alphard opened a storage compartment in his chest and pulled out a treat for feline sacred spirit beasts.

— ……It’s a treat?

— Isn’t that a sleeping pill disguised as a treat?

— It’s not a restraint or a whip for spiritual beasts?

At the students’ words, Alphard’s eyes turned red again for a moment and then reverted.

‘To think a world where a golem is the most normal. It’s the end of days.’

Roan shook his head.

And he cleared up the students’ misunderstanding instead of Alphard.

“When bathing a feline sacred spirit beast, a reward like a treat is necessary. You make them forget their fear of water through communion.”

“Excellent. Darc.”

Alphard’s eyes turned white this time.

It was a reaction indicating joy.

Lick— Lick—

Meanwhile, oblivious to what was happening to him, Noeul licked and ate the treat quite well.

Splash—

Alphard slowly placed Noeul, who was distracted by the treat, into the tub.

“Good boy. Good boy.”

Then, he patted Noeul’s butt with his large hand.

Because he said such words in a mechanical voice devoid of pitch, it couldn’t have looked more mismatched.

— …….

The students were speechless at the anomalous sight.

Because no matter how they looked at it, he didn’t seem like a golem without blood or tears.

— The Professor brainwashed Noeul and put him in the tub!

— Hey, that’s not it. Let’s not force that interpretation.

— Ah, is that so?

One student tried to force a twisted interpretation on the situation but was quickly stopped by the other students.

Even Acherandir students had a line they wouldn’t cross.

‘……I was the one they forced interpretations on, okay?’

Hearing that conversation, Roan clenched his fists in spite of himself.

Alphard distributed one treat to each student who had a feline spiritual beast.

“A spiritual beast cared for with love. Is over 20 percent stronger. Than one that is not. And over 50 percent stronger than an abused one. According to statistical results.”

Demona suddenly stepped forward and asked.

“Professor Vulkan didn’t do that though.”

“…….”

Alphard was silent for a moment, and then.

“There is. Another reason why. Feline spiritual beasts must. Get used to bathing. A student who knows the reason.”

He changed the subject.

‘He avoided the answer.’

‘He avoided the answer.’

The students thought the exact same thing.

Of course, Roan knew the reason.

‘Vulkan also treats spiritual beasts with love.’

In fact, didn’t he even stroke the Holy Light Boar with loving hands in the first class?

It was just that the form of that love did not look like love to others, which was the problem.

For reference, not only humans, but even the golem Alphard did not think of it as love.

Roan answered Alphard’s question.

“Because if feline sacred spirit beasts do not undergo appropriate training, they become vulnerable to sacred spirit beasts that use water.”

“Truly excellent. Reward algorithm execution.”

Alphard pulled out a 100-talent bill from another storage compartment in his chest and gave it to him.

Since Alphard had no need for other maintenance costs as long as he had a holy power source, he was famous for showering talents in class.

The students might be jealous, but it wasn’t a day or two, and Roan didn’t want to give up on that level of talents either.

Fortunately, the students only admired Roan’s words slightly.

— Still, Darc really seems amazing when it comes to Sacred Combat.

— Man, even the Archdemon can’t help it when it comes to Sacred Combat.

‘It’s not about Sacred Combat, it’s about knowing divine and spiritual beasts well…….’

Of course, to Roan, it was an unpleasant admiration.

To think they would grit their teeth and curse at him when he showed unwanted prominence in all sorts of classes, yet make a fuss over something like this.

Wasn’t treating one’s divine and spiritual beasts kindly a natural thing, regardless of Sacred Combat?

But seeing even Harden and Vulkan burst out laughing whenever Roan said he had no interest in Sacred Combat, it didn’t seem to be a problem unique to the students.

‘If the water upstream is clear, the water downstream will be clear.’

Roan was gradually giving up his expectations for the other students.

As long as they didn’t pick a fight, stepping in individually for no reason was also tiring.

Anyway, the bath time ended like that.

The students dried the wet spiritual beasts using the warm wind holy magic that Alphard taught them.

Neigh—!

Shriek—!

The spiritual beasts, including Saengsaeng and Kiki, played and pranked more actively than usual, perhaps feeling very good after finishing their bath.

“Saengsaeng, stop! You have to behave in class!”

“Kiki.”

Stop—

However, when Raphia and Riel told them to stop with troubled expressions, they immediately kept their places instead of running wild.

“Wow! Why did Saengsaeng become so well-behaved?”

His friends opened their eyes wide as if the sight was surprising.

Considering they were running wild even during lunch hour.

Roan nodded and said.

“You have built communion with them. Divine and spiritual beasts highly like the sensation that their owner is caring for them. That directly leads to loyalty.”

“Ooh……! Good boy, good boy!”

Upon hearing Roan’s words, the friends and students each stroked and embraced their spiritual beasts.

“As expected of my rival! The qualification to be the owner of Yongyong-i and Spiky is…… kuh-heuk-heuk-heuk!”

He fired a paralysis spell at Hector.

“It’s Bell and Charlotte.”

Since names were strictly one of the settings, they had to be called properly.

In any case, the fundamental reason for the statistics and probabilities Alphard taught lay in such emotional exchange and loving care.

Because in Sacred Combat, the breathing and communication between the owner and the sacred spirit beast were more important than anything else.

Alphard also came to praise Roan.

“Darc. Knows Sacred Combat very well. Will become. A wonderful Sacred Combat player worthy of the family name.”

Roan answered with a slight frown.

“Professor, I have no interest in Sacred Combat. I simply love divine and spiritual beasts.”

At that, Alphard’s eyes turned white again.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Hahaha.”

And then, the golem began to laugh as loudly as it could.

— Hahaha! Did you hear that? Darc says he has no interest in Sacred Combat!

— What an annoying fellow, seriously~

As the professor laughed, the other students also laughed along, thoroughly mocking Roan.

‘If he weren’t a Mithril Golem, I would have fired a curse spell.’

Roan lamented that he was not yet strong enough.

“When the Abyss Dragon was born. Defeated Noeul, Eongeong, and Banjjak. This morning. Defeated one large and one medium spiritual beast using the Abyss Dragon and the Heavenly Sword Peacock King.”

“…….”

However, since Alphard unfairly spoke based on actual records, Roan had nothing in particular to say.

“And yet. You dislike Sacred Combat. Ha. Ha. Ha.”

‘A golem mocking me makes it even more annoying.’

Roan’s thoughts, which had looked favorably upon Alphard until just a moment ago, changed drastically.

After scratching Roan like that, Alphard gathered the students again.

“The next training is. Fetching a specially made stick. And giving appropriate rewards. A spiritual beast that undergoes this training repeatedly, compared to one that does not……”

As Alphard explained the next training, he distributed sticks and treats to the students.

Upon seeing the sticks, the divine and spiritual beasts were overjoyed at the thought of playing with their owners to their heart’s content.

[Stick! I want to fetch the stick!]