Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After Beleck’s class ended a little early.

─ Ah, I want to take the Sacred Combat class quickly.

─ I heard if you take that, they even give you an egg to use in Sacred Combat?

The students left the classroom, chatting about various things.

Rafia asked her friends with an excited look.

“Guys, are you also interested in Sacred Combat? I lived in the countryside, so I’ve only seen a proper match a few times.”

Sacred Combat was a sport where one enjoyed dueling with a holy beast or spirit beast they raised.

Basically, it was classified by the number of participants and spirit beasts, and could also be categorized by the weight class of the holy beast.

‘That damn Sacred Combat.’

Roan shook his head.

“Not particularly. I’d just like to take the class.”

In any case, if active in the Empire, the player could not completely ignore Sacred Combat.

Since the people of the Holy Empire were tremendously serious about Sacred Combat.

It was hard enough to find a clear route, but if one got caught up by people and only did Sacred Combat, they were likely to become a professional Sacred Combat player.

It was truly trap content.

“Sacred Combat! I like it very much! In our territory, I even bought season tickets for the local club every year! Come to our territory during the vacation. I’ll show you around.”

“Really?”

However, Hector was very pleased.

Considering how he sat with a gloomy face during Professor Beleck’s class, he was a completely different person.

‘If it’s your own territory’s club, is there a need to buy season tickets?’

Roan tilted his head.

In any case.

Hector was not a playable character, but he often heard news of him.

About half the cases, he followed his family to become a heretic inquisitor.

And there were also quite a few cases where he went on to become a Sacred Combat player or entered related industries.

“Sacred Combat? Can undead also participate in that?”

“……What do you think the ‘sacred’ in Sacred Combat means?”

As Demona asked with an innocent face, Roan asked back, dumbfounded.

As a matter of course, Sacred Combat was a sport only for holy beasts and spirit beasts.

If undead were to join, it would no longer be a sport, but a major battle between clergymen and black mages.

……Well, since it was too obvious a story, it wasn’t written in the rulebook.

And if one spoke such things carelessly.

“You heretic fellow! Don’t you dare insult Sacred Combat!”

“Ow, why are you like that!”

It was bound to properly offend the feelings of Sacred Combat fans everywhere.

Roan spoke, not even paying attention to the two.

“Hmm, that aside. The next class is Imperial History, and since the class ended early, shall we eat lunch in the commercial district?”

“Sounds good! Where are we going today?”

Now Rafia and Riel seemed to have also gotten used to the two’s commotion, and naturally followed along with Roan.

“Well…… we spent quite a bit of Talents yesterday, so today—”

The biggest concern of the day was always deciding the lunch menu.

As Roan was recalling a few candidates, someone blocked the group’s path.

Step—

“?”

A hippo beastman male student with a rather chubby impression.

Since his build was slightly larger than Hector’s, he couldn’t be ignored.

‘Trian Lesterol? Ah.’

Roan, who thought for a moment about why this guy blocked his path, soon realized the reason.

“Hmm……. I wondered who Darc was, and it was you?”

Trian looked Roan up and down and let out a snort.

Swish—

Riel, who grasped the atmosphere in an instant, bravely stepped forward.

Truly an excellent aspect of a paladin.

However, seeing her pupils contract ever so slightly, she seemed quite tense.

“W-What are you! Putting such a warrior forward instead, who do you think will be scared, Darc!”

However, to someone who didn’t know, it looked entirely like the momentum of a duel challenge, so Trian retreated hesitantly.

Even though he had a large build, he was still a young boy.

His ability to cope with such a sudden situation was still lacking.

“Thanks, but I will resolve it.”

Roan pulled Riel back.

She looked at Roan with worried—or bloodless and tearless—eyes, and then stepped back.

‘Since I can’t let that kind child get involved. It’s annoying, but whatever.’

Since he knew why Trian was acting like that, there was no reason to feel displeased or annoyed.

To begin with, Trian was the main culprit who most actively bullied Zion, raising the difficulty level drastically.

Since Trian was also quite outstanding to the point of frequently coming in second after Zion, and the Lesterol family also belonged to the great families, he was quite tricky.

It didn’t matter because players usually took the strategy of overwhelmingly defeating Trian to rise to first place, but now the situation was different.

‘Perpetual third place Trian. It’ll be quite annoying.’

Since he had done all kinds of malicious deeds even when he was in second place, it was unimaginable what kind of outrages he would commit now that he was pushed to third.

“……?”

Zion, who happened to be coming out of Hetrona Hall, passed by them.

Since it looked exactly like a scene of a model student caught by a bully, she seemed to ponder for a moment whether to help.

“So, why can’t undead be used in Sacred Combat! Have you tried it?”

“It doesn’t make sense in the first place! Do you really want to taste my axe?”

“Should I ask Roan?!”

But seeing Demona and Hector bickering right behind, she quietly slipped away.

‘You shouldn’t do that!’

Roan felt a slight sense of betrayal at Zion’s appearance.

He was a fellow she should have dealt with originally!

At any rate, whether Riel’s initial intimidation worked well, Trian’s momentum was slightly dampened.

“Ahem, I’ll ask just one thing. Darc, are you interested in class valedictorian?”

“Not at all.”

Roan answered immediately to Trian’s question.

Since it was such an easy question, there was no need to take time.

Why would he be greedy for class valedictorian, which would draw others’ attention.

He was planning to live quietly and then flee directly out of the Empire upon graduation.

“Ha, as expected, an insincere fellow! Who do you think won’t know your hidden scheme!”

‘What do you want me to do?’

Roan looked at Trian with eyes containing a slight bewilderment.

Although it was a predictable repertoire, it was absurd to actually experience it.

Then, if he said he was interested, would he say, ‘Honest!’ and just leave?

It wasn’t like a gold axe and silver axe story.

“Hmph. I will watch you from now on. As long as I am here, it won’t be easy to keep the valedictorian position.”

“No, I said I’m not interested……”

“I don’t believe it!”

After that, Trian, who poured out a bunch of stubbornness on his own, finally threw the closing line of a normal villain.

“And, if you also come from a noble background, pay a bit of attention to your refinement. Even I feel embarrassed watching you.”

It was a warning to watch his behavior, which usually came out when there was nothing else to say.

Roan nodded indifferently.

“Thanks for the advice. You are completely right.”

If he responded moderately, he would leave on his own.

Rafia and Riel seemed quite annoyed, but since the party concerned, Roan, remained still, they seemed unable to step forward.

‘Not dealing with such fellows is the best—huh?’

Right around the time he thought he had got through it well without much conflict.

Suddenly, Demona, who had been fighting with Hector behind, stood majestically by Roan’s side.

“Hey!”

“No, Demona. I am fine—.”

“You, aren’t you speaking too harshly! It’s just that Roan’s family was destroyed when he was young, so he didn’t have the opportunity to learn!”

This bastard?

Why does he jump into a topic that was ending and reignite the fire, instead of continuing his fight behind?

“W-Wycronon? Was it true that you are close to Darc?”

Since Trian also knew the reputation of the Wycronon family well, he visibly shrank.

“I speak as a member of Wycronon. Apologize to Roan immediately! Is the honor of the Lesterol family built upon digging up the destruction of other families! Can you even be called a noble of the Empire after doing that!”

Roan stared blankly at Demona.

Why is this fellow speaking so well all of a sudden?

He was practically fluent.

It felt as if the history and spirit of the Wycronon family were concentrated on Demona at this moment.

─ What? What happened?

─ Is there a fight?

All at once, the gazes of people passing by the front of Hetrona Hall focused on Roan, Trian, and Demona.

Trian soon turned pale and apologized to Roan.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to speak that far. I truly misspoke. Please forgive me……”

The appearance of even tears in his eyes.

His statement that he didn’t mean to speak that far was probably sincere.

He just didn’t have any other faults to pick, but Demona’s overinterpretation was simply shocking.

“Yes. I don’t really care.”

“You wicked bastard who bullies such a friend! Roan, from now on, if such a fellow who isn’t even like a noble troubles you, tell m—ow!”

“But I can’t forgive you, Demona.”

Roan immediately hit the back of Demona’s head.

To suddenly blow up a matter that ended well?

─ Destruction? What does that mean?

─ Didn’t you take Professor Kaina’s class? The Darc family was…….

Conversations were already blooming in front of Hetrona Hall regarding what happened between Roan and Trian.

If it was transmitted like that, it was natural that it would spread as absurd false rumors later.

─ So, because the Darc family was destroyed, Lesterol cried?

─ Darc made Lesterol cry?!

Just like the signs were already showing.

“N-No, I was helping, though……”

Demona protested with a highly aggrieved expression.

However.

“Roan, I will definitely educate this heretic bastard properly!”

“Hey, what, hey, hey! Ow! Stop it!”

As if catching a pretext, Hector grabbed Demona by the back of his neck, threw him down at once, and began to stomp on him.

“No, not to that extent…… well, okay.”

Roan tried to stop him, but Hector’s eyes had already rolled.

……It might not be particularly bad?

“Hey, Rafia, why are you! Gasp, Riel!”

Even Rafia and Riel joined in shortly.

Demona’s tyranny of bringing up Darc’s destruction was highly displeasing to them.

Riel was slightly unexpected, but she was also strictly the child of a prestigious paladin family.

She was spectacular at this kind of physical work.

Looking at Demona, who instantly became covered in dirt, Trian began to tremble.

‘Th-These crazy bastards! Beating up a Wycronon family member like that!’

Then he observed Roan’s profile as Roan watched Demona’s education scene(?) without a word.

He didn’t even blink a single eye looking at that sight.

He thought he looked dangerous for some reason, but he had completely messed with the wrong person!

It was clear that he did this to imply how cruel his personality was by punishing Wycronon, who stepped forward for him, as an example.

A demonstration that he didn’t care about his faction, even if it was Wycronon.

‘I should have known from the moment it was said that he made a gang from the first day of the semester…….’

Trian also knew his own ugly personality well, but at this rate, it was like showing off with holy magic in front of Harden.

“D-Darc. Is it true that you really forgive me?”

“Hmm? Forgiveness or whatever, it wasn’t a matter of that in the first place.”

Roan asked back as if to ask what he was talking about.

Since Trian was originally that kind of character, he let it go.

“More importantly, haven’t you left yet?”

By any chance, is it your hobby to watch someone get beaten?

Since he was a villain, that could indeed be the case.

However, at Roan’s question, Trian began to flee quickly, wailing.

It wasn’t something that could be resolved by begging for forgiveness.

As a final warning, there was no choice but to disappear from his sight quickly!

On a day when he might run into Roan’s gloomy face in a dark alley…….

“I-I’m truly sorry! Please spare me just this once!”

Roan was dumbfounded and stared at Trian’s waddling back.

‘What is wrong with him again?’

To make such a fuss even when told he was forgiven.

As expected, making a fuss seemed to be default behavior in the Holy Empire.

‘Anyway, at this rate, he might not bother me in the future.’

Surely a fellow who fled wailing wouldn’t step forward saying he would continue to bully.

Around that time, Demona was also able to break free from his friends.

“For those called friends to beat me like this……!”

The battered Demona grumbled with a tearful face.

“Sorry, Demona. But you said harsh words to Roan first.”

“What did I…… ow, don’t hit me!”

“No, just trying to dust you off……”

When Rafia raised her hand to dust off his clothes, Demona shrank back reflexively.

Roan nodded as he watched that scene.

‘Indeed, he needs to get beaten…… no, this makes me look like a real villain.’

Since it was Demona who did wrong first in the first place.

Even so, since as a result Trian wouldn’t approach anymore, his contribution wasn’t non-existent.

……He also looked a bit pitiful.

Roan approached Demona and spoke.

“Come to think of it, if it weren’t for you, Demona, that guy would have troubled me even more. Thanks.”

“Roan……”

Demona was moved with tears in his eyes.

Then he turned back to his friends and shouted.

“You guys heard Roan, right? Apologize to me immediately!”

Instantly looking triumphant at one word.

“Apologize! I got beaten for nothing because of you guys!”

However, the friends looked at each other with rather displeased eyes.

Whoosh—

“U-Uh? What’s this?”

Instead of apologizing, they began to use the healing holy magic they learned yesterday on Demona.

The minor wounds that had formed here and there vanished immediately.

‘Hmm, excellent.’

Roan nodded.

While they had struggled during Professor Atoga’s class, they were using it quite decently now.

As expected, progress in skills required motivation.

Hector clapped off his hands and spoke with a refreshing laugh after finishing the healing.

“Now, since there are no injured areas, an apology won’t be needed.”

‘Does that make sense?’

A person who would fall for such words…….

“Is that so?”

There was one.

Demona moved and tapped each corner of his body, and after confirming that it was fine, he grumbled.

“What, I lost strength for nothing.”

Roan stared at Demona, opening his mouth slightly in his bewilderment.

‘Is this guy, perhaps…….’

A real idiot?

At any rate, since the victim was fine, maybe it was really fine.

“……Then shall we go to eat?”

“Yes, let’s go!”

When Roan asked casually, Demona walked forward cheerfully.

Then he turned back and asked this.

“Oh, Roan. What do you think is the best in Sacred Combat? Naturally undead, right? Would a Death Knight do?”

“…….”

As Roan glared slightly, Demona flinched.

“N-No. What undead.”

Roan nodded contentedly.

‘The effect of education exists after all!’

Thinking that he should continue to receive help from it in the future.