Chapter 166

Chapter 166

A faint steam was emitted again from the golem, which had been thought to have stopped functioning.

No, if it were only that, one would just accept it, but for Roan, who could see the interior, the story was different.

Whirrrr——

The black mana that had penetrated all the way to the drive unit and the original holy power combined to trigger a violent reaction!

Hum—

I really didn’t do it this time.

The False Divinity habitually made a denial first.

However, Roan did not hear the authority’s words.

It would be more correct to say that he didn’t even have the time to listen.

Kaboom————!!!!!

For the golem exploded with a massive roar immediately after.

Thud— clatter—

Metal fragments fell onto the training ground floor one by one, and the golem had its upper body blown away in the acrid smoke, leaving only its lower body.

“…”

Roan felt dumbfounded and, at the same time, worried about what was to come.

‘What if they say it exploded because of me?’

It was the truth, but even if it was the truth, being caught did not mean there would be no repercussions.

Hum—

Doesn’t it look like it’s because of you to anyone?

The False Divinity pointed out in a pitiful tone.

Roan did not hear the authority’s words this time either.

…This time, he simply ignored it.

‘It must be the side effect of the Underhanded Duelist’s Secret Art working too well.’

While Roan was deducing the cause of the golem’s explosion like that,

“Aaargh! Professor Gulba exploded!!!”

Demona, who had been close to the golem, must have been quite shocked as she rambled nonsense and hopped up and down.

—P-Professor Gulba exploded!

—What should we do? Who is going to teach class now?!

…It wasn’t just Demona.

“I told you, it’s the golem, not Professor Gulba.”

Roan said as if sighing, and tried to head toward Gulba.

He intended to somehow convince Gulba that it hadn’t exploded because of him.

“Uwooo!! Gulba exploded!!!!”

“…”

Then, seeing Gulba jumping about 10 meters high next to the students, he felt there was no particular need to convince him.

Naturally, persuasion could only be done when communication was possible.

‘I overestimated Akerandir too much.’

Roan decided to just remain quiet.

It took quite a while for the situation to quiet down, but anyway.

—B-But even if it’s Dark, there’s no way a golem would explode, right?

A few students who had quickly regained their senses made quite reasonable comments.

“Dark, what holy spell did you use on the golem?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem like it would end up like that with just holy power…”

Sion, Rafia, and the other friends also approached Roan and asked worriedly.

Their eyes held the belief that Roan had definitely mobilized all kinds of methods to win the match.

‘It is the truth, but it feels somewhat unpleasant that they have been thinking of me that way all this time.’

Roan retorted with a cold gaze,

“I did not do that.”

‘It’s because of Dark.’

‘It’s because of Roan.’

‘It’s Roan’s fault.’

Now, the friends who had watched Roan for quite some time could roughly guess the situation just by looking at his eyes.

“It must have been due to overload. It looked like a golem that had been used for a long time.”

Roan brought up the most plausible reason.

In fact, those islander golems had been made not long after Gulba became a professor, so it was about time they were replaced.

“Ah, oh… because of overload, overload.”

“Hahaha…! R-Roan, I knew it would be like that!”

The friends scattered, avoiding Roan’s gaze, which was clearly displeased at a glance.

‘Why did these bastards even ask if they weren’t going to believe me…!’

Meanwhile, some students, like ordinary students, asked the professor instead of Roan.

—Professor, why did the Gulba golem explode?

—I feel sorry for the golem…

Gulba, who received the students’ attention all at once,

“????”

—????

wore an expression that said to anyone, ‘Why are they asking me that?’

Gulba stared blankly at the students and each other for a long time, then shouted,

“Why look at me? Gulba does not know either!”

—Well, since it is Professor Gulba.

—Let’s ask Professor Uli later.

—…Would Professor Uli know?

—Rather than that, I’m worried whether she would even teach us…

The students began to think that perhaps there was not much to learn at Akerandir after all.

At that moment, Demona shouted at Gulba,

“Boo! Gulba! Broke golem! Kaina is coming!”

—Hmm? It wasn’t Professor Gulba who broke it, was it?

Although the students tilted their heads at first,

“N-No! Gulba did not break golem! And principal said it is okay to break during class!”

when Gulba broke into a cold sweat in visible panic,

—Boo! Gulba broke it!

—The principal will be angry!

“Uh-oh… No! Golems still many!”

—Hieek! He says there are still many!

Having caught on to the fun, they simply began to play along beside him.

‘Such pathetic fools…’

The actual culprit who broke the golem, Roan, watched them from a step away.

Even in God and Devil, Gulba’s class usually ended up transitioning like that into old stories told by Gulba—or into a theory class.

‘At any rate, it is a relief that breaking the golem seems to be glossed over somehow.’

It wasn’t a particularly bad flow for Roan either.

***

“See students next week! Remember well what learned today!”

—Hmm. He’s probably saying that because he’s worried he might not remember it himself, right?

—Shh!

Regardless of the ominous rumors(?), Gulba’s class ended.

Rafia stretched to loosen up her body as she left the training ground.

“Ugh… Still, Professor Gulba’s class was fun.”

It was largely thanks to the intimidated Gulba making the students sit down and conducting a theory class after Roan broke the golem.

For the spectacular adventure stories of Gulba, the Great Warrior of the Islands, always stimulated the spirit of adventure whenever they were heard.

Hearing Rafia’s words, Roan voiced his opinion,

“Well. I almost died this week too.”

Chill——

Come to think of it, he had faced Professor Gulba directly last week, and this week he faced the islander golem that resembled Gulba.

Whenever it came to the physical combat class, despite being a newly admitted freshman, Roan had to cross the threshold of life and death.

‘I don’t know why I have to do that in class, though.’

Thinking about the reason would only give him a headache anyway.

Could it be training in preparation for when he was discovered later?

“Ah… S-Still, it will serve as training… hmm…”

“Rafia, you don’t have to force yourself to comfort me.”

“Sorry…”

Rafia hung her head, wondering if she had spoken needlessly.

For as Roan said, while he went through deadly hardships to attend the class, she, an aspiring knight, had been physically comfortable.

“I’m not trying to blame you in particular. Professor Gulba is… unavoidable.”

Roan could not bring himself to call the professor an ‘act of God’ or a ‘natural disaster’ in front of his friends.

“Thank you, Roan.”

Only after Roan comforted her like that did Rafia cheer up and smile faintly.

Demona, who was listening, said cheerfully,

“Yeah! But you lived, so it’s fine~”

The friends glared at her with looks that asked what kind of trash she was.

“““…”””

“W-What? Roan said so too, right?”

“Still, is that something you should say?!”

Along with Sion’s sharp retort,

Hop—! Flap—!

“Argh! They were quiet lately, why are they suddenly doing this~”

The Black Knight and Sparky, who were clinging to Demona’s body, began to beat her up simultaneously.

Although her body was weak, Demona, whose physical resilience had improved because she got beaten up so much, shook the two of them off in an instant and ran away.

“Uaaah~ Roan, save me~”

“What is there to like about someone who said it’s a relief I didn’t die.”

“It is a relief! You are too much!”

Roan had no intention of lifting a single finger for Demona.

The friends also nodded as if it was a deserved reaction, backing him up.

Looking at Demona who had already fled far away, Hektor said anew,

“Now that I think about it, this is the last class.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, isn’t the elective class today the last new class.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

At that, the other friends also nodded in agreement.

Once they finished the elective class on Friday of the second week, they would have spent a complete week at Akerandir.

“Are you all in the gathering class too?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

Roan’s friends had all applied for the same ‘Gathering in Nature’ class.

“To think the gathering class is a certified paladin class… Why is that?”

Rafia tilted her head.

At a glance, gathering and paladins didn’t seem to have much of a connection.

If it were a major in holy relic creation or medicine preparation, maybe.

Sion also pondered along with her,

“Could it be because paladins have many occasions to camp, so it helps in those situations?”

“Wow, that could really be it! As expected of Sion~”

“Heh, it’s nothing.”

It was a speculation that anyone would nod in agreement to.

…Except for someone like Roan, who already knew about the gathering class.

“Well, it’s similar, but it won’t be the kind of feeling you are imagining.”

“““???”””

At that, the friends tilted their heads simultaneously.

Similar, but not like that?

Perhaps what they thought of was a class to find food in nature or obtain useful herbs,

‘but it is closer to ambush or sentry training.’

Akerandir’s curriculum always had a way of exceeding the students’ expectations.

“Pant… pant… you bad bastards, not even helping when a friend is getting beaten up by spirit beasts…”

At that moment, Demona returned, her entire body covered in wounds, wondering just how far she had fled to.

“Reflect on the fact that it is your fault for failing to keep your own spirit beasts under control.”

“Yes, Roan is right.”

“Agreed.”

Demona asked, not even caring about the words of Roan and the friends,

“Anyway, what were you talking about?”

“We were talking about today’s elective class.”

“Oh, really? Roan, do you know who the professor is this time too?”

“Roughly.”

Roan nodded moderately.

Since he had known every professor so far, wouldn’t it be a bit suspicious if he claimed not to know only this one?

“Oh, who is it?”

“Hmm… a rather complicated person.”

“Huh? Are we taking classes in a maze this time?”

“That would be the classroom, not the professor. And freshmen do not take classes in such places.”

“Right. Demona, surely—?”

Rafia, who habitually tried to scold Demona, could not finish her sentence.

‘T-Then, if we are not freshmen, we take classes in a maze…?’

It might not be so, but Rafia didn’t particularly want to find out for sure.

Since she would find out later anyway.

Meanwhile, Roan decided to warn them about just one action they had to be particularly careful of in this class.

“I don’t know about other things, but do not take anything out carelessly in front of this professor.”

At that, Hektor serviceably laughed loudly,

“Hahaha! Roan, what do you mean by that? Is the professor a thief or something? Hahahaha!”

No matter how strange Roan was, he should say something that made sense.

A thief professor at the Holy Academy Akerandir was a story that wouldn’t even work as a joke.

“…”

“““…?”””

However, Roan’s silence had the power to make them doubt if even such a story might be true.

“Today’s lecture is conducted in the mountains, so let’s go quickly.”

Roan did not say whether Hektor’s words were right or wrong, and simply began to walk.

‘Is it real…?’

The friends’ silence grew even deeper.