Chapter 181

Gordon, an experienced former holy knight with a rugged look, felt like crying this time.

As a commotion broke out here in an instant, whispering voices could be heard around them.

— Why is it so noisy over there?

— Well, I heard that the Saint, the Saintess, and the Saintess Candidate are all going together.

— What? Since they were in front of Cayler Hall, I thought they were doing off-campus volunteering with us… Were they just an escort?

— You idiot! Can’t you see the Paladin Merchant Guild flag flying!

Watching that, Roan was inwardly relieved.

‘That’s why Saints and Saintesses are a problem.’

Since they had drawn all the fuss at the front, he thought he would get by relatively quietly.

Just then, Tirmy also pointed at Roan and said.

“Roan. Darc.”

Roan responded confidently.

“Please don’t pay much attention to me—”

Or rather, that was what he wanted to do.

— Heeeegh! Oh God!!!!

— D-Darc! Even Darc is here!

— Damn it, what are you all doing! Check your weapons and prepare to send a scout team!

— Doesn’t Akerandir know the saying about not putting all your eggs in one basket?!

“You may depart…”

Roan bit his lower lip tightly as he looked at the guild members who were suddenly flipping out in shock.

…In fact, one guild member in the back was actually doing a backflip.

Gordon raised his voice to the point where it seemed like he was almost angry, speaking to Tirmy.

“Professor! No matter what, this isn’t right! To send the descendant of Darc outside the school! If anything happens to the young master, how are you going to take responsibility!”

‘No, is it really necessary to go that far?’

Roan was now more flustered than angry.

Thinking of himself as the last remaining member of the Darc family made it burdensome, but still.

‘It’s a family that has already officially fallen, so aren’t the Saint and Saintess more important than that?’

Whether there was one or none at all, it felt like it was all the same.

Well, from their perspective, it probably felt like being escorted by a natural monument on the verge of extinction, so it was understandable.

— Merchant Leader, this isn’t right! How could we dare receive an escort from that person!

“My thoughts exactly! This is definitely a problem!”

But listening quietly to their words, it seemed that being from the Darc family was not the only problem.

“Is there some sort of problem?”

Roan casually spoke to Gordon.

Gordon looked at Roan with mixed emotions and nodded.

“There is a problem. Considering what the Darc family did for us when the Paladin Merchant Guild was formed, of course there is a problem.”

‘The Darc family was involved even here?’

At this point, it was to the level of questioning why no information had come up when Roan had searched so hard for it.

No matter how close the Ehadan Estate, where the Darc family once lived, was to Akerandir, this was an extreme case of having octopus tentacles everywhere.

‘Well, that’s probably why they were one of the Empire’s four major families.’

Anyway, Gordon argued with Tirmy again.

“Let’s change the mission even now. We will safely escort them to the Edinker Campsite. We don’t need payment. That way, we will feel much more at ease.”

It was closer to pleading than arguing, but anyway.

However, Tirmy rejected Gordon’s request flat out.

“No.”

It was a clean-cut refusal, worthy of a renowned duelist.

“Then it can’t be helped. After all, you even have the Holy Spirit’s emblem…”

Once Tirmy had spoken, Gordon knew that trying to persuade them further was pointless.

Gordon smacked his lips as he looked around with lingering regret.

He should have expected it from the moment Tirmy threw him Harden’s emblem.

“Tsk, very well. Please be as careful as possible during transit, and let us depart. Everyone, come this way.”

Gordon guided the students, Tirmy, and Espard to the carriage.

“Oh, we’re not late yet.”

Just then, a voice resounded from behind the group.

Gordon wore a solemn expression, as if he wouldn’t be surprised no matter who appeared, and turned around to speak.

“Well, at this point, unless the Holy Spirit Himself shows up… Holy Spiri-i-i-i-it!!!!”

Sure enough, Harden stood there with a smirk.

Roan, like the others, knelt down to show his respects and thought.

‘Since you said that, he actually came out.’

It seemed that the people of this world still did not properly understand the concept of a ‘flag.’

It was only natural that when someone said there was no way the Holy Spirit would appear, he would appear.

Of course, Harden coming to find them this time was not just because of those words.

Gordon asked with a completely disbelieving face.

“Could it be… that the Holy Spirit is also participating in this off-campus volunteering…?”

Was this some sort of outing to the Holy Palace?

Harden asked back, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Does that make any sense, Merchant Leader Gordon?”

“Ah, of course not…”

Even though he was scolded, Gordon actually looked relieved.

‘This is the grace of the Holy Spirit.’

Tilting his head in confusion at Gordon’s behavior for a moment, Harden got to the point.

“I heard that the lineup of people participating in the Paladin Merchant Guild’s volunteer work this time is grand, so I came in person to bestow a blessing.”

“T-Thank you!”

Gordon shouted with a deeply moved expression, as if he had already received all the blessings he would ever get in his lifetime.

The other guild members had expressions that were just as intense, if not more.

Only those who frequently saw Harden at the school showed a reaction along the lines of, ‘How unexpected.’

Indeed, a party where the Saint, the Saintess, the Saintess Candidate, and the Darc family were all going out at once was of the utmost importance from Akerandir’s perspective as well.

“Hmm, then.”

Harden looked around with a pleased face and used his power very lightly.

Flashhhhhh!!!!

Of course, ‘lightly’ was strictly by Harden’s standards.

To the people around, it was a massive release of holy power that prevented them from even opening their eyes properly.

— Whoa! Is, is this a miracle?

— Hey! The Holy Spirit just bestowed His power on us!

— What? Just for that?!

In an instant, the area around Cayler Hall was filled with Harden’s light.

While everyone was weeping in gratitude at that grace and mercy.

Rumbleeeeeee!!!!!!

‘Is this Holy Spirit actually insane!!!!’

Roan, who was receiving Harden’s holy power head-on, was having an absolutely miserable time.

Although he had covered his entire body in dark mana, compared to Harden, he was nothing more than a single strand of seaweed floating on the ocean.

Ordinarily, if Roan raised his dark mana to this level, it would cause a commotion around him, but at this moment, it was completely buried.

Bel, who was dozing on Roan’s shoulder, also shrieked at the sudden chaos.

[M-Master, I’m dying!]

‘Hold on a little longer!’

Hummmm—

This outrageous Holy Spirit!

Even the False Divinity, which was struggling to protect Roan in the flood of holy power by converting it into dark mana, groaned in pain.

It was a relief that he had cut off the dark mana coming from the Grey Fetter of Life as soon as Harden used his power; otherwise, his dantian would have exploded from overload long ago.

…Although he had successfully survived numerous crises, Roan had almost come close to death due to a single blessing from the Holy Spirit.

Swooshhhhh…

Fortunately, the blessing did not take very long.

No, in absolute terms, had it even been a few seconds?

Roan once again realized the difference in level between himself and Harden.

‘Never, absolutely never will I cross Harden.’

Roan ground his teeth as he resolved.

“Hmm? Darc, why do you look so angry?”

Harden asked with an innocent face, shamelessly pretending not to know.

Although he was a five-thousand-year-old Holy Spirit, his appearance was exactly that of Roan’s peer, which made the acting even more convincing.

Roan answered through gritted teeth.

“Receiving the Holy Spirit’s infinite holy power, I was simply angry at myself for being so endlessly foolish…”

“Is that so?”

Harden smirked, wearing a pleased expression.

— Wow…

— Is, is that the dignity of the Darc family that I’ve only heard about…!

The surrounding guild members admired the elegance felt in Roan’s words.

‘Yes, this is the normal reaction.’

Although he felt like dying, he felt a bit of joy at that reaction.

What was the abnormal reaction?

One could tell by looking at the other students who were waiting to go out for off-campus volunteering.

— Tsk, that Darc fellow, showing off.

— If I were from one of the four major families, I could have said something like that too.

The students of Akerandir were simply filled with envy and jealousy toward someone who was doing well!

“Roan…”

“Darc…”

Of course, those who were close to Roan were simply moved.

“Anyway, everyone, stand up. I have taken measures so that I can descend in case of an emergency during this weekend.”

— Uwohhhh!!!!

— Long live the Holy Spirit!

— Hey! If you say ‘ten thousand years,’ does that mean more than half has already passed!

— Th-Then a million years!

People who understood the meaning of the blessing Harden had bestowed cheered.

Only Roan looked at Harden with a dumbfounded expression.

[Why are you looking at me with those eyes again? Are your eyes a bit dim lately?]

Roan immediately lowered his gaze and spoke quietly enough that only Harden could hear.

“It is not that… I was just wondering what kind of gutsy bastards would dare touch a group of this caliber even without a blessing…”

As mentioned earlier, if anyone were to attack Roan’s party, instead of worrying about Roan’s side, one would have to pray for the souls of the attackers.

He thought Harden’s blessing was a bit too excessive for this.

At that, Harden wore a very sinister smile and spoke.

[You are indeed correct.]

“?”

[Well, it’s not because I think someone will attack, but rather because I was worried a certain black mage I know might run away. Aren’t you grateful?]

‘That is indeed a very thankful thing.’

Dumbfounded, Roan opened his mouth wide and stared at Harden.

How did he know?

Of course, he had no intention of running away this time.

As expected, no matter how much Roan had flown and crawled in ‘God and Devil,’ did he still have to yield to the supreme Holy Spirit, Harden?

And Harden added a word in an uneasy tone.

[Also, the movements of those unpleasant fellows around here have been suspicious lately.]

‘Around…?’

Roan thought for a moment about who those fellows Harden mentioned could be.

Actually, there was no shortage of people near Akerandir who fit that description.

‘It’s just that the probability of the event occurring is extremely low.’

[Well, even so, I believe you all won’t make a situation where I need to step in.]

It seemed Harden was thinking along the same lines as Roan.

[And surely, they wouldn’t pick a fight this time of all times, would they?]

“Even if you are the principal, saying things like that will make your luck run away.”

“?”

Roan spoke to Harden with a serious face.

It seemed that indeed, no one in this world knew what a flag was.

‘If anything happens during this volunteer work, it’s all Harden’s fault!’

While such a sincere conversation between master and disciple continued.

Suddenly—

Tirmy stepped forward, bowed slightly to Harden, and spoke.

“We will be back.”

“P-Professor Tirmy spoke properly!”

The dignity of Harden, which made even the renowned duelist Tirmy abandon efficiency!

Harden chuckled and waved his hand.

“Yes, have a safe trip. You must return without leaving a single student behind.”

It was a request that blatantly targeted Roan.

The Paladin Merchant Guild members saluted solemnly and replied.

“We won’t let anyone touch even a single hair on their heads!”

“How reliable indeed.”

After Harden disappeared after achieving his desired goal (?),

“Then, let us depart!”

At last, Roan’s first outing outside began.