Chapter 199

Following Tirmy’s immediate response, Yusina continued the conversation.

“Eh? But they are helpful in many ways. They are cute too~”

*Flutter*—!

As Yusina tickled Roque gently, Roque also raised his wings in a good mood.

Tirmy glanced at the sight and spoke again.

“I am strong.”

“Well, that is true, but…”

Yusina tilted her head.

To her, Tirmy’s words sounded like ‘I ate fried food, so I don’t need cake.’

“She means that if one is strong enough, there is no need to receive help from a spiritual beast. Besides, divine beasts and spiritual beasts cannot participate in duels.”

“Indeed.”

“Ah~”

Only after Roan’s explanation did Yusina nod as if she understood.

Certainly, it made sense that Tirmy, who cared only for duels, would deem divine and spiritual beasts that couldn’t be used in duels as inefficient.

Still, if it were Yusina, she would have raised them simply because they were cute.

“By the way, Professor, what will you do after the meal? I was thinking of taking the kids to the market.”

Espard asked Tirmy.

He hadn’t spoken with the intention of asking her to go to the market together.

“Go ahead.”

“Yes.”

Though he was a travel companion, Espard was strictly an outsider, and managing the students was Tirmy’s responsibility.

However, given Tirmy’s personality, she wouldn’t tag along unless she had something to buy, so it meant Espard would temporarily take over that task.

Tirmy had no reason to refuse either.

Otherwise, trailing after the students inefficiently would have been her own duty!

“Hmph.”

Tirmy made an even more pleased sound than when she had heard that Espard had made the restaurant reservation.

*Phew*—

True to a killer whale beastman, the sound like escaping air was quite mysterious.

“Wow, market sightseeing! Market sightseeing!”

Hearing Espard’s words, Yusina welcomed it like a young child.

Having grown up in the countryside, she loved wandering through city markets.

“Is the Gilsberg market similar to the commercial district?”

Sion asked, looking back at Roan suggestively.

Since she had never been to a market in the Empire, she had compared it to the commercial district.

Roan replied with a serious expression.

“It is quite different. We might encounter black mages or heretics.”

“Eek…”

Sion looked slightly terrified, perhaps recalling the Jelsroin cult she had seen during the day.

“Hahaha! Roan, you said my prank was too much, but you’re even worse!”

“W-What is that, Darc!”

However, as Espard laughed loudly and scolded Roan, Sion raised her voice in protest.

For some reason, it felt like she was the only freshman in this group.

‘Everyone only thinks about teasing me…’

Normally, Roan would also be seeing the outside for the first time and become her comrade.

Yet Roan spoke without letting go of his serious expression.

“I am serious. I, several times…”

“…Several times?”

At Roan’s words, Espard and Yusina opened their eyes a little wider and tilted their heads.

Had he actually met them?

Roan naturally changed his words with superhuman adaptability.

“…am prepared to arrest heretics no matter how many times they appear. Letting one’s guard down is forbidden.”

“Uahaha, as expected of Roan! The owner of the Bell of Eternity is indeed different in every way! Right, we must not let our guard down even in Gilsberg, which is close to Akerandir. We just had an incident on our way here, after all.”

Espard slapped his thigh, thinking, ‘I knew it!’

He seemed to like Roan’s words quite a lot.

Yusina also nodded as if it were typical of Roan.

‘…I don’t think that’s what he was trying to say though?’

Only Sion grasped it accurately, but since the Saint and Saintess let it pass, she couldn’t press further.

Thus, the meal drew to a close.

“Well, shall we head out then? The market isn’t far from here.”

“Sounds good~”

The group patted their full bellies and left the room.

As Espard approached the counter, a man who appeared to be the owner waved his hands and said:

— Ah, I cannot accept money from a Saint. Please just go!

Since the background was somewhere between the medieval and early modern eras, a time when divine authority existed in reality, such aspects were occasionally visible.

There was a perception that one should not seek personal gain from a Saint or Saintess recognized by God.

In the same context, Akerandir students also frequently received significant benefits.

Naturally, Espard insisted on paying for the meal until the end.

“If I don’t pay just because I am a Saint, other clergymen will also begin to show greed one by one. Even His Holiness the Pope always pays for what he receives. It is also the teaching of Lord Hiloa.”

— If you go so far as to say that… I will make sure to donate this money to the temple.

‘That kind of attitude is the secret to the Empire sustaining itself for five thousand years.’

The ruling class is not greedy, and the citizens respect such leaders.

It felt so ideal that it seemed unreal.

In this aspect, Roan would realize that this world was a place created by someone.

‘Whether this place is truly inside “God and Devil,” or a real world identical to it.’

“Now, we must go this way for the market. Professor Tirmy, see you later then.”

“Have fun.”

Tirmy returned to the hotel as she had mentioned beforehand, and Roan, Espard, Yusina, and Sion headed toward the market.

Night had fallen, and lights began to turn on one by one in the city.

Children roamed around in excitement, and the faces of adults overflowed with vitality instead of fatigue.

Noise arose from all around, but it felt more warm than unpleasant.

Espard asked the students, who were completely captivated by the brilliant night view:

“By the way, do you guys have Imperial currency?”

“…Ah!”

Sion sighed as if she had realized it too late.

Since she was so used to using Talents at Akerandir, she hadn’t thought to bring Imperial currency.

“Uncle, really~ We don’t even have Talents, so where would we get Imperial currency~”

“I… I suppose so, right?”

Yusina waved her hand dismissively as if it were only natural.

Espard turned his head toward Roan.

“Roan, what about you?”

“I also… Ah.”

Roan was about to shake his head too, but recalled something and rummaged through his lucky pouch.

“What? Roan, do you have Imperial currency? Did Vice-Cardinal Secrito give you pocket money?”

Yusina wore a shocked expression as if it were impossible.

“Without giving me any! I must demand an explanation next time I see him.”

Of course, Secrito hadn’t given Roan pocket money.

Rather,

“I have the check Senior Zorv gave me.”

Roan retrieved a crisp sheet of high-quality paper.

It was a Richmond family check boasting a status equal to Imperial currency.

It could be exchanged for currency at Richmond merchant branches, which were located in every city and castle above a certain size, and in fact, was accepted in most shops.

However, since Zorv’s check was worth one hundred gold coins, it was best to stop by the merchant branch anyway due to issues with change.

Hearing that, Yusina stamped her feet, feeling even more resentful.

“When on earth did you get that~ Zorv won’t even give me a single copper coin!”

Sion tapped Yusina’s arm gently and spoke cautiously:

“Uh, Saintess. I think that check is…”

“Uh, yes?”

“the one he received when Senior Zorv’s heart stopped because of Darc back then.”

“You have a good memory.”

Roan nodded.

Only then did Yusina remember and acknowledge it with an ‘Ah, that~’.

On the other hand, Espard, who was unaware of this story, was startled.

“What? Zorv’s heart stopped? How on earth did that happen?”

“Well, Roan just gave him a glare once, and he collapsed all by himself.”

“???”

Roan sighed at the statement that was perfectly suited to cause a misunderstanding.

“How can you say it like that… There was a brief issue while he was using his Value Eye.”

“Whew, I was wondering what it was… wait, then why are you the one receiving the money, Roan?”

Espard was about to let out a sigh of relief but found himself even more in the dark.

Who to compensatory, shouldn’t Roan be the one compensating Zorv?

Just then, Yusina clicked her tongue and said:

“That’s exactly what we all said. You’re behind the times.”

“Ah, really?”

Scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment, Espard nodded.

Since the legendary Zorv wasn’t someone to easily have money taken from him, there must have been a valid reason.

“At any rate, since it’s a hundred gold coins, we should exchange it for currency. The Richmond branch was near the market entrance, but where was it again…”

Espard rummaged through his memories and looked around.

Yusina blustered and placed her hand on Roan’s shoulder.

“Roan probably knows that.”

“What? How?”

“I don’t know that either, though!”

Yusina sent an implicit gaze toward Roan.

‘Anyone looking would think she knew the location herself.’

Roan paused for a moment before answering.

“In my opinion…”

However, before Roan could even finish his sentence, someone came running breathlessly from the direction of the market.

“S-Student Roan! Student Roan!”

“““???”””

Calling for Roan, and not Espard or Yusina?

For once, Roan couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“Roan, is it someone you know?”

“…It is my first time seeing him.”

At Yusina’s question, Roan hesitated briefly and shook his head.

Saying it was his first time seeing him was not a lie.

However, he was indeed someone Roan recognized.

‘Why would the Richmond Gilsberg branch manager seek me?’

A rat beastman, he was someone one would occasionally see during merchant character quests.

Being a Richmond branch manager meant he was a massive influential figure in the region.

Normally, there was no way he would run through the market floor on his own two feet like that.

The branch manager, with his plump body, panted heavily from running quite a long distance.

“Are… *gasp*… you Student Roan?”

“…”

Roan merely glared without replying, out of wariness.

The branch manager flinched at that, then retrieved a sheet of paper from his chest and unfolded it.

There was Roan’s portrait and a brief description of his appearance written on it.

Knowing that Richmond, being so widespread across the Empire, occasionally received outsourced security tasks, Roan was startled.

‘Has a wanted poster been issued?’

For some reason, ever since arriving in Gilsberg, a guard asked if he had come to surrender, he went into a dungeon, and now he was looking at a wanted poster…

However, thinking calmly, there was no way Roan’s identity had been exposed.

The same went for this instance.

What the branch manager pulled out was not an Imperial wanted poster, but merely a simple portrait.

“A message came from Akerandir last night.”

“…From Akerandir?”

Yet Roan did not let down his guard until the end.

There was no telling what might happen.

Harden might have ordered, ‘Roan is a black mage, so execute him in Gilsberg,’ to avoid dirtying his own hands.

“Yes. Young Patriarch Zorv said Student Roan would be coming to Gilsberg…”

Fortunately, the message was sent by Zorv, not Harden.

Only then did Roan relax his body and feel a bit more at ease.

*Hum*—

I told you to have some trust!

False Divinity clicked its tongue and chided Roan.

‘Didn’t you keep your mouth shut until now because you didn’t trust it either?’

The authority made no reply to Roan’s question.

Only Ludiac, who was listening, throbbed as if snickering.

“By the way, why did Senior Zorv send a message?”

When Roan asked, the branch manager realized his oversight, introduced himself, and stated his business.

“My apologies. I am Omen, the Gilsberg Richmond branch manager. Please read the message.”

Omen then retrieved another sheet of paper from his chest and handed it to Roan.

“Let me see, let me see too!”

“Indeed, I am curious.”

“Me too…”

The surrounding companions also gathered around at Zorv’s rare letter.