Chapter 211

Roan merely stood holding the holy mark calmly, just as he had at the beginning.

‘Come to think of it, Darc didn’t really seem affected by it much……’

Had the dramatic display of the wind blowing and energies clashing needlessly worked Sion’s heart into a frenzy?

Oh, there was one change in Roan as well.

He was looking at Sion as if asking what on earth she was talking about.

“What did you say?”

Sion felt extremely awkward, having blocked her face with both arms and leaned her upper body forward as if she were facing a gale all by herself.

After straightening her body, she brushed off her clothes for no reason and asked back nonchalantly.

“W-What do you mean?”

To be precise, she tried to look nonchalant.

Roan asked again.

“No, didn’t you just say something? I think you mentioned imagining something……”

“No, I didn’t. I just suggested that since it looked dangerous, how about leaving it alone.”

“Hmm…… I heard that too, but didn’t you say something after that?”

“I didn’t!”

Sion felt like her face would explode as she recalled how she had gotten worked up all by herself and blurted out all kinds of things.

‘In the future, even if I worry about everyone else, I will absolutely never worry about Darc!’

Who on earth was worrying about whom?

Sion turned her back to Roan for no reason and tapped the ground with one foot.

Only then did Roan put the Corrupted Holy Mark into his pouch.

‘That was a close call.’

*Hummmm—*

*Indeed!*

Although he pretended to be nonchalant in front of Sion, Roan and the false divinity let out a sigh of relief.

‘It wasn’t like this when obtaining the Corrupted Holy Mark originally.’

Of course, the Corrupted Holy Mark did choose its owner.

But at most, it was only at the level of briefly releasing dark mana.

It was the first time it went wild as if it were some kind of war weapon.

Fortunately, it was similar to the experience of getting the Circuit Ring earlier, making it easier to handle.

If the Circuit Ring had reacted to Roan’s mana and tried to pounce like a large dog.

‘This fellow felt like a charging bull.’

The power of the Corrupted Holy Mark was several times that.

In truth, the scene Sion witnessed where Roan’s energy gradually dyed black was actually the false divinity slowly overloading.

‘Well, since it is an item used for teleportation, the power it holds would be massive…… But really, living as this character brings about all kinds of strange occurrences.’

Roan waited for a moment, wondering if the Corrupted Holy Mark would cause trouble even inside his pouch.

However, the once-subdued holy mark had become quiet like a normal item Roan knew.

Roan spoke to Sion, who was still muttering complaints.

“Let’s leave now.”

“Pardon? ……Whether you leave or not, whatever.”

“Hmm?”

“I-I’m leaving…….”

While Roan was struggling to subdue the holy mark.

Sion had muttered to herself and was now sulking all on her own.

‘Girls are indeed difficult, truly difficult.’

Still, when Roan walked out of the vault, Sion quietly followed behind.

Indeed, since it would be hard for Sion to escape if left here alone, she had no choice.

— W-Were you both not dead?

The vault keeper asked with wide, shocked eyes upon seeing the two walk out.

Although he had surely been right in front of the vault when they entered, he was now easily ten meters away.

It seemed the tempest from subduing the Corrupted Holy Mark had swept all the way outside the vault.

‘Still, to ask a perfectly living person if they are dead!’

If he knew something had happened, even if he couldn’t check as the vault keeper!

*Glare—*

Roan glared fiercely at the vault keeper who spoke of such bad luck.

*Fierce glare—!!*

Sion, who followed behind, did the same.

— I surely thought the clash stopped because someone died……. Ahem, ahem.

Needless to say about Roan’s gaze, since the Saintess candidate Sion also looked displeased, the vault keeper coughed dryly for no reason and averted his eyes.

“Nothing happened.”

— Nothing happened, he says…….

Even so, wasn’t that a bit too much?

The vault keeper’s expression was dazed.

Roan shook his head.

Although the vault keeper was extremely curious, Roan instead quickened his pace, trying to leave the Order of Yorus.

Walking half a step behind him, Sion stealthily asked.

“By the way, Darc, how did you know that holy mark was here?”

It was understandable to be curious.

Even if the ring could be explained as finding it in a shop by chance.

This time, didn’t he go out of his way to enter the Order of Yorus and even open a secret vault to obtain it?

And a corrupted holy mark that seemed completely useless to a clergyman at that.

‘This is why I wanted to come alone……’

Roan contemplated briefly.

He needed to think about what to answer so Sion would understand reasonably and move on.

“It is an item to be used on the way to Darc.”

This level seemed sufficient.

It wasn’t exactly a lie either.

The Corrupted Holy Mark was a pair consisting of a male and female piece.

The one Roan obtained this time was the male piece.

Once he activated the female piece later, it would be possible to teleport to each other’s location.

He planned to gather both corrupted holy marks within this semester and place the female piece in the ruined castle of Darc.

Meanwhile, Sion, who naturally did not know of such circumstances, began to interpret Roan’s words in her own way.

‘The way to Darc…… Surely it is not a physical road, could it be?!’

It was indeed a physical way.

In any case, Sion was soon able to find a plausible answer.

“I see…….”

“You think you know?”

Roan asked tentatively as Sion nodded with a serious expression.

Hadn’t she behaved as if she knew which god the corrupted holy mark belonged to earlier, only to flatly say she didn’t know?

“Yes. But I won’t tell you.”

“……Indeed, I must apologize to Demona.”

“Eek……!”

Sion seemed irritated, but surprisingly, she soon let out a confident chuckle.

“Hehehe…….”

‘Did she lose her mind after hearing she was worse than Demona twice?’

Honestly, even Roan thought it was a harsh thing to say, so he seriously doubted it.

“Come to think of it, the words were harsh—”

“Hehehehe…….”

But seeing her continue to laugh made him slightly displeased.

It felt exactly like looking at a mini-Yusina.

Since she didn’t seem upset anyway, he didn’t need to pay much mind.

*Pitter-patter—*

Sion watched Roan’s back as his pace quickened.

*Swoosh—*

Soon, the confidence from earlier disappeared from her face.

The smile that had displeased Roan left a highly bitter aftertaste.

‘The way to Darc, it must be related to the ruin of the Darc family. Perhaps evidence of who was behind it……’

The item Roan had to obtain by sneaking out of the hotel in the middle of the night and visiting the Order of Yorus.

Once he purified that holy mark, it would probably serve as very powerful evidence.

‘That much is something my parents could tell me even without a secret information network……!’

For Sion could only think of it that way.

Since Roan must be feeling very sad after obtaining an item related to the ruin of his family, she had intentionally mimicked Yusina’s expression.

Even if he pretended otherwise, Roan seemed to enjoy being with Yusina.

‘……It seems that attempt failed, but the try is what matters, mm-hmm.’

In any case, if Roan had known Sion’s thoughts, he would have told her.

“Are you daydreaming again even after almost getting into big trouble because of your delusions?”

But what could be done?

A sensitive girl’s mind was like a horse running wild on the wings of imagination.

* * *

— Please read Volume 3 of Yorus to us next time too!

— Visit anytime!

Roan and Sion left the back alley under an unexpectedly passionate (?) send-off.

Perhaps because the conversation with Branch Manager Lesper went well.

Gilsburg had lights turned on here and there even during the late hour.

“By the way, the streets have gotten very quiet.”

Sion said, looking around.

Although it was bright, it was a bit eerie since there were no people.

“Well, since the hour is late.”

It was already past midnight.

The fact that there were at least some people walking around proved that Gilsburg was a city of considerable scale.

“Hey, Darc.”

Just then, Sion, who had been following closely behind Roan, called him.

Her tone was subdued, which was a bit strange.

“What is it?”

Roan paused for a moment and turned back.

Sion wore a fairly serious face, as if she had been thinking a lot in the meantime.

As if contemplating, as if hesitating.

After hesitating for a moment while looking at Roan, Sion spoke.

“That…… I’m truly sorry about today.”

“I believe you apologized earlier.”

She likely hadn’t stopped him just to say that.

Since he had already received her apology back at the Order of Yorus.

It was as Roan expected.

“I misunderstood all on my own, tailed you…… I find myself truly pathetic too.”

“…….”

Roan watched Sion for a moment as she hung her head low.

In fact, this appearance of Sion was familiar to him.

‘It was always like that in “God & Devil.”‘

In a typical playthrough, self-reproach and depression were emotions very close to Sion.

“But I was just curious. How Darc knows so many things. That’s why I did it…….”

It was just that this time, she didn’t have to suffer like that thanks to Roan’s existence.

And if possible, Roan hoped this life would not progress only along the path familiar to him.

‘I’ve seen that look to the point of exhaustion.’

This was not specifically for Sion’s sake, but a natural action as a veteran player who had played “God & Devil” to the limit.

*Step—*

Roan took a step closer to Sion, who still had her head lowered and fists clenched tightly.

“?”

Sion lifted her head reflexively at Roan’s approach.

Tears had welled up in her eyes before he knew it.

Roan could not answer Sion’s question.

However, he could make it so she wouldn’t worry about such minor things.

“Sion, I also have one thing I am curious about.”

“……Curious about what?”

Sion tilted her head.

Because it felt as if the all-powerful Roan would know everything.

Roan nodded slightly and spoke.

“Why do you speak formally only to me? You speak normally to the other friends.”

“Uh…….”

“I also speak informally to you. Isn’t that unfair?”

Perhaps it was because the distance she felt at first had somehow solidified as is.

Sion blinked her large eyes a few times at the unexpected question.

‘Actually, why do I speak formally?’

Looking at it, they were in the same grade, and close enough to be counted on one hand.

They had that many memories together.

For example, the sacred tree maintenance service, the large and small achievements Roan had made in various classes, and just now going to the Order of Yorus together…….

Sion’s eyes trembled as her thoughts reached this point.

‘Ah, I got it!’

The reason she had consistently spoken formally to Roan?

There was nothing special to it.

……She was simply afraid of Roan.

Honestly, when he cast dozens of offensive holy spells simultaneously, hurled punishment holy spells at classmates, and shocked even the professors, weren’t the other friends who weren’t afraid the ones who were strange?

But when Roan looked down at her with a dark expression—he was actually dark because of the backlighting—Sion could suddenly guess his meaning!

‘W-Was he upset all this time?! Ah, that might have been the case!’

Come to think of it, Roan using informal speech so confidently toward her all this time might have been a sign of his disappointment…….

“T-Then!”

Sion fluttered her arms slightly and spoke up vigorously.

Just then.

— Yo, there’s a burning couple of a handsome man and beautiful woman there, eh? I smelt something burning, so I came out, you see~

— I’m not in the least bit sorry for spoiling the mood, but you’ll have to look at us first, alright?