Chapter 214

At Charlotte’s unusual words, Roan bit his lower lip gently.

When one thought of the “abyss,” what else could it be but Roan’s abyss!

Surely, he wouldn’t be a narrow-minded person who got angry because Roan named the Heavenly Sword Peacock King after his mother, while naming the Abyssal Dragon after the first head of the Darc family.

‘……It really isn’t that, right? I truly don’t know my father’s name.’

At any rate, if he was angry because he knew Roan was a black mage who took over the original owner’s body, he had to be careful just in case.

When a ghost harbored a grudge, it was a terrifying thing.

If it was indeed as Roan surmised, it was fortunate that she hadn’t understood the words well.

However, Charlotte patted his shoulder, unaware of Roan’s inner thoughts.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry. Your father loves you so much~”

Of course, Roan’s father would love Roan dearly.

……So that was even more of a problem.

Because it would be the real Roan he loved.

Roan nodded for now.

“Understood. I will be careful.”

“Nonsense! You are already growing up well enough. Ah, right!”

Charlotte clapped her hands again.

It seemed there was something she had clean forgotten to say.

“About the older sister I mentioned last time.”

“Aha.”

Roan thought of the older sister whose identity he did not know—since there were too many candidates.

Although Yusina seemed to be the most likely candidate.

“Just in case, your sister’s name is…….”

‘Her name is?’

Roan focused on Charlotte’s lips.

Even if there was someone he suspected, making it certain was always important.

“*Kirrrr.*”

“*Kirrrr?*”

How could a person’s name be *Kirrrr*?

* * *

*Kirrrr— Kirrrrk—*

Roan opened his eyes as he felt the morning sun hit his face.

Goodness knows when Bell had crawled over here, but it was sleeping snugly against Roan’s side.

Instead, Charlotte was standing by the bed, shaking Roan’s arm.

‘This leaves a truly bad aftertaste.’

Just like last time, he woke up right when an important name was about to be revealed.

Roan soon realized the reason the normally gentle Charlotte had woken him up.

*Knock, knock, knock—*

— Roan, are you awake? It’s about time to eat breakfast and get ready to leave.

It was Espard’s voice.

“Good girl.”

Roan gently stroked Charlotte’s head.

*Kirrrr—*

Charlotte let out a pleasant cry.

Roan, who neatly adjusted his clothes with experienced ease, opened the room door with Charlotte.

“My apologies. I should have woken up first.”

“Huh? No. I just woke up too. Now I need to wake the others up as well.”

As if he indeed wasn’t lying, Espard looked quite disheveled, typical of someone who had just woken up.

To the extent that it was hard to believe this simple-looking person was the Saint of the Bell.

Roan and Espard knocked on the doors of the other rooms.

*Click—*

“Oh, you were already awake, Professor.”

“Yes.”

Tyrmi came out dressed exactly as usual, making one wonder, ‘Did this person even fall asleep?’

*Knock, knock—*

— I’m awake…….

— I-I’m up…….

It was clear that Yusina and Sion were too sleepy to get up, merely answering while still half-asleep.

‘Well, they’ll come out eventually……’

Roan went back into his room and woke Bell.

“Get up now.”

[I’m so sleepy-ey…….]

According to records, dragons originally slept a lot.

And since Bell was newborn, it would be even worse.

Even so, Bell tried to lift its neck as if to wake up, but soon failed to support it and let it flop back down.

Roan watched this for a moment and decided to just put it in his bag and get moving.

Thanks to the spatial pouch, there was plenty of room in the bag, and he also had to hide Bell’s identity.

When he packed his things and went outside, the Saintess and Saintess candidate, who were not yet fully awake, were rubbing their eyes and yawning in unison as if by agreement.

“Where are we eating…… breakfast today……?”

Even in that state, Yusina seemed curious about the breakfast menu.

Tyrmi spoke, starting to walk first.

“Merchant Group.”

“……?”

Of course, there was no way they could understand with just that single word.

Espard laughed and said.

“Since we’ll be busy returning to school today, we’ll eat together at the place where the merchant group members are gathered before departing. Is that alright?”

“Yes-ey…….”

The formation had Tyrmi and Espard walking at the very front, Roan following behind them, and Yusina and Sion following behind him.

That arrangement remained roughly the same until they left Jane’s Horn and inhaled the morning air.

“Brr! The morning is still a bit chilly…….”

Yusina spoke, tightening her coat as if her sleepiness had vanished instantly.

Sion also did the same.

Espard looked back at the two of them and praised Roan.

“Still, out of the three, Roan looks the most refreshed. Did you sleep early yesterday? Good boy~”

“Yes, because I couldn’t possibly do something dangerous like wandering around alone at a late hour.”

Roan spoke nonchalantly without even batting an eye.

“……?”

Sion, listening to the two’s conversation, stared at Roan’s back with a dubious look.

Had she not literally gone out with Roan and returned late herself?

‘Ah, does he mean he wasn’t alone since he was wandering with me?’

In any case, the time they returned to the lodging was past midnight, early in the morning.

In fact, though Sion didn’t know, Roan had stayed awake much longer to look over the information.

But it was true that Roan looked the most fine, so it was awkward for her to say anything.

‘But Roan isn’t very good at lying…….’

Sion tilted her head.

From experience, whenever Roan lied, it showed immediately.

Yet this time, it seemed completely genuine.

Sion soon startled herself.

‘C-Could it be that he truly considered that hour early?! As expected, that’s why Roan is so good at studying…….’

Sion also studied late into the night in her own way, but at this rate, she wouldn’t even compare to Roan.

For the moment Sion returned last night, she had fallen asleep as if passing out, unable to even wash properly.

Should she start cutting back on sleep from now on?

Sion was not very confident.

Just then, as the chilly air entered the bag, the awakened Bell poked its head out.

[Yesterday, what happened yesterday?! What about the scale?]

‘I couldn’t get the scale.’

Seeing it ask the moment it woke up, it seemed deeply worried about being put on the Balance of Light and Dark.

Roan answered with a faint smile.

Since he had gone out to retrieve the Corrupted Holy Mark in the first place, not the scale.

Of course, Bell, unaware of that fact, let out a sigh of relief.

[Phew…….]

But it was too early for the legendary Abyssal Dragon to breathe easy.

‘So I am going to retrieve it again today.’

[Aaaack!!!]

Bell seemed to have its sleepiness vanish completely now.

Its wings thrashed wildly inside the bag, and sounds like *kyaa, kyaa* came from its small mouth.

Espard burst into laughter upon seeing that again.

“The little dragon is full of energy, taking after Roan!”

“It is Bell, not Yongyong-ie.”

Why was it that even though he assigned a name, not a single person called it by that name!

Of course, he understood they might find it difficult since Bell was the nickname of the first head of the Darc family.

‘But even so, Yongyong-ie sounds too weak.’

After going to the trouble of hatching a legendary Abyssal Dragon, the name Yongyong-ie was highly regrettable.

Thus, on the way to the Paladin Merchant Group’s gathering place.

“Hmph.”

Out of nowhere, Yusina let out a sulking huff.

“What is the matter, Saintess?”

Sion asked in confusion.

Since they had been walking fine until just now, there was no reason for her to behave like that.

“Hmph!”

But instead of answering Sion’s question, Yusina let out another loud, long huff.

As if letting someone hear it on purpose.

Roan, who was clearly that ‘someone,’ frowned.

“What is it?”

At that, Yusina snapped her head away and spoke.

“I’m not talking to people who only hang out by themselves!”

Espard tilted his head.

“Only hanging out by themselves? Yesterday, you were the one who went off separately, Yusina.”

“That’s not what I mean!”

Sion cast a frantic glance at Roan.

Although Espard still seemed to think of it at the level of ‘girls are indeed difficult.’

If left like this, it was only a matter of time before it was exposed that the two of them had snuck out at night.

‘I just went out following Roan, so this is unfair!’

……Her intentions had not been that pure, though.

In any case, Roan shared a similar thought.

Roan pulled something out of his pouch and approached Yusina.

While pretending not to care with her head turned, Yusina stole glances at Roan.

“Here.”

“W-What is this?”

Quite flustered as she hadn’t expected him to actually offer something, she examined Roan’s hand.

Roan suppressed the sense of self-loathing, wondering if he really had to say such words to a child, and parted his lips.

“……I picked it up on the way back yesterday.”

It was a talisman he had received from the old fortune-teller woman at the market.

Yusina’s already large eyes grew completely round.

“Heh! Did you buy this to give to me?”

“I said I picked it up on the way back.”

He truly had picked it up, so it wasn’t a lie.

Roan became slightly worried about the hearing of the Saintess who might become the Holy Emperor.

Yet Yusina did not care in the least, snatching the talisman as if grabbing it.

“Wow~ It’s really pretty! I absolutely love it!”

Then she held it up preciously with both hands to look at it, shook it, folded it, shone it in the sunlight, smelled it…… anyway.

‘She’s doing all kinds of things.’

Roan clicked his tongue at the fuss.

Judging by how she loved it so much despite it looking like something sold at a common general store, a girl’s sensitivity was indeed difficult.

Roan went to Tyrmi next, offering the same talisman.

“Would you also like one, Professor?”

Tyrmi rolled her eyes so quickly it almost made a sound, and answered.

“No.”

“Understood.”

Since he hadn’t expected Tyrmi to accept it anyway, Roan obediently put the talisman back into his pouch.

For the efficiency-focused duelist Tyrmi, even spending time worrying about superstitions was a waste.

Rather than a talisman, a single second of effort was more suitable for saving a duelist’s life.

However, seeing Roan try to give a talisman to Tyrmi as well, Yusina blinked.

“?”

“What is it, Saintess?”

“That talisman…… wasn’t it given only to me?”

Yusina spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

An unusual aura naturally emanated, but Sion did not notice in the least and brightly pulled out her own talisman.

“Yes! Roan gave me one yesterday too!”

*Flutter—*

“Ugh.”

Yusina slumped her shoulders as if her enthusiasm had completely cooled.

Then she stole a glance at Sion’s talisman.

Her talisman, a mixture of blue, red, and green.

On the other hand, Sion’s was yellow, white, and green.

‘……For some reason, that one seems prettier.’

Such a thought crossed her mind, but even she thought she was acting too childish.

“Hmph, I thought I was the only one who received it.”

When Yusina spoke like that, Sion shook her head with her usual bright smile.

“No, yesterday in the alleyway, the fortune-teller grandmother guessed our exact number and gave us five talismans. Isn’t it truly amazing?”

“Y-You really did pick it up on the way back?!”

At that moment, Yusina felt as if her world had crumbled slightly.