Chapter 230

“Hmm? O-Other rumors?”

“Yes. I thought it would be better to know the rumors about me anyway.”

It was better to hear it quietly from Beanin than to have students chatter noisily in class tomorrow, which would be troublesome.

He had to hear it in advance so he could think of countermeasures if necessary, wouldn’t he?

Beanin hesitated for a moment and opened his mouth.

“Well, the rumor that you are getting expelled…”

A vein bulged on Roan’s forehead.

Rumbleee—!!!

“Hieek—! I, I still betted on the side that you didn’t get expelled!”

Unexpectedly, it seemed Beanin liked betting.

‘I should tell him not to do it when I get a chance.’

Since it was a hobby that could easily lead down a dangerous (?) path, Roan decided to keep it in mind.

“Aside from the wild rumors spread by those two, are there no other rumors.”

“Wild rumors? No, it’s not!”

“And we didn’t spread it!”

‘How is it not a wild rumor when I’m right here…’

Roan glanced back at the two who were instead confidently raising their voices.

“…”

And then he just ignored them.

“Y-You’re mean. To just ignore us…”

“They say silence is worse than a curse.”

At any rate, Beanin, who pondered for a moment, brought up another story.

“Ah, this really seems like a wild rumor, but they say you were kidnapped by black mages and captured twenty of them.”

Roan was slightly dumbfounded.

Even so, wasn’t that more plausible than expulsion?

Just as Roan was about to say something, Demona, who had been feeling wronged for a while, chimed in.

“Come on, Senior Beanin. Does that make sense?”

As she said this while waving her hands, Beanin also nodded.

Encountering as many as twenty black mages was already a highly difficult task, so capturing them all was a probability akin to a miracle.

…He thought they were talking about that.

“Look at Roan’s face. He is the type of kid to kidnap twenty people himself, not get kidnapped~”

“Mm, that is true too.”

The persuasiveness of a face that made even Beanin nod!

Roan let out a small sigh and spoke.

“It is true that I took twenty people captive.”

“See~ Didn’t I tell you Roan captured them?”

“It is also true that I was kidnapped.”

“““?????”””

At that, not only Beanin but also Demona and Hector gaped.

“L-Lie! There’s no way black mages would kidnap a person!”

Demona tried to refute as if her hero had been insulted.

”’That’s not true.”’

The remaining three stared at Demona with looks of disdain.

No matter how much she liked black mages, the precedents of black mages kidnapping people were so numerous that one didn’t even need to look them up.

Especially when Beanin, who grew up in the hands of black mages, acted like that, it spoke volumes.

Roan asked Demona.

“And is there a way that I would kidnap black mages?”

“Well, that…”

“You just be quiet.”

“Uh-hurg-guh-uh!”

In the end, Demona collapsed after being hit by Roan’s paralysis spell, which he cast unable to endure it anymore.

Hector stealthily tried to enter his room.

“Where are you going, Hector.”

“Ah, I was planning to take this opportunity to bring out my axe.”

What was he planning to do after bringing the axe.

It was Hector speaking dangerous words.

“If you attack a fellow student, you’ll be expelled.”

“Ah, right, indeed.”

Only then did Hector nod and stand his ground.

Then a question suddenly occurred to him.

‘Then what about him…?’

It was Hector, who had just seen a blood spear embed right next to him on the cliff.

Didn’t he actually get expelled but just sneak in secretly?

In any case.

“Actually, Professor Tyrmi and other students saved me.”

“I, I see. Then the twenty captives you mentioned are…?”

Beanin asked in a trembling voice.

When he thought it was a wild rumor, he accepted it because of Roan’s image, but hearing that he actually captured twenty black mages made his mind complex.

Wouldn’t Roan, who caught black mages even when going out for off-campus service, take immediate action if he found out that he was a spy for the black mages?

Of course, it was a fact Roan had known from the very beginning.

Ring—

“They are inside the Bell of Eternity.”

When Roan nonchalantly shook the Bell of Eternity, Beanin’s pupils, as well as his voice, trembled now.

“Truly magnificent, Roan!!”

Meanwhile, Hector clapped enthusiastically, oblivious to Beanin’s burning inside.

“As expected, you have the qualities of a fine inquisitor. I acknowledge it as a Pabilto!”

“…I have the qualities of an inquisitor?”

Not the qualities to be interrogated?

Roan was slightly lukewarm.

However, Hector seemed to think that reaction was bashfulness.

“Yes! Even if you were kidnapped intentionally to sweep up the black mages, I will believe you!”

“!”

[!!]

Roan and Bell were startled all at once.

‘How did he know?’

[How did he know?]

Hector and Demona, who showed sharp aspects once in a while, even if they were endlessly tactless usually!

When Roan failed to speak, Hector asked in wonder.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing, thank you for evaluating me positively.”

“Hahaha! It’s only natural as a friend!”

Hector patted Roan on the back, as if to say why speak of such things between us.

“B-But how did you get kidnapped?”

Beanin asked.

It seemed he hurriedly changed the subject in case Roan might become a heretic inquisitor.

Roan thought for a moment and replied.

“Hmm. It’s a family matter, so it’s a bit difficult to talk about. But in truth, it was a crime targeting my items and holy beasts. They are bastards who deserve to be arrested.”

“Gasp!”

Beanin was even more surprised.

…Somehow, he seemed more surprised that they were truly vicious black mages.

Then, he added timidly.

“Th-They were really bad guys… But I think I heard that one shouldn’t make hasty generalizations.”

“That’s right, senior! Roan, even so, calling black mages who haven’t even been tried yet criminals!”

Demona, who had gotten up at some point, chimed in.

Roan stared at Demona with an absurd expression.

It was to the extent that even Beanin pulled Demona’s sleeve and spoke.

“A black mage is a criminal, indeed…”

Aside from whether they committed other crimes, the very act of learning black magic was a crime under imperial law.

“Why?”

It meant that it wasn’t something to ask like Demona did, at least.

‘I’m also curious why.’

Otherwise, it would be good for both sides.

Roan shook his head.

“Anyway, I am a bit tired, so I will go rest now.”

“Ah, yes, Roan. Thank you very much for your hard work. I should get going to my room as well.”

Beanin also greeted Roan while standing up.

Perhaps due to his personality, he might have been in the living room waiting for Roan’s return.

Click—

Once he entered his private room, Bell, who was on his shoulder, called Roan.

[Master, master.]

‘What.’

[Then am I a criminal too? I use black magic.]

‘Hmm.’

Roan stared for a moment at Bell, who was asking with innocent eyes.

‘Strictly speaking, you are a holy beast, so you aren’t a criminal.’

It was similar to the logic that human trafficking didn’t apply since he was a holy beast.

[Oh, then doesn’t that mean I can use black magic?]

Roan nodded.

‘Yes, you may use it.’

[Yay!]

‘If you want to be dragged away by Professor Timothy as a lab specimen.’

[……Then I won’t use it.]

Bell climbed onto the bed despondently, as if he had never been excited.

Kirrr—

Charlotte tried to comfort Bell.

[You’re lucky. You can use holy power too. Although you can’t use holy magic.]

Kir—?

However, it didn’t seem particularly comforting.

Meanwhile, Roan briefly pondered whether Bell being caught as a lab specimen made him an ‘experimental subject’ or an ‘experimental dragon,’ then moved on.

‘Come to think of it, tomorrow starts the quiz week.’

In Acherandir, returning students take quizzes in the second week, and freshmen in the third week all at once.

Since it was very early on and they were freshmen, this quiz would pass relatively easily, but.

Since there were a few (?) professors who didn’t care about such things, a bit of mental preparation was necessary.

Tomorrow’s classes were Attribute Basic Training conducted by Eucherim’s avatar Anne, and Taedi’s Dark Attribute.

“Strictly speaking, is Anne’s class the problem?”

The dark attribute class was a black magic class conducted openly anyway, so he couldn’t worry even if he wanted to.

However, the attribute basic training class was a bit cautious since he didn’t know in what way Roan’s talent would manifest.

‘But well, it’s not like failing one class would cause a big problem with my grades.’

Unless Roan was a character aiming to be top of the class, graduating safely was all that mattered.

Even if he didn’t pass the quiz, he intended to accept it for what it was.

However, judging by his experience so far, if he passed, he would pass while monopolizing everyone’s attention, and he likely wouldn’t receive a failing grade at all…

“Right, who am I worrying about.”

Instead of thinking about the quiz which would only give him a headache, Roan tried to collect the reward he had postponed until entering his room.

Thud—

Roan took out the Balance of Light and Dark from his lucky pouch and placed it on the desk.

[Waaah!]

Bell hid under the blanket, startled as if he had seen some murder weapon.

…He seemed not to know that if Roan really intended to place Bell on the scale, a blanket like that wouldn’t pose any obstacle.

Roan looked at Bell mockingly and spoke.

“I have no intention of placing you.”

[Th-Then are you planning to place Charlotte!]

Kirrr—?

At Bell’s shout, Charlotte was also startled.

“Neither of that.”

[Then it was indeed me!]

“…Have some trust in your master.”

[For real?]

A pair of yellow pupils from under the dark blanket turned toward Roan.

Roan nodded.

“Yes. But even if you go up on this, nothing will happen anyway.”

[You said you were going to cleanse me!]

Cleanse?

He seemed to have interpreted the thought that a holy beast using holy magic instead of black magic might emerge in that way.

Roan let out a chuckle at the cute misunderstanding.

Since the Balance of Light and Dark was also part of the family (?) now, it seemed not bad to dispel his fear on this occasion.

“Here, look.”

Roan took out Jelsroin’s dagger from the lucky pouch and placed it on the desk.

…Since it was also an item containing the holy power of a god, Bell was equally terrified.

Even Roan’s hand tingled when holding it.

“This is a scale called the Balance of Light and Dark, and it can be used once a week.”

[What happens if you use it?]

“It changes a holy relic into a similar dark magic tool. The opposite is also possible.”

Originally, it was an item made to be utilized when one obtained a reward they couldn’t use.

But to Roan now, it was just an infinite treasure chest that could be used once every week.

‘Since it’s a dark magic tool, I’ll have to watch my back when using it, but Jelsroin’s dagger is well worth the risk.’

If he absolutely had to use it, he could just make excuses that it was undergoing purification.

Roan tried to place the dagger on one side of the scale to demonstrate to Bell.

Just then.

Wooong—

Wait a moment.

The silent False Divinity chimed in.

‘Why? My arm is starting to hurt slightly.’

Since it was a crucial moment, Roan grew slightly irritated.

His arm really did hurt.

The False Divinity spoke in a pathetic voice.

If you just place it like that, a dark magic tool will emerge, so how are you going to use it? Use your brain!

‘Then what do you want me to do?’