Chapter 237

*Swoooosh—!*

The surrounding winds began to spin around Sion as if dancing.

Next, it gradually headed upward, and upward, like a whirlpool.

*Flash—*

In the end, it turned into holy power that could only inspire awe in everyone, before returning in all directions and scattering away.

After all of those steps were finished.

*Clap, clap, clap—*

The applause started by someone soon filled the entire waiting room.

Not just the students, but also the priest helping with the class, and even Anne.

They all paid their respects to Sion, who had clearly displayed her presence as a Saintess candidate.

“…Eh?”

Meanwhile, Sion, who opened her eyes after finishing her prayer, tilted her head, not knowing why the people were applauding.

For a brief moment, Sion had been so absorbed in the god and nature that she had reached a state of perfect trance, completely unaware of what was happening around her.

Anne smiled more brightly than ever and blessed Sion.

“Truly wonderful, student Beatrice. To say it is a talent of a generation would almost seem like an understatement.”

“Pardon? Yes?”

Sion flushed red at Anne’s sudden high praise.

It happened because she had been so completely immersed in reciting the prayer that she hadn’t seen the miracle-like phenomenon she had caused.

“Student Sion naturally gets a perfect score. You may return to your seat.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Assistant.”

Pop quizzes in Acherandir were easy to pass to maintain distinction, but it was extremely difficult to get a perfect score.

Even after receiving a rare perfect score on the pop quiz, Sion returned to her seat as if fleeing.

‘I don’t really know what happened… but it must definitely be thanks to the prayer Roan taught me!’

As soon as she sat down, she called out to Roan.

“Roan, thank you so much! Thanks to you, I got a perfect score on the pop quiz…?”

However, Roan’s complexion was actually unusual.

Although he was usually like that, his expression was exceptionally grumpy!

“M-Did something happen?”

Sion asked awkwardly.

Especially this time, the difference compared to the other students was too stark.

—Wow, I feel so refreshed?

—Right. I got caught up in that hellish volunteer work over the weekend and my muscle pain was terrible, but it’s all cured now.

—As expected of the Saintess candidate~

The students who had been brushed by Sion’s wind were very happy, as their skin glowed and their minds felt clear.

On the other hand, Roan.

“No. Nothing happened.”

“””But something clearly did?”””

His hair was completely messy, his skin somehow looked rough, and his complexion had turned dark.

Was he the only one who had been exposed to dark mana instead of holy power?

…Sion didn’t think that this joke-like thought was actually very close to the truth.

“To say nothing happened, you look like you’re in too much pain…”

“Right, Roan. Are you sick?”

Rafia also looked at Roan’s complexion and asked worriedly.

Roan was dumbfounded by Sion’s shameless(?) attitude.

‘As expected, I shouldn’t associate with Saintesses!’

To think she would put on such an innocent face after summoning a wind heavily packed with a god’s energy right in front of a black mage!

…Naturally, Roan didn’t think at all that having a black mage present in such a place was the abnormal part.

Since Roan had completed his preparations before the wind blew in earnest, his whole body only throbbed slightly for a moment.

‘Is it really right that I have to be this tense every time I attend a class?’

Still, it was equally unfair.

Listening quietly to Roan’s thoughts, the False Divinity was dumbfounded.

*Vrrr—*

“You really have no conscience, do you?”

“You should be glad to still be breathing even after sitting right in the middle of a god’s holy power!”

Of course, Roan paid absolutely no attention to the authority’s point.

Just then, Hector looked at Roan with pity and spoke.

“Roan, I know exactly why you are acting like that.”

“?”

Roan looked at Hector with an expression that asked what kind of nonsense he was talking.

‘Is he saying he’s going to arrest me?’

Knowing Roan’s state of mind, it was natural for him to think that way.

“Hector, what do you mean by that?”

“You know why Roan is like this?”

“What is it?”

In response to the friends’ questions, Hector shook his head.

“This is all because of you, Sion.”

“”!!!””

Roan was even more surprised by the unexpected analysis.

‘Is he really trying to arrest me? Now that I think about it, this guy might have been pretending to be stupid all this time while gathering evidence that I’m a black mage.’

Thinking of that gave him goosebumps.

Because otherwise, a person couldn’t possibly be that stupid!

As expected of the Pabilto family, a renowned house of heretic inquisitors.

Just as Roan was thinking this, Hector revealed the reason.

“Sion, because you got a perfect score, Roan is jealous.”

“””…?”””

“Since I am destined to surpass Roan and become a legend of the Holy War, I know that feeling very well.”

“””…”””

All the friends except Hector fell silent.

Some students, unable to hold back, yelled out.

—Seriously, Pabilto is too much.

—Does he have no conscience? Or…

—Hey, hey, stop it there. Pabilto is actually pitiful if you think about it.

Roan, too dumbfounded to even sigh, simply changed the subject.

“It really is nothing. Watching your amazing display, Sion, just vaguely reminded me of my childhood memories. Back when I was still at Castle Darc…”

When there was nothing to say, use family history!

As Roan spoke and covered his face under the pretense of trying to tidy his messy hair, the effect was even better.

“””Gasp!”””

The friends felt touched and pity for Roan, while glaring contemptuously at Hector who had babbled such nonsense.

Because he had made such insulting remarks without understanding Roan’s deep thoughts, they were the ones who felt offended.

“Ah, no, who would have known that memories from when he was one year old would come back…”

Hector, seemingly having nothing to say either, shrank back and mumbled an excuse.

“You shut up! Instead of offering comfort!”

“I thought you were okay lately, but I’m disappointed!”

“Shut your mouth!”

The reliable friends blocked even that.

“Hey, fanatic. I think you’re surpassing me more and more. Credit where credit is due!”

“Shut up… Demona…”

Demona wouldn’t miss a situation like this.

*Vrrr—*

“What would you have done if you hadn’t become a black mage?”

‘If I hadn’t, I would have lived a much safer and happier life.’

Watching all of this, the False Divinity considered it the Empire’s good fortune that Roan had not become a priest.

In any case, next was Demona.

“Student Wicronon, come up.”

Perhaps because she had just witnessed Sion’s holy display, Anne looked extremely happy even as she called Demona.

However, Demona sprang up from her seat with an extremely serious face and shouted.

“To me, anything other than the dark attribute is completely meaningless, Assistant!”

“…?”

Anne wore an expression that said ‘here we go again’.

Roan, whose body was already aching, felt like his chest would burst upon hearing such words.

‘Then you should become the black mage! No, please do it!’

If Demona would take his dark mana and give him holy power in return, Roan was willing to exchange it a hundred times over.

Even if it was a rather strange holy power that resembled its owner, he would still be deeply grateful.

Since at least he wouldn’t have to worry about getting his head cracked by Kaina every single day.

—As expected of the Wicronon family, a house of convictions and sages!

—I will cheer for your convictions!

—You’ll definitely obtain a dark attribute that’s cooler than Darc’s!

On the other hand, the students clapped and cheered at Demona’s statement of conviction(?).

How could a person be so sincere about the dark attribute!

Demona was almost like an idol among the freshmen.

Anne smiled faintly and nodded.

“I see. I understand your thoughts well.”

“Yes, Assistant! Thank you for respecting them!”

Demona brightened up and prepared to sit back down.

“Priest, please impose an additional fine of 200 Talents on student Wicronon for not taking the pop quiz.”

—Yes, Assistant!

As Anne said this, the priest ran over, grinning at the thought of giving Demona the fine.

Demona, who was halfway down, sprang right back up.

“Come to think of it, all things in the world contain the holy power of the gods, so I don’t think it matters even if it isn’t the dark attribute!”

“Oh my, why is that? Didn’t you want the dark attribute?”

“Heeing, I’m sorry…”

Demona walked forward with a crying face.

—The Wicronon family, a house of convictions and sages…

—Was Wicronon’s conviction only worth 200 Talents?

—Darc didn’t sell Yongyong-ie even for 1,000 Talents…

The students were each shocked at the downfall of their idol.

‘Well, it’s not like she does this just once or twice, so it’s nothing new.’

Roan clicked his tongue as he watched Demona and the students showing off their perfect coordination.

If they got along that well, she should hang out with them normally instead of sticking to him!

Demona seemed to ponder for a moment in front of the four Attribute Stones.

“Hmm…”

Though none of the four attributes were to her liking, she was probably thinking which one was at least more fun.

Then, Demona stood in front of the fire Attribute Stone.

Anne asked, looking surprised.

“Student Wicronon, is there a reason you chose the fire attribute?”

“Pardon? No?”

Demona asked back as if asking why she would ask such a thing now.

Anne smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

…Anyway, if Demona failed to pass the pop quiz, that wouldn’t be a bad thing in its own way.

At first glance, light and fire seemed to be attributes that matched well, but unexpectedly, they did not.

Light, which warmly illuminates all things, and fire, which could burn down and destroy everything, had different natures.

‘Mythologically speaking, it’s because the combination of Lu, the God of Light, and Belund, the God of Fire, is too terrible.’

Lu and Belund were twins born together; they were born as one body at first, but later split.

In the process, Lu acquired a warm and gentle personality, while Belund acquired a brave and emotional personality.

As a result, despite sharing similar properties, the relationship between the two gods was not very good.

Roan, Sion, Anne, and a few others who knew the circumstances thought that Demona would fail to pass the pop quiz.

“Do you know the prayer to offer to Lord Belund?”

“Uh… thank you for always providing delicious food. For making the room warm, and for lighting the fire at night…”

When Anne asked, Demona began to stammer out her prayer.

Naturally, it wasn’t a verse from the scriptures, but merely a collection of things that came to mind when she thought of ‘fire’.

—Hahaha, that really is a prayer!

—That’s why I like Wicronon, you know?

The students didn’t expect much from Demona’s clumsy prayer.

It was too pitiful compared to the prayer Roan had taught earlier.

However, once Demona placed her hand on the Attribute Stone.

*Fwoosh—*

“??”

—???

—W-Was it really a prayer?!

Surprisingly, a small ember flickered to life on the back of Demona’s hand!

Of course, its size wasn’t very large.

It was even smaller than the reactions of some of the ordinary students before.

Moreover.

*Flashhhh— Flashhhh—*

…For some reason, Demona’s fire was wavering flamboyantly in a strange color, just like her light-attribute holy power did.

The students watched it and spoke reluctantly.

—I-Is that even fire?

—Didn’t Wicronon just use her own holy art?

It was only natural for them to doubt it like this.

However, Anne knew for sure.

‘L-Lord Belund really responded…?’