Chapter 243

Chapter 243

The commercial district, a restaurant named ‘Selinder’s Garden of Taste’ ( ).

This place was used more by professors or staff members than students.

It was not because the food prices were exceptionally expensive, or because they filtered customers.

……It was simply because Professor Selinder ran it, and the food did not taste very good.

Professors used it once in a while to save Professor Selinder’s face, but students had no reason to go that far.

─ Hey, how long do we have to keep coming here?

─ Well, until I graduate?

─ Man, because I made the wrong friend, what on earth is this…….

Even the few students who were there did not seem to have pure (?) intentions.

Anyway, Harden, Kahen, and Roan were sitting at a table in the restaurant, which was decorated reasonably well.

The menu was a steak set course.

Kahen, who had taken a bite with high expectations at first, said with a subtle expression.

“Hahaha…… As expected of a place run by Professor Selinder, it tastes good.”

Social skills honed through more than a decade of life in the Holy Emperor’s Palace!

Roan, who had not expected much in the first place, was just chewing on it little by little.

‘They say meat is delicious just by grilling it over fire, so making it like this is also a form of magic in itself.’

Somehow, the steak was cold on one side and hot on the other.

The funny thing was that the cold side was well-done, while the hot side was undercooked.

At this point, one would seriously suspect whether it was made with magic.

If Professor Selinder had heard this, she might have cried and said, ‘It’s not magic, it’s holy magic!’

[Ugh! This is not food!]

Kirreul─!

Even Bel and Charlotte, who rarely complained about food, took a bite of the feed and shook their heads.

If Professor Selinder had understood Bel’s words, she might have been quite hurt.

Meanwhile, Harden said, “Oho,” to Kahen’s polite remark.

“It tastes good? That’s great. Then please eat my portion as well.”

“…….”

Slide─

The Holy Spirit, who could not eat food, pushed his plate toward Kahen.

He even wore a pleased smile.

To the naive Kahen, it might have seemed that the Holy Spirit did so without knowing his hidden meaning.

‘No way, he did it knowing everything.’

For someone like Harden, there was no way he didn’t know.

Of course, Harden had never eaten Selinder’s food, but that did not mean he was unaware of others’ reactions.

In the first place, Kahen should have been suspicious from the moment Harden ordered food he could not even eat.

Suddenly having two plates of steak placed in front of him, Kahen wore a tearful face.

‘I want to go to the Holy Emperor’s Palace…….’

It was the outstanding education of Acherandir that made not only students but also visitors feel homesick.

“Hmm. What a great blessing it is to have a body that can eat. I am truly envious.”

Since Harden said this much, Kahen had no choice but to finish both plates of steak.

But Harden’s wickedness did not end there.

“Sigh, I can only eat the popcorn I make now.”

Crunch─ Crunch─

The popcorn he had eaten even when watching the Sacred Combat in Professor Vulcan’s class in the past.

Harden picked up and ate the popcorn deliciously, as if showing off to Kahen.

“Would you like to try one? Of course, compared to steak, it’s a very embarrassing taste.”

“N-No, of course not! I cannot refuse the Holy Spirit’s favor.”

Kahen, as if anything was fine as long as it wasn’t steak, hurriedly held out his front plate.

Harden gave him exactly one kernel of popcorn.

Plop─

“Eating a lot of this junk food (?) will ruin your appetite. Just eat a little.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Kahen brought even that single kernel in front of him, treasuring it like spring rain in a drought.

Roan was also quite curious about the taste of Harden’s popcorn.

‘If only I weren’t a black mage, I would have asked for one too.’

[If only it weren’t for dark mana…….]

It was supposedly a hidden delicacy of Acherandir, but because he possessed a black mage character, it became a food he could not even dare to try.

Kahen carefully picked up the popcorn and put it in his mouth.

“Huh? Wait?”

“?”

However, as soon as he did, his reaction was not ordinary.

Kahen opened his eyes wide and let out an exclamation.

Soon, from his mouth.

Flash─ Flash─ burst─!

Every time his lips parted, holy power began to burst out like fireworks.

Roan asked Harden with a suspicious look.

“……Is that really popcorn?”

It felt like he had fed him something much more amazing than that.

Even while Roan asked, Kahen could not pull himself together from the dynamic changes occurring inside his mouth.

“Uooooh? Wow? What is this?!”

Kahen, throwing away his dignity as a high priest of the Holy Emperor’s Palace, marveled continuously!

Roan seriously contemplated whether he should report Harden to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

‘……Ah, there is no Ministry of Food and Drug Safety here.’

Pop─ Pop pop─! Flash─

Soon, holy power erupted from all the orifices of Kahen’s face!

Gulp─

Having finally swallowed the popcorn, Kahen shed tears with an ecstatic expression.

“Ah…… This is…….”

It seemed to be a taste so holy that he could not express his impressions in words.

“Hahaha, to like junk food that much, you are still like a child.”

Harden laughed heartily and held out a kernel of popcorn to Roan as well.

“What do you think, Darc? Would you like to try your principal’s junk food too?”

“……I’m fine.”

Roan slightly leaned away from Harden.

Judging by how even a high priest like Kahen could not control the holy power contained in a single kernel of popcorn, that popcorn could well be called a holy power bomb.

For fellow clergymen, it would be a ‘bomb’ in a metaphorical sense.

‘For me, it would be a literal bomb.’

Roan gulped just by imagining eating the popcorn.

……Of course, it was not because his mouth was watering.

[C-Can I really not eat it?]

Bel, whose feed did not suit his taste, asked in vain.

‘If you pick up and eat anything just because it looks delicious, you’ll explode.’

[Hieek!]

Kirreul─!

Bel and Charlotte were startled, hugging each other and trembling.

In fact, Charlotte, who was a normal holy beast, might be fine eating it, but Roan was a bit reluctant to give such a stimulating food (?) from the start.

At that moment, Kahen said to Roan in surprise.

“Young Master Roan! Please try a kernel! This trash…… I mean, steak is good too, but this is a food on a completely different level!”

Kahen, who accidentally let out his true feelings, hurriedly rectified himself.

Anyway, he sincerely tried to recommend the popcorn to Roan.

“How can the enhancement of holy power occur with just a single kernel of popcorn! Heavens, His Holiness the Holy Emperor will also be shocked to hear this news.”

Apparently, Harden’s popcorn increased the core stat of holy power.

And it was not a stingy increase of 1, but seemed to be a fairly large boost.

Food that increased core stats was extremely rare, so Roan would normally eat it, but that was absolutely not the case for this.

‘……Could I handle it?’

Humming─

Would you be able to?

The thoughts of the False Divinity did not seem much different.

Just then, a thought crossed Roan’s mind.

“Huh?”

“?”

When Roan tilted his head, Harden wore an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Did this fellow eat something wrong?’

‘I haven’t eaten the popcorn yet?’

Surely he could not have been influenced by the popcorn without even eating it, just because of his talent.

……In fact, Roan just did not know, but ordinary black mages might faint just by being near the popcorn.

Anyway, Roan smiled triumphantly and opened his mouth.

“I am full with just the steak for now, but if you give me one kernel, I will cherish and eat it later.”

“Y-You’re going to eat it?”

The one who was flustered by those words was rather Harden.

He had only asked to tease a cheeky disciple, and did not expect him to actually say he would eat it.

‘Was the stress too severe?’

Indeed, living in Acherandir as a black mage would not be entirely pleasant and comfortable.

Harden thought he should treat Roan a bit better.

Just a tiny bit.

While doing so, he stealthily withdrew his hand.

“Never mind. If kept too long, it will spoil.”

“It was made with the Principal’s holy power, so how could it spoil? Please give it to me first.”

‘Is this fellow really crazy?’

Harden suspected if Roan had really decided to make an extreme choice.

Then, Roan quietly added a word.

“I will definitely eat it within a week.”

“……!”

Only then did Harden realize Roan’s scheme.

‘He wants to convert it using the Balance of Light and Dark!’

The Balance of Light and Dark, which converted items back and forth between holy power and dark mana.

In fact, Harden had known ever since Roan obediently handed over the Dagger of Jelsroin.

That this guy had already converted the dagger.

Not satisfied with that, this cheeky disciple was daring to take his popcorn, turn it into dark mana popcorn, and use it to boost dark mana!

Woooom─

You are truly an evil black mage!

‘Thanks for the compliment.’

To the point that even the False Divinity offered high praise.

‘Did you think I’d do something that benefits a black mage?’

Harden had already done a few things that benefited a black mage, but this time he was more cranky than usual and did not want to do it.

Harden cleared his throat with a cough and said.

“If it’s a week, it really spoils. The holy power will all disperse.”

“It’s fine if I keep it in my subspace pocket.”

However, Roan did not back down easily either.

And crucially, there was one person who interfered with Harden.

“Ugh……”

“……What is it, Priest Kahen?”

“How can one not shed tears after witnessing such a beautiful sight between the Principal and his disciple?”

Roan and Harden wondered for a moment if their definition of ‘beautiful’ had been reversed.

It would have been understandable if expressions like “ugly” or “dirty” were used.

“A Principal who selflessly shares his holy power, and a disciple who preciously accepts that grace. This is a heartwarming story that I must include in the Holy Emperor’s Palace educational booklet when I return!”

“Thank you for looking at it kindly, Priest.”

Roan quickly caught Kahen’s words, seeing this as an opportunity.

Harden could not keep stingily holding onto the popcorn either.

“Tsk, here, take it.”

Harden tossed the popcorn as if saying let happen what may.

Roan opened his lucky bag as if he had been waiting and caught the popcorn.

……Since he did not know what would happen if he caught it with his bare hands, he had caught it as carefully as possible.

[Ugh! It’s a bomb! Run, Charlotte!]

Kirreureu─!

Roan’s holy beasts scrambled under the table as if a hand grenade were flying toward them.

Meanwhile, now that he had thought of a way to use it, Roan felt a little regretful and smacked his lips slightly.

“Um, Principal.”

“What.”

“Just one kernel, no, a few more kernels to share with my friends……”

“Sob! Young Master Roan, to think you even have such sociability……!”

Kahen shed tears as if a faucet had been turned on at Roan’s thoughtfulness (?).

Of course, to Harden, it was simply abominable.

Giving a few more kernels was not difficult, but even if he did, they would surely all end up in Roan’s mouth.

“If you eat too much, you’ll get indigestion. Stop it.”

“That’s why I said to share with my friends……”

“Should I pour all of it into your mouth right now?”

“No, thank you.”

Since it seemed like overgreed, Roan clean gave up.

And just as Harden said, no matter how much he converted it into dark mana popcorn, eating several of such elixirs at once could really cause trouble.

‘A pity. I should get some one by one whenever I have the chance later.’