Chapter 249

Chapter 249

Roan nodded and tried to put the Bell of Eternity back.

“Oh, no! I’m not saying I won’t enter, though!”

‘What do you want me to do…….’

Roan was gradually getting annoyed by Taedi, who made it impossible to do this or that.

It seemed Taedi also did not know exactly which way her heart leaned.

Entering the Bell of Eternity to train in magic was fascinating, but she also felt like she was putting her head into a crocodile’s mouth for no reason.

In the end, Taedi made a fist, extended only her pinky finger, and held it out to Roan.

“? What is this.”

“L-Let’s make a promise! That you’ll definitely pull me out safely.”

Roan wondered what kind of nonsense this was, but seeing that the look in Taedi’s eyes was too earnest, he simply hooked his pinky finger with hers.

Boop─

Next was the thumb.

“Stamp it too.”

“……Yes.”

After their thumbs met, Taedi seemed reasonably relieved.

If they hooked pinkies and stamped it, it was definite!

Of course, Roan found it nothing but absurd.

‘It would have been better to tell her to make an oath to Hiloa…….’

To think two grown-up black mages gathered and made a pinky promise like children.

In any case, Taedi, who took a few deep breaths, said resolutely.

“Put me in now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. But wait exactly ten minutes and pull me out right away.”

“Yes.”

“We hooked pinkies and even stamped it, right? If you don’t keep it, you are the worst guy in the world, a guy to be killed, a guy who can’t be played with, alright?”

“Understood.”

“If you are even a minute late─”

Clink─

Roan, not wanting to hear any more, simply activated the Bell of Eternity.

Taedi was sucked in with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I knew this would happen!’

“Ten minutes.”

Roan recalled Taedi’s words in the quiet Room 101.

However, there was a problem.

“I don’t have a watch.”

Roan did not possess a pocket watch like the ones Sion or Yusina carried around.

……He figured it would be fine if he pulled her out roughly when it felt right.

Urnm─

You are truly a bad black mage.

The False Divinity was genuinely impressed.

It was not a day or two occurrence.

Meanwhile, Bel was holding Charlotte and talking to her diligently.

[Look, let’s try it too, hook pinkies, stamp…… Ah, it’s not working well.]

Kirreul─

It seemed the pinky promise Roan and Taedi had made looked fun to him.

However, Bel had three fingers, and Charlotte had four.

Moreover, since their structure was also different from humans, there was no way they would fit each other well.

As it kept slipping, Bel grumbled in annoyance.

Watching the two holy beasts play like that, Roan pulled Taedi out around the time he estimated about ten minutes had passed.

‘It was ten minutes that felt like twenty minutes, but whatever.’

In fact, he had pulled her out a bit late because he was watching the two holy beasts play.

However, once she came out, Taedi’s appearance was unexpectedly haggard.

“Heeeh……”

“What is the matter?”

“What…… what is the matter……? I kept time…… and it took twenty minutes, you know……?”

Taedi showed Roan her pocket watch and spoke falteringly.

Apparently, the amount of mana drained inside the Bell of Eternity was greater than expected.

‘Hmm, Taedi’s mana recovery is also a bit lacking. I obtained a piece of good information.’

Through Taedi’s sacrifice, Roan was able to obtain the information he had wanted to get.

“If you had left that watch with me, I would have measured the time accurately, what a pity.”

“Ah, I should have……”

Whether she really thought it was her own mistake, or she had no strength to argue further, Taedi sprawled flat on the dusty floor and lamented.

Then she turned only her head slightly to Roan and asked.

“By the way, there are quite a lot of people confined inside? Is it about twenty?”

“Yes, they are probably the black mages caught last weekend.”

“…….”

Taedi glared at Roan with contemptuous eyes.

“You are not a black mage, are you.”

“Well, how it happened was……”

To clear up the very wrong misunderstanding, Roan told the story of his kidnapping (?) very realistically.

“Uwaaaang! I should have shown them what’s what and come out! I let them off because they looked so pitiful!!!”

……The effect was much better than expected.

Taedi wailed while flailing her limbs as she lay on the floor.

“You don’t need to do that. Wouldn’t it be more difficult for them to be inside the Bell of Eternity? Moreover, if a change occurs in the quantity (?), it will be difficult to make excuses.”

“That is true, but still……”

Taedi nodded her head a few times.

Then, as if she remembered something, she uttered an ‘Ah’ sound and said.

“There was something I remembered inside the Bell of Eternity.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Anyway, whether you were inside the bell or whatever, didn’t you complete beginner level in a week?”

“…….”

Roan did not reply.

Because Taedi’s words were correct.

“Sigh, the world is originally like this.”

Taedi wore an enlightened expression as if she had realized a huge secret, and stood up by bouncing her waist with a pop.

Seeing that gave a rough estimate of how agile other elves would be.

“Then shall we start the class in earnest now?!”

“Ah, let’s do that.”

Until now, it was just the level of greeting because they were glad to meet after a week, talking about each other’s recent affairs, and checking the review and preparation progress.

Taedi cleared her throat with an ‘Ethem’, held up her index finger, and said.

“First, I thought about it carefully last week, and there is one thing I must advise.”

“What is it?”

“Seeing the Bloodthirsty Bite of the Abyss earlier made it clear, but right now, you are trying to disguise all Abyss magic and normal black magic as too ordinary holy magic.”

“……?”

Roan tilted his head.

To think he was trying to disguise black magic too much as holy magic.

‘Or are you telling me to die?’

When it would not be enough even if he disguised it more diligently.

However, Taedi shook her head as if that was not it.

“Since the Holy Spirit has already allowed you to disguise it as dark attribute, let’s utilize that to establish a system!”

“Oho.”

Only then did Roan understand roughly what she meant.

Taedi continued her explanation, blowing out breath from her nose.

“Yes, in the future, use Abyss magic as dark attribute, and normal black magic normally as white holy power! Dividing and using them will be a bit more convincing, right?”

“That is definitely so.”

Until now, the dark attribute was slightly ambiguous.

It was good to be able to disguise it as a black shell, but it meant he had not utilized it properly.

However, if he used them for different purposes as Taedi said, it was certain that it would look much more plausible to others.

And there was another reason why Taedi made such a proposal.

“Also, you are taking the dark attribute class, but if you don’t use it at all, what would happen to my face?”

Since she had taken the professor position, shouldn’t she look like she was teaching something to others as well!

“No one else knows who the professor is anyway.”

“Still!”

……Even if there was a limit where others would never know who Roan’s dark attribute professor was.

Regardless, as it was quite useful advice, Roan also nodded.

‘I was already contemplating how to utilize it, so this works out well.’

To practice the teaching, Roan cast Abyss magic one by one.

Boom boom boom boom boom───!

“So, you mean I should openly use Abyss Blood Spear as black like this.”

“……Do you really need to show it as a demonstration?”

Taedi looked at the wall where several blood spears were embedded and wriggled, feeling dazed.

He indeed used it as black just as her advice.

Swoosh─

“Also Hand Crafted from the Abyss.”

“Ah, right.”

Fwip fwip─

“Also Toughening Web of the Abyss.”

“Yes, correct. By the way, the barrier magic up to beginner level─”

Swooo─

“Also Encounter with the Abyss?”

“When did you learn this one too?”

Although there were suspicious spells that made Taedi tilt her head, Roan seemed to have understood well anyway.

Urnm─

Well, she is indeed a professor!

The False Divinity also vibrated satisfyingly.

Feeling that just by dividing the system, he could avoid getting caught much more leisurely for a while!

‘Isn’t that not true?’

Urnm─

Ah, is that so?

Whatever the case.

After casting the Abyss magic he knew a few more times, Roan bowed his waist to Taedi.

“Thank you very much for learning well this week too.”

At this, Taedi asked in confusion.

“Yes? Why are you acting like that, as if the class is over?”

“Yes? Is the class not over?”

Roan questioned back instead.

Then he showed a slightly disappointed look.

“During quiz week, classes are usually let out a bit early……”

Since you came from outside, you must not know the internal culture well yet.

Roan did not say the rest of the words in case Taedi would be hurt.

To Taedi, it was simply mind-boggling.

“No, I mean! We haven’t even taken that quiz yet!”

“Yes?”

Roan was startled.

The quiz isn’t over yet?

“I even used the Bloodthirsty Bite of the Abyss, what more do I have to do?”

No, if a freshman completed beginner black magic in a week and even showed the proof, shouldn’t they honestly be exempt even from the midterm exam?

No matter how much it was Acherandir, this treatment was indeed going too far.

Of course, Taedi also had things to say.

“That was! Student Roan taking the initiative to find out and asking me to let you try it, it wasn’t the quiz I prepared!”

“Ah, I see.”

Roan was convinced in an instant.

Come to think of it, Taedi had not yet revealed what they would take the quiz with.

‘I don’t even have a clue what to put on the midterm exam in the first place…….’

Taedi grumbled inwardly and took out the item she had specially prepared for the quiz.

It was a small cube-shaped object, small enough to easily fit on her small palm.

“Oh, isn’t this a black magic artifice cube?”

“……You know what this is?”

“……I saw it in a book.”

To Taedi, it was wondrous that a freshman from a holy noble family who grew up in the Holy Emperor’s Palace and enrolled in Acherandir knew about a cube that only black mages solved, but.

Since he said he saw it in a book, she did not ask further.

“Do you also know how to solve it?”

“You break through the maze inside the cube.”

Honestly, since he did it smoothly on his own without her having to explain from one to ten, it was also convenient.

……The problem was that there was so little to explain that it was rather boring, though.

Anyway, Taedi nodded and handed the artifice cube to Roan.

“Good. I’ve decided on this cube for this quiz. You haven’t learned many spells yet…… and intuition and mana quickness are important talents.”

Taedi hesitated a bit because Roan had already completed beginner level, questioning if he hadn’t learned many spells, but she was correct.

“A wonderful judgment. It is a really good exam.”

“……You genuinely think so, right?”

“Of course.”

Roan actively agreed with Taedi’s words and activated the artifice cube.

Although the artifice cube looked small on the outside, it was a magic tool whose inside expanded according to the stage.

When activated, a sphere that the challenger could move appeared, and escaping the constantly changing maze inside with it solved it.

For reference, the cube Taedi gave him was Stage 1.

‘Since it is Stage 1.’

“It is Stage 1, but it won’t be very easy if you do it for the first time. I’ll count it as a success if you solve it within ten minutes, so─”

Click─

“???”

Taedi tilted her head at the cheerful sound heard before she could even finish stating the test conditions.

This was definitely the sound made when the artifice cube was fully solved.

Taedi looked at Bel, who was looking up at them from the side with clear eyes.

‘Did you solve it?’

Kyaong─

He didn’t.

If so, it meant Roan solved it.

Roan held out the cube to Taedi again and said.

“I solved it all. Is the quiz over?”

“I-It is over, but.”

Taedi broke into a cold sweat and chattered her teeth.

“H-How did you solve it already?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Roan realize that he had solved it too quickly.

The artifice cube was originally a mini-game Roan loved, an item he had been completely absorbed in while playing “God & Devil,” even writing down strategy guides.

“What I saw in the book happened to be the strategy guide. For the Stage 1 artifice cube, you only need to know three major patterns: first is straight, second is left turn, third is right turn. Although the artifice cube maze is random, by probability…… so to clear it quickly……”

Roan was rattling off the Stage 1 strategy guide like someone who had done nothing but solve artifice cubes his entire life!

At this rate, it would be believable even if Roan were the creator of the artifice cube.

‘Come to think of it, it would be fun to make one myself later. No, if I remodel it into a holy magic version…….’

……Taedi did not know yet that Roan really intended to do that.

Anyway, Taedi put back the cube Roan solved and took out the Stage 2 cube.

It was a great relief that she had brought the artifice cubes she possessed by type.

Showing off a moderate bluff as if she had expected this much!

“Y-You solved it a bit quickly, but! Naturally, Stage 1 is not the quiz! Try solving Stage 2 too.”

“Ah, as expected of the Professor.”

Roan readily took the Stage 2 cube and activated it.

‘Heh, even if you memorized the Stage 1 strategy, Stage 2 will be a bit difficult, right? You have to keep in mind reverse and stop─’

Click─

“??????”

A clearing time not very different from Stage 1.

“Y-You solved it already?”

“Ah, reverse and stop are added in Stage 2, but actually, the stage where they start to be utilized in earnest is Stage 3. Fortunately, I was lucky this time……”

“No! Even if you know the patterns, why does the cube exist if you solve it solely with patterns?!”

Taedi argued, feeling quite wronged.

It was clearly an intuition and mana quickness test, but in this way, wouldn’t it just become a memorization exam!

‘Even though you told me to solve it…….’

Of course, Roan possessed intuition and mana quickness as basic stats, but he was equally wronged since he had replied thinking the answer Taedi wanted was the stage-by-stage strategy guides.

Taedi gave him the Stage 3 cube.

“Hmph! Up to Stage 2 was just a warm-up! Stage 3 is actually what can be called the true artifice cube!”

“Hmm……”

Indeed, this time Roan pondered for a moment even after activating it.

Taedi gloated in vain and said.

“This time, the intuition is truly─”

Click─

“Oh, seriously!”

A crazy freshman who solved the artifice cube without even giving her time to speak!

“Then is the quiz passed now?”

“I’ll give you full marks out of spite! Good grief, it’s not like you are ignoring my sincerity……”

Taedi snatched back the artifice cube with a huff and shouted.

Although Roan could understand her feelings to some extent, there was no such thing as taking an exam casually in Roan’s dictionary.

Since he was doing it, his nature was only satisfied when he hit the maximum score and the shortest time.

After glaring at Roan a few times, Taedi slinkily held out something.

“……Why do you give me this?”

It was a Stage 4 cube.

“S-Solve it!”

Unlike the cubes up to Stage 3 which consisted of two-dimensional mazes, Stage 4 and above were three-dimensional.

It was an artifice cube that real experts challenged.

“Oho. This will be fun.”

“……Fun?”

Taedi was dumbfounded by Roan, who treated such a thing like some leisure snack.

However, Stage 4 was indeed a leisure snack for Roan!

Click─

Although it certainly took much longer than Stage 3, it was still an overwhelmingly faster clear than Taedi’s expectations.

“W-Woah! You really solved it?”

“Naturally, I solve it for real, would I solve it fake?”

As Roan finished up to Stage 4, Taedi marveled with wide-open eyes.

The artifice cube had been developed roughly a hundred years ago.

Taedi had enjoyed the artifice cube since a fairly early stage, but even then, it felt like it took about four years to solve Stage 4 skillfully.

Even now, if luck did not follow, it would be hard to solve it as quickly as Roan.

Taedi promptly held out the Stage 5 cube as well.

“Then solve this too!”

“Stage 5 is a bit difficult……”

As it was gradually difficult for Roan to show overwhelming speed like the preceding stages, he slinkily took out insurance.

Slide─ Slide─

He moved the point so fiercely that the movement was faintly felt even outside the cube.

[I, I want to try too!]

“Huh? You want to try too?”

Bel also found it fun, and obtained the Stage 1 cube from Taedi and began to attempt something.

[Ugh…… I won’t do it.]

Click─

Although Bel gave up before Roan could finish solving the Stage 5 cube.

“Wow, amazing~!!”

Clap clap clap─

Taedi clapped her hands and praised him.

Beside her, Bel and Charlotte also followed and clapped.

“Next is Stage 6!”

“……Excuse me, but this isn’t a cube-solving class.”

“Hurry up!”

Roan wished in his heart to learn even one more black magic quickly, but for some reason, the class was increasingly straying into a side path.

‘Well, all Acherandir classes are like this anyway.’

Since the professor was Taedi, compared to other classes, this was still decent, so Roan quietly accepted the cube.

The cube was at least a proper training of dark mana!

Depending on whether he cleared each stage first, how fast, or how many times, it also increased stats in its own way.

Since Stage 6 was an advanced version of Stage 5, he could solve it without much difficulty.

“Uwaaa! Solved again!”

[Solved again, Master solved it again!]

Kirreureu─!

A high elf, a dragon, and a Heavenly Sword Peacock King who continuously marveled.

“Then─”

“Solve this one too now!”

“…….”

Taedi innocently held out the Stage 7 cube.

‘It seems “solve it” changed to “solve it for me” for some reason…….’

Every three stages—that is, in the order of 4, 7, 10……—the difficulty of the artifice cube increased drastically.

Stage 7 was extremely difficult, to the extent that even Roan required a bit of luck.

“Ugh……”

“Cheer up, Student Roan!”

Unlike before, Roan, who was wandering the maze, frowned.

Taedi and the two holy beasts enthusiastically cheered him from the side.

“Oh~ Roan! Roan, the master of the cube!”

[Darc~ There is no problem he cannot solve, Darc!]

Kirreul─ Kir─ Kirreureu─

Before they knew it, it was as if they were watching a match between Roan and the cube with sweaty hands like some challenge TV program.

And eventually.

Click─

“I’ve solved it.”

Roan broke through the barrier of Stage 7.

Taedi was overjoyed, looking like she would jump, as she held the completed Stage 7 cube.

“Wow! Wow! Woaaah!”

‘Is it really something to be that happy about?’

At the same time, Roan felt a sense of achievement from solving Stage 7, and self-disgrace about why he had gone through this trouble during class time.

Taedi was literally hopping up and down, shouting.

“Yay! I couldn’t solve this either, I must post proof on the forum~”

The Cube Forum where one could brag to fellow black mages if they solved a cube above a certain difficulty!

Come to think of it, Taedi was actually an anonymous member of that forum!

“…….”

No wonder she was so happy!

Roan lowered his evaluation of Taedi by several stages in secret.

Then he growled and said to Taedi.

“I will report you on the forum for proxy authentication.”

“Heavens!”

The long ears of Taedi, who had been hopping around happily just a moment ago, drooped down in an instant.

“Wh-Why? H-How?”

“If you are curious, try authenticating it.”

“…….”

Somehow, since it felt like that formidable disciple would really report her by any means necessary, Taedi decided to simply give up.