Chapter 255

Chapter 255

[Master, why am I a master?]

Bell and Charlotte did not understand why this oddly dressed person called them masters.

However, since she had already been caught, and since the divine beasts were startled, Nia placed the divine beasts down gently on the ground for now.

“Tch. To think you noticed my movements.”

Nia, whose rather elaborate scheme (?) was discovered, turned her head away in slight disappointment.

And then she muttered like this:

“Kyaooong, kit-kit.”

“““???”””

The people, including Sion, tilted their heads.

It was a natural reaction whenever Nia spoke in the cries of divine and spiritual beasts.

Rather, it was Bell whose eyes went wide.

[To say such harsh words…!]

Though they didn’t know what it was, it seemed to be a language that Bell could understand.

Bell ran quickly to Roan to tell on her.

[Master, Master, do you know what that person just said?]

Roan spoke to Nia with a calm expression.

“I am not just a lucky softie, Senior.”

Originally, it was a much more violent (?) remark, but it could be expressed like that for now.

At that, all beings in the club room capable of being surprised were startled.

“““???!?!?”””

[Y-You understood?!]

“You, did you understand my words, junior?”

Nia in particular, her eyes growing as large as lightbulbs, ran hurriedly to Roan.

‘Hmm. But it’s not good if she gets too close.’

Although there was no problem censorship-wise (?), a burdensome thing was still burdensome, so Roan stepped back slightly.

“How did you understand it? How?”

“Is it not the language of the Desert Lizard clan? It is a language that humans can sufficiently use as well.”

The Desert Lizard clan referred to the lizard beastmen living in the desert far outside the Empire.

They still used a unique language similar to what they used during their lizard days, and it was researched in its own way under the immense interest of the Empire’s linguists.

In particular, their language allowed for reasonably smooth communication with reptile-type divine and spiritual beasts, making it highly acclaimed not only by linguists but also by scholars of divine and spiritual beasts.

Roan had studied very basic communication during his play days in “God & Devil” to clear their quests.

‘Of course, it sounds exceptionally clear despite that… this is probably due to the correction being applied.’

No matter how much of a veteran player Roan was, it was difficult to memorize all of those numerous dark magic circles or knowledge.

It was largely thanks to things becoming somewhat clearer after the possession.

…Of course, most of it was knowledge he originally knew.

In any case, hearing Roan’s words, Nia grinned widely.

“You are truly… a truly proper human, aren’t you?!”

“Well, I just do the basics. Just the basics.”

“Do you know how much basic-lacking garbage there is in this world!”

Flinch—

The Saintess, Saintess candidate, and heir of the Richmond family, who suddenly became ‘basic-lacking garbage,’ comforted each other by exchanging glances.

‘Don’t worry, you aren’t garbage just because you don’t know that.’

‘It’s really okay not to know, right?’

‘Those guys who know such things are the strange ones.’

Just since when had society become one where the language of reptiles was a basic qualification!

‘Indeed, there is no knowledge that goes to waste once studied.’

Roan thought that although the process had been a bit difficult, it was a good thing he had studied the language of the Desert Lizard clan anyway.

Because he could build up a lot of intimacy with Nia, who was otherwise difficult to get close to.

An immense talent worthy of entering Sanctuary.

Added to that, Nia’s training of divine and spiritual beasts, having practically lived in nature for almost her entire life, truly surpassed the realm of humanity.

To make a comparison, it was at a level where even a spiritual beast she saw for the first time would follow her like a child, and a divine beast she just met would become a soulmate.

Naturally, she did not establish a general contract relationship, and it was easy to think of her as the final version of the Espard line.

In any case, Nia offered a handshake to Roan and greeted him once more.

“I look forward to working with you. But since I still don’t know the language of the Abyss Dragon well, let’s research hard as humans who understand each other!”

Although he did not want to become a human who understood Nia, Roan held her hand for now, thinking that a good thing was a good thing.

“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”

If he built up intimacy with Nia, he could obtain assistance in various quests and events.

Nia examined Roan’s face carefully and admired.

“Wow, but your impression is truly scarier than what I heard! If I saw you at night, even I would be a bit scared!”

“??!!!?”

Sion, who was next to them, was startled.

To speak so freely of words that even they, as his friends, were too scared to say!

‘No matter if she’s a senior! She could die at Roan’s hands!’

…For some reason, the point of her surprise seemed a bit strange, though.

Just then, Yusina whispered in Sion’s ear.

“It’s fine. Nia saying someone has a scary impression is actually a compliment.”

“Uh, that’s not… ah, haha, is that so?”

Yusina smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, they say in nature, if you have a scary impression, you live long or something? When she first met me, she said my impression was advantageous for survival.”

Surely, even in Sion’s eyes, Yusina’s looks were at a level advantageous for survival.

“Then what about Senior Zorv?”

“Did she say he would die quickly without money?”

Pfft, Sion ended up chuckling unconsciously.

Yusina called Nia and asked.

“Nia, how is Sion’s impression?”

“Hmm.”

Nia examined Sion’s face for a moment.

Sion felt somewhat nervous, and equally expectant.

After looking at her face and various parts of her body for a while, sniffing her, and listening to her sounds, Nia spoke.

“A weak human will die quickly if thrown onto a mountain.”

“…….”

Sion was lost for words at the evaluation which was more naked than expected.

However, there was not much room for refutation either.

Since the sight of Nia breaking through the barrier earlier was truly that of a wild beast itself.

‘D-Do you have to be at least that level to survive on a mountain?’

Sion caressed her soft forearm and pointlessly compared herself to Nia, whose body was firmly packed with muscle.

Meanwhile, Bell had been sticking close to Roan since earlier, bothering him.

Kyaong— Kyaooong—

[Master, can you understand this too? How about this?]

He was simply excited to learn that Roan could speak words similar to his own, whether it was of the Desert Lizard clan or the Lake Salamander clan.

Although it was a pity, Roan shook his head.

‘I cannot understand the native tongue (?) very well.’

[Aww…]

Having treated him like a native speaker, Bell drooped his wings in disappointment.

Still, it was very nice that he could communicate with his master thanks to the Rally of Sworn Allies.

And Charlotte, who stood lightly beside him.

Chirp-ruff-ruff—?

Charlotte let out some cry and tilted her head as she looked up at Roan.

From the circumstances, she seemed to be asking if he couldn’t understand her language.

“Hmm. I’ve heard some of the Avian race’s language from the western continent, but as expected of the native tongue…”

When Roan shook his head, Charlotte was also disappointed, and she went to sit demurely next to Bell.

Having overheard that conversation from the side, Sion looked at Roan with a displeased expression.

‘Leaving the Desert Lizard clan aside, how on earth the Avian race…?’

Did Roan’s parents perhaps appear in his dreams to teach him foreign language (?) conversation?

While Sion was locked in serious contemplation, Roan was also growing a bit troubled.

Flutter—

It was because of Pallangi, who for some reason had been fluttering and flying around him since earlier.

‘No matter how much of a genius I am, I really don’t understand the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings…’

* * *

After the first greetings ended with such a noisy fuss.

Yusina looked around the wild boar’s carcass that Nia had thrown into the club room and asked.

“Wow, but where did you get something like this, Nia?”

“The mountains give us many things. It is only humans who arrogantly reject them.”

“…….”

The atmosphere grew a bit cold at the pointed remark that followed.

Meanwhile, Zorv, who was looking at the wild boar carcass with Yusina, spoke without paying heed to the atmosphere.

“1 gold.”

Zorv, a natural-born merchant who started bargaining the moment he saw something slightly rare!

Nia spoke cheerfully to such Zorv.

“As expected, you judge everything by money, don’t you? I did not even expect a senior who is like the vanguard of mammonism and secularism to look at the wild boar sacrificed for us as it is!”

Sion felt the negative emotions such as contempt and hatred hidden beneath her cheerful tone of voice.

‘Just because the tone of voice is cheerful doesn’t make the content cheerful…’

Zorv snorted and shot back.

“Don’t sell it if you don’t want to. I didn’t expect civilization from a barbaric junior either.”

“To think a senior who has lived walled off from such magnanimity…”

It seemed Nia and Zorv were a combination of bitter rivals.

Zorv’s relaxed gaze and Nia’s beast-like gaze collided in midair.

Sparks—!!!

[Uh-oh? Sparks are flying over there.]

As both were individuals of considerable skill, sparks flew just from their staring contest, an amazing sight!

Swipe—

At that moment, Yusina casually erased the sparks with one hand and stepped in.

Although it looked simple to the eyes, it was not the case at all in reality.

‘I don’t think I can erase them so calmly to that extent yet either.’

The skills of such high-level named upperclassmen were not yet in a realm within Roan’s reach.

‘If it were around the second semester… maybe it would be different, though.’

Of course, considering his growth rate, it would not take very long.

“Don’t fight since it’s been a while since you met~ So, what are you going to do with this?”

Yusina asked Nia while smiling broadly.

Then, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Could it be that you brought it to cook for us yourself~?!”

The cooking skills of Nia, who lived alone in nature, were considerable.

Using all kinds of unique ingredients while preserving the natural taste as it was, it was an exquisite flavor.

There was no way Yusina, who loved eating itself, would not look forward to it.

Nia smiled brightly and nodded.

“Of course!”

“Oh, yeah!”

“Since Bell, Charlotte, Noeul-ie, and Pallangi are all gathered, how can I just let this pass?”

“You know their names too?!”

Leaving Bell and Charlotte aside as they were famous figures anyway.

Sion, who did not expect that she would even know her own divine and spiritual beasts, asked in surprise.

Nia spoke in a tone as if she would feel hurt by such a reaction.

“Of course! Sion, I didn’t know your name, but I know Noeul-ie and Pallangi!”

“……Ah, yes.”

And Sion became truly hurt.

Roan offered a word of comfort to Sion from her side.

“It is a relief that Senior Nia remembers your name even now. She probably still doesn’t know her classmates’ names well.”

Though it wasn’t much of a comfort.

Sion was also slightly worried that all the seniors in Sanctuary might be like Nia.

“Anyway, your aunt caught a precious wild boar to give you guys~!”

Nia spoke as she looked at the six divine and spiritual beasts here with eyes dripping with honey.

And then, she slid her hand between the scales and feathers plastered on her body and pulled out a sharply ground stone knife.

‘…How does a knife come out of there?’