Chapter 267

Chapter 267

Professor Timothy’s pop quiz.

Other than that, there was no reason to go get the handkerchief in such a hurry.

Actually, Roan had already finished planning to some extent for the history class’s pop quiz, but the future Roan had gone one step further than that.

‘As expected of me. To think I even foresaw something like that.’

Roan praised himself very naturally, as if praising someone else.

It seemed that the implementation of Roan moving inside the Prophet’s Eye was considerably more outstanding than he had expected.

At first, he had only been scheming for ways not to be caught by Lucia, but if there really was such a reason, he absolutely had to obtain the handkerchief.

If it were other professors it might be different, but if it was Timothy, there was a high possibility he would be quite petulant because Roan had not given him the Abyss Dragon and had handed the divine relic over to the Holy Emperor’s Palace.

No, he definitely would be.

Thinking about that made Roan feel extremely aggrieved.

‘Come to think of it, it was originally mine, so why does he act as if he had left it in my care……!’

Common sense dictated that the person who asked for it should feel sorry, not the person who didn’t give it!

But what could he do?

If a professor acted like that, from the student’s perspective, they just had to endure it and live with it.

Squeeze─!

Without realizing it, Roan tightly squeezed the bread he had torn in half.

The soft bread crumpled up and squished out above and below Roan’s fist.

“““Hyaaaak──!”””

The friends, who were already unsettled by Roan’s expression, screamed at the sudden act of violence (?).

—Wh-what’s going on, since morning?

—Did the headmaster come or something?

—It’s from Darc’s side?

—Ah, whatever. Then we don’t have to pay attention to it.

The other students, who had also been startled, thought that Roan must have done ‘Roan things’ again, and soon lost interest.

On the other hand, Roan, not understanding the reason for his friends’ overreaction, asked.

“Why are you all acting like that?”

Did he really have to ask?

The friends were extremely dumbfounded.

If someone who looked like Roan suddenly reduced the bread they were holding to such a state, it was only natural to be startled.

But what could they do?

If Roan acted like that, the friends had no choice but to apologize first.

Roan, who was being treated similarly to a professor without even knowing it!

“Ro-Roan, I’m sorry……”

“I was wrong……”

In particular, Demona and Hector, who had the most guilty consciences, were the most enthusiastic.

Roan glared at the two, who were begging for forgiveness suspiciously hard, and asked.

“What did you guys do again?”

Since they weren’t the type to apologize for no reason, they must have committed some misdeed behind his back.

Demona and Hector sweated profusely as they made excuses.

“We secretly stole and ate your food in the dormitory last night……”

“You foolish heretic! Didn’t I tell you we had to be careful!”

“What? You crazy fanatic, you were the one who said we should steal and eat it because you were hungry first!”

Then, they immediately began bickering, swinging their fists at each other.

Roan let out a deep sigh.

He had worried that they might have said something out of line to the professors in the classes they took separately, but it seemed that was not the case.

Seeing that, the two shouted more urgently.

“B-but we still gave our thanks to Roan’s parents before eating!”

“That’s right! We prayed very diligently!”

“It is my food that you ate, so why do you give thanks to my parents?”

“Uh? Now that you mention it, why?”

“I-it became a habit……?”

Demona and Hector stared blankly at each other, tilting their heads.

No doubt they had just done that and got it over with because they were too scared to ask Roan.

Of course, the female students listening to their conversation were simply appalled.

‘‘‘Are they really out of their minds?’’’

No matter how stupid they were, if they could think even a little, they wouldn’t steal and eat the food of someone who blasted them with Punishment Holy Arts every single day.

……Well, then again, if they were people capable of such thoughts, they wouldn’t be hit by Punishment Holy Arts every day in the first place.

Roan waved his hand as if the food didn’t matter.

“If you want to eat, go ahead and eat it. I need to eat it up and clear it out soon anyway.”

Although the dormitory had a holy relic similar to a refrigerator treated with holy magic, even so, there was strictly an expiration date.

“Really?”

“Th-then, you won’t tear us apart and kill us?”

“……What?”

Roan could not understand why such sinister talk suddenly came out.

That was not something you should say to a black mage who was trying to live a good and gentle life somehow!

“Y-you thought well, Roan. Those two are insolent, but otherwise, you’d only be the one losing out.”

“That’s right!”

Rafia and Zion nodded continuously, praising Roan.

Since Roan had generously let it slide, they wanted to wrap up the situation quickly without provoking him further.

However, because it made it look as if he had actually harbored such thoughts to anyone watching, Roan said, feeling slightly aggrieved.

“No, I had no intention of tearing you apart and killing you in the first place.”

“Hieek─! How could you say such a harsh thing!”

When Roan denied it, Demona was instead even more shocked.

“Why…… no, never mind.”

Not knowing what kind of exhausting words would come out next, Roan shook his head and stood up from his seat.

She would surely say something like, ‘Just how much more brutally are you planning to kill us?!’

“Let’s just go to class. It’s a pop quiz.”

“Y-yes……”

As Roan stood up, the other friends also got up to follow him.

In the morning was Professor Atoga’s healing holy magic class.

There was nothing in particular to prepare for the pop quiz.

Ah, there was one thing.

‘I need to do some mental preparation.’

Because even though he looked normal on the outside, Atoga always used to make them do extraordinary things.

The first semester’s pop quiz was no different.

And once the morning class was over.

‘I will enter the Forbidden Library immediately.’

He intended to learn the Void attribute in preparation for tonight.

Void, like Abyss, is a type of advanced attribute.

While Abyss was an advanced attribute at the basic/beginner stage, Void was a full-fledged intermediate stage.

Both were incredibly powerful, but even more than that, they depended heavily on talent, so those who mastered them among all black mages were only a handful.

However, Void was originally famous for not showing much trace of black magic, so it was well known to be learned by schools or groups that operated in secret.

To be precise, they attempted to learn it.

‘If I succeed, I’ll be walking on a flower path as a black mage.’

In the black magic system of God & Devil, choosing an advanced attribute was similar to selecting a tech tree.

For instance, to learn Void, one had to learn Abyss first at the beginner stage.

Still, truly learning Void without turning to another path at the intermediate stage was called ‘theorycrafting God & Devil,’ but.

‘If it’s Roan, there won’t be any problem.’

Roan intended to push through with his talent.

Indeed, if someone with a talent stat of 100 couldn’t even do that much, who on earth could?

Hearing Roan’s thoughts, the two Authorities whispered.

—Brother, the master is more conceited than I thought.

—He was always like that.

Roan quietly asked as he listened to the Authorities.

‘So, you think I can’t do it?’

—Of course not, master.

—You can probably do it.

The Authorities quickly acknowledged their master.

The two Authorities also believed that if it was impossible for Roan, no one would be able to accomplish it.

* * *

Hetrona Hall.

Demona called out to Roan with a subtle expression.

“Roan, you know, I’ve been to Professor Wooly’s warehouse several times lately, right?”

“Yeah.”

When Roan nodded, Demona shrugged her shoulders and chattered.

“Maybe that’s why, but I feel like I can stab my arm now without batting an eye!”

Roan stared at Demona with a somewhat pitiful gaze.

“Why?”

“……Nothing.”

Roan shook his head.

No matter how much Demona usually troubled him, it was pitiful to hear a girl who had just turned sixteen say that she could stab her own arm without batting an eye.

Well, knowing Demona’s personality, she would try to avoid it somehow when the time actually came.

Just then, Hector, who was next to her, also called out to Roan as if refusing to be outdone.

“Roan, I also have something to say.”

“……What is it?”

“I also did some image training in preparation for Professor Atoga’s pop quiz.”

“Oh ho.”

Roan cast his eyes on Hector as if interested.

To think he did such a beneficial activity as image training.

Hector snorted and said.

“In my opinion, the pop quiz will likely be conducted in a way that combines penance and healing.”

“Yeah, that’s a good approach.”

“Oh~ Hector~ what’s got into you?”

When Roan nodded, Rafia clapped her hands and praised him.

Although Hector usually fooled around a lot, the way he prepared for the pop quiz in advance like that was something to learn from.

“I thought about it carefully, and wouldn’t we have to pull out our fingernails or whip ourselves, and then heal it ourselves?”

“…….”

Hearing Hector’s prediction, Roan was temporarily left speechless.

Of course, pulling out fingernails or whipping oneself was a time-honored penance.

But somehow, coming from Hector, he could guess where that idea had come from.

In fact, didn’t those things have an even longer history elsewhere than as penances?

“Did Professor Kaina tell you that?”

“Huh? How did you know? As expected, Roan, you have a talent for interrogation!”

Hector gasped in admiration.

Roan glared at Hector menacingly.

“Are you joking right now?”

“Wh-why are you like that?”

Hector flinched and stepped back.

However, Demona, who had been grinning until a moment ago, suddenly flew into a rage at Hector instead.

“Look at this pathetic fake heretic inquisitor!”

“What? If you don’t take that back right now—”

“You should be the one taking it back! What? Roan has a talent for interrogation?”

It seemed Demona was genuinely angry.

Roan decided to listen to Demona’s words for now, without expecting much.

“Is pulling fingernails and whipping what interrogation is? Is that the essence of interrogation, I ask!”

“I-is it not?”

Hector blinked and asked back.

……Actually, most heretic inquisitors in God & Devil thought that way.

Inquisitors who, upon seeing a black mage, would immediately grab red-hot iron tongs and charge!

Demona clicked her tongue and threw a word.

“You fellow who can’t even distinguish between means and ends. What did you learn from Professor Kaina for two weeks? Interrogation is about obtaining the desired information and making them reflect on their wrongs! Inflicting only pain is torture, inhumane torture! Are you saying now that Roan has a talent for such cruel acts?”

Everyone was surprised by Demona’s solemn scolding.

—Brother, that kid is my descendant, my descendant!

—When you were just saying you didn’t even know her.

—Ah, if they do well, they are descendants! If they do poorly, they are strangers, aren’t they?

It was the same for Roan’s Authorities.

“Keuh……”

Struck a heavy blow, Hector clutched his chest and stumbled backward.

Indeed, torture without reason was prohibited by imperial law.

The problem was that it was extremely difficult to distinguish between justified interrogation and unjustified torture.

And in the first place, very few people bothered to try and make that distinction.

“W-wow……”

“Demona, that’s amazing.”

“Splendid……!”

The female students clapped their hands and admired Demona’s dignity.

Other students passing by also chipped in.

—It seems a Wycronon spoke the truth again?

—I listened in for a bit, and they said Darc’s fingernails would be pulled and he’d be whipped during the healing class.

—Wow! As expected of a Wycronon? There’s nothing they don’t know?

—But who does that?

—……Huh?