Chapter 276

Chapter 276

“Let’s stop there.”

Demona was about to argue back immediately, but Roan cut her off by covering her mouth beforehand.

‘Where on earth did she hear about freedom of speech?’

In fact, in the imperial society, which was a monarchy, freedom of speech was not yet guaranteed!

The reason was, naturally, due to the authority of the gods and issues regarding black mages.

Of course, since it was a place where people lived, their opinions were listened to some extent, but it was not codified in law.

Meanwhile, Atoga, having processed Demona’s fine, clapped his hands and cheerfully resumed the class.

“Now, there was a brief commotion. It seems quite a few students have passed the pop quiz in the meantime, but those who haven’t passed yet should try quickly during the remaining time.”

The cheapskate Atoga looked so nonchalant that one could hardly imagine he had just had his assistant fine a student!

Roan nodded, thinking that there were indeed things to learn, even from classes at the Holy Academy.

‘He behaves so nonchalantly after doing something so petty. I should lie even more confidently from now on.’

Wooong—

I-Is that right?

The Fake Divinity was slightly dumbfounded that there was nothing else to learn, even if it was the Holy Academy.

* * *

Slide—

─ I-I did it…!

─ Yes, good work, student. It’s not a perfect score, but you pass.

With the student who hesitated, unable to bring themselves to stab with the dagger, and ended up only receiving points for healing magic as the last one.

The pop quiz for the healing class was completely over.

“Now, everyone, you have worked hard! Since this is your second penance, haven’t you gotten a little used to it?”

─ Yes, Professor!

The students answered Atoga’s question brightly.

In a way, it might have seemed like they were saying empty words out of joy that the exam was over.

─ But honestly, it’s secretly kind of thrilling(?), isn’t it?

─ I know, right? I’ve come to see the seniors majoring in penance in a new light! Maybe I should go in that direction too?

─ ……I think I’ll see you in a new light too.

Quite a few students had indeed grown accustomed to penance.

In fact, wounds of the level inflicted by daggers usually developed a pain tolerance rather quickly.

The fact that this place was Acherandir, a sanctuary specialized in growth.

And the fact that, although they looked completely pathetic in Roan’s eyes, those students were also resources whose talents were recognized to some extent in the empire, was the combined result.

This meant Professor Atoga wasn’t pushing them to stab themselves with knives in a reckless manner simply out of a mindset of ‘I can’t be the only one undergoing penance.’

Atoga spoke with a grin.

“Very good. Even if it is scary right now, getting used to such wounds and pain will gradually be of great help in overcoming fear in real combat.”

‘That is indeed the established theory.’

Roan also nodded in agreement with Atoga’s words.

Certainly, there was a big difference in pain tolerance between Acherandir playable characters and external characters.

Moreover, a mental strength that didn’t allow their stats to drop even after seeing cruel scenes also played a major role.

Seeing Roan, Atoga smiled even wider and pointed at him.

“As you can see by looking at Student Darc over there!”

“?”

Roan wore a lukewarm expression, not knowing why his name was suddenly brought up.

─ Indeed, they say even if you’re dragged into a black mages’ den, you can come out alive if you just keep your wits about you, right?

─ You dummy, Roan actually did come out alive.

─ That’s why the professor is praising him!

Yet, the students understood Atoga’s words perfectly and agreed.

It was a stark contrast to the past, when they would blindly envy and curse whenever Roan’s name was mentioned.

‘It’s not bad… but I just want to live quietly.’

Roan’s original goal was to spend his school days as peacefully as possible without drawing attention and then graduate.

Then again, he could just think of this kind of reaction as a step toward that goal.

Wooong—

……Are you sure you want to live quietly?

‘To live quietly, I must build up my strength without getting caught.’

That’s true.

‘But flies keep gathering while I’m building that strength, so what do you expect me to do?’

……

The Fake Divinity had nothing in particular to say.

Hearing it, it did seem that way, but.

Wasn’t he also seeking out the flies just a little bit?

But acknowledging that outright felt a bit uncomfortable.

Wooong—

Well, let’s just leave it at that.

‘Yes, leaving it at that is fine.’

Roan and the Fake Divinity came to a quick conclusion!

Assuming all was well, there was no benefit in persistently questioning who was responsible for such issues anyway.

“Everyone has worked hard taking the pop quiz. We will end today’s class here.”

─ Wa-aaaah!!!

“Ah, and from next week, it will be more convenient if you carry a personal dagger like Student Darc.”

─ Wow…

Atoga and the assistant left the lecture hall after making the students fluctuate between joy and despair once.

With this, the morning class was truly over.

Roan and his friends all went outside together to have lunch as always.

Rafia caressed the thigh she had stabbed with the dagger and marveled.

“Healing holy magic, I cast it myself, but it’s truly amazing. How is it not painful at all? No scar remains either.”

“Isn’t that why it’s healing holy magic?”

Hektor answered thoughtlessly.

At the same time, the three female students glared at him.

“W-Why again?!”

Hektor asked, startled as if recalling bad memories.

“In times like this, you should show empathy!”

“Exactly!”

Sion scolded Hektor with her hands on her waist, and Riel mumbled as usual.

Demona stood behind Hektor and whispered.

“Fanatic, Riel said to you, ‘Trash who can’t even show empathy!’”

“……Isn’t that what you wanted to say?”

“H-Heeek! How did you know? When did a fanatic like you learn mind-reading from Roan?”

The sharp glares focused on Hektor instantly shifted to Demona.

Hektor’s glare was added as a bonus.

However, Demona tilted her head, completely ignoring her friends’ stinging gazes.

“Oh? That’s strange.”

“……What is, Demona?”

Rafia straightened her expression and asked.

Although she hated to admit it, there were indeed many times when strange things occurred after Demona felt an abnormal sign.

“By now, Roan should have scary-like said, ‘There is no such thing as mind-reading holy magic,’ and scolded us.”

Demona looked around to find Roan.

“……When did I ever speak in a scary way?”

Although Roan’s answer was heard, his position was definitely suspicious.

He was keeping an ambiguous distance, as if trying to slip away from his friends secretly.

Sion asked Roan.

“Roan, where are you going?”

Sion, thinking it was even stranger because Roan would always tell them he was leaving first even if they didn’t know the exact reason whenever he went away.

Roan pondered for a moment with a lukewarm expression.

‘I have to go learn Void now.’

And for good reason, it was a topic he couldn’t speak of!

Looking for a suitable reason, Roan eventually came up with a very time-honored and highly versatile excuse for this kind of situation.

“……The restroom.”

“Ah.”

Sion blushed, thinking she had asked something unnecessary.

Of course, there was no one who didn’t use the restroom in life, but hearing the words come out of Roan’s mouth made her feel extremely embarrassed for some reason.

Wouldn’t she look like a petty person who couldn’t even understand such private matters and kept prying?

Rafia and Riel also subtly avoided their gaze or fidgeted with their fingers, similar to Sion.

On the other hand, Demona laughed cheerfully and spoke.

“Ah~ Roan has to go to the restroom too! Hurry back!”

However, Roan replied with a rather complex and subtle expression once again.

“……I don’t think I can return quickly, though.”

Of course, while in the Forbidden Library, external time stops.

Even so, when considering rising to intermediate magic properly and learning advanced attributes, there could be aftereffects even after coming out.

In fact, for an ordinary black mage character, doing both at the same time was a pipe dream, and it was standard to lie low for about a month even if resolving them one by one.

It was similar to how animals that shed their skin or molted had to be careful for a while.

It was only because it was Roan, with a talent value of 100, that he could even think of breaking through the bad ending like this.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Roan’s words, his friends also exchanged uneasy looks with one another.

‘Have you ever seen Roan go to the restroom?’

‘No. Have you?’

‘I haven’t either, of course~’

‘Then…?’

‘Could it be…!’

Roan’s friends arrived at a conclusion in an instant!

Particularly, the three female students nodded eagerly as if they fully understood Roan’s distress.

“”’This time, let’s protect Roan!”'”

At that moment, Hektor laughed tactlessly and spoke.

“Hahaha, that can happen when the environment changes! I also struggled a lot at first—”

“Priest’s Whip!”

With that, Sion’s disciplinary holy magic flew in instantly!

“Ugh, cough! S-Sion, why me…!”

“We aren’t really curious about your struggles~”

Hektor fell over with a look of betrayal, as if he had never expected to be hit by Sion’s disciplinary holy magic.

“Roan! Go on quickly! We will be waiting here for you!”

“Yeah, Roan! Take your time!”

“Waiting.”

“……Huh? Ah, sure.”

Roan wondered what on earth had happened to the three female students in that brief moment, but since the conversation seemed to end well, he took his leave.

Roan’s footsteps as he walked toward the restroom looked subtly light.

“”’As expected, we could look out for Roan too!”'”

The female students exchanged meaningful glances, feeling extremely proud.

If Roan knew they were thinking this over just a restroom visit, he would have been quite dumbfounded, but that was how it was for now.

Meanwhile, Demona approached the trembling, collapsed Hektor and spoke.

“Fanatic, Sion’s disciplinary holy magic doesn’t hurt much. You can just get up.”

At that, the expression of Hektor, who had been in pain until just now, subtly returned to normal.

“Ah, really? I thought it would naturally hurt since it is disciplinary holy magic.”

Come to think of it, it really didn’t hurt much!

Hektor patted his body as if checking if he was truly unhurt, then brushed himself off and stood up.

Demona said, ‘Of course,’ and spoke.

“Of course~ It can’t compare to Roan’s~”

“Hahaha! Indeed!”

The two laughed heartily, standing up as if nothing had happened despite being hit by disciplinary holy magic!

“““……?”””

Naturally, the female students watched them with dumbfounded expressions.

“Sion, are you sure you used the Priest’s Whip?”

“Y-Yes.”

Sion nodded, her eyes drooping at Rafia’s question.

It was a Priest’s Whip she had learned by even gaining enlightenment in her own way, so seeing it be so useless made her feel down.

Then, Demona tilted her head at Sion and spoke.

“Sion, is the Saintess candidate depressed because the power of her disciplinary holy magic is weak?”

“I-It’s not that!”

Sion denied it, her face flushing.

“Then why are you like that?”

“That’s……”

Even so, she was at a loss for words.

‘It’s not like I want to be good at using disciplinary holy magic either!’

It was a situation where she had a lot to say, but no matter how she put it, it would sound strange.

Hektor chimed in with a chuckle.

“Bwahaha, it’s fine! Sion’s disciplinary holy magic did hurt. It’s just that the opponent was too bad!”

“Of course~ Our bodies have been forged by Roan’s disciplinary holy magic~”

Demona and Hektor boasted!

Sion’s face turned beet red as if it might burst from embarrassment.

‘Still, getting hit by disciplinary holy magic often isn’t something to brag about, is it, Riel?’

‘Obviously…’

Rafia and Riel, watching them, were quite dumbfounded.

Disciplinary holy magic was clearly a brutal category that priests rarely used, so what on earth was this…?