Chapter 331

Chapter 331

“Yes, y-yes. Here…”

“Thank you. Truly.”

Roan soon put the shovel he received from El and Jennifer into his lucky pouch.

Perhaps they had not expected him to really take it, for not only the two of them but also Roan’s friends seemed slightly surprised.

…Although it was not something a righteous priest would do, Roan was a black mage, so on second thought, there seemed to be no big problem even if he took it!

‘Yes, I bought them food last time, and especially for Jennifer, I even taught her the wine manufacturing technique.’

Roan decided to justify his actions like that.

—H-He really took it, that guy?

—My goodness, to that extent…

‘What do you want me to do?’

Roan was gradually getting used to the reactions of the students, who made a fuss whether he took it or not.

And he decided to be a bit more shameless.

It was good up to that point.

—It seems he lacks a lot of money to reconstruct his family.

—He is a bit pitiful…

Twitch—

Being treated as a beggar was something he could not tolerate under any circumstances.

He was probably one of the richest among the students, at least!

Although the number one spot was Zorv, who was overwhelmingly rich.

Roan gripped his staff tightly and glared fiercely at the whispering students.

Naturally, they avoided his gaze and scattered, as if they had never whispered.

Honestly, even if they combined all the talants of the students here, it would clearly be no match for Roan.

“Wow, Roan is a shovel-rich guy~ Mmm… no, shovel-rich. They say that these days. It’s not in a good sense, though.”

Demona tried to speak cheekily as always without knowing anything, but quickly curled her tail after noticing Roan’s gaze.

Since Roan was someone who pulled out a dagger at any time these days, she felt she might really get stabbed if she did something wrong.

Demona changed the subject for no reason.

“Anyway, when is Professor Joy coming?”

“She is not a professor but a teaching assistant.”

“They say that too~”

It meant that Joy was the one holding class anyway, so there was no need to be so uptight.

It was indeed almost class time.

The students naturally seemed to think that Joy, not Timothy, would come and conduct the class this time as well.

But.

Vrooom— Vroooooom—!!!

“Daaaaaaarkkkkkk!!!!!”

For some reason, from the sky over there, Timothy was flying while wearing his usual cap with a propeller, fluttering.

Seeing that, the students rubbed their eyes.

—Hey, is my eye weird?

—Professor Timothy came in person?

A mysterious sight that made them doubt their own eyes even after seeing it in person!

‘It’s amazing enough that a professor is coming to their own class, but for them to be this surprised…’

Roan felt very uncomfortable, but because he was also a bit surprised, he did not say it out loud.

If only he had not called him as he came, he could have been more purely amazed.

Chug-chug-chug—

Timothy slowly lowered the output of his cap and landed on the ground.

Then, naturally, he ran fiercely toward Roan.

“Darc, you rascal!”

“Roan, did you steal an artifact from Professor Timothy’s room?”

“…How could I.”

Roan wore an expression asking how she could say such an unlucky thing at Demona’s question.

“Unless you did, how could he do that?”

Demona tilted her head.

That was also a question for Roan.

The answer naturally lay with Timothy.

“Where did you leave the Abyssal Dragon?!”

Timothy asked, snorting fiercely as if his own dragon had disappeared.

—What, he was doing that because of Yong-yong?

—A bit too much.

This was the only situation where Roan would receive support from the students.

“Don’t tell me you already handed it over to someone behind my back? I feel like this excessively kind fellow might actually do that!”

Shudder—!!!

At the phrase ‘excessively kind fellow,’ all the students shuddered.

—A bit too much…

—Definitely too much.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Roan replied with good words.

“Since I thought you would be like this, Professor, I just left it at the shelter. I plan to retrieve it after class.”

“Shelter? Who is this fellow named shelter?!”

Timothy raged, turning his face red.

“““…?”””

The students who had doubted their eyes earlier now began to doubt their ears.

Demona could not hold back and opened her mouth.

“Roan, it seems Professor Timothy is slightly— Mmph!”

“Shut up, you idiot Demona!”

“Do you want to get fined again?!”

Fortunately, thanks to friends who considered even someone like Demona a friend, her debt did not increase further.

Timothy also realized how the surrounding atmosphere was turning and cleared his throat.

“Cough, cough, yes. You left it at the shelter, you say.”

“Yes.”

“Tch, then my business is finished.”

“Yes?”

Vrooooooom—!!!!

Timothy, who was stroking his long beard with a very displeased look, immediately activated his cap again and flew into the sky in an instant.

His business had not been the trivial pop quiz!

Flash—!

It did not take long for Timothy’s figure to completely disappear.

—Professor, we have a pop quiz today?

—Hey, too late.

—Ah, really?

For instance, it was before a student’s question could even finish!

The students always thought so, but today they doubted even more strongly.

‘Can a person like that be a professor?’

It was not any other day but the day of a pop quiz, so what kind of case was it to come all this way only to just leave?

Before everyone’s dumbfoundedness could even fade, a person equipped with perfect hiking gear appeared from below the hill.

“You are all gathered.”

—Teaching Assistant Joy!

It was Timothy’s assistant, Joy.

Only then did the students welcome Joy with expressions showing that the world seemed to be turning properly again.

Because the students behaved excessively nicely, she asked with a slightly suspicious look.

“Did something happen?”

“Professor Timothy visited!”

At Demona’s bright reply, Joy asked in a slightly surprised tone.

“Professor Timothy did? Why?”

—…?

The students were rather bewildered by Joy’s bewildered appearance.

‘Isn’t it not that surprising for a professor to come to their own class?’

Only then did Joy change the question slightly.

“Why did he leave?”

“Ah~ He said his business was finished?”

“…So I am asking what that business was, Student Wicronon.”

As she had spent quite some time under Timothy, Joy rarely got angry.

But even she had no way of dealing with Demona’s conversational style.

“He went to find a fellow named shelter!”

“…”

Joy stared at Demona with cold eyes—to be more precise, with contempt—and then shifted her gaze entirely to Roan.

Roan replied calmly.

“He left after knowing that Bel wasn’t here.”

“Ah, I see. Well done.”

Only then was Joy’s doubt cleanly resolved, and she nodded.

‘I should have asked Roan in the first place.’

It was obvious she was thinking the same thing.

“Roan, but why did you leave Bel and Charlotte at the shelter?”

This time, Rafia asked.

Usually, most students brought their spiritual beasts to outdoor classes.

It was partly due to the regret of not being able to bring them to classroom lectures, and above all, the utility of spiritual beasts in outdoor classes could not be ignored.

Although they did not know how the exam would be conducted, it would still be much better to have them than not.

Roan replied casually.

“Because of Professor Timothy.”

“…Ah.”

Rafia and her friends immediately nodded.

If it was for that reason, they couldn’t help it.

And they could also understand why Joy had told Roan ‘well done.’

Indeed, he had just rushed in solely because of Bel.

‘Then did Roan anticipate that the professor would do that…?’

They were almost becoming a bit scared of how far their friend, Roan, could see.

Well, he was scary to begin with, though.

But what Roan prepared had not even begun yet.

Meanwhile, Joy began to guide them on the history class’s pop quiz.

“The test is simple. You just need to find and bring back an item of historical value from the surroundings. Old relics or traces of ancient civilizations, or anything like that. Ah, there is something I forgot to guide you on.”

Uncharacteristically, Joy seemed slightly flustered.

“In order to find items, you need an excavation shovel. Since I failed to guide you, for this time only, I will use school supplies—”

—Teaching Assistant, we have excavation shovels!

—We brought them!

“Yes?”

Joy tilted her head as she saw the students proudly taking out their excavation shovels.

‘Usually, even if I tell them to bring them, they don’t?’

The proud Akerandir students often held out, claiming they would not receive the help of an excavation shovel even after receiving guidance.

Yet this year, they just brought them on their own!

Joy smiled faintly and said.

“It seems everyone has a great interest in history.”

—That’s not it…

—There’s no way that’s the case.

‘Isn’t saying there’s no way that’s the case a bit too much?’

Seeing the students’ cold reactions, even Roan looked back at them dubiously.

As someone who loved history—or lore—it hurt his heart to see it treated like that.

Naturally, Joy’s expression also became quite bad.

“Then why did you bring excavation shovels?”

—Darc said we needed them!

“Oh, indeed Student Darc—”

—He said he’s going to run an excavation shovel business in the future!

“…It’s a misunderstanding.”

Roan shook his head as if he had no intention of doing so.

Of all businesses, he had absolutely no reason to run a low-margin excavation shovel business.

“Why, Roan? Didn’t you receive excavation shovels from El and Jennifer earlier?”

“…”

“…It’s really a misunderstanding.”

Though the appearance was indeed not very good.

Even thinking with common sense, there was no way he would run a business with a mere two shovels.

Thwack—!

“Ow! Why did you suddenly hit me when you’ve been behaving well lately, Black Knight!”

Demona was suddenly chased by the Black Knight, who was throwing a tantrum, and began to run all over the empty lot.

“Hmm… Anyway, it is a relief that everyone brought excavation shovels. The scores will be differentiated based on the value of the items each of you finds. And it will be to your advantage to return as quickly as possible.”

—Yes? Why?

The students tilted their heads at Joy’s words to return quickly.

Of course it would be better than coming late, but the class time was sufficiently relaxed.

Joy replied with a serious expression.

“Around the end of class, the professor will return. Then you will have to be evaluated by him.”

Whoosh—!!!!

—Argh! The professor is coming!

—Find it quickly!

—I’m first, I’m first!

—Get lost!

…They were Akerandir students who prided themselves on highly sophisticated civic consciousness and noble pride.

Anyway, at the news that Timothy was coming, the students vanished into the mountain in an instant without a second word.

“Wow~ everyone is fast. Aren’t we going, Roan?”

Demona, who had been chased until just now, looked at the mountain in wonder as the students who had packed the empty lot vanished in an instant.

The Black Knight and Banjjak also stared blankly at the mountain next to their master, resembling her.

Roan looked at the excavation shovel held in Sion’s hand and asked.

“Rather than being hasty, one must be faithful to the basics. Does everyone know how to use an excavation shovel?”

“Of course, naturally~”

Demona shrugged, squatted down, and dug the shovel into the ground.

Thump— thump—

Despite being the size of a small trowel, the excavation shovel dug up a volume of soil much larger than its blade.

It was a common feature of excavation shovel items.

“Isn’t this how you use a shovel? You look at me too dumbly~”

“““…”””

“Huh? Why?”

Demona, who was giggling, did not know the reason when her friends only stared down blankly at her in silence.

Even Teaching Assistant Joy, who was standing over there, was looking at her with a complicated gaze.

‘That idiot, I think she really is dumb.’