Chapter 335

Chapter 335

At Sion’s casual words, Roan almost snapped his staff for a moment.

Sion had just purely thought, ‘As expected, even Roan doesn’t know what he doesn’t know,’ but…

To Roan’s ears, it sounded like, ‘What? He always pretends to know everything, but he doesn’t even know this?’

As expected of the devious (?) saintess candidate!

“Well, looking at its shape, it’s not hard to guess. It’s highly likely a catalyst to amplify the responsiveness of the gods, and looking at the pattern, it seems related to the water…”

Roan could no longer hold back and began to explain.

And coincidentally, Joy was also saying something similar.

“This is a catalyst to better draw out the gods’ revelations during the ritual. I need to interpret the pattern a bit more, but for now, it’s related to water…”

“““……?”””

The friends stared at Roan in bewilderment as he poured out words that were no different from Joy’s explanation.

If he was going to do that, why not just say he knew it?

Was he actually shy, unlike how he appeared?

Anyway, not long after this commotion, it was the friends’ turn.

“Ah, Student Pabilto.”

“Yes, Professor!”

Hector smirked confidently and presented the items he had gathered.

On the surface, they looked like ordinary junk relics dug up from the ground, no different from the other students’.

─ Hphm, Pabilto will probably barely pass this time.

─ It’s not like pushing with quantity will work~

─ That’s what happens when you hang out with Darc!

─ ……Should we hang out with him too?

However, Joy’s reaction defied the students’ expectations.

“T-this is! Where did you get this?”

“From the valley over there.”

Joy’s eyes, which were usually soaked in fatigue, widened by half.

The students focused, wondering, ‘What on earth is that?’

“Aren’t these the relics from Professor Timothy’s Camp No. 5123-247?”

─ W-what?

─ What is what?

─ They say it’s Professor Timothy’s stuff?

The students, who did not want to know in such detail—especially if it was related to Timothy—wore slightly disgusted expressions.

‘It means the 247th camp built in Imperial Year 5123, do they not know this simple thing?’

Roan clicked his tongue at the students’ ignorance, which, as expected, did not disappoint.

In any case, since it was an item from roughly 200 years ago and its owner was a named figure like Timothy, it had sufficient historical value.

It was an item that at least the Empire’s archaeologists would search for with fiery eyes.

“You worked very hard. Student Pabilto, of course, gets a perfect score.”

“Hahaha! Thank you, Assistant!”

“Then next…… Wait, this is?!?”

Joy’s eyes widened once again upon seeing the items held by Rafia, who was next.

“A-aren’t these the mountain landmark flags used by the professor?! Lost technology with an automatic preservation function and even beacon linkage!”

“Yes? Ah? Really?”

Rafia tilted her head as if broken at Joy’s suddenly transformed appearance.

She was saying something, but for some reason, there were few words she could understand.

‘Is it a foreign language?’

Of course, that was the perspective of those who did not know.

‘Hmm, as expected, she knows it well. Someone of Joy’s level is a fine civilized person.’

Roan watched the scene with satisfaction.

“Wait, Student Heilick, isn’t that the map of Acherandir from the Mid-Imperial Period?! A masterpiece that cannot even be compared to today’s cheap stuff…”

“Assistant scary.”

“As expected of Student Heilick, who cleared the Friendship Experience Hall with me!”

“A-Assistant Joy seems a bit strange…”

Demona slipped behind Roan’s back as she watched Joy, who had already entered the realm of madness.

“Do you want to submit yours first?”

“Yeah, you go first, Roan. Once the history ghosts meet, she’ll probably calm down a bit.”

“…….”

Roan thought about saying something back but decided to let it slide.

……Honestly, even to Roan, it felt like Joy was making too much of a fuss.

“Students Pabilto, Kedan, Heilick, and Beatrice all get perfect scores. Well done.”

“T-thank you!”

In any case, the four who were evaluated first easily got perfect scores.

Since they had submitted the most useless things among the items salvaged from the tent, they had secured all the actual valuable gains.

“Student Darc? Please come forward.”

Joy called Roan, who was next.

Her eyes seemed to say, ‘I am extremely curious about what you have.’

‘……Would it cause trouble if I gave her the excavation tool set?’

Roan pondered for a moment, thinking of the set he had put in his bag.

As anyone could see, Joy’s current state was one of extreme excitement.

If he gave it to her now, it might push her past her limit and make her think, ‘Huh? Is this a devil’s trial? Then could Darc also be a black mage?’ which would be a huge disaster.

Wooong──!

[You will surely win a literature prize in the future!]

Thump─

[When your book comes out, put a copy in my library~ Ah, though you’ll end up coming in anyway since you’re a black mage!]

The authorities admired Roan’s ability to come up with such creative scenarios of getting caught.

‘Are you absolutely sure such a thing won’t happen? 100%?’

…….

But the authorities could not answer Roan’s firm question.

Why did he have to ask so grimly, as if he were someone who had already been caught?

Of course, this was Roan’s first time playing such a character, so he had never actually experienced that.

‘But in God & Devil, things ended in absurd and forced ways more than once or twice.’

If asked to list similar situations, he could easily write a whole thesis.

Anyway, while Roan was stalling for a moment.

Tututututu────!!!!

An unusual sound began to echo from the sky.

“Joooyyyy!!!!”

─ Paper?

The students tilted their heads and looked toward the direction of the sound.

“What are you doing here?!”

There was Professor Timothy, flying in and shouting like thunder.

─ Heek! It’s Professor Timothy!

─ The real professor actually came!

─ Why on earth did he come again?

The students were thrown into panic by Timothy’s appearance.

‘Isn’t it about time they assumed it was Timothy whenever someone flew down from the sky?’

He flew down wearing that propeller hat during every single class, so it was almost fascinating that they still got surprised.

Above all, this was Timothy’s class!

They should be angry that he was neglecting the class, not surprised about why he came.

In any case.

Clatter──!!

Timothy landed roughly, rolling as usual, and rushed over to Joy in a single bound.

“I shall ask again! What are you doing here, Assistant Joy!”

Joy replied nonchalantly.

“I was grading the pop quiz.”

“Is that kind of thing important right now?!”

‘‘‘It’s pop quiz day, so isn’t it important?’’’

The students shared the same question, but they did not have the courage to say it to Timothy, who looked like a crazy dwarf.

Since most of the students had already finished grading, it didn’t really matter to them anyway.

─ What do we do? Who’s going to grade ours?

─ Can’t we get Darc to do it? They say he’s a history ghost.

─ Oh. Right, it was like that in Professor Beleck’s class too, wasn’t it?

Only a few students who had arrived even later than Roan and his friends were stomping their feet in anxiety.

Joy, also not backing down against Timothy’s momentum, spoke up.

“We are almost done. The next in line happens to be Student Darc.”

“What?! Darc?!”

Timothy nodded, his face turning so red it looked like it might explode.

“That should be worth seeing! By the way, what was today’s pop quiz?”

“““…….”””

Complete silence!

─ Hey, should we go see the principal?

─ Don’t even think about it. Who knows who else will show up if we do.

─ Yeah, it’s better to just not care. Since Assistant Joy is here.

─ Well, that’s true…

─ What if the history professor starts taking an interest in us…?

The students shuddered at the terrifying imagination.

In any case, with a reaction not much different from what he had expected, Roan calmly pulled out the excavation tool set he had prepared and handed it to Timothy.

Seeing the old-looking excavation shovel and box, Joy’s body trembled.

“That is…”

─ Hey, the assistant is acting a bit weird.

─ Well, she’s going to become a professor in the future anyway.

─ Ah?

The logic was that since she would become even weirder once she became a professor anyway, it didn’t matter if she was a little strange now!

Joy spoke in a trembling voice.

“That is the excavation tool set the professor used from the moment he walked the path of history until 200 years ago! I heard its whereabouts were currently unknown!”

Then, Demona, standing nearby, asked:

“Can’t you just ask the professor where it is?”

“……?”

She meant why they hadn’t thought of asking when the owner was alive and well, rather than only fussing about it now.

─ As expected, Wicronon only speaks the truth.

─ There’s a reason I like her.

─ Though I don’t really know why she hangs out with a guy like Darc.

‘My thoughts exactly.’

Roan nodded, deeply emphasizing with the students’ words for once in a long time.

Anyway, regardless of Joy’s reaction, the students admired the item Roan submitted, realizing it had quite a story behind it.

─ Still, the very first shovel he used, that’s amazing.

─ Right, that’s definitely a perfect score.

─ It’s touching…

Even to them, who knew nothing, it was enough to make their noses sting.

What must the heart of an archaeologist feel like when reunited with his first excavation shovel, lost 200 years ago!

Tremble─

Sure enough, Timothy accepted the excavation shovel and tools Roan reverently handed him, his hands trembling violently.

It looked as if he was about to shed tears…

Crash─!

“What use is this kind of trash?!”

“““??!!?!?!!”””

But Timothy ruthlessly shattered the students’ expectations and forcefully threw the items in his hands onto the ground.

The students and friends tilted their heads, not understanding what this was about.

─ W-was it a fake?

They were so bewildered that they even came up with such a thought.

Gathering─

In the midst of that, Joy crept over and gathered the items Timothy had thrown away.

Since she had already kept the items the other friends submitted separately, Joy placed them there as well.

Timothy, whose anger had still not subsided, shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Darc, I had high expectations for you, but this is disappointing. Bringing such trash!”

‘‘‘Still, isn’t it a bit much to call it trash?’’’

The students wore awkward expressions.

Of course, as time had passed, it showed signs of age, but it still seemed perfectly usable.

Demona slipped over, picked up the excavation shovel, and jabbed it into the ground once.

Thud─

“W-wow! It digs really well?”

Whoosh──! Thud─

Just then, Banjjak, who had flown in from somewhere, nudged Demona’s back with his horn.

“Aack! Banjjak, why did you push me! I fell in! And when did you get back?!”

A pit large enough for a person to fall into had been dug with a single shovel stroke!

As could be seen, even though it was a two-hundred-year-old shovel, there was absolutely no problem with its performance.

However.

Patting─!

“I have Endodyne’s excavation shovel, so what am I supposed to use an antique like that for?”

Timothy snorted and showed off Endodyne’s excavation shovel, which was strapped to his waist.

Naturally, it was true that in terms of performance, they were no match, as he said, but Roan corrected one error.

“Professor, if we are talking about antiques, Endodyne’s side is far older.”

Endodyne was a figure from a whopping 4,000 years ago!

“Ahem, anyway, guys who know things are always so annoying.”