Chapter 336

Chapter 336

Hearing those words, Timothy coughed dryly, perhaps feeling awkward.

Then, he spoke in a much softer tone.

“Well, it was a good idea, but the opponent was bad. There is no way you should bring my old belongings when I’m the one grading. Even the principal doesn’t treat his own traces so preciously, do you think?”

─ Is that so…?

─ But in any case, Assistant Joy was the one grading?

─ Shh!

Although the situation was a bit off, Timothy’s words weren’t entirely wrong either.

“Yes, Professor. You are right.”

“Right, since you understand, it’s a pity, but…”

“So I prepared one more item.”

“What??”

Roan pulled out Harden’s handkerchief, which he had put in his lucky pouch, in front of the dumbfounded Timothy.

“Please take a look at this.”

“This is…”

Timothy took the handkerchief and trembled violently once again.

The students giggled.

─ What, it’s just an ordinary handkerchief?

─ Isn’t he going to just rip it apart?

─ Kuhaha, today Darc will finally get a failing grade.

Unlike the excavation tool set, which had possessed an unusual aura, this time it was a completely ordinary handkerchief.

If one went to the commercial district right now, they could get similar handkerchiefs for a mere 1 talant…

“A-Ah, P-Principal Hardeeeennn!!!!!!!”

─ ?!!?!?!!?!!!!

But soon, Timothy held the handkerchief reverently in both hands and bowed flat on the ground.

He looked as if he felt it would be a sin to even place it on the dirt ground.

The students, who never imagined that the ordinary handkerchief belonged to Harden, went into an uproar.

─ Who was it! Who dared say something that would bring divine punishment?!!

─ The one who asked if he would rip it apart was you!

─ When did I, you snake beastman, since you have no ears, can’t you hear?!

The students wailed to avoid divine punishment, grabbing each other by the collars and blaming one another.

‘…They’ll receive even more divine punishment if they do that.’

It was exactly the kind of behavior Hiloa and Harden detested, so Roan clicked his tongue.

In any case, Timothy was still sobbing with the handkerchief resting on his palms.

Prostrating─

Joy, who was extremely excited after receiving so many precious relics, also paid her respects next to him.

Who would have thought that Harden’s old item would suddenly pop up in a freshman pop quiz!

Honestly, this was a level of artifact that was difficult to find even if those of assistant level or higher officially formed an excavation team and went on an expedition.

In short, today was a day worthy of a feast for Acherandir’s History Department!

…Of course, the only participants of that feast would be Timothy and Joy.

Demona shrugged as she watched Timothy and Joy making such a fuss.

“The professor and assistant are really something~ If anyone saw them, they’d think the principal had passed away or something~”

At that, Sion frowned and spoke.

“Stupid Demona, the principal did pass away.”

“What?!?!! You, a s-saintess candidate, saying such an impious thing!”

“You dummy!”

Sion glared fiercely as if she would grab Demona by the collar at any moment, but as a saintess candidate, she couldn’t bring herself to commit such a violent act.

Roan narrowed his eyes and spoke.

“…If you’re going to act like that, shouldn’t you have avoided using punitive holy magic in the first place?”

“…Ah.”

Sion wiggled her fingers, avoiding Roan’s gaze.

‘…T-then, since things have already turned out like this (?), is it okay to grab her by the collar?’

Just then, Timothy, who had placed the handkerchief into the relic preservation bag he always carried around, spoke with a satisfied expression.

“Perfect score!”

With this, the parade of perfect scores continued right through the history pop quiz.

‘It is a bit of a pity to lose Harden’s handkerchief, but that is something I can replenish at any time.’

If it could satisfy the picky Timothy, it was not a very high price to pay.

“As expected, Darc has a good character! You felt bad about not being able to give me the divine relic last time, so you prepared something like this, didn’t you?”

Timothy, feeling extremely pleased, patted Roan’s back with his thick hand as he asked.

Roan nodded, even as his upper body rocked back and forth.

“Of course.”

“Uhahaha!”

Laughing heartily, Timothy looked at the students hesitating nearby and asked.

“Are you students who haven’t received your grades yet?”

─ Y-yes, Professor.

─ We haven’t received them yet.

The students nodded with anticipation.

Since he seemed to be in an unusually good mood, they thought they might get swept along and receive decent grades.

Timothy laughed, “Hoho,” and spoke.

“Right, those students who brought something more valuable than the principal’s handkerchief, step forward.”

Silence─

Of course, no such person could exist.

Timothy frowned and shouted.

“What?! No one?! Hmph! It’s my fault for expecting anything! Tsk, tsk, you’ll all fail! Still, since I’m here, come forward one by one!”

Then, Demona rummaged through her clothes and stepped forward.

“Huh? I definitely put it here, where did it go?”

She seemed to be looking for the item she had taken from Timothy’s tent.

‘Did she not hear that the previous one wouldn’t work?’

Roan clicked his tongue at the sight.

There was no way Timothy, who had thrown away the most valuable excavation shovel and tool set, would blink an eye at other junk.

Clink─

“Oh?”

A gold coin fell from Demona’s clothes.

Although it wasn’t clearly visible, it was distinct in size and appearance from the Imperial gold coins.

At that moment.

“W-W-What!!! T-T-This is!!!!”

Timothy slid toward Demona like a baseball player who had hit a close single!

Thanks to that, amazingly, Timothy succeeded in snatching the gold coin with a swoosh, sliding before it even hit the ground.

“Ack! What are you doing, Professor!”

Demona jumped back in surprise.

Timothy paid no attention to Demona and sniffed the gold coin.

“This is…”

─ Will he throw it away this time, or will he like it?

─ Well… I feel like he might even eat it.

“Wicronon! Perfect score, perfect score!”

“Huh?”

Demona’s eyes widened at the out-of-the-blue perfect score declaration.

The other students were the same.

─ A perfect score?

─ A gold coin is more precious than the principal’s handkerchief?

“Of course not. But did you think I wouldn’t have even that much flexibility!”

─ …

Since their opponent was a professor, the students could not bring themselves to nod honestly.

Timothy held the coin between his index finger and thumb, raising it toward the sky as if to block the sun, and inspected it.

“Isn’t this the 1st anniversary commemorative coin of the Wicronon family? Where on earth did you find this on this mountain?”

─ !!!!!

At Timothy’s words, not only the students but even Roan and Joy were shocked.

‘A 1st anniversary commemorative coin?’

Looking closely, it was just as Timothy had said.

Ludiac’s portrait—though there was a significant difference from his actual appearance—and the number ‘1’ were embossed on both sides.

Since it was brought out by Demona, the successor of Wicronon, it had to be genuine.

However, that commemorative coin was a very unique item that was common yet extremely rare.

* * *

The time was the very first year of the Empire’s founding.

It was a point when not even a full year had passed since the founding of the Empire.

─ Lord Ludiac, it will soon be the first anniversary of our family’s opening.

─ Yeah, so?

─ …What about making something to commemorate it?

A vassal of the family suggested to Ludiac, but he picked his nose indifferently—he actually picked it—and changed the subject.

─ What? Why do something so annoying? More than that, aren’t you bored? How about letting the family’s divine and spiritual beasts compete against each other? They’ve been looking bored lately too.

─ How could you do something so cruel and heartless! The gods will be angry!

─ It sounds fun though… Let’s make the name sound a bit fancy, like, ‘Sacred Combat’! Wow, isn’t that brilliant?

─ Uh-uh! I said no!

─ Tsk, so frustrating, just like a priest…

─ …I am a priest, Patriarch. Strictly speaking, you are a priest too.

─ Ah, right.

The vassal cast a look that questioned if this person had truly contributed greatly to the founding of the Empire.

Although he had served by his side as a close associate since before the founding, the more he looked, the more astonishing it was.

─ Yes, anyway, don’t even dream of doing that, so may I go ahead and produce the commemorative items on my own?

─ Yeah. Do whatever you want.

─ Then please stamp here.

Since the vassal already knew Ludiac would act like this, he simply presented the proposal he had prepared in advance.

That was the proposal for the ‘Wicronon 1st Anniversary Commemorative Coin’.

─ Here!

Bam─!

With Ludiac’s seal stamped on it, the issuance of the commemorative coin became the official order of Patriarch Ludiac.

Thus, enough gold coins to fill a room were produced and piled up in the warehouse, but.

Just as they were about to distribute the gold coins.

─ Patriarch, please hold a grand banquet now to distribute the commemorative coins.

─ What? It’s annoying… By the way, remember the Sacred Combat I mentioned before? I tried it, and it was fun. Do you want to watch too?

─ What?! Didn’t I clearly tell you that such violent and cruel acts are unacceptable? I told you the gods would be angry!

─ It’s fine, it’s fine. Lord Hiloa said it’s okay to enjoy it lightly. I’ll raise your salary!

─ T-then… just once…

Because of a truly historical event, they missed the timing to distribute the gold coins.

─ Aaaah! Mountain-Galloper! Go for it!!! Show them that a scrawny cloud sheep is no match for you!!!!

─ …You, after saying all that about violent and cruel acts, are enjoying it the most?

The decisive factor was that the vassal who was in charge of the task fell completely in love with the early Sacred Combat.

In any case, for that reason, the 1st anniversary commemorative coins spent a long time merely taking up space in the warehouse, and much later, as they were slowly forgotten by everyone.

─ Hm? What are all these chests here?

─ Ah, those are the Wicronon 1st anniversary commemorative coins produced by the first Patriarch.

─ What? If he made commemorative coins, he should have distributed them in a timely manner. Why did he stack them in the warehouse?

─ I am not sure either… but perhaps there was a grand purpose behind it.

─ Is that so? What, gold reserves to prepare for a continental economic crisis?

─ Aha, as expected of the Patriarch!

─ If so, we cannot touch them. Just keep them stored here.

…Because of similar misunderstandings, they had repeatedly ended up rotting away in the warehouse.

* * *

Thump─!

[Wow, what a memory, what a memory~ That vassal fellow died suddenly of a heart attack while watching the Sacred Combat finals. I wonder if he’s doing well in heaven?]

‘Well… he is probably doing reasonably well.’

Roan felt extremely sorry for the vassal who had served Ludiac his whole life, wondering what kind of sin he had committed in his past life.

Hiloa would have treated him generously out of pity.

In any case, due to such circumstances, although the Wicronon family’s warehouse was packed with the 1st anniversary gold coins, the amount released to the outside was extremely small.

[By the way, they still haven’t distributed it and left it in the warehouse? Wow, my descendants are tough, really tough~]

Roan wanted to point out who the toughest one was, but thought it wouldn’t be polite to the Holy Spirit and decided to hold back.

“I asked where you found it?”

Meanwhile, at Timothy’s question, Demona shrugged and answered.

“I brought it from home. It was just rolling around.”

“Whaaaat! Did you dare try to commit academic dishonesty?!!”

Timothy grew furious.

“It wasn’t dishonesty, I just dropped it by mistake, and then you picked it up…”

“Silence! A fine of 300 talants!”

Rumble─!!!

Demona froze in place, as if she had received a divine punishment rather than a fine.

─ Uh? Wicronon is dead.

─ With 300 talants, it’s understandable.

─ At this rate, she won’t even be able to graduate and will have to stay at the school as a janitor…