Chapter 352

It was a conjecture so preposterous that even the students who liked Demona could not bring themselves to defend it.

Vulcan tilted his head.

“We do that in our third year, though?”

─ ?!?!!?!!

The students were shocked.

They actually do that?

A deathmatch with their lives on the line?

At school?

“Wooooh! I want to become a third-year student as soon as possible, Professor!”

Only Hector snorted and shouted in such a manner.

Vulcan said in a cold voice,

“Speak after you obtain a divine or spiritual beast you can use in a Holy War. I really won’t let you join back then.”

“Keo-heok…”

Hector was once again deeply disheartened.

After silencing Hector, Vulcan added a word to Demona.

“A Holy War is not a fight that ends with just mindlessly bashing each other.”

─ It wasn’t?

─ Is it not?

The students tilted their heads as if they had heard something completely unimaginable.

Then, someone gasped.

─ Ah! Yongyong-ie also uses holy spells!

─ Ah~ So that’s what you meant~

It was not that at all.

Vulcan and Roan stared at the students with identical expressions, as if looking at pitiful creatures.

Noticing this, Vulcan chuckled and asked Roan,

“Darc, do you know what kind of test it is?”

Roan pondered for a moment before saying,

“Wouldn’t it be… a system where the side that answers correctly gets the turn to attack the opponent?”

“Bwahaha! Exactly! As expected of our guest member!”

Vulcan laughed heartily and clapped.

The students tilted their heads.

─ Isn’t that just a Holy War?

─ Isn’t it just a Holy War?

If that was the case, why did he get so angry when we suggested doing a Holy War earlier?

There was more than one unsolved question, but not many had the courage to ask the Lightning Bear directly to resolve them.

It would be a disaster if they got bitten by the Lightning Bear.

Vulcan explained the criteria in slightly more detail.

“Basically, what Darc said is correct. If you solve the quiz well and defeat your opponent, you get a perfect score. If you solve an adequate number of questions, you pass. If you pathetically fail to get even a single question right and lose, you fail.”

“Hiiiiieee!”

Demona squealed in surprise upon hearing the failure criteria.

“What is it?”

“He said if we can’t solve even one question, we fail? Isn’t that too harsh?”

“…”

Usually, such criteria would be considered generous.

Moreover, from Roan’s perspective, only very easy questions would be asked on this pop quiz.

In fact, it would be stranger to not be able to solve even a single question.

Since knowledge about divine and spiritual beasts was something citizens of the Empire knew quite well, even as general knowledge.

“Now, I will decide the pairs from here on. First, Roan Darc.”

“Yes.”

Roan stepped forward at Vulcan’s call.

Naturally, the other students were shocked out of their wits.

Usually, since Roan was near the very end of the roll call list, he would step forward only after most of their pairs had been decided.

─ P-Please don’t let me face Darc.

─ Lady Hiloa, Harden, and many other gods…

‘How convenient that they aren’t taken away even after praying like that.’

Roan looked pitifully at the students who were trembling and praying fervently just to avoid him.

But on the other hand, he too was slightly looking forward to seeing who his opponent would be.

[─ Leave it to me! I’ll end it in just one question!]

Kirrr─!

Although he had absolutely not raised them to be used in such a useless Holy War, both Bel and Charlotte had been growing splendidly in the meantime.

Since their base species were so outstanding, their growth was immense even if Roan didn’t do anything in particular.

Especially in Bel’s case, perhaps because he was linked to Roan through the Rally of Sworn Allies, the quantity and quality of his dark mana had become incomparably superior compared to the beginning.

Now, he would easily defeat mediocre black mages like the Oslo gang on his own.

When Roan looked around at the students with those thoughts, they were all busy avoiding his gaze.

Finally, Vulcan revealed the reason he had called Roan.

“You step aside.”

“Yes?”

Roan tilted his head at the unexpected words.

“Are you perhaps exempting me from the test?”

“No way. You weren’t hoping for such a special privilege, were you?”

“…Of course not.”

He truly did not expect any special treatment.

However, Roan decided to assume that the professor had prepared another special test for him.

At that moment, Hector’s eyes grew as wide as saucers as he quietly listened to the conversation between the two.

“Ah, I get it!”

‘What do you get now…’

Roan was highly anticipating what kind of novel nonsense would come out this time.

Hector looked around at his friends and said confidently,

“Roan’s Yongyong-ie and Spiky must have been designated as banned beasts, right? That’s why he is stepping out!”

It was indeed a novel statement.

The minor problem was that it was novel bullshit.

─ W-Was Yongyong-ie and Spiky really banned?

─ They are cheat-like, but… isn’t that still a waste?

The students stirred at Hector’s words.

Vulcan laughed heartily as expected.

“As if. Do you know how popular the Abyssal Dragon and the Heavenly Sword Peacock King are? There’s no way they would be banned. And besides, I didn’t tell you to step aside, did I?”

“Keo-heok!”

Hector cried out as if it was extremely unfair,

“T-That is a bit too much! How can you judge divine and spiritual beasts solely by their appearances!”

Although not a single word had been said about appearances, Eongeong-ie and Silsil-ie shed tears and fluid fervently, acting just like their owner who blamed their looks on his own accord.

Vulcan chuckled mockingly and said,

“Then you can just become rich enough to sponsor the Holy War league.”

“…”

Hector had nothing to say.

Currently, the largest sponsor of the Holy War league was naturally Zorv’s Richmond family.

That meant he would have to become a tycoon surpassing the Richmond family, which would be no easy feat even for Roan.

Demona giggled and mocked,

“My, Professor~ Aren’t you being too harsh on 15,000 gold?”

“You heretic bastard!”

With that, Hector was completely knocked out.

Vulcan explained the reason he had called Roan separately.

“You are scheduled to take the test with Denver later.”

“With… Senior Denver?”

“Roaaan! I’m here!!!”

Denver shouted loudly from the room handling various mechanical devices in Percival Hall.

The gourd bursting and the banner unfurling earlier was also thanks to Denver’s control.

“Do you have a complaint?”

Roan’s face scrunched up slightly.

Though he had plenty of complaints, he could not speak them honestly.

“How could I. It is just that I feel this is actually a bigger privilege.”

“What? Bwahahaha!!!!!”

Hearing Roan’s words, Vulcan bent over backward as he roared with laughter.

“Uhahaha!!!”

Denver’s laughter also echoed from far away.

‘Still, did they really have to mock me that much?’

Around the time Roan was feeling a bit aggrieved,

─ Hey, did you hear what Darc just said?

─ My god, is that something a bastard who defeated Senior Denver in a Holy War last time would say?

─ Ah, did he mean a privilege because it’s too easy for him?

─ Arrogant bastard…

The students stirred heavily.

Woong─

[I think those guys are right this time, though?]

Even the False Divinity stepped up to agree this time.

Vulcan wiped away a tear that had squeezed out and said,

“A privilege? What kind of nonsense is that. Put your hand on your chest and look at your divine beasts. Are they freshman level? Even if it’s a quiz show, it’s far too unfair.”

“Mmh…”

Roan looked back at Bel on his shoulder and Charlotte next to him, following Vulcan’s request.

The Abyssal Dragon and the Heavenly Sword Peacock King.

[─ Why? Oh, I’m a dragon? Hehe, this is fun~]

Kirrr─?

The two divine beasts, giggling at whatever was so amusing, looked at Roan.

‘Looking at them like this, they really are a cheat.’

To put it simply, if Roan were playing as a freshman character and was suddenly told to fight someone possessing such beasts?

No matter how skilled Roan was, he would just restart the run rather than continue that playthrough.

However, blood is thicker than water, so Roan decided to argue one more time.

“If you put it that way, the Sunset Shadow, Diamond Beetle, Dream-Eating Thousand-Mile Horse, and Arbor Emperor Ape over there are also…”

“““Roan!”””

His friends called out his name, dumbfounded by Roan’s audacity in selling them out out of nowhere.

“Roan! Why didn’t you mention my Eongeong-ie and Silsil-ie!”

…Hector expressed his disappointment to Roan for a slightly different reason.

“I am truly sorry about that.”

Roan bowed his head slightly to express his regret.

It was only because no matter how much the arm bent inward, it was hard to lick one’s own elbow.

Meanwhile, instead of saying this or that, Vulcan simply glared at Roan with eyes full of contempt.

The meaning, ‘Didn’t I tell you to put your hand on your chest?’ was felt automatically.

At this point, Roan decided to just nod.

“I will just take the test with Senior Denver.”

“You should have done that from the start.”

“Then how will it be graded?”

“Huh? You already have a perfect score though?”

Vulcan tilted his head, asking back as if it was obvious.

“Then why are we taking the test…?”

Vulcan grinned, resolving Roan’s query.

“Just because.”

“…”

Even Roan could not argue against ‘just because.’

* * *

At any rate, the pop quiz began in that manner.

“Rafia Kedan, Huki Ebern. Step forward.”

Among Roan’s friends, Rafia was the first.

“I’m first again… Saengsaeng, let’s go.”

Neigh─!

Rafia seemed slightly nervous.

Roan said to her,

“You don’t need to be so nervous. There won’t be any difficult questions.”

“W-Will that be the case?”

Rafia asked, stroking Saengsaeng’s mane.

Roan nodded.

“Yes. It is just a pop quiz after all. And if you make good use of Saengsaeng’s mobility, you’ll manage even if you can’t answer the questions.”

“Hehe, Saengsaeng is indeed fast. Thanks, Roan!”

Rafia regained some confidence and went out to the arena.

Instead, Demona, who had been listening quietly, asked,

“By the way, Roan. Is it correct to call a test conducted like this a ‘pop quiz’?”

“If they say so, then it is.”

“I see~”

Rafia’s opponent was Huki Ebern.

Except for being a member of the Ebern family, which had hundreds of monasteries across the Empire and was commonly referred to as ‘druids,’ he was a quiet and unremarkable student.

“Nice to meet you. Let’s do our best, Ebern!”

Rafia greeted him warmly.

“…Nice to meet you, Rafia.”

Ebern replied in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.

Usually, students couldn’t properly understand Ebern’s way of speaking, but Rafia was different.

“Oh, you knew my name? Thank you so much!”

“…No, the professor said it earlier…”

“Ah, that’s right? Hehehe.”

The students were puzzled by Rafia looking as if she were talking to herself.

─ Who is Kedan talking to right now?

─ I know, right?

─ Is it perhaps a ghost?

“Hieek! A ghost!”

“…How could that be, Demona. It’s not like this is Saint Ciotric Hall.”

“D-Does a ghost really appear in Saint Ciotric Hall?”

Roan simply stared at Demona without answering.

“Hyaah! Roan, d-don’t say scary things!”

Demona and Sion scolded Roan, both of their faces pale with fright.

He was just stating what actually existed, so what was he supposed to do?

After all, there was even one currently inside his lucky bag.

At any rate, Huki also seemed somewhat surprised by the fact that Rafia understood his words.

“…How do you understand my words so well…?”

“Huh? Why? Is there a problem?”

Rafia also tilted her head.

In truth, since she and the others hung out so often with Riel, who was highly well-versed in this area, they could understand that level of muttering without any issue.

Compared to her, wasn’t Huki practically an eloquent orator?

Thus, it was a bizarre situation where neither understood the other.

“Have you two finished greeting each other? Then let us begin.”

When Vulcan intervened, the two finally prepared for the pop quiz.

Neigh─!

Saengsaeng stepped gallantly in front of Rafia.

Schlurp─

Huki’s spiritual beast, the Rock Lizard, also moved, flicking its hard tongue.

“Will Rafia be able to win?”

Sion asked with a slightly worried look.

Although Huki was not a well-known student, the meticulous Sion knew of him well.

Since he didn’t stand out much and lacked any outstanding traits but still recorded decent grades in every subject, letting one’s guard down was forbidden.

Roan nodded, regardless of Sion’s worry.

“Trust your friend.”

“Roan…”

“I trust the time Rafia spent with Saengsaeng.”

Although there were no particularly eye-catching moments, Rafia spent a lot of time with Saengsaeng, always accompanying him as much as possible.

Moreover, since she was a character who was highly dedicated to training, she wouldn’t have neglected refining Saengsaeng’s skills.

Yet, as if her worry still hadn’t vanished, Sion spoke once more.

“That may be true, but to be honest, Rafia doesn’t really study hard…”

“…Mmh.”