Chapter 354

In any case, although it was a match where Sion stood out even from an objective standpoint, Roan shuddered at the students’ double standards.

‘When I did that, they did nothing but swear at me!’

…To repeat, it was absolutely not out of jealousy, but simply a matter of fairness and justice.

Roan recalled when he used to do all sorts of things with Sion back when he played ‘God & Devil.’

Of course, Roan had also shown such consideration back then, but each time he had only received a barrage of criticism like, ‘What an annoying Saintess candidate,’ or ‘Doesn’t she know that excessive consideration actually hurts one’s pride?’ and ended up losing favorability.

Though, to be fair, since Roan was the one absorbing all the envy, jealousy, criticism, and blame right now, she was naturally the one gaining favor.

‘Sion should really know about this and feel grateful to me.’

Roan worried about whether Sion would ever recognize his efforts from unseen places (?).

That way, even when she became the Holy Emperor in the future, she wouldn’t forget him and would issue a grand amnesty.

At any rate, in terms of either knowledge or combat power, the Stream Rabbit was no match for Noeul-ie.

Noeul-ie, who had transformed into a shadow, swiped at the Stream Rabbit with its claws as it passed by.

Slash─! Flop─

The rabbit spun around once and collapsed right on the spot.

Sion cried out in surprise,

“Kyaah, Noeul-ie! How could you launch such a harsh attack!”

Meow─?

Noeul-ie looked alternately at its paws and the Stream Rabbit.

‘I didn’t scratch that hard, though?’

The opposing student hastily waved his hands.

─ O-Oh, no! This guy is originally just a big crybaby… Get up quickly, Joljol-ie!

Poof─!

Since the Stream Rabbit species was originally at the bottom of the food chain, it possessed an instinct to play dead like that.

Vulcan nodded and declared the result.

“Anyway, it is Beatrice’s victory. The other side passes as well. Be grateful for Beatrice’s consideration.”

─ Thank you, Saintess candidate!

“Hehe, it’s nothing.”

─ Waaaaah!

─ That was a touching match!

In truth, it was so ordinary that it wasn’t particularly interesting, but the students cheered blindly.

…Roan, at least, watched with a cold gaze.

Vulcan scanned the spectator seats to look for the next student.

─ Me! Me!

─ I want to do it too!

Since it took the form of a Holy War anyway and the test questions weren’t that difficult, the students raised their hands eagerly.

And.

“Meeee tooo!!! I want to do it!!!! Keo-heong-heong!!!!”

Hector was practically pouring out tears.

Sob, sob, sob─ trickle─

To appeal on behalf of their owner, the good Eongeong-ie and Silsil-ie also shed whatever they could, though it was slightly different from actual tears.

Vulcan frowned and said,

“Calm those creatures down. It’s unsightly.”

“Keo-heok… blaming our looks like that from earlier…”

“Looks are one thing, but this is another. And that includes you as well, not just your beasts, Pabilto.”

Vulcan was straightforward, not knowing how to mince words.

“Tsk. But if I leave you alone, you’ll just keep doing that. Fine, step out.”

“Yes! Professor! Let’s go, Eongeong-ie!”

Eong-eong─!

Hector rose vigorously from his seat and strode toward the arena.

“Your opponent is… Wicronon, you come out.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Aren’t members of the Holy War Club exempt from the test?”

Demona asked in such a confident tone that for a moment, even Vulcan doubted himself, thinking, ‘Did I say that?’

Glare─!

Vulcan glared at Roan, who was sitting next to Demona.

Roan said with an aggrieved look,

“Why are you looking at me, Professor?”

“Didn’t you say something strange?”

‘I only speak the truth, though!’

Even so, did he really look like the type of person who would say something like, ‘Holy War Club members are exempt from exams’?

“Hmm, indeed, Darc wouldn’t say such things.”

Vulcan gestured to Demona and Hector as if it didn’t matter.

The students cheered at the big match that had unexpectedly materialized.

─ Wow! It’s Wicronon and Pabilto!

─ Who will win?

─ I don’t know if Wicronon will win, but obviously Pabilto will lose!

“You bastards…!”

Hector glared back with a terrifying expression at the students who spoke so offensively.

His face looked like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Roan said casually,

“Why get worked up over something like that?”

“Are you saying you don’t get angry even after hearing such words!”

Roan looked up at him in bewilderment.

‘I live hearing things much worse than that every single day…’

Did he really not know?

At that moment, Sion stepped forward to clear up the situation.

“Go on, Hector. Roan just meant that you shouldn’t be swayed by the words of others who know nothing.”

“Ah… is that so? As expected of Roan!”

Hector nodded as if he had gained deep enlightenment, and walked back onto the arena.

Sion let out a sigh and said,

“Whew, I wish Hector would calm his temper down a bit more.”

Roan also nodded.

“Yes, there’s no end to it if you get angry at every single true statement. It would be different if it were preposterous sophistry.”

“…?”

Sion looked at Roan with a dubious gaze.

‘Was he really agreeing with the students’ words?’

Then, Roan asked as if it was nothing new,

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did you actually think Hector could win?”

“That’s… mmh.”

Sion was forced to nod in agreement.

Didn’t she even have a record of teaming up with Hector to do a Holy War?

…An image of Hector winning against anyone just wouldn’t form.

Meanwhile, when Demona and Hector arrived at their spots, Denver spoke.

“Now, both of you send your spiritual beasts forward.”

“Banjjak, go ahead and step out~”

Bzzzz─!

“Eongeong-ie! This time, it’s a battle for revenge!”

Eong-eong-eong─!

The grand battle between the Diamond Beetle and the Purgatory Penitent Beast!

Denver asked the first question.

“Now, shall we name just three of the spiritual beasts of the team that won last year’s Imperial Holy War league?”

Raise─!

“Waterfall Python, Storm Claw Wolf, Ash Pheasant, Wave-Catching Tuna, Snow Mountain Penguin! The team name is the Twist Rangers!”

“W-Wow… the fanatic is smart?”

Hector had raised his hand before the question was even fully asked, and recited the answer like a flowing stream.

Denver nodded blankly at his fierce momentum.

“C-Correct. But you only needed to name three…”

“I am a passionate fan of the Twist Rangers! Can I attack now?”

“Yes. You may.”

With Denver’s permission granted, Hector rode the momentum and launched the first attack.

“Eongeong-ie! Let’s show the fruits of our training! Bite!”

Eong-eong─!

Eongeong-ie loyally flew toward Banjjak at its master’s command.

And then,

Crunch─!

It bit hard on Banjjak’s sturdy shell with its mouth.

Naturally, all of Eongeong-ie’s front teeth shattered.

─ …

The students were left speechless at this wretched sight.

─ Didn’t that Pabilto guy do that in front of the dormitory last time too?

─ Exactly. How does he even come up with the idea to bite a Diamond Beetle? Is it because they aren’t his own teeth?

─ Idiot, it’s because he has no thoughts! And if it’s Pabilto, he would have bitten even if they were his own teeth!

─ True~

The Diamond Beetle’s defensive power was difficult to breach even if one poured all sorts of skills and attributes onto it, so a mere bite didn’t leave even a scratch.

However, to Hector, it seemed highly regrettable.

“Keo-heok! To think that even the Bite, which corrected the flaws of the last bite, failed!”

‘‘‘What on earth was different?’’’

The students were highly curious about the difference, but they showed the courtesy of not prying into strategic secrets.

…In fact, even if it weren’t a strategic secret, they probably wouldn’t have cared.

Denver was Hector’s attack is blocked, next questions.

“Then… this spiritual beast is well known as a member that won the 1st Imperial Holy War league. Which species has the characteristic of only being captureable for a very brief moment right before the dawn sun rises?”

Raise─!

“It is the Dawn Star Gull! It is known to live primarily on blade-like cliffs along the eastern coast of the Empire, and not only in the 1st league but also the 48th, 124th, 341st…”

“Right, I get it, so do you want to attack now?”

“Yes! Eongeong-ie, this time it is indeed our ultimate move!”

At Hector’s ambitious declaration, the students harbored a strange expectation.

─ Oh! Is he finally using black magic?

─ I’ve never seen black magic before!

‘I use it in front of you guys every day, though.’

However, Roan was also slightly curious about what Hector’s ‘ultimate move’ was.

He had heard it mentioned a few times, but each time Hector had avoided the topic, spouting nonsense like, ‘I can’t reveal such secrets to a rival.’

Hector confidently pointed his finger at Banjjak and shouted,

“Go! Full-Force Headbutt!”

─ …

The students were truly speechless this time.

Was this for real?

Only Demona made a fuss upon hearing Hector’s skill name.

“F-Full-Force Headbutt? Fanatic, when did you learn such a fearsome technique!”

─ What on earth is that?

At any rate, Eongeong-ie rammed into Banjjak with all its might, just as Hector instructed and exactly as the skill name dictated.

Thud─!

─ Wow, so that’s the kind of sound made when a head collides with adamant.

The students thought it was a class where they could learn truly a lot.

Naturally, there was no way the technique would work.

Flutter─

Banjjak slightly fluttered its outer wings as if wondering what had just flown over and bumped into it.

The pattern repeated itself after that.

“This spiritual beast…”

“I know it!”

“Wow, Hector, you know this too?”

Crash─!

“This divine beast…”

“I know this one too!”

“Amazing, amazing! You are truly sincere about Holy Wars!”

Squeeze─!

…

At first, the students were also quite amused by the rare spectacle.

─ Look at that! An spear that can’t pierce anything and a shield that doesn’t even need to block!

─ No matter how hard a Diamond Beetle is, shouldn’t it get a scratch out of politeness at this point?

Roan analyzed coldly.

‘I would have at least used black magic if it were me.’

Woong─

The False Divinity giggled.

[Indeed, you could just use it yourself and claim the Purgatory Penitent Beast did it.]

‘…Uh?’

Roan seriously contemplated the unexpectedly plausible argument.

Could he really just do that?

…Why are you thinking about it so seriously?

Regardless, that was only for a short while.

Once it repeated five, ten, twenty times, even the most amusing spectacle was bound to grow boring.

Zzzzz──

─ Mmh, mmh.

─ Wake me up when it’s over.

─ Hey, are you saying you won’t wake up for the rest of your life?

The students, who were focused at first, were now fast asleep while leaning against each other.

“*Yawn*… Roan, when do you think it will end?”

Sion also yawned softly as if she was quite sleepy, and asked.

“Well, if he had used black magic in the time spent biting like that, he would have won by decision.”

“That’s what I’m saying…”

Of course, even black magic wouldn’t work well on the Diamond Beetle, but isn’t there a saying that many drops make a shower?

On the other hand, things like biting and headbutts weren’t even at the level of drops.

“What on earth! What is the problem?”

By this point, Hector fell into complete despair and tore at his hair.

Vulcan stared at him with a dumbfounded expression.

‘Does he seriously not know what the problem is?’

Lacking talent was one thing, but that was a disaster, not a lack of talent.

And as a professor, he could not simply stand by and watch this situation.

Vulcan growled at Demona,

“Wicronon, I will only ask you a question this time. Name just three types of spiritual beasts commonly found in fields.”

Demona fell into deep thought, completely terrified.

“F-Fields? Well…”

There are numerous spiritual beasts on the continent, each living in environments suited to them.

However, in a mild environment like a ‘field,’ almost any spiritual beast could be found.

If it were Roan, he would be able to easily rattle off hundreds of species, let alone three.

Nay, without even going as far as Roan, just counting the ones visible in Percival Hall right now…

“Uh… mmh… fields…”

Yet, Demona could not easily produce an answer.

‘Professor, please do something about that bastard!’

Hector looked at Vulcan with an expression that seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment.

Even Vulcan broke into a cold sweat this time.

‘How was I to know it would be that bad…’