Chapter 37

Chapter 37

And the meal began in earnest.

“Sooo, *munch*—you’re saying it’s better to have smoked mutton in the sandwich rather than bacon?”

“As I’ve said multiple times, the smoked mutton is better for your stats… health.”

“*Munch, munch*—I can’t accept that, even if it’s you, Roan!”

“…Talk after you finish what’s in your mouth first.”

Roan said, glaring at Yusina, who was talking with her mouth full of sandwich.

No matter how beautiful she was as a Saintess, watching someone look like they were about to spray food particles was not a pleasant sight.

Amazingly, the food remained strictly inside her mouth, though.

Porong! Porong!

Locke also fluttered its wings and cried out, as if telling Yusina to maintain her dignity.

Whether it did or not, Yusina kept to her own pace.

“*Gulp*—Phew! Then, what about pasta? Sandberry or Oceanweed?”

“Oceanweed is better.”

Roan replied after thinking for a moment.

Sandberry was a strength bonus, and Oceanweed was a mana bonus.

Neither Roan nor Yusina had to hesitate.

However, Yusina was astonished by Roan’s extremely practical response.

“Y-You! You’ve picked up some terrible habits while I wasn’t looking!”

“…What does that have to do with anything?”

Why was she talking about habits over food preferences?

Roan stared at her, dumbfounded.

In the first place, when they met at the age of two, it would have been a time when she couldn’t even eat sandwiches or pasta.

Meanwhile, Sion was thinking deeply as she listened to their conversation.

‘Smoked mutton and bacon… Sandberry and Oceanweed… This is hard…’

It was a difficult choice to make.

Because all of them tasted fantastically delicious to her.

‘Can’t I just eat them all?’

No matter how much she thought about it, that was the correct answer.

However, she felt it would be frivolous to laugh in front of the Saintess, so Sion maintained a blank expression and only smiled internally.

“Then! Don’t tell me… what about Cand-Jello?!”

Cand-Jello, colloquially known as ‘Can-Jel’.

It was a combination similar to mint chocolate on Earth.

As if the developers wanted to portray the controversy playfully, it had absolutely no effect on stats and only implemented the characters’ likes and dislikes.

“There’s no need to eat it.”

“You, are you done talking?!”

The way the two of them, who seemed like they wouldn’t get along at all, clicked so well was quite an interesting spectacle for Sion, who felt it would be a shame to interrupt.

Ultimately, until the meal ended and they left the cafe, Sion did not say a single word, leaving only Roan and Yusina to chatter about trivial topics.

“Oh? I have class next! See you guys next week~”

“Ah, goodbye.”

Porororong—!

Yusina checked her pocket watch, waved her hand (wing) along with Locke, and hurriedly disappeared.

Leaving only Roan and Sion, who bowed politely, behind.

Roan fell into thought as he looked at Sion.

‘Did I do something wrong? Or was she uncomfortable with Yusina?’

It was because he couldn’t understand the reason why she had kept silent throughout the meal.

‘I didn’t make any mistakes other than grabbing her wrist. Or was she annoyed by the sudden invitation to join the club?’

The proposal event was completely different from when he played Sion’s route.

Back then, he had received a proper explanation at a club booth set up in a secret location.

Of course, even then, there had only been Yusina and one other person.

‘Ah! No way…!’

As Roan thought about this and that, he soon came up with a plausible hypothesis and was astonished.

‘She thought she would be the only one joining, but I squeezed in!’

With Sion, whose rivalry with Roan had been significantly reinforced, that was entirely possible!

Furthermore, hadn’t he seen through the divine beast’s egg prank right in front of Yusina!

‘I was too rushed and didn’t think it through. It was a mistake.’

Roan estimated how much immense jealousy Sion must have been suppressing inside behind that innocent face.

It was a real problem.

However, Sion, who had no way of knowing Roan’s misunderstanding, asked as she looked at his stiff expression:

“Why…?”

‘What a truly terrifying girl!’

Roan shuddered internally, but shook his head as if nothing were wrong.

“…It’s nothing.”

“Then, for the next class… would you like to go together?”

Sion asked, slightly avoiding his gaze as if she was embarrassed to make such a suggestion.

‘At this rate, I think I’ve gotten quite close to Darc!’

Believing that their friendship was now close enough that they could go to the next class together, just the two of them!

Of course, to Roan, that behavior looked a bit different.

‘The path to the next class location was quite secluded…’

The Basic Physical Combat class was held at an isolated training ground at the southern end of Acherandir’s buildings.

It was obvious what she was thinking, seeing how she couldn’t even make proper eye contact.

Even so, showing that he had realized her scheme would do no good.

Roan nodded, but far from walking ahead, he didn’t even stand by Sion’s side.

“?”

Sion tilted her head, unable to understand his intention.

“…Lead the way. I don’t know the path well.”

A measure to immediately deal with whatever might happen!

“??????”

Of course, Sion, who didn’t know the reason, found it baffling.

‘Does he really not know?’

Judging by how he usually acted, there was no way that could be the case.

***

Meanwhile, Hector visited Vulcan’s laboratory holding the egg of the Thousand Eye-socket Serpent.

Inside the cave-like laboratory,

Rumble— rumble—

some sort of thunderous sound was echoing continuously.

It was the snoring of Vulcan, the half-Lightning Bear.

“Professor Vulcan?”

When Hector called, Vulcan, who was lying down on a rock, twitched his ears and soon opened his eyes.

“Is it you, Pabilto?”

“Yes. I have something to ask—”

He had planned to ask Vulcan about the egg’s identity since he couldn’t trust Roan, but—

“Oh, it seems you’ve given up on the Sacred Combat now! Wise decision!”

“Pardon?”

Vulcan cut Hector off immediately and said.

“What do you mean by that?”

When Hector didn’t understand, Vulcan tilted his head instead.

“What do you mean ‘what do I mean’? Isn’t that the egg of the Thousand Eye-socket Serpent! It’s obvious!”

“…”

Hector clenched his mouth shut.

Without even knowing how he felt!

“…Is this really the Thousand Eye-socket Serpent?”

“Oh, did someone else say so? That’s a smart fellow.”

“Yes, Roan said so, but could you check just one more time…”

“What? Roan! Roan Darc! As expected, that fellow is worth my guidance!”

Vulcan laughed heartily, sparks of lightning crackling from him.

The situation was so sorrowful that Hector felt like crying.

‘Why did the heavens give birth to Roan and then to me, Hector!’

Had it not been for the bloodless, tearless pride of the Pabilto family, he would have wept sorrowfully.

“Um, is there any possibility that the ban might be lifted?”

“Bwahahaha! It hasn’t been lifted for three thousand years! You’d have better luck praying for the Principal to come back to life!”

It was an idiom telling him to wake up from his dream because it would absolutely never happen.

“Above all, its appearance is too hideous. Let alone the tournament’s success, the spectators would all run away! Bwahahaha!”

“…Goodbye.”

Leaving Vulcan behind, who continued to laugh for a long time regardless of whether Hector left or not, Hector headed to the physical combat class training ground, even forgetting to eat lunch.

However, because he purposely took a long detour, when he arrived at the training ground, quite a few students had already arrived.

Among them were Rafia and Riel, who were already sweating with practice weapons.

And there was Demona, sitting in a corner with a gloomy expression.

Although she was an annoying person, since he didn’t have any friends to talk to other than Demona,

Hector naturally walked over to Demona.

“…Heretic. Why are you acting like that? Where is Roan?”

Demona, feeling down, glanced up at Hector and answered:

“Roan said he would buy me food… but he went somewhere else by himself.”

“Why? There shouldn’t have been anything else scheduled.”

“He said the Saintess Yusina called him. I guess the Saintess is more important than me.”

“Hmm.”

Hector nodded before he knew it.

Certainly, the Saintess was more important than Demona.

Then, suddenly.

“…What! The Saintess Yusina?!”

He was astonished by the name of an unexpected giant.

Just how did that bastard Roan not only catch Professor Vulcan’s eye but also get involved with Lady Yusina…!

Since there were quite a few magazines interviewing Yusina in Hector’s room, he couldn’t help but be even more surprised.

Indeed, she was the idol of the Holy Empire, Yusina.

“Phew… anyway, so. You couldn’t eat lunch either? I also—”

“No, Rafia bought me food.”

“…”

Hector momentarily felt a surge of anger.

Usually, since Roan would deal with Demona instead, there was a sort of breakwater, but

dealing with Demona directly was a fresh reminder of how annoying she was.

“Then why are you acting like that?”

“Roan said he would buy me food.”

In the end, the conversation was a repeating circle.

Hector burst out in anger.

“Roan does so much for you, and you’re sulking over something like that? Heretic!”

Just thinking about the Thousand Eye-socket Serpent made Hector boil with anger toward Roan, but he was a subject who knew how to distinguish public and private affairs.

Sulking over a single meal was shameless.

At that moment.

The area outside the training ground fence suddenly became noisy.

“…Heretic, do you hear this sound?”

“Yeah. Did a black mage appear?”

Naturally, the gazes of Hector and Demona, who were about to argue, as well as the other students inside the training ground, turned toward the entrance.

The murmuring sound was gradually drawing closer.

And listening closely…

— Darc! Darc! Darc!

— Sion! Sion! Sion!

The names chanted by the crowd were familiar to them as well.

“”Roan?””

Why was Roan coming out of there?

Of course, although Hector and Demona always hung around with Roan,

they also knew very well that Roan was by no means popular among the freshmen.

And that he hated that kind of atmosphere more than anyone else.

— Wooooo! Darc!!

— Glory to the Saintess candidate!

Yet, judging by the atmosphere of those cheers, they might as well have been tossing him in the air.

Soon, led by Roan and Sion, a massive crowd poured into the training ground.

Judging by the numbers, it seemed that not only freshmen but also several seniors had joined in.

Setting aside Sion who didn’t know what to do, the expression on Roan’s face was…

“Heeeeeek!”

It was at a level that even startled Demona, who was closest to Roan.

“A-Are they crazy?”

Just how fearless were they to be cheering next to someone radiating a murderous aura as if he would kill someone at any moment?

Demona ran toward Roan to stop the students, who were like moths to a flame, or rather, a mob.

And.

“…?”

“…”

“…! …!!”

It seemed she was having some conversation with Roan, but—

“Wooooo! Roan! Roan!”

soon, she began to cheer wildly alongside the mob next to Roan.

Smack—!

Only after Roan gave her a crisp smack on the back of her head did Demona return to Hector, whimpering.

“…What did Roan say?”

“He said he got a divine beast’s egg?”

Only then could Hector understand the series of situations.

And.

“Roan… I won’t let you get away with this…”

The anger he had held back until now finally exploded.

Demona shrank back, seeing Hector’s face filled with hatred.

“Wow, he’s completely out of his mind.”

Didn’t he tell her not to get angry at Roan just moments ago?

Meanwhile, Roan, standing at the head of the massive crowd,

‘Because of this Saintess candidate!’

had been frowning deeply all this time, caught in a dilemma.

Because Sion had walked along holding the divine beast’s egg preciously in both hands since she didn’t know where to put it, it attracted people’s attention, and the identity of the egg was exposed.

And on top of that, he had been bundled in as well, resulting in this mess!

‘For now, since I don’t know what Sion might do, drawing as much attention as possible isn’t bad, but…’

At this rate, he would inevitably end up as the hope and hero of the freshmen, someone who was crazy about the Sacred Combat and had even obtained a divine beast’s egg.

Meanwhile, Roan was dumbfounded to see Hector glaring at him while trembling.

‘What’s wrong with that bastard now?’

Was he jealous of this situation?