Chapter 376

The other students were also completely terrified by the frightening momentum of Roan, who stood guarding the pot.

“H-Heeek, it’s Darc.”

“O-Of course he’d guard it since it’s his pot…”

“Hiloa always told us to share with our neighbors!”

Of course, Roan had no intention of monopolizing the food either.

‘In the first place, I made a lot of it to build favorability with the students.’

Sharing it might not bring any meaningful change, but wasn’t human relations originally something that progressed bit by bit?

…Roan had not yet thought that even if he distributed the food while holding weapons in both hands, it wouldn’t look very good.

In any case, Roan tried to correct this level of anarchic disorder.

“Line up.”

“Yes.”

“I-It seems he’s going to share.”

Although a bit flustered by Roan’s words, the students obediently lined up in the order they arrived.

And at the very front of the line,

“…Senior, why are you standing here?”

“Why? I lined up because I want to eat too.”

was Nia, who had moved faster than anyone else as soon as Alphard’s words ended.

And behind her,

“…Professor, why are you here too…?”

*Hiss—*

“Statistically, Darc’s food is in the top 12% for aroma, top 10% for appearance, and top 5% for cooking process. Although a golem cannot taste, it is necessary to learn.”

stood Alphard, who had moved as soon as his own words ended…

Someone who saw the two of them cried out in grievance.

“What a meritocratic world!”

“What about it? Isn’t it only natural?”

“…Huh?”

* * *

On the way out of Playground 13.

“Wow, Roan! You’re really good at cooking! Where did you learn it?”

“It is basic in the Holy Emperor’s Palace.”

“Ah… yes. I see.”

Rafia showed a slightly ambiguous reaction to Roan’s matter-of-fact answer.

Did Roan really live while being mistreated in the Holy Emperor’s Palace, as some rumors went?

‘Then again, the fact that he did side jobs so well last time, and that he knows various grasses suspiciously well…’

The friends looked at Roan with pity as they had such thoughts.

If the people who had cared for Roan in the Holy Emperor’s Palace heard this, they would probably jump in outrage.

Having raised him so preciously and dearly, yet to receive such a misunderstanding!

Meanwhile, Roan turned to his friends and asked,

“All of you, are you thinking of having dinner?”

“Not really for me…”

“Me neither.”

“I am full as well.”

“Me too!”

His friends shook their heads one by one.

Then this time, Roan glared at his friends.

“W-Why?”

When Sion asked as the representative, Roan replied as if asking if she even needed to ask.

“Since you guys snatched and ate so much of what was made for the kids to eat, how could you not be full.”

Why would growing students who just finished class be full?

It was because they had all eaten their fill of the food Roan made.

[That’s right! I barely got to eat any!]

*Kirik—!*

Bell and Charlotte complained immediately.

Since there were so many people coveting Roan’s food, Roan had told the two to bear with it for a bit.

Since he could make it for them anytime later.

His friends also protested in grievance.

“Sn-Snatched and ate?!”

“Right! Th-That was just by mutual agreement…”

To someone who didn’t know, it would look as though only humans ate the food given to feed divine spiritual beasts!

“Mutual agreement.”

“It’s true…”

And indeed, that was the case.

Under the pretext of agreement, roughly 70% went into the students’ mouths, and only the remaining 30% or so went to the divine spiritual beasts.

Though the quantity was generous enough that it couldn’t be said the beasts ate little.

Roan chuckled as he looked at his friends who had thoroughly aggrieved expressions.

Demona prostrated flat on the ground.

“I’m sorry, Roan!”

“…Why.”

“You guys prostrate and beg quickly too!”

“Why, Demona?”

“Nine times out of ten, when Roan laughs like that, he takes out that black sword! Do you want to get stabbed?”

As Demona spoke desperately, his friends looked as if they wondered if that was really the case.

Roan clicked his tongue and said,

“Tsk, I’m not taking it out.”

“Ah, really? Whew~ It seems this time it was one of the exceptions.”

Only then did Demona feel relieved and stand up again.

And Roan stated his business.

“If you have no intention of eating dinner, I have some business at the library, so I will be going.”

“Heeek—! Book ghost!!!”

“Sure. Demona, go to the commercial district quickly.”

Roan urged, wanting to send Demona far away as soon as possible.

“Wh-When you put it that way, I don’t really want to go…”

“Go.”

*Glare—!*

“I’m going, okay… guys, let’s go.”

Demona headed toward the commercial district with her shoulders slumped, holding the Black Knight and Banjjak in both arms.

There was no way her footsteps toward the commercial district would be so sluggish?

While his friends watched Demona’s back for a moment with such thoughts,

*Tramp— Tramp— Tap— Tap— Pitter-patter—!*

after tramping along for a while, Demona suddenly began to run excitedly once she was a certain distance away!

“Of course.”

“I expected nothing less.”

His friends shook their heads and let out sighs as if they had known it would be so.

“What will you guys do?”

When Roan asked the other friends, Rafia, Riel, and Hector also branched off.

“We decided to go train today.”

“Duel…!”

“W-We didn’t say we were going to have a blood fight risking our lives, Riel.”

“No…”

Hearing the story roughly, it seemed the three of them, and surprisingly even Garland, the second-in-command of Trian’s gang, had decided to practice duel sparring together.

Apparently, they had been impressed by the news that Roan had led a duel to victory while out on community service.

In any case, building friendship among the named characters was a highly desirable thing.

‘…Or wait, is it not desirable?’

From a black mage’s standpoint, it might not be, but

thinking that they had to grow so he would feel less frustrated, Roan cheered them on.

“Sure, work hard.”

*Flinch—*

At Roan’s encouragement, his friends flinched.

“Y-Yes, Roan!”

“I will make sure to defeat Garland!”

“Without fail…!!!”

“No, there is no need to work that hard for sparring, though.”

“Th-Then even if we lose, you won’t use punitive holy magic?”

Hector asked, unable to lock eyes properly with Roan.

Roan shrugged.

“It depends on how you lose.”

If they fought closely and lost, it would be fine, but if they suffered an absurd defeat, Trian’s gang would surely run to Roan tomorrow and raise a fuss.

At Roan’s words, his friends shouted with determined eyes.

“I will absolutely not lose!”

“We will win no matter what!”

“Victory!”

“…Right, work hard, guys.”

The three corrected their postures like knights addressing their lord before going out to duel, and then departed.

Sion watched that scene with sparkling eyes.

“Why are you acting like that again.”

“To give such a powerful motivation with just a single word! I think there are really many things to learn from Roan!”

“Hmm.”

Roan thought for a moment and then nodded.

Since Sion was someone who might rise to the position of Pope in the future, it seemed good to teach her a bit about the leadership he envisioned.

“Listen carefully.”

“Yes!”

Needless to say, Sion had already taken out a notebook from her pocket and was fully prepared to take notes.

“People do not follow a good person, but follow someone worthy of being followed.”

“Oh…”

“A leader must also know how to commit evil when the time calls for it.”

“Commit evil…?”

Sion’s eyes widened.

Both Yusina and Sion were still pure girls who had grown up almost untainted.

That was also why Yusina rarely rose to the position of Pope.

On the other hand, Sion would acquire knowledge regarding ‘appropriate evil’ in the environment of Acherandir where everyone was hostile to her.

That was the most crucial element of Sion’s play.

If one could not commit an appropriate level of evil just looking at Sion’s character, one could not advance.

Since Roan was absorbing all that hostility this time, he had to at least mention this.

“Yes, if you plan to hurt someone, suppressing them to the point where conflict won’t rise again is the most certain and effective method.”

“I see…”

Sion still seemed to not fully understand, but she diligently wrote it down in her notebook for now.

“If you don’t really get it, try keeping Demona and Hector with you for a day.”

“Ah, no! I understand very well now.”

“Really?”

“O-Of course! Appropriate evil! Appropriate punitive holy magic!”

He hadn’t encouraged evil to that extent, but she seemed to have gotten the point.

Roan nodded a couple of times and asked Sion,

“By the way, what do you plan to do now?”

Sion put the notebook back in her pocket and said,

“Well, I was actually pondering whether to go to the library as well.”

“To the library?”

“Yes, because tomorrow is the final exam. If there is something to study, I should do it.”

“That is a good idea, but…”

Roan nodded but let his words trail off.

Since it was a behavior Roan rarely showed, Sion tilted her head in confusion.

Roan said reluctantly,

“…I wonder if such a thing is necessary for the classes of Professor Uli, Professor Gulba, and Professor Pluvang.”

“…Ah.”

Sion also let out an exclamation as if she realized it only then.

Indeed, they were three classes that didn’t seem to need any studying.

Sparring like Rafia and the other friends would probably be much better.

However, Sion had already made up her mind.

“Th-Then, I should go read how to make items for side jobs.”

“Hmm, yes. That might be fine.”

Roan also thought it was a decent opinion.

Just in case she got kicked out onto the streets later despite being a Saintess candidate, such knowledge would be of great help.

*Hum—*

“Is that appropriate for a Saintess candidate?”

‘You never know what will happen to people.’

Roan remained calm despite the perplexed question of the False Divinity.

While he, the last survivor of the Darc family, didn’t know when he would be executed as a black mage,

there was nothing wrong with a Saintess candidate learning skills in advance as well.

At least she could become a Pope who understood even the hard lives of laborers later.

Like that, on the way to the library.

This time, Sion asked Roan,

“But why are you going to the library, Roan?”

“I have something to look up.”

Roan deliberately tried to answer vaguely.

However, hearing his answer, Sion wore a disappointed expression.

“Well, of course you do…”

From Sion’s perspective, she thought she had gotten quite close to Roan, but he kept trying to hide important things from her, so it was understandable she felt disappointed.

After contemplating for a moment, Roan said,

“Actually, it is because of this weekend.”

“Yes? Weekend? Community service?”

“Yes.”

“Ah… indeed, it is already that time.”

Because she was so busy with the pop quiz this week, Sion had completely forgotten about the community service.

“Do you plan to go out of town this time too?”

“Most likely.”

Roan nodded.

“You’ve already applied?”

“No, it’s not that… I will just tell you.”

Thinking it would only be troublesome for him to drag the story, Roan explained briefly.

That the inheritance documents of the Darc family kept by Harden had been delivered to him, and he planned to go to his fief to complete the inheritance this weekend.

“…Roaaan…”

Sion, who heard all of that, had teary eyes.

The ‘place you must go’ that Vicius mentioned was this story!

Roan made a displeased sound as he looked at the tearful Sion.

“I didn’t want to tell you precisely because of this.”