Chapter 396

Meanwhile, the merchants approached Roan with expressions that clearly showed they hadn’t given up yet.

─ Um, Young Master Darc.

“What is it?”

─ If the next complete calculator comes out, please, to our merchant group…

─ Uh-huh, my good man, even cold water has a hierarchy!

─ What? Who is the top and who is the bottom?!

The merchants, trying to obtain one more of Roan’s calculators, ended up fighting among themselves.

Roan didn’t want to get involved in troublesome matters for no reason.

“Let’s get going too.”

“Uh…? Is it alright to leave those people like that?”

“It is just a common exchange of opinions between merchant groups.”

‘No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem common…’

Sion kept looking back, apparently feeling concerned, but—

“Roan! What should we eat for lunch?”

“Well.”

“It seems Senior Zorv gave you a lot of money, so won’t you treat us?”

“Buy it with your own money.”

“I need to have my own money to buy it with my own money…”

“Then you should starve.”

Already, his friends were leaving the auditorium.

“W-wait for me!”

Only then did Sion also scurry to catch up with them.

─ Everyone, thank you for your hard work on the pop quiz~

─ The Richmond Merchant Group has prepared snacks, so everyone please take some~

At the entrance of Saint Hetrona Hall, the Richmond Merchant Group was handing out simple snacks to the students.

……The Richmond Merchant Group was managing public sentiment to an almost excessive degree.

“Can’t you give me two bags?”

─ Yes, that is possible. It will be three talants.

“Heeing… I won’t buy it then.”

Of course, it wasn’t completely free, as Richmond conducted business with absolute thoroughness!

Rafia asked Roan.

“Roan, what on earth did Senior Zorv propose that made you sell the calculator?”

“Indeed. Seeing Professor Uli’s reaction, it seemed to be well over ten thousand gold.”

Hearing Rafia and Sion’s words, Roan let out a smirk.

“Ten thousand gold?”

These naive girls still knew far too little about the grandeur of the Richmond family.

“Apha the amount proposed to Professor Uli was probably far more than ten thousand gold as well.”

“””H-Hieek!”””

The friends were simultaneously astonished at the astronomical sum.

Even if ten thousand gold had been bid at the auction, normally that amount was on par with the annual budget of a decent territory.

Yet a sum larger than that went out not even as the main transaction, but as a side fee?

“M-my father trembles even at a hundred gold…”

Rafia, who came from a rural estate in particular, looked almost pale.

And that was a highly common-sense reaction.

“Then what on earth did you get, Roan…?”

Sion looked at Roan with trembling eyes, as if she couldn’t imagine it at all anymore.

Roan explained briefly.

“The reconstruction of the roads and infrastructure of the Ehadan Estate.”

“””!!!!!”””

However, his friends’ footsteps came to a dead halt at the condition that was not brief at all.

Roads and infrastructure were major projects that had to be undertaken with great resolve.

To have that done on the scale of a whole estate?

Moreover, the Ehadan Estate had absolutely nothing to do with Richmond and was strictly the property of the Darc family.

Its size was by no means small either.

“Well, in exchange, I agreed to hand over the monopoly rights for the complete calculator, but that should be fine.”

The Richmond Merchant Group would likely be fully capable of reproducing the complete calculator.

Roan decided to teach them the principles and design methods of the complete calculator.

Though it would further solidify the Richmond family’s dominance, even that was one of Roan’s insurance policies, so it was actually for the better.

Though Richmond also oppressed black mages, wasn’t there a possibility they would look at a profitable black mage a bit differently?

“””Roaaann…”””

“……What is it now?”

However, the reaction of his friends upon hearing Roan’s words was unusual.

Normally, hearing such a story, they should have admired or cheered, but for some reason, they were tearing up, having been moved by who knew what.

Sion spoke with a moist voice.

“As expected, the reconstruction of your family is your priority above all else, Roan! You could have just taken cash and lived comfortably for the rest of your life!”

“That’s right, everyone will know of Roan’s sincerity now!”

‘No, it’s just a cover.’

The reconstruction of the Ehadan Estate was merely a smokescreen to hide that he was a black mage.

He intended to throw away all the reconstruction projects and flee to nature the moment he graduated.

Still, he was grateful that they thought of it as sincere.

Demona tilted her head and asked.

“So, how much did you get?”

“””…”””

His friends were lost for words and glared at Demona.

Then, Sion picked up the Black Knight beside Demona and brought it right in front of Demona’s nose.

“Here, Black Knight.”

“Huh?”

*Bite—!*

The Black Knight open his mouth wide and bit the tip of Demona’s nose!

“Arghhh!”

Demona shed a tear from the sheer pain.

“That’s more like it.”

Only then did his satisfied friends enjoy the lingering emotion.

Meanwhile, Jennifer, who happened to be passing by just then, came to a halt.

“Darc…?”

“……Why you too?”

Naturally, just like Roan’s friends, tears were already locked and loaded.

“I should have known when you said you would receive the price of the wine recipe in grape seeds! You were that sincere about your family’s reconstruction! I am truly moved!”

“It’s common sense, not a secret recipe. And I believe I told you to stick to either informal or formal speech.”

“I don’t know about that! I’ll contact my family immediately and tell them to ship the grape seeds! If sent by express, they’ll probably arrive by tomorrow!”

No matter what Roan said, it seemed impossible to stop Jennifer, whose eyes were already spinning.

Not to be outdone, Roan’s friends also began to make pledges one by one.

“Our family doesn’t have much… but we can at least give you some decorative leather!”

“No, you don’t have to…”

Rafia was first.

“The training ground…”

“No, a training ground won’t even have anyone to use it…”

Riel offered to give scarecrows and practice weapons to place in the training ground.

“I… I will definitely support you wholeheartedly when I become the Holy Emperor in the future!”

“Sion, that is an illicit favor…”

Having nothing to give right now, Sion was haphazardly selling off (?) even her uncertain future.

“Hmm… I’ll tell my dad to give you gold!”

“Thanks for that.”

“””???”””

The friends tilted their heads briefly at Roan’s suddenly changed attitude only toward Demona’s offer.

Lastly, Hector puffed out his nose and spoke.

“We will specially take charge of dispatching heretic inquisitors and constructing the finest interrogation room!”

“I don’t need any of that.”

Roan glared fiercely at Hector with a gaze colder than ever.

He felt that if Hector actually sent such things, it would go very poorly for Hector’s physical well-being.

Hector flinched and stepped back, asking.

“Why, why… is it not good? Heretic inquisitors and an interrogation room.”

“Tactless Hector, you shut up!”

“No matter how much Roan explains to you, you never learn!”

“Die!”

“Riel, isn’t telling him to die a bit too harsh even for that?”

Normally, Riel would have been flustered and denied saying such a thing, but this time it was correct, so she only exuded a frosty aura.

Roan watched this, then let out a sigh and walked on.

“Anyway, you don’t need to bother helping rebuild the estate, so don’t worry about it.”

“How humble!”

“As expected, Roan is too nice, and that’s the problem!”

“……That’s a bit…”

“Is it indeed a bit much?”

Even after that, his friends clung close to Roan, busy chatting about what to decorate the castle with and what facilities to build nearby.

Since it was hard for them to voice opinions on managing their own territories due to the rigid atmospheres in their families, it seemed they were taking this opportunity to satisfy that desire.

‘…It will be troublesome if our estate starts feeling like a hideout.’

Roan felt the need to reduce his friends’ interest.

For the estate to act as a proper cover, it had to be decorated nicely but have few visitors.

But if those so-called friends hung around the estate day in and day out, the risk of getting caught would naturally increase.

Then, Sion clapped her hands and spoke.

“Oh, right, Roan! You said you’re going to the Ehadan Estate this weekend to inherit it, right?”

“””Whhaaaaat??!?!?!!”””

“……You just had to bring that up…”

*Glare—*

Roan glared fiercely at Sion.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Sion shrank back, but the beans had already been spilled.

“I’m going too! Me too!”

“I shall go as well!”

“Me too!”

The friends swarmed like a flock of bees, each clamoring to tag along.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“””S-sorry…”””

Roan silenced his friends in an instant.

But that was only for now; it probably wouldn’t last more than a few days.

It seemed reducing their interest in the estate was a failure from the very start.

* * *

“Hmm, I feel like we’ve eaten everything there is to eat… What should we eat?”

“Indeed. Now I see why the seniors aren’t often spotted in the commercial district.”

On the way to the commercial district,

the friends slowly began to ponder the lunch menu.

[Hmph! Master, I think I’ve also eaten most things!]

Bel also joined in, tilting his head in agreement.

Perhaps because he hadn’t been given much attention due to the pop quiz period, combined with being stuck in the divine beast storage since morning, he was fussier than usual.

‘Claiming to have eaten everything, when you haven’t even properly looked around the commercial district yet.’

Naturally, from Roan’s perspective, it was a somewhat absurd concern.

At the very least, to say one had ‘eaten most things,’ one had to be familiar not only with the small alleys of the commercial district but even with the underground tunnels connecting various places.

Since, for various reasons, there were many restaurants hiding like ghosts in underground or inconspicuous spots.

[……To that extent?]

…Still, by objective standards, it was natural for his friends to have such concerns.

“Roan, how about we try that Mystic Food we ate last time again?”

Just then, Sion brought it up.

“You must have liked it quite a bit.”

“Ah, no, it’s not that…!”

Quickly denying Roan’s question in fear that she might look like a glutton.

‘You already look like one.’

Sion had already come too far to deny it now.

“Just… because our friends couldn’t eat it back then… and it tastes good too.”

“What?! Sion, when did you eat dinner alone with Roan?!”

“Indeed! Don’t tell me…!”

Demona and Hector flared up in anger, completely unaware that she was thinking of them.

Sion waved her hands again.

“It’s not like that! Back then—”

“I want to have lunch with Roan too!”

“Indeed! Why won’t you eat with me?!”

“……?”

Sion tilted her head.

The content seemed similar, but it was slightly different from what she had expected.

So, the problem wasn’t that Roan and Sion ate lunch together, but rather that Roan only ate with someone else?

Sion experimentally added some words.

“Saintess Yusina was also with us back then.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, then it’s fine~”

“That’s a bit better.”

Sure enough, Demona and Hector nodded, feeling reasonably satisfied.

‘Just what are they thinking in their daily lives?’

It was a phenomenon that Sion, who considered herself perfectly normal, couldn’t understand at all.

Meanwhile, Roan paid no attention to the two and spoke.

“It happens that our next class is Professor Gulba’s. I know a good place.”

“Hieek! Surely it isn’t an archipelago-style restaurant?!”

Demona asked in surprise.

Thinking of a good place before Gulba’s class naturally led to such an association.

Roan asked back in a cold voice.

“Do you want to visit one?”

“A-ah, no…”

Demona shook her head and quietly decided to follow Roan.

At least she could take comfort in the fact that it wasn’t an archipelago-style restaurant.

‘Does that mean there actually is an archipelago-style restaurant?’

And the other friends couldn’t shake the thought of what on earth was missing from this commercial district.

At this rate, wouldn’t they really sell dishes made with black magic?