Chapter 89

It was around the time when the sunset had completely faded and the sky was just turning dark that Roan and Hector returned to the dormitory.

Demona was lounging around with the Diamond Beetle, lying on the living room sofa.

And Beanin, who came out of his private room upon hearing the sound of the two entering, welcomed them.

“Yo~ fanatic. I can tell at a glance that you couldn’t get an egg, huh?”

“……”

Hector could not say anything despite Demona’s teasing.

Because it was the truth.

Seeing that, Demona cackled, pounding the sofa floor as if she would die of laughter.

On the other hand, Beanin offered sincere consolation to Hector.

“It’s okay…… you can obtain a spiritual beast egg anytime. Isn’t the class with Professor Vulcan the day after tomorrow?”

At that, Hector’s eyes became slightly moved.

“350,000 gold senior……”

“……My name is not 350,000 gold, it’s Beanin. Call me Athomas at the very least.”

“Senior Beanin, call him 15,000 gold too~ That’s what I’m going to call him from now on!”

“Grr─!”

Hector felt a sudden surge of anger.

Then, catching Roan’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, he stealthily held it in.

Roan spoke with a baffled expression.

“Do whatever you want without watching my reaction. You used to do that just fine normally.”

“It’s not…… no, never mind.”

Hector slumped his shoulders and shook his head.

Beanin stared at the scene in wonder for a moment, then soon went to Demona and handed her something.

Flutter─

It was a 10 talant bill.

““??””

Since there was no way Beanin would owe Demona a debt, both Roan and Hector were slightly surprised.

Had Beanin gotten his weakness caught or something?

Perhaps having realized their thoughts, Beanin scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and said.

“Ah, that…… to tell the truth, we had a bet on whether Hector would bring back an egg or not.”

“Ugh…… Senior 350,000 gooolld!”

Hector let out a resentful cry, as if he couldn’t bear it any longer.

Beanin, perhaps feeling sorry as well, waved his hands and apologized repeatedly.

On the other hand, the point Roan was surprised at was different.

“Did you bet on him bringing it back?”

“Uh, yes. I just wanted Hector to bring it back.”

As expected, he was truly Beanin, possessing the kindest heart in Akerandir.

If only he weren’t a spy for the black mages, he would have been truly perfect.

Hector also found it embarrassing to get angry upon hearing Beanin’s reason, so he cleared his throat with a cough and quieted down.

“But where did you two go? Roan said you could obtain a spiritual beast egg, so isn’t it strange that you couldn’t get one?”

“Even if I tell you, you wouldn’t know…… have you heard of the Ephyrim Basin?”

“I don’t know!”

Sure enough, Demona shook her head and chuckled.

Instead, Beanin seemed slightly surprised.

“What? Ephyrim? Isn’t that quite far? You went all the way there?”

Then he stared at Hector with suspicious eyes.

Although it was a place where many spiritual beasts lived and many spiritual elixirs grew, so it would become devastated as semesters passed.

If they went at the beginning of the semester like now, it was indeed strange that they couldn’t obtain an egg, just as Demona said.

……Before long, even Beanin did not wonder why Roan knew of such a place.

Seeing even Beanin, whom he trusted, looking like that, Hector said in frustration.

“There was a reason! Under normal circumstances, we definitely would have obtained it!”

“Hector, more than that—”

Roan tried to shut Hector’s mouth.

Because if he talked about black mages this and headmaster that, a massive fuss was bound to follow immediately.

However, before Roan could step forward, Hector spilled it all.

“There were six black mages in the basin! Because Roan tried to kill the black mages with a terrifying holy art, even the Headmaster stepped in to block him! Since all the spiritual beasts fled because of that, what did you expect me to do!”

‘Being fast in action only at times like this……!’

Roan clicked his tongue at Hector, who summarized the situation so accurately.

Now it would become quite troublesome again……

““???!?!?!?!!!””

……But strangely, Beanin and Demona merely gaped in surprise and did not make a fuss.

‘Why are these guys acting like this?’

Normally, wouldn’t it be the timing to shriek and ask if it was true and how he did it?

Of the two who were staring back and forth between Hector and Roan for a moment, Demona first burst into laughter and said.

“Hey, 15,000 gold! If you couldn’t get it, just say you couldn’t~ Black mages appearing in school, and the Headmaster blocking them~ Write a plausible novel at least! You have no sincerity, no sincerity.”

“Y-Yeah. Hector, it makes too little sense……”

A story that could not be believed unless seen with one’s own eyes, even when told the truth!

In an instant, Hector, who was treated as a ‘Holy Battle underachiever who couldn’t even obtain a single spiritual beast egg after going to a place like the Ephyrim Basin with Roan and wrote a ridiculous story to make excuses,’ flushed red.

Even though he had spoken it himself, thinking about it, it was an utterly absurd story.

Meanwhile, Roan, on his own part.

‘It makes me angrier that they don’t believe it to this extent.’

A slight irritation was rising.

Had they just moderately disbelieved it, he would have thought it was good since it wouldn’t be troublesome.

But in this way, it made it look like Roan was also agreeing with Hector’s excuse.

At that moment, Demona also asked Roan.

“Roan, what do you think? Is 15,000 gold’s story possible?”

Roan nodded, stiffening his expression.

“It is possible.”

““……””

At his extremely serious expression, the atmosphere around Demona and Beanin cooled rapidly.

‘‘It’s real?’’

Regardless, Roan continued speaking.

“And Hector’s words are true. ……Although a bit of exaggeration is mixed in.”

“Y-Yeah! Roan is right! The three of us, including Rafia, decided to go receive the reward from the Headmaster!”

Roan drove it home by nodding at Hector’s urgent addition.

Beanin, who had lost his words for a long time, carefully checked the facts.

“So…… six black mages truly infiltrated the Ephyrim Basin?”

“They were punks barely worth calling black mages, but that is correct.”

“And Roan tried to kill the black mages with a tremendous holy art?”

“I merely took minimal action against the fellows who invaded the holy land.”

“……And the Headmaster stepped in to stop Roan and said he’d give a reward for your hard work?”

“That is very minor……”

Why, isn’t there a saying like this?

A heroic tale that sounds too much like fact has a high probability of being false, while a heroic tale that sounds too much like a lie has a high probability of being true.

Sh-sh-sh-shiver-sh-sh-shiver─

Beanin’s pupils began to tremble like an aspen leaf.

Even though he had thought he should be careful when it was said that the Darc family was annihilated by black mages, lately his guard had been lowered a lot.

Yet Roan’s hostility toward black mages transcended imagination!

‘N-Normally, during one’s freshman year, wouldn’t you think to run away first and tell the professors, or just moderately frighten them?’

Just how much did he hate black mages for a freshman to charge at vicious black mages as if to kill them all?

……Of course, Beanin’s thoughts would have changed slightly if he learned the full truth of all the incidents.

In any case, Beanin also tried to cope as calmly as possible—or so he thought.

“I-I see! Y-Yes! Because black mages are truly bad guys! My goodness, how wicked must they be to even sneak into Akerandir! Y-You did really well……”

With a voice trembling fit to burst, eyes and hands that lost where to go, and even footsteps instinctively trying to distance himself from Roan.

For Roan, who knew Beanin’s identity, nothing but a hollow laugh came out.

‘Later if I get a chance, I should teach him what a poker face is.’

At that rate, it was a miracle he had survived a year safely.

Though he got caught by Harden, setting that aside as unavoidable.

Of course, Roan’s standards were also quite high.

Normally, seeing Beanin look like that.

‘Senior Beanin seems to be afraid of Roan too!’

One would think this way, rather than harbor suspicions like ‘Isn’t that senior a black mage spy?’.

At any rate, once the situation settled down, Roan headed to his private room.

“I used too much holy power, so I am tired. I will head in now, Senior.”

“Y-Y-Y-Yeah…… rest well.”

Beanin bade him goodnight with an expression where a thousand emotions crossed.

Hector tilted his head.

“Tired?”

Considering what Roan had done, it was true that he had used a lot of holy power, but Hector didn’t think it was at all overexertion.

Especially since he had descended the mountain the fastest?

At that, Demona poked Hector’s side next to her with the horn of the Diamond Beetle.

“Hiyah!”

“Aaack!”

In extreme pain, Hector held his side and glared at Demona with burning eyes.

Demona snapped at Hector with pitiful eyes.

“Hey, you clueless 15,000 gold piece! Do you think Roan is really saying he’s tired because of holy power?”

“What does…… ah?”

Hector, who pondered for a moment, let out an exclamation as if he finally realized something.

Demona nodded.

“Right, think about how many of his family’s enemies Roan met today! Would you feel good if you were in his place?”

“Mmh, that is truly so.”

Hector had a face of complete understanding.

Treating a black mage several times from Professor Atoga’s class to Professor Kaina’s class, and of all things, having such an incident in the Ephyrim Basin.

Yet instead of a satisfying revenge, he had to let them all slip away half-heartedly, so how could his heartbreak not be great?

“Why does it feel like you’re gradually becoming more like me?”

“N-No, I am not!”

“Wake up and live properly, got it?”

“Of course! I was also tired, so I just couldn’t think for a moment!”

“Sure~ If you live with that mindset, you’ll be able to obtain a decent spiritual beast someday.”

“Th…… thanks.”

Roan found the conversation between Demona and Hector extremely absurd, but he did not add any words separately.

‘If I do, I will only tire myself out.’

Besides, the direction of the misunderstanding wasn’t all that bad.

Rather, it only helped Roan.

Roan entered his private room, locked the door, and took out the Lightning Apple and the divine beast’s egg, placing them on the desk.

Since the Lightning Apple was an item that increased rarity before hatching, he had to feed it to the egg tonight.

Naturally, it was difficult to feed a whole Lightning Apple to an egg in its egg state.

Roan pulled out the solution mixed with the sap of the sacred tree, etc., which he had made when summoning the administrator of the Forbidden Library, and placed the Lightning Apple inside it.

Crackle─

Thereupon, the lightning energy contained within the Lightning Apple began to permeate into the solution.

The Lightning Apple can transfer its internal effects when combined with a liquid item of a certain grade or higher.

Naturally, the higher the grade of the liquid, the better the efficacy became, and the solution mixed with the sacred tree’s sap and Harden’s tears was truly top-tier.

‘With this, it can’t fail.’

Just looking at the lightning crackling over the surface of the solution made Roan feel pleased.

In his numerous play sessions of Akerandir, he had never extracted the effect of a Lightning Apple to this extent.

After a moment, as the lightning subsided, the Lightning Apple slowly dissolved and mixed completely into the solution.