Chapter 96

Meanwhile, Roan blocked Demona with one hand to keep her from getting too close and said:

“I’m sorry, but I have something to do this lunch…… Hector.”

As he spoke, he looked toward Hector and shuddered slightly.

Since it was extremely rare for Roan to show such a reaction, the attention of Demona, Rafia, and Riel was immediately drawn to him.

Demona shrieked, dry-heaving.

“Ugh! Why is this guy making that arranged marriage face again?”

Though they did not know since when, Hector was smiling goofily with a face like granite melted in lava, just like in the morning.

Rafia and Riel, who saw that appearance for the first time, were deeply shocked.

“W-What on earth……”

“A human being……!”

Roan did not fail to understand their feelings, but he looked at them with slightly strange eyes.

‘Still, isn’t it a bit rude to react like that right in front of the person?’

Of course, if Demona had heard this, she would have said:

That making such a face in front of people was even ruder.

It was also true.

In any case, Sion, who arrived late, was equally startled to see Hector’s appearance.

“My goodness! I will go call Professor Kaina right away!”

“……Why Professor Kaina?”

“Because banned drugs are also under the jurisdiction of the inquisitors? But it was class time, so when on earth did he……”

Hector truly bought misunderstandings consistently.

Roan shook his head, stopping Sion.

“I thought so at first too, but it is not a banned drug.”

“Gasp!”

Sion was even more startled.

And she asked as if she absolutely could not understand.

“Liar! Otherwise, how could a person turn out like that?”

At that, Rafia and Riel stopped Sion with awkward expressions.

“Sion, no matter what, treating someone as an addict without evidence is a bit rude.”

“Agreed.”

Of course, in Roan’s eyes, all three were the same.

‘It is better to just swear directly like Demona. Publicly shaming him like that.’

It could be said to be a stroke of luck that Hector was half out of his mind and could not properly hear their words.

Roan tapped Hector on the shoulder.

“Hector. It is lunchtime.”

“Huh? Ah, has it already become that time?”

Only then did Hector return his face to normal and come to his senses.

Looking at him, it was clear that he had not focused properly during class.

“““Whew……”””

The watching female students breathed a sigh of relief.

Demona spoke, genuinely worrying about Hector.

“Fanatic, no joke, tell your family to quickly look for an arranged marriage partner.”

“That talk again!”

Hector flew into a rage, his face flushing.

“Heretic, you don’t seem to know, but my style is unexpectedly popular!”

From the way he spoke, he truly seemed to think so.

The female students looked at Hector with lukewarm eyes.

Demona spoke confidently to Hector.

“Is that so? Then do you want to bet with me on who will eat a meal with a girl alone first?”

“Hmph, a task that would be impossible for a heretic like you for a lifetime.”

Hector snorted, turning his head sharply as if he couldn’t even be bothered to argue.

Demona did not stop there.

“You are not saying you will bet? Scared?”

“S-Scared? Who’s scared! I will do it!”

Hector stuttered rapidly.

‘He is scared.’

‘He is scared.’

‘He is scared.’

‘He is……’

Everyone watching the scene could understand Hector’s feelings.

Meanwhile, Demona smiled confidently and added a condition.

“Instead, these three here are excluded.”

“What?”

Hector asked with trembling eyes.

To think he had to eat a meal with a girl alone, excluding the three who were at least close to him—Rafia, Riel, and Sion.

‘T-T-T-Then doesn’t that mean we have to get married?’

……It was an absurd thought Hector was having.

In any case, once the bet was established, the female students also chimed in with various things, finding it quite interesting.

The age difference must not be too big, eating because of class or club activities was not allowed, and the loser had to call the winner “big brother” for a lifetime.

Roan was looking indifferently at the students who were getting enthusiastic over such a trivial bet, typical of young students.

At that moment, Rafia asked Roan.

“Roan, don’t you have anything to add? You seem to have no interest.”

Roan nodded and replied.

“Because I feel the matter won’t be settled until graduation.”

“““……”””

At that, the female students, who realized the reality belatedly, felt their burning passion cool down rapidly.

Just as Roan pointed out, their opponents were Demona and Hector.

““Roan!””

Of course, the two shouted at Roan, feeling betrayed, but Roan’s thoughts did not change.

“In the first place, Demona, you said you can’t even eat well without me, so why are you so confident?”

“Hmph, who did?”

“Then let’s eat separately today.”

“……Can we eat separately starting tomorrow instead?”

Roan looked at Demona, who cowered immediately, with a pitiful look.

Then he shifted his gaze to Hector and tried to say something.

“Hector, you are…… well……”

But he could not finish his sentence.

“……I would rather you say something.”

Hector seemed even more hurt by that behavior.

However, today of all days, Hector had no time to be sullen over such minor matters.

“No, isn’t there something more important than this trivial bet!”

Something more important than a bet with his nemesis Demona?

Roan could guess well enough, but it seemed the other friends had not realized yet.

Even Rafia, who was one of the parties involved.

“We must visit the Headmaster’s office! Rafia, you must come along as well.”

“Ah!”

Only then did Rafia clap her hands and brighten up.

It occurred to her that Harden had said he would give them a reward for repelling the black mages whenever the three of them came to the Headmaster’s office together.

Roan had also intended to bring that up with the two of them sooner, if not for the ridiculous bet.

“Hector, what are you going to re…… no, never mind. Roan, what are you going to get?”

Rafia asked with eyes glittering with anticipation.

Hector, who suddenly found himself ignored, was dumbfounded.

“Rafia, why did you stop when you were about to ask me?”

“Aren’t you going to ask for a divine beast’s egg?”

Rafia asked back without a second of hesitation.

“Gasp! That’s right. How did you know? Did you learn a mind-reading holy art or something?”

Hector was flustered as if some grand secret had been exposed.

Of course, Rafia had already stopped paying attention to Hector.

“So Roan, do you have anything in mind? I haven’t decided yet.”

“Hmm. I haven’t decided on anything yet either. I am thinking.”

When Roan spoke while stroking his chin, Sion chimed in.

“If it’s Darc, wouldn’t it surely be a book containing ancient holy arts or the Headmaster’s holy seal?”

“Oh, that must be it! It will definitely be useful for Roan.”

Roan was slightly flustered by the atmosphere that seemed to have already decided he would receive such a thing.

‘It is not like that.’

Inwardly, Roan was thinking of black magic reagents made from already extinct creatures, or black magic tools and equipment from the confiscated items that could be helpful.

Of course, he could not speak honestly.

‘Then again, since the three of us are going together, it is also awkward to ask for such things.’

“Well…… it is similar.”

As Roan nodded lukewarmly, Rafia and Sion exchanged glances that said, “Of course.”

“Hmm, then I should also think about a sword or armor.”

Rafia rose from her seat, nodding as if she had also roughly sorted out her thoughts.

“Then we should eat lunch separately today. See you later in history class, Darc. You too, Rafia.”

“Yeah, see you later, Sion!”

Sion spoke as she took her steps first along with Riel.

At that, Demona held them back in embarrassment.

“Huh? What do you mean by that? Can’t we all eat together and then disperse?”

“No. Since the timing would be awkward to visit the Headmaster’s office after lunch, it is better to eat separately.”

When Roan spoke like this, Demona made a face as if she had lost her family.

“It is awkward without R-Roan…… those girls will definitely think so too.”

Demona spoke while looking back and forth at Sion and Roan with pitiful eyes.

At that, Sion hardened her expression and cut Demona off.

“What are you talking about? Riel and I decided to eat with our mentor senior.”

“What? What did you say? What about me?”

“……Too bad.”

Contrary to her words, Sion’s feeling of extreme gratification was evident.

The corners of her mouth twitched, and her nostrils flared.

Demona urgently called Roan.

“Roan! These girls are excluding me…… huh?”

However, the spot where Roan had been was already empty, with only a gust of wind blowing.

The same went for Hector and Rafia.

Lest Demona follow them troublesomely if they stayed, they had slipped out of the lecture hall, even deploying stealth magic.

“Hey, Sion! Wait! I want to eat with your mentor senior too…… huh?”

Demona tried to cling to Sion, in the spirit of catching at a straw.

However, Sion and Riel had already vanished from there as well.

……Although she hadn’t intended to use it for such a purpose, Sion had also looked up a stealth holy art in the library.

Though not as perfect as Roan’s yet, it was sufficient to prevent Demona from noticing.

‘In any case, it is useful. I see why Darc learned it early!’

Sion thought this as she followed Roan out of the lecture hall.

Demona, suddenly left all alone, rubbed her eyes.

“Is this a dream?”

Of course, there was absolutely no way that rubbing her eyes like that would make missing people reappear.

Only then, understanding the situation, Demona was startled.

“Eeeehhh??!!?!?”

When did everyone become this fast?

However, what was already done could not be undone.

Demona began to pack her bag with a tearful face, although there wasn’t much to put in.

“Hing…… everyone is so mean. It is so much fun to be with me……”

And just as Demona slung her sparse bag over her shoulder:

Sss—

Some black figure suddenly appeared in front of Demona.

“U-Ugh! A g-ghost!”

Startled, Demona threw her bag without realizing it and raised her arms high.

***

Meanwhile, Roan, Rafia, and Hector arrived at the Headmaster’s office.

Geode, the paladin who always stood guard in front of the Headmaster’s office, welcomed the students from afar with open arms.

“Oh! Look who it is, the heroes of our Akerandir!”

It was a grand praise for merely chasing away six thug black mages.

Roan narrowed his eyes slightly and thought.

‘But doesn’t this person ever take shifts?’

It was a part he hadn’t thought strange in the game.

He had just thought it natural since he was an NPC.

But now it was strictly reality.

Leaving aside that his legs must hurt from always standing, physiological phenomena would also be a huge problem.

“You must have a hard time always guarding the Headmaster’s office so ironcladly.”

“Hahaha, it is nothing. As long as I have this armor, it doesn’t matter.”

“?”

Armor, suddenly out of nowhere?

‘Is there some hidden effect?’

It looked like ordinary armor on the outside……

As Roan showed signs of curiosity, Geode lowered his voice slightly.

“Well, since student Darc is here, and I’m sharing it specially only with our heroes……”

As Geode hesitated as if he was about to tell some great secret:

The attention of Roan, Rafia, and Hector was focused on him.