Chapter 98

In any case, Rafia, completely unaware of that fact, was able to gain a bit of courage.

“As you know well, I want to become a knight. May I receive a sword or armor?”

“Well, that is very easy.”

Harden nodded and waved his hand behind him.

Clack—

The chest behind Harden’s seat opened, and an ordinary iron sword flew out from inside it.

It was a truly ordinary iron sword, the kind that would have over a hundred copies scattered around if one went to a weapon shop in the commercial district.

“A-An iron sword, of all things……!”

However, perhaps deeply moved by even a simple iron sword, Rafia knelt down and prepared to receive it.

Harden wore a pleased expression at the sight of his faithful devotee and cast a sidelong glance at Roan.

‘Did you see? I don’t even hope for this much from you.’

A thought like that was plain to see, but Roan pretended not to notice.

“Rafia, you don’t think the Headmaster’s reward is just this iron sword, do you?”

“P-Pardon? Then is there something more to this?”

Rafia’s eyes widened.

If it was something given by Harden, even receiving just an iron sword would be enough to make it an eternal family heirloom, yet there was more?

Harden smiled and slowly stroked the iron sword.

Then, holy power like mysterious dust began to wrap around the iron sword.

It did not stop there.

“Yawn……”

After yawning once, he even gathered the tear that welled up slightly and smeared it on the iron sword.

Harden’s blessing effects included an immense attack power buff, automatic repair, additional attack power against undead monsters and enemies related to black magic, and so on.

It could instantly elevate even a normal sword to a semi-final tier item.

Of course, Harden had also regulated his power to some extent, so that iron sword wouldn’t go that far, but:

In any case, it would be more than enough to use while attending Akerandir.

……The appearance was a bit questionable, but in any case, it was a grand blessing.

‘Since he was going to do it anyway, he could have yawned in advance and applied it in a better fashion……’

Roan thought, trying hard to hide his dumbfounded look.

Of course, even if Rafia was deeply moved regardless, wasn’t there such a thing as decorum?

It was not even a difficult task to yawn in advance.

“Here, take it. Since my blessing dwells in it, the enemies before you will not dare oppose you.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Well, seeing Rafia so delighted, it seemed decorum could be omitted a bit.

The last was Roan.

Step—

Roan also stepped before Harden with a look full of anticipation.

‘What should I ask for?’

At this moment, Harden looked to Roan like a giant chunk of meat from which he could tear off anything.

‘I guess that would be best.’

The maximum reward he could obtain within a range that would not incur Harden’s antipathy.

Searching through his entire database in a short time to find the optimal item, Roan opened his mouth.

“I—”

“Here.”

“???”

Yet, Harden gave him something as if tossing it, without even hearing Roan out to the end.

Roan, who caught it in spite of himself, spoke in a dumbfounded voice.

“……I haven’t said anything yet, though.”

Harden, not backing down, asked in an equally dumbfounded voice.

“Would you at least look at it before speaking, you cheeky lamb?”

Only then did Roan see Harden’s reward held between his hands and chest.

It was a bracelet.

“??!?!?!?!?”

Of course, it was not a simple bracelet.

Two bracelets of the same design.

“I-Isn’t this the ‘Rally of Sworn Allies’?”

Roan asked, startled in a way unlike himself.

A seemingly shabby bracelet made of unshaped rough stones and similarly unpolished rubies.

However, it was also a tremendous item that Roan could recognize at a single glance.

Harden replied as if surprised.

“Oh, you seem to know. Combining it with the sacred tree management this time, I specially—?”

Normally, Roan would have had cheeky thoughts like, ‘Didn’t he tell me to look first?’ but this time was different.

“Isn’t the Rally of Sworn Allies a bracelet that allows one to form a contract with a divine beast or a spiritual beast? I know it is a tremendous item that not only allows mutual growth but also shares power and souls. However, I know it only resides in the underground warehouse of the Holy Emperor’s Palace, so how did the Headmaster……”

Roan poured out the effects of the Rally of Sworn Allies in a torrent.

Not only Rafia and Hector behind him, but even Harden, who had given the bracelet, could not fully grasp all those rapid words.

But it was roughly similar in feel.

Harden nodded in embarrassment.

“……You seem to know it far better than I thought? When I reported this incident, the Holy Emperor specially granted it.”

Did he see it in an encyclopedia while staying at the Holy Emperor’s Palace?

Harden thought that this Darc boy was fully capable of doing so.

Meanwhile, Roan was extremely delighted at the unexpected reward.

‘This isn’t an item that can be obtained from Harden.’

If it were other items, he would have just thought there was something Harden had been keeping, but:

The Rally of Sworn Allies was the only one in the game.

Moreover, it was stored in the underground warehouse of the Holy Emperor’s Palace.

Therefore, to obtain the Rally of Sworn Allies, one had to clear quests of the Holy Emperor’s Palace above a certain level.

Furthermore, what about its effect?

Beyond a simple abstract relationship, it binds the master and the divine beast or spiritual beast as souls.

Sharing stat experience and growth on top of that naturally made one exclaim that it was sheer cheating.

One thing, the fact that the Holy Emperor’s Palace had also learned of this matter was slightly concerning, but for now, it did not matter.

Roan spoke to Harden with eyes dripping with devotion.

“Thank you very much, Headmaster.”

Harden was slightly annoyed, as if the excitement had faded.

“Of course I gave it to make you happy, but I didn’t expect you to be this pleased…… Anyway, I have given you everything I should, so all of you, get out.”

Then, looking at Hector, who was still making the face of granite melted in lava, he added specially:

“That fellow is truly disgusting even for me, a Holy Spirit, to look at. Tell him that if he shows me that sight just once more, it will be blasphemy.”

“……To that extent?”

“Yes.”

He wondered if it was a rather narrow-minded act for a Holy Spirit, but thinking about it, it was not a new thing.

‘Then again, it is fortunate enough that a law forbidding such expressions was not added to the imperial law.’

Harden fully possessed the personality and capability to do so.

“Hector, let’s go quickly. Before you get dragged to the Inquisition.”

“Huh? Yeah? Why?”

Roan came out of the Headmaster’s office leading Hector and Rafia.

Checking the clock attached to Harden Hall, there was still a bit more than half of the lunchtime remaining.

“There is a bit more time left than I thought.”

“Shall we go grab lunch?”

Rafia asked, unable to take her eyes off the iron sword Harden had given her.

If it were Roan, he would have been moved by its tremendous effects, but she seemed purely happy to have received a gift from the Holy Spirit.

“Rafia.”

“Yes?”

“Do not feel too relieved just because you received the sword.”

Roan said this as a warning about the inscrutable character Harden, but:

“Ah, right! Just as you said, I will not neglect my efforts in the future. Thanks for the advice, as expected of Roan!”

Rafia nodded with determined eyes, having somehow understood it that way.

“Y-Yeah. Let’s go eat lunch.”

There was a saying about understanding a clumsy statement perfectly, was it?

Roan and Rafia moved their steps toward the commercial district with different thoughts.

“You will definitely grow up to become a Cloud Gorilla or a Mountain-Galloping Horse……”

He tried hard to ignore Hector’s words coming from behind.

Because he did not particularly want to see that destructive expression directly.

“Roan, how long is Hector going to be like that?”

“……Do not ask me.”

“You don’t know either?”

Rafia seemed slightly shocked, but this time Roan truly could not give an answer.

***

Fortunately, upon arriving near the commercial district, Hector returned to normal.

Of course, his joy at obtaining the egg of the divine beast was still the same.

“Hahaha! Since I’m in a good mood today, I will treat you to lunch!”

Hector decided to treat them to lunch, completely forgetting the fact that Roan and Rafia had also received Harden’s gifts.

“No, Hector. There’s no need to go that far……”

Nudge—

Roan nudged Rafia’s arm to stop her, then said casually:

“Then let’s go to the Forest of the Holy Spirit.”

“Sounds good!”

Even for a multimillionaire like Roan, who possessed over 20,000 talents, a free meal was always delicious.

The more expensive it was, the more so.

As they walked along, following the excited Hector:

Stop—

“What’s wrong?”

Suddenly, Hector stopped in the middle of the street without any warning.

Roan asked in wonder.

Did the divine beast’s egg break?

Of course, there was no way an egg created by Harden himself and even sealed with chains would do so.

Unless someone of the level of Kaina or Gulba hit it with all their might.

Instead, Hector was staring straight ahead, his mouth wide open as if his jaw was about to touch the ground.

“Is there something ahead?”

Rafia also found Hector’s reaction strange and scanned ahead with Roan.

When the gazes of the three directed toward the same place:

“R-Roan! What on earth is going on over there??!!?”

“I-I don’t know either.”

Roan and Rafia were also startled to a degree not much different from Hector.

Because, approximately 100 meters ahead:

“What? There was such content in the Great Wicronon Epic?”

“Really~ it’s about Demona’s family, but aren’t you being too indifferent?”

“That’s similar to how locals don’t know much about their own province.”

“How can you say that~”

To think Demona was sticking close to a black-haired girl!

Moreover, the girl giggled every time she spoke a word, as if she had a deep affection for Demona.

Judging by the fact that she was not wearing a school uniform, she seemed to be someone living in the commercial district rather than a student.

Checking the girl’s face, Roan instinctively raised his black mana.

‘ !’

Normally, the girl would not contact a player this early.

Since she was a character who only began to appear in earnest in the second year.

Unless one went out of their way to look for her, it was normal for her to stay quietly in the commercial district at this point.

But Roan had already seen that girl’s face once before.

The girl who was looking inside from outside the dormitory cafeteria on Saturday morning.

‘ …… , .’

Roan’s wariness immediately seeped into his black mana as well.

The students passing by were startled as they felt an ominous energy.

— U-Uwah!

— Which thoughtless jerk is causing trouble in the commercial district?

But upon learning that the culprit behind the energy encroaching on the street was Roan, they stealthily avoided the spot.

— Hey, it’s Darc, Darc. Just go.

— They say that guy beats up his friends and then casts healing holy arts on them, right?

— Yeah! They say he revives them even after killing them!

It was because the rumors surrounding Roan were too ominous to argue.

Under normal circumstances, Roan would have been angry or annoyed by the nonsense surrounding him, but he couldn’t do so this time.

Roan seemed to know why that girl was sticking with Demona right now.

‘ .’

It was a reason Roan did not welcome at all.

In the midst of that, the one who moved first was, unexpectedly, Hector.

“Demonaaaa! You trash who harasses a girl!”