Of course, at the same time, Roan decided not to give up on the reward purely because Harden was letting him keep the Pouch of Infinite Blessings. Inside it were the branches, leaves, and sap from the sacred tree that he had carefully collected during this service! Not to mention the egg of a divine beast, forbidden books, ingredients from Sunset Hill, and…
'If they knew I even had Harden's tears in here, they'd think I'm a complete weirdo.'
The pouch was like a treasure chest where Roan stored all his most secretive items. Naturally, Harden found Roan's reaction quite repulsive.
"Forget about Wickron, how are you a Darc?"
Roan couldn't exactly reply, 'Maybe it's because I'm not really a Darc.'
"Anyway, the spirit beasts should quiet down soon, so rest until dawn. I'll be off now."
With those words, Harden disappeared as smoothly as ever.
The freshmen, who had endured so much hardship, instantly brightened at the thought of receiving a reward from Harden.
"Roan, is something bothering you?"
"... No."
Everyone was receiving a reward except for Roan, of course!
As the three of them sat together, each lost in thought —
Flap, flap —
A strange flapping sound came from somewhere nearby. A very small spirit beast, about the size of a Wind Terrier, appeared.
"Should I go?"
Since dealing with small spirit beasts was Sion's responsibility, she got up to handle it.
"Wait a second."
Roan stopped her, a hint of surprise in his eyes. It was rare for him to be surprised, so Sion asked, "What's the matter?"
"Is that a Golden Rhinoceros Beetle?"
"A Golden Rhinoceros Beetle?"
Both Sion and Demona looked puzzled, clearly unfamiliar with the name. If Hector had been there, he would have gone wild.
"It's the best among spirit beasts. They're endangered now, though…"
The Golden Rhinoceros Beetle had a diamond-hard shell, and it was known for the large horn on its head, much like a regular rhinoceros beetle. Despite being a spirit beast, it had an extraordinary defense, on par with defensive divine beasts, and its jewel-like appearance made it highly sought after.
Naturally, due to excessive hunting, it was now on the verge of extinction.
Still, could the presence of the Sacred Tree be the reason one of these rare creatures had come? As Roan was thinking this, Demona clapped his hands in admiration.
"As expected of Roan! There's nothing he doesn't know about the holy battles!"
Sion, who had been nodding absentmindedly, suddenly realized something.
'Wait… Could it be that his lack of interest during the last holy battle lesson was just to put me at ease? What a terrifying person!'
Her misunderstanding of Roan only deepened after realizing that.
"It's not about the holy battles, it's about spirit beasts... Never mind," Roan muttered.
It was only Roan who realized there was no point in arguing any further.
"By the way, it looks like that beetle is still a juvenile. It must've gotten separated from its parent."
"Poor thing... Can't we let it have some of the sap?" Sion suggested with concern.
"I don't see why not," Roan agreed, nodding his head.
Since the three freshmen were so good at their jobs, the Sacred Tree was freed from spirit beasts. Normally by this point, the Sacred Tree would have been covered in spirit beasts feeding on its sap. Letting a small juvenile spirit beast have some sap wouldn't cause any harm.
However, instead of heading toward the Sacred Tree, the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle flew straight toward Demona and landed on his shoulder.
"Uh... what? Ahhh!"
Even though it was just a juvenile, the beetle was heavy and about half the size of Demona's torso, causing him to panic. But the beetle clung tightly, refusing to budge an inch.
"Ro-Roan! Get it off me! I'm scared!"
Demona flailed around in a panic, while the beetle calmly fluttered its wings in a steady rhythm.
Roan looked on, slightly surprised.
"Hmm. It seems like it's chosen you, Demona."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Sometimes, a spirit beast would 'choose' a caretaker, especially if it had lost its parent. While most spirit beasts learned to survive on their own, this phenomenon was extremely rare.
'And it chose Demona?'
Roan had good reason to be surprised. If any spirit beast were to choose someone, it would most likely have been Sion, who had an unparalleled affinity with spirit beasts.
'What does Demona have that caught its attention?'
Roan tried to recall if there was anything special about Demona in relation to spirit beasts, but nothing came to mind. In the Gods and Devils world, Demona's character didn't hold much significance. He was mostly known for causing a ruckus in the marketplace.
But thinking back, Demona did acquire the King of Manic Rabbits' egg and now this beetle seemed to have chosen him as well.
"Anyway, congratulations, Demona. This is your second one now."
Not just any spirit beasts, but the King of Manic Rabbits' and a Golden Rhinoceros Beetle — the ultimate attacker and the ultimate defender. He had somehow ended up with an excellent duo, though they were still just an egg and a juvenile.
"Congratulations, Wickron. That's an incredible spirit beast to have," Sion said, also offering her congratulations.
Demona tilted his head.
"Wait, didn't you speak casually to me earlier?"
"Oh, um... yeah, I did..."
"It's fine. Just talk however you want," Demona waved his hand around, dismissing Sion's awkwardness.
Having heard that the beetle had chosen him, Demona was already starting to warm up to the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle, gently patting it.
"Alright, from now on, your name is Sparkles!"
The beetle immediately started poking him with its horn in response, clearly not pleased. Despite being a young one, its horn was solid enough that it felt like getting hit with a hammer.
"Ahh! Sparkles, stop! Roan, I think it doesn't like its name — help me!"
Demona now instinctively called for Roan whenever he was in trouble. Roan, watching him flail about on the ground, helplessly crying out, said calmly, "It's hungry like I said. It doesn't need sap. Just give it some of your holy power, and it'll be satisfied."
"R-Really? Ow! Fine, fine!"
Even as he was getting smacked by the beetle, Demona raised one hand and channeled his holy power toward the beetle's mouth. Instantly, the beetle calmed down and started eagerly consuming the energy.
"Hehe, it's kinda cute now."
Demona giggled, despite blood trickling down his forehead from where the beetle had struck him. Who would have thought this giggling maniac was the heir of the Wickron family, one of the wisest houses?
"Sigh..." Roan muttered, shaking his head at the sight.
Sion sighed deeply as well and cast a healing spell on Demona.
"Tsk. What a waste of holy power," Roan muttered, clearly not understanding Sion's act of kindness.
***
A few hours passed after the unexpected event of the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle choosing Demona. By the time the first light of dawn started to rise in the east, Roan stood up and said,
"It's time to get back to work."
"Back to work? On what?"
"We still need to finish clearing the remaining branches."
Though they had cleared more than half the branches the previous day, there was still quite a bit left to deal with.
"Oh, that's what you meant," Demona said with a sly smile, nodding. For a moment, it seemed like he might actually be willing to help this time.
Just as Roan thought this —
"I can't help, sorry. I need to take care of Sparkles," Demona said, petting the beetle on his chest.
Sion and Roan's eyes instantly turned cold. Even the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle, which had been content in Demona's arms, suddenly flew up and smacked him hard on the head with its large horn.
"Argh!"
Demona collapsed instantly, but the beetle didn't stop there. It continued to stomp on him with its sturdy legs.
Roan and Sion watched this scene warmly.
'It looks like it knows how to make Demona useful after all.'
At the very least, it was entertaining to watch.
"S-Sion… can you heal me?"
"..."
Huff!
Sion ignored Demona's desperate plea, turning her back and heading off to clear the branches.
"Handle it yourself and come help quickly," Roan added, doing the same.
"You guys are so cruel..." Demona muttered, bleeding and tearful as he reluctantly began to pick up branches.
Luckily, now that all three had gotten the hang of the task, they managed to clear the remaining branches by sunrise. By the time they were done, there were three huge piles of branches.
"Well done! Freshmen, you did an excellent job!"
Lady Arne descended to the ground, having finished dealing with the remaining insect spirit beasts.
"Is it over? You arrived right on time," Harden said, appearing as promised to deliver their rewards.
Lady Arne then distributed the agreed-upon 500 Dalants evenly among the three of them.
"Now, I'm heading to bed! I'm exhausted!"
"Rest well," Harden said with a nod as Lady Arne gave him a polite bow and skipped off toward her cabin.
With Lady Arne gone, it was time for Harden's reward. After rummaging through his pocket, Harden noticed the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle clinging to Demona.
"What's that creature?"
"It's Sparkles!" Demona cheerfully replied.
Not expecting a proper answer from Demona, Harden turned his gaze toward Roan.
"It chose him last night," Roan explained.
"Hmm. A Golden Rhinoceros Beetle. It's been a while since I've seen one," Harden said, looking at the beetle with brief interest before losing interest again.
"Wickron always had some useless talent like that," he muttered, then pulled out a 30-centimeter box from his pocket. The size of the box seemed impossible, but it was the Holy Spirit, so there was no point in questioning it.
From the box, Harden took out a wand, decorated with tiny sprouting buds, and handed it to Sion.
"Take it. This wand was crafted from the seed of the Sacred Tree. It will grow alongside you."
"Thank you… Thank you so much!" Sion responded, overwhelmed with gratitude.
Sion hadn't expected to receive such a gift from the Holy Spirit, and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face.
Meanwhile, Roan, watching the scene, thought, 'A growth-type wand? Compared to the Pouch of Infinite Blessings, that's way better!'
He felt incredibly envious. If he ever decided to empty out its contents and give Sion the pouch, this growth-type wand would have sped up his progress by at least six months.
Of course, Harden's pouch was just as valuable as the wand, so Roan didn't dwell on it for too long.
"Principal, what about me?"
Demona, his eyes sparkling, eagerly awaited his gift.
Harden tilted his head as if confused by the question.
"You already got your gift."
"Huh?"
Demona tilted his head in confusion. He already got his gift?
Harden smiled mischievously and pointed at the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle.
"The greatest gift is friendship."
Clearly, Harden took great pleasure in teasing his students. But Demona's reaction surpassed even his expectations.
"Then I don't want to take it with me."
"..."
Even Harden was left speechless, staring at Roan in disbelief.
[What's with him?] he communicated through divine means, completely thrown off by Demona's response.
Roan simply shrugged his shoulders.
'How should I know?'
At that moment, the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle fluttered into the air and once again smacked Demona on the head with its horn.
Whack!
With a satisfying sound, Demona collapsed again, twitching slightly.
"Oh... they make a perfect pair," Harden said, visibly pleased.
Roan and Sion nodded in agreement.
"Alright, make sure to study hard next week and take good care of your friend," Harden said as he finished his business and disappeared.
Roan and Sion waited for Demona to regain consciousness, and then the three of them headed back to Panroa Dormitory.
"I'm so tired..."
"I'm exhausted..."
"Wickron, what exactly did you do?"
Each of them went straight to their rooms, practically collapsing from exhaustion.
Except for Roan, who remained wide awake. In fact, he couldn't allow himself to rest.
The reason?
'It's time to unlock the Administrator of the Forbidden Archives!'
He was finally on the brink of achieving the goal he had set upon entering Akerandir.