Josephine was more shocked than ever in her thousands of years as an administrator. In fact, calling it shock didn't quite capture it. As an overseer, she not only observed the trials but also knew the contents and strategies for completing them. This particular trial, which she had witnessed hundreds of times in the past, was one of the most brutally difficult ones yet. She could brush off the Demona guy, who barely seemed to be part of the Wickron family.
'But what is this about casually handing over that treasure to a demon?'
The Eternal Facestal Amulet was a treasure so extraordinary that even Josephine, watching, was stunned. But to give it to a demon in exchange for learning dark magic? How had someone even discovered that route?
'Did the Holy Empire fall? I haven't heard of its destruction...'
Otherwise, she couldn't comprehend this extreme situation. And wasn't the trial of taking the Eye of the Seer only meant for students of Akerandir, where the Watcher's Hill was?
"What are you talking about?"
Meanwhile, Roan, barely containing his anger, bit his words out. It was clear he was ready to grab someone and beat them up if given the chance. And it wasn't just his expression — he genuinely felt that way. His mood was already foul enough that he didn't care about some dimensional overseer or whatever.
"Eek... No, no... I just meant... What's your relationship with the one you were possessed by during the trial...?"
Sensing something was wrong, Josephine's voice grew quieter. Roan, gritting his teeth, replied, "We don't know each other from now on."
"Huh?"
Josephine tilted her head in confusion. How could someone with no connections manage to be so brazen?
'Wait, doesn't the trial only involve people close to the participant?'
Stepping back cautiously, Josephine suddenly remembered the saying, "Birds of a feather flock together."
"Anyway, where's the Eye of the Seer?"
"Ah... ah!"
Hurried by Roan's impatience, Josephine quickly began to chant a spell.
'The sooner I get rid of this dangerous guy, the better!'
Soon, a fountain began to bubble up, and silvery water rose into the air, slowly taking shape.
Eventually, it became a water dish the size of a face.
"Th-this is the Eye of the Seer..."
Josephine timidly handed the dish to Roan.
Snatch!
Roan immediately stuffed it into his pouch.
"I'll be off now."
Without a backward glance, he prepared to leave the Garden of Dawn. Startled, Josephine shouted after him.
"W-Wait, visitor! The feather statue at the entran—"
But Roan had already disappeared from the garden.
"What... what just happened...?"
Left standing in the aftermath of Roan's whirlwind visit, Josephine remained frozen for a long time.
***
Pluck.
Though he hadn't heard it from Josephine, Roan plucked a feather from the feather statue as he passed by. The missing feather immediately regrew.
The Watcher's Feather.
It was a necessary item to safely leave the Watcher's Hill.
'Too bad it's a single-use item, and I can only take one.'
As Roan approached the door, the tower's voice opened it for him.
"Farewell, courteous visitor!"
"Whether you're well or not, I don't care."
"...?"
A curt farewell, since he had no intention of ever returning!
The tower's voice sounded slightly confused, but Roan had already left the dimension.
As Roan exited the dimension…
Whhooooshhhhhhh.
'Skydiving in a place like this...'
Roan was in free fall from the sky, with the Watcher's Tower barely visible far below. It was the usual situation one faced after exiting Watcher's Hill. Just as he had entered at sunset, he had to exit with the same view of the setting sun. However, as time passed, he found himself high up in the sky.
From Roan's perspective, the sun still lingered on the horizon, but by the time he reached the ground, it would be completely dark. Staying calm, Roan infused magic into the feather he held in his hand.
The Watcher's Feather reacted to the user's soul, creating wings. Since it was an ancient item, its form varied widely, depending on the user's soul rather than their magic or divine power.
'I'm a bit worried... but there shouldn't be anyone around here.'
Soon, large wings sprouted from Roan's back, a result of the item's effect. His falling speed dramatically slowed. The wings were a bright ashen gray, not resembling dark magic at all. Though dark in tone, they were not conspicuous enough to draw attention from the academy.
The problem was…
'... What kind of hybrid is this?'
The wings were structured like a demon's, with thin bones and membranous skin!
Vrrrmmm —
The False Divinity hummed lightly. Since the wings responded to his soul, there was nothing Roan could do to alter their appearance.
'It's definitely a useless power.'
Vrrrm…
Ignoring the sad hum of the False Divinity, Roan slowly descended. His target was the second-floor wall of the Watcher's Tower.
Tap —
Landing lightly on the brick wall, Roan scanned his surroundings, making sure no one was nearby.
"Thankfully, no one's —?"
"..."
But just then, he locked eyes with a monk standing at the base of the tower, staring directly up at him. Well, technically, their eyes didn't meet since the monk's face was obscured by the black hood of his robe, but it seemed like they did given the angle.
Swoosh —
The ashen demon wings surrounding Roan began to dissolve into dust, disappearing after they had completed their task.
'You certainly served your purpose...'
Roan broke out in a cold sweat, realizing he had been caught in the act — a scene no one should have witnessed, especially not a random student.
'In moments like these, you have to act confidently!'
With that thought, Roan casually jumped down to the ground and approached the monk.
"... Did you see something just now?"
The monk said nothing.
"Did you not see it?"
Roan asked again. The monk remained still, his mouth opening slightly in silence. It was the signal that monks had whenever they were observing a vow of silence.
Roan briefly considered getting a better look at the monk's face but decided against it. After all, pushing the issue would only reveal his own guilt. Furthermore, making excessive demands of the monk might backfire for him in the end.
"I understand. Well then..."
Roan nodded confidently and descended the mountain.
'Thank goodness, that monk was in a vow of silence!'
A vow of silence not only meant refraining from speaking but also avoiding any form of communication with others. So, Roan felt reassured that there would be no rumors spreading.
Meanwhile, as Roan continued down the mountain, the monk who had been standing there remained frozen in place.
"Oh, Hiloa, Harden, Saint Panroa, Saint Hetron! That was terrifying!"
The monk, far from acting like a calm and collected monk, blurted out some rather crude words and collapsed, his legs giving out from fear.
"I was so scared I couldn't even get a good look at his face. Who was that? A professor? But he was wearing a school uniform... Oh no, could it be?!"
This monk's name was Donli Gebosh, a person who had been admitted to Akerandir because he was deemed too noisy for the monastery.
***
The next day.
Roan entered the dining hall at the Saint Panroa Dormitory a bit later than Demona and Hector for breakfast. The moment he walked in, Demona rushed toward him, making a fuss.
"Roan, Roan! Did you hear?!"
"What are you talking about?"
Roan's tone was cold, as every time he saw Demona's face, it reminded him of the Eternal Facestal Amulet. But Demona, being who he was, didn't mind at all.
Honestly, if something like that bothered Demona, he would have already stayed away after Roan had roughed him up without reason the previous day at the McGodall Dormitory.
Hector explained the rumor instead.
"Last night, a fallen angel appeared on the western mountain."
"... What?" Roan asked in disbelief.
How on earth did such a rumor start?
The dorm dining hall was noisier than usual. He had assumed it was because it was the weekend, but it seemed that all the students were abuzz over the same rumor.
─ Was it really a fallen angel?
─ I'm telling you! Its bat-like wings are white. What else could it be?
─ Aren't fallen angels supposed to have black bird wings?
─ Did you see it?!
─ Well, no…
It all started with the strange shape of the wings Roan had summoned.
─ And they were wearing a school uniform!
─ Whoa, was it an undercover mission?
─ This is terrifying... Akerandir's doomed.
There were even blasphemous rumors circulating.
Fortunately, one thing was clear.
─ What about their face? Did anyone see it?
─ Well... some said they had a scary face covered in black tattoos.
─ No, they had twisted ram's horns.
─ I heard the witness was too scared to even look!
Despite the wild rumors about the fallen angel, no one had enough information to identify Roan specifically.
Pretending not to know anything, Roan grabbed a piece of bread and sat down. Next to him, Demona kept chattering without pause.
"Isn't it terrifying? They were supposedly three meters tall with six arms —"
Rip!
But Demona stopped mid-sentence when Roan, looking deadly, tore the bread apart aggressively. Roan glared daggers at him and spoke coldly.
"This is all your fault, Demona."
"W-What did I do...?"
Recalling the terror of the previous day, Demona shrank back in fear. Roan, meanwhile, resumed eating his bread, thinking to himself, 'This should blow over in a few days.'
It seemed that a few people had witnessed something from a distance the previous night, but as long as there wasn't a major force spreading the rumor, it would likely die down soon. Without a clear description of his face, the absurd claim of a fallen angel appearing at Akerandir wouldn't last long.
Roan found some comfort in that thought. But just then, commotion broke out outside the dining hall.
─ Wow, it's him, it's him!
─ What? He's the witness?
Not only was the hallway noisy, but some people inside the dining hall began rushing outside as well.
Soon, the source of the commotion entered the hall.
─ Donli! Tell us about last night!
─ Did you really see a fallen angel?
Donli entered the dining hall, lowering the hood of his monk's black robe, and squeezed through the crowd of students. Upon seeing him, Roan had a sudden realization.
'It was Donli Gebosh!'
Of all the monks at Akerandir, it had to be the one notorious for talking too much!
'I should've just taken off his hood to check...'
If Roan had known it was Donli, he might have resorted to something more drastic. Meanwhile, Donli, enjoying the attention, held up a hand to pretend to stop the approaching students.
"Whoa, whoa, friends. Calm down. Yes, it's true! I, Donli, am the one who saw the fallen angel!"
─ Wooahh!
─ Donli! Donli!
The students cheered at Donli's flamboyant showmanship.
"Donli, my senior!"
… Even Hector had somehow joined the crowd.
"I was climbing the western mountain to find a place to meditate, when suddenly, the sky lit up, and a figure with white bat wings appeared. The angel was so shocked to see me, it cried out in surprise!"
─ What did it say?!
─ Hurry, tell us! We're dying to know!
"Ahh! 'Unlucky me! How could I descend after thousands of years only to meet such a powerful monk!'"
─ Oooh!
─ Stop lying, Donli!
The students' reactions were mixed, but everyone was enjoying the story.
Donli wasn't just any monk – he was a natural entertainer who had once earned 1,000 Dalants in the Commercial District by doing stand-up comedy. Grabbing attention was no problem for him.
"A fallen angel with six eyes, eight arms, and two pairs of horns! I warned it not to dare set foot in this sacred place, and so I sent it fleeing back into the heavens!"
─ Wowwww!
Donli continued, passionately recounting how the fallen angel supposedly threw ten trials at him, but he defeated them with ease and sent the creature back into the sky.
".. .But I had to use quite a bit of my strength. I rested there until morning before returning to the Panroa Dormitory."
─ Akerandir's guardian, Donli Gebosh!
─ The one who defeated the trials of the fallen angel!
As everyone cheered for Donli's tale…
Crunch ──
Roan, who had been glaring at Donli the entire time, clenched the bread in his hand so tightly with magic that it crumbled into dust. The atmosphere became so intense that even the cheering students began to feel uneasy, glancing around in confusion.
Donli also noticed Roan's piercing gaze and their eyes met.
"H-hiiiik!"
Thud!
Donli was so startled that he fell flat on his bottom.
─ Huh? What's wrong, Donli? Did you see the fallen angel agai— gasp!
─ That's not a fallen angel… it's Darc!
The other students were equally surprised but quickly recognized Roan and seemed to accept the situation. Roan's intimidating reputation was already well-known among the upperclassmen.
"... I'll need to get a new piece of bread."
Roan, glancing at the crumbs in his hand, casually stood up and grabbed another loaf from the basket. Then, in a low voice, he spoke to Donli.
"I was so moved by your heroic tale, I couldn't help myself."
Although Roan's words were an ordinary greeting from a junior, everyone misinterpreted them.
─ Was that... a death threat?
Especially Donli, who was on the verge of wetting himself.
'W-Where have I seen him before...?'
He couldn't even imagine that this was the same person he had encountered the previous night.
Once Roan had moved away, the dining hall gradually returned to its usual atmosphere.
Although rumors about the fallen angel continued to circulate, Roan didn't plan to go out of his way to stop them.
Even Demona, who was growing tired of the fallen angel story, brought up something else.
"Roan, have you heard the latest rumor?"
"... What now?"
Demona listed off a few trivial rumors, but Roan barely paid attention, letting his words drift in one ear and out the other.