It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Human Rone Fordbang (2)

Kyung-joon, who removed the baptism given by the Holy Cross.

Rone was left speechless at something that was beyond blasphemy and impossible in the first place.

‘No way…… How in the world did the bishop-level baptism disappear without a trace?’

He couldn’t figure it out.

He couldn’t understand because his arms and flag suddenly disappeared and reappeared.

‘Is it really dark magic……? But there’s no trace of mana…….’

If one were to be contaminated and corrupted by very powerful mana, a bishop-level baptism could be destroyed.

But there was no such trace on the flag right now.

Surely, if it had been destroyed like that, there should at least be a trace of mana…….

Whatever.

Even if he really used dark magic, this place was a Special Administrative Zone, officially under the protection of the Fairy-Elven Alliance.

The Holy Cross Faction could carry out an Inquisition, but not in a Special Administrative Zone belonging to the Humanity Cantons.

In the first place, one of the members of the Humanity Cantons was ‘New Devil Co., Ltd.’, which focuses on dark magic.

“Ahem…… Even though the baptism has been erased, Fael Alliance is still part of the Humanity Cantons, so you still have to pay religious taxes……. “

In front of Rone, who couldn’t erase his bewildered expression, Kyung-joon continued.

“Anyway, there are no buffs, so there are no taxes. And as it says on the flag, our territory is a protectorate, but it’s a self-governing territory with no interference. Don’t compare it to the Fael Alliance.”

“Ugh.”

“Our Study Villa is run by a special autonomous law that I enacted. Among them, there is no law that says we have to pay taxes to the Holy Cross, and I have no intention of adding it in the future.”

<Master. Was there such an autonomous law in our territory?>

There was.

Of course, in Kyung-joon’s head.

That autonomous law changes hundreds of times a day depending on Kyung-joon’s taste.

In other words, Kyung-joon’s heart is the law of Study Villa.

An example of this is when Rone paid Kyung-joon 5 million liyan for trespassing.

“I didn’t hear about such details…….”

“In the first place, the hero title I received at the awards ceremony has an exemption privilege. That exempts me from taxes.”

Kyung-joon gave him a look that was oppressive enough without the Divine Cross threat.

So, the two of them had a staring contest for a few minutes… no, for only a second.

“Okay~ Okay~! I’m just here because I was told to from above. Anyway, if something goes wrong with something this big, they’ll just blame me and cut me off. That’s why they sent a bad priest like me. So I don’t want to make a big deal out of this either.”

Like a bad priest, Rone had no intention of handling things properly according to the Holy Cross’s way.

He hated it when things got complicated, and he wasn’t as devout as one might think.

It was questionable how he became a priest in the first place.

Rone let out a deep breath and then spoke with his hands clasped together in a humble manner.

“But…… Can’t I ask you a favor……? If I get in trouble again and get penalized, I’m really going to be defrocked…… I’ve never done anything but be a priest all my life, so if I get defrocked, I won’t be able to make a living…….”

“Okay.”

Kyung-joon readily agreed.

“Whew…… Really, you can’t…… What can I do now…… Should I go fishing for some old man in a remote village and sell him some red ginseng…… Huh? What?”

Rone was thinking about quitting the priesthood when he thought he had misheard and asked again.

“I said okay. I’ll pay some taxes.”

“R, Really?!”

“But you’re paying those taxes. I’m just going to pay you a salary with that money.”

“Salary……? What do you mean by that……?”

Kyung-joon grinned and put his arm around Rone’s shoulder.

Rone felt a chill down his spine at the ominous feeling.

“From now on, you work under me.”

Even if he didn’t, the Holy Cross was still an unknown entity.

Besides, considering how they freely entered the Favengarden Royal Palace during the awards ceremony, their political power was considerable.

In addition to this.

The fact that Rone made Study Villa an absolute no-PvP zone and the fact that he instantly healed the wounds that looked like they were caused by being beaten up.

Considering that unknown power 『divine power』, he needed to be a little careful.

Before fighting an enemy, you must first know your enemy.

And knowing your enemy, you must cultivate the strength to prepare for them.

Perhaps that was the reason why Kyung-joon built Study Villa in the Beginner’s Village, where players couldn’t easily enter and exit.

Of course, players weren’t a big threat anymore.

But when one threat disappears, a new one emerges. That’s the way of the world.

And the most immediate threat right now was the Holy Cross.

“If you cooperate well with the research on divine power as a priest of the Holy Cross, I’ll make sure you can work as a priest for the time being.”

“……Are you asking me to be a spy? Even if I’m a bad priest, I can’t do something that completely goes against the Holy Cross―”

“And at the same time.”

Kyung-joon cut Rone off.

And he put his finger under his chin and said.

“If the Holy Cross falls later, I’ll make sure to secure your place.”

The goal was set.

Kyung-joon.

He was going to get rid of the Holy Cross.

He had no choice.

That was.

[The price of handing over the world]

▶Release the Demon King’s seal!

※You will receive Jet Black Power as a down payment for the seal release.

▶Quest Grade: Mythical

▶Quest Reward: Unlocks Jet Black Study Buffs, including Black Focus, Black Tenacity, Black Creativity, and more.

That was the content of the contract Kyung-joon made with the Demon King.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“Oh my! I was just trying to intimidate him and make things easy for myself, but now I’m being ripped off, on the verge of being defrocked, and facing the Inquisition!”

Rone trembled all over and shuddered.

Meanwhile, Kyung-joon pointed out the rest of what Rone had missed with an indifferent face.

“That’s not all. You lost your Divine Cross to me.”

“Right, that! Ha. They won’t even give me a new one if I lose that…… If I report it lost, it’s 10 penalty points and 100 hours of confession…… Will you take responsibility if I get withdrawal symptoms in the meantime?!”

“You’re the one who’s responsible. If you do well, you’ll be happy with me forever. Or you’ll get withdrawal symptoms, get your clothes taken away, and be burned at the stake by the Inquisition. I don’t care either way, so choose wisely when you’re doing something strange.”

“I’ll do my best, Lord! I, Rone, am not the type of person who suits martyrdom!”

In the end, the bad priest Rone decided to side with Kyung-joon.

Of course, while maintaining his outward appearance as a priest of the Holy Cross.

“You’d better keep your promise. You promised to let me smoke Divine Cross even after the Holy Cross is gone, right?”

“Of course. By the time we get rid of the Holy Cross, the divine power research will be complete anyway, so it won’t be difficult. You’ve seen the power and potential of science, haven’t you?”

“Well, that’s true, but…….”

As Rone talked more with Kyung-joon, he realized the enormous potential that could be unleashed when science and magic were combined.

Kyung-joon Fertilizer, which speeds up crop growth by several times.

The Kyung-joon air conditioner, which keeps the room constantly cool with its incredible mana efficiency.

The power of Vector Calculus that Rone experienced firsthand, and many other things, had enormous potential.

‘Seeing how he erased the bishop-level baptism without using any divine power or mana…… There’s definitely something to this otherworlder’s science.’

Of course, he had used the Demon King’s power to erase the baptism, but there was no way Rone would know that.

That’s how certain the power of Parallel Imprinting left by his predecessor was.

“Tsk…… It was the best when I was just giving blessings, collecting donations, and gathering faith in a remote village…… Now I have to do annoying prayers and training again.”

Since he had lost his Divine Cross to Kyung-joon, he needed to resume the prayers and training he had stopped because it was too much of a hassle to maintain a certain level of divine power.

“That’s the way the world is. It doesn’t always go the way it did back then when it was peaceful.”

It was a truth of the world that even Kyung-joon, who hadn’t even lived for 20 years, could understand.

Rone muttered in response to Kyung-joon’s words, closing his eyes and nodding.

“Yeah. I admit that. And anyway, the Holy Cross was bound to be shaken one day in the near future.”

“The Holy Cross? They seem pretty strong?”

“As magic spread among humans, they had another place to believe in besides religion, and they had been living well for 700 years without any major wars or disasters except for small territorial wars among themselves. In the meantime, the monsters gradually moved away on their own to places like the Whale Forest to avoid humans.”

Rone’s narrowed eyes opened slightly, and for a moment, his gaze sharpened.

“In this era of peace, religion is rather unnecessary.”

“What if religion becomes necessary again?”

Kyung-joon asked, his words laced with meaning.

Rone also understood Kyung-joon’s intentions and gave a wry smile.

“That’s simple. Break the peace.”

The harbinger of the breaking peace.

And the gunshot that signaled its beginning was the defense of Luxemb.

It wasn’t a big problem yet, but even now, variant monster attacks were occurring throughout the kingdoms of the Holy Cross Faction.

The group that benefited the most from this situation was not any kingdom, nor the Humanity Cantons.

It was the Holy Cross.

“In a way, a world without religion might be the best kind of world. It’s proof that it’s the most peaceful, and it means that humans can survive on their own without relying on anyone.”

“You’re a priest of the Holy Cross, are you sure you’re allowed to say that?”

“Of course not. That’s why I’m not popular in the Holy Cross. I’m a complete outsider, a bullied priest, and they call me a bad priest. That’s why I’ve been living and working in the church all my life, but I’m still at the bottom. Hahaha!”

Rone laughed cheerfully, making a self-deprecating joke.

For some reason, it didn’t look bad.

Perhaps.

The truly bad one wasn’t the bad priest Rone.

It could be the place he belonged to.

Swoosh.

Rone straightened his priest’s robes and tidied up his appearance.

He was getting ready to leave now that the conversation was over.

“Anyway, I’ll smooth things over with the higher-ups. I got the flag and paid the taxes. But that doesn’t mean you can go around causing trouble.”

“I’m not planning on causing trouble from the start.”

Kyung-joon still needed time to grow his territory and become stronger.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yes.”

Rone took a step away from Kyung-joon, then suddenly stopped as if something had occurred to him.

“Oh, and take good care of your pets that you’re raising at the tail end of the Whale Forest. I don’t want things to get more complicated here.”

“You knew about that too?”

“I knew that something was strange with the monsters suddenly using tactics and strategies, but now that I see it, you seem to be the cause.”

“That’s right. It’s me. But it’s going to get even more complicated, so you’re going to have to do a good job.”

“Oh my…… This is going to be troublesome. This is my life…….”

Rone grabbed his forehead and shook his head.

Then, with drooping shoulders, he raised his hand haphazardly.

“I’m really going now…… I’ll drop by sometimes, no, often to smoke Divine Cross, so next time I come, it would be nice if you could build a snack bar with all the pretty girls you’ve gathered as the territory develops.”

Rone disappeared, waving his hand languidly.

Following Zot, who was once his enemy, Kyung-joon had now formed a strange bond with a bad priest.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Thud.

He planted the flag on top of the hill.

[『Study Villa / Fairy-Elven Alliance『[ Joint Flag]

[The territory’s rank has increased.]

[You have acquired 1 million territory points.]

Flutter, flutter.

The countless achievements Kyung-joon had made in the Fairy-Elven Alliance were fluttering in the wind as a single flag.

In front of it.

“Ahem.”

Kyung-joon was clearing his throat.

“Now, now, everyone line up nicely!”

The 107 human residents who had been protecting the territory while Kyung-joon was away.

“Kkyu! Kkyuruk! I have to finish writing the Inner City remodeling proposal today, but I’m running out of time!”

1,127 Whale Forest forest horned rabbits.

“Awoo! Awooool! Kingyear! Are you still not done making the Ice Demon Claw? How many books has it been?”

534 Whale Forest wolves.

“Kuoo! Kuoo! I heard the new key lime jam goes so well with bread!”

113 Triple Horn Wild Boars.

“Kkokko! Kkokko! Kyung-joon-nim, while you’re here, I should show you the effects of my deer flower perfume!”

289 spotted deer.

《I limited the nitrogen and gave them longer memorization periods, so they’re blooming early this year…….》

1,542 Arliv trees.

“Hohong! hohou! hou! (Where did Ceram go?)”

And 1,059 Silva.

“Kkue! kkuee! (I am an immortal being! And stop plucking my feathers!)”

And one Ice Bird, Anivia, no, Zero, who he didn’t know when he had returned.

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