Tap tap, Gerhard's fingers drummed on the table.
"Not being discovered by the spirit creature guarding the spirit herb."
To avoid even the slightest suspicion, he had to be perfect. Here, perfection meant that even after mining the mithril and fleeing, Aint shouldn't suspect a thing, not even in his dreams.
"In other words, if traces of battle with the spirit creature remain, he'll inevitably notice that someone was there before him."
And he would inevitably wonder what that person took, leaving the spirit herb behind. But taking the spirit herb as well would only incite greater anger.
However, no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't find an answer.
He could prepare various artifacts, reagents, and scrolls to help, but he could never be perfect alone.
"...In that case."
Damn it, when is Hyde coming back?
Gerhard rose from his seat.
"Luina, can you swear on your honor as a knight to keep what I'm about to tell you a secret for the rest of your life?"
He sought out Luina, his primary helper.
***
"No."
Luina's answer didn't take long.
With a tense expression, she had made the oath and listened attentively, but resolve settled in her eyes.
"When you mentioned the honor of a knight, I thought it would be something grand, but it's just a spirit herb?"
"Just? What do you mean by 'just'? How is a spirit herb 'just' anything?"
Ah, could it be that she thinks it's another lie this time?
"I swear on my money too. This time, it's a real spirit herb."
"Real spirit herb or not, you're asking me to skip class? What are you thinking?"
"What do you want?"
"Whatever it is, I will never listen to a proposal to skip class. I must become the top student."
Gerhard, who knew to some extent Luina's obsession with being the top student, swallowed a small groan.
"It's a spirit herb, Luina. A spirit herb. Do you know how much it's worth?"
"Even if it's a spirit herb, it doesn't mean the same to everyone. Everyone places different importance on different things."
She added.
"To begin with, becoming a temporary instructor to obtain a spirit herb is a concept I can't even imagine."
Judging that he couldn't persuade her given her resolute response, Gerhard dismissed her.
"Alright. You may leave."
Having Luina's help would make things much easier, but it wasn't absolutely necessary.
What was truly needed was another person who was scheduled to visit him shortly.
"Aren't you leaving?"
Seeing that he wasn't getting up with her, which was unusual, she tilted her head.
"I have someone else to meet."
"Here?"
"Yes."
"...Don't tell me it's Professor Grad?"
"That's a needless delusion."
"I don't care what you do, but please don't cause any strange incidents. If you get disciplined, it would affect me as your pair."
"I'll keep that in mind."
At that moment, there was a presence outside. Just as Luina was about to step back, the door flung open.
"...!"
Luina, who was standing in front of the door about to leave, met eyes with the other person.
"Oh, brother, you're not alone?"
"Welcome."
"...Brother?"
Fiery red hair with green eyes. A robust physique unlike a magician, yet with a seemingly benevolent impression.
It was a face Luina knew.
"Janice Biance?"
The Saint of the Order.
Top student in the first-year magic department.
Genius of magic.
A being followed by many other titles.
From the mouth of this saint came the word "brother," directed at Gerhard, the money demon.
It was incompatible with her common sense. Confusion invaded her mind.
"Yes. Is it strange that I call him brother? You are... Lady Luina."
Though not as much as Janice, Luina also had her presence.
Janice, who recognized her face a bit late, smiled warmly and clasped his hands together.
"May the blessing of mana be upon you."
"Ah, yes. I..."
"You don't have to respond with the same gesture. It's just the Order's way of greeting and a habit."
Janice sat in front of Gerhard.
"So, what were you discussing?"
"Luina is irrelevant. She's about to leave."
But instead of leaving, Luina pulled up a chair beside them and sat down.
"Aren't you leaving?"
"...You two seem quite close, how did you meet?"
"Is that so surprising?"
"Yes, it is. It's only natural."
"Natural?"
"It seems you don't know because you're not a magician. Should I explain?"
Janice was right.
"Listen, Luina. As you know, the Dragon Faith was originally a religion that worshipped the Ancient Dragon, who brought magic to humanity."
At that time, magic was a miracle to humanity, and the Ancient Dragon appeared as a god.
But everyone knew that wasn't the case now.
Nevertheless, the religion persisted.
It was because they changed the object of worship from the Ancient Dragon to magic and mana itself.
Thanks to this, the Dragon Faith, which continued its lineage, became the most powerful magician organization, with most of its middle-level or higher believers composed of magicians.
"It says everything that an Arch Mage is a magician recognized by the pope of the Dragon Faith."
Arch Mage was easy to understand if viewed as the magician version of a Royal Knight. They were the ten great magicians recognized by the pope of the Dragon Faith.
"I know that much. But that seems unrelated to your current friendship. Or did you study magic at the main headquarters of the Dragon Faith?"
"No. It's simple logic."
Janice shook his head with a benevolent smile.
"A magician is a money-eating hippopotamus. And the Dragon Faith is a place overflowing with such hippopotamuses."
"And our family purchases the most items from the Order."
"That's right. The Goldenheim family is our Order's biggest customer."
"A very big customer."
Gerhard and Janice took turns shaking Luina's mind.
"And as the old saying goes, if someone has a lot of money, they call them brother."
So there was no reason why Janice wouldn't call Gerhard brother.
"Of course, considering age alone, he is my real brother too."
The saint smiled.
"Do you understand now?"
"Um, so..."
It made sense verbally. But her mind couldn't comprehend it.
The saint, who seemed to care for people and appeared immensely benevolent, what was he saying now with a smiling face?
After a long confusion, she unconsciously blurted out her honest assessment.
"...Is this what a saint is?"
Isn't this just Money Demon #2?