I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

“Alright~ Since it’s the first class, let’s keep it simple, shall we? First, a question~”

Kaina seemed to be in a particularly good mood. She even hummed a tune.

“Can any student guess who the best dark mage I’ve ever seen was?”

None of the students answered.

The atmosphere made it difficult to speak up.

Instead, they were glancing nervously at the hammer standing in the corner of the podium.

To be precise, they knew the answer but were hesitant to say it out loud.

“… Answer.”

Gone was her cheerful demeanor, and Kaina now glared at the students with a terrifying intensity, urging them to respond.

‘Is she bipolar or something?’

In the game, it just seemed like a character trait, but seeing it in person was chilling.

Roan wondered if it was because he had something to hide, but even Rafia, who had nothing to hide, was trembling beside him.

Then, one student.

Raised his hand.

“… Oh, Pabilto! Yes, yes? Go ahead and answer!”

Hector was different.

He answered with pride and a loud voice.

“The best dark mage is a dead dark mage!”

The other students murmured, thinking that might have been too harsh of an answer.

There were, after all, dark mages who had converted or contributed to the Empire.

Kaina’s expression also momentarily stiffened.

But contrary to everyone’s expectations.

“That is correct~”

Kaina soon nodded with a bright expression.

Is this really a professor?

Even if it was an academy, shouldn’t they be concerned with students’ moral education?

Clap! Clap! Clap!

“What an excellent lesson, Professor!”

Hector stood up with tears in his eyes and applauded.

“Oh, it’s nothing~”

Kaina waved her hand modestly as if she was embarrassed and motioned for Hector to sit down.

It was truly a spectacle of fanaticism.

‘What have dark mages done to deserve this…!’

Roan shuddered as he listened to their conversation.

Sure, some dark mages didn’t worship the main gods and occasionally committed heinous crimes,

But talking about them like this was too much!

These people were fanatics who had abandoned Hiloa’s main teachings of love and acceptance.

“The student who answered correctly, Pabilto, will receive 50 Dalants after class.”

“Thank you, Professor!”

Hector looked comfortable as if he had found his place.

“…”

Roan glared at Hector as if he wanted to kill him.

“Why… Why are you looking at me like that, Roan?”

Hector asked, visibly startled.

“It’s nothing.”

One person gets 10 Dalants for the professor’s high praise, while another gets 50 Dalants for this…

Wait. Did that mean Professor Atoga was actually the odd one out?

‘… In any case, it seems only good people get the short end of the stick.’

A world where you get 50 Dalants for badmouthing dark mages.

Roan felt a profound sense of injustice.

“Alright. I’ve asked my question, so now it’s your turn! You can ask me anything about this class or anything related to me~”

Kaina said in a cheerful voice like birdsong.

Immediately, someone raised their hand.

“Yes~ Student?”

“Um… Professor, do we have to use those tools or go into the cells ourselves?”

A frightened student pointed at the intimidating inquisitorial tools.

“Huh? Ahaha~ That’s so funny!”

Kaina tilted her head for a moment before bursting into laughter.

It was as if she found the question utterly ridiculous.

“Of course not! Those are all very old, outdated tools. We don’t use such gruesome things anymore~”

─ Oh! I thought so!

The students collectively sighed in relief.

If they had to suffer like they did in the healing class, some might seriously consider dropping out.

“Instead, nowadays we have much simpler, more effective tools and methods!”

─ …….

But Kaina’s follow-up made the students fall silent again.

It seemed ominous.

“I’d love to show you each one, but this isn’t an inquisitorial class; it’s combat against dark magic, right? From the next class onwards, we’ll meet in Siothric Hall’s training yard~”

‘That’s somewhat of a relief.’

Roan nodded in agreement.

“Alright, next question? Yes, you there!”

─ Do we have to actually face dark mages in the next class?

“…….”

Kaina paused for a moment.

Her smile remained frozen, making her look unsettling.

“Of course not.”

Then, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

Bam—!

As Kaina extended her hand, the hammer she had set aside flew into her grip as if drawn by a magnet.

“… Akerandir is the holy ground of the Holy Spirit Harden. No living dark mage can set foot here.”

Kaina declared coldly.

It was clear that anyone who opposed this would face her hammer.

Roan broke out in a cold sweat.

‘… What a relief.’

Although he knew more than three people, including himself, who practiced dark magic, it seemed like a manageable situation.

At least until he could handle Kaina, he’d make sure to keep his identity hidden.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

“I’ve always hoped for a class like this!”

“Thank you. But of course, depending on the circumstances, you might have to face dark mages.”

And there was Hector, who praised her enthusiastically like a fish in water.

… Creak!

Rafia shifted her chair even further away, leaving Roan with a bitter taste in his mouth.

* * *

Due to the nature of the subject, Roan had to stay low.

In truth, Kaina’s first class was a good opportunity for freshmen to earn some Dalants.

Answering Kaina’s questions correctly could earn them a modest amount, usually 3 to 5 Dalants, if not 50 like before.

“Does anyone know the five major crimes committed by dark mages?”

“The abduction incident by the Sahilok Academy at the Hilo Academy, the Dotkok’s attack on the Holy See….”

“Excellent, Sion! As expected of a saint candidate.”

Sion and Hector answered most of the questions correctly, earning a considerable number of Dalants.

‘If only I weren’t a dark mage!’

Roan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret, but seeing it was Sion, he just sighed.

He didn’t want to draw Kaina’s attention just to earn a few Dalants.

Nevertheless, Sion’s expression brightened with the professor’s repeated praise.

‘Well… As long as she’s happy.’

Roan nodded slightly.

“In fact, besides these five major incidents, dark mages have caused a lot of damage to the Empire.”

Kaina finished her brief explanation of the incidents.

“But recently.”

Kaina’s voice suddenly dropped.

The atmosphere in the classroom, which had brightened somewhat during the quiz, began to plummet like a rollercoaster.

Whoosh!

Her hammer flew back into her hand.

“There have been more and more heretics saying that dark mages aren’t all bad, or that our measures are too extreme!”

Bang!

And the podium was smashed to pieces by her hammer.

“…….”

Even knowing this was an event that happened every year in the first class, witnessing it was enough to make one’s legs go weak.

… Especially for Roan, who was a dark mage himself.

Crack!

The sharp fragments of the podium were blocked by holy magic before they could reach the students.

‘She’s done this more than once. That’s for sure.’

How many podiums had she destroyed to warrant setting up a protective spell?

“As long as I’m here, such people will never set foot in this place.”

Roan instinctively glanced at Demona, who was sitting next to him.

Surprisingly, Demona looked unperturbed, even comfortable.

‘What’s he so confident about?’

Did he think that learning dark magic and supporting dark mages were different?

… Or was he just that foolish?

In any case, Professor Kaina wasn’t the type to overlook such trivial distinctions.

‘If things go south, reporting to Professor Kaina might be an option.’

Roan nodded slightly to himself.

“Oh, sorry, sorry~! I tend to get like this when I’m excited!”

Kaina realized her outburst and fussed over restoring the podium.

Restoring such a simple structure was a breeze for her.

“Anyway. I’m sure there are some here who have been affected by dark mages. Am I right?”

Kaina cheerfully asked, looking around at the freshmen.

However, no one immediately raised their hand.

After all, while a few dark mages caused significant trouble, they weren’t so numerous that one would encounter them often.

Despite the widespread notorious rumors, most citizens of the Empire would go their entire lives without seeing a dark mage.

“…… No one?”

This time, even Kaina’s prompting didn’t elicit any responses.

Roan glanced at Hector.

“Hmph… Hm.”

For some reason, Hector seemed agitated and clenched his fists tightly.

‘So there’s no one.’

Despite boasting about splitting the heads of any dark mages he encountered, it seemed Hector had never actually met one.

‘At least it’s fortunate that he’s here.’

For the first time, Roan felt grateful for Hector’s presence.

From what he observed, it seemed likely that Hector and Sion would lead and set the tone for future dark magic combat classes. 

If Roan could avoid drawing the professor’s attention in the class where he needed to be most careful, he could feel relieved.

“Is there really no one?” Kaina asked again.

Roan decided to relax and watch the situation unfold.

‘If they haven’t experienced it themselves, what can…?’

At that moment, Roan made eye contact with Demona, who had been watching him.

… How long had he been looking at him?

An intuitive sense of dread washed over him.

‘What is he up to—’

This time, Demona acted faster.

“Roan has been affected!”

Demona immediately raised his hand and pointed to Roan.

‘This crazy heretic!’

Roan’s jaw dropped in shock.

Whether Demona understood his feelings or not, he winked at Roan after confidently reporting him.

Then, he mouthed.

─ Now you’re the main character again.

‘Did he hear me say I would report him to the professor?’

He was beyond astonished.

He had thought this was his first chance to stay out of the spotlight!

But it was too late.

Professor Kaina acknowledged Roan.

“Oh! Roan of the Darc family? Is that right?”

“… Yes. I am Roan Darc.”

“Hmm… Yes. Roan, I understand why you wouldn’t want to bring it up. I get it, I get it. It was my mistake for asking! I’m sorry!”

Kaina looked genuinely sympathetic towards Roan, enough to slightly temper her usual cheerfulness.

‘Even the inquisitor wants to avoid hurting me, but this Demona… what’s he thinking?’

Meanwhile, Demona seemed bewildered as the atmosphere didn’t unfold as he expected. His innocent expression appeared to say, ‘Huh? Why isn’t he saying more?’ making Roan’s fists tremble with anger.

No matter how much of a fanatic Professor Kaina was, she wasn’t the type to rip open a student’s family wounds during class.

Unlike someone from the Wikronon family.

“Demona, don’t you think that’s a bit much?” Hector reprimanded him.

“Even you, fanatic?”

Demona seemed genuinely shocked by Hector’s criticism.

Rafia, who had been keeping her distance, leaned slightly towards Roan and whispered.

“Don’t be too mad. That Wickron kid… probably didn’t mean any harm.”

“… Yeah.”

Roan forced himself to nod.

‘I will definitely, definitely report this.’

He vowed to himself.

Demona wasn’t just lacking malice; he appeared completely thoughtless.

“Alright! The tragedy of the Darc family will be covered in another class, so I won’t talk more about it now. Let’s just finish up with a bit of theory, and that will be it for today’s class!”

Kaina quickly changed the subject.

However, she kept glancing at Roan, who sat with a stern expression, which made Roan very uncomfortable.

‘I didn’t plan on talking to Professor Kaina at all…’

That modest dream seemed to have flown out the window.

Kaina, in her usual interactions, was a kind character. But when it came to dark mages, she changed completely.

Kaina probably felt sorry for Roan and would try to take care of him in her own way. But if she ever discovered his true identity…

Roan shuddered at the thought of his head being smashed by her hammer.

Filled with rage and resentment, he glared at Demona.

Flinch!

“Th-that… It wasn’t supposed to be a secret…!”

Demona seemed genuinely bewildered and felt wronged in his own way.

After all, he thought Roan had told him first.

* * *

“Dark mages often use reagents when casting high-level spells beyond their natural abilities. Therefore, they always carry a reagent vial within reach….”

Despite her appearance, Kaina’s class was very systematic and practical.

Even the initially terrified students soon adopted serious expressions and took notes diligently.

─ Upon encountering dark mages, neutralize their reagent vials first and then subdue them!

Roan also nodded and took notes.

‘Never reveal the location of your reagent vial, and practice enough to avoid needing it as much as possible!’

{TN:- Pffttt!! Hahaha. I am dying.}

“Dark mages’ attacks are typically classified into curses, direct attacks, and summons. Among these, curses are the most troublesome. If you detect any signs, immediately counter them with blessings….”

─ Curses are the most troublesome! Counter them immediately with blessings!

‘Study curse magic intensively. Ensure the opponent doesn’t have time to counter it with blessings.’

The content was slightly different for Roan, though.

Roan took notes on the class content in the common language of the Empire, but he wrote down what he needed in Korean. So, others wouldn’t be able to understand it.

‘Surprisingly, this dark magic combat class is helpful.’

It seemed true that learning never hurt anyone.

Kaina, a veteran in fighting dark mages, provided strategies that, if reversed, would make him a very formidable dark mage to contend with.

‘This means I should pay close attention to the practical lessons as well.’

Tap! Tap!

Just then, Demona tapped Roan’s arm.

Roan turned to him with a look of disdain.

“Sorry about earlier. But you shouldn’t be doodling during class; it’s your loss.”

Demona looked pleased with himself for drawing his friend’s attention back to the lesson, thinking Roan’s notes in Korean were just doodles.

Roan kindly replied.

“Shut up.”

“… Did you misspeak again?”

“No, this time I meant it.”

“S-sorry…!”

Even Rafia couldn’t hold back and reprimanded Demona.

“Leave Roan alone and stay quiet, Demona.”

“Rafia… Not you too….”