I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

The dining hall in the shared area of Panroa Dormitory for both male and female students wasn’t officially called a dining hall. 

It was merely a large space with tables and chairs randomly arranged. 

The reason students referred to it as the dining hall was due to a basket placed in one corner. 

This basket was perpetually filled with bread, which never seemed to diminish no matter how much the students ate from it. 

There were theories that this was one of Harden’s minor miracles or that the desperate hunger of the students had triggered a significant miracle. 

Regardless of its origins, the bread basket had been around for an unknown period and was a blessing for the hungry students of Akerandir.

However, despite the morning being typically quiet, today was particularly silent. 

The reason for this unusual quietness was Roan. 

As he pushed open the door with a creak, a few second-year students chatting without a care stopped short at the sight of Roan and fell silent. They quickly followed others and ate their bread without a word.

‘Why’s everyone so quiet today?’ 

Roan wondered. 

It was unusually silent, even considering it was morning. 

Even Demona seemed to be nervously glancing at him, which was suspicious.

“Demona, is something going on today?”

“… I’m sorry.”

He blurted out and his eyes darted around guiltily.

“What are you talking about?”

Demona confessed, revealing hus concern. 

“You couldn’t sleep because your bag got scratched while climbing the cliff yesterday, right? I can buy you a new one if you want.”

“… Just eat your bread and be quiet.”

As expected, it wasn’t anything significant. He wasn’t petty enough to be bothered about a bag.

“How can I eat bread quietly…” 

Demona muttered under his breath, but Roan ignored his complaint.

“Roan, here.”

Rafia interjected, handing him a small mirror. 

Seeing his reflection, Roan finally understood why the dining hall was so silent. 

His usually intimidating appearance was now even more intense due to the all-night black magic practice, making him look menacing enough to haunt nightmares.

“I’ll head down first.”

“Okay, see you in the lecture room later.”

Roan decided it was better to leave than to keep sitting there with such a frightening look.

‘Strange, I feel fine.’

Despite staying up all night, he felt more alert than usual. 

Could this be another black mage’s trait? 

Shouldn’t the False Divinity at least make him look better?

‘Worthless creature.’

Roan felt the False Divinity tremble indignantly within him. Expecting it to do everything for him!

Arriving at Hetron Hall, Roan found the classroom for ‘Basic Holy Magic’ first. 

The lecture rooms in Akerandir often reflected the professor’s personality. 

Just as Professor Kaina’s room was adorned with interrogation tools and cells, this room was filled with holy artifacts, stained glass, and white cloth, indicating a devout believer was the professor.

Roan took a seat in an inconspicuous middle spot. 

Soon, the other students, dusty from descending the cliff, began to fill the room.

─ Wow, this place looks decent.

─ I hope they don’t use those cloths to torture us…

Demona and Rafia sat next to Roan.

“… Hello.”

“Good morning. Did you sleep well last night, Riel?” 

Roan greeted Riel, who flinched at first but then greeted him warmly.

Then, just as the class was about to start, Hector entered with a stern expression. 

Though it wasn’t as bad as Roan, he also looked like he hadn’t slept well.

“Hector, what happened?” 

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Rafia asked worriedly.

“… I spent all night debating whether I should attend this class or not,” 

Hector’s face scrunched in distress.

“??” 

Rafia tilted her head, not understanding. 

This was a mandatory class, so why was he even questioning it?

At that moment, a professor in a gray robe entered the classroom.

“Oh, it’s him!” 

Demona exclaimed, recognizing the man who had given him 30 Dalants at the entrance of ‘The Holy Spirit’s Forest’ the previous day.

The professor stood at the center of the podium and introduced himself. 

Beneath the robe, his face was that of a middle-aged man with a sickly pallor.

“Hello, I am Belek Hindor, your Basic Holy Magic instructor. Nice to meet you.”

A dry and cracking voice echoed.

A murmur spread through the students.

─ Is he even fit to teach a class?

─ Is he going to collapse on us?

Belek smiled at the students’ concerned whispers and continued his introduction.

“There’s something I want to tell you in advance. I am a black mage.”

The murmurs grew louder.

─ Shouldn’t we report him to Professor Kaina?

─ He’s not going to kill us, right?

Belek Hindor, the Basic Holy Magic professor, was indeed a black mage.

At that moment, Demona sprang to her feet with a vigorous motion.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

“See? Such an admirable person is a black mage! My eyes did not deceive me!” 

Demona wiped away tears of joy as he applauded.

‘Even someone like him doesn’t get caught…’ 

Roan looked at Demona as if he were a madman. 

While Belek was a recognized and converted black mage, applauding so openly could easily attract the attention of the Inquisitors.

Just look at Hector glaring at Demona as if he wanted to kill him.

“Hahaha… Thank you, student. This is the first time I’ve received such a warm welcome.”

Belek awkwardly gestured for Demona to sit down. 

Though he had been at Akerandir for a long time, this was indeed a first for him.

‘Demona wasn’t always this crazy.’ 

And if there was a factor that had changed Demona, it was obviously—

“What do you say, fanatic? Can you dare to say you’ll smash the professor’s head now? Hahaha!”

“… Are you out of your mind, heretic?” 

Hector’s rivalry with Demona seemed to have intensified unusually.

‘Hmm. There’s no other explanation.’ 

Roan never considered that he might be a significant reason for this change.

* * *

The commotion in the lecture room did not easily die down. 

Just as the students were seriously contemplating calling for Professor Kaina but reconsidered because, after all, Belek was a professor, he continued speaking.

“Yes, I understand why you’re surprised and confused. Your seniors were the same.”

If Belek had been the professor for the combat against black magic class, the students might have accepted it more easily.

However, he was the professor for Basic Holy Magic.

“I am a researcher who received conversion certification from the Holy See and officially studies holy magic. I was invited to Akerandir by the principal.”

The students nodded in understanding. 

If Harden, the first saint, pope, and holy spirit himself, had invited him, who were they to oppose it? 

People of the Holy Empire were not inclined to challenge the decisions made by their superiors.

‘Harden’s endorsement seems to soften their reactions. If that’s the case, then maybe I…’ 

Roan nodded along with his friends. 

After all, he too was a black mage who had Harden’s acknowledgement. 

Did he really need to hide it so diligently?

“And since I’m sure you have a lot of questions, let’s spend our first class getting to know each other through a Q&A session instead of boring studies. You can ask me anything.”

─ Ooh!

─ He’s better than Professor Atoga!

─ Definitely!

The students were delighted to hear from Belek that there wouldn’t be any lessons today. 

At Akerandir, it was a universal truth that a professor who didn’t teach was the best professor, whether they were a black mage or an inquisitor.

‘Do you have to take a character-building course to become a real black mage?’ 

Roan found himself wondering. 

After all, both Belek and Beanin were among the most esteemed personalities here.

“Hahaha, did you see that, fanatic? That’s the dignity of a black mage.”

“… I think it would be best if you kept quiet.”

Hector looked as though he could kill someone with a glance. 

Roan then tried to calm Demona down.

“Now, does anyone have any questions?” 

Of course, Demona’s hand shot up.

Belek smiled at him. “Yes, Demona Wickron.”

─ He knows the name Wickron?

─ Does that mean he memorized all the students’ names?

The more they learned, the more admirable Professor Belek seemed. 

Indeed, Belek was a character who had worked tirelessly to overcome prejudice against his background. He even memorized the names of every new student each year.

Demona asked without hesitation, “Are you friends with Professor Kaina?”

─ …….

The casual chatter in the room fell silent at the rude question. 

Everyone’s jaws dropped in shock.

─ To be fair…

─ Everyone was curious about that.

For some reason, all the students focused on Belek. 

‘He hit the nail on the head.’

Roan gazed at Demona with newfound respect. 

Belek and Kaina’s relationship had been a topic of curiosity even for players, but asking directly was something Roan had never dared to do.

Surprisingly, Belek answered calmly. “Professor Kaina is an inquisitor, but she’s not a bigot who persecutes even converted black mages like me.”

─ She isn’t?

─ Really?

‘She isn’t?’ 

For that moment, Roan and the students were in complete agreement. 

Just yesterday, they had heard about how good it was to have the best black mage around.

‘And besides, Belek wasn’t the one who made that statement!’ 

Roan looked at Belek with pity. 

Truly, the world was unfair to kind-hearted people.

“It seems there’s a misunderstanding. She’s actually a very kind person. During company gatherings, she always offers to walk me home even though I decline every time.”

─ Oh… She was just trying to scare us.

─ We almost misunderstood.

The students seemed to take Belek’s words at face value, much to Roan’s shock.

‘Isn’t that even more dangerous?’ 

The image of a black mage and an inquisitor walking together through dark alleys after a gathering seemed too dangerous. 

Even if their destination wasn’t someone’s house but an interrogation room, it wouldn’t be surprising.

“Hmm. As expected of Professor Kaina.”

Meanwhile, Hector pondered something and then nodded his head while muttering.

“Just in case, Hector, attacking a professor results in immediate expulsion.”

“… Did I say anything? I was just thinking.”

Hector was startled by Roan’s remark, which had revealed his true intentions.

‘There might be changes in the occupants of McGodall Dorm soon.’ 

Roan resolved not to be surprised by anything that happened this semester.

Indeed, Belek often faced pranks from students who came from inquisitor or staunch holy knight families. 

Though he was a professor and most of these pranks failed, it still happened.

“That was an interesting question. Any other students?” 

Demona’s hand shot up again. 

Belek glanced around before addressing him.

“No one else?”

The students remained silent, curious to hear Demona’s next question.

“Demona, you are very enthusiastic about your studies. I’ll give you some Dalants after class, so please stay behind.”

“Alright!” 

Demona clenched his fist in excitement. 

Earning Dalants so quickly during class was indeed unusual.

Common sense dictated that asking a black magic professor if he was friends with an inquisitor would result in a fine, not a reward.

“Professor, does the fact that you, a black mage, use holy magic mean that the pinnacle of holy magic lies within black magic?!” 

Demona asked, eyes burning with determination to prove his theory.

While Roan and Hector were used to this nonsense, the other students were hearing it for the first time. It caused a light commotion.

─ Is that even possible?

─ In that case, I…

‘Looks like some students might get taken away in the middle of the night.’

Roan mused.

Belek observed Demona for a moment before shaking his head firmly.

“No. That’s impossible. Holy magic and black magic are at the two extremes of the magical spectrum. There hasn’t been a single person who mastered both. Even mastering both regular magic and holy magic is extremely rare.”

This was the accepted truth. 

The primary reason the Holy Empire rejected black mages, aside from religious and criminal issues, was an instinctive sense of alienation.

As Roan nodded while recalling this setting, he suddenly wondered, ‘Then what am I?’

Specifically, he was curious about his ‘False Divinity.’ During gameplay, it seemed to merely change the appearance of spells, but upon possession, it fully translated black magic circles into Hilonian runes and symbols.

‘No one has ever mastered both fields, but…’

Then again, Roan hadn’t truly mastered them either. The spells changed on their own.

Belek’s firm denial caused Demona to slump back into his seat, disheartened.

“Lies…”

Roan was perplexed and asked, “Why did you even enroll in Akerandir?”

Did Demona have any intention of learning holy magic? 

Or was he forced to enroll like Roan?

Just then, Sion Beatrice raised her hand, and Belek beamed.

“Do you have a question, Sion?”

Sion cautiously asked, “Sorry, but when you say no one has mastered both fields, do you mean you also can’t use holy magic?”

“That’s an excellent question, Sion!”

Belek’s face lit up with a broad smile as he nodded. 

Roan felt the same; Sion had asked a sensible and exemplary question upon understanding Belek’s background.

Sion glanced at Roan, seemingly with a look that said, ‘You wouldn’t have thought of such a question, would you?’

Roan, this time, willingly nodded in acknowledgment.

‘I can tolerate this much.’

Since he couldn’t ask such questions himself, he was glad someone else did. 

No matter how curious he was, Roan couldn’t very well say to Belek, “It works for me.”

“As Sion pointed out, I cannot use holy magic. My body has already adapted to black magic.”

Belek calmly explained.

“Instead, I focused on theory rather than practice, and though it’s a bit embarrassing to say, I’ve achieved some results. For instance, let’s take a look at the spell for summoning light.”

Clap! Clap!

He turned to the blackboard and began writing. Each stroke of the chalk revealed an elegant Hilonian script.

“Recently, Hilonian is often taught as a mere memorization exercise, directly corresponding to spells. But it is, after all, a language. This means we can significantly simplify common Hilonian phrases.”

The Hilonian phrase for summoning light consisted of six characters. 

Belek mercilessly shortened and modified it.

In no time, he had reduced it to a simpler five-character phrase.

“This is a modified Hilonian phrase for summoning light that I’ve created.”

It was reminiscent of how Roan modified black magic circles. By altering the standard phrase, it became more efficient and powerful.

“Would anyone like to try using this phrase? Holy power essentially has the properties of light, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Skeptical but curious, the students activated the Hilonian phrase. Here and there, shimmering orbs of light appeared.

─ Huh?

─ How did that work so easily?

“Black mages truly are different!”

“… That’s not it, Demona.”

The students were wide-eyed with surprise, amazed at how smoothly the spell had executed.

“This is incredible, Professor!”

“Hahaha. It’s just the effect of simplifying the spell. The same principle can be applied to glyphs as well…”

Energized by the students’ reactions, Belek began writing on the board with even more enthusiasm.

‘Indeed, if you ignore the black magic part, he’s an outstanding scholar.’

Roan paid close attention to the lesson.

Though Belek downplayed it, he was a renowned authority in the field of holy magic theory. 

The ability to alter ancient Hilonian phrases and glyphs was unique to Belek, thanks to his background as a black mage.

However, making such modifications practical was challenging. 

Simplifying spells like the light spell was easy, but significantly condensing more complex spells was difficult. That was the same for a player who had to rely on in-game systems for assistance.

“Now, if you draw the glyph like this… Try it yourselves!”

Uwoooong—

─ Wow, look at this!

─ It’s so divine!

Belek concluded the lesson by showing how to modify the light spell to form a star shape. 

Then, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, he said.

“It seems I inadvertently turned this into a lesson. Sorry about that. We’ll stop here for today, but feel free to visit my office on the third floor of Hetron Hall if you have any questions.”

The students were delighted but also somewhat disappointed. It had been the most interesting and educational class they’d ever attended.

“Use the remaining time freely. As freshmen, you might enjoy exploring the commercial district.”

─ He’s truly a remarkable educator.

─ I must have had some prejudices.

─ He said he converted… How amazing…

‘… Isn’t that a bit much?’ 

Roan looked at the students who were deeply moved.

Changing their prejudices about black mages was good, but what did converting and ending class early have to do with each other? 

What about those who had been devout believers from birth, like Atoga and Kaina?