I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

Episode 23

Rafia was excited at the thought of making a new friend, one who wasn’t part of Roan’s group.

‘Roan and his friends are nice, but… The more friends, the better!’

Growing up in a rural estate, Rafia had always held a certain fascination for the holy battle. Just then, Vulcan called her group.

“Rafia Kedan, Shiori Hersh.”

Rafia looked over to check who her partner was. 

It was a cute girl with a light blue hat that matched her cool, sky-blue hair.

‘Huh? Are shorts part of the uniform?’

The odd thing was that Shiori, unlike the other students, was wearing shorts. The white uniform with yellow accents was definitely correct, but…

“Are you Rafia?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Let’s do our best, Shiori!”

Shiori’s voice matched her appearance — round and cute. 

Rafia beamed as she reached out to shake her hand. 

She imagined going shopping together in the Commercial District or enjoying desserts at a café. 

It definitely felt like all the things she had dreamed of could come true with this new friend.

Shiori smiled brightly and shook Rafia’s hand.

“Sure! I love the holy battles!”

‘It would be harder to find someone here who doesn’t.’

But—

Squeeze—

‘Huh? She’s stronger than I thought?’

Rafia was surprised by the unexpected strength in Shiori’s grip as they shook hands. She glanced down briefly at their joined hands, puzzled.

Just then, Shiori’s blue eyes seemed to flare up, blazing with sudden intensity.

***

“Ondor, victory!”

“Vel, victory!”

As the holy battles between the new students continued, Rafia grew more and more excited as her turn approached. 

Just as she had imagined, the duel was filled with friendship and romance!

Before long, Vulcan called her name.

“Rafia, step forward.”

“Yep! Let’s go!”

Rafia stood up energetically and called for her Wind Terrier.

Woof woof!

Rafia and her Wind Terrier took their place on the left side. Vulcan then called out Shiori’s name.

“Shiori!”

Rafia eagerly looked over to where Shiori was sitting. 

But something felt off. No, it felt very off.

“…”

The noisy chatter of the students inside Saint Percival Hall abruptly fell into complete silence.

“???”

“Why all of a sudden?”

Rafia was slightly taken aback. Never before, in the holy battles she had participated in, had anything like this happened.

But then…

From somewhere, a small but distinct sound of laughter began to echo.

“Heheh, heh, hahahaha, hehe!”

It was a creepy, maniacal laugh, something Rafia had never expected to hear in Akerandir. 

A chill ran up and down her spine, and a sense of dread heavier than when she encountered a tiger in the mountains as a child washed over her.

Thud— thud— thud—

Soon, a group of students began stomping in unison.

Thud—! Thud—!

The stomping grew louder, and in the middle of the group, a blue-haired student stood up. 

It was Shiori.

‘What… what is this?’

Rafia was sweating nervously as she looked up at her.

‘

What kind of holy battle is this…?!’

The small figure of Shiori raised one arm high into the air and shouted with all her might, “Holy battles!”

Her voice boomed with a power and volume that seemed impossible for someone her size.

At the same time, the other students raised their arms and chanted along:

— Holy battles! Holy battles!

— Shiori, the shorts girl!

— Go out there! And win!

At that moment, Rafia, a simple country girl, realized something.

‘These people are completely insane…!’

When it came to holy battles, it was hard to find anyone as crazy as the citizens of the Empire. 

And it dawned on her that Shiori and her followers, known as the “Shorts Girl” faction, were already infamous in the holy battles youth league as a wild group.

Rafia nervously glanced over at Vulcan. 

No matter how you looked at it, wasn’t this supposed to be a friendly match between students? 

Wasn’t this just overdoing it?

“Hmm. Shiori, huh. This match is going to be interesting.”

“???”

Rafia suddenly recalled how coldly Roan reacted whenever he heard about the holy battles.

‘Yeah, I should really stick closer to Roan…’

With that thought, Rafia scanned the audience for Roan. 

She spotted him glaring daggers at Shiori’s group with his usual gloomy, dangerous expression. 

Compared to Shiori’s group, Roan’s demeanor seemed almost normal.

Meanwhile, Shiori, fully pumped up, finally entered the arena.

“Victory for me! Defeat for my enemies!”

— Wooaaarrrr!

— SHIOOOOORI!

‘Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a friendly match…?’

Technically, it wasn’t even a proper match – it was just part of a class activity. But watching them, it looked more like the finals of the Imperial Holy Battles League.

Shiori leaped from the high stands into the arena in one fluid motion.

Thud!

The sound of a precarious landing echoed throughout the hall.

However, Shiori stood up immediately, laughing loudly.

“Hahaha HAHAHA!”

“Um… her knee’s bleeding. Is she okay?”

“It’s fine. Holy battles are meant to be fought with blood and sweat.”

“…”

‘Not that kind of blood though…’ Rafia thought, deciding it was better not to say anything else. 

She wasn’t even sure how to approach this with the half-bear professor in charge.

“Hahaha! This is fun!”

Despite her scraped knee, Shiori sprinted to the right side of the arena, her eyes gleaming with wild intensity as if trying to overpower her opponent from the very start. 

Though Rafia thought they were already plenty overwhelmed…

Growl— pant pant! Growl—

Rafia noticed that Shiori’s Wind Terrier wasn’t normal either. Gone was the cute demeanor of the usual Wind Terriers. Instead, its eyes were filled with madness, drool dripping from its mouth as its tongue hung out to the side.

‘… Shouldn’t someone check if it’s rabid?’

It reminded Rafia of the wild, rabid beasts that sometimes descended from the mountains to attack her family’s estate. 

Not only was Rafia trembling, but even her own Wind Terrier was shaking with instinctive fear.

Whimper—

Her Wind Terrier was clearly terrified and looked back at her with pleading eyes as if begging to be held in her arms.

Unable to bear it any longer, Rafia called out to Vulcan.

“Um… Professor, I think I should forfeit —”

No matter how much Rafia liked making friends, she had no desire to bond with such a crazy person through a holy battle. 

In fact, it felt like something else would be ‘hardened’ before any bond could form. She’d rather face Demona instead.

But Rafia didn’t get to finish her sentence.

“You.”

A cold voice echoed across the arena. 

Rafia flinched and turned to look in the opposite direction.

“Is the holy battle… a joke to you?”

There stood Shiori, her earlier wildness now subdued. She stared at Rafia with a chilling intensity.

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s not.”

Rafia stammered. She stepped back slightly and shook her head.

“Shiori’s right. Forfeiting in a holy battle is not allowed,” Vulcan added, his face slightly stiff as he spoke to Rafia.

‘Roan…!’

With tears welling up in her eyes, Rafia desperately searched for Roan.

***

‘Of all people, she had to be paired with someone completely unhinged.’

When Roan heard that Rafia was partnered with Shiori, he felt deep sympathy. 

What had Rafia done to deserve facing the leader of that hooligan group? 

And to make matters worse, Shiori was someone Roan particularly despised.

‘If not for her, playing as Sion would have been much smoother.’

Trian was manageable. His provocations could be seen as a trial for Sion to overcome as the protagonist, so Roan could tolerate them.

But Shiori? 

She constantly challenged Sion to holy battles, to the point that it disrupted the main storyline. And being from the duel-crazed Empire, refusing her challenges would cause a sharp drop in Sion’s reputation.

Roan even preferred the time he caused a scene by claiming to be a candidate for sainthood in the middle of a public square — it had been less frustrating.

… That was something Roan had actually tested out in desperation.

‘Well, I feel bad for Rafia, but she’ll be fine.’

Though Rafia looked pitiful, trembling nervously, Roan wasn’t too worried. 

He knew Rafia would understand why soon enough.

“Begin the match!” 

Rafia immediately took a defensive stance, preparing herself for any move. She stirred up dust in front of her to obscure Shiori’s vision.

Meanwhile, Shiori…

“Full speed charge!”

Without any preparation, she immediately launched into an attack. Influenced by her partner, who seemed half-mad, Shiori’s Wind Terrier bolted forward recklessly.

— Whoa!

— That’s fast!

The Wind Terrier was indeed quick, as one would expect from its breed. But the real issue was its speed itself.

“Dodge!”

Realizing it was a straightforward charge, Rafia gave the command to evade. However…

Whizzz—!! Crash!

“???”

Shiori’s Wind Terrier couldn’t control its own speed and slammed headfirst into the wall right in front of Rafia, knocking itself out cold.

The attack was so ridiculous that Rafia had almost been hit while trying to dodge.

‘That one always starts off like they’re amazing, then self-destructs.’

Roan clicked his tongue, unsurprised. Despite her reputation, Shiori wasn’t very skilled in holy battles. Though she’d eventually become a famous player, she consistently self-sabotaged during these early matches.

… It would have been stranger if someone who’d spent their entire school years obsessed with dueling didn’t improve their skills over time.

Meanwhile, Rafia stared blankly at the collapsed Wind Terrier in front of her.

“…”

Thud!

Shiori, who had been trembling with her head down, suddenly jumped down from the stands and started running toward Rafia.

Woof! Woof!

Rafia’s Wind Terrier barked, tensing up in fear. Instinctively, Rafia raised her left arm defensively, her shield held in front of her. 

It was a purely reflexive reaction.

But when Shiori finally reached her, she had somehow reverted back to her usual student self.

“You! You’re better at the holy battles than I expected!”

“Uh, what? Huh?”

Rafia, who had been debating whether she should punch or kick, froze in utter confusion, unsure how to respond next.

Shiori extended her hand for a handshake and said with a grin on her face, “I knew you’d dodge, so I tried to change direction on purpose, but you saw through it! I lost fair and square. Want to duel again sometime?”

“Uh… sure… if I have time.”

Rafia awkwardly accepted the handshake, her voice hesitant. 

Vulcan, pleased, nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Excellent! A good tactical match and a clean acknowledgment of defeat. Well done, both of you! Rafia, you seem to have a talent for holy battles!”

“?? What? Huh?”

Rafia was confused. She looked back and forth between Vulcan and Shiori like a broken doll. 

Tactical match? Talent?

None of this made any sense to her.

— Woooo!

— Great match!

— Rafia, I’ll remember your name!

As the students cheered, Rafia had no idea why they were celebrating. 

What had just happened?

Roan nodded knowingly.

‘None of them make any sense anyway.’

After Rafia returned to her seat, still dazed, several more duels took place. Finally, it was time for Roan and Sion’s match.

“Roan Darc, Sion Beatrice!”

Roan and Sion descended from the stands and stood facing each other in the arena. 

Sion’s Wind Terrier was practically bouncing, wagging its tail furiously out of affection for her.

“All right, settle down. We’ll play again after this.”

Woof woof!

At Sion’s gentle coaxing, the Wind Terrier finally calmed down and landed in the arena. 

On Roan’s side, however…

Thud —

Without any commands, his Wind Terrier had already assumed the stance of a proud warrior. It was aware of Roan’s subconscious jealousy toward Sion’s bond with her beast.

… Not to mention, Roan’s Wind Terrier had been subtly affected by the dark magic that always lingered around him, making it a bit more extraordinary.

“???”

Sion tilted her head, confused by the unusually tense atmosphere around Roan. 

Hadn’t they just been bonding over not taking the holy battles too seriously?

So why the sudden shift…?

“Are you ready?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Yes.”

Both Roan and Sion nodded at Vulcan’s confirmation.

“Begin the match!” 

“Let’s try our best and not get hurt!”

Woof woof!

Sion comforted her Wind Terrier, which wagged its tail like a propeller, full of energy. 

On the other hand, Roan simply said, “Win.”

Grrrrr—!

With just that short command, his Wind Terrier growled low, focusing its hostility toward the opponent.

— Is that really the Wind Terrier making that sound?

— What on earth did Roan do to it to make it growl like that?

— It sounds like its vocal cords have changed!

The students murmured amongst themselves.

‘They were fine with Shiori’s Terrier being far weirder…!’ 

Honestly, if you compared them, Shiori’s Wind Terrier had been much more abnormal. His Wind Terrier had just been reborn as a fierce warrior!

Meanwhile, Sion gave her command calmly.

“Defensive stance!”

Sion’s Wind Terrier waited in a textbook defensive position, prepared to counter with gusts of wind. But a textbook approach only went so far. Against an opponent who operated far beyond the standard, it would fall apart easily.

Grrrrr —! Bark!

Roan’s Wind Terrier charged forward at high speed before Sion’s Wind Terrier could even fully set up its wind defense.

“Intercept with wind!” 

Woof!

Sion’s Wind Terrier unleashed a ranged attack, sending a blast of wind in a straight line toward Roan’s Terrier.

Whizz—! Whizz—!

Despite the attack being more ferocious than one might expect from the Wind Terrier’s cute appearance, Roan’s Wind Terrier had already moved out of the way, dodging the gust entirely. The wind hit the ground harmlessly.

‘What?’

Sion frantically searched for her opponent’s location. 

Roan’s Wind Terrier had vanished into thin air, using the high-level wind-elemental beast skill Shadow Gale, which allows a beast to hide within the wind.

But before Sion could fully process her surprise —

Roar!

Roan’s Wind Terrier suddenly appeared above, descending like lightning in a move called Vertical Assault, a charging attack resembling a wild beast’s strike.

The fact that the Wind Terrier used such a skill without any specific orders was remarkable in itself.

‘Darc, you …!’

Vulcan was also secretly impressed, though he didn’t show it. 

It was rare for a Wind Terrier to use such advanced techniques, especially in rapid succession. 

Could Roan have trained this strategy beforehand?

Of course, that wasn’t the case.

‘It’s just doing well on its own,’ Roan thought, watching in admiration. 

He hadn’t expected his Wind Terrier to be so effective in the holy battles.

“Evade!” 

Sion wasn’t one to give up easily. 

She issued a quick command, and her Wind Terrier barely dodged the strike. 

It was turning into a simple brawl, and Sion was capable of handling that… or so she thought.

‘Wait!’

But Sion was shocked when Roan’s Terrier immediately clawed the ground and threw dirt right into the face of her Wind Terrier.

Yip!

Blinded by the unexpected attack, Sion’s Wind Terrier flailed and whipped up wind aimlessly, unable to regain its composure. 

The battle was over. 

Roan’s Terrier pounced and pinned the opponent down, striking with its paws until Sion’s Wind Terrier surrendered.

Vulcan, shocked, couldn’t keep his mouth closed.

‘This can’t be real!’

The Wind Terriers given to the first-year students were ordinary, untrained companion beasts. 

To transform such a Wind Terrier into a near-perfect warrior in less than two hours was unheard of. Vulcan had never seen anything like it before in his life.

‘This is a miracle. Yes, a miracle of the holy battles.’ 

Vulcan’s body trembled with excitement, and sparks of lightning crackled around him.

“Enough! Roan Darc wins!”

Bark! Bark!

Roan’s Wind Terrier circled the downed opponent triumphantly before returning to his side.

“Are you okay? That must’ve hurt,” Sion said, immediately rushing over to heal her Wind Terrier with sacred magic.

Whimper…

Though Roan was the victor and Sion the loser, the students’ sympathy naturally shifted toward Sion, who looked pitiful.

— Boo! That’s too harsh!

— He’s heartless!

Roan felt their scorn building directed toward him.

‘Do these people really like holy battles?’ 

Roan fumed. 

They acted so hypocritical. In regular holy battles, they wouldn’t bat an eye at something more brutal than this.

‘… I guess I’ll have to put on a show.’

Roan extended his hand to his returning Wind Terrier, hoping to demonstrate some affection and bond with the beast to improve his image.

Woof.

However, Roan’s Terrier stopped a short distance away, standing upright but not moving any closer or showing any warmth. 

The students saw this and their criticisms grew even louder.

— See! He’s definitely threatening that poor beast!

— I never thought Darc would stoop so low!

Roan gritted his teeth, hearing a familiar voice joining the chorus of complaints.

“Boo!”

Even Demona was naturally blending in with the crowd, criticizing him!

“Do whatever you want.”

The Wind Terrier glanced around, then calmly walked over to stand next to Professor Vulcan.

“You’ve got quite an impressive partner there.”

Vulcan smiled in approval as he petted the Wind Terrier, oblivious to the situation.

Roan clicked his tongue in irritation.

‘This is why I hate the holy battles!’