I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

As Roan looked at Yusina, who was smiling brightly in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

‘… Is this girl even human?’

Her beauty was breathtaking as if crafted by a divine hand. Honestly, when he had seen her in illustrations, he had just thought she was pretty, but facing her in person, the description didn’t seem exaggerated in the slightest. 

The sunlight streaming into the restaurant seemed to exist solely for her.

It wasn’t until he swallowed a bit that Roan finally snapped back to reality. 

Yusina briefly pouted her lips.

“That’s disappointing. We were close when we were little. Do you really not remember me?”

“…”

Roan tensed up immediately. He knew very little about Roan Darc’s backstory, so countless thoughts raced through his mind at the moment.

‘Could it be… a childhood friend trope?’

Was this one of those clichéd moments? If so, he’d be in trouble, painted as some sort of heartless jerk…

But then, he quickly rethought the situation. 

Perhaps they had met at the Holy Emperor’s palace? 

But Yusina was of common birth. She had been selected as a candidate for sainthood, stayed in her hometown, received the saintly title ‘Fanelia,’ and then enrolled at Akerandir. At most, they might have briefly crossed paths when she visited the Holy Emperor’s palace.

‘But judging from how she’s talking, it seems like we have met.’

If it were just a joke, she would’ve already said, ‘Oh, it looks like you’re not falling for it!’

So, he had no other choice but to acknowledge it.

“Yusina Le Fanelia.”

When Roan spoke her full name, Yusina smiled even more brightly.

“See? You knew after all.”

“But this has to be the first time it’s come to my knowledge that we know each other.”

Roan tried to point it out as coldly as possible. 

Yusina was more mature and talented than even Sion. Even though she was clearly a character on the righteous side, Roan was from the opposing faction as a dark mage. He had every reason to be cautious.

“Hmmm, but we’ve seen each other quite a lot, haven’t we?”

Her appearance was persuasive enough to disarm any ordinary person in an instant. But Roan suddenly had a realization.

‘She knows I wouldn’t remember.’

That was why she was speaking so vaguely.

“… How old was I?”

Sure enough, Yusina giggled and replied, “Hehe, caught me. You were two years old, and I was five. But I’ve known you since you were a baby.”

‘That’s a relief.’

Roan sighed in relief internally. At two years old, it made sense that he wouldn’t remember. If he had been any older, it would have been suspicious.

‘Wait, but how does she remember things from when she was five?’

‘Is that something normal for saints?’

Unaware of Roan’s thoughts, Yusina continued on with her chatter.

“But since you even know my saintly title, it seems like you’re not totally uninterested, huh? What is it? Are you too shy to admit it to your older sister?”

‘Shy? Far from it.’

If Yusina didn’t tell him herself, he could recite everything from her birthday to her favorite foods, the names of the cows and dogs she raised in her hometown, and even her parents’ names… all because of the character settings of the game.

‘The only problem is I don’t know my own parents’ names.’

It was strange to remember every other character’s parents but not his own. Feeling a bit bitter, Roan chose to remain silent.

Yusina sighed lightly.

“Whew. You were so cute as a baby, but now you’ve got these full dark circles, slanted eyes… What even is this? It’s not like you’re a dark mage. Roan, you need to smile more, or your lips will stay down!”

She then began to describe Roan’s grim expression, saying things like, “If you keep frowning, you won’t make any friends,” or “If I saw you at night, I’d run away.”

‘But I do have friends.’

They might not be what you call normal friends, but he had them.

After Yusina finished speaking, Roan responded sharply, almost as a reflex, “… Are you picking a fight with me?”

Even if she was a saint, teasing someone about their looks wasn’t fair! However, Yusina smoothly changed the subject without responding directly.

“Hmph~ But how did you find this place? And ordering the Ainsbury combo meal? You sure know how to eat!”

Just then, the old woman carrying Yusina’s tray arrived.

“Enjoy your meal, Saint.”

“Thank you so much!”

Yusina beamed and gratefully took the tray, placing it on the table.

“No matter how busy I am, I have to come here at least once a week. It’s so delicious that the first time I ate here, I felt like my divine power was surging!”

‘It’s not just a feeling.’

Roan chuckled to himself, knowing it was because her stats were actually increasing. Of course, there was no way a character in the game would know that.

“Oh~ you’re actually laughing, Roan?”

Yusina immediately seized the opportunity.

“See, doesn’t it feel nice to smile?”

That was one of Yusina’s traits. While Rafia drew people in with her thoughtful kindness, Yusina made it impossible for people not to smile with her overwhelming charm and playful personality.

For Roan, this lively energy was enough to bring him to tears, but he needed to distance himself for now.

“… I’ve finished eating, so I’ll be going.”

Roan stood up and went to return his tray to the counter.

Yusina, stuffing food into her mouth, quickly turned and spoke with her mouth full.

“Roan! See ya next tiiime!”

“If there’s a chance for that.”

Mumble — Gulp!

“By the way, since I’m your senior, you should use polite language next time!”

‘Ah.’

He had gotten too comfortable and spoken casually without thinking.

“… But you were the one who said we were close when we were kids.”

“Hehe. Fine, do whatever you want.”

Roan paid for his meal and left the restaurant. The cost was 5 Dalants.

‘Five Dalants for a core stat boost of 1 – that’s impressive no matter how you look at it.’

He felt satisfied with this little slice of happiness in Akerandir.

Meanwhile, left alone in the restaurant, Yusina smiled to herself as she thought, ‘I was curious about how that little boy had grown, and he’s become quite mature.’

He was completely different from the baby she had once seen cradled in the arms of Cardinal Siqueiro. And yet, she had recognized him instantly, thanks to her saintly ability to see through to someone’s essence.

‘Though I suppose it’s only natural his expression has darkened over the years. But… it’s not just his expression…’

Yusina tilted her head slightly, sensing an odd feeling about Roan. She couldn’t be certain, but there was something off about his inner self, something that resembled divine power.

‘Well, no matter what, he’s still that same kid!’

To Yusina, Roan was still just the child she had met so long ago.

“Oh, I heard he’s getting close to Sion. Maybe I’ll use that as an excuse to talk to him next time.”

With a mischievous grin, Yusina muttered to herself, “No, maybe I’ll just go straight to Sion and ask her?”

***

Meanwhile, in another restaurant in the Commercial District.

The place was bustling with students, but one table was eerily silent.

“…”

Sitting around it were Demona, Hector, Riel, and Rafia.

‘I want to see Roan.’

‘I miss Roan.’

‘Roan.’

‘We need Roan…’

All four were thinking the same thing about Roan.

“Hey,heretic! What’s wrong with you? Why are you looking like that?”

“… What are you talking about, heretic?”

“… Never mind.”

Demona tried to pick a fight with Hector but couldn’t muster the energy to go through with it.

“Ah, Hector! Speaking of which, didn’t your family have a Holy Battles Club —”

“… Urgh.”

Rafia tried to liven up the conversation by bringing up the Holy Battles, but Hector’s mood soured even more, and the topic quickly died down.

In the end, the four of them sat in awkward silence, quietly moving their spoons back and forth on their plates.

Screech.

“… Huh?”

At that moment, Demona noticed someone entering the restaurant and perked up. The heads of the other three turned in unison.

They all thought it might be Roan.

But instead, the four of them simultaneously locked eyes with Sion, who had just walked in.

“…”

It was an awkward moment where they couldn’t greet her, but ignoring her didn’t seem right either.

Hector nudged Demona’s arm.

“Why did you do that, heretic?”

“… Sorry.”

Demona reluctantly apologized. Meanwhile, Sion, who had just received her food, looked around briefly before sitting next to Demona. She hadn’t wanted to sit there, but it was the only available seat!

So now, Sion, Demona, Hector, Riel, and Rafia were sitting together.

‘… Where on earth is Roan?’

The five of them focused silently on their meal.

***

The afternoon class was “The World of Prayer.”

It sounded mysterious, but it was actually a class where nothing much happened. As a player, Roan had even used this class to relax and get much needed rest.

‘The class probably hasn’t changed.’

With that thought, Roan arrived at the class location. It was in the central part of Akerandir‘s vast campus, where the “Great Temple of Nerkiora” was located. 

Despite being merely a school-affiliated temple, it was one of the largest and most historically significant temples in the empire.

“Are you here for the World of Prayer class?”

“Yes.”

“Please maintain silence inside the temple.”

The enormous entrance was wide enough for three carriages to pass through side by side. A templar standing guard politely reminded Roan. He nodded and stepped inside.

Ohhh— Ahhhh—

Even without a choir or any recording devices, the inside of the temple echoed with a soft, divine melody. This was one of the unique characteristics of the Great Temple of Nerkiora, a kind of sacred phenomenon.

‘The heavenly voices are caused by the auras of the sacred relics clashing inside.’

Of course, a few relics wouldn’t be enough to create such an effect. Beneath this temple was a vast storage of relics, comparable to the Holy Emperor’s Palace, the Vatican, and the Central Templar Headquarters of the Empire.

And—

‘I’ll have to stop by here sometime.’

It was a place Roan had set his sights on.

In any case, when Roan entered the small prayer room, several students were already seated, quietly chatting. Despite being called a “small” prayer room, it was twice the size of an average classroom.

“Hm?”

However, Demona and the rest of his friends had not arrived yet.

‘If they’d left right after class, they should’ve been here by now.’

The distance from the Commercial District to the Great Temple of Nerkiora wasn’t far. There was no reason for them to be later than Roan, who had been delayed by Vulcan. Roan sat down in an empty seat, waiting for his friends.

A little while later, Demona and his group finally entered the prayer room.

‘Why is she here?’

To his shock, he saw Sion was with them. But the five of them looked oddly stiff and awkward as if their limbs were moving like wooden puppets.

“Ro-Roan!”

The moment the four of them spotted Roan, their faces lit up, and they ran toward him with tearful expressions. Even Sion, though she tried to maintain her composure, looked a bit emotional, her nose slightly red.

‘She’s not usually like that… What on earth happened?’

Roan was perplexed. ‘Could they have been attacked by dark mages right in the middle of Akerandir?’

‘No, that’s unlikely. No living dark mage could get inside.’

Of course, he and Belek were exceptions. If they had been attacked, it was more likely by a lich or other undead dark mages. But then again, the situation felt more like something caused by figures like Kaina or Vulcan…

‘Too many suspects.’

By now, Demona had reached him, clutching his hand and sobbing.

“Roan, where have you been?! You left me all alone!”

“You were the ones who left me…”

‘I was the one alone, actually.’

Rafia clung to him on the other side, her eyes teary as she spoke. “Thank you so much, Roan. We realized how precious you are during the time we were away from you.”

‘Even Rafia?’

Roan couldn’t begin to guess what had happened to them. Then Hector and Riel also came over, expressing their gratitude. Even Sion, who normally kept her distance, sat much closer to Roan than usual.

“I’ll do better from now on, Roan. Boo-hoo.”

“… Alright. I’d appreciate that.”

Demona refused to leave Roan’s side. Though Roan didn’t know by whose standards her “doing better” was measured, he nodded anyway.

At that moment, a group of priests entered the prayer room and announced loudly:

─ The prayer class will begin shortly! All students, please take your seats and prepare!

The students who had been standing quickly found empty seats, and those who were chatting amongst themselves fell silent. 

The priests not only gave a general announcement but also sternly warned students who were not paying attention.

“Student! If you keep talking, you’ll be fined 20 Dalants!”

“For example, Ro─ eek!”

That warning was aimed at someone like Demona, who didn’t stop talking no matter what the priests said. But at the mention of a fine, Demona instantly looked terrified. The memories of the “Forest of the Holy Spirit” were still vivid for him.

Once the atmosphere in the prayer room became more solemn, the resonance of the sacred relics throughout the temple began to grow louder.

Woo—oooh— Weooo—ooo—

The growing resonance of the relics signaled the approach of a high-ranking cleric capable of controlling them. Even students who didn’t fully understand the situation were instantly overwhelmed by the sacred atmosphere.

‘It’s certainly understandable.’

Roan nodded his head, feeling the weight pressing down on his body. If this much pressure was felt under ordinary circumstances, it was impressive.

Screeech—

The door at the front of the prayer room, connecting to the temple’s interior, opened, and an elderly professor, dressed in grand yet modest robes, appeared, supported by a Templar. His appearance was strikingly similar to…

“Whoa, isn’t that a lich?” Demona whispered in shock to Roan.

A professor, who, by all appearances, looked like a lich, walked in, followed by a dark mage! Roan was strangely excited by the thought.

Although Demona thought she was speaking quietly, the room was so silent that a nearby priest overheard and became furious.

“That is His Holiness, Vicius de Zolantio the 24th, former Pope! Watch your words!”

The professor for the “World of Prayer” class was indeed Vicius, who had stepped down from the papacy to become a professor at Akerandir. He was now 146 years old, one of the highest-ranking surviving clerics in the empire.

Calling such a man a lich would understandably anger the attending priest.

“What’s your name, student? You will be fined 20 Dalants after class.”

“I-I mean, it was an easy mistake to make…”

Demona protested, feeling terribly wronged. 

And indeed, although no one dared to say it out loud, other students had wondered, ‘Is he really still alive?’ Given his extreme old age, his skeletal appearance, pale, shriveled skin, and hollow eyes, the thought was understandable.

It was just that Demona had been a bit too, well, Demona-like.

As he looked between the priest and Vicius, pleading for mercy to avoid the fine, he suddenly asked in confusion, “Then what’s that? His spirit seems to be leaving his body…?”

“A cleric who has reached a certain level often has a spirit that grows larger than their body — Ah! Your Holiness!”