I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

Episode 30

The familiar view of the cliff and  Panroa Dormitory came into sight.

Only then did Roan finally grasp the events that had transpired today.

‘I had a chance encounter with Professor Kaina while carrying dark magic and heretical books.’

Perhaps this was the greatest crisis he had barely avoided since being transported into this world.

As the sun set behind the western mountains, Roan arrived at McGodall Dormitory.

In the living room, Demona sat alone, blankly holding the egg of the King of Manic Rabbits.

When he noticed Roan’s presence, he turned his head toward him.

“Oh, Roan. Did your studying go well?”

“Yes. Did you manage to… beg — I mean, earn any Dalants?”

“No. Professor Belek said it would be against the rules to obtain Dalants to pay a fine.”

As expected, Belek was a true educator.

Roan nodded his head in agreement.

Meanwhile, Demona muttered with a dejected expression on his face.

“I have to clean the bathroom instead since I don’t have any Dalants…”

Considering he had mistaken the former pope for a lich and had even snored through the ordeal, simply cleaning the bathroom seemed like a blessing.

This was definitely karma.

‘But why is it so quiet in here?’

Roan tilted his head in confusion.

Now that he thought about it, while it was normal for Beanin to be absent, another person was missing as well.

“Where’s Hector? Hasn’t he come back yet?”

“Oh, that heretic hasn’t —”

Bang!

At that moment, the door to McGodall Dormitory burst open with a loud crash.

“What the — what’s going on?”

Even Beanin, who had been startled by the racket, rushed out of his private room.

Of course, the one who threw open the door was none other than Hector.

He had a triumphant expression, like a general who had just won an unfavorable battle.

“Hahaha!”

His booming laughter matched his large frame.

But that wasn’t the most important part.

“Good heavens… What on earth could you have done in Akerandir to get injured like this?”

Beanin gasped in horror as he inspected Hector’s body.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say there wasn’t a single unscathed spot from head to toe on his body.

His left arm and leg were twisted at unnatural angles, making it clear something was terribly wrong.

In the sacred grounds of Akerandir, an injury like this was akin to being on the brink of death.

‘Did he injure something other than his body?’

Roan looked at Hector’s head with concern in his eyes.

‘They say that when someone endures too much pain, their minds can break…’

“We need to take him to the infirmary immediately —”

“That’s not the important thing right now, Senior Beanin!”

Hector shook off Beanin’s hand as he tried to pull him in the direction of the infirmary.

Instead, he took off the bag he had slung over his right shoulder — the only part of him that wasn’t injured — and pulled out its contents.

A round object, mottled with cream and green was revealed.

Roan and Demona were even more shocked than when they first saw Hector’s condition.

“The heretic… brought back an egg?!”

No matter how you looked at it, this was clearly a beast’s egg.

Sure, there were chances where one might stumble upon an egg if they combed through the mountains, but how in the world did Hector manage to get his hands on one?

Roan, with a baffled expression, said, “Hector, no matter how much you love the holy battles, you shouldn’t sell your soul to a demon to get an egg.”

‘This, coming from a family of inquisitors, no less.’

Hector’s face flushed red as he shouted, “What nonsense are you spouting?!”

“Oh, so it wasn’t that?”

‘Then how in the world did he…?’

Even Roan, who had experienced all sorts of madness in God and Devil, couldn’t figure this one out.

Hector, cradling the egg, proudly explained how he had obtained it.

“I ventured deep into the forest! I accidentally fell off a cliff and rolled down! Then, I climbed back up the cliff, only to fall again, crashing into rocks! I repeated this several times until, midway through, I found this fateful egg!”

Roan, Beanin, and Demona all stood with their mouths agape.

‘How is this guy not dead?’

Even with Akerandir’s blessings, this was just too much.

The cliffs near Panroa Dormitory were protected by divine laws and Harden’s blessings, so rolling down them a few times wasn’t an issue.

But the cliffs deep in the mountains, far from the school’s influence, were a different story.

If he had hit his head on a rock in the wrong way, he would have died instantly, unlike in the safer areas.

And he had done that repeatedly?

Just then, Demona approached Hector and patted him on the shoulder, speaking sympathetically. “I’m sorry, heretic. I didn’t realize how much you were struggling with school life…”

Hearing this, of course, Hector exploded in anger.

‘How dare they look down on the pride of the Pabilto family!’

“You heretic—!”

But…

Psshht—!

Before he could even fully express his anger, blood started spurting from his temple and forehead.

The wounds that hadn’t healed properly had reopened.

Beanin shrieked in utter horror.

“Baaah! Forget the egg, let’s get you to the infirmary right now!”

He was so startled that his natural goat-like bleating slipped out!

“No, this is nothing. I’ll be fine after some rest —”

Thud!

Hector tried to wipe the blood off nonchalantly, but before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed to the ground.

***

In the infirmary of Panroa Hall.

“What were you all doing while your roommate ended up in this state?”

Holmes, the attending priest, was scolding the four members of McGodall Dormitory.

“I’ve been working here for 10 years, and I’ve never seen injuries this bad. Do you understand that?”

Beanin, Roan, and Hector sat in silence, listening to his reprimands.

The thing was, Hector couldn’t move at all, wrapped up like a mummy in bandages and splints from head to toe.

Meanwhile, Demona stood his ground and spoke up indignantly.

“He went out on his own and came back like that!”

Holmes gave Demona a cold glare.

“You’re aware that freshmen are not allowed to act alone according to school rules, right? Since you neglected to stop him, you’ll be fined 50 Dalants.”

“…!!!”

Demona’s face instantly turned pale, as if he’d lost everything.

‘What kind of school fines you like this while not giving you anything in return…!’

With Demona shocked into silence, Holmes continued, “And what in the world did this student do? Did he run into a dark mage on school grounds?”

His tone was incredulous as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Roan glanced at Hector before answering.

“He was trying to find an egg for the holy battles.”

“An egg for the holy battles?”

Holmes looked somewhat surprised.

“…?”

For some reason, the anger he’d been holding as a medical professional seemed to dissipate considerably upon hearing this.

As Roan stared at him in bewilderment, Holmes even gave a faint smile and nodded his head.

“Such spirit, just like a freshman. I won’t hold him accountable this time. Let him rest and recover well.”

Of course, Demona’s 50 Dalant fine remained.

But Roan couldn’t care less about the fine.

‘Good grief, everyone’s obsessed with the holy battles…!’

At this rate, people who died searching for an egg might even be declared saints.

‘… It might actually happen.’

Roan was exasperated, but Holmes had already drawn the curtains around the bed and left.

“My egg… My egg…”

“Tsk, here it is.”

Roan handed the egg to Hector, who mumbled with his mouth barely moving due to the bandages.

‘A green and cream-colored egg…’

Roan carefully considered the egg’s origin.

Hector had found it while rolling down cliffs in the deep forest, and it indeed seemed to be a rare species.

Roan had no clue what it was.

Then Hector pulled down the bandages around his chin and exclaimed, “Phew! You have no idea how hard it was to get this egg out of a nest made of thorn bushes.”

Thorn bushes?

Upon hearing that, something clicked in Roan’s mind.

“… Did the thorn bushes have pale, sticky mucus on them?”

“How did you know? Is this a species you recognize?”

Hector’s face lit up with excitement.

‘Indeed, it was good to have Roan as a friend!’

To Hector, Roan was like a walking encyclopedia of rare beast eggs, able to identify them effortlessly.

On the other hand, Roan nodded slightly, his expression a bit uneasy.

“I do know it, but…”

A green and cream-colored shell, a nest made of thorn bushes, and the white mucus smeared on it.

Roan knew of only one type of magical beast that matched that description.

Hector, with pleading eyes, begged Roan.

“Please tell me what species this creature is!”

‘No, this is beyond pleading.’

It was like he was looking at an angel at the end of a trial or Harden at the end of life.

By now, Hector’s fondness for Roan probably rivaled his feelings for his own parents.

But Roan hesitated, unable to tell him right away.

“Could I tell you when your injuries have fully healed?”

“Please, I beg you! Even if this creature is worse than a heretical egg, I’ll raise it with care. After all, a creature grows stronger depending on the devotion of its owner. That’s how a true holy warrior raises their power!”

Roan gaped with disbelief written all over his face.

‘Who said you couldn’t raise it?’

Whether Hector raised it with care or neglected it was entirely his choice.

All Roan had to do was reveal the species…

For some reason, he was reminded of couples in Korea begging to know the gender of their unborn child.

“Fine. But don’t be disappointed when you hear about it.”

“Me? Disappointed? Never!”

Hector exhaled heavily through his nose. It was obvious he was filled with excitement.

Roan sighed and revealed the egg’s identity.

“It’s a Thousand-Eyed Hollow Serpent.”

“A Thousand-Eyed Hollow Serpent?”

Both Hector and Beanin tilted their heads in confusion upon hearing the name.

That wasn’t surprising — they had never heard of such a species before.

“It’s named for the numerous holes covering its body that look like empty eye sockets, like barnacles. All in all, it’s pretty grotesque.”

As Roan explained, both of their faces paled.

Isn’t that more of a monster than a beast?

But the Thousand-Eyed Hollow Serpent was officially classified as a magical beast.

Meanwhile, Demona, who had been in a depressed state, suddenly gagged.

“Ugh! Just imagining it makes me sick! Of all things, he had to pick that creature…”

“Shut up, heretic! Don’t insult Silsil!”

‘Silsil?’

It seemed Hector had already named it in the short time since.

“Roan, tell me more about Silsil. What kind of creature is it?”

Now Hector’s eyes were no longer just pleading — they were glowing with madness.

Roan was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed.

“Well… for starters, you could consider it a healer. The fluid it secretes from its holes has strong healing properties. It can even be sprayed over long distances.”

“Ooooh!” Hector cheered, feeling that all his hard work had finally paid off.

His face was full of excitement and anticipation for the future.

“With healing abilities that strong, isn’t it divine beast-level?”

“It’s even above divine beast-level.”

Roan nodded casually.

“Wow! Congratulations, Hector! You love the holy battles, so this is perfect for you.”

“Thank you, senior!”

Beanin offered his sincere congratulations, and Hector beamed with joy.

He was already imagining placing a championship trophy in his room, thinking of how his territory’s Holy Battles Club would win the imperial tournament.

The first Holy Battles League victory for the Pabilto family! And Hector Pabilto, the glorious champion!

Even Demona, who had been gagging in the corner, was now shocked.

“What? Is it really that amazing? Then why didn’t the heretic know about it?”

“Good point.”

If it were such a great creature, there was no way the empire, obsessed with holy battles, wouldn’t have used it.

They would have either farmed it or scoured the continent’s mountains for it by now.

Roan nodded and answered calmly.

“The Thousand-Eyed Hollow Serpent does indeed have incredible power in the holy battles.”

“So about 3,000 years ago, the Continental Holy War Association banned it from competitions.”

If it were allowed to participate, that was.

“…”

Hector’s mouth fell open as he finally understood.

“It’s… banned from the holy battles…?”

“Yep.”

Roan confirmed it with a final blow.

Hector’s once sparkling eyes turned dull and lifeless, like dead fish eyes.

“But don’t be too disappointed. It can’t compete in the holy battles, but its healing abilities are real. If you keep it with you, it’ll prove to be quite useful.”

Roan’s words weren’t just meant as consolation — they were sincere.

In his own gameplay, the Thousand-Eyed Hollow Serpent had proven to be a very valuable mythical beast.

Most injuries could be healed just by applying its fluid, and even internal injuries could be treated by drinking it.

Plus, it had a gentle temperament, was easy to train, and followed its owner well.

Once you got used to its slightly grotesque appearance, it was much better than something like Demona’s King of Manic Rabbits…

“You’re not seriously thinking of abandoning it just because it can’t participate in holy battles, are you?”

Roan asked Hector with a suspicious look. Judging by his expression, it seemed like Hector had already debated whether to keep or abandon the egg at least 3,000 times as he lay in the infirmary bed.

“Uh, w-what?” 

‘It’s obvious he’s thinking just that,’ Roan thought, clicking his tongue inwardly.

Imperial citizens tended to believe that magical and divine beasts were created solely to participate in the holy battles.

But before that, they were simply creatures of nature!

At that moment, Demona, completely oblivious, spoke cheerfully.

“No way he’d do that! I mean, he went through all that trouble to retrieve the egg from the nest. If he abandoned it, he wouldn’t even be human!”

“…”

Hector’s eyes trembled slightly.

“Isn’t that right, fanatic? If you’d left it alone, the mother would have raised it with care in the vast mountains. You went through hell to bring it here, so who cares if it can’t join a holy battle?”

Hector shook violently.

“Seriously, you’re amazing! If it were me, I’d have been conflicted. But Hector, who loves magical beasts, will gladly raise it! You’re awesome, Pabilto!”

“Y-Yeah, of course. If I abandoned the egg I took from the nest, I’d be no better than an animal, not a person.”

“The honor of Pabilto is at stake, right?”

“Th-That’s right!”

Hector, on the verge of tears, finally hugged the egg tightly to his chest.

Roan glanced at Demona with newfound curiosity.

‘He seems to know exactly what he’s doing.’

——

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