I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

For a moment, Roan wondered if he had misheard something.

“Roan Darc? Who’s that?”

“The Darc Family?”

That didn’t seem to be the case.

The surrounding students were whispering around him. 

It was difficult for sixteen-year-old freshmen to recognize the Darc Family, which had been exterminated 15 years ago.

“Oh. The guy who came in the eight-horse carriage from the Holy Palace earlier!”

“Damn! Was it him?”

“Such an unlucky fellow!”

And as expected from an event that would monopolize the jealousy of his peers. The words filled with hostility already echoed in the auditorium. 

Roan recalled the kind faces of Siqueiro and Beckeren, whom he had parted with earlier.

‘They said they’d speak well to the principal.’

Grit─

Roan gritted his teeth with sincere gratitude.

“Freshman representative Roan Darc. Ah! Can’t you hear my voice well? Ro. An. Da. Rc.”

While Roan couldn’t snap out of his shock, Harden continued repeating the name Roan Darc. 

At this rate, not only the people gathered here but all the citizens of the empire would remember his name.

“… Here I am.”

Roan walked towards the podium, hoping Harden would shut up. 

It would be fortunate if the light of the Holy Spirit stayed bright enough to obscure his face.

“Hm…”

Harden, who was watching Roan, gradually reduced the light’s intensity. 

It was an intended effect.

The brilliant light now served as a halo for the freshman representative. 

Knowing this full well, Roan clenched his fists and ascended the podium.

‘Lord Darc, please be safe even in the academy!’

In the guest seats, he saw the faces of Siqueiro and Beckeren.

“Now, Roan Darc. Nice to meet you. Just read what’s written here without being nervous.”

Seeing this, Harden smiled and guided Roan to his spot. 

Even as a Holy Spirit and the principal, Harden couldn’t imagine that a freshman would be suppressing the urge to punch those two high-ranking priests in the face. 

In this emotionally complex situation, Roan began his oath.

“I, freshman representative Roan…”

The gazes from below were already piercing. 

‘… I must somehow live quietly without standing out.’

Roan didn’t give up and resolved himself. It was now more a mantra than a goal.

“… I pledge to diligently pursue my studies, abide by the academy rules, and contribute to the empire.”

After the freshman representative’s oath ended.

Clap─

“Well then.”

Roan immediately turned around, intending to flee. 

Every moment on this podium felt like accumulating 1 hostility point, and it felt as if thousands of needles were piercing his body.

But then.

“Oh ho. Where are you going without an adult’s permission?”

Harden caught Roan with a solemn voice.

“Ha. Ha. Ha.”

With a forced smile that didn’t suit his somber face, Roan turned back to the principal. 

The words of the Holy Spirit were absolute. 

Acting even slightly defiant would attract even more attention.

“Don’t smile like that. It’s creepy.”

Harden frowned.

‘Is there anything that could creep out the Holy Spirit?’

Roan wanted to ask this but held it back. More than that, he was already resentful of what Harden might do next.

“Now, freshmen. Do you know why Darc was chosen as the freshman representative?”

Buzz! Buzz!

A brief uproar followed Harden’s question.

“Why?”

“It can’t be because of his family…”

“Who knows?”

People poured out their questions and jealous comments but couldn’t easily find the reason. 

It was natural. 

This position originally belonged to Sion, a saint candidate. 

While Roan had thought of helping her if she was bullied, he never intended to bear the weight himself.

“Could he possibly use holy power?”

“Come on man! At least make your jokes believable!”

“Wahaha!”

In the end, people waited for the principal’s explanation while exchanging jokes among themselves.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

The problem was that the trivial comments were actually true.

… Though if dug deeper, it was not holy power but black magic he had awakened to. And having that secret revealed was even worse.

‘He wouldn’t reveal it here, right?’

Roan glanced anxiously at Harden beside him.

Harden was known for his erratic behavior. He acted differently in the same situations even in games. 

Since he was such an unpredictable character, Roan decided to half give up on understanding him.

As the commotion gradually died down, Harden finally spoke up.

“Well. It’s nothing extraordinary. It’s just that Roan of the Darc Family awakened holy power before even receiving baptism.”

──!!!!

In an instant, the vast Igzael Hall was enveloped in shock and silence. 

Roan felt like crying. 

A quiet and ordinary academy life. 

He hadn’t realized how difficult a goal that would be. 

‘The worst part is that this isn’t even the worst-case scenario I had imagined.’

Roan felt ashamed that he found some relief even in this situation. 

At least it was better than being dragged away for being a black mage…

Then Roan noticed Sion. 

She was about five rows back, her expression one that couldn’t even be joked about as positive. 

Her stiff face contrasted sharply with her light pink hair. Her tightly clenched, slightly trembling fist only confirmed it further.

‘Why does she consider me her rival?’

… Of course, he could understand to some extent. 

Roan felt like crying too, and Sion probably felt the same. 

The current situation made it seem like he had overshadowed Sion from the entrance ceremony onwards. 

From her perspective, it must have been upsetting that he arrived in a more splendid carriage from the Holy Palace, made the freshman representative oath, and awakened holy power. 

The difference between the superior position above the podium and below it could easily lead to misunderstandings, making it seem like Roan was looking down on Sion.

‘Oops.’

Seeing Sion’s face darken further, Roan quickly looked away. 

But it was true that he felt frustrated thinking about who was worrying about whom. 

Not to mention the fact that Roan had been the one to nurture Sion up to this point. 

At least Sion wasn’t a black mage like someone!

At that moment, Harden continued speaking.

“Haha, it was normal in my time, but it seems such things have become a topic of conversation as time passes. So then, Mr. Darc?”

“Yes. Thank you, Principal. Well then─”

Roan was now eager to get off the podium. 

Holy Spirit or not; he had to survive first.

“Since you’ve come this far, how about showing us some holy power? The guests would be delighted.”

“This─”

“This?”

The principal tilted his head, seemingly curious about the words that were about to follow. 

Roan barely maintained his expression and redirected his words.

“… Thank you for the great opportunity.”

“Hahaha. No. It’s a rewarding moment for me as the principal.”

Unable to stand looking at Harden’s face any longer, Roan turned his gaze to the guest seats.

“…”

There, Siqueiro and Beckeren were watching him with tearful, moved expressions. 

Roan ultimately gave up everything. 

It wasn’t like they were asking him to unleash black magic, and proving he had awakened fake holy power was simple enough.

‘Just make it seem like I’ve barely awakened…’

He intended to control the output to the lowest possible level.

Considering he had already awakened, Roan doubted it would have much effect, but he thought it might be a bit better if people thought, ‘Is that really an awakened?’ 

He decided to use just a tiny bit of his power. Just enough to remain obscured by Harden’s light.

Saaah─

Tap─

But then, Harden lightly placed his hand on Roan’s back.

Hwaaaaaa──!

The light, which had been like a dying bulb, suddenly brightened like LED headlights.

── ????

── Ohhhh!

── It’s Hiloa!

Roan was astonished. 

It was clear who was responsible for this absurd situation. 

He looked at the principal with a bewildered gaze.

[You should be able to do at least this much with your own power, right?]

Harden asked mockingly. He even used the divine telepathy known as ‘Gospel.’

‘Using such an advanced skill for this nonsense…!’

[So, are you so moved by the principal’s consideration that you’re about to cry?]

Roan indeed felt like crying. Though it was for a different reason.

“Yes…”

Harden was someone who held Roan’s leash. 

Roan nodded slightly, and Harden smiled with satisfaction.

── That, that guy is really using holy power?

── No way!

The freshmen below the podium were in an uproar. Not just the freshmen, but the professors and upperclassmen were also clearly intrigued.

‘It’s been 125 years since a freshman awakened holy power without baptism.’

It was information Roan didn’t even want to recall. 

Like the principal’s flash, the display of holy power ended with a flourish in front of everyone.

“Well done. You may step down now.”

Harden said, patting Roan on the back.

“Thank…”

Roan barely mumbled his words of gratitude with no desire to complete the sentence, and came down from the podium.

‘I’m really glad… I’m really glad… That I didn’t get caught as a black mage…’

Roan gritted his teeth.

“Oh, and come to my office after the entrance ceremony. I have something to discuss about your intriguing holy power!”

── Gasp!

── A freshman in the Holy Spirit’s office?

── As expected, a wretched fellow who awakened holy power before baptism…

The students were in chaos, while others were moved to tears. 

They saw it as a beautiful harmony between the Holy Spirit and the promising future generation.

‘It’s not what you think, so please don’t be envious…’

Roan thought he had no energy left to react to anything else.

An intriguing holy power.

There was only one reason the ancient Holy Spirit would call it that.

‘Even after all that, he must have found out I’m a black mage…’

Roan resented the world.

* * *

In God and Devil, the common way to awaken holy power was to receive baptism from the Holy Spirit Harden during the entrance ceremony at Akerandir. 

Awakening through a special event like Roan did ─ though in Roan’s case, it was black magic instead of holy power ─ was as miraculous as it was surprising. 

However, finding such an event to awaken was extremely dangerous, required immense effort, and ultimately depended on luck, making it seem like a relic of the past. 

It was difficult to find a more special event than the baptism performed by the embodied Holy Spirit over thousands of years.

For these reasons, the most celebrated moment for freshmen was the baptism ceremony following the entrance ceremony. 

But this year’s baptism ceremony had a different atmosphere.

“Roan Darc. Since you’ve already awakened, you don’t need a baptism, right?”

‘*&@%!$@#!’

It was effective because Harden, who presided over the baptism, said this from the beginning.

Shaa─ Hwaaak─!

“Congratulations on your entrance.”

“… Thank you.”

Somehow, the ones receiving awakening had mixed expressions of joy and awkwardness. 

The stronger their talent for holy power, the brighter the light that emanated when holy water was sprinkled on them. 

Watching this light was quite a sacred sight, given that Akerandir attracted talents from across the continent.

Moreover, Sion, who rose as a saint candidate solely based on her talent for holy power without any political backing in the empire.

Hwaaaaaaa───!

She emitted light comparable to Harden’s during the entrance event.

── Oh. As expected of the saint candidate.

── With her talent alone, she’s bound to achieve greatness.

Listening to the spectators’ conversation, Harden muttered to himself.

“Well. She didn’t awaken without baptism though.”

── …….

Naturally, the atmosphere turned silent. 

Sion glanced at Roan with a slightly resentful look.

‘What did I do…?’

Roan felt even more aggrieved. However, he decided to avert his gaze with a generous heart. 

If she wanted to glare at someone, she would look at Roan and not dare to look at the Holy Spirit.

“Roan Darc?”

At that moment, someone called Roan cautiously. 

When he turned his head, the purple-haired Rafia, whom he had recognized earlier, had approached him.

“Hic.”

But as Roan looked at her steadily, she took a sharp breath, seemingly surprised. 

She seemed to regret starting the conversation a little.

‘Is it because of my face?’

As he had confirmed with a bronze mirror, Roan had a gloomy and dangerous aura. He didn’t have the kind of face that invited friendly conversation at first sight. More precisely, it served to scare people.

“… What is it?”

After the show on the podium earlier, he couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. 

When Roan responded, Rafia cautiously asked.

“Well… You called my name earlier, right? We’ve never met before, so I was wondering how you knew me…”

She seemed genuinely curious. Her natural disposition might have played a part too. 

Roan quickly recalled information about her.

The Kedan Family was a small, insignificant family with its territory in the remote parts of the empire. 

It wasn’t easy for her to participate in social activities, so she had no friends even in Akerandir. 

Of course, her kind and sociable nature made it easy for her to make friends…

‘It must be strange for her that I recognized her.’

However, Roan soon found something useful in her backstory.

“Seven years ago, in Knight Magazine, I saw you.”

“What?”

Rafia was taken aback. Her delight was genuine. 

The prestigious imperial magazine ‘Knight Magazine’ had featured her in a special interview with promising talents. 

At nine years old, Rafia had been introduced in the magazine despite being from a small knight family. It was an achievement recognized purely for her talent.

‘Though now she’s treated as a once-talented child… Still, getting into Akerandir is no small feat.’

She must have stopped growing her talent. 

The fact that she had entered Akerandir instead of a professional knight order’s youth system was proof of that. 

The continent was too vast for talent alone to guarantee success. But she was still an unbloomed flower.

Anyway, those memories were a proud achievement she would carry all her life, so mentioning them would open the conversation.

“Ahem! It was a magazine from when I was young… Are you interested in knights? Are you from a knight family? Oh, sorry. I haven’t heard of the Darc Family since I live in such a remote area…”

As expected, Rafia started talking excitedly on her own. 

Any sense of distance from Roan had long disappeared.

“Holy knights fight on the front lines against black mages. I respect them.”

“Wow! That’s such a cool thing to say. Now I feel bad… Where’s the Darc Family? Can I visit during the holidays?”

Her unique sociability kicked in. 

But Roan just watched her quietly, unable to answer properly.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to answer.

‘Should I tell her?’

Given her kind nature, hearing the truth might actually make her feel worse.

“Um? Is it impolite to ask? If so, it’s okay.”

Seeing Rafia visibly deflate, Roan answered without thinking.

“It’s not impolite… My family was exterminated. We were originally in the Ehadon region.”

“…”

As expected, the atmosphere became solemn. 

It was surprising to see Rafia so affected.

“How did…? No, never mind─”

“We were attacked by black mages.”

Saaaah─

Undoubtedly, at that moment, Roan drew more attention than the baptism ceremony. At least within earshot of their conversation.

Uh, um, ah─

Struggling to find something to say, Rafia tried to brighten up.

“Then you can come to our territory! The water and mountains are great.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

In such moments, Roan’s dark aura worked even more effectively. 

Though he didn’t mean much by it, others found it chilling. 

Rafia seemed to think it was best not to continue the topic.

“The baptism ceremony is almost over.”

“Mm.”

“But Roan… I can call you Roan, right? You’re lucky.”

“… Why?”

Roan asked. He was genuinely curious. He couldn’t think of anything good about his situation.

Rafia tilted her head in response.

“Because you get to visit the principal’s office after the ceremony, right?”

‘This girl.’

Had he been too lenient with the character he enjoyed playing so much? 

Roan felt a surge of anger.

He had almost forgotten.

“… I’ll have to reconsider visiting your territory during the holidays.”

“Why… Why?!”