I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

As Rafia had mentioned, Roan was waiting in front of the principal’s office after the baptism ceremony. 

He had the terrible misfortune of being caught as a black mage by the Holy Spirit. 

It felt as though his life was being shaved away in real time.

‘Should I run away now?’

It seemed like the best option.

If only it were possible…

“Haha! Truly remarkable. Awakening holy power at such a young age!”

Right now, a holy knight was assigned to escort him, which was really to keep an eye on him.

‘Even if I could activate my black magic at full power and strike, it would only attract unwanted attention.’

Roan’s mind raced, but he couldn’t find a suitable way out. 

Whether he died at the hands of the Holy Spirit or was hunted down and killed, it would be the same death. 

The latter might be more painful.

─ Don’t even think about running. Come in, Darc.

At that moment, Harden’s voice came from inside the principal’s office.

“The principal is quite the joker. Why would the young lord of the Darc Family run away?”

The holy knight laughed heartily and opened the door. 

Roan forced himself to calm his trembling heart.

“Phew…”

‘God and Devil is definitely a trash game.’

Otherwise, it made no sense. 

They told him to survive in the Holy Academy, yet he got caught at the entrance ceremony. 

If there had been any significant turning point for Roan, he wouldn’t have felt so wronged.

‘In any case, I must survive no matter what happens.’

If Harden showed hostility, Roan was prepared to fight. 

Although he didn’t know Harden’s exact talent stats, he figured Harden would be somewhat inferior or at most equal to him. 

If he could somehow piece together the information he knew…

So Roan thought as he entered the principal’s office.

Click─

As the door closed behind him.

“… Akerandir is not just an academy but the holy land of the empire.”

Harden’s voice, which had sounded so ordinary in the auditorium, now carried an immense weight. 

Immediately, Roan realized how shallow and ridiculous his thoughts had been. 

He had just walked through an ordinary door.

‘What’s this─’

The space outside and inside were completely different worlds. 

The ultimate holy magic known as ‘Sanctification.’ 

Roan’s inner black magic couldn’t withstand it and began to boil over rapidly.

“When I, Harden Pearl Cuglior, first became the Holy Spirit, I cultivated this land.”

Harden was not just an old man but the supreme Holy Spirit of the empire.

“Every tree here has not grown in vain, and every grain of sand is imbued with the divinity of Lord Hiloa.”

He was the first saint and the first Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire.

“How many saints and holy warriors have passed through the gates of Akerandir? How many blades of Hiloa have eradicated evil?”

He was the principal and protector of the holy land Akerandir.

“To dare bring…”

His achievements were so immense they seemed excessive for one being. 

They were accumulated over thousands of years, and Harden reigned as the supreme entity. 

There was disdain, not even hostility, towards a freshman who relied solely on the meager tinder of a black magic talent score of 100. And who was prepared to fight if necessary.

“Your. Petty. Black. Magic. Here.”

The divine thunderbolt that eradicated evil.

After falling into another world, Roan had never once been taken aback, but now his body felt as though it was collapsing from the deepest part of his being. 

It was like a demon witnessing the descent of a god right before its eyes. 

It was only because of his formidable talent and magic that he barely managed to hold himself together. 

Even that was a significant accomplishment for a black mage, but…

‘I’m going to die.’

Roan had already accepted his impending death. 

All he could do was endure. 

If Harden applied just a bit more pressure, the balance would completely collapse. 

The fact that this was the world of God and Devil, or that it was a game where he might be revived for another round; those were the speculations he didn’t have the luxury to consider right now.

But then…

“Well. It could happen, couldn’t it?”

The voice, which had sounded like a holy guardian’s, suddenly returned to its usual gentle tone. 

The overwhelming pressure that had surged like the mightiest storm of myth dissipated in an instant, and the sanctuary that had seemed like a hell within heaven vanished as if it had been a lie. 

What remained was just an ordinary principal’s office, the Holy Spirit Harden, and Roan.

“…?”

Harden looked at Roan’s face with amusement and said.

“I’m not some stubborn old man.”

‘… Aren’t you?’

Roan thought with a feeling of despair and held on to his sanity with sheer willpower. 

Was that terrifying display just a playful prank to this principal?

“Not all black mages are evil. I can roughly guess why you awakened black magic.”

And what might that be?

Roan sincerely wanted to ask, but he couldn’t find the words due to the lingering tension.

“To take revenge for your family, you chose the lesser of two evils. Given that your talent in black magic far surpasses that in holy power, I would have done the same.”

“…”

Roan said nothing. 

He tried not to think at all. 

Harden might look slightly unhinged, but he was a monster capable of discerning truth from lies. 

It was better not to give him any reason to doubt. 

Roan watched Harden quietly with his characteristically somber, ashen eyes.

“Hm. As I thought.”

Fortunately, Harden seemed to interpret this in a favorable light.

“If that’s your goal, then since you’re here, I’ll support you as an educator. Just don’t do anything stupid enough to get caught by others.”

That was something Roan also fervently wished for without Harden having to point it out.

Harden continued with a sly smile.

“I remember the Darc Family causing quite a stir trying to rebuild… You should do your best too.”

“… Understood.”

A Holy Spirit encouraging a black mage to rebuild a holy noble family. 

Roan didn’t fully understand what was happening, but he figured it was better than the alternative. As he nodded, Harden clapped his hands. Though being a spirit, no sound was made.

“Good. Darkness in the world is merely the opposite of light, not its enemy. Just like your power.”

That statement carried significant weight for Roan. 

It hinted at one of the hidden secrets of God and Devil. 

Though Roan had only found a clue to it, he didn’t know its exact nature. 

Harden was an NPC rarely encountered alone during gameplay.

‘The Holy Spirit is different after all.’

Roan thought he might not be in immediate danger of dying as he had feared.

“That’s all. You may leave now. The principal is busy.”

With that, Harden waved him off dismissively. 

Roan left the office, contemplating how to walk without revealing his eagerness to flee as quickly as possible.

“Haha! How was your meeting with the principal? He’s quite the kind person, isn’t he?”

“… Yes, he is.”

The holy knight was unaware of anything. He laughed heartily. 

‘Are they really expecting me to clear this?’

Having overcome a major hurdle, Roan felt something burning inside him.

“These four years won’t be boring.”

The Holy Spirit was simply amused.

Swish─

Smiling, Harden picked up the dormitory assignment list from his desk.

* * *

“Mr. Darc, are you looking forward to meeting the friends you’ll be living with?”

“Yes.”

After his private audience with Harden, Roan walked through the campus with the holy knight who had been guiding him. 

The knight was explaining how polite and diligent the students were. 

At that point, Roan felt a twinge of doubt.

‘Is he perhaps attending a different academy than I am?’

Despite the difference between staff and students, the ones who had insulted Roan during the entrance ceremony were a bit different.

‘They were all jerks.’

So what if someone manifested holy power a bit early? 

There was no need to cause such a fuss. 

A person rode an eight-horse carriage from the Holy Palace, made the freshman representative oath, and even had a private audience with the Holy Spirit!

‘Hmm. Maybe not that last part.’

Anyway, after the baptism ceremony, the other students were immediately assigned to their dormitories. 

But since Roan had been summoned to the principal’s office, he needed guidance as a freshman.

‘It does feel almost like my home.’

In reality, Roan was confident he could find his way around the Holy Academy grounds better than most graduates. 

While others finished in four years, he had played as students and faculty characters hundreds of times. 

The leisurely pace of the holy knight was slightly frustrating for him.

Tap——

Suddenly, the knight stopped and looked at Roan with a serious expression.

“By the way, Darc, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say.”

“…?”

Roan maintained a neutral expression, but he felt a bit tense, unsure of what the knight would say. 

However, the knight’s next words made Roan’s tension seem unwarranted.

“Twenty years ago, I was greatly indebted to Lord Darc…”

As he said this, tears welled up in his eyes. It made quite a contrast compared to his rugged appearance.

“If it hadn’t been for Lord Darc, I would have surely died back then. Ugh! Ugh!”

As the large man started sobbing in the street, he attracted attention from passersby. Roan felt a mix of surprise and exasperation.

‘Now even an ordinary holy knight…!’

“Please stop crying.”

“Waaah─ Lord Darc!”

If this weren’t a busy street, Roan might have hit the knight on the back of the head regardless of his connection to his father. 

But first, he needed to stop the weeping knight.

“Could you tell me more about what happened with my late father?”

Perhaps changing the subject would help. It seemed to work as the knight asked Roan while sniffling.

“Have you ever heard the name Geode?”

Of course, he hadn’t. 

Roan didn’t know much about the Darc Family to begin with.

‘How could I? When the family fell by the time I was one year old?’

It was impossible due to the setting. 

Even if Geode asked, ‘Do you know Lord Darc’s name?’

Roan wouldn’t be able to answer.

Roan shook his head.

“I have no memory of my father. The tragedy happened when I was just born. I’d like to hear more about my father and our family to live as a Darc.”

Meeting someone who knew about the Darc Family could be helpful. But this well-meaning question had an unintended effect.

“Sniff─!”

Geode’s tear ducts exploded again.

‘There’s no one helpful around here!’

Roan thought in distress.

Finally, under the coaxing and comforting from Roan, Geode guided him back to the dormitory while recounting an old story.

His story was ordinary. 

He had fallen into a perilous situation while dealing with brutal dark mages and was miraculously saved by the head of the Darc Family who had come to his aid.

“At that time, His Excellency was like the lion of Hiloa… He wielded holy magic and bravely eliminated the dark mages!”

Geode sniffled. He was still moved by the memory. 

Meanwhile, Roan felt a bit guilty hearing about the slaughter of dark mages, and secretly looked around. 

Geode was now much calmer and began to smile again.

“Hahaha. To think that a descendant of the Darc Family has awakened holy power without a baptism after 100 years and entered Akerandir! His Excellency would be pleased to hear this.”

Roan quickly shook his head. It wasn’t 100 years, but 125 years. It made him slightly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t important.

“Um… I don’t think that’s the case.”

For Roan had awakened not holy power, but dark magic. 

Yet, Geode somehow interpreted Roan’s words differently and beamed with teary eyes.

“To grow up so well and be so humble… Splendid!”

He even took out a handkerchief to blow his nose. 

‘I’m not being humble.’

Pat! Pat!

Oblivious to Roan’s thoughts, Geode patted him on the back several times with his large hand.

After some time had passed, Geode exclaimed, “Ah! We’re finally here!”

They had arrived at the dormitory ‘Saint Panroa Dormitory’ of Akerandir. Or rather, they had arrived at the entrance of the dormitory.

“Well, my company ends here. If you ever need help, come find me, Geode!”

“Ah! Wait.”

Geode walked away briskly. 

Roan tried to catch him, but he was already far away, blowing his nose into his handkerchief.

“May the Darc Family be blessed!”

Waving his handkerchief stained with snot as a cheerful farewell, he was gone. 

He shouldn’t have left yet. 

‘You really can’t trust holy knights!’ 

Roan felt an intense sense of betrayal thinking of the three holy knights he had met since the arrival in ‘God and Devil’: Beckeren, Rafia, and Geode.

Understandably, Saint Panroa Dormitory was situated on a cliff about thirty meters high.

An ordinary person might think, ‘Well, that’s just the location, there must be another way around.’ 

But there wasn’t. 

To enter the dormitory, students had to climb the cliff. It was considered part of the daily hardships.

So, when Geode had offered to guide him, Roan had felt some gratitude.

Whiiing!

There was an elevator for staff located a little distance from the cliff entrance! 

Roan had assumed Geode would let him use it… 

But he understood Geode’s feelings to some extent.

‘Does this make any sense? Is this really the only way to the dormitory?’

‘How am I supposed to climb this cliff?’

At the base of the cliff, chaos ensued as new students struggled to ascend. 

The talented students had already made their way up, but nearly all of the freshmen were still anxiously waiting below.

‘Getting into the dormitory was always the worst part of the game.’

In God and Devil, players had to clear a mini-game to climb that cliff. 

By pressing the jump button at the right intervals, they had to ascend about thirty steps to succeed. 

The mini-games immediately after admission were particularly tricky. If a student fell while climbing, they would plummet down like obstacles, and anyone hit by them had to start over. 

Later, it became skippable due to familiarity, and there were no penalties since Harden’s blessing was at work. 

Still, it wasn’t a pleasant memory to repeatedly do that just to enter the dormitory.

“Ahhhhh!”

‘Another one falls.’

A brave or unlucky freshman tumbled from the cliff. 

Thud! 

The sound was ominous, but after lying on the ground for a moment, the student dusted himself off and stood up.

─ &!%$#!@!

He spat out a string of curses.

“Tsk.”

Roan clicked his tongue as he watched. He thought it unnecessary for freshmen to endure such hardship. Just a ladder would suffice to make it challenging enough… 

Seeing it in real life was even more ridiculous.

After looking up at the dormitory, Roan moved away. He headed to a secluded area full of trees and bushes instead of the entrance crowded with students.

‘Might as well find that thing while I’m here.’

There was a hidden piece on the dormitory cliff. It might seem trivial, but it was immensely beneficial for freshmen. 

It was better to collect it while everyone was focused on the cliff.

‘Reach the Dilon flower that sticks out at eye level and then about 10 meters to the right of the Seidan berry bush… Is this it?’

Recognizing the familiar terrain, Roan plunged his arm into the bush and felt around for something.

Click!

‘Found it!’

He pulled out a shabby green cloth pouch which was not easily noticeable. However, it was quite heavy.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well, Senior Ihern.”

Roan murmured a silent thanks. 

Ihern Tolman was a character and a graduate of Akerandir. He was kind and playful; he had left this pouch as a gift for his juniors. 

Opening it, Roan found it filled with slips of paper bearing Harden’s face. 

They were ‘Dalant,’ Akerandir’s currency equivalent.

They were exactly 10,000 Dalant.

Originally, to find this pouch, one would have to locate hidden notes in the dormitory and solve several problems, but…

‘As long as you know where it is, it doesn’t matter.’

Roan pocketed the pouch without feeling a shred of guilt.