I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

“This insane academy! Who came up with this ridiculous idea?”

One of the freshmen shouted in frustration while looking up at the cliff.

‘The holy spirit you all respect so much did.’

Roan wondered how the freshman would react if he knew that fact, but he didn’t bother to tell him. 

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

“Move aside.”

Roan said, pushing through the freshmen blocking the front of the cliff. The unexpected shove caused some to grumble.

“Who is it? Who dares…?”

However, Roan didn’t give them time to finish their complaints.

‘If you could use holy power, this cliff wouldn’t be an obstacle at all.’

The fact that one could skip it later proved this point. 

Roan infused his hands and feet with dark magic instead of holy power. It wasn’t a specific spell, but it was enough to enhance his strength to climb the cliff.

Whoosh─

The False Divinity faithfully transformed his dark magic into the holy power. The brilliant light, a sign of holy power, shone from Roan’s hands and feet.

─ Oh, oh?

─ Look at that!

Naturally, the freshmen were astonished. 

Even some of the students, who had already climbed the cliff, didn’t emit such a strong light.

Step by step─

Without looking back, Roan began to ascend the cliff effortlessly.

‘It would have been nice to have proper enhancement magic.’

As expected, it wasn’t very difficult.

─ Look at him, he’s using holy power like that already? Where did he come from?

─ Hey, hey. Isn’t he a senior?

─ Oh. Is he?

Some students mistook Roan for a senior due to his natural climb.

─ Isn’t he that guy? From the Darc Family or something?

─ What? I think you’re right… How’s he already doing this?

Soon, they recognized his distinctive ash-gray hair and realized who he was. 

By then, Roan had already reached the middle of the cliff.

* * *

It was dizzying just to look at the edge of the cliff.

Thud!

A hand which shone with a bright light gripped the top.

‘The real ‘God and Devil’ is indeed a terrible game!’

It was Roan. 

Climbing a thirty-meter cliff just to get into the dormitory was enough to make anyone curse. 

Fortunately, Roan could use magic, but more than half of the freshmen were still struggling below.

His overly natural and quick ascent drew some attention, but it also made it harder for others to recognize him.

‘It’s best to disappear from their sight as quickly as possible.’

Just getting away from the troublesome freshmen brought some peace to Roan’s mind. 

However, contrary to his hopes.

Rustle! Rustle!

‘Huh?’

Even at the top of the cliff, Roan noticed an unusual atmosphere surrounding him. 

At first, he wondered if something had happened in the dormitory, but it became clear as the upperclassmen glanced at him as they passed by.

─ A freshman?

─ He climbed pretty quickly? Impressive.

─ Oh. He’s the one from the entrance ceremony!

Roan quickly understood the situation.

‘Maybe it’s nothing. Just normal.’

But his presence had already caused a stir.

Riding an eight-horse carriage from the Holy Palace wasn’t enough… 

Naturally, the student who garnered all that spotlight with their entrance much earlier than other freshmen was bound to attract attention. 

Roan ignored the students as best as he could. He brushed off his clothes and attempted to walk toward the dormitory.

─ Did you hear about him?

─ Huh? You mean the entrance ceremony?

─ Apparently he made Sir Geode cry at the Willow Plaza.

─ What! Sir Geode?

Snap!

As he walked just a few steps and learnt more.

‘Geode! Just wait until I see you.’

He couldn’t help but feel anger toward the innocent Geode.

─ What on earth did he say to make him cry?

─ Just look at that face.

‘Attacking me for my appearance is too low!’

Roan glared at the student who pointed at him. It made no sense since he was exceptionally handsome—though just slightly gloomy, dangerous, and intimidating.

Besides, how could a holy knight, who hunted down dark mages, cry over dealing with a freshman?

─ Ahhh! He’s looking over here!

─ Hey. Let’s get out of here quickly!

The students scattered in a hurry as Roan’s gaze fell on them. 

At Akerandir, the color of the uniform’s trim indicated the student’s year. 

For example, yellow signified first-year students like Roan, while red was for second-years. 

Considering how quickly rumors about Geode spread to the dormitory, it wouldn’t be surprising if the story of ‘Roan glaring at seniors as if to kill them’ spread just as fast.

‘Shouldn’t people in the Holy Empire be a bit kinder?’

After all, they followed Hiloa’s teachings of love and tolerance. Yet, the Holy Empire was still just a mundane world after all…

‘The problem is that it’s too much like any other place.’

Roan sighed lightly and entered the right wing of Panroa Dormitory, the male students’ section.

“A freshman? You got here pretty fast.”

The holy knight guarding the entrance greeted Roan with a slightly surprised look. It seemed not many students had arrived yet.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Roan felt tired and wanted to find his room quickly. 

The knight inspected Roan’s face and suddenly became astonished and overly enthusiastic.

“Aren’t you Roan Darc? I heard all about what happened at the entrance ceremony! They say you manifested holy power without a baptism. It’s a feat that hasn’t happened in the past 125 years! Truly a miracle of Hiloa…”

The knight’s booming voice echoed throughout the spacious dormitory lobby. 

Roan remained completely unresponsive. He was not expecting much from a holy knight in the first place.

“Ahem. I also heard you visited the principal and returned quite quickly. I am Gawed Pantua, the guardian knight of Panroa Dormitory. Please take care of me!”

“… Yes. Please take care of me as well.”

Roan shook Gawed’s hand weakly.

“Haha! Cheer up, young man. Or is it the burden of being a genius?”

“More importantly, could you tell me where my room is?”

“Oh, my mind! Just a moment.”

Gawed rummaged through the list he was holding. 

Even at that moment, students passing by made comments.

─ Did you hear? Sir Gawed asked him to take care of him.

─ It’s the first time I’ve seen him say that to a student…

Did he somehow have pheromones on his body that attracted attention? 

Roan felt an urge to sniff himself immediately. However, he instinctively glared at them on priority.

─ Eek!

─ Hey. Don’t be scared. Let’s just go!

“…”

Once again, the seniors quickly disappeared.

“Oh Darc. Your room has been changed.”

“What?”

Roan tilted his head in confusion. 

How could his room be changed when he just arrived? 

Then, a thought occurred to him.

“Did the principal…?”

“Oh, did he give you a heads-up?”

“… Not exactly.”

“According to the list, it seems the principal took special care to assign your room. But never become complacent and always strive to improve. Your room is in McGodall Dormitory, on the fourth floor.”

Gawed said with a pleased smile and told the location of the room to Roan.

‘McGodall?’

They named a dormitory room in a holy academy after someone who was an archbishop but also a dark mage? 

It seemed suspicious, but Roan let it go for now. 

With the intention to leave quickly, he bowed his head and headed up the stairs.

‘At least once I get to my room, I can rest quietly.’

Akerandir’s dormitory had four students per room: one upperclassman acting as a mentor and three juniors. 

However, the setup was essentially a living room with four separate bedrooms, providing a private room for each student. Thus, once in his private room, he could finally be alone.

Reaching the fourth floor.

“McGodall… McGodall… Here it is.”

Roan arrived at the door of McGodall Dormitory as directed by Gawed. 

The events of the day flashed through his mind like a panorama, and he felt an overwhelming sense of relief at the thought of finally being able to rest.

Click!

With a sense of gratitude, he opened the door.

“If you want to learn dark magic, no heretic can escape my axe.”

“Heh. Who said anything about being a heretic? I just want to learn about dark magic.”

“That itself is heresy!”

Hearing the dizzying conversation as soon as the door opened, Roan calmly closed it again.

‘I must have entered the wrong room.’

Unfortunately, the debate was definitely coming from McGodall Dormitory.

‘Or am I dreaming? Maybe I’m so tired I’m dreaming.’

But it was certain. 

Given that many freshmen were still struggling at the base of the cliff, the chances of two people discussing dark magic in his room were slim.

Roan glanced around and pinched his cheek hard. If he was to wake up, he hoped it would be to the moment he cleared ‘God and Devil’ entirely. 

Special updates? 

New characters? 

He wouldn’t even glance at them.

Squeeze!

‘Hmm. Not a dream.’

Of course, it wasn’t a dream.

His cheek was now slightly flushed. 

It hurt quite a bit. 

Roan let out a small sigh and opened the door again.

Step! Step!

As he properly entered the room, the two who had been spouting nonsense turned their attention to him. 

They both asked at the same time.

“What do you think about dark magic?”

“What’s your opinion on dark magic?”

Seeing them up close, it made a bit more sense why they had climbed the cliff early, but that didn’t diminish Roan’s anger.

‘Why are these guys looking for dark magic at a holy academy?’

If that was what they wanted, they should go live with the dark mages in the mountains. 

However, Roan, who had awakened with a dark magic aptitude score of 100, was in no position to say that.

Roan decided to shut them up with a simple statement.

“My family was annihilated by dark mages.”

“…”

“…”

The effect was immediate. 

One of them, a slender figure with blonde hair and a pale face, was Demona Wickron. 

Along with the Haruden Family, the Wickron Family was one of the top three prestigious families in the empire. They had produced numerous popes and holy kings throughout history. 

Yet, this descendant, Demona, was…

‘A crazy guy who fervently wanted to learn dark magic.’

Although his logic was that understanding dark magic was necessary to master holy magic, it didn’t change the fact that he was still crazy.

On the other hand, the other guy had deep red hair. As red as blood or wine. And he wore a stony expression and a sturdy build.

He was Hector Pabilto. 

Even though the Pabilto Family was not as renowned as the Wickron Family, it was still quite well-known. Particularly for their zealotry and inquisitorial tendencies. 

True to his bloodline, Hector would respond to any mention of dark magic with axes and lethal holy spells rather than words.

‘One’s from a crazy family, the other is just plain crazy.’

It was hard to figure out which was worse. 

Roan realized it would be wise to avoid this place.

‘The craziest one here is the principal for putting these two in the same room.’

Naming the room McGodall, and putting an aspiring dark mage and an inquisitor descendant with a real dark mage? 

It was almost like he was trying to separate the recyclables.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if one night, holy knights broke down the door and took a few of them away.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry.”

The two exchanged glances and bowed their heads in apology.

‘Surprisingly, they’re quite reasonable.’

Maybe they were more perceptive than he had initially thought.

‘Though it’s unlikely for anyone talking about dark magic in the middle of a holy academy.’

“It’s fine. I’m tired, so I’ll just head to my room─”

Roan almost felt grateful to the two for not bringing up the entrance ceremony. 

“If his family was annihilated by heretics, he must hate dark magic even more than I do. I might have misunderstood─”

“If he was attacked by dark mages, he might want to study dark magic even more. Maybe I was wrong─”

No, there was no gratitude. 

Demona and Hector interpreted things their own way and quickly clashed again.

“Don’t disgrace the honor of Darc, heretic!”

“Don’t ignore the vengeance of Darc, fanatic!”

Roan seriously contemplated whether it was better for these two to fuss over the entrance ceremony like everyone else or to keep spouting nonsense about dark magic by his side.

“Who do you think is right?”

“Who’s correct?”

“…”

Perhaps knocking them out would be quicker… 

Roan grabbed his throbbing head and glared at the two. 

Demona and Hector flinched momentarily under his gaze but then focused intently with anticipation.

“Indeed, my family was annihilated by dark mages, so I hate dark magic more than anyone.”

“See!”

“… However, I do not intend to deny the existence of dark magic in this world. The annihilation was an unfortunate event, but there must be a reason Hiloa left dark magic in the world.”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Creak!

At that moment, the door opened. 

Roan, Hector, and Demona turned their heads toward it simultaneously.

“Hey guys. I’m your mentor for the year…”

Panroa Dormitory was set up for four students per room. Since the three freshmen had already arrived, the only one left was the senior. 

Despite losing hope in the people of Akerandir, Roan still wished desperately.

‘Please let the senior be normal.’

As soon as they saw the silhouette of the senior, Hector and Demona rushed forward.

“Senior, what do you think about dark magic?”

“What’s your opinion?”

“Huh… Huh?”

The goat beastman with shoulder-length brown hair looked visibly troubled by the unexpected question… 

‘Wait a minute.’

Roan squinted his eyes and scrutinized the senior. He looked again, and then a third time. 

There was no doubt about it—this was a character he recognized. 

Aside from the small horns and goat eyes, he had an otherwise ordinary human face.

‘This crazy principal…’

The second-year, Beanin Atomas, was a spy for the dark mages.