I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind

Thud— Crack—

Small fragments of stone started falling from the ceiling.

The pillars were no different. Dust like fine sand spilled from the cracks running along the weathered columns.

‘Ah… I forgot we were in an underground sewer.’

The power of [One Flash] imbued with [Darkness] was far greater than I anticipated.

Luckily, I had aimed it at the ground. If I had directed that power at the pillars or ceiling, things could have gotten messy.

‘Repairs… Caron can handle those.’

After all, we had discovered the black mage that even the sewer rats couldn’t find. Caron could at least handle the cleanup for me.

I could already picture Caron’s smiling face.

Wait, what? You think he’d try to kill me while smiling?

Nonsense. Caron is a good guy. Super nice! He always gives me whatever I want as long as I drop Luna’s name.

‘If I tell him that this whole thing was Luna’s doing, he’ll probably clean up quietly.’

So, there’s no need to worry about the damages to the sewer.

I gave the sacred sword a casual swing, and multicolored flames flickered to life, illuminating the surroundings.

‘The demon… seems to be gone.’

The magic circle, split in half, was scorched by the lingering embers of those rainbow flames.

The demon that had charged at us had completely vanished.

I figured it had been disintegrated down to the molecular level.

“Keke, this power makes me want to destroy a whole village.”

“What reckless nonsense. Stop showing off your strength…”

“This isn’t showing off. It’s a profound line, symbolizing the burden of wielding a blade, even when you know it won’t end the chain of hatred, but you draw it anyway!”

“Stop spouting nonsense no one understands. Anyway, what about him?”

Luna gestured lightly with her chin.

The black mage, who had been boasting about being the Creator of Madness, was now trembling and crouched on the ground.

Noticing our gaze, he quickly knelt and bowed his head.

“P-Please spare me! I-I’m not the Creator of Madness! I’m just a lowly black mage!”

His reaction wasn’t surprising. Not only was he weak, but he was also facing us: a group of strange masked figures in black robes with crimson clouds, wielding a sacred sword, and, of course, with voices as cool as mine(?).

He had every reason to be terrified.

“Should we capture him and turn him in?”

“That was the original plan, but… I’ve changed my mind.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve thought of a better use for him.”

The 8th-Grade demon that had charged at us… I didn’t even need to pull out the sacred sword to deal with it.

So why did I?

‘His bravado is impressive, and he seems skilled at lying, too.’

Information is crucial.

In any situation, having information is vital, and especially with the numerous changes I’ve made to the timeline, it’s more important than ever.

While the changes seem small for now, there’s no telling how they might ripple out later.

They could grow into a massive storm—one that I might not be able to stop.

And the best way to prevent such a storm? Information.

I had a decent intel network in place with Caron, the rats, and even Scarlet as a private informant. But it wasn’t enough.

We lacked critical information about other nations like the Rohan Kingdom or the Holy Kingdom, but the biggest gap lay with the black mages.

More specifically, I had no reliable source of information on the activities of the Four Heavenly Kings.

‘In the original story, Lucius Black, the Creator of Madness, and Volkan, the Maestro of the Battlefield, both had run-ins with Caron. Volkan even lost an arm in the process.’

The continent now knew about the Four Heavenly Kings. While it was good that their growth and movements had been hindered, any significant deviation from the story I knew would be disastrous.

No, the changes had likely already begun.

That meant I needed to respond proactively. For example…

‘Placing a spy among the black mages?’

That’s right. I planned to make this black mage a spy.

The operation would be called the Black Mage Bomb Drop!

Of course, I had no vast fortune to win him over, nor did I possess the eloquence to persuade him to betray his own people. I couldn’t even guarantee his future.

But a brilliant solution had come to me.

Intimidation.

Make him believe he’s constantly being watched, that no matter what he does, he can never win against us.

And nothing serves as a better instrument of intimidation than a sacred sword.

The black mages fear the sacred sword, not just because it can kill demons, but because whoever wields it becomes a “hero.” That’s the legend.

“The one destined to be a hero is watching you. In the end, you’ll be defeated. But if you cooperate? Well… maybe we’ll let you live.”

Given our mysterious and suspicious appearance, this bluff had a high chance of succeeding.

For the black mages, the existence of a group that wielded a sacred sword and harbored an intense hatred for them, alongside the Empire, the Kingdom, and the Holy Kingdom, would be a massive shock.

‘If I can just find out where they’re operating… I might even be able to kill one of the Four Heavenly Kings.’

It would be possible if I deployed the imperial knights through Caron.

Even if it failed, it wouldn’t matter. I’d just try again next time.

As for whether this black mage lived or died in the process? I didn’t care either way.

He might seem like a fool, but he’s still a black mage. He’s undoubtedly killed countless people by now.

A wretched life like his is of no consequence to me.

‘Besides, I plan on planting more spies whenever the opportunity arises. Losing one won’t matter.’

Of course, there was a chance that the black mage might try to betray me and become a double agent.

After all, even if I had a sacred sword, what could be scarier than the Four Heavenly Kings themselves?

However, this guy… would not be able to betray me. Because I planned to use that.

“Do you want to live?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Remove your robe and show your face.”

Perhaps he was afraid of drawing suspicion, or maybe his hands were shaking too much to move properly. Slowly, the black mage took off his robe.

His voice had already clued me in, but the boy looked much younger than I had expected.

[Crowell – 9th Grade Black Mage]

A farmer-turned-dark-mage. A complete rookie who has only just begun.

Owned skills: [Feign Innocence S], [Crop Management S], [Bluffing A], [Lying A], [Summoning F]

“For the Creator of Madness, you have quite a gentle face.”

“I-It’s not true! I only boasted because I was scared of you! M-My name is Crowell! I’m just a normal guy!”

“Impersonation… a crime worthy of death.”

“P-Please! I’ll do anything if you spare me!”

He said exactly what I wanted to hear. A smart kid.

“Work for us.”

“Of course! I’ll do my best to help you!”

“Good. Once you return to your base, I want you to gather information on the Four Heavenly Kings—their locations and plans.”

“Huh?”

“I want you to become our spy.”

“…?”

A heavy silence fell between us.

It didn’t last long. Crowell, as if vomiting out the words, spoke.

“Wh-Why would I do that?! I just want to go back to being a normal person… I want to go back to farming!”

“Isn’t spy black mage much cooler than farmer?”

“Well, I guess it’s cooler, but… No! This isn’t about that! No way! I’m already doing black mage stuff, and now you want me to spy, too? That’s impossible!”

It seemed he still hadn’t grasped the reality of the situation.

You’re a black mage, and I’m a dashing guy with a sacred sword! Let me remind you of that once again!

Swoosh—

I started to swing the sacred sword, but the multicolored flames suddenly fizzled out, and the sword returned to its original, dull state.

When will this damn sacred sword ever stop fizzling out on me?

But no matter. Fists are always a reliable form of communication.

“It seems you leave me no choice. I’ll have to show you why they call me the Carpathian Fist of Ham.”

“Is that tasty? Can I have some?”

Luna, do you think this is a joke? Get out of the way. Dad’s working here!

“Ugh…”

At that moment, Rezé stirred.

Still groggy, she slowly sat up and looked around.

I wasn’t worried about her running away. I’d tied a leash on her while she was passed out, so she wasn’t going anywhere.

Attaching a leash to someone’s neck? You think that’s something only a pervert would do?

Not at all. Rezé is a pet, not a person.

And leashing your pet during a walk is a responsible owner’s duty!

So, my actions are entirely justified. Absolutely not perverted.

“…?”

Rezé’s gaze slowly swept over the surroundings until it landed on Crowell.

“K-Kill him! Kill him before he kills ussss!”

Rezé lunged at Crowell, tugging hard against her leash.

Seriously, why is this rabbit always so extreme? It’s either unconscious or trying to murder someone. I can’t understand her at all.

But analyzing her behavior is a waste of time.

I realized long ago that trying to understand these strange people was a fool’s errand, so it’s best to just ignore it.

Instead, let’s use this situation to our advantage.

I pulled the leash tighter and spoke to Crowell.

“Do you see her? That’s a hellhound… no, a hellrabbit. She’s a vicious rabbit, you see. She’ll devour a person in no time.”

“Eek!”

“If you refuse to cooperate, we’ll have no choice but to let her kill you. It’ll be a painful death, but hey, it’s not my body, so… who cares, right?”

“U-Urrghh…!”

Crowell’s face paled as he watched Rezé, still foaming at the mouth through her rabbit mask.

“Now, say it. Tell me you’ll cooperate.”

“U-Urrghh… I-I’ll…”

“Don’t do it!!”

A loud shout echoed throughout the chamber.

With it, a young boy stepped out from behind one of the massive pillars.

“Leave him alone, you villains!”

“Joseph! Don’t come out here! It’s dangerous!”

“Don’t back down, mister! You have to fight back!”

The boy named Joseph came running toward us, waving a stick.

Just before he reached us, Crowell threw himself forward and hugged the boy tightly, shielding him.

The two of them collapsed in a heap, hugging each other.

Watching the scene, Luna tilted her head, puzzled.

“That’s strange. If he was going to use the boy as a sacrifice, he could’ve summoned a pretty powerful demon.”

“How can you say something so cruel?! How could anyone sacrifice a child?”

“Ha, funny coming from you. Anyway, just hand over the kid. Don’t even think about using him as a hostage.”

“There’s no way I’d hand him over to shady people like you!”

“Isn’t it a bit hypocritical for a black mage to say that? And how dare you talk back?!”

“Arghh!!”

Luna began stomping on Crowell.

The beating was so brutal that even Joseph took a step back, putting some distance between himself and Crowell.

“Hic… It’s so unfair… I’m so unlucky…”

Tears like chicken droppings began to spill from Crowell’s eyes.

“Don’t cry, mister.”

“I’m not crying. It’s just that it’s raining only on me. And by the way, I’m not mister, I’m big bro.”

A black mage and a child.

It’s an odd pairing. But more than that, I recognized who this boy was.

One of the side quests you could pick up after the demon fight in Carpathia.

Find the Missing Joseph! quest.

Anyone could accept it, but no one had ever completed it. It was known as the legendary unsolvable quest.

No one could find any trace of Joseph anywhere in Carpathia, so it was literally impossible to complete.

The funny thing is, Joseph always returned after a week, on the final day.

‘Players used to joke that it was just the developers messing with us since the reward was so bad.’

Who would’ve thought Joseph was here the whole time?

What on earth happened?

I was starting to get curious.

“Well, fine. I’ll listen to what you have to say. We’ll decide your punishment after that.”

And so, Crowell’s story began.

“So that’s how it happened…”

Crowell explained everything that had led him to this point.

He broke down several times throughout the story, seemingly unable to accept the reality of being a black mage.

“It’s a story too sad for words…”

“Hm… Yeah, I guess it is a little pitiful.”

Of course, I couldn’t trust his words 100%. However…

‘The fact that he didn’t harm the child makes his story somewhat believable.’

If Crowell had used the boy as a sacrifice, he could’ve easily summoned a demon ranked at least 7th or higher.

But he didn’t.

Even when his life was threatened, he never revealed Joseph’s presence.

‘He probably didn’t trust the strange group in animal masks.’

And since Joseph returned alive a week later, it was clear Crowell hadn’t harmed him.

“Snake, what should we do? I don’t think he’s lying, based on what Joseph said…”

“That may be true, but a black mage is still a black mage. He’s been one for three months… Plenty of time to kill someone.”

“But we don’t have any proof that he did.”

For once, Luna, who normally had no regard for logic, was being surprisingly rational.

Should I trust Crowell’s story or not?

Just as I was debating what to do, a holographic window appeared before me.

[Quest conditions have been met.]

–TL Notes–

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