I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

A short while later, Roan, Riel, Rafia, and Hector were seated around a table.

“Wow… It’s just like they said. Just being here makes you feel good.”

Rafia looked around the interior of the restaurant and out the window in awe.

‘Is it because Demona isn’t here?’

Roan thought. It was true he felt good, but he didn’t think it was just because of the restaurant.

“What was that lunatic thinking? To come here without any money?” 

Hector glanced outside with a relieved look.

Roan wasn’t curious either. He had no expectations for Demona in the first place.

Listening quietly to the conversation, Riel moved her lips slightly.

“Is that a name? Unique…”

“No, his name is Demona Wickron.”

“Wic…Wickron?”

Riel’s eyebrows slightly lowered, and her voice got a bit louder, showing she was quite surprised.

‘It’s understandable.’

Anyone would be surprised to learn that the golden-haired clown was from the Wickron Family.

— Seniors, are you interested in dark magic? I’ll teach you for just 15… No, 10 Dalants…!

Demona was now outside ‘The Forest of the Holy Spirit,’ grabbing passing people and begging.

‘… But he doesn’t even know dark magic?’

To offer to teach something he didn’t even know—what an absurd situation. 

Of course, those who heard Demona’s words either recoiled in horror, got annoyed, or angrily walked away.

Dragging a small rock with a rope with his teeth might be more effective. Many seniors would probably pity a freshman and give him something.

‘Is someone going to report him to Professor Kaina?’

Roan was getting curious, but he didn’t step in to stop him. It was good in its way.

* * *

After the food arrived, the four of them chatted cheerfully like freshmen.

“Really? Going to court from a young age—that’s impressive.”

“It’s nothing. It was to help my father.”

Hector shook his head as he cut his steak. However, the slight softening of his stern expression showed he appreciated Rafia’s compliment.

“Impressive… Training…”

Riel said something, and Rafia and Hector naturally looked at Roan.

They had gotten used to talking with Riel through Roan by now.

“It’s truly impressive to train continuously from a young age. Anyone who hears it will think of the honor of the Haylik Family.”

“Right! I mostly played around in the mountains, haha.”

“Yeah. I was lazy with my training too.”

Roan would appropriately react to Riel’s words, and the other two would respond accordingly. It was the optimal format for everyone to enjoy the conversation.

Roan was also having fun catching Riel’s reactions in real time. He noticed a few cells in her cheeks slightly blushing.

“By the way, Haylik would be a great help in dealing with dark mages. Not showing expressions is a good habit.”

Hector nodded and praised Riel.

Riel stared at Hector. Or, at least in her way, she stared.

With Riel’s expressionless, ice-cold face focused on him, Hector’s shoulders slightly twitched. 

Maybe it was a complex… Hopefully, she wouldn’t challenge him to a duel?

“Expressions… Insufficient.”

Roan translated for her.

“Riel is great at showing emotions. Right now, she’s feeling overwhelmed by your compliments.”

“…?”

“… What?”

The two had gotten used to this way of conversing, but this time they were utterly surprised.

If she was good at showing emotions, then what about everyone else?

However, Roan genuinely thought Riel wasn’t good at hiding her expressions.

Riel’s emotions were just hard to see.

“They’re completely different.”

For example, a person skilled at hiding their emotions will conceal their true feelings or even act out completely different emotions. 

However, Riel directly showed what she felt. If she was happy, she reacted happily; if she was embarrassed, she showed embarrassment. This couldn’t be called good at hiding emotions.

“You just aren’t used to it yet. There’s hardly anyone as straightforward as Riel.”

“… Ah! I see. Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

“… I agree.”

Rafia and Hector nodded awkwardly. They probably thought Roan was being considerate of Riel’s feelings.

‘But it’s true.’

Roan thought, feeling a bit frustrated.

The Riel he saw and heard through his monitor and speakers was entirely different from the real Riel. 

The real Riel was so expressive she could almost compete in a speech contest.

“Well, that’s that. Does anyone know what classes we have tomorrow?”

“Basic Holy Magic and Imperial History, right?”

Rafia naturally shifted the topic. Daily classes were always a shared concern.

Hector responded, and Rafia nodded.

“Yeah. Today’s classes were rather… unique.”

‘She almost said ‘abnormal.’

Roan noted but didn’t point it out. It was a natural reaction.

“Yeah. The healing magic class was quite unique.”

Hector stroked his chin in agreement.

Rafia looked at Hector with a slightly puzzled expression.

“What’s up?”

“Oh. Nothing.”

Then, what about Professor Kaina…?

At that moment, Riel whispered something to Roan in an even quieter voice than usual, so he had to focus to catch it.

“Oh. I agree. Where did you hear that from?”

“Family senior… Be careful.”

Roan’s unusual interest piqued Rafia’s and Hector’s curiosity.

“What did Riel say?”

“She thinks the Holy Magic class will be even more unique. It seems that among the professors handling holy magic here, it’s hard to find a normal one.”

“…?”

Roan managed to correct the phrasing naturally, but the revised statement was still strange.

‘Aren’t I the best at it?’ 

Roan thought. Among everyone here, he was the most proficient in holy magic. He even received high praise from Atoga in the first class.

Then, Roan noticed a stare directed at him and turned to look.

“…”

There stood Sion. She didn’t seem too pleased and stared intently at Roan’s group. 

When their eyes met, her eyes and nose turned slightly red, and she quickly headed to a single seat by the window.

‘Even a dog… Ah! Well, she has her reasons.’

Roan was about to feel wronged as usual, but then he looked around the table and realized his mistake.

 Hector was one thing, but Rafia and Riel were Sion’s roommates.

‘This might worsen the misunderstanding. Should I invite her to join us?’ 

He had booked enough seats considering that Demona would eventually join. 

But he decided against it.

‘If I invite her, it might hurt her pride. It’s better to leave things as they are for now.’

——

Okay. Let’s assume everything so far was just a misunderstanding. 

Even though the circumstantial evidence was strong, Sion could understand with a generous heart. 

Life can be full of coincidences, and these situations could be easily explained by timing.

But not now.

Sion was certain as soon as she entered ‘The Forest of the Holy Spirit.’

Of all the people, why did he have to exclude her two roommates and eat with them?

Sure. A member of the Pabilto family was also there, but that was a minor detail.

Sion felt like crying.

‘How can someone be so cruel? What did I do wrong?’

It was surprising enough that he predicted she would come to this restaurant.

But to sit with Riel, who was difficult for anyone to talk to, was shocking.

‘He must be trying to show off that he’s better in both academics and social relations…’

Sion’s heart had softened a lot during Professor Kaina’s class.

She had answered several questions correctly, earning Dalants and recognition from both friends and the professor.

When the downfall of the Darc Family was unintentionally revealed by the child of the Wickron family, she genuinely felt sorry for him.

Such wounds never truly heal. No matter how much time passes.

Watching Roan hesitate to speak to her, Sion struggled to hold back tears.

‘If I join them now, I’ll be under Darc’s control completely.’

It would be easier that way.

But as a Saint Candidate for the Empire, Sion resolved to endure.

One day, she would stand above him confidently.

Sion clenched her fists and resolved to endure hardships. Then, she headed to a single-seat table.

Even so, the ‘Forest of the Holy Spirit’ set meal was incredibly delicious.

‘Why does the food have to be so good. It’s annoying…’

* * *

“If everyone is finished, let’s get going.”

Noticing that everyone had emptied their plates, Roan suggested.

Given its reputation as a famous restaurant in Akerandir, the meal was indeed satisfying.

He couldn’t help but think about Sion, who had come in later.

‘… Well, seeing her eat well, she seems fine. It was a good decision not to invite her.’

Watching her eat as if mesmerized by the food reassured him that it was just a minor misunderstanding.

“Please come again, freshmen!”

As Roan and his friends were leaving the restaurant, a familiar face hurriedly entered.

“Oh? Roan! Look! A kind person gave me some Dalants!”

“Oh.”

Demona was waving around roughly thirty Dalants in his hands. 

Roan was genuinely impressed. Someone gave Dalants to a person talking about black magic in the middle of the commercial district. 

Maybe Akerandir wasn’t such a bad place to live for black mages.

“I offered to teach black magic, but they kindly declined and gave me these… Oh, over there!”

However, when Roan looked in the direction Demona pointed, his expression darkened.

‘Of course!’

The person in the rarely seen gray robe in Akerandir was someone Roan recognized.

“Did you come to pick me up? You could have just stayed and eaten.”

“? What are you talking about? We’ve finished eating.”

“What? Then what about me!”

Demona was shocked by Roan’s words.

“You’ve got the money now, so you can have a nice meal.”

“Where are you all going? Rafia, are you going too?”

“Sorry.”

Demona looked at Rafia with pleading eyes, but Rafia averted her gaze.

Next was Riel.

“Ellie, you… Oh, sorry. I’ll just go.”

Demona tried to ask naturally, but when Riel stared at him coldly—or sympathetically—he got scared and apologized.

“Sorry…”

“She said sorry. And it’s Riel.”

Demona’s expression appeared as if an automatic sound effect of ‘Boom’ would play.

In the end, Demona wore a very reluctant expression and asked Hector. The last one left.

“Hector, you? I’ve heard the Pabilto Family values loyalty.”

“Do you really think I owe you any loyalty? Seriously?”

Hector was genuinely dumbfounded. It made sense since the person who almost called him a fanatic was now properly using his name.

“I’ve never eaten alone before…”

Feeling dejected after being turned down by everyone, Demona mumbled. Seeing him looking so pitiful, Roan clicked his tongue and said,

“There are plenty of places in the commercial district that sell simple take-out food. You can bring some back to the dormitory.”

Hearing this, Demona brightened up.

“Really? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Fanatic, I’ll remember your betrayal clearly!”

“You heretic!”

Demona and Hector resumed their usual bickering.

Leaving them behind, Roan took Rafia and Riel with him. They needed to explore the commercial district anyway. It wasn’t just for food.

Roan also picked up an item he had planned to buy from a general store.

“A leather water bottle?”

“The academy is vast, so it might be useful to carry around.”

“Oh. That makes sense.” 

Listening to Roan, Rafia picked up a water bottle for herself as well. 

Of course, what Raphia and Roan would put in their water bottles would be quite different. 

After that, Roan and his friends continued to browse a few more stores. 

Naturally, Demona bought a lot of street food to take away. 

Rafia and Riel bought some dinner supplies, a high-quality Hilonian dictionary, and even a swordsmanship manual. 

‘They don’t need much attention.’

Raon nodded approvingly at their purchases.

“Why are you looking at us like that?” 

Riel asked.

“It’s nothing.”

Meanwhile, Hector emerged from a shady alley with a satisfied expression.

“Do you really have any use for that at the academy?”

“Better to have it and not need it.”

Hector carried some interrogation tools. It was impossible to guess where he had acquired them.

‘If there’s ever a situation where we need those in Akerandir, things are going to be dangerous.’

Roan thought but didn’t say anything.

After their tour of the commercial district, under the setting sun, they returned to their dorm, Panroa Dormitory. 

To reach it, of course, they had to climb the cliff.

“How are we supposed to carry all this up?”

Demona looked at his hands full of food and asked.

“Don’t you carry a bag?” 

Roan asked incredulously. He realized that Demona didn’t have one.

“The family said I didn’t need anything for the first day of classes!” 

‘He must have willfully ignored the bit about using Dalants instead of gold coins.’

Roan thought. It was unlikely that a family as prominent as the Wickron would fail to equip their child properly.

Roan clicked his tongue and handed over his bag. “Just this once. Put your stuff in here.”

“Thanks, Roan!” 

Demona laughed as he stuffed his food into Roan’s bag. But even after closing the bag, Roan didn’t take it back.

“I am done packing?” Demona asked, confused.

“Obviously, you have to carry it.”

“Unbelievable…!” 

Demona appeared betrayed. Though he had no choice but to carry Roan’s bag.

They reached the entrance of Panroa Dormitory. 

“Today was fun. See you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow for lunch.” 

Riel added.

Rafia and Riel waved and went into the girls’ dormitory. 

Roan naturally said goodbye to Hector and Demona.

“Good job. See you all tomorrow.”

However, Hector and Demona both looked puzzled. “Roan, do you have somewhere else to go?”

“Uh? No, why?” 

Roan replied, realizing his mistake.

‘Right. We share a room.’

With a resigned look, Roan led the way up to their shared room in McGodall Dorm.

Creak!

“Hey! How was your first day? Was the healing class tough?” 

‘Beanin’s much better. No, far better.’

Roan thought. 

Out of all the people, it was the agent of the black mages who turned out to be the most honorable person at Akrandir, the holy academy and empire’s holy land.

“Don’t get me started, senior. Guess what Roan did…” 

Demona began to chatter. He didn’t appear tired at all.

“Really? That’s impressive. Looks like you all got close quickly. That’s great.”

Clenching his fist, Roan said, “Uh. Yeah… I’m tired. I’m going to rest.”

“Roan’s face always looks like that. He’s a good guy,” Demona added.

Roan forced a cold smile before retreating to his private room.

A typical student might spend time reviewing the day’s lessons or preparing for the next day’s classes. 

But Roan’s situation was different. 

Even though he had the False Divinity, he couldn’t practice black magic openly in plain sight. 

Instead, he immediately lay down and fell asleep.

In the dark hours before dawn, Roan’s eyes snapped open.

——-

Translator’s Note: Due to some circumstances, I wasn’t able to release chapters in the past week. I apologize for that. The normal release schedule will continue but expect slow updates for one or two weeks. Thanks you for your understanding and patience.