I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

Normally, the eggs of fanatical rabbits were bright yellow in color.

But the one Demona found was different.

‘A black egg with blue patterns?’

First of all, the fact that a rabbit’s egg had a pattern on it was definitely out of the ordinary.

And since there were black eggs in this cave, there was only one possibility.

“It’s the egg of the King of the Manic Rabbits.”

Roan calmly told everyone about the identity of the egg.

He remembered seeing it a few times in other high dungeons, but this was the first time he’d seen it in Akerandir.

Meanwhile, Hector was jumping up and down in utter excitement.

He looked like he could do a backflip at any given moment.

Hector was someone who was already familiar with the legend of the King of Manic Rabbits.

“The King of Manic Rabbits?  Are you talking about the ‘Swift One’ that dominated the holy battle tournaments 150 years ago?”

Roan looked at Hector with a mixture of wonder and disdain on his face.

He didn’t know about St. Gregor’s Temple, but he knew about a mythical beast from 150 years ago?

Of course, Roan was familiar with the Swift One’s reputation.

“That’s right. The Swift One was indeed a King of Manic Rabbits.”

“Oooh, Hiloa! Thank you!”

Hector prayed to Hiloa with tears in his eyes.

Manic rabbits were already a species that performed well in small-scale holy battles. 

So what about the King of such Manic rabbits? 

The Swift One was the only King of Manic Rabbits to have been recorded in the history of the Empire’s holy battles. 

150 years ago, it achieved the legendary feat of winning five consecutive individual championships and three consecutive team championships in the Empire’s holy battle league. 

Moreover, it held an unofficial record of 150 consecutive victories against mid-tier mythical beasts.

In fact, such a reaction was normal for anyone interested in holy battles, not just Hector.

“Roan, if the fanatic likes him so much, he must be pretty strong, right?” Demona asked Roan as he approached him.

Roan shook his head.

“It’s strong, but… Its temperament is so foul that it would be difficult to use in a holy battle. The Swift One was a very unique creature.”

Given the Empire’s long history, it was unlikely that only one King of Manic Rabbits had ever appeared in the holy battle league.

Aside from the Swift One, all others failed during the training process and lost their eligibility to participate. 

Although there were instances where they made a name for themselves in underground holy battles…

“I wouldn’t recommend taming them anyway, let alone reporting them to the school. Too dangerous.” 

Roan tried to dissuade Hector. After all, just by attending the divine beast and mythical beast classes, he could obtain creatures that were much easier to raise without the stress. 

There was no need to spend the first year struggling to raise someone with such a nasty temper.

“What are you talking about?! This is the King of Manic Rabbits! The legend of the Swift One is rising, Roan!” 

Hector’s excitement was not easily quelled.

In fact, he retorted as if he had been accused of blasphemy.

“A man as sincere to the holy battles as you are, and with such a respect for history, should not turn a blind eye to this matter! Isn’t it the duty of every human being to learn from the past to predict the future?”

‘I don’t think that’s the right word for this…’

Roan felt something was off, but seeing how excited Hector was, he nodded his head in agreement.

“Well, yeah. If you want to try, go for it.”

Seeing Roan’s shaky reaction, Hector gave him a suspicious look.

“I don’t want you to get jealous later –”

“That’s not going to happen, so you’re on your own.”

Roan waved his hand in disbelief.

Who would be jealous of such a foul-tempered beast like that…

“Hmm, is there anything like skeleton bones or something like that here. Roan, can I look for them?”

“… Sure.”

Demona resumed looking around as if he couldn’t care less if Hector went on a rampage or not.

There shouldn’t be any skeletons in the holy land.

And even if there were, Roan would be the first to snatch them up.

“Hmph, Swift One Jr… Here comes Hector…”

Hector slowly approached the King of Manic Rabbits’ egg, looking a little dangerous.

Challenging a wild primate egg to be recognized as its owner was considered a dare.

If you happened to not fail, even after it hatched, it probably wouldn’t acknowledge you as its master, so it was better not to even dream of it. 

If you got accepted, there would be no reaction when you touched it, but if not…

Zap!

“Uhhhh!”

As soon as Hector touched the shell, it sparked and bounced away from him.

‘As expected, it’s got a nasty temper.’

The King of Manic Rabbits’ egg found him unacceptable. In one swift motion, Hector bounced off and scattered across the floor.

“Why, why… why?!”

Hector screamed as he wrapped his scarred hands around his red hair.

The wound in his heart seemed bigger than the one on his hand.

“Ha! Fanatic, did you fail? That’s what you get for trying with impure intentions!” 

Demona ran straight to Hector and began scratching him furiously.

‘He’s right.’

A mythical beast was not just any creature. No matter how foul-tempered, it can easily sense the emotions of those who approach it. Especially someone already calling it ‘Swift One Jr.’ — there was no doubt about the outcome.

Thud ─

“Huh?”

Just then, Demona, who was excitedly running toward Hector, tripped over a stone.

“Ack!”

Demona landed on his back in a spectacular fashion.

“???”

His outstretched hand suddenly touched the King of Manic Rabbit’s egg.

“No! I’m getting shocked too! Help me, Roan!”

Demona yanked his hand back in horror and faltered.

It was one thing to enjoy watching Hector go down, but it was another thing if the same thing were to happen to him.

However…

“… I’m fine, Demona, get a grip on yourself.”

Roan stared down at Demona in disbelief.

What were the chances? Somehow Demona had managed to touch the King of Manic Rabbits’ egg and came out unscathed.

“Huh? Oh, right, I didn’t touch the egg?”

Demona looked back and forth between his hand and the egg, unsure of himself.

“I guess you succeeded in your challenge.”

“Eh? Eh?”

Demona approached the hesitant egg and carefully placed his hand on it.

This time, he touched it properly, yet there was still no spark. Even when he lifted it with both hands and held it close to his chest, nothing happened.

“Oh, Roan, it’s really warm! So cute.”

Demona giggled as he held the egg, looking around here and there. It seemed like he really liked the egg. Meanwhile, Hector, who was lying on the ground, was left in utter shock as he watched him.

“Why do they accept that heretic while I’m rejected…!”

Of course, no one knew the exact reason for this, no matter how much he complained. Success or failure in the trials was entirely up to the whims of the divine and the spirit beasts.

Hector picked himself up, grabbed the axe that lay on the ground and walked up to Roan. His aura was so intense that even Roan flinched.

“Roan.”

Hector glared at Demona with eyes full of anger and said, “I really hope Demona learns black magic.”

“…?”

Roan was at a loss for words. Could it be…?

“Purely as a friend supporting another friend.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Roan found himself nodding, almost involuntarily.

***

On their way back to the dormitory after leaving the cave.

“Roan, what are your parents’ names?”

“… Why do you ask that?”

Roan felt a chill run up and down his spine at Demona’s sudden question. He responded nonchalantly, “Because that cave was a place your parents showed you. I think it’s only proper to name the egg after them.”

It was surprisingly considerate coming from Demona, but…

‘Is he seriously thinking of naming the offspring of some King of Manic Rabbits after someone’s parents…?’

It was a very Demona-like thought. Any normal person would never commit the audacity of naming a vicious mystical creature after someone’s parents.

Even Hector, who had calmed down somewhat, stared at Demona in disbelief.

“That’s enough. My fate is my own burden. I won’t pass it on to either of you. Name it as you like.”

“Roan…!”

Demona was moved, and even Hector seemed a little emotional at such a mature response.

“In that case, how about naming it ‘Death Knight’ to symbolize someone who knows chivalry —”

“Uh, you might want to rethink that.”

Roan immediately stopped him.

A spirit beast named ‘Death Knight’ going out on a crusade would surely get them sent straight to the Inquisition.

“Why? I think it sounds good. You should really name it that, Demona.”

Meanwhile, Hector’s warm encouragement toward Demona left Roan momentarily speechless.

‘Is he planning to personally turn him in?’

He couldn’t deny it. It was a real possibility.

“… Anyway, we need to be quiet now. The paladins guarding the dorm are patrolling around.”

Roan lowered his voice and warned the other two.

They had lingered longer than expected and were now past the time when they could slip back in unnoticed.

The only option left was to sneak in carefully while keeping a low profile.

Clang— Clang—

Sure enough, a group of three paladins was patrolling around the perimeter of the dorm.

“Hey, Roan. What happens if we get caught?”

“We’ll be fined.”

“A fine?”

Since Akerandir used its own currency called Dalants, most punishments involved monetary fines. And those fines could be quite hefty.

“We’re first-year students, so it’ll be about 100 Dalants.”

“Eek!”

Demona gasped, clutching the egg protectively. Roan might have no trouble paying, but for the other two, a 100 Dalant fine would mean living on the brink of starvation until the fine was paid off.

And that was the best-case scenario — they’d also have to do chores like cleaning bathrooms to pay it off.

Thud—

At that moment, Hector nudged Roan quietly. He glanced down at Demona, then gestured toward the paladins and gestured toward the dormitory.

He was suggesting using Demona as a decoy so that he and Roan could sneak inside!

‘Not a bad idea.’

Roan was momentarily tempted by the plan’s simplicity.

“… So, what’s the plan, Roan?”

But Hector, being the grounded young man from Pabilto, had already come to his senses and asked for a proper plan.

Had he been any less disciplined, he might have executed it right away.

This made Roan reconsider other options.

‘There are a lot of ways to handle this…’

In fact, Roan could think of at least 108 different ways to sneak back into the dorm, but that was just an exaggeration.

For instance, they could slip through a manhole cover about 50 meters away.

But he hesitated to share these valuable secrets with Hector and Demona just yet.

– Sir Paladins! Come over here! It’s urgent, hurry, hurry!

‘Oh no, we’re doomed!’

“!!!”

Just then, a ruckus erupted right behind them. The three of them turned to look, wide-eyed.
Indeed, a few torches were flickering in the distance.

─ Are those damned scholars causing trouble again?

─ Dammit, didn’t the Holy Spirit tell them not to make a fuss…

Though the paladins looked annoyed, they couldn’t ignore a plea for help, even if it was rather bothersome.

After some hesitation, two groups of paladins started running toward the commotion, leaving Roan’s group behind.

‘We have no other choice!’

Seeing the situation unfold, Roan made up his mind.

“Get down!”

The first priority was to make sure Hector and Demona couldn’t be seen.

After a moment of hesitation, they both obeyed, lying flat on the ground.

‘Camouflage magic – it’s definitely worth a shot…’

Roan quickly thought of a simple and inconspicuous dark magic spell for blending into the surroundings.

Using invisibility magic was too complex and prone to failure in a hurry, but a spell for blending in, like “Shadow Disguise,” might just work.

He simplified the dark magic circle, stripping out unnecessary parts, and infusing it with mana.

‘Please just blend quietly this time!’

What mattered most was the unpredictable nature of the false divine energy.

But fortunately, even the false divine energy seemed to understand the urgency of the situation and cooperated.

The symbol of the divine energy even resembled the dark magic circle, almost blending seamlessly.

Swoosh—

It wasn’t a perfect spell, but it worked well enough for now. 

Roan and the others’ bodies blurred, merging with that of the background.

If anyone looked closely, they might notice something off, but the paladins, distracted by the scholars, passed by without noticing them.

However…

Thud —

One of the paladins at the very end suddenly stopped and tilted his head.

– Wait a minute.

Hector and Demona barely breathed, while Roan kept a sharp eye on the situation, his hand gripping the edge of a water bottle.

‘Did he notice something? I doubt it…’

Sniff, sniff—

The paladin sniffed the air a bit and then said, –-Doesn’t it smell like dark magic here?

—What?

For a moment, even Roan broke into a cold sweat.

So, the translation spell was a bit sloppy, but now the accursed power was causing trouble!

─ Haha, that’s impossible! If a dark mage were here, the ward alarms would have gone off by now.

─ Of course. It’s the Holy Spirit’s ward.

─ Right? I think Professor Belek was around earlier today. It happens sometimes.

To their relief, the paladins convinced themselves and continued running toward the scholars.

─ Look! It’s a massive holy stone!

─ … Is this why you called us here?

─ Of course! We couldn’t move it because it’s too heavy…

“Are they going to start a fight?”

Even Roan felt like sighing over the scholars’ antics, but this just so happened to be the perfect opportunity.

“Everyone, get up! We need to get inside quickly.”

Roan helped Hector and Demona up, then sprinted toward the Panroa Hall.

“I heard that paladin mentioned dark magic earlier. Didn’t you notice anything, Roan?” 

Hector asked, keeping close to Roan. 

Roan, who had been preparing for this since hearing the paladin’s words, replied casually.

“I noticed it from the start… didn’t you?”

“… What do you mean?”

“That egg.”

“???”

Hector tilted his head in confusion, then turned to look at Demona with a surprised expression.

“Isn’t it black? I’ve never heard of mythical being using dark magic… but still…”

Of course, this was a ridiculous assumption.

Spirit beasts might have various elemental affinities depending on their species, but that was only about their nature, not magic powered by mana.

Likewise, divine beings might use divine power, but it’s simple divine energy — not spells.

The egg was black simply because the King of Manic Rabbits’ fur was black.

“Hmm, even a member of the Pabilto family didn’t notice. It seems…”

“Ah, no! I knew it too. I was just asking if you thought the same as me.”

“Right? That might even be why your challenge failed.”

“Of course! Honestly, I even wondered what I would do if it ended up acknowledging me,” Hector said.

Although he seemed a bit too heartbroken for that to be true.

Roan was glad he managed to fool him.

‘It looks like I’ll need to be extra careful when speaking in front of paladins or inquisitors.’

If they got caught, it would be better to be seen as freshmen sneaking out at night rather than dark mages infiltrating Akerandir — otherwise, it would be an immediate death sentence.

“Roan, could it really use dark magic? Really? Then let’s call it ‘Arch Lich’ —”

“I told you to think again, Demona.”

It seemed like Demona had developed a bit of an interest in the sacred arts, given how he kept spewing out ridiculous things.

‘Come to think of it, tomorrow is already the Introduction to Divine and Spirit Beasts class.’

Roan’s head started to ache just thinking about the overenthusiastic freshmen who would dive into the subject. 

And when he added the professor into the mix…