I Became the Dark Wizard Who Rules Over the Heroines

8 – Enrollment -8

Not much has changed.

It wasn’t a fight with a condition for the loser to fulfill. It was just a heated contest of ego, only deciding a victor or loser.

However, the gaze of people looking at me changed a little.

It wasn’t a remarkable reputation. Until proper events like field lessons or group assignments, there was no way to exploit this fame.

Did I choose dark magic in vain…

If the main character chose a route using the power of light, this time could have been used more valuably.

Having the commonality of being classmates is the perfect starting point to make conversations meaningful and invoke intimacy.

However, I am a dark wizard. The other ordinary students would not regard a dark wizard nicely.

It’s not a big difference. Unless they are extreme, they wouldn’t shun a person they personally know just because they are a dark wizard.

But if a stranger approaches, especially if they are a dark wizard, they have no choice but to be on guard.

Right now, I have to improve my abilities. I need to use as much magic as possible and clearly understand what I can and can’t do.

“Uh, Wade…a student?”

But, I could not rest.

“Knight Kellin. What brings you to call on me?”

I feel the magic. It’s different from before.

Although I’m not sure, it would be better to think that Katarin is watching this scene.

“Her highness Katarin, she asked for me.”

There were many issues to consider.

Firstly, I needed to recall whether the existence of Katarin was necessary for my party.

Since I am here, there is no rush for a decent dark wizard.

However, Katarin was not just any dark wizard.

The destructive power of the Hellfire she wielded, as well as her ominous and terrifying political influence, proved quite useful in a multitude of situations.

While the party of the righteous was beaten about trying to complete a single quest, she was able to employ the most efficient tactics without reservation, using her power and family wealth.

If you form a party with only evil colleagues, there would be a definite shortage of magic.

When fierce battles continue, inevitably, a higher price must be paid.

If it was just one or two black mages or dark knights, it might be manageable, but filling the party with evil colleagues leaves one incapable of committing the necessary acts of evil.

It’s acceptable if you’re massacring all civilians in sight and committing enormous evils that become the talk of the continent.

But it’s a pity to only form a party of the righteous, as Claire would be wasted.

Significant investment had been made in Claire. While I had people I could use left, it was better to boldly utilize reliable forces like her.

But her advantage, of course, was to maintain a party that should have been disbanded, and to unite individuals who should not have originally cooperated.

Conversely, her advantage was meaningless if she joined a party that should have naturally united on its own.

While there’s no necessity to use her indiscriminately, it’s better to keep scenarios where she can be utilized open.

Right now, I couldn’t oppose her.

“May I know the reason why you called me here?”

“It is a problem relating to Claire, which needs extensive consultation.”

Claire?

She wouldn’t take a woman like Claire seriously. To Katarin, Claire would be a harmless and worthless existence.

She wanted to meet me.

So directly…

“Well, the meeting itself…please keep it a secret, at night…”

Meeting at the academy, secretly at night. It might seem romantic at first sight, but reality would likely prove different.

She was assessing me. Trying to measure who I was from her perspective.

Huh.

Not bad. Katarin was dangerous.

Instead of letting her move outside my sight until she caused real damage, it was better to predict and guide her movements.

“I understand.”

With a bitter smile, I got ready to meet her.

/////

It’s cold.

Her black hair dominates this space.

…

I had to acknowledge it. She’s strong.

Or she had gone to great lengths to make others perceive her as strong, and, for the most part, succeeded.

If a black mage with a half-hearted will were to come into this space and lock eyes with her, they would undoubtedly bend the knee.

“You still lack manners.”

People are inevitably swept up by ambience.

When disaster strikes, if many people are fleeing, you’ll turn tail even if it’s not serious.

But faced with the same disaster, if others around are walking casually, you’ll follow the majority. And most of the times, that decision is wise.

And her presence was more overwhelming and grander than any crowd.

Just by her naturally acknowledging that she’s above me, just by her using such a tone, expression, and attitude, it was so.

I felt the existence, the location of Katarin deep within my skin.

Internally, he allowed a slight smile to play on his lips.

Interesting.

Katarin, as seen through the game’s characters, wasn’t a particularly special existence.

Of course, it wasn’t that she was of no importance. There were countless students that a player could control in this game and amongst them existed people of far greater importance than her.

Princesses, legendary knights, future historians, and plenty of potential alchemists.

Compared to those individuals, Katarin wasn’t anything extraordinary.

Despite that, the Katarin that he encountered was different indeed.

Generals in war games, whether they’re looking down from a leader’s perspective or looking up from a soldier’s perspective, can’t possibly be the same.

“Why have you called me?” she asked.

But he didn’t lower his gaze.

He relatively knew what kind of person she was. What he needed to focus on right now was how he would appear to her.

He mustn’t grovel. Neither winning her over nor winning over a foe was favorable, however, being treated like an ordinary person wasn’t so pleasant either.

“You seem to be close to a woman named Claire.”

“To an extent, yes.”

“There’s nothing special, but one of my servants, well, seems to fancy her.”

Really, it wasn’t anything special. But it was all the more meaningful because of it.

The usual Katarin he knew would never reveal herself concerning such trivial matters about a subordinate’s love life.

Of course, her goal was me.

“Even so, engaging in such ridiculous duels isn’t dignified. If duels occur twice over an ordinary woman, it’s a farce, really,” Katarin spoke as if pitying.

“So, will you give up on her before you get hurt?”

From here on out, it’s crucial.

How much should I bend? How much should I pretend to bend? What kind of motive and intention did my words come from that Katarin recognized? Everything must be calculated.

“Hmm…”

He feigned a slightly vexed expression.

Her words just now were provocative.

Regardless of what authority or power I hold, it served to provoke the realization that my competence itself wasn’t spectacular.

And that would be comforting to her. Injecting a sense of relief, believing she’d be able to overpower me, even at the worst moment.

There was no need to be overly expressive. The emotion I wanted to convey was not that of a man furiously raging but of a man trying to suppress his irritation.

Anyone able to detect subtle changes in expression inevitably resorts to a significant amount of guesswork and rationalization.

Without diverging from the emotional framework she imagined me having, I must reveal a modulated emotion.

However, that was not enough.

“It’ll be difficult. While I don’t share a special relationship with her…”

“Why?”

“Did that man receive Claire’s consent?”

She must think this a farce. At this moment, she might be looking down on me.

This is not good. I can’t allow myself to be belittled.

There’s a general rule of what such people think.

They see the virtuous as a threat. They perceive them as fanatics full of hypocrisy and deception, who absolutely mustn’t exist and certainly can’t align with their goals.

They treat the weak and those without ambition as livestock. Harmless, and occasionally useful, but they absolutely don’t bother treating them as individuals.

They didn’t consider their feelings important, nor believe their wishes deserved respect.

To extract the slightest respect from such villains, one must first be recognized as an equal by them.

An individual capable of using others for personal gain, and easily casting aside values such as kindness, love, and justice.

“Why should that matter?”

Lying is forbidden. Deception and falsehood are Katarin’s specialties.

Just as a sportsman trained his whole life cannot face an ordinary citizen, nor can I stand against a woman who has spent her life fabricating lies and plotting schemes.

One has to hide the intentions in the truth.

“Unhappy Claire has no value to me.”

I met her eyes with a faint smile.

An interest sparked in Katarin’s expression.