I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

— “Headmaster!”

— “Your Holiness!”

The other students and scholars immediately knelt on one knee. 

It was a gesture of reverence towards the Holy Spirit and went beyond just acknowledging the principal. 

Roan observed the situation, followed suit and knelt as well.

Meanwhile, Harden clicked his tongue as he looked at Demona, who had fallen clumsily on his backside.

“… Tsk. A ghost, really? Wickron, you resemble your ancestor so much. I’ve said countless times that you should mix your blood with a smarter family…”

“S-Sorry. But you’re a gho… Mmph!”

Roan quickly covered Demona’s mouth before he could finish his sentence. 

No matter how reckless Demona could be, Roan couldn’t let him say something like, “But aren’t you a ghost?” right in front of Harden. 

Unless, of course, they wanted lightning bolts to strike all of their heads out of sheer blasphemy.

‘But isn’t he actually a ghost?’

Of course, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

“Anyway, I told you to be more restrained near my dormitory, Timothy.”

“S-Sorry! But the holy stone…!”

As Harden spoke with authority, Timothy trembled as he bowed deeply.

“I heard the holy stone from three months ago hasn’t even been recovered from the Luria Hall fence. And what about the one found near Gidnak Hall just two weeks ago?”

“Y-Yes. That’s true.”

The faces of the first-year students turned pale. 

Holy stones seemed to be as common as rocks lying around in the neighborhood…!

“Still, since it’s been discovered… Timothy, take charge and collect it as soon as possible, then bring it to me. I could use it to make a new chessboard. And get rid of these ridiculous clothes!”

“What are you all standing around for? Get rid of the clothes right away!”

Even before Timothy could give the order, the clothes had already been half-torn and were lying in a heap. 

Harden’s words were absolute in Akerandir, or rather, in the entire Empire.

Even if he ordered someone to die, they would first die and then see if the Holy Spirit might bring them back!

“We’ll collect it as quickly as possible.”

“Yes. And stay away from the dormitory.”

With Harden’s permission, the scholars bowed deeply and then rushed up the mountain in a flurry. 

Just that alone made the dormitory significantly quieter.

“You all should also ignore those types and go study.”

“Yes, Your Holiness!”

Harden sent the remaining students on their way as well.

‘At least now, the choir dungeon shouldn’t be a problem.’

Roan also felt a sense of gratitude towards Harden and was about to return to the dormitory when…

[Hey you, student Roan who uses that interesting holy power, stay behind.]

… Until Harden called out to him using the ‘Gospel’ just like he did during the entrance ceremony.

Roan felt a chill run down his spine as he turned around. 

Harden was smiling brightly and waving him over.

“Roan? What’s wrong?” 

Rafia called out to Roan.

“… You go ahead.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

Roan thought for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse, and then quickly made one up.

“I thought I’d pick some herbs before going in.”

“Why the herbs all of a sudden?”

“… I might need them for something.”

Rafia tilted her head in confusion, but a reaction came from elsewhere.

“Do we have Professor Atoga’s class again tomorrow?!”

“That can’t be!”

It was Hector and Demona.

—

After somehow convincing Demona and Hector, who were now frantically insisting on gathering herbs themselves, to leave…

Roan began walking with Harden.

“You took herbs to Atoga’s class? Why?”

“… I wasn’t sure if I could heal without them.”

“Hahaha!”

Harden laughed heartily.

The Holy Spirit had tears welling up to the point of almost shedding one!  

‘With just that one drop, you could probably buy a castle on the outskirts of the Empire.’ 

Roan made sure to remember where the tear fell. 

Since it was a tear from the Holy Spirit, it would last for quite some time even after falling.

After laughing for a while, Harden finally managed to stop and asked, “Oh dear, well now. Your power caused this commotion, so what do you think about that?”

“What do you mean it was because of me?”

“You’re more shameless than I thought. The trace of your power reacted with the remnants when my barrier was lifted, and that’s how the holy stone was created. Thanks to that, it wasn’t discovered.”

“So it was because of your barrier, Principal.”

“No, it was because of your power.”

Roan tried to slyly shift the responsibility, but Harden firmly insisted otherwise.

“It seems the power within you is more useful than I expected.”

“Do you perhaps know something about my power?”

Roan didn’t know much about the combination of False Divinity and dark magic within him, so if Harden had any information, he wanted to extract it.

“I don’t.”

The curt response made Roan narrow his eyes as he looked at Harden. 

To think there was a power even Harden didn’t know about.

Harden appeared displeased with Roan’s gaze. He made his divine light shine as brightly as possible.

Flash!

“!!!!”

“You insolent brat. I really don’t know.”

‘I didn’t even say anything yet!’

Roan cautiously opened his eyes, wondering if he had been blinded. 

Fortunately, his eyesight was not only intact but felt slightly improved.

… This too was due to the miraculous effects of Harden’s holy power.

“If you want to keep attending this academy, it would be wise to have some respect for me. Anyway, even though I told Timothy to hurry up, it will take a few days. Do you think you can go after the choir?”

“… How did you know about that?”

Roan didn’t even feel surprised as he asked. 

How could Harden, of all people, read his mind?

“Isn’t it obvious when a gloomy kid like you is sulking around the mountain behind the academy right after enrollment? You must have gotten the information while you were at the Holy Palace, right?”

“… You’re absolutely right.”

Roan nodded obediently. 

It was indeed something he had found while rummaging through some very old ancient books in the secret library of the Holy Palace.

Though, of course, it wasn’t current Roan that found it.

“Hmm. I thought so.”

Harden nodded as if it all made sense now.

Was he just fishing for information?

Roan found it absurd, but he didn’t dare look Harden directly in the eye like before. 

Harden seemed to find this to his liking and laughed heartily.

“Yes. That’s the spirit. Anyway, since you’re going to look for it, do a good job. I’m curious to see what will happen if you use it, so make sure to show me. Now, go ahead and gather those herbs.”

With that, Harden vanished once more.

Roan stared at the spot where the principal had been with an incredulous expression.

‘He even knew about that?’

The hidden condition that a dark mage could use the choir was something only a player was supposed to know. 

How much had this principal NPC experimented with?

Roan decided to slightly adjust his original plan. 

Initially, he intended to monopolize all the hidden pieces he knew about, but now…

‘If it becomes too obvious that I know too much, that could be suspicious too.’

He realized he needed to be prudent. 

It would just delay the schedule a bit, but it wouldn’t be too difficult.

When he had time, Roan planned to visit every corner of the academy to build an alibi. 

Once the first week passed, his schedule would likely ease up a bit.

“Roan!”

At that moment, Demona called out to Roan from a distance. 

How did he find him in such a deep part of the forest?

“Here I am.”

“Rooaaan!”

With a mixture of relief and concern on his face, Demona came running towards Roan. 

It seemed that, despite the annoyance, Demona was worried about his friend after hearing that Roan had been summoned by the principal!

‘Well, in the game, he did turn out to be a pretty loyal guy.’

Demona might not have been willing to sacrifice his life for others, but he certainly understood the honor of his family!

Just as Roan was about to appreciate Demona’s loyalty once again, he said.

“You were carrying dinner the whole time, so why did you take so long to come back? We’ve been looking for you forever!”

“Oh.”

Demona practically snatched Roan’s bag and grumbled as he held it.

“By the way, where are the herbs you said you needed for tomorrow… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“… Nothing.”

‘I shouldn’t have expected anything else!’

* * *

“Oh, so you bought some food from the commercial district? Do you want to cook it with the ingredients I have?” 

Beanin suggested when Roan and Demona returned.

There was a small kitchen in the dorm room where they could cook simple meals, so it was possible.

Roan calmly pulled out the ingredients from his bag. 

Unlike the first-year students, who had bought inexpensive but practical ingredients to save Dalants, Beanin had some rather high-quality ingredients.

“Wow, senior. Are you also good at cooking?”

Hector was in awe as he looked at Beanin’s ingredients. 

Beanin had everything from meat to the necessary spices for flavoring.

‘Mactin leaves, Salid roots, even Gaspue berries. The basics are well covered.’

Roan nodded in approval. 

Those three ingredients, when combined and boiled together, created an incredibly savory flavor. In God and Devil, this combination was often referred to as the game’s MSG.

Beanin felt a bit shy at the younger students’ reactions.

“It’s nothing special. I grew up in a really rural place… In places like that, you have to rely on things like this for flavor.”

Hearing that, Roan couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.

‘I did a good job raising him!’

The dark mages who raised Beanin were used to living in the mountains, so they knew how to use these plants for cooking. 

When Roan was training Beanin, he made sure he memorized all sorts of recipes and crafting techniques before sending him to Akerandir.

“I prefer meat… Can’t you add more meat instead of these plants, senior?”

Demona’s comment was a typical complaint from someone who didn’t understand the role of different ingredients in cooking, making him far less knowledgeable than Beanin.

“Huh? Haha. These aren’t meant to be eaten on their own. But I’ll add more meat for you.”

“Yes!”

Demona cheered, having achieved his goal.

Smack!

Roan smacked the back of Demona’s head.

“Ouch! Why?!”

“Don’t try to mooch off senior’s food when you didn’t even buy any meat.”

All Roan’s group had prepared was some vegetables and rice.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Once you move up a grade, you can get ingredients without needing Dalants anyway.”

Beanin waved his hand and added a bit more meat from the pantry into the pot.

Watching Beanin’s generosity, Roan nodded in approval once again.

‘Indeed. This shows the importance of good upbringing… Hmm.’

On second thought, it wasn’t like the Wickron family would neglect education.

“Why are you looking at me like that again?”

“… I was thinking about the future of the Wickron family.”

“Oh really? Thanks.”

Demona responded nonchalantly to Roan’s comment, likely assuming that Roan was genuinely concerned about his family’s future.

On the other hand, Hector, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, tilted his head in confusion.

“?”

Wasn’t that an insult just now? 

But since Demona didn’t seem bothered at all, maybe it wasn’t.

In any case, with Beanin’s cooking skills and the other three assisting, dinner was quickly prepared. 

The meal consisted of pork boiled with a variety of spices, topped with Beanin’s special sauce.

The four of them served themselves onto their plates and sat around the table.

“Alright everyone, enjoy your meal.”

Beanin said with a smile, prompting Roan and Demona to eagerly pick up their forks and knives. 

The aroma was something even Roan found himself looking forward to.

“Wait.”

But just then, Hector stopped everyone with a cold voice.

“Huh? Why, Hector?” 

“Aren’t we forgetting something important?”

When the three of them looked puzzled, Hector provided the answer.

“We need to give thanks to Hiloa. If we’re true believers.”

“… Oh, right! Of course.”

Beanin, who had momentarily been at a loss for words, clasped his hands together. 

The phrase ‘true believers’ coming from the son of an inquisitor family carried a lot of weight. 

Not doing it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings!

Roan also prepared to pray.

“Thanks? We should just enjoy the meal; that’s what would make Hiloa happier.”

Demona grumbled, clearly finding it a bother.

‘Who’s the real dark mage here?’

Roan clicked his tongue inwardly. 

It was ironic—while spies and actual dark mages would pray out of guilt, Demona, of all people, was saying things like that. 

It made Roan wonder if all this acting was really necessary.

“… Thus prays your faithful servant.”

Hector concluded his short prayer, and they finally started eating.

Demona was the first to dive into the food, shoveling it into his mouth. 

Neither Hector nor Roan, nor even Beanin, seemed surprised—they’d expected it.

“So how are your classes? Are you managing to keep up?” 

Beanin asked as they ate.

“Yes. They’ve been interesting.”

Roan nodded in response.

This prompted Demona and Hector to stare at him.

“What?”

“Oh, you must be talking about Professor Belek’s class, right?” 

Demona clapped his hands as if he’d just remembered. 

But Roan immediately corrected him.

“No, it was Teaching Assistant Joy’s class.”

“Cough!”

Beanin, who had been listening curiously while chewing on some meat, suddenly choked.

Teaching Assistant Joy?

“Ahem! So it was a history class today? I guess Professor Timothy skipped again.”

Whether skipped was the right word for a professor, Beanin wasn’t sure.

“Yes. He came by briefly but then left again. So, Teaching Assistant Joy took over the class.”

“And you found that class interesting?”

Beanin asked Roan with a bewildered look.

Roan responded as if nothing was wrong.

“Yes. Isn’t history class interesting?”

It was only natural that Roan found learning about new history more interesting than basic divine magic he couldn’t even use. 

After all, even in God and Devil, the lessons weren’t provided as they were in the game.

Moreover, Joy mixed in interesting stories throughout the lesson—stories that were interesting only to Roan out of all the new students!

“The origin of May 4th, when people bless each other’s sneezes, was fascinating. Who would have thought it all started because the Holy Spirit’s sneeze caused a miracle…?”

“???”

“???”

“???”

Sneezing? 

What’s this all of a sudden?

‘Did the teaching assistant really talk about that?’

‘How would I know?’

Beanin, Demona, and Hector had to endure listening to a detailed account of famous sneezes throughout history for a full ten minutes. 

Finally, when Roan’s long lecture ended, Demona hesitated for a moment before asking.

“So, what you found interesting was the part where the principal sneezed?”

“… I didn’t say that.”

Roan coldly dismissed the notion. 

What on earth had Demona been hearing all this time?

Instead of speaking up like Demona, Hector and Beanin thought to themselves.

‘Is sneezing really that important?’

‘Doesn’t seem like it.’

But Roan was serious.

“Wait a minute. Demona, do you even know about St. Gregor’s Abbey?”

“St. Gre… Did that guy sneeze too?”

“… Hector, how about you?”

“Did Gregor perform a miracle…?”

“Hmm.”

It was clear that Beanin didn’t seem confident in his knowledge either.

‘Good grief!’

Roan sighed. 

These people, who actually lived in this world, didn’t know things that he had memorized just by playing the game! 

He could understand if it were Demona, but it was shocking that even pious Hector and well-educated Beanin were in the same boat.

Of course, Roan had memorized this information because he enjoyed it, but still…

‘I can’t let this slide.’

The settings—no, the history—were so valuable and interesting; he felt compelled to teach them.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Listen closely. St. Gregor’s Abbey was founded 1,527 years ago…”

Roan excitedly started lecturing again, completely ignoring the reactions of the three others. 

They were horrified by the specific dates he mentioned and astonished to hear that it disappeared 102 years ago.

‘How could we possibly know that?!’

A century might seem like a long time, but even within that period, at least ten minor noble families emerged and vanished. 

Just 15 years ago, the Darc family, one of the Empire’s Four Great Families, was wiped out, yet the freshmen didn’t know much about it.

And here was Roan, reciting this history as if it were common knowledge…

Demona forgot the meat on his fork. He gaped and asked, “Roan, are you Professor Timothy or something?”

“…”

The atmosphere turned chilly for a moment, and Hector quickly tried to recover the situation.

“N-No, it wasn’t that strange. It’s good to have an interest in history.”

Roan shot a glare at Demona before softening his expression. 

Based on what Hector was saying, it seemed like there was potential there. 

If this newbie had an interest in the settings—no, history—then Roan felt obligated to fulfill that expectation.

Roan smiled as kindly as he could and nodded.

“Do you think so too, Hector? Of course. History is extremely important. It’s both informative and entertaining.”

Especially when it involves settings one didn’t previously know—what a joy it was!

Seeing that those poor souls didn’t even know the history from just a hundred years ago, Roan felt it was his duty to enlighten them.

“Since it’s a special occasion, let’s talk about the Pabilto family…”

As Roan started up again, the other three felt a sense of urgency. 

They had never imagined that dinner would turn into an extended lecture.

‘If classes were like this, everyone would quit.’

Especially Beanin, who had taken a fair number of classes already.

Hector and Demona shot desperate looks at Beanin.

‘Senior, please stop him!’

‘If this keeps up, we’ll be up all night. Please…’

Beanin found himself in a tough spot but couldn’t ignore the pleas of his juniors.

“Uh! Roan, how about we eat first? The meat’s getting cold. Hahaha.”

His tone was awkward, and his laughter even more so.

But since it was the senior who spoke, Roan decided to relent for now.

“Tsk. There’s still so much more to cover, but I suppose we can continue after dinner.”

Roan looked at the three of them with a disappointed expression.

Demona and Hector had practically buried their heads in the table.

‘But I’m still the senior here!’

Beanin was frustrated by how things had turned out, but he couldn’t say anything. 

Roan was a living history book—a disguised Timothy, no less.

‘He probably even remembers the tea leaves that the Holy Sovereign enjoyed thousands of years ago.’

Beanin never imagined that this absurd thought might actually be true. 

He weakly moved his fork, resolving to take additional history classes next semester.

‘It’s frustrating, but at least I managed to teach my friends a bit. That feels satisfying!’

Roan, on the other hand, felt good. 

He’d been holding back for fear of drawing too much attention, but now he finally felt like he could release some of that pent-up desire to share.

“… I don’t think I want to eat with Roan anymore.”

Demona muttered quietly.

Though he managed to avoid Roan’s reprimand this time.