Chapter 347

Chapter 347

“W-Will this be enough, Roan?”

“…Why are you asking me about your training? Do it on your own.”

“Then why, when I said I was going to rest…!”

That was just because he found it annoying.

Even so, Roan did not speak the truth for the sake of his friend.

Although it wasn’t a very effective method, it could still be called training, so Roan decided not to mess with her any further.

‘Right, there’s absolutely no need for me to help increase their strength.’

For Roan, reducing the Empire’s power by even a single grain was a benefit.

Since Sion, Rafia, and Riel worked hard, he felt some inclination to help them, but what was there to like about those two?

In his heart, he wanted to push them into a black magic trap, but he was still mindful of Lucia’s gaze.

Even if he didn’t get caught, it would be highly problematic if she happened to think, ‘Such a cruel act! Don’t tell me he is a black mage?’

…Roan did not consider that he was already leaving a similar impression just by repeatedly using curse magic.

In any case, Roan also prepared void magic in earnest.

Thinking of it as an opportunity to get used to void magic at the same time, it was killing two birds with one stone.

“Hup! Hup!”

Flash— flash—

Though it was quite shameful to have to do such important practice together with guys like them.

‘…Sapling of Vain Illusion.’

Roan pondered which black magic would look the most non-violent and resemble a true clergyman, and thought of this intermediate magic.

Originally, the Sapling of Vain Illusion was a type of bewilderment magic.

It targeted a certain radius from the point where the magic was cast.

It made the targets within that area see the illusion they desired most.

Because the targets inside shared all of their illusions with one another, they could not easily realize they had fallen into an illusion.

It was a terrifying magic where one chased their own illusion and eventually died a lonely death inside, like drying up and dying.

And its characteristic was a pitch-black tree that grew by sucking the lifeforce, longing, and greed of the targets.

It was known that a beautiful flower would bloom on the tree when all the targets lost their lives.

Naturally, in Roan’s case, he planned to cast it while reducing the part related to the illusion to the minimum.

Roan, closing his eyes, entered concentration.

A proper intermediate, and a void-utilizing black magic at that, still demanded immense concentration from him.

‘The holy magic serving as the motif… that much should do roughly.’

Since he had to make it look more plausible than usual, he also made sure to reference the holy magic he was modeling it after.

Gooo—

The dawn where darkness hung thick.

In the midst of the pitch-black night that coincidentally hid even the moonlight and starlight.

Around Roan, a golden energy began to flutter little by little.

“Oh?”

“Hmm?”

At that unusual energy, Demona who was emitting light and Hector who was swinging the axe stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.

‘I must draw the black magic circle properly.’

Although the black magic circle of the void was irregular and faint, at least when it came to black magic, nothing was impossible for Roan.

The numerous elements of the black magic circle, shapes, and lines trapped inside the circle grew faint and then sharp.

Repeating growing larger and smaller.

It even disappeared and reappeared.

But even so, the overall picture did not change.

Just as the world eventually maintains a similar appearance despite countless births and deaths, creations and destructions repeating…

At the finally completed black magic circle, Roan felt considerable satisfaction.

As he began to breathe the dark mana of the void into it, each part reacted even more violently, triggering the magic in earnest.

Flash──

Roan’s chest emitted a brilliant light.

The Pandemonium of Ten Thousand Snakes faithfully assisted Roan and the false divinity, helping to cast the black magic.

The more tight the black magic was for Roan’s level, the more the existence of the dark mark would shine.

The Pandemonium of Ten Thousand Snakes showed off its significance without regret.

The light going out from Roan’s chest fell upon the ground in front of him.

Roan’s hand holding the staff moved slowly.

From the crude, colorless staff that could store far more dark mana than items of the same grade, golden dark mana gushed out, also heading toward the same place as the light of the dark mark.

Demona walked over to Hector while flashing light.

“Ugh, my eyes hurt, so turn off the light, heretic.”

“Tsk, tsk, are you a child of darkness or something? Anyway, what is that?”

“Would I be standing here if I knew?”

“That’s true. I should have asked someone who actually knows~”

“Why you!”

Demona and Hector had also grown up seeing all kinds of holy magic, thanks to being members of highly prestigious families.

But Roan’s holy magic this time was somehow more foreign and had a side that caught their eyes.

Had Roan heard them, he would have said, ‘Isn’t that obvious?’

Because it was black magic, not holy magic.

Moreover, it wasn’t just ordinary black magic, but a bewilderment type that enticed people.

It was natural that it instinctively caught their eyes.

“Gasp… what is that…!”

Lucia, who had been tailing Roan’s group, was also watching Roan as if possessed.

At first, it was true she had found it suspicious that he left the dormitory in the middle of the night.

But by now, such minor suspicions had long since vanished.

What on earth was that holy magic!

Yet on the other hand, Lucia had also felt a strange familiarity.

‘What on earth is it… this familiarity…’

Naturally, the truth was that it was a black magic created with dark mana.

It was just that Lucia had failed to pierce through the double disguise of the false divinity and the void.

In any case, Lucia closed her eyes gently and began to sense her surroundings.

Just like when she had first learned black magic from her father Beleck and began to observe the world with dark mana instead of the naked eye.

Dark mana would inform Lucia of numerous pieces of information and realizations that she had missed.

The cold air.

The falling leaves that fluttered in the wind and eventually dropped.

The moss holding moisture.

The mountain beasts heading somewhere.

All of it was experienced for the first time, yet familiar on the other hand.

Lucia opened her eyes in a flash.

Before she knew it, a trail of tears was flowing from her eyes.

“I understand…”

A thin voice leaked from Lucia’s pale lips.

She was able to discover the nature of the familiarity felt in Roan.

…Or rather, she thought she did.

“When Hiloa announced the end of the Age of Gods and Humans and ascended to heaven, he said, ‘Pity the existences that will be born hereafter. Therefore, I shall create this world…'”

It is said that the world of the Age of Gods and Humans was a period when only gods could live, meaning other lifeforms could not adapt at all.

But Hiloa knew that new life would inevitably be born after their ascension, and had created an environment where they could survive.

What arose in that process were holy power, mana, and dark mana.

And humans, spiritual beasts, and devils.

In other words, it was a world where action and reaction coexisted.

Because of this, people claimed that both good and evil were creations of Hiloa, and that by exploring all those existences, one could find traces of Hiloa.

But in reality, after a long time had passed, it was now merely a theoretical story.

Yet, Lucia felt—or thought she felt—the familiarity of Hiloa, which she had considered to be nothing more than an ideal, in the very image of Roan!

And as a black mage, Lucia felt infinite emotion that Roan had awakened such familiarity of Hiloa even within her.

…In truth, it was merely a black mage being moved by looking at an even more excellent black mage.

‘Roan Darc, Darc is the true…!’

Why did a mere sixteen-year-old boy catch the eye of ‘that person’ who influenced a side of the Empire?

She had made various guesses until now, but at this moment, Lucia was sure of the reason.

Lucia decided to immerse herself a bit more in Roan’s magic.

She decided to entrust her body to it.

But not only Lucia, but also Demona and Hector had absolutely no idea.

That Roan’s magic was only beginning from here.

How long had it been since the light flowing from his staff and chest touched the ground?

Sprout—

“Huh?”

“It’s a sprout?”

Too coincidental to be a mere chance, a golden sprout began to bud at exactly that spot.

It was the black magic Roan had intended to cast, the ‘Sapling of Vain Illusion’.

The sprout, which was nothing more than a tiny cotyledon at first:

Shooting up—

Shot up in height and its branches thickened in an instant, and:

Crackle—

“W-Wow! The sprout became a tree!”

“…That is obvious, fanatic.”

“What?! Are you seriously babbling ‘that’s obvious’ even after seeing Roan’s amazing holy magic?”

“T-That’s not what I mean!”

Soon, it became a respectable golden tree that grew much taller than the height of anyone watching it here.

In Demona’s case, since she had experience seeing a divine tree, she was even more surprised.

“Isn’t that a divine tree?”

Hearing Demona’s words, Lucia found it slightly absurd, but thought there was a point she could agree with.

‘With that level of holiness… it’s not unreasonable for a Wicronon to mistake it.’

However, the one who was actually angered by Demona’s words was someone else.

Coldly—

“Take back those words immediately.”

“Huh? Why?”

It was Roan, his expression stiffened like a wax doll.

Roan spoke in a tone as cold as autumn frost.

“How dare you compare my insignificant magic to a divine tree. This is merely a trivial deception.”

”‘I don’t think it’s that bad though…’”

The other three were rather more dumbfounded by Roan’s words.

Of course, looking at it with a truly objective and rational eye, it might be a stretch to compare it to a divine tree, but

In truth, doesn’t everyone live making that level of figurative expression?

Like, ‘Wow, you are truly an angel fallen from heaven!’ or

‘At this rate, even the Holy Spirit will praise you!’

So, even if they associated a divine tree with that tree which felt holy enough that one couldn’t believe it was merely a freshman’s holy magic, there was no one who would seriously criticize them.

Only Roan, who had cast the magic, was capable of doing so!

“Hurry up and take it back. I cannot tolerate my dirty traces bringing disgrace to the reputation of the divine tree.”

“Y-Yes. Canceled.”

Because Roan spoke so frostily, Demona took back her words with an awkward expression.

‘If rumors that I made a divine tree spread for no reason, and I get caught later, it’ll be straight to the guillotine!’

Of course, Roan had a reason for reacting so strongly.

Even if rumors spread, it would be Demona’s fault, but the ones he would meet in court wouldn’t care about such things.

They would conclude, ‘Did that punk dare impersonate a divine tree with black magic?’

It would indeed be an incredibly unfair situation.

But the other people, who had no way of knowing Roan’s thoughts,

“Kuhunghung! Roan, you are a truly wonderful rival!”

Could not help but be moved once again by Roan’s devout and polite attitude.

The same was true for Lucia, who was only watching from afar.

“Gasp… Roan…!”

If it were a young boy, he might have gladly accepted such praise and moved on.

No, what was a young boy.

Even a fully grown adult would have felt proud and delighted to have their holy magic compared to a divine tree!

Lucia sniffled, making a complete vow.

‘I will protect Roan no matter what! From black mages and heretics, of course, and all other threats!’

While everyone except Roan was wallowing, unable to escape from the crucible of emotion,

Rustle───

The bewilderment magic, Sapling of Vain Illusion, began to manifest its true effect.

As the wind blew, golden dust began to scatter in heaps from the heavily bloomed golden leaves.

That dust put not only Demona and Hector nearby, but even Lucia within its sphere of influence.

Roan thought, watching that beautiful scenery.

‘Since I removed or altered the bewilderment attribute as much as possible, it should be fine even if they are affected a bit, right?’

…It would be trouble if his friends actually got drugged or something.

Since they had built up resistance to curse magic from time to time (?) anyway, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.

On the other hand, he was also slightly curious about what direction the effect of this magic, having passed through the false divinity, would manifest.

Blink—

Just then, Demona looked toward the edge of the forest in the distance and tilted her head.

“Oh?”

“What is it?”

When Roan asked, Demona pointed toward the direction of her gaze and asked back.

“Isn’t that a black mage?”

“??”

Roan wore a dumbfounded expression, as if she was talking complete nonsense.

‘I am right here though?’