Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Just as Rafia said, Roan was waiting in front of the headmaster’s office after the baptism ceremony ended.

To be caught as a black mage by the Holy Spirit of all entities.

He felt as if his lifespan was being shaved away in real time.

‘Should I run away even now?’

No matter how much he thought about it, that seemed to be the best way.

……Of course, if only it were possible.

“Hahaha! Truly amazing. Awakening holy power at such a young age!”

Even right now, wasn’t there a holy knight attached for Roan’s surveillance…… no, guide?

‘Even if he is a holy knight, if I activate black mana to the maximum and throw a punch…… no, it wouldn’t be good to draw attention.’

Roan’s brain spun quickly, but it was hard to find a suitable method.

Whether he died by the hands of the Holy Spirit or was captured and killed as a wanted criminal, dying was the same.

Wouldn’t being captured and killed be a bit more painful?

—Do not think of running away and enter, Darc.

At that moment, Harden’s voice came from inside the headmaster’s office.

“The Headmaster tells good jokes. Why would the Young Master of the Darc family run away?”

The holy knight then laughed heartily and opened the door.

Roan forced his trembling heart to calm down.

“Fuuh……”

‘Truly, God & Devil must be a trash game.’

It couldn’t be explained otherwise.

No, they were the ones who told him to survive at the Holy Academy, so wasn’t getting caught at the admission ceremony too much?

If Roan had had any kind of branch point, he wouldn’t even feel wronged.

‘In any case, no matter what happens, I must survive.’

If Harden showed a hostile attitude, Roan was prepared to even fight.

Although Harden’s talent stat was unknown, compared to Roan, it would be slightly inferior or of the same class.

If he could somehow combine the information he knew…….

He had surely thought so.

Roan, full of various thoughts, entered the headmaster’s office.

Click—

The moment the door closed again.

“……Before being a school, Acherandir is a sacred place of the Empire.”

Harden’s voice, which had sounded completely ordinary in the hall, was heard.

Immediately, Roan realized how shallow and laughable his thoughts were.

He had clearly only opened a single ordinary door and entered, but.

‘What is this—’

The outside and here was another completely severed world.

The ultimate holy magic, ‘Sanctuarization.’

The black mana dwelling inside Roan could not endure it and began to boil up in an instant.

“The land that I, Harden Pearl Quilior, personally established when I first became a Holy Spirit.”

Harden was not just a boy whose inside was old, but the supreme Holy Spirit of the Empire, and.

“Not a single tree here grew in vain, and there is not a single grain of sand that is not imbued with the holiness of myself and Lord Hiloa.”

The first Saint and the first Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire.

“How many Saints and Saintesses have passed through Acherandir’s gate? How many blades of Hiloa slaughtering evil have there been?”

The headmaster and guardian of the sacred place Acherandir.

“To dare to enter such a place……”

Achievements too heavy to be called the titles of a single entity.

Accumulating layer by layer over thousands of years, settling down.

Harden’s hostility, having reigned completely as a supreme being while holding all those achievements in one body.

Or rather, a contempt that couldn’t even be called hostility.

Poured down on the freshman who had trusted only in the meager kindling of a black magic talent stat of 100.

And who had been prepared to even fight if necessary.

“You. Dare. Crawl. In. Carrying. Black. Magic.”

The divine lightning that slaughters evil.

Roan’s body, which had never panicked even once after falling into another world.

Felt as if it were collapsing from its deepest depths.

As if he had become a demon who, after running amok recklessly, witnessed a god’s descent right in front of his face…….

But it was just that he had met the wrong opponent; his formidable talent and mana barely withstood Roan’s collapse.

Even that alone was enough to be called an achievement for a black mage, but.

‘I’m going to die.’

Roan was already taking his death for granted.

Enduring was the limit.

If Harden added even a fingernail’s worth of power here, the balance would completely collapse.

The thought of this being the world inside God & Devil, or whether he could revive since it was a game based on multiple runs.

At this moment, those were merely luxuries to Roan.

However.

“Well, but couldn’t that happen?”

The voice, which had been like a divine guardian, suddenly returned to his usual fine tone.

The pressure that had raged like the strongest storm of mythology subsided in an instant.

And the sanctuary, which had been like a picture of hell in heaven, vanished like a lie.

All that remained was the ordinary headmaster’s office, Harden the Holy Spirit, and Roan.

“……?”

Harden glanced at Roan’s face and said as if amused.

“It’s not like I’m a stubborn old man.”

‘……Aren’t you?’

Roan thought, feeling like vomiting blood.

Solely with the single-minded focus to maintain his sanity.

To think that such a thing was merely a mischievous prank to this headmaster?

“It’s not like all black mages are evil bastards. Hmm…… and I can roughly guess the reason why you awakened black magic.”

What is that?

Roan wanted to ask in earnest.

It was just that his mouth wouldn’t open as the lingering feeling from earlier had not faded.

“It must be a desperate measure chosen for your family’s revenge. No matter how I look at it…… your talent for black magic is too much compared to holy power. I would have done the same.”

“…….”

Roan did not say anything.

He tried not to think of anything at all.

Although the headmaster looked like he was missing a screw somewhere, he was a monster who could judge others’ truth and lies.

It was better not to leave any room.

He merely watched Harden quietly with his characteristic gloomy, ash-colored eyes.

“Hmm. As expected.”

Fortunately, the Holy Spirit seemed to have finished interpreting on his own.

In a favorable direction.

“If that is your goal, since you’ve entered anyway, I will personally support you as an educator. In return, I hope you do not do anything stupid enough to get caught by anyone other than me.”

That was something Roan also desired more than anything, without Harden needing to point it out.

Harden grinned and continued.

“I remember when Darc made a fuss about rebuilding the family…… you try your best too.”

“……Understood.”

A Holy Spirit cheering on a black mage to rebuild a holy noble family.

He couldn’t understand how things were going, but for now, all was well.

As Roan nodded, Harden clapped his hands.

Although it didn’t make a sound since he was a soul.

“Good. The darkness of the world is merely the opposite of light, not an enemy. Just like your Authority.”

However, Roan took only those words heavily.

Because it could be said to be one of the hidden secrets of God & Devil.

Of course, Roan had only found the clues and did not know the exact identity.

Even during gameplay, Harden was an NPC he rarely met alone, so he hadn’t known well, but.

‘As expected, is the Holy Spirit indeed different?’

Perhaps, unlike his worries, he wouldn’t die right away.

“Enough. Now leave. The Headmaster is busy.”

Harden waved his hand as if annoyed, ending the conversation.

Roan exited the headmaster’s office while pondering how to walk so that his desire to escape as fast as possible wouldn’t show.

“Hahaha! How was the meeting with the headmaster? Isn’t he an extremely benevolent person?”

“……Indeed.”

The holy knight, who knew nothing, laughed heartily, and.

‘Sigh, was this game really made to be cleared?’

Roan, having barely crossed one big mountain, felt his throat burn, while.

“Well, these next four years won’t be boring.”

The Holy Spirit was merely amused.

Seuk—

Smiling for a moment, Harden picked up the dormitory assignment sheet lying on the desk.

***

“Lord Darc, aren’t you already looking forward to meeting the friends you’ll stay with?”

“Yes.”

After the private meeting with Harden, Roan was walking the campus grounds with the holy knight who had guided him earlier.

The holy knight guided Roan with utmost kindness, explaining how wonderful and fine of a school Acherandir was,

and how polite and diligent the students were.

At that part, Roan felt a slight doubt.

‘By any chance, are you attending a different school than me?’

No matter the difference between staff and students, the students who had blindly cursed Roan during the ceremony were a bit different.

‘They were nothing but bastards.’

A person could exhibit holy power a bit early; there was no need to make such a fuss.

A person could ride in the Holy Palace’s eight-horse carriage, take the freshman representative’s oath,

and have a private meeting with the Holy Spirit who was the Empire’s myth!

‘Mmh, is this not it?’

Anyway, the other students received their dormitory assignments immediately after the baptism ceremony ended.

However, since Roan had been summoned to the headmaster’s office, he needed guidance as a freshman.

‘Though it feels almost like my own home.’

But Roan was actually confident that no matter where he was thrown on the academy grounds, he could find his way better than most graduates.

While others were done after attending the school for four years, he had played this school’s students and professors hundreds of times.

Even now, the holy knight’s leisurely steps were slightly frustrating.

Tak—

At that moment, the holy knight suddenly paused his steps and stared at Roan with a serious expression.

“But you see, Lord Darc. I’ve had something to say since earlier.”

“……?”

Roan faced the holy knight while maintaining a blank face as much as possible.

He didn’t think he was caught, but he was slightly tense as he didn’t know what the knight would say.

However, the holy knight’s following words made Roan’s tension pointless.

“Twenty years ago. I received a huge favor from Lord Darc……”

Saying so, he even welled up with tears, which did not suit his rugged impression.

“Sob…… if not for Lord Darc, I would have certainly died back then. Uheeeng!”

When a man with a mountain-like build wailed on the street, nearby gazes began to gather.

Roan grew a bit dumbfounded.

‘Now even a common holy knight is doing this to me……!’

“Please stop crying.”

“Uaaaaah— Lord Darc!”

If this hadn’t been a street with high foot traffic, Roan would have smacked the back of the holy knight’s head, regardless of any connection with his father.

However, once Geode stopped his foolish crying was the priority for now.

“Could you tell me more about what happened with my late father?”

Wouldn’t it be fine if he redirected the topic instead?

As it was indeed effective, the holy knight sniffled and asked Roan.

“Did you by chance not hear the name Geode from His Lordship……?”

There was no way he had heard it.

Leaving aside that Roan didn’t know information about the Darc family either.

‘No, in the first place, the family fell when I was one year old, so how could I have heard it?’

Because it was a systematic impossibility.

Even if Geode asked, ‘Do you know what His Lordship Lord Darc’s name was?’, Roan wouldn’t be able to answer.

Roan shook his head.

“I have no memory of my late father. It was a disaster that occurred when I was just born. I would like to hear more about my father and the family. In order to live as a Darc, that is.”

Since he had met someone who knew about the Darc family, it might be helpful to dig for more information.

Although that was his intention.

“Sob──!”

It resulted in the counter-effect of Geode’s tear glands exploding once again.

‘Honestly, not a single human is helpful!’

Ultimately, only after Roan coaxed and pacified him for a long time did Geode finally guide him toward the dormitory again along with the old story.

His story was ordinary.

That while punishing the cruel black mages, he fell into a death trap, and was saved thanks to the head of the Darc family who miraculously came to support.

“At that time, His Lordship’s appearance was like a messenger of Hiloa…… The bravery of slaughtering black mages while scattering streams of holy magic!”

Geode sniffled, as if the lingering feeling of that time still remained.

On the other hand, Roan, who felt slightly guilty hearing the story of black mages being slaughtered, secretly checked his surroundings.

Geode, seemingly calmed down a lot now, began to laugh again.

“Hahaha, to think a descendant of the Darc family would awaken holy power without baptism and enter Acherandir for the first time in a hundred years! His Lordship would be pleased if he heard it.”

Roan immediately shook his head.

It was 125 years, not a hundred.

Although it was slightly bothersome, that wasn’t important.

“Mmh…… that probably isn’t the case.”

For what Roan had awakened was black mana, not holy power.

Yet, however Geode interpreted Roan’s words, he smiled broadly while welling up with tears.

“It is great that you’ve grown up well, but to be this humble……. Honk!”

He even pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket to blow his nose.

‘It’s not humility.’

Tuk, tuk—

Geode tapped him on the back several times with his large hand, completely unaware of Roan’s true feelings.

As some more time passed.

“Ah, we’ve finally arrived!”

They finally arrived at Acherandir’s dormitory, ‘Saint Panroa Hall.’

No, to be exact, they didn’t arrive at the dormitory itself, but at its entrance.

“Well, now that I’ve finished the guidance, I will be off. Whenever you have a hard time, come find me, Geode!”

“Ah, wait a moment—”

Geode strode backward.

Roan tried to catch the holy knight, but he was already far away, blowing his nose in his handkerchief again.

“Blessings upon the Darc family!”

Blowing a snotty handkerchief and waving it cheerily in farewell was a bonus.

He shouldn’t leave yet.

‘As expected, holy knights cannot be trusted!’

Bekeren, Rafia, Geode.

Roan felt a deep sense of betrayal as he recalled the three holy knights he had met after coming to God & Devil.

This was because, in fact, Acherandir’s dormitory, Saint Panroa Hall,

Hwiiiiing—

was situated on a cliff that was thirty meters high.

To an ordinary person, it looked like, ‘Oh, it’s just located there, and there must be a detour.’

However, there was no other entrance.

To enter the dormitory, students had to climb the cliff.

A penance in daily life, supposedly.

For this reason, Roan had felt some gratitude when Geode offered to guide him.

Wiiiiing—

Because a little distance away from the cliff entrance, there was an elevator for faculty!

He had thought Geode would let him use that, but…….

However, his state of mind was understandable to some extent.

—Does this make sense? This is the only path to the dormitory?

—How are we supposed to climb the cliff!

The bottom of the cliff was a mess because of the freshmen who hadn’t climbed up yet.

The highly talented students would have climbed first, but nearly half the freshmen were merely stamping their feet.

‘Entering the dormitory was the most garbage part even when playing.’

To climb that cliff in God & Devil, one had to clear a mini-game.

Success meant climbing about thirty spaces by pressing the jump button at appropriate intervals in time.

Particularly, the first few mini-games immediately after admission were even trickier.

Students who failed while climbing would fall down like obstacles, and if hit by them, one had to return to the beginning without a choice.

Of course, later on, skipping was possible on the grounds of getting used to it.

Even if one fell, Harden’s protection was active, so there was no separate penalty.

However, having to repeat that act every time entering the dormitory was not a pleasant memory even in a mere game.

—Uaaaaah!—

‘Right on cue, someone is falling.’

One brave or unlucky freshman fell from the cliff.

Thud—

Although the sound was ominous, after groaning on the floor for a moment, he soon dusted himself off, stood up, and.

—&!%$#!@!—

spat out harsh curses.

“Tsk.”

Roan clicked his tongue while watching the scene.

He wondered if there was a need to go through such penance right from being a freshman.

It seemed placing just a single ladder would be penance enough…….

Seeing it in reality rather than on a monitor was even more staggering.

Looking up at the dormitory like that, Roan soon moved his steps.

It was not toward the entrance where the students gathered, but toward a dark direction filled with trees and bushes.

‘Since things have turned out this way, I should search for that.’

In fact, a hidden piece of sorts was concealed at the dormitory cliff.

Though minor in a way, to a freshman, it was more supportive than anything.

It seemed best to grab it while the freshmen were entirely focused on the cliff.

‘About ten meters to the right from the Dillon flower poking out at eye level, a Seidan berry bush…… Is it here?’

Finding the familiar terrain, Roan shoved his arm deep into the bush and rummaged around for something.

Tak—

‘Found it!’

A pouch made of shabby green cloth so it wouldn’t catch the eye easily.

However, its weight was quite heavy.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well, Senior Ihern.”

Roan offered a small greeting.

Ihern Tolman was a character who was an Acherandir graduate.

Since he was good-natured and playful, this pouch was a gift he had left behind for his juniors.

When Roan opened it, it was packed with pieces of paper bearing Harden’s face.

Instead of the Empire’s currency, they were ‘Talents,’ which could be called Acherandir’s points.

The amount was exactly 10,000 Talents.

Normally, to find this pouch, one had to go through the bothersome process of finding a hidden note in the dormitory and solving several riddles, but…….

‘It doesn’t matter as long as I know where it is.’

Roan tucked the pouch into his chest, feeling no particular guilt.