Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Taedi cried by herself for a long time before finally calming down.

“How did you end up entering Akerandir? ……Even though you are a black mage?”

In fact, the latter question was the most important.

If a normal clergyman had entered Akerandir, would Taedi have cared?

It was mind-boggling that a black mage had entered.

“Yes…… that is also a very twisted story.”

Roan nodded and began his story.

After all, his own ups and downs were by no means inferior to Taedi’s.

Roan first revealed his name.

“I am Roan Darc.”

“Da, Darc?!”

Taedi was astonished from that point on.

Roan then went on to explain how the Darc family was wiped out after being attacked by black mages fifteen years ago.

The story of growing up alone in the Holy Imperial Palace afterward.

And he intended to calmly lay out the story of entering Akerandir ‘by force’ and overcoming all kinds of dangers.

Even if he didn’t have the memories, by appropriately adding the settings he knew to make it look as natural as possible!

But.

“Uhh…… ugh…… uwaaaa!”

He couldn’t do so because Taedi sobbed at every single word he said.

“……Professor. Would you please listen to me?”

“Haaahhh…… I’m sorry, sniff! It’s so sad…….”

How bad must it have been for Roan to speak in such an irritated tone?

‘If there is a give, there should be a take, how could she only talk about her own story!’

He wanted to share the settings he knew, but the frustration of not being able to do so piled up.

At any rate, in Taedi’s sea of tears, Roan’s story ended in a blur.

And the effect of that story was truly amazing.

“Waaaaahhh──! I, I will help you, Young Darc!”

Taedi, with tears and snot running down, clung to Roan’s sleeve.

How could there be a child whose life was so similar to her own!

Since she looked ready to wipe her nose on his sleeve if she stayed like that a bit longer, Roan subtly pulled his arm back.

“Will you really help me, Lady Taedi?”

At the same time, he asked with inward anticipation.

Taedi nodded her head repeatedly.

“Sniff! Of course! Those bad black mages!”

“Indeed, those bad…… hm?”

Roan, who was instinctively agreeing with her words, tilted his head.

“Blow! ……Eh?”

Seeing that, Taedi also tilted her head.

Then.

““C, cough…….””

They awkwardly avoided each other’s gazes and cleared their throats.

The black mages who attacked the Darc family were definitely bad guys, but it didn’t seem like a conversation two black mages gathered together should be having.

“A, anyway, my words about helping you are sincere. On my honor as the Lord of the Dead Forest!”

“Thank you.”

Roan bowed deeply.

To receive the assistance of Taedi Ashwood.

Since meeting her was practically impossible in the first place, it was an even more precious help.

Roan glanced around and spoke to Taedi in a low voice.

“In that case…… let’s escape right away.”

“Yes?”

Taedi blinked her large eyes and tilted her head.

At that reaction, Roan was also unable to understand the situation.

Wasn’t the way to save a pitiful black mage student in Akerandir obviously to escape?

“Hahaha, it seems you still don’t understand the current situation. A Holy Spirit’s barrier is cast here right now. You heard earlier, didn’t you?”

“……Does that mean we can’t escape?”

Roan asked doubtfully.

Harden had said it was just a barrier to prevent the aura of black magic from spreading outside.

“Of course! This barrier is designed so that you must have a rank or skill superior to the caster to escape. Naturally, the same goes for all mana or space magic.”

Taedi explained brightly, as if asking why he would ask such an obvious thing.

“Probably, when the class is over, the Holy Spirit will come in person to release it? And send me back to the Dead Forest.”

“Just say it’s impossible.”

Roan replied with a cold expression.

The caster of the barrier was naturally Harden.

You must be superior to Harden in rank or skill?

To do that, one would have to bring in at least a real god.

‘She spoke of her honor as the Lord of the Dead Forest or whatever, but she’s completely useless!’

Roan thoughtlessly had a thought that would make Taedi very sad if she heard it.

However, unlike Roan’s rude inner thoughts, Taedi’s heart to help him was sincere.

“Instead, it means there’s no way we’ll be caught no matter what magic we use! Since it’s the Holy Academy, you wouldn’t have learned anything about black magic. By the way, can you manipulate mana?”

Taedi chattered in a bright voice.

‘Is she the type whose mind is easily at ease?’

Anyone watching would think she was truly officially invited to the professorship.

Roan made a grumpy face for a moment, but soon, he also began to engage in the class seriously.

“Mana manipulation…….”

Although he had expected an escape since she was a black mage of Taedi’s caliber.

Since he had met a black mage anyway, learning properly would obviously be a great help to him.

Hadn’t he thought so in the first place?

At any rate, because the black magic Roan had learned so far relied solely on sensation, this was a good opportunity to learn orthodox black magic.

Roan contemplated what he should show Taedi.

‘I can just make the most complex shape possible, right?’

He recalled the shape of mana he had created when learning the abyss.

Soon, the gray mana that had passed through the False Divinity surged in his hand.

“W-wait, waaaait!”

“What is the matter?”

However, at Taedi’s urgent call, Roan stabilized the mana.

“W-what is this?”

“Isn’t it black mana?”

“No! Why is it gray instead of black! More than that, this is holy power!”

“Ah.”

He had just gotten used to seeing this color every time.

Roan explained the effect of the authority dwelling within his body.

“T-that’s impossible! Such an authority existed?”

“Yes, it did.”

Naturally, Taedi was flipped out upon hearing that story.

And then.

“……Is this how heresy inquisitions are done these days?”

As if she couldn’t believe it at all, she looked around Roan and the surroundings with suspicious eyes.

Roan looked at her with a pathetic gaze.

“Could that possibly be the case?”

Had she lived only being deceived until now?

“Ah, fortunately, starting today.”

Then, this time, he conjured black mana in his other hand.

“The principal made it possible for me to use it like this too. ……For now, the setting is that it’s dark-attribute holy power.”

Whether this was a relief or not, it was the result of Harden taking action on the False Divinity earlier.

“……Hahaha.”

Taedi could only let out a hollow laugh.

Because the sight of Roan conjuring black holy power in one hand and bright gray holy power in the other felt like a dream.

Moreover, to think that all of that was actually black mana.

Roan asked as if it was dumbfounding.

“Then did you think I would have survived until now while openly using black mana?”

Taedi nodded hesitantly.

“Wouldn’t…… everyone think that way?”

A valid point asking how she was supposed to know he possessed such authority!

Roan had no choice but to admit that.

Unlike Roan, who had played “God and Devil” thousands of times, this life would be her first.

Even then, she had spent most of her life alone.

At any rate, after staring intently at the mana flickering on Roan’s hand for a moment, Taedi spoke as if murmuring.

“Hmm…… looking at it like this, it is indeed black mana. No, but it still looks like real holy power…….”

As she admired it repeatedly, the False Divinity did not miss the opportunity to show off.

Woorrr─

This is how great I am when I go outside!

After a moment, as if she had managed to understand, Taedi nodded.

For starters, the quality of the black mana seen on the surface was extremely high, and the concentration was also excellent.

“Anyway, alright, I believe you. The mana manipulation is excellent at this level. It’s a talent that makes it worth the Holy Spirit calling me specially.”

“Huh? Is it over with this?”

I haven’t done anything yet?

“Yes? Then what more…….”

When Taedi didn’t seem to understand his words.

Swish─

Roan immediately moved his mana to create a complex shape that looked like several strands of thread twisted together.

Since he had originally intended to show her this.

“Eh, eeeh?”

Seeing that, Taedi opened her mouth wide in surprise.

Making mana into thin threads was already a very high-difficulty task, so doing it with several strands and even forming shapes went without saying.

But.

Swish─ Swiiish─

Soon, as Roan created even more complex shapes in both hands, Taedi fell back on her buttocks.

Thud─!

“T-that’s impossible!”

As if she couldn’t believe it at all, she continued to make all sorts of noises like ‘eh’, ‘huh’, and ‘ooh’ afterward.

Roan did not stop there, altering the shape here and there and adding a few more strands of thread.

‘It’s kind of fun doing this after a long time.’

Roan was now fully absorbed in manipulating mana.

Since he couldn’t do this with holy power, he couldn’t show it to anyone else unless it was Taedi.

Meanwhile, Taedi, who was watching this scene, was breaking out in a cold sweat on her back.

‘I thought it was just a talent worth calling me, but at this level…….’

Why did he call me?

Isn’t this truly a trap by the Holy Spirit?

What did I do wrong to deserve this when I was living quietly in the Dead Forest……

Taedi, having all kinds of delusions on her own!

But there was some progress of its own.

“Ahem, now I can tell for sure that it’s mana, not holy power.”

Taedi cleared her throat, trying to remain calm, and nodded.

At those words, Roan, who withdrew his mana, asked in puzzlement.

“By the way, Professor. You don’t seem to be in a good condition.”

“Yes? Why?”

‘What do you mean why.’

Trembling hands, a pale face, and a body soaked in cold sweat.

To anyone, it was the appearance of Taedi who looked about to collapse at any moment.

Realizing the fact late, Taedi raised her voice.

“N-No! I am perfectly fine. Let’s move on to the next.”

Perhaps embarrassed, Taedi stomped her feet for no reason and lifted her head.

It was a behavior trying to maintain her dignity as the Lord of the Dead Forest or as a professor now, but obviously, it didn’t work on Roan at all.

“I can’t teach you everything about black magic with just one class a week! It would be good to choose one or two branches, by the way, is there any branch you want?”

“Hmm…… for now, I have learned Blood Magic and Abyss Magic as they came along.”

“Great, both are excellent in this situation— Whaaaaat?!”

Taedi was startled this time too.

Roan tilted his head slightly.

‘Isn’t she being too surprised, though?’

Of course, Roan also agreed that learning Blood Magic and the abyss through self-study was remarkable.

But wasn’t Taedi the famous Lord of the Dead Forest?

Furthermore, she must have also been in a position where she practically learned black magic alone.

“……You really mastered them? You don’t mean you want to learn them? How?”

“Yes.”

“Even Abyss Magic?”

Tsk.

Roan lightly clicked his tongue, then opened the cap of the water flask at his waist.

It seemed this distinguished High Elf wouldn’t believe it unless she saw it with her own eyes.

‘Let’s start with Blood Shards.’

Blood emerged from the water flask and split into over a dozen fragments.

Crash───!

The fragments poured directly toward the wall.

Although they couldn’t make even a scratch due to Harden’s barrier, the power alone was clearly proven.

“Uh…… this is Blood Shards, right?”

“You are correct.”

Roan nodded, but Taedi asked again as if she hadn’t heard.

“You mean it is Blood Shards?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think it is…….”