Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Taedi seemed to no longer have the energy to be surprised.

And Roan inwardly suspected if Taedi had won the nickname ‘Lord of the Dead Forest’ by playing ddakji with adventurers.

‘Surely this elf doesn’t not know what Blood Shards are, right?’

Of course, that was not the case.

In fact, it had gone far beyond the power of Blood Shards, which could be called the basics of basics in Blood Magic, and had even passed through the False Divinity.

It would also be strange for Taedi to immediately say, ‘Hmm, it’s Blood Shards.’

Rather, it was correct to see that her recognizing it as Blood Shards to some extent was proof of Taedi’s ability.

“Then, may I show you Abyss Magic?”

“……Do as you please, do as you please.”

Taedi waved her hand slowly with an exhausted face.

Her expression was filled with a firm determination not to be surprised no matter what he showed her now.

Even though she tried to turn her head away from Roan like that.

‘Surely he won’t use the actual abyss, right? No way, it’s the abyss…….’

She, who couldn’t completely take her mind off it, only peeked at him.

‘Hmm, should I go with the Hand Shaped from the Abyss.’

Meanwhile, Roan, being tired of seeing Taedi’s fuss in his own way, intended to go with the most basic magic.

Woorrr──

Roan drew up the abyss as he always did.

He even changed the color of the mana to black, which Taedi was familiar with.

Pitch black, as if black was added to black to absorb even light.

This was the color of the abyss that was familiar to Roan as well.

‘Looking at it this way, it would indeed be hard to distinguish from the dark attribute by color alone.’

But he had not expected.

“I-I-It’s the actual abyss!!!!”

In fact, to a black mage, utilizing the abyss properly was something that would not only make them freak out but also make them do a backflip and a side kick.

Furthermore, hadn’t they said Roan was a complete novice who had awakened less than a year, no, less than a month ago?

Rendered her vow not to be surprised useless, Taedi sprang up and ran toward Roan in a flurry.

Pop─

“A h-hand shaped from the abyyyss!”

Soon, as a third hand made of the abyss popped out from Roan’s chest.

Taedi’s already large eyes widened so much that her eyeballs looked ready to pop out.

Splat─

To make matters worse, she even splattered a few drops of spit!

“……Isn’t this much a basic magic?”

Roan, frowning slightly, brushed away the spots where Taedi’s spit had splattered with his hand as he asked.

Taedi flew into a rage as if that were the most absurd thing.

“The basics are the basics! But this is the abyss!”

The Hand Shaped from the Abyss was merely the basics of Abyss Magic.

However, that abyss was a highly advanced technique of black magic.

For example, while running 50 meters normally was easy, running with two or three dump truck tires loaded on one’s back was on a completely different level.

Even considering Roan’s circumstances, it was like a child who had just started crawling running while dragging a dump truck.

“M-More! Is there anything more you can show me?!”

Taedi, putting aside whether he was a novice black mage or not, was now possessed by a pure scholar’s madness.

Her eyes gleamed somewhat dangerously.

‘I don’t think I should show her more…….’

Roan slightly worried if this was right.

But in any case, Taedi was the person who would be his professor from now on.

It would be right to show his skills clearly.

Moreover, Taedi was the only one he could talk to about the black magic he had used by groping solely through senses and memories after possessing Roan’s body.

Inwardly, the desire to be recognized by a proper black mage had also crept up on him.

“Actually, even something like this…….”

“Hurry, show me quickly!”

Roan conjured the Blood Spear of the Abyss that he had used during the Sacred Tree maintenance volunteer work.

On top of being a magic synthesized from Blood Magic and Abyss Magic.

It was also the most advanced magic he could use at his current level.

The pitch-black abyss compressed in Roan’s hands.

Boom──! Crash───!!!

Three blood spears detonated against the wall, creating an aftermath incomparable to the shards from earlier.

“Uwaaaa!!!”

Clap, clap, clap──!

Taedi clapped her hands in delight like a child.

By this point, it was hard to tell whether this was Roan’s skill test or a black magic demonstration for Taedi.

Meanwhile, Roan frowned slightly and thought.

Although it was still fine, it felt as though the barrier had cracked slightly.

‘……I shouldn’t just rely on the barrier.’

Roan felt the need to adjust his power in the future.

What if he unleashed an offensive magic trusting only the barrier, and it broke?

He would become crowned as the crazy black mage who openly destroyed a building with black magic inside Akerandir.

‘Harden might have intentionally set the barrier output to be weak.’

There was no harm in being careful about everything.

‘Even if I’m caught, it’s a relief that Taedi is here anyway.’

Since the scapegoat was already prepared!

Roan secretly observed Taedi’s reaction.

It was a thought since there was no way Harden’s barrier would break.

……Probably.

In any case, since this was more than enough proof of mastering Blood Magic and Abyss Magic, Roan turned to Taedi and spoke.

“How is it? Since I learned it alone, I am very lacking. Please teach me a lot in the future.”

However, Taedi, who had been clapping and cheering just a moment ago.

Was completely frozen in expression at that moment, showing no reaction.

‘W-W-What should I do?!!!?!’

Actually, she had been enjoying herself in excitement, only to fall into a belated panic upon hearing Roan’s request to teach him a lot.

‘Why on earth did the Holy Spirit call me? When there’s a black mage like this, what do you mean Lord of the Dead Forest? Just surrender on your own and either convert or die, damn it…….’

Once again, Taedi’s delusions began to run wild on their own.

Naturally, Roan, who had no way of knowing such circumstances.

‘She hasn’t developed bipolar disorder from living alone in the forest, has she?’

Was having such rude thoughts.

It was understandable if she had lived like that for 150 years, right?

She must have also received a lot of stress in the Angolda Great Forest.

Woorrr─

The False Divinity clicked its tongue.

Even if she looked like that, they said she was a great black mage.

“I know that too.”

“A-A-You know? I haven’t even said what to teach yet?”

At Roan’s casually tossed words, Taedi chattered her teeth, panicking in advance.

“I am sorry. The authority spoke to me. More importantly, the class……?”

At Roan’s repeated questions, Taedi asked anxiously.

“Ah…… the class. By the way, until what time is the class?”

“……It is until 5 o’clock.”

Roan thought he should slightly revise his assessment of Taedi.

‘I don’t know about bipolar disorder, but she definitely seems to be a homebody.’

Of course, Taedi’s mind was completely different from Roan’s guess.

‘I-I am not an Abyss Magic major!’

Although she was obviously better than Roan, Taedi knew very well herself that she wasn’t at a level to teach him.

Taedi tried hard to smile casually as she spoke.

“Well…… although it is very excellent for being self-taught! There are still many areas to touch up!”

Tremble, tremble─

It would have been a decent performance if her hands had just trembled a bit less.

“Ah, is that so. Which part─”

“H-H-But! Now that I think about it, we have no textbooks and no materials. I’ll have to bring everything next week.”

Bring everything, my foot!

Taedi resolved that as long as she returned to the Dead Forest, she would never even look at any portraits again.

‘No, from now on, I will write on rocks instead of paper!’

However, hearing Taedi’s words, Roan smiled brightly and rummaged through his waist.

“What…… what are you doing?”

“Ah, coincidentally.”

With that, he pulled out two books from his sub-dimensional pouch.

“Basics of Modern Blood Magic” and “Introduction to Abyss Utilization” which he had taken from the Forbidden Library!

“I have already obtained all the textbooks I want to learn from.”

“D-Don’t talk nonsense!”

Taedi screamed out.

By this point, she was starting to feel afraid of this gray-haired boy.

How on earth did he obtain such ominous magic books in Akerandir?

And two of them at that!

She had looked down on him, thinking he was just a kid who had just awakened to black magic, but look at this.

Who would have known that the disciple she gained in her 250 years of High Elf life would be such a monster!

‘Unhandled by myself, he would catch up to me in three years. Why does he keep insisting on learning from me? Is this really a new form of heresy inquisition?’

Seeing that the urge to quit being a black mage naturally arose, the effect was excellent.

Sneaking away slowly─

Taedi took small steps backward as she watched Roan approach with a bright smile.

She was also a black mage.

Since she had suffered and done many rough things during that time.

She instinctively felt that this boy was a dangerous existence beyond his gloomy impression.

Of course, the more Taedi did so, the more Roan narrowed his eyes in his own way.

‘Why does she dislike it so much when I said I obtained the textbooks myself?’

Isn’t it good since it saved her the trouble?

……Or was she disappointed that I hadn’t prepared the materials?

‘Tsk, she could at least give some materials to a disciple trying to survive in Akerandir.’

Earlier she was talking about having no one to speak to in 250 years, so it seemed bipolar disorder was indeed correct.

Thus, the relationship between master and disciple, who met through an absurd opportunity, squeaked slightly from their very first meeting.

***

While the dark attribute specialized lecture was in full swing.

Ciotric Hall, which was considerably far from the St. Macgodal Wing.

Professor Kaina, sipping her coffee, turned her head slightly to look out the window.

“……Something is strange.”

Her intuition as a genius inquisitor was telling her clearly.

That no black magic could be felt at all.

However, rather, that absence was even more suspicious.

In everything in nature, at least a minimal stain exists.

The same went for Akerandir, one of the four major holy grounds of the Empire.

“Belec is still there.”

The massive black mana of Hetrona Hall was always keeping its place.

It was Belec’s.

However, the southeast.

In that remote direction, which even Kaina didn’t pay much attention to usually, it was clean as if someone had ‘intentionally erased’ the black mana.

Something that could not happen naturally.

Kaina stood up from her seat and reached to pick up the hammer she had mounted.

‘I should go on patrol.’

Enemies threatening the Empire and Hiloa could appear anytime, anywhere.

In Kaina’s experience, cunning black mages always hid in places where they had erased their presence as much as possible.

Sparks flew from Kaina’s eyes.

“How dare they in Akerandir……”

Whatever their purpose, she would not let them be.

Just as she was hardening her resolve.

“Professor Kaina. Are you in?”

“Ah, Principal! Please come in.”

Harden visited Kaina’s research lab.

Of course, as a Holy Spirit, he could wander the school freely, but unless there was a special matter, he did not just barge into a professor’s lab.

Harden’s figure slid into the research lab through the door.

“Hmm, were you about to go out?”

“Yes. I felt a suspicious aura to the southeast. To be precise, around…… the St. Macgodal Wing?”

“A suspicious aura?”

Harden asked while looking toward the southeast for no reason.

He had definitely set up a barrier to prevent any black mana from leaking out, and with Taedi or Roan’s skill, they should never be able to break it.

‘……No, that kid might have broken it somehow.’

He wondered, but checking again with his own eyes, that direction was clean.

However, what Kaina said with a bright smile was spectacular.

“Yes! It’s suspicious because it’s too clean~ It doesn’t make sense.”

“……Aha.”

Good thing I dropped by.

Harden was inwardly startled but soon nodded.

He thought he should pay attention to such things when deploying barriers in the future.

‘Should I design it to dilute it to about one in a hundred thousand?’

At any rate, thinking that the heads of the two black mages, who were focusing on their class trusting only him, would have been smashed if he had been even a bit late, made his non-existent hair stand on end.

‘That kid should also know that the Principal is taking so much trouble for him!’

Harden grumbled inwardly, recalling Roan’s gloomy face.

“Hmm. I actually just came from there, and there was nothing wrong. Since we met after a long time, let’s have a cup of tea.”

“Yes? We met last week for a class report, though.”

“No, I meant in Professor Kaina’s research lab.”

“Aha! Yes, please sit down~”

Kaina quickly brewed two cups of tea and placed them in front of their respective seats.

“But Principal, you can’t drink tea, can you?”

Ah, that’s right.

At the sharp question worthy of an inquisitor, Harden rolled his brain for a moment.

“I meant to just enjoy the aroma.”

“Ah~ such a secret.”

The polite Kaina at least didn’t ask questions like ‘You can’t feel the taste, but can you smell the aroma?’ like Demona did.

Instead, she spoke with a pitying expression.

“But I won’t be able to stay long. Actually, I was planning to go patrol the southeast beforehand before our appointment.”

“Hmm? Do you have an appointment? Today should be a day without classes.”

Kaina had an expression of being touched by Harden’s sensitivity in memorizing her class schedule.

……Of course, she was a special case, and Harden did not memorize all the professors’ timetables.

In any case, Kaina answered Harden’s question faithfully.

“I’m supposed to meet Professor Belec. I have a few things to ask.”

Up to this point, it was a business that could sufficiently exist between colleague professors.

But.

“……Recently, I secretly obtained the list of Professor Belec’s research fund expenditures. A very suspicious part was discovered.”

The content she whispered afterward was quite dangerous.

Harden slightly lowered the teacup he had brought close to his nose.

“You can deal with it on your own…… but I hope Professor Kaina doesn’t forget that you are a professor before being an inquisitor.”

“……Ahaha! Oh, of course~”

Kaina burst into a somehow suspicious laugh, then sneakily pulled out a sub-dimensional pouch from her chest.

“Look at my mind. I was planning to leave this behind.”

And she busy began to organize the items inside.

Anti-black magic barrier stones.

Judgment-line holy magic scrolls.

Black mana neutralizers.

They were quite ominous for items she happened to be holding before going to meet a black mage professor.

“If I had gone like this, Professor Belec would have been quite scared~”

But it didn’t end there.

A hood perfect for pulling over one’s face.

Mana-suppressing handcuffs.

And even ominous interrogation tools whose purpose she couldn’t even guess!

Harden spoke, clicking his tongue.

“From now on, Professor, receive a search of your belongings from me before going near Professor Belec.”

“W-W-What? I am not a student or anything!”

Kaina showed a reaction like a teenage girl who had her privacy violated.