Chapter 80

─ I-Is it Professor Gulba?

However, she did not come out of Ciotric Hall, but dropped rather noisily from the sky.

‘Idervon’s Descent!’

The sword of Hiloa, and the war god Idervon, who stood at the forefront of the battle against demons.

It was a high-level mobility skill used by Inquisitors when raiding heretics’ headquarters.

‘It must have been a fairly urgent matter.’

Roan figured some black mages had probably infiltrated near Akerandir.

“I’m sorry, everyone! Something busy came up lately. I tried to come as quickly as possible, but I’m a bit late!”

As the dust settled, Kaina apologized to the students with a remorseful expression.

─ A busy matter?

When the students asked, Kaina spoke, slightly darkening her expression.

“Because there were signs of heresy in the Macgodal Wing…”

Roan instinctively clenched his jaw.

‘How did she find out?’

As if she could hear Roan’s thoughts, Kaina continued speaking while looking at him.

The two, with stiff expressions, locked eyes with each other.

“Since that place has recently been used as a lecture room again, I investigated it, but there wasn’t a single scent of black magic. As if someone had erased it. It’s suspicious, and we can’t rule out the possibility of a trap!”

In short, she meant it was suspicious because it was too clean.

In Kaina’s own way, she had investigated out of concern since it was where Roan attended class, but…

‘How truly dreadful!’

Roan shuddered.

If it smells, it’s suspicious; if it doesn’t, it’s also suspicious.

Just what tune was he supposed to dance to?

─ …Is that sort of thing usually called suspicious?

─ Isn’t it good if it’s clean?

Fortunately, the students seemed to share Roan’s thoughts.

In any case, Kaina, carrying her blood-stained hammer on her shoulder, relaxed her stiff expression and began the class cheerfully.

“Like this, Inquisitors must always doubt and be careful~ Anyway, today I will show you in person how I handle a black mage! It will be dangerous and scary! But don’t worry because I am here~ You guys must watch closely since you can meet evil black mages at any time!”

Roan, listening quietly, felt slightly wronged.

‘Not all black mages are evil, and you can’t just meet them at any time either…’

In the first place, it was daily routine for most black mages to avoid priests, fearing they might even step on their shadows.

This was like a human living in trembling fear of cockroaches.

Even though they killed them in all kinds of ways once they appeared!

…Though the problem was that occasionally, an incredibly massive cockroach would appear.

On the other hand, the students appeared excited with anticipation, though slightly afraid.

─ A real black mage is coming, I’m scared…

─ Is it by chance Professor Belec?

─ Then what about basic holy magic class?

─ Another black mage professor will probably come!

‘…Are they seriously out of their minds?’

The students, talking so easily about things that would offend any listening black mage!

In the first place, discussing so nonchalantly that another black mage would come as a professor at Akerandir was insane.

“Is Professor Belec really coming?”

As even Demona got swept up in the rumors and asked this, Roan looked at her with contempt.

“Of course not. It’s an ordinary black mage.”

“Ah, there they come!”

At that moment, Kaina looked toward one side of the athletic field and spoke.

At the entrance leading into the Ciotric Hall premises, a person was indeed walking unsteadily together with two holy knights.

Not only did he have a steel containment mask over his entire head.

But he was also wearing handcuffs and shackles without exception, which looked rather pitiful, even for a black mage.

Moreover, perhaps because he was already severely injured, not only were his clothes completely torn, but splints and fixing bandages were wrapped all over.

─ Have they already conducted a class once?

─ He looks a bit pitiful…

It was an appearance sufficient to lead the students to such a misunderstanding.

‘…I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.’

And Roan felt an inexplicable familiarity.

‘That teaching aid from earlier… no, he’s the black mage, isn’t he?’

Although his clothing had become slightly more ragged, it was exactly the same.

As the staggering black mage arrived in front of the students.

The holy knights who brought him made him kneel, then began to remove the restraints one by one.

─ Behave yourself!

─ Don’t think of doing anything foolish!

Although it was a rather rough attitude, the black mage only swayed here and there according to the hands of the holy knights, without resisting.

Clank─

Finally, even the iron restraint on his head was completely removed, and his face was revealed in the light.

─ Eeek!

─ Th-That is a black mage?!

The students who were watching quietly were startled by his grim face and bizarre scars.

…Although a few seemed to have been recently made, in any case, to anyone, it was the face of a heinous criminal.

It seemed his blood-covered face had been cleaned up slightly after Roan treated him.

And only then did Roan fully realize the identity of the black mage.

‘The leader of Lebondi’s ‘Seven Fingers,’ Pierbo!’

‘Seven Fingers’ was a criminal organization of seven people active in a mid-sized territory called Lebondi, belonging to the group of very vicious, crazy black mages.

While the six subordinates were merely petty criminals like thugs who harassed helpless civilians, the leader, Pierbo, was quite skilled in black magic and had committed major crimes, resulting in an Imperial arrest warrant being issued for him.

‘If it’s that guy, it makes sense for him to receive this kind of treatment.’

Roan nodded internally.

And he slightly modified the plans he had set up.

Pierbo was bound to be caught during the first semester of the first year and used as a teaching aid here and there, but the timing was random.

However, the important thing was not Pierbo himself.

‘If that guy is caught, the ‘Six Thugs’ event will happen soon.’

And the ‘Six Thugs’ event would cause a major setback to Roan’s plans.

‘I was originally planning to go today anyway… but I should move a bit faster.’

Roan thought so, clicking his tongue.

Just what kind of school gave a student no time to rest.

…Of course, it was all of Roan’s own accord; nobody had ordered him to do it.

“Now, everyone. Concentrate!”

At that moment, Professor Kaina gathered the students’ attention and spoke while looking at the black mage with a face full of contempt.

“This wretch named Pierbo, who wouldn’t be enough even if ground to dust, is a piece of trash who slaughtered five villages, kidnapped, and murdered children to use them for human transmutation. Being used as a teaching aid in holy Akerandir is also thanks to the mercy of the Holy Spirit.”

Grind─!

“…Although I hate to admit it.”

Kaina ground her teeth hard, adding a word.

─ Eeeeeek!

─ He really was a black mage?

─ Scary…

The students seemed shocked by the appearance of a ‘real black mage criminal’ they were seeing for the first time in their lives.

‘…He is a truly bad guy.’

For once, Roan had no disagreement.

Roan also deeply disliked loathsome jerks like him who dragged down the reputation of all black mages.

…Essentially, it was because of crazy black mages like him that Roan’s life was currently in jeopardy.

Scum like Pierbo were evils that even fellow black mages shuddered at.

At that moment, the eyes of Pierbo, who had frowned heavily at the sudden sunlight, met Roan’s.

“You are from earlier…”

‘Is he recognizing me?’

He wasn’t planning some revenge because the treatment process was too painful, was he?

For someone like Pierbo, it was entirely possible.

Of course, strictly speaking, Pierbo was merely vicious and was not a character with high combat power, so Roan wouldn’t lose.

However, engaging in a fight during class was extremely dangerous.

‘…Especially in front of Professor Kaina.’

Roan was slightly worried.

However, contrary to his worries, Pierbo spoke with a faint smile.

“Hehe, thank you. Your skill was quite good. Since your appearance is gloomy, you could have become a good black mage…”

In his own way, he was trying to express gratitude for saving his life.

However, Roan understood the black mage’s words completely differently.

Roan’s face turned pale as lead in an instant.

‘If that bastard wants to die, he should die alone; what a petty revenge!’

As expected of a criminal who deserved to be beaten to death, just because it hurt a little, he dared to snitch on him in front of Professor Kaina?

And just as Roan misunderstood Pierbo’s words, the students misunderstood Roan’s expression.

In particular, the students who realized that Pierbo was the teaching aid revived by Roan in the healing class earlier were enraged.

─ What nonsense is that damn black mage spouting to his savior!

─ Without even knowing that Darc treated him while holding back tears!

─ Boo! Die, black mage!

Immense jeering immediately rained down on the black mage.

It was the result brought by Professor Atoga’s admonition.

At the forefront, naturally, was Demona, who was as furious as if it were her own affair.

“Honorable students of Akerandir! Will you just stand by and watch that black mage who deserves to be torn to pieces! Can you bear to see your friend’s noble honor mocked by a filthy tongue!”

─ We cannot bear it!

“Rise, Akerandir!”

─ Uooooh!

By this point, even Pierbo, who became the target of the fierce onslaught, seemed flustered.

He had just lightly praised him, so why…?

Roan was equally dumbfounded.

‘Since when did these guys think of me like this…?’

Of course, Pierbo, who tried to snitch on him, was insolent and a bad guy, but…

Still, it was even more disgusting to see the students, who had usually been dying to curse him, rushing forward as if they had been waiting for this moment.

…Didn’t they look exactly like thugs vigilantly watching for any opportunity to grab someone and condemn them?

However, there was another person who was the angriest among them.

Boom───!

A suspicious explosion, as if threatening space-time, to have been generated by a single swing.

The students who were shouting wildly instinctively covered their ears.

The person who caused the explosion was none other than Kaina.

“How dare you open your mouth…”

It was like the growl of a wild beast rising from the end of the world.

The presence emanating from Kaina’s small frame showed why she was called the ‘Demon Inquisitor.’

“Uuuggh…”

Pierbo, struck by her hammer, had flown to the end of the athletic field before they knew it and was crashed into the wall.

“If you knew of Darc’s wounds.”

Step─

“You wouldn’t have been able to say such a thing even in jest.”

Step─

Kaina drew closer to Pierbo, step by step.

─ Um, Professor Kaina. First, calm down…

─ Eeek!

The holy knights tried to stop her for now, but when Kaina glared at them, they immediately paved the way.

“How dare you mention something like a black mage in front of Darc…”

Rumble─

Around Kaina, the stones and soil of the athletic field rose into the air.

Pierbo, filled with spite, shouted with a pale face.

“Yes, kill me! I would rather die than live like this! You dogs who have forgotten Hiloa’s teachings, with no honor to be found!”

Roan watched him with a stiff face.

‘Although his words aren’t wrong, he’s not the one to talk.’

In today’s world, the messenger was as important as the message.

Even if Kaina beat a black mage like that to death, Roan had no particular desire to stop her.

“I will do as you say! You who wouldn’t be enough even if you burned in hell for eternity!”

Crash─ Whoosh─!

Kaina immediately kicked off the ground and brought her hammer back as if about to strike at any second.

The massive hammer made a sharp whistling sound.

Demona grabbed Roan’s sleeve and shouted.

“R-Roan! The black mage is going to die!”

“…He won’t die.”

Even though Kaina’s hammer looked crude enough to split the sky and rend the earth, it was a magnificent holy artifact.

‘Non-Killing Hammer.’

With that hammer, no matter how strong the power used or high-level holy magic loaded to strike, it prevented the target from dying instantly.

It was the best weapon for an Inquisitor’s suppression.