44 – Peace
[Warning! Your identity may be exposed!]
As the massive door slowly opened, revealing the figures seated beside the large desk, the status window turned red and flashed insanely.
It was as if it was urgently insisting that I should leave the spot right now, signaling real danger.
‘……!’
Fortunately, I was in a bending section, so I could barely hide my body before making eye contact with the person inside the room as the status window flashed.
…..I really thought I was caught. If I had been spaced out even for a second, eye contact would have been made and my stealth would have been deactivated.
‘But, who is that person inside… What exactly are they?’
It was clearly a person at first glance. Vaguely, it seemed to be a bald… well, quite an old-looking person.
However, there was no trace of the kind of aura that a person should possess.
It felt as if… they had been erased from this world.
Existing, yet denying their own existence… It was a strange feeling I had never experienced before.
“Just how strong is that person?”
My disguise made it impossible for even the students and occasionally passing professors and officials to see me.
But when that dark sorcerer looked in the direction where I was, they almost saw through my disguise.
That sound, does it mean that the dark sorcerer is stronger than the academy’s officials and professors?
Even though it is where the continent’s top professors and talents teach the students.
“…For now, let’s go back from here.”
There was nothing else I could do at the moment, and I knew the existence and the way to enter this secret gathering place, so I should be satisfied.
And now, the grand sound of the cave’s vibrating and the closing of the door could be heard from around the corner. As someone who doesn’t have the “relic” to prove that they are a dark sorcerer, I have no choice.
So, I started to make my way back to my dormitory along the path I had walked.
Kugugung…
“Wait, you had another meeting today?”
“That’s right.”
Just as I was about to open the secret door in the academy’s basement storage room, the dark sorcerer appeared from the other side and opened the door.
I almost got caught, but luckily I managed to escape before the door closed.
I climbed up to the lobby through the underground stairs and made my way to the floor where the dormitories were located.
Plod…Plod.
As soon as the guard walking past my dormitory disappeared into the distance, I quickly checked the surroundings and then made it inside my dorm.
“Phew… Somehow, it all worked out.”
I slump onto the bed and let out a sigh. Ever since I left the dorm, I had been maintaining my concealment, nearly depleting my dark magic.
‘Status window, Dark Magic category.’
[Dark Magic Category.]
[Proficiency in Dark Magic Lv.4]
[Evil Eye (Lv:???) : The Eye of the Demon God. It can discern and reverse-engineer the structure of all dark magic.]
[Dark Spear (Lv:4) : A basic attack skill. Launches a spear of darkness imbued with energy that defies the world.]
[Dark Magic Manipulation (Lv:2) : By manipulating dark magic, one can conceal the aura within and change the color of the magic. (However, it consumes 1.5 times more dark magic and does not apply to dark magic beyond the user’s limit.)]
[Concealment (Lv:2) : Denies the world, making it impossible for others to perceive one’s form. (However, the negation ends the moment even one person detects the appearance or presence.)]
[??? (Insufficient proficiency) : ???]
I hadn’t fought a battle, just sneakily scouted a gathering of dark magicians, but my proficiency and levels had increased.
…Until now, I had to endlessly defeat dark magicians and absorb dark magic just to raise these levels.
It felt a bit hollow.
“…What exactly is about to happen in this academy?”
This is a serious matter. There are people here with dark magic strong enough to overwhelm me…
I have no idea what they are planning or thinking.
But… one thing is certain.
If they achieve their ideal, it will not only affect this academy but also send shockwaves throughout the empire.
“Venice. It’s been a while.”
“Didn’t we see each other yesterday?”
“Yes. So, what did you do yesterday?”
“Just. Just toured the Academy, and stayed in my room, that’s all.”
The next day. When the bell rang and I went to see Ariel, she started questioning me as if she were conducting an interrogation.
What I did yesterday, what I ate. Who I met, even who they were.
I was sweating bullets, barely managing to cobble together an answer. All I did yesterday was discipline Copson and Jade and scout the Black Mage assembly.
“….Ariel. Why are you doing this to her? Did she do something wrong?”
“Such obsession… this could be valuable information.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Kale and Pria, who were watching, seemed to pity me enough to intervene. No matter how much they tried, Ariel just brushed them off with a ‘mind your own business’.
-Hooh…
-….This is quite interesting.
The moment they heard that, they watched with keen interest, as if watching a morning drama. I wanted to ask for help, but I just couldn’t.
So, like yesterday, we headed to the dining hall. Of course, unable to eat again due to the crowd that swarmed in.
“Ah… I just want to eat in peace.”
“Really… I don’t know how these people never get tired.”
“……This is why I didn’t want to come to the Academy.”
Today, too, they sighed in the small garden behind the Academy. Ariel, in particular, seemed really annoyed.
I had prepared something, hoping to be of some small help to them.
“Come on, everyone. Eat this and cheer up.”
“….What is this? A lunchbox? Venice’s little brother. Did you make this yourself?”
“Hmm… this is quite touching.”
“…..Venice. This kind of thing should be just for me….”
“No, no. I saw there were lunchboxes at the kiosk, so I got three packed. I thought the ladies might take a lunchbox and go somewhere, and the students would follow them.”
It was just a little help I could offer them, who hadn’t even had a proper meal. It was pitiful to see them walking wearily, barely having eaten.
“Little brother….”
“…..*sniff*.”
It was really nothing special, but Kale and Pria looked at me with teary eyes. It wasn’t something to be so moved about..
“Little brother-!”
“…Come here!”
“Uh…what?”
*Swoop-*
Soon, they started caressing me as they hugged me, like petting a puppy.
In that situation, I couldn’t push away these noble ladies or get angry, just struggling and crying out for them to stop.
“…Move away. Venice doesn’t like it.”
“Not like it~? Pretty sisters are doing this for you. By the way, little brother, would you like to come to me instead of Ariel? I’ll take good care of you…”
“No, come to me. I’ll treat you as if you were an emperor.”
Ariel’s expression was getting colder and colder, but they didn’t care and kept pushing and pulling me between them.
….This seems a bit… dangerous. Ariel’s expression is getting more and more…
Plop!
“Venice… is mine…! Get out of my way!”
“Screaaam!”
“aaah….”
Unable to contain her anger any longer, Ariel’s expression turned into a cold, emotionless one, and with her mana, she lifted a gust of wind, causing Kale and Freya to fly away.
Thump. Thump.
“Ouch… Ariel, what are you doing to your friend?”
“Sob… That’s really mean…!”
“You’re laughing. And just so you know, I’m not your friend.”
As they looked at Ariel with tearful eyes, as if they were pitiful heroines who had fallen on the ground, it was only natural that Ariel was not moved.
“Younger sister, I’ll contact you separately later, okay?”
“Keep your cellphone with you, Akaphon. I don’t know when I’ll contact you… Hoho.”
“These… these people-!”
Giggling, Ariel chased after the girls who were running away, grinding her teeth. She knew very well that despite pretending to dislike them, she always watched over them and stayed close.
It’s such… such a peaceful scene. Not just these girls, but all the other creatures too.
Not only these girls, but all the other creatures are blooming in this space of youth. They are spending their time of youth, which will never come back, in their own ways.
“…I can’t let these pests disrupt this peace.”
Thinking of the bugs that would corrode this peaceful space, I engraved in my mind the goal that only I can accomplish.
***
The brilliant sun sets, and the time of night arrives. Today, too, I was clad in a black robe.
Eriel: I’ll probably be busy all week.
Eriel: Unless I give you special instructions, do as you wish.
Eriel: …Don’t get bewitched by some strange woman.
Earlier. I look at the message Eriel had sent me. It means I have free time all this week.
Then, I can’t waste this time.
‘Invisibility.’
I negate the world and conceal my form, picking up a thick rope before stepping out of the room. My destination is Room 118. Copson and Jade. Where the loathsome dark wizard resides.
It seems my invisibility extends to what I’m carrying, so I was able to bring the binding rope too.
“Ah… damn it. Why do they keep calling me so often lately?”
“So annoying… ugh…”
As I reach Room 118, I see them, clad in dark wizard robes and masks, about to open the dormitory door.
‘The guard… hasn’t arrived yet.’
Confirming that the guard hasn’t arrived yet, I immediately move.
Stepping through the wide-open door, I pull the dark wizards’ robes from behind, dragging them back into the room.
Clatter-
“What… what the hell! Jade, did you do this!”
“Damn it… Copson, what are you doing!”
Accusing each other, they soon looked at each other dumbfounded, as if realizing something.
What a scene. Fortunately, they are so foolish and simple.
“Ha ha. What a funny scene.”
“You… what are you, you ba-“
Crack.
“There’s no need for you to know. And you couldn’t even if you wanted to.”
“This… this guy, what the…! What is he…!”
Watching Copson, who had fainted with his eyes rolled back after a single strike, Jade hurriedly stood up and began to summon dark magic.
That’s right, give it your best shot.
Crash-!
“Uh…what?”
“If you can, that is.”
“This is-!”
Crackle.
The body of an untrained dark magician crumbles all too easily.
I tied up the fainted ones with thick ropes I brought, ensuring they couldn’t escape by any means, and stuffed them into a wardrobe.
“Phew. The first stage is a success, I guess.”
I immediately took out the relic I had seen last night from their desk drawer.
[Dark Relic (???): A relic imbued with dark magic. Dark magic constantly seeps from it. Its function is unknown.]
Good. Now that I have this, I can pretend to be a dark magician and infiltrate their gathering.
“I’ll be borrowing this for a while.”
Donning the mask Copson had been wearing, I step out of the dormitory.