“If I had to put it simply, we are heretics.”
The old black mage who introduced himself as Akaden began to speak.
“Heretics?”
“Yes. Do you know the origin of black magic?”
“It’s a degraded version of blood magic created by the followers of ancient vampires.”
“A degraded version… Haha, yes, that’s right. Since you know that much, we can move quickly.”
Akaden didn’t seem to mind Shane’s words and continued.
“Blood magic was created by those who revered ancient vampires. Naturally, its purpose was to take life. Black magic, which is derived from blood magic, is thus correctly perceived by the public today.”
“That’s not wrong.”
“Indeed. But do you know the exact meaning of the word ‘awe’?”
“It’s the coexistence of respect and fear.”
“Precisely. Just like that, humans and many other species are dualistic. Blood magic that is created by such beings is bound to be dualistic as well.”
With that, Akaden took a withered flower from his robe and placed it on the table, then sprinkled black magic over it.
“They studied blood magic while also considering ways to resist the vampires. They sought methods to prevent themselves from being taken.”
As the flower absorbed the black magic, it began to regain its vitality, as if time was rewinding little by little.
Moisture slowly gathered on the dry stem, and color returned to the faded petals.
“With continued research, various schools emerged, and we are the black mages of the School of Life.”
“The School of Life?”
“Yes. Some black mages, who had split from blood magic, saw a fragment of what they believed to be the essence of life within black magic.”
“Hmm.”
“I too was captivated by that possibility and became a black mage. In fact, all of us here were drawn in the same way.”
Akaden’s eyes were tinged with regret and he continued speaking as if he was recalling the past.
“A sword’s purpose changes depending on who wields it, doesn’t it? In the hands of a warrior, it takes the life of another, but in the hands of a cook, it becomes a tool to serve a warm meal to the hungry.”
“Oh.”
It was quite an interesting perspective.
Shane himself had drawn on some of Gordon’s magic to restore the soul of the Second Princess Anastasia.
However, he had never considered anything like the essence of life in the process.
In contrast, these mages had seen the power to save lives within destructive black magic.
“But our research and experiments inevitably require the sacrifice of other beings.”
He wasn’t wrong.
In reality, although the development of potions had saved countless lives, before that, many people had to lose their lives or become crippled due to countless trials and errors.
Black magic was similar in that regard, but… the problem was that its image was far too different.
When potions first appeared in the world, people hesitated to use them because they involved troll blood.
For the School of Life within black magic, which was based on killing people and using their corpses, it was nearly impossible to foster a positive public image.
“Even so, we did not give up. Despite the side effects, we researched numerous stimulants that, when taken in proper doses, could greatly aid humanity’s goal of dungeon exploration.”
As a result, black mages went underground, settled down, and continued their research.
However, the reason they had no choice but to join forces with Gordon was the lack of proper combat personnel within the School of Life.
From the start, the black magic they practiced, aside from stimulants, was of little use in combat.
So, in order to protect themselves from external threats, they cooperated with Gordon, but that turned out to be one of their biggest mistakes.
“Who could have known? That madman Gordon would commit a terrorist attack against the Empire.”
In truth, it was hard to even call it a terrorist attack.
It was simply that an explosion occurred in the underground lab of Gordon in the imperial capital due to a failed experiment, and this ended up affecting those on the surface as well.
“I swear, we had no knowledge of what happened back then. It was all Gordon acting on his own. But Gordon’s followers justified his actions and even incited war.”
As a result, the Empire was enraged, and in the end, they became targets of extermination.
The problem was that the School of Life was also among those targets.
“We hurried to prepare for escape. But in the end, the reason we had no choice but to take Gordon’s hand never disappeared. Since we have no power, wasn’t it natural that we would be exploited in the future?”
And so the black mages of the School of Life were captured by Miss Sue’s group and have been exploited ever since; they were forced to mass-produce doping drugs.
For over 30 long years.
“I see…”
After hearing the entire story from Arkaden, Shane fell into brief contemplation.
The future Shane envisioned was a world safe from the organization.
However, the organization was using powers unknown to humanity, which would eventually lead to humanity’s destruction.
The core problem was the organization of Nameless, but that wasn’t the only issue.
Setting aside the existence of people like the Crown Prince.
Humanity was currently too deeply immersed in the power of magic.
Given that humanity had been unable to wield magic since ancient times, their yearning for it was understandable, but…
There’s no point in rejecting other powers.
Creatures that fail to adapt to a changing world ultimately face extinction.
Shane had seen such humanity firsthand, and that was why he pursued change.
This could be useful.
Shane felt a little sorry for those who had just explained how they had been exploited, but he also viewed them through the lens of value rather than humanity.
However, unlike Miss Sue, the values Shane considered were beneficial not only to them but also to humanity as a whole.
“A flea trapped in a glass jar, was it? An interesting metaphor.”
“…Thank you.”
When the earlier conversation suddenly came up, Akaden gave a bitter smile.
Comparing himself and his fellow black mages to fleas was hardly flattering.
“I found it rather impressive. I could see the will to move forward. So, what will you do? Will you rise again?”
“Rise…?”
“It means, will you become a bird that rules the sky instead of a flea.”
“Hmm…?”
“Why not spread your wings and take that first flight while risking your life? If you take my hand, it’s not an impossible feat.”
At those words, Akaden’s expression showed genuine interest.
Of course, Shane was still just the mysterious man who had defeated Miss Sue to them.
But if they were to accept his offer…
Shane’s plans would advance several steps forward.
***
A peaceful afternoon.
Klein decided to attend some classes at the academy for the first time in a while and catch up with the friends he hadn’t seen during the busy past year.
After meeting up with his friends after such a long time, Klein spent the remaining time in a nearby square and sat on a bench while gazing at the scenery around him.
He didn’t have any particular appointments, but simply watching the passersby was quite soothing for his mind and body.
A small sparrow flitting through the sky.
A couple enjoying a pleasant moment together.
Siblings running around, with parents watching them with warm smiles.
As Klein observed these everyday scenes, Shane suddenly came to mind.
Is big brother doing well?
It had been almost two years since they last met.
They had been exchanging letters, but he was beginning to miss seeing his family’s faces.
He’s probably still devoted to magic.
Now, two years later, Shane had truly become a completely different person from the past.
His blunt way of speaking remained the same, but the sharpness in his tone was gone, and he was especially gaining considerable popularity among the mages.
According to his father Lowell who was the head of the family, numerous marriage proposals were coming in from mage families.
Come to think of it, Anais also said she’s been busy lately.
When Klein’s thoughts continued to flow in that direction.
At some point, Klein stopped all his thoughts and focused his gaze on a passerby walking down the street.
He was a peculiar person.
Was it unusual because he was wearing shabby rags and staggering across the center of the plaza?
It was indeed rare for someone to stroll around dressed like that, especially at such a crowded time in the heart of the Allied Nations.
But Klein wasn’t staring at him just because of that.
Something… feels ominous.
Klein, who had grown vastly different from two years ago, sensed an ominous feeling from the man.
It wasn’t just a random or supernatural force, but a sense purely honed through experience.
Recalling when he had last felt such a sensation, Klein quietly rose from his seat.
It was definitely during the war in the Mezaiya Forest and the battle with the orcs of Arunvida….
And almost at the same time, the man in rags grimaced as if in pain and hunched over deeply.
A few passersby approached the man.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“Mahhh… gaaah….”
“What? What did you say?”
“Run… away… gaaah…!”
“Run…? What?”
“Aaaaargh!!”
The once peaceful plaza was pierced by the man’s scream.
At the same time, many people’s attention was drawn to the scene, and countless screams erupted.
“Ahhhh!”
“Wh-What is that?!”
“M-Monster! It’s a monster! A monster has appeared!!”
“Everyone, run!”
As the scrawny man in rags straightened his hunched body, his clothes tore apart.
In an instant, the small man was gone, and a massive monster appeared in his place.
A protruding snout jutted forward excessively.
Vertically slit pupils and eyes as red as blood.
Each leg was as thick as a street tree, and its rough, bumpy skin resembled that of a crocodile.
The man’s true identity was a crocodile beastman.
He had a lizard-like appearance; he looked like a Lizardman but with a much more vicious build, and he turned his gaze to the passerby who had just been worried about him.
“E-Eeeeek! M-Monster!”
Caught off guard by the sudden situation, a passerby was frozen in place; he sat down and started trembling uncontrollably.
“Graaah…!!”
As if he had completely lost his mind.
The crocodile beastman raised his thick arm and swung it down toward the terrified passerby.
At the same time, countless screams erupted from the surrounding area.
Many people squeezed their eyes shut. They started imagining the passerby being crushed like ground meat.
“Hoo…”
Fortunately, such a thing did not happen.
Somehow, Klein who was now cloaked in a shimmering golden aura, stepped in and blocked the crocodile beastman’s brutal arm with his sheathed sword.
Klein shouted,
“Everyone, evacuate!”
“Oh, that golden aura!”
“It’s Klein, the Yellow Dragon!”
“The rising star who made a name for himself in the Great Mezaiya Forest?!”
This was the coalition, renowned as the adventurers’ sanctuary, and in the past two years, Klein had drawn everyone’s attention with his unique aura color and remarkable achievements.
In the meantime, a few brave individuals pulled the fallen passerby to safety, and only then did Klein turn his gaze toward the crocodile beastman he was facing.
At that moment, some passersby shouted at Klein,
“Hey, rising star! Just kill that monster already!”
“Yeah! If you don’t, things will only get worse!”
With those shouts, all eyes quickly shifted from Klein to the crocodile beastman.
The minds of those who had been filled with fear and confusion just moments ago now began to brim with malice toward the crocodile beastman.
“Y-Yeah! Monsters like that need to be killed right away!”
“What are you waiting for? Just kill it already!”
Klein dodged the crocodile man’s attacks several times with a pensive expression and thought about it.
What should I do?
Contrary to the shouts of the crowd, Klein was pondering how to subdue the crocodile beastman.
And with good reason. He had clearly heard it.
[Run… away… gaaah….!]
Right before he transformed, the crocodile beastman had desperately tried to drive away the people around him.
It was clear that the crocodile beastman before him hadn’t attacked others of his own will.
He had simply lost his sanity due to something.
Klein had encountered a similar phenomenon before.
Being highly sensitive to magic, Klein could sense the familiar magic surrounding the crocodile beastman now that he was in close contact with him, making him even more certain.
Two years ago.
During the war in Arunvida, orcs whose bodies had been enhanced through blood magic rituals gave off a similar feeling.
What did that person do back then?
Oddly enough, at this moment, Klein recalled a certain figure to subdue the beastman before him.
The figure in the plain white mask who had appeared during the war in Arunvida.
When he recalled how that figure had subdued the orcs, Klein’s eyes gleamed.
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