Ch.122122. Old Comrades

I checked the round clock above the entrance to the auditorium. Though I felt I hadn’t progressed through the lecture as much as I’d planned, two hours had already passed.

It was time to wrap things up.

But I suppose my personal desire took precedence.

I wondered when I’d see students this focused again, so I didn’t want to disrupt the current flow.

“To summarize once more, just as mana exists in all humans, mana is ultimately contained in all souls as well.”

So I planned to maintain this concentration and finish with a simple summary.

Realizing I was about to conclude the lecture, not only the students but also the professors focused on my final summary.

This was the time when I highlighted the most important points from the lecture.

“However, as I mentioned, what anchors a soul’s mana isn’t the physical body but a kind of will.”

This is precisely where the difference occurs.

“That’s why evil spirits often vary in strength according to their will. Though I’ve deliberately used the term ‘will,’ it’s essentially accurate to view it as ‘grudge’ or ‘attachment.'”

Gulp.

The students were so tense I could hear them swallowing. They seemed to recall their experiences from the first semester.

“As you’ve experienced, conventional magic doesn’t work on such entities.”

This time, the professors groaned in agreement. Having fought the evil spirits that had engulfed the academy multiple times, they empathized completely.

“Simple fireballs, water bullets, lightning bolts. Though created through mana, they’re ultimately spells designed for physical impact.”

Conversely.

Blue flames flickered at my fingertips.

A special magic known as the Spiritmaster’s Flame.

“Black Mages have methods like this to harm incorporeal entities. However.”

The audience gasped in surprise as I thrust my hand into the flames.

But my hand only felt warmth similar to a sauna, with no burns or damage.

“It’s difficult to harm physical entities with this.”

Of course, such types are extremely rare among Black Magic spells. After all, we primarily deal with humans, so most spells are designed to target them.

The Spiritmaster’s Flame was grasped in my hand before scattering and disappearing.

“Today, I’ve provided a simple explanation of the background and theory. From the next session, we’ll proceed with practical exercises.”

A moment of silence followed my words.

Knowing what they were worried about, I preemptively addressed it.

“Though I am a Black Mage, I have absolutely no intention of teaching you Black Magic.”

The students looked puzzled, wondering what I meant. They had probably come prepared with some resolve, thinking they would learn Black Magic in my class.

But this wasn’t a discipline that could be learned with such half-hearted determination.

Only those like Dante and the Dark Spiritmaster—those who walked the path without a shred of hesitation—could truly master it.

“I intend to teach you methods to detect and respond to Black Magic, evil spirits, and monsters. I’ll also show you how to protect yourselves from such entities, and this will be the focus of future lectures.”

This way, the academy wouldn’t be so easily taken over again like before.

Moreover, these teachings for young students would spread throughout the Griffin Kingdom, gradually enabling the kingdom—vulnerable to Black Mages and spiritual phenomena—to defend itself.

Since the Demon of Griffin, a Black Mage, created this deformed structure of the kingdom, I, also a Black Mage, should restore the balance.

Just as I was about to end the lecture, a student raised his hand high.

Though much time had passed, since no other student objected, I pointed to him.

“Speak.”

“Professor, I heard you solved several cold cases during this summer vacation.”

“That’s right.”

It was true.

After all, most unsolved cases in the Griffin Kingdom involved evil spirits or monsters.

“Will that content be included in the class? For example, will you conduct lectures by applying those situations?”

It was an excellent question, and also something I had been considering due to Erika’s advice yesterday.

Rather than simply imparting knowledge, incorporating my experiences into the lectures would increase focus and make them more engaging.

Of course, out of consideration for the victims, I couldn’t share all cases, but I planned to select from the less severe ones.

“Yes. I was actually planning to incorporate a real case into the next lecture.”

The hall stirred again.

Perhaps it felt like an experienced detective sharing his case notebook?

It would certainly be an interesting topic.

“Thank you!”

The student sat down with a satisfied smile. I held the microphone for one final explanation.

“Lastly, any student who discovers information about the Dark Spiritmaster may come to me anytime. However, each person gets only one chance, so choose wisely.”

They could waste my time by making random guesses. The students didn’t react much, as if they had expected this condition.

“With that, I conclude the lecture.”

I then left the auditorium.

* * *

The impact of Deus Verdi’s Black Magic lectures extended beyond Robern Academy.

Black Magic—which until now had been completely denied and suppressed by the kingdom.

Parents were quite displeased about teaching it to students, and church bishops were also keeping a close watch.

They were ready to intervene at the slightest suspicious activity, thinking students might be corrupted at any moment.

But literally, as stated.

Deus Verdi was solely teaching methods to counter Black Magic.

And he was even serving as the practice opponent himself.

“Hup!”

Elenoa drew upon her mana and created a green barrier that enveloped her entire body.

The Dark Spiritmaster’s flames poured down on it.

“Ugh!”

Her hands trembled and her head throbbed with pain, but because the Dark Spiritmaster had controlled his power, Elenoa was barely able to block it.

“Hah! Hah!”

Cold sweat streamed down.

She had used plenty of spells that consumed only mana, but this was her first time using magic that required both mana and mental strength simultaneously.

She also hadn’t realized that the vague concept of mental strength could be so clearly defined.

Deus had taught that to counter spiritual attacks, one must imbue their defense with a will that corresponds to the opponent’s.

“Well done, next.”

“Th-thank you.”

At Deus’s praise, Elenoa wiped her sweat, smiled broadly, and returned to the line.

The next student stepped forward.

“First-year Leorus, sir.”

A boy with striking blue hair. He would become a master of the spear and an important tank in Aria’s party in the future.

[Ugh! I don’t want to do this anymore!]

The Dark Spiritmaster, who had been serving as the opponent all this time, complained, but Deus didn’t bother to respond.

Eventually, the Dark Spiritmaster released flames again, but.

“Argh!”

Leorus fell flat on his back. It seemed he was still struggling with the concept of using mana and mental strength simultaneously.

“That’s enough, next.”

In truth, Leorus had done quite well. Only exceptional students like Elenoa or Aria received praise from Deus; most students didn’t hear any positive feedback.

The lectures mostly proceeded through practical exercises like this, while theoretical content was based on Deus’s experiences.

Both aspects were popular with students, and the course had already been labeled as absolutely essential at Robern, which had been dominated by evil spirits in the first semester.

“Urgh.”

Another student, unable to withstand the Dark Spiritmaster’s flames, made a pained expression and vacated their position.

Next in line.

“Please.”

The protagonist, Aria Rius, stared at me with a confident expression.

[…..]

The Dark Spiritmaster’s expression hardened. He unleashed his flames with more force toward Aria, but.

Aria calmly erected a barrier to protect herself as if nothing had happened.

A demonstration of her solid mental strength.

“…Well done.”

“Yes!”

Could such mild praise make her that happy? Aria turned around with a beaming smile.

Aria lined up in the adjacent queue for the next training exercise. Ahead of her were classmates who had been consecutively defeated by the Dark Spiritmaster.

“Aria, how are you so good at this?”

“Wow, you’re really amazing.”

“Could you teach me later?”

“You’re quite skilled.”

Friends with unique and striking appearances.

Leorus, Happy, Forensia, Jin.

“…..”

All companions from the first playthrough.

As I mentioned before, Leorus was a master of the spear who always performed well at the front lines. His water magic was also excellent, making him a great barrier.

Happy was a female archer. She always provided firepower from the rear alongside Forensia and had good compatibility with items from the Republic of Clark.

Forensia was a mage.

She was the backbone of the party, supporting the team with healing and supplementing Happy’s insufficient firepower. If she fell, it was as good as breaking the party’s spine.

Lastly, Jin was an assassin who wielded dual weapons. Though he pretended to be a quiet student now, his family had been operating as an assassination group for a very long time.

Jin was the next head of that assassination group but joined the party.

He was a man of diverse abilities including reconnaissance, trap disarmament, and ambush tactics.

Suddenly, memories of sitting around a campfire and chatting came to mind.

– Phew, this is tough.

Leorus, at the front, grumbled as he wiped his sweat with water magic.

– Times like these make me miss the academy days.

Happy, grilling meat at the campfire, reminisced about academy times.

– We’re still technically students, you know.

Forensia responded glumly while preparing the meat.

– It’s burning, idiot.

Jin sighed, annoyed at Happy for not cooking properly.

A scene Aria had witnessed many times.

After finishing the day’s adventure, gathering around the campfire to chat.

Naturally, most of their conversations were about their time at the academy.

So I’ve returned to the academy like this. In the previous playthrough, I never came back.

Is this enough?

While Aria pondered this question.

Throb!

She grimaced momentarily at the sudden pain in her head and took a deep breath.

“What, what’s wrong, Aria?”

“Huh? You seem to be in pain?”

“Should we call the professor?”

“Take deep breaths.”

Cold sweat dampened her forehead, and the other students worried about Aria’s sudden condition, but.

Aria gritted her teeth and said to her old companions:

“Get lost. Just enjoy your precious academy life that you all loved so much.”

With fierce hostility, Aria clenched her fist.

None of it matters.

I will protect the professor alone. I won’t hesitate between you and the professor again.

Even if such a time comes again.

“I will choose the professor, no matter what.”

Aria turned sharply and left. She no longer wanted to be with them.