Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Trust Relationship (4)

At the very time Damon began causing a scene at the alley restaurant.

“...After Aron disappeared during the Joint Class like that, the ‘Black Magic Barrier’ was lifted.”

Lloyd met Dave separately in Professor Dave’s private office and told him exactly what he had seen.

The content was that it had been confirmed that Aron Bayonel was hiding his identity at Saengterminum.

“The three of us, myself included, promised to keep the fact that we saw Aron a secret, but.......”

“...You would have separately hinted at it to people you trust, just as you are doing now.”

“Hmm, I suppose that is true. We did not silence one another with something like the ‘Curse of Silence’ either.”

“That is trivial. The problem is how we will catch Aron.”

As they thought of Aron, Professor Dave and Lloyd frowned.

“To think he was not caught by the Security Formulas laid throughout Saengterminum. Just what kind of demon did Aron make a contract with?”

“There are many demons in hell. On top of that, there are countless demons whose names have not even been registered. At present, we cannot specify which demon he contracted with.”

“It does not suit my temperament to simply sit idle like this.”

“It will still take more time for the curse to be completed, but... you do have a point. If Aron causes an incident in Saengterminum, which is a neutral zone, our Dark Empire’s position will become awkward as well.”

Still, this was not the worst case.

At the very least, Aron had stated his objective himself.

“He is trying to kill Yulia, a Holy Magic Department student, is he? Tsk....... He has copied the behavior of Demon Worshippers exactly.”

Professor Dave rubbed his forehead and checked the Joint Class rankings from today.

[1st Place, Yulia 320 points]

[2nd Place, Lloyd 250 points]

[3rd Place, Damon 200 points]

[4th Place, Jaeger 150 points]

[5th Place, Viole 120 points]

.
.
.

Yulia, whose life Aron was targeting, had placed 1st in the Joint Class ranking.

Moreover, judging by the circumstances Lloyd had just told him, Yulia seemed to have cast High-Rank Holy Magic at the age of seventeen.

In addition, she had received a Grade 1 License based on her entrance grades alone.

If he also considered the fact that the Black Magic Aron used was the natural opposite of Holy Magic.......

Yulia Yupiter. 

If it was that student, she might truly be able to fight Aron on even terms.

The spirit she had shown when saying she would personally punish Aron surely had not been empty words.

“...For now, I understand. At least the matter has become easier since I am in charge of the Holy Magic Department. I will have to pay more attention to Yulia from now on.”

Even if Aron tried to kill Yulia again, now that he had begun keeping an eye on Yulia... Aron would not be able to recklessly ambush her.

If Aron approached Yulia again without knowing anything, that would actually be convenient. 

He could simply catch Aron on the spot.

However, he was a former soldier who had rolled through war. 

Considering sudden variables had always been ingrained in him as a habit.

When Aron appeared in front of Yulia again, there was a possibility that he himself might unavoidably be absent from the scene.

Whatever the case, he was currently working as a professor at Saengterminum.

“It would be good if there were one useful person among the first-year students of the Holy Magic Department.......”

A student in the same department as Yulia.

A student whose skills were outstanding at the same time.

And a Holy Magic Department student who would also listen carefully to the words of a Black Mage like him.

Tsk.

Even he found the thought absurd and clicked his tongue.

There was no way such a student would exist among the first-year students of the Holy Magic Department.......

[3rd Place, Damon 200 points]

...Hm?

As Professor Dave scanned the Joint Class ranking, his eyes fixed on the name of one student.

Wait... that name was.......

Damon David.

He was a student who had stood out quite a bit during the first class.

A student who had remained seated without any particular change in expression, even after being shown the power of a demon right before his eyes.

That was why, for a moment, Dave had expected that a first-rate student who did not fear the power of demons at all had enrolled.

‘Puhahaa.......’

‘...Were you simply sitting there because you were too shocked?’

‘Yes... Well.......’

‘Haa... Forget it. I suppose I expected too much.’

In truth, he had merely been a student whose body had frozen because he had been too shocked by the power of demons.

So Dave had thought his own eyes had been wrong.

And yet.

[3rd Place, Damon 200 points]

A student he had thought of that way had placed 3rd in the Joint Class?

“Kekeke.......”

Dave twisted the corner of his mouth.

“Do I still have a long way to go?”

“Pardon?”

“It is nothing. It seems my eyes were not completely wrong after all.”

Remembering what he had said to Damon, Dave laughed self-deprecatingly.

‘What a shame. I thought there was a fairly useful one here.’

A shame because he was not useful?

Was there really anyone as useful as that student right now?

He was in the same Holy Magic Department as Yulia, and he had outstanding ability, enough to place 3rd in the Joint Class.

Was that all? 

Even though he was a Holy Power Awakener, he was a peculiar fellow who defended Black Magic, and he had been mentioned often among the professors of Saengterminum.

He was not merely useful. 

He was perfect.

To think there was such a suitable student.

“Do you know anything about ‘Damon David’?”

“Oh, you mean that fellow?”

At Dave’s question, the corners of Lloyd’s mouth rose.

“He is quite an unusual fellow for a Holy Magic Department student. I have never seen a Holy Power Awakener like him before.”

“Oh, even you say that much about him?”

Lloyd told Professor Dave everything that had happened with Damon.

After listening closely to his words, Professor Dave nodded in satisfaction.

“He is good. He said he wanted to catch Aron Bayonel, and he is also maintaining a smooth relationship with Yulia.......”

He had decided.

“It would be best to share information about Aron with this student Damon.”

“You would go that far?”

“The circumstances are different from when we were at Necropia. Right now, catching Aron takes priority. Even if I am a professor of the Holy Magic Department, Student Yulia will not tell me about matters related to Aron.”

Even if he was a professor of the Holy Magic Department, he was still a Black Mage.

There was no chance that Yulia, a member of the Holy Order, would consult him about Aron.

“You mean we need an assistant who will share information with us?”

“Exactly.”

A strange light appeared in Professor Dave’s eyes.

“It seems I will have to meet Damon separately tomorrow.”

***

At dawn the next day, in Saengterminum’s Training Hall.

Haaam.......

As I entered the Training Hall, I yawned widely.

Now that I thought about it, my school life was truly bleak.

Last night, as always, my sleep time had been reduced because I had eliminated defectors together with Lucia.

Thanks to that, I had been able to raise my understanding of Holy Magic quickly, so it had been damn good, but still.

Now, shall I check the performance of the weapon I obtained yesterday?

Holding the ‘Mana Crystal Dagger’ I had obtained from the Joint Class, I infused mana into its handle.

Swoooosh.......

The mana crystal in the handle, now filled with mana, sucked in my mana like a sponge.

“Ah, this is worth the points.”

This was the effect of the ‘Mana Crystal Dagger.’

The amount of mana that could be stored in the heart was limited, and at present, I could not noticeably increase the total amount of mana stored in my heart.

However, like this, I could store the user’s mana in advance and absorb that mana for use when necessary.

It was as if I had created another heart outside my body that could store mana.

If I used the mana stored in the Mana Crystal Dagger together when casting Black Magic, it would greatly reduce the burden of using Black Magic.

I could say that my ability to maintain Black Magic had become about twice as good as before.

Though it was only theoretical, if I stored mana in the ‘Mana Crystal Dagger’ to its maximum and drew out all the mana stored in my heart to its limit as well.......

I would be able to cast High-Rank Black Magic through my own ability alone.

“Hmm.......”

However, I was still hesitant to cast High-Rank Black Magic as practice.

It was obvious without even seeing it that if I cast High-Rank Black Magic with my current physical condition, I would not be able to handle the side effects.

In the worst case, there was even a possibility that my body would be unable to withstand the load of Black Magic and I would end up in a vegetative state.

I should try casting High-Rank Black Magic later, once I was certain there would be no side effects.

With the weapon inspection finished, I gathered myself in order to attend class today.

***

The moment I stepped into the lobby after leaving the Training Hall, I stopped.

“I was waiting for you.”

“...Professor Dave?”

Professor Dave, who had been sitting in a chair, saw me and rose to his feet.

“I intended to come find you as soon as you left the Dormitory, but I did not know you would be honing your skills this early in the morning.”

“What brings you to find me?”

After confirming that there was no one nearby, Professor Dave opened his mouth.

“It has been confirmed that Aron is in Saengterminum.”

Professor Dave, who had gone straight to the point, continued to explain.

To summarize what he said, it was as follows.

He had heard through Lloyd that Aron had secretly intruded into yesterday’s Joint Class.

And currently, Aron was targeting Yulia.

Well, I already knew all of that.

Here, I should widen my eyes a little and pretend to be surprised.

“It is surprising, but why are you telling me this?”

“I heard from Lloyd... that you also want to catch Aron. If Aron appears before Yulia again, I would like you to tell me separately when the two of them met.”

“...Is simply passing that information along enough?”

“That will have to be left to your discretion. If possible, it would also be good for you to work together with Yulia and catch Aron.”

I swallowed a low groan.

Hmm....... So that is how you are going to come at me?

Then again, even when I thought about it, it did not seem like Yulia would tell Professor Dave that she had met Aron.

That must have been why he told me the fact that Aron had appeared. 

At the very least, my relationship with Yulia was on the smoother side.

It was a reasonable judgment, befitting a war veteran.

...If only I were not Aron myself, that is.

“Of course, the choice is entirely yours. As long as you do not disclose this conversation somewhere else, you do not have to accept.”

Even if he said that, he was making this proposal because he was certain I would accept it.

After all, I had already said during a previous conversation with Lloyd that I wanted to catch Aron.

Even if I accepted Professor Dave’s proposal, there was no real loss.

Since I was Aron anyway, what would there be for me to feel guilty about?

“Very well.”

Still, now that things had turned out this way, I should get what I could get, should I not?

Professor Dave had been an Instructor of outstanding skill even at Necropia.

It would be a waste to merely receive a proposal from an Instructor who had built up that kind of reputation.

“In exchange, I would also like to set one condition.”