I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

The next spirit beast Vulcan introduced in the first class was the “Wind Terrier.” 

As the name suggested, it was a small dog-like spirit beast with the attribute of wind. 

There were various types of terriers, such as Flame and Earth, each associated with different elements. 

However, in the Basic Divine and Spirit Beasts class, students were randomly introduced to one of the four major elemental types.

‘This time it’s a Wind Terrier.’

Terriers were classified as small spirit beasts and were generally docile in nature, making them more suited to being kept as pets than for holy battles.

Woof woof─! Woof woof─!

The Wind Terriers, as if by agreement, ran in the direction of the students. Every time they barked, a strong wind stirred the area, and their long fur fluttered.

Woof woof─! Woof─!

The terriers began to tumble in mid-air and spin around playfully, reacting to the sight of their own fluttering fur! 

Even the coldest person couldn’t help but soften at such adorableness.

─ Stop fooling around! 

─ Sit! Obey!

‘Are these people all emotionless?’ 

Roan clicked his tongue as he watched the students yell at the Wind Terriers in a commanding tone. 

How could they shout at these adorable creatures that could even make someone like Harden feel childlike joy? 

If the professor saw this, he wouldn’t hesitate to fine them on the spot.

Roan glanced over at the professor’s position, expecting some sort of reaction from him.

“Hm. It seems you all remember what I showed you earlier.”

Vulcan stood there, nodding approvingly as he kept an eye on the students.

‘You need to have better expectations.’

Roan shook his head in utter disbelief.

Just then, a Wind Terrier approached Roan as well.

Scurry─

As expected of a wind-attribute spirit beast, it didn’t walk on the ground but glided smoothly as if riding the wind. 

Seeing it in person made it even cuter than the game illustration.

Woof woof─!

Roan smiled faintly and reached out his hand toward the Wind Terrier. 

Though Akerandir was a bleak place with little peace of mind, moments like this with a cute spirit beast brought a sense of serenity and bliss.

“Come here, let me see you…”

But then…

Woof… whimper…

Just as the Wind Terrier was about to come up to Roan, it stopped abruptly, tucking its tail between its legs. 

No matter how gentle and cute a terrier might be, it was still a spirit beast. 

It had an innate sense of the magical power within its surroundings. In Roan’s case, an overwhelming dark aura, beyond anything a mere terrier could comprehend, surged from within him. 

The poor creature had no choice but to be terrified.

Meanwhile, Roan, unaware of this, scrunched his face into a frown. 

All the other students’ terriers were approaching them affectionately, so why was his acting like this?

Another reason why he should dislike the holy battle system was added to Roan’s list.

In a cold voice, Roan spoke to the Wind Terrier.

“If you don’t come to me, what do you think will happen? I’ll give you three seconds.”

Whimper, whimper!

Startled, the Wind Terrier hesitated before slowly creeping toward Roan, trembling noticeably. It was clearly terrified of him.

‘Tch, not that it matters since I’m only here to attend the class anyway. Whether it’s scared or not, none of that concerns me.’

Though inwardly a little hurt, Roan grumbled to himself, pretending he hadn’t expected anything from the start. 

Even in the game, the holy battles system was a pointless time-waster unless you were using a related character — it contributed nothing to progression. 

Some players even attempted the ridiculous challenge of winning the holy battles league with every character.

‘If they’re going to do that, why are they even playing God and Devil?’

Roan couldn’t wrap his mind around such behavior at all.

─ Hey, look at Roan’s expression. 

─ No matter how serious you are about the holy battles, how can you make that face at a terrier?

At that moment, the students around Roan began whispering. 

Lost in his thoughts, Roan’s face had taken on the cold expression of a hardened competitor.

‘It wasn’t because of the terrier, though.’

“Hmm.”

Roan subtly glanced around, trying to correct his expression without drawing attention.

‘But really, they were the ones yelling at their terriers earlier…’

Though Roan felt somewhat wronged, he didn’t want the misunderstanding to worsen, so he gave a command to the Wind Terrier.

“Why are you so scared? Do a backflip like the others.”

Bark!

In response, the Wind Terrier planted its legs firmly and executed a perfectly aligned backflip.

‘Is it just me, or does its bark sound like it’s putting extra effort into it?’

There was something subtly different about this Wind Terrier compared to the others.

Meanwhile, Vulcan, who had been watching, rushed over to Roan, excitement exuding from his very pores.

“Excellent!”

“…?”

Roan looked up at Vulcan, a confused look on his face.

Clapping his hands a couple of times, Vulcan spoke. “Establishing dominance is a very effective training method. Even with docile terriers, it’s not easy to assert control. Here, take this.”

He pulled a 10-Dalant bill from his pocket and handed it to Roan.

“… Thank you.”

Though Roan accepted it, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

‘Would I get more money if I bad-mouthed dark mages?’

The thought crossed his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it due to a guilty conscience. 

Instead, he looked around to see how the other students were faring.

Not far away, he spotted Sion.

Woof woof─! Woof─!

Sion’s Wind Terrier was absolutely delighted. It circled around her, kicking up gusts of wind, nuzzled her cheeks, and even jumped into her arms. 

Sion, too, was beaming, showering the terrier with affection — an adorable pair for everyone to see.

“Hmm.”

Roan regretted looking. 

Now that he thought about it, Sion had always had an unusually high affinity with spirit and divine beasts. 

Even when walking in the mountains, random creatures would approach her and rub against her!

Roan felt slightly irritated as he looked down at his own Wind Terrier, which was standing stiffly in a perfect posture in front of him.

…?

The Wind Terrier didn’t understand Roan’s displeasure and tilted its head in confusion before rolling over onto its back, exposing its belly.

Vulcan, who was still watching, was thoroughly pleased with this as well.

“Remarkable! To command a spirit beast without even establishing a bond, just with a glance! Student, what is your name?”

“… Roan Darc, professor.”

“Darc! As expected of the Darc family! Here, take this as well.”

Beaming with delight, to the point where sparks crackled near his ears, Vulcan handed Roan another wad of cash — this time a 100-Dalant bill!

Roan wasn’t particularly happy about receiving such a large sum in a holy battles class.

─ Wow! Look at Darc. He got 100 Dalants. 

─ I had a feeling he’d pull it off. 

─ Just look at his face. I’d submit too.

Meanwhile, the other students, watching the scene, nodded as if they expected this. 

In any other class, Roan’s name would have drawn jealousy and resentment, but this time there was a strange mix of reverence and envy in their expressions, which only irritated Roan further.

Was there really no way to succeed in the Empire other than through the holy battles?

“… I just wish they’d all shut up.”

Roan’s expression grew even darker.

***

To the students, Vulcan might have seemed like an eccentric figure, but in the world of holy battles, he was a legendary figure. 

Without elite education, he had started as a player-coach in a small rural league and gradually climbed the ranks to win the Empire’s league championship. His book, The Courage to Be Disliked by Spirit Beasts, had even topped the Imperial bestseller list at one point.

Because of this, Vulcan had an eye for identifying talent and potential from the very first class with new students.

‘Just one look, and I can see who will succeed and who won’t.’

His golden eyes scanned the entire arena.

For example, there was Sion, who had naturally gained her Wind Terrier’s affection with her innate affinity. 

There were also students who instinctively understood the emotions of spirit beasts and communicated with them, as well as those who strategically analyzed the beasts’ characteristics to interact with them. 

While these qualities didn’t perfectly align with Vulcan’s values, they were still signs of promising talent in the holy battles.

But the student who caught Vulcan’s attention the most was none other than Roan.

“Roll to the right five times and then lie down.”

Spin, spin, spin─ Thud!

“Lift your left front paw. Now the right back paw. Lower the left front and raise the right back.”

Thud, thud!

“… Did you lower both paws?”

Whimper─

Even Vulcan was amazed at how Roan flawlessly controlled the Wind Terrier at his command.

‘Such dominance… As expected of the Darc family.’

Though the family had been destroyed when Roan was just a child, it seemed the bloodline couldn’t hide its legacy of control and discipline, traits that had once left a mark on the Empire’s holy battle history.

In fact, Vulcan himself had drawn much inspiration from the Darc family’s training methods. 

Though he didn’t show it outwardly, he silently made a vow to himself.

‘I’ll make you the greatest holy battles champion, Roan Darc!’

Perhaps through Roan, the Darc family could regain its former glory.

However, where there was light, there was always shadow. 

Vulcan’s attention soon shifted to Hector, who stood not far from Roan, prompting Vulcan to click his tongue disdainfully.

“Tsk, tsk. What a servant-like attitude.”

Hector was practically begging his Wind Terrier, which stood tall with its head held high.

“Silphy, could you please sit? No? How about just placing your paw here?”

He had even named the creature, but it was a hopeless effort. This wasn’t affinity or dominance — it was the behavior of a pitiful trainer. 

Spirit beasts were intelligent, and if their handler showed weakness, they would immediately try to assume control.

At this rate, Hector would struggle to even participate in a village-level holy battles club.

“Who is that student?” Vulcan asked, pointing at Hector to a nearby student.

─ Oh, him? That’s Hector Pabilto.

Upon hearing the name, Vulcan nodded in understanding.

“Ah, the Pabilto family! That explains it.”

The graveyard of coaches, cursed with mediocrity. 

Vulcan was well aware of the tragic history of the Pabilto family in the holy war.

***

“… Oh, Riel. What brings you here?”

Riel approached Roan, who was in the middle of ‘playing’ with his Wind Terrier. A Wind Terrier was bouncing around at her side as well.

“It’s just… the terrier is good, but…”

Riel mumbled with her eyebrows slightly drooping.

“You’re saying it’s a good terrier, but it doesn’t seem to understand commands?”

Riel gave a subtle nod with a small movement of her chin. 

Roan looked down at Riel’s Wind Terrier.

Shiver ─!

The terrier, which had been lively just a moment ago, suddenly trembled.

‘It seems normal enough.’

It didn’t seem particularly mischievous or defiant. 

Roan bent his finger downward and gave a command.

“When I do this, it means lie down.”

Flop!

Riel’s Wind Terrier immediately dropped to the ground, belly up. Roan’s own Wind Terrier followed suit.

“… Why are you doing that too?”

Roan looked at his terrier in bewilderment, and it quickly got back up, sensing his displeasure. 

Roan then motioned upward.

“Do a backflip.”

Leap!

To the left.

“Sprint.”

Dash!

To the right.

“Gust.”

Whoooosh!

Roan nodded in satisfaction and turned to Riel.

“Now it should understand you well.”

With her pupils slightly widened in surprise, Riel mimicked Roan’s gestures and commands.

Flop! Leap! Dash! Whoooosh!

Since the terrier already liked Riel, it obeyed her commands without hesitation.

“How did you do that?” Riel asked, her cheeks slightly flushed red.

“It’s a good terrier, just a bit slow to catch on. Try training it using hand signals, and it should work.”

That didn’t seem quite right, but Riel accepted it, thanked Roan, and returned to her place.

Just then, Vulcan clapped his hands loudly to gather the students’ attention. It sounded more like thud thud than clap clap, though.

“All right, you’ve had enough time to get familiar! Now, it’s time for some action!”

─ Wooohooo!

“I’ll assign the pairs. When I call your name, come forward!”

Vulcan began pointing his finger at students one by one, matching them up based on his observations.

The students gradually formed pairs.

“Roan Darc, Sion Beatrice!”

Roan and Sion were the last names called. 

When their eyes met, Sion gave Roan a light nod as if to say, “Let’s have fun together!”

‘What’s this? Is she teasing me?’

Roan slightly misunderstood Sion’s pure intentions.

‘Just because she gets along well with divine beasts, she thinks she can …!’

However, Roan couldn’t just ignore her, so he gave a brief nod in return. 

Sion smiled softly.

‘She’s definitely teasing me.’

Roan was convinced. He then turned his attention to his Wind Terrier.

“… You know what to do, right?”

Growl, bark!

The Wind Terrier barked confidently as if to say, “Leave it to me.”

As Vulcan had said, winning in the holy battles didn’t depend on how well you got along with divine or spirit beasts. 

Roan planned to kindly show Sion how things really worked, even if he didn’t particularly want to, as someone who had repeatedly become the Empire’s Holy Battles Champion!

However, even after all the pairs were assigned, one student remained.

“Professor! I wasn’t given a partner!”

It was Hector. 

Despite being the last one left, he looked optimistic, likely under the delusion that the professor had recognized his talent and was going to partner with him personally.

“You didn’t even manage to provide basic training. You’re sitting this one out.”

“What? But ─”

“I said. Sit. It. Out.”

“… Yes, sir.”

Hector was left with no other choice but to go and sit beside Demona.

“Ugh…”

Even Demona, who usually mocked Hector, seemed to feel a bit sorry for him. 

As Hector sat next to him, Demona offered some words of consolation.

“Cheer up, heretic. You’ll get your chance next time.”

Hector glanced at Demona and responded weakly, “… I’d rather you just insult me like usual.”

“Well, to be honest, you really don’t seem to have any talent.”

“You heretic! I’ll tear you apart!”

“But you did say you wanted me to insult you…”