I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

“So, buy me a meal!”

Demona’s bold declaration left Roan instinctively glaring daggers at him.

‘Now that I think about it, didn’t he just ask me earlier to pay his fine?’

After a brief deliberation, Roan nodded his head.

‘Honestly, without Demona, today’s class would’ve been a real hassle.’

Even though he had planned to spend his Dalants on Ulli if necessary, things had gone much smoother thanks to him. Plus, even though Demona seemed to spend money like water, a gold coin was still worth quite a lot.

‘One gold coin equals 100 Dalants…’

Of course, this exchange rate depended on whether you were inside or outside of Akerandir. In any case, Roan figured it was only fair to reward Demona in some way.

“Alright. I’ll cover your meals for the next few days.”

“Really? Awesome!”

Demona jumped up and down with joy at Roan’s generous decision.

“From now on, leave Professor Ulli ’s classes to me!”

With a playful huff, he bounced out of the classroom.

‘That was probably going to happen anyway,’ Roan thought, watching him with a hint of pity on his face.

Getting Dalants out of Ulli was going to be no easy task. She valued money so highly that it would surely require a lot of labor in return.

‘Well, no need to tell him that right now.’

Meanwhile, Hector, who had already packed up, announced, “I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be going first.”

Judging by the egg of the Thousand-Eyed Hollow Serpent cradled in his arms, it seemed he was really planning to visit Professor Vulcan.

‘Vulcan’s not likely to buy that, though.’

Vulcan was fanatical about the Holy Battles and probably wouldn’t care much about a snake that couldn’t be used for such purposes. At best, he might give Hector some tips on how to raise it, but it was more likely that Hector would just be teased.

“Is something wrong with Hector? He looks pale and is limping,” Rafia asked.

Roan shook his head. “He fell off a cliff. Several times.”

“Uh… and that egg?”

“He found it while falling.”

“???”

Rafia and Riel exchanged confused looks.

‘Was he going to the infirmary?’

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go get some food.”

“O-Okay.”

Though still puzzled, Rafia and Riel didn’t dwell on it. They had reached a point where, if Roan said it wasn’t a big deal, they instinctively believed him.

Meanwhile, Sion, who had been lingering in the classroom, noticed the group leaving and decided to follow them.

‘We’ve already had meals together a few times!’ 

In reality, they had only eaten together once, and that was without Roan, but that didn’t seem to faze her.

Most of the other students kept their distance from Sion because she was a candidate for sainthood. Only Roan’s friends treated her without that barrier.

…Even if their personalities were quirky and a bit awkward, it was fine with her.

She figured she could pretend to bump into them at the same restaurant and casually join them. This could be her chance to clear up any misunderstandings and build a better relationship with Roan.

As a candidate for sainthood, Sion believed it was her duty to embrace all people, so she decided to take the first step.

The Ultimate Divine Power Source Roan had created in class would be a great conversation starter.

As she was making her plan, Roan and his friends were about to leave the classroom.

“Ah… wait ─”

Sion instinctively tried to stop them, but there was no need for that.

Suddenly…

Someone appeared at the back door of the classroom, right in front of Roan, as if they had been waiting there all along.

“Hello~!”

Both Roan and Sion widened their eyes in surprise, recognizing the person.

‘Why is she suddenly here?’

“Ahh! …Oh?”

Rafia, startled by the sudden appearance of someone, soon recognized who it was.

“L-Lady Yushina, the Saint?!”

It was none other than Yushina.

With a breathtaking smile, Yushina turned to Rafia and asked, “Oh~ Do you know who I am, junior?”

“Of course! I’ve read so many magazines that featured you, Lady Saint… Although living in the countryside, I couldn’t get many of them…”

Rafia, blushing like a girl meeting her idol for the first time, stammered out her response.

To Rafia, who had grown up with commoners in a rural territory, Yushina, a Saint of common birth, was nothing short of a celebrity.

Yushina smiled and gently held Rafia’s hand. “Thank you~ So, you’re a fan? What’s your name, junior?”

“R-Rafia Kedan!” Rafia gasped, barely containing her excitement.

But she quickly straightened her posture, answering like the paladin she was. Even though Yusina treated her casually, paladins were, after all, duty-bound to show loyalty to Saintess, Saints, and the Holy Emperor.

Riel, standing next to Rafia, was frozen stiff, her cold demeanor now seemingly icy enough to freeze the sweat on her skin.

“Uh, and what about your friend over there?”

Even Yushina seemed slightly startled when she looked at Riel’s face.

“R-Riel… Haylik… saint… honor…”

“Uh, what?”

Even as a Saint, Yushina couldn’t quite make out Riel’s words through her tension.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen Yushina that flustered,’ Roan thought, stepping in to help out.

“She’s Riel Haylik. She says it’s an honor to meet you, Lady Saint.”

“Huh?! Roan, how can you speak to the Saint like that?” Rafia gasped, scolding Roan. Even if he was from a prestigious family, speaking so informally to a Saint was unacceptable.

But Yushina quickly placed her hand on Roan’s shoulder and shook her head. “No, no, it’s okay! Roan and I are close~ Right?”

Roan nodded his head. They were, in a way, close. In fact, Roan probably knew more about Yushina than her closest friends.

“But Rafia, Riel, could you two step aside for a moment? I have something I need to discuss with Roan and — oh, Sion’s here too. I’d like to speak with both of them.”

“What?!”

Rafia looked even more shocked than when Roan had created the pseudo-Ultimate Divine Power Source.

She shot a jealous look at Roan. “You… when did you get so close to the Saint…?”

Still, she complied with the Saint’s request, leaving with Riel.

“Tell me everything that happened later!”

She left after having said that.

“Tell you everything…?” 

Roan muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Running into the Saint always seemed to lead to awkward situations.

“Sion, come over here too~.”

Yushina called out, waving at Sion, who had been watching everything from inside the classroom. 

Sion hesitated but eventually shuffled over to them.

Grabbing hold of both Roan’s and Sion’s hands, Yushina smiled brightly and said, “Let’s grab a meal together! What do you think? Sounds good, right?”

“… Sure.”

“Y-Yes…”

Roan and Sion both nodded their heads hesitantly.

‘I didn’t want to get this close to him!’ 

Sion was flustered at suddenly being grouped with Roan.

‘A saint and a saint candidate together…’ 

Roan felt uneasy with the awkward combination and could barely swallow his nervousness.

***

“Hello, Lady Saint!”

“Yes, enjoy your lunch, everyone~”

Walking through the school grounds with Yushina was an extraordinary experience for a freshman. Everyone, regardless of their grade, greeted her warmly with smiles. Even professors showed her respect.

There were three saints and saint candidates vying for the position of the Holy Emperor’s successor, but at the moment, there were only two active saints, and Yushina was the only one at Akerandir Academy. In another fantasy world, she could easily be compared to a beloved princess adored by all.

Sion, though a candidate for sainthood herself, wasn’t used to such a reception.

‘This is so awkward!’

She was inwardly screaming and sweating nervously. Sion had met Yushina a few times before, back when she lived at the papal palace. Yushina would visit her often, chatting with her for long stretches, and asking if she felt lonely.

At the time, Sion had been grateful. She had been living far from home, eating meager meals, and Yushina’s kindness had been a welcome comfort.

‘But we’re competitors…’

Sion’s difficult childhood made Yushina’s kindness feel burdensome. After all, only one of the six saints or saint candidates would ultimately become the Holy Emperor. As a result, Sion neither fully accepted nor rejected Yushina.

Yushina, however, didn’t seem to mind any of this at all.

As Sion anxiously looked for somewhere else to focus her attention, her gaze landed on Roan across from her.

‘What’s Roan’s relationship with the Saint?’

Judging by their casual way of speaking to each other, they seemed close, but she had no idea what kind of connection they had. Even now, Roan’s brooding expression remained unreadable, as if walking beside the Saint and a saint candidate was no different than walking beside two scarecrows.

He paid no attention to the people who greeted them either.

‘He’s such a mysterious person.’

‘How deeply must the scars of his childhood run?’

Sion couldn’t understand how he could walk beside Yushina so indifferently. Even as a woman, Sion often found herself short of breath when making eye contact with Yushina’s radiant smile.

While Sion was wrapped up in her conflicted thoughts about Roan, he was busy with his own internal musings.

‘Why did she call me over?’

Though Roan no longer worried about getting caught, he couldn’t think of a reason for Yushina to specifically seek him out if it wasn’t related to dark magic. However, seeing that Sion was with him, he soon realized the reason.

‘Ah, it must be about that.’

It wasn’t hard to figure out, given the timing. Once he understood, Roan stopped thinking about it and continued walking without concern.

‘I told Demona I’d treat him to lunch…’

For a brief moment, he thought about Demona, who had rushed off ahead of them, but quickly dismissed it. After all, how could Demona compete with a summons from the Saint? He’d probably whine about it later but get over it just as quickly.

“Here we are!”

Yushina, who had been cheerfully greeting people as they walked, finally stopped in front of a building.

─ Blue Lake ─

It was a place similar to a brunch café in modern terms. More of a casual spot for drinks and light meals than a formal restaurant.

Roan asked curiously, “Why not go to the other place?”

He had expected them to go to the Ashen Whale Restaurant.

“Huh? Oh~” Yushina tilted her head for a moment, then laughed, trying to appear mischievous. “If there are too many people, we’ll lose our privacy.”

“Hm.”

That alone was enough for Roan to understand, and he nodded his head.

Sion’s jaw immediately dropped.

‘Do they already have a regular place they go together?!’

This was a completely unexpected turn of events. Sion had originally thought Roan only spent time with Demona and Hector, but apparently, he had been meeting Yushina in secret.

Her thoughts raced.

Finally, Sion cautiously asked, “So… what exactly is your relationship with Roan…?”

“Oh~ we are—” Yushina began to answer with a bashful smile, but Roan interrupted.

“We met for the first time yesterday.”

“???”

Sion blinked in confusion. ‘Yesterday? The first time?’

Roan walked ahead, unfazed, while Yushina added, “That’s not true. Roan is just a little shy. We used to play together a lot when we were kids!”

“Ah…”

Sion finally nodded as if she understood.

“Alright, let’s go inside!”

Yushina cheerfully entered the café, and only then did Sion realize something odd about Yushina’s answer.

‘Who’s supposed to be shy again???’

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