<Darkness Chamber>.
The tower, used as a workshop by Professor Mortum, remained ominously dreary.
‘If we want more students to come, we should probably start by improving the surroundings.’
Skulls, bones, tombstones, and boxes of lethal potions scattered around were generally not inviting.
To Yi-Han's eyes, it seemed that among the new students, only he and Gainando would be interested in learning dark magic...
"??"
Yi-Han was surprised.
There was another new student in front of the <Darkness Chamber>.
And not just one, but two.
"Why on earth are those kids here to learn dark magic?"
"Is there a reason to be so serious?"
Yi-Han was puzzled by Gainando's reaction.
Gainando replied as if it were obvious.
"Didn't the professor say I was the only one with talent?"
"..."
Didn’t you say you don't like dark magic?
Yi-Han tried to say something but then gave up and changed the subject.
"Gainando. Even if they're not as talented as you, they might still want to learn dark magic."
"That's true."
Gainando slightly regretted his earlier attitude.
Perhaps he had been too harsh.
"Hey, everyone..."
"Don't pretend to be friendly with me. You Blue Dragon scum."
"..."
Gainando, in a fit of anger, was about to strike with his staff, but Yi-Han held him back.
"Student from the White Tiger?"
"That's right."
The student's eyes shimmered faintly with a golden light.
With his somewhat exotic features, Yi-Han realized that the student was of mixed blood.
"An angel mixed-blood?"
"Yes. Descended from glorious ancestors."
'For something he is proud of, the blood seems quite diluted.'
Tijiling, a demon mixed-blood, had such rich blood that one could tell just by looking at her.
In contrast, this White Tiger student was much harder to recognize.
Without Yi-Han's keen senses, it would have been difficult to notice.
"Descended from glorious ancestors, yet you follow the orders of the Moradi family?"
Yi-Han immediately tried to sow discord.
The fewer White Tiger students who followed Jijel's orders, the more comfortable life would be for Yi-Han and Dolgyu.
A knight's honor and pride were easy targets.
"Don't be mistaken, Wardanaz. I, Raphael, do not heed Moradi's commands."
"What? You don't follow Moradi's orders, yet why are you so aggr... igno... insol..."
Unable to find the right word, Yi-Han just ended his question.
"Why do you act that way?"
"You really don't know?"
Raphael looked at Yi-Han incredulously. It was absurd to him to act like a fool.
Gainando whispered from the side.
"Remember when we sent those White Tiger guys to the punishment room?"
"Just for that?"
"Or maybe because we snuck into the lounge and stole their flag."
"Just for that?"
"...???"
Gainando was perplexed.
Huh?
Isn't that reason enough?
Raphael narrowed his eyes at Yi-Han.
"Dolgyu of the Choi family! You surely cannot feign ignorance now. It's the name of the noble friend you're wickedly toying with."
"..."
Yi-Han was at a loss for words for the first time in a while. Gainando came to his defense.
"No, look, Dolgyu is our friend."
"How cowardly to make excuses... After assaulting and knocking him unconscious, you still claim to be friends!"
"..."
Gainando looked at Yi-Han, seeking help.
“I treated Dolgyu the same way because I was afraid he would be hated by the White Tiger guys.”
"Is that supposed to be an excuse?"
Raphael responded as if he was astounded.
Yi-Han shrugged, as if he had expected such a reaction.
Some misunderstandings are just insurmountable.
"Wait. You... You're from the Gral family, aren't you?"
Gainando belatedly recalled Raphael's lineage.
The Gral family, a knightly family from the south.
Proud of their ancestral blood mixed with that of angels, the Gral family was known for their strict adherence to justice among knight families.
Judging by his speech...
"That's right, you evil bastards."
It seemed that the student had already categorized Yi-Han and Gainando as the epitome of evil.
Yi-Han felt a twinge of regret.
'But it's mostly because of the reputation of the Wardanaz family.'
If it weren't for the wild reputation of the Wardanaz family, Yi-Han wouldn't have been misunderstood like this.
At least, that's what he believed.
"Why would someone from the Gral family learn dark magic!?"
Gainando challenged the notion as absurd.
Why would someone from the Gral family, known for producing so many holy knights, come to learn dark magic?
Raphael spoke confidently.
"Learning dark magic will help to better counter dark mages."
"..."
'The Professor will cry.'
Yi-Han was lost for words.
Out of just four new arrivals, one was a hater of dark magic...
"Indeed, Gral. You learn dark magic to counter dark mages. I thought you were here to conspire with Jijel Moradi against me."
"Don't compare me, Raphael, to that Moradi fellow!"
Raphael was visibly upset.
While Yi-Han manipulated Dolgyu like a puppet, Jijel's contemptible manipulation of other White Tiger students was equally despicable.
"So, you won't join hands with Jijel of the Moradi family to plot against me?"
"Of course not!"
"And her lackeys?"
"Absolutely! What are you asking!"
"Then that's all."
Yi-Han walked away as if he had said all he needed to.
If Raphael wouldn't attack from behind or join hands with Jijel, whatever he blustered about upfront didn't matter.
Raphael blinked in confusion.
What exactly had he been outwitted by?
Following Yi-Han, Gainando thought to himself.
'He's my friend, but he seems like a really evil great mage...'
Having been once mouthed by Raphael, Gainando became quite hostile. He spoke to another student with undisguised harshness in his voice.
"Why are you here to learn dark magic?"
Swoosh -
The student stood up. Only then did Gainando realize the student had been sitting on the floor.
"..."
Yi-Han was tall, but this student was so tall that even Yi-Han had to look up. Easily over 2 meters tall.
'A giant mixed-blood!'
Overwhelmed, Gainando quickly became more respectful.
"You, you can learn... My apologies."
"Hello. Nice to meet everyone."
The student was from the Black Tortoise. He looked around nervously as he greeted.
"My name is Ymirg."
"I'm Yi-Han. This is Gainando. But, why are you looking around?"
"My, my friends don't like it when I mingle with students from the Blue Dragon..."
"!"
Yi-Han was surprised.
'Well, that's not strange.'
Excluding the Immortal Phoenix, tower students typically stuck together.
It was natural, in a way, that students from the Black Tortoise, with hardly any nobles or knights among them, would dislike mingling with those from the knight-dominated White Tiger or the nobility-dominated Blue Dragon.
Nillia and Ratford was an exception...
Still, Yi-Han, just to be sure, checked.
"You don't think I'm an evil mage, do you?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Never mind. That's fine then."
Fortunately, the dislike was indeed due to nobility. Yi-Han felt relieved.
"I'm here because I'm interested in dark magic. I want to be friends with others who are learning it."
"Hmph! That won't happen!"
Raphael, standing behind, responded vehemently.
He had no intention of befriending students who sought to learn evil dark magic.
Ymirg looked at Raphael with a sad expression. Raphael flinched, seemingly a bit frightened.
"Right. Maybe not outside, but let's be friends here while learning dark magic."
Yi-Han extended his hand.
Ymirg was an easy case to become very close with. After meeting so many odd characters at the academy, this was almost a relief.
Ymirg, with a delighted expression, grabbed Yi-Han's hand and shook it vigorously.
In that moment, Yi-Han had to quickly muster all his mana to withstand it.
'Ugh!'
Yi-Han managed his expression, not wanting to offend Ymirg. The strength was immense.
"I'm also looking forward to it!"
Gainando, clueless, extended his hand. Yi-Han tried to stop him, but Gainando had already grabbed it.
Crack!
Professor Mortum, seeing the increased number of new students, hummed a happy tune through his nose.
Yi-Han felt a pang of guilt.
'I shouldn't sympathize with the professor.'
Stockholm syndrome was a dangerous condition.
"Cough. Good to see you all. I didn't expect so many students interested in dark magic. I'm looking forward to next year."
"We're glad to be here!"
Professor Mortum seemed oblivious to Raphael's malevolent intent. He turned to Yi-Han.
"Have you found any more bone summons?"
"Not yet..."
"Cough. Roam more in the dark and gloomy places."
Professor Mortum winked at Yi-Han as if giving a gift, though it was hardly romantic.
'Roaming around the academy's dark and gloomy places looking for runaway summons... That's almost like a suicide mission.'
"Cough... Everyone must be eager for today's gathering, so let's proceed with the lesson quickly. Do you remember what we learned about curses last time?"
"Yes, of course."
Raphael took out paper and a quill, ready to jot down the professor's words. Professor Mortum looked pleased.
Of course, knowing Raphael's true intentions, Yi-Han could only feel sorry.
Aren't you going to attack the professor later?
"Honestly, I found curses more interesting than summoning magic!"
Gainando admitted honestly.
"Today, let's not rush and deepen our understanding of curses... Wait a moment."
Professor Mortum paused mid-sentence.
"Did you learn summoning magic this week?"
"Yes."
"Cough. How did the students react?"
"Everyone liked it! Everyone but us went to the workshop to hear more about it."
Yi-Han wanted to smack Gainando but unfortunately couldn't.
Professor Mortum declared firmly.
"...Not curses then. Today, I'll teach you undead summoning."
"Wow!!"
'Is this really okay?'
Yi-Han felt uneasy.
It seemed like they were skipping several steps in the curriculum…
"Cough. Undead summoning is, you could say, the flower among flowers in summoning magic. Perhaps the most beautiful, complex, and intricate magic..."
"Where do typical dark mages acquire corpses for their magic?"
"That's a good question, student Raphael. In the past, graveyards were commonly used, but nowadays that's not the case. We acquire corpses with permission and use those."
"Oh... But I guess illegal dark mages still frequently use graveyards?"
"I guess so?"
"Thank you."
Raphael, excited, continued to take notes. Professor Mortum cocked his head, sensing something amiss.
"However, you lot are still... too inexperienced to perform a completed undead summoning. A fully summoned undead, if mishandled, can kill the mage."
A common dark magic mishap involved a bungling mage being killed by a skeletal warrior they had summoned.
Gainando, who had nearly been killed by a magic quill, nodded in agreement.
"We'll start with the simplest, something that can't kill you. Let's begin with summoning a bone hand."
The students listened intently, their expressions tense.
Swoosh!
Bone hands appeared in front of the students.
"First, try to befriend the bone hand. Initially, it won't listen to you..."
"...?"
Yi-Han momentarily thought the bone summons and the bone hand were switched.
The bone hand was very respectfully bowing in front of him.
'Is this a trap?'
