Beginner Dark Magic Class

As the weekend drew to a close, Dick returned to the dormitory.

On his first day out, he had spent his time introducing himself to the merchants of Rochester and securing promises of investment.

And as dusk settled in, Simon came back as well.

Simon set a skull-shaped badge on the desk — something he hadn't been wearing when he left for the Forbidden Forest — then shrugged off his school jacket and hung it in the wardrobe.

Ainz, lying in bed with his eyes closed and pretending to sleep, felt a powerful wave of will radiating from that skull badge, accompanied by a sly, snickering presence so strong it almost reminded him of Albedo. He knew exactly whose will it was — and he knew that was precisely why Nephthys had asked him to protect Simon.

Dick was catching up with Simon on recent events when he dropped the important matter.

"Did you see next week's schedule yet?"

"No, not yet."

Kizen's faculty were all active Necromancers still operating in the field, and the students ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠themselves were constantly pulled away on missions and other obligations. As a result, the timetable was fluid. Every student had to check a schedule that changed on a weekly basis.

"Tomorrow morning and afternoon — both periods are Beginner Dark Magic."

"Beginner Dark Magic… that's the class with the group project, right?"

"That's the one."

Ainz sighed inwardly. Eshu, at least, wouldn't be a landmine. He was glad he'd already recruited her.

Every first-year at Kizen took nine courses: Curse Studies, Dark Mechanics, Summoning Studies, Necromancy, Hemology, Toxicology, Magical Combat, Sacred Defense, and Beginner Dark Magic.

Among them, Beginner Dark Magic had a somewhat unique character. The professor for that class became the homeroom instructor for the section. Lessons were conducted in groups, and the course evaluated all eight of the remaining subjects. When group projects came up in those other classes, students usually worked in the same teams that had been formed in Beginner Dark Magic.

"I hope Professor Bahil ends up as A-class's advisor."

Ever since the recent teleportation incident, Dick had been thoroughly smitten with Bahil.

"Anyway, that's not the important part. Looking at the schedule, it seems like we'll be forming groups in tomorrow's Beginner Dark Magic class. And once a group is set, it stays that way for the entire semester. This is a matter of life and death for our lives at Kizen."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

A group composition that would last the whole semester. Get it wrong, and you'd suffer for months.

"We have to plan the group composition really carefully."

Dick's eyes lit up.

"Ideally, all four members should specialize in different subjects. I'm pretty average across the board, but my highest entrance exam score was in Dark Mechanics, so I'll lean that way."

Simon thought for a moment before answering.

"I've never taken the exams, but… Summoning Studies seems like my best bet."

"Oh! Then the balance is already solid!"

Dick flipped through a notebook filled with A-class student profiles as he continued.

"That means our options just got a whole lot wider! Honestly, at this point, even bringing in someone who overlaps a little wouldn't be so bad."

"Why?"

"I'll explain. Watch closely."

In response to Simon's question, Dick set the notebook down and pulled a pad of paper and a quill from his desk drawer.

"There are subjects at Kizen with the highest credit weightings — what people commonly call the 'Three Pillars of Necromancy.' Those are Curse Studies, Dark Mechanics, and Summoning Studies. Students just shorten it to 'CDS.' Lately, with Summoning's importance dropping, some people swap it out for Necromancy and say 'CDN,' or mash them all together into 'CDSN'… but the three most widely recognized are still the real deal."

Simon looked down at the notes.

"We've already locked down the 'DS' part of that. So that's why our options are so wide."

"Exactly! And under CDS, there are the Four Major Specializations: Necromancy, Hemology, Toxicology, and Magical Combat — abbreviated 'NHTC.' These are important too, but rather than everyone learning them all as essentials, most people pick one as a major and dig deep."

Dick wrote all seven subjects on the page, then added the last two beneath them.

"And then the support course, Sacred Defense, and the comprehensive required course, Beginner Dark Magic. Together they're called 'SD.' You can't choose either of those as a major."

"Got it."

Simon counted on his fingers, organizing it all in his head.

"CDS, NHTC, SD. Nine courses total."

"Right."

"Four people per group, yeah? We've got DS covered even if we don't have Curse Studies. So who do we need to recruit for the remaining two spots?"

"That's exactly what we need to put our heads together and figure out!"

Dick flipped excitedly to the next page.

"First off, it's better to filter out the Magical Combat hopefuls. Those kids tend to be good at Magical Combat and nothing else. I already checked them all during Professor Hongpeng's last class."

"We have to factor that in too, huh…"

"Yeah. And generally, Curse Studies applicants also score high in Sacred Defense, while Hemology and Toxicology have a lot of compatibility, so applicants for one often score well in the other. We need to account for all of that."

Simon and Dick stayed up late into the night, hashing out their recruitment plan for the group project. Dick, with his overwhelming volume of information, took the lead, while Simon occasionally landed a pointed observation that caught him off guard. Dick would acknowledge it immediately and adjust course.

The result…

"Perfect! So we're going with this?"

"Yeah."

Their recruitment targets for the next day's group class were ranked from first to tenth priority.

First priority: Claudia Menzies.

She was exactly the kind of talent Dick had described as ideal — primary Toxicology, secondary Hemology. If they could bring her in, they'd sail through the entire first semester.

Second priority: Sindy Vivace.

A Necromancy specialist — the field that had recently been pushing Summoning Studies aside and threatening the traditional CDS hierarchy. Given that Necromancy carried the next-highest point value after Summoning, she was an attractive option for a pair that already had DS covered. On top of that, she seemed to hold a certain goodwill toward Simon, which made her well worth considering as a second-priority recruit.

Beyond that, the two of them filled out the list all the way to tenth place.

"Even if we can't land Claudia or Sindy, the important thing is to drop the attachment fast and move on to the next rank. Oh — and when we recruit people, I'm going to actively play up the fact that we've got Special Admission Number One on our team. That okay with you?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Dick and Simon finished locking down their tight plan and climbed into bed.

And Ainz, who had been listening to the entire conversation while pretending to sleep, monologued to himself.

Sorry. I want Claudia for myself.

From Ainz's perspective as well, Claudia was a talent who could cover Toxicology and Hemology — the areas where he was relatively weak.

I'll suggest to Meyrin that she join your group, so cut me some slack on Claudia.

Neither Meyrin nor even Ainz himself — their own roommate — had made it onto the recruitment priority list. It wasn't that they hadn't been considered. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The two of them had simply decided there was no chance.

Ainz had already demonstrated overwhelming performance in real combat and carried a heavy name. Meyrin, for her part, was a top-tier all-rounder ace with entrance scores in the highest bracket. If the two of them decided to form a group of their own, Simon and Dick wouldn't stand a chance — which was why they hadn't been ranked as recruitment targets.

With their plan set, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Simon and Dick fell asleep waiting for tomorrow's class. Ainz drifted off as well.

The next morning, a new week at Kizen began.

When they entered the first-period Beginner Dark Magic classroom, it was a completely different scene from the quiet of the previous week. Faces had become familiar, and the room buzzed with lively conversation.

Simon sat down quietly and opened his textbook. Dick clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I just talked to Claudia! We've more or less broken the ice."

Simon looked impressed.

"You're really good at this stuff."

"Heh. Networking is essential for business. This used to be my actual job."

Meanwhile, Ainz and Meyrin had taken seats in a suitable spot and were watching Simon and Dick.

"So basically, I just need to join the group those two put together?"

"Right. Meyrin, Summoning is relatively weak for you. Simon could cover that reasonably well, don't you think?"

Meyrin found herself agreeing with Ainz to a certain extent. In the previous Summoning class, Simon hadn't seemed to have done any advance study. Even so, the originality he'd shown in beating Hector had been fairly impressive. With the premise that she would be separating from Ainz, finding someone to shore up Summoning was important to her.

"Alright. Understood."

Meyrin accepted Ainz's suggestion. She knew her adoptive brother never acted without reason. Ainz had also added that the network Dick was building by sticking close to Simon might prove useful someday.

Is this because of his deal with Lady Nephthys? And the reason he isn't joining those two's group himself… maybe he's trying not to stand out too much?

Meyrin's guess was reasonably close to the mark.

Then footsteps sounded outside the classroom. Students scrambled smartly back to their seats.

The moment had come — A-class's homeroom professor would finally be decided.

"Please be Bahil!"

Dick muttered under his breath. Ainz thought Professor Eric Aura of Dark Mechanics wouldn't be a bad outcome either. Simon, as a Summoning hopeful, was thinking of Professor Aaron.

Expectations and predictions crossed among the students — and then the door opened.

"Ah…!"

Every mouth in the room fell open.

"Th… this has to be a joke, right?"

Dick's pupils shook as if an earthquake had hit them.

The professor strode through the silence and took her place at the podium.

Extremely restrained short hair. A cold, razor-sharp impression. And those charismatic purple eyes.

The person who held the titles of Acting Headmaster and Vice Principal of Kizen.

"My name is Jane Olivia."

Kizen's second-in-command — Jane Olivia.

"I hold the title of Vice Principal, but in class, you may simply address me as Professor."

Nephthys's right hand. The power broker who wielded full authority over Kizen in place of a frequently absent Nephthys. Even among the faculty they had seen so far, she stood near the absolute peak.

"…Why is she teaching a first-year class?"

Dick whispered, barely breathing.

As he said, the Acting Headmaster only taught third-year courses.

"Well. Life has a way of throwing unexpected situations at you, doesn't it, Dick Hayward."

Dick jolted upright as if he'd just watched a horror video, spine ramrod straight.

H-how does she know my name?

"I will be teaching first-year A-class Beginner Dark Magic for the semester. As Dick Hayward just noted, until now I have only taught third-year courses, so…"

Her eyes narrowed.

"I would appreciate it if you made an effort not to make the gap in level too painfully obvious."

The sound of people swallowing hard could be heard throughout the room.

Being taught by Kizen's Vice Principal was an enormous privilege — but the rumors surrounding her meant the students couldn't simply celebrate.

Jane was the person who most perfectly embodied the slang term students used among themselves: "Kizen-like." She was infamous for ruthlessly expelling anyone who showed even a hint of lacking potential, or whose attitude simply rubbed her the wrong way. Even the third-years — the upper-tier combat assets Kizen treasured — had not been spared the iron hammer of her expulsions. It was no wonder A-class was already drowning in dread.

"Then let us begin class."

Jane's voice cut through the silence.

"As you all know, Beginner Dark Magic oversees the other eight subjects and fills in the fundamentals of being a Necromancer that those eight courses do not cover."

At her signal, teaching assistants began distributing thick stacks of paper to the students.

"Before that, however, you need to know where your own abilities stand across those eight subjects."

Simon and Dick's shoulders started to tremble.

"You will have twenty-two minutes per subject. You will first take four subjects, then receive a four-minute break, and then take the remaining four subjects in succession. If cheating is discovered, I will remember your name and process your expulsion the moment the student protection period ends."

Without giving them a moment to catch their breath, Jane folded her arms and drove ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the students into the pressure cooker.

"The exam begins now."

Ainz scanned the test paper.

It reminded him, for a moment, of a physics exam.

Ainz worked through the problems without much trouble, thanks to the skill Black Wisdom. Because Black Wisdom also functioned as a form of insight after his arrival in this world, even formulas he didn't know became instantly comprehensible. He was more familiar with other systems of magic than this world's, but he had learned some things at the Ivory Tower, and unfamiliar magic could be partially substituted with magic he already knew. Overall, he managed smoothly. His mental processing power was also far superior to his previous life, so mental arithmetic posed no difficulty.

Of course, the poison-compounding questions in Toxicology had almost no connection to anything he knew, and Hemology had none at all, so there was little basis for insight — he struggled quite a bit there. But the poison-resistance questions in Toxicology he handled cleanly, and he hadn't completely skipped advance study for Hemology either, so he solved what he could.

Simon, on the other hand, sat with a blank expression, unable to even put pen to paper. Having done no advance study, that was the natural reaction.

Before they knew it, three hours had flown by.

"Ugh…"

"That was seriously hard."

After the exams were all finished, the other students' expressions weren't much better either.

Dick handed his papers back to the student behind him and turned around.

"How'd it go, Simon?"

Simon gave a bitter smile. Seeing that, Dick smiled bitterly too.

Once every test paper had been collected, Jane addressed the students.

"Well done on the exams, everyone. Enjoy your lunch, and I will see you in two hours."

"Thank you for your hard work!"

The students filed quickly out of the classroom.

"Let's begin."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Jane and the teaching assistants' real work started now. They divided the students' exam papers among themselves and began grading at their respective stations.

Even among them, Jane was in a league of her own — her hands moved without hesitation as she flipped to the next page.

"……"

But at some point, a girl's face appeared beside Jane's desk. She had pressed her cheek against the edge of the desk and was blinking large blue eyes.

"…You must be busy. Why have you come here, Lady Nephthys?"

At Jane's cold inquiry, the girl smiled with pure innocence.

"To play!"

"……"

Jane ignored her and resumed grading.

Annoyed, Nephthys stayed glued to the desk and swung both legs back and forth, making a nuisance of herself. Jane finally snapped and chopped the top of Nephthys's head with the edge of her hand.

"Ow!"

"Do not interfere."

"Waaaaah! Jane always only hits meee!"

Clutching the top of her head, she burst into tears and ran over to grab the hem of a nearby teaching assistant's clothes. Confronted with the sudden appearance of Kizen's absolute ruler, the assistant's face went white.

"Haa."

Jane sighed.

"Stop tormenting my poor subordinate and come over here."

"No! No! If I go over there you'll hit me again!"

"Now."

At Jane's icy tone, Nephthys pouted and approached.

"All of you, move to the empty classroom next door and continue grading there."

"Yes, ma'am!"

As if they'd been waiting for exactly those words, the teaching assistants scooped up the exam papers and fled the classroom in a scramble.

Nephthys puffed out her cheeks, eyes narrowed with force.

"Jane! You've been way too cold to me lately!"

"I am the same as always."

"Hmph, you've really changed! Back when I picked you up from the slums, you were this pure little thing who clung to my hand with terrified eyes, trembling all over!"

"That pure little thing has been ground down by twenty-four-hour overwork and job stress into what you see now."

Jane cut her off flatly and shoved half the exam papers toward Nephthys. The girl blinked.

"Huh? What's this?"

"What do you think it is. Since you're already here, stop interfering and help with the grading."

"……"

Belatedly grasping the situation, Nephthys grinned and started backing away. She turned to run — but Jane moved faster, catching her and tucking her under one arm.

"Waaah! No! Let go! I don't wanna work!"

Jane delivered another strike to the top of the thrashing Nephthys's head, settled her properly into a seat, and handed over exam papers and a quill.

"Jane, you know this is child abuse and a labor law violation, right?"

"Who the hell is a child. Stop complaining and get to work."

"…Fine."

For a while, the only sound was the scratch of quills. After finishing five papers in a single burst, Jane glanced sideways at Nephthys.

Pouting with puffed cheeks, Nephthys was writing the word "Idiot" over a wrong answer.

"What are you doing. Do not play around."

Another merciless strike to the crown of the head. Nephthys clutched the spot with both hands, eyes welling up.

"Stooop! This kid really is a total idiot! They got the Toxicology number two composition question right, then immediately missed the comparison question right below it!"

"Hmm."

Jane examined the problem and let out a short laugh.

"Number two was solved using the formula. Number three was answered with common sense alone, without engaging the brain. A common student mistake."

"Idiot, idiot! What's this kid's name?"

Nephthys flipped the paper to the front —

"Huh?"

The name was covered.

"Blind evaluation. Looking at names while grading risks introducing bias."

"…You're going this far for what is basically just a test? Thorough."

"Even if it is 'just a test,' there are a number of interesting specimens. Especially… this one."

"Hm?"

Nephthys looked at the exam paper Jane produced.

"What's this?"

"The opposite of the one you just graded, Lady Nephthys."

Jane continued her explanation.

"Questions one through fifteen — the foundational problems designed to award points — were almost entirely wrong. However…"

She flipped the paper over.

"Question twenty. They attempted the highest-difficulty problem."

The back page of question twenty…

The entire sheet was packed with formulas so dense it was dizzying.

"What is all this?"

"Ancient runic notation from Dark Mechanics. Instant Skeleton formulas from Summoning Studies. Exhaust calculation methods from Curse Studies…"

"…Don't tell me?"

Jane smiled faintly and nodded.

"Yes. This student did no advance study. Using only the material covered in last week's classes, they meticulously combined everything to deduce the answer."

Nephthys read through the paper.

"What? It's a Dark-value calculation problem, but they used Summoning-system formulas? They assumed resistance was proportional to the Dark-value loss rate and solved from there."

"Yes."

"So did they get it right?"

Jane shook her head.

"Using the Theron formula, the answer comes out cleanly as '1,200,000.'"

"Then what did this student write?"

"1,200,146."

Jane's expression grew terrifyingly serious.

"It is not the answer the problem intended — but it is an answer closer to the truth."

Nephthys glanced at the paper. She could see that the famously strict Jane had marked it correct.

"Moreover… what is even more remarkable is this one."

"Huh? There's something more surprising than that?"

In response to Nephthys's question, Jane handed her another exam paper. This one had gotten most of the questions right.

"This student does not appear to have completely skipped advance study. However…"

"…However?"

"The traces of instantaneous insight, formed on the spot, are far more distinct. And the majority of the formulas used are vastly more efficient than the existing ones."

"……"

"The poison-compounding questions in Toxicology and the Hemology problems seem to have been solved based only on prior study, and a considerable number of those were wrong… but nearly everything else was correct. Including question twenty."

"Oh…"

"Frankly, I found myself doubting whether a human being had solved these. Instantly grasping that many formulas all at once is beyond the wisdom of any ordinary person."

"…Is that so?"

"Yes. If the formulas used to solve these problems were ever made public, the academic societies would be turned upside down."

Having said that, Jane moved to the main point.

"…Lady Nephthys. There is something I wish to ask."

Jane looked at Nephthys with a serious face.

"What is it?"

"Why did you assign me to a first-year class? And of all places…"

She tore away the two white strips of paper used to blind the names.

"…to A-class, where these two are."

When Nephthys said nothing, Jane continued.

"Ainz Bilene in particular… this student may not be on the level of the professors at Kizen or the Three Great Necromancer Schools, but he is fairly well-known. Anyone familiar with the Ivory Tower has heard the name at least once. What exactly is your reason for placing me in a class that has a student like that?"

Nephthys propped her chin on her hands and beamed.

"Hehe, I have no idea what you're talking about?"

Jane sighed inwardly.

…A three-hundred-year-old fox, through and through.