Promotion Quest (3)
Among the academy students, the name Istal von Lebenstein was an object of both affection and resentment—though the ratio leaned heavily toward the latter. Even so, no matter how much a student ground their teeth at her, denying her strength was impossible. That abnormal martial prowess. That overwhelming violence. A power so immense it made one question whether she was truly human. It was no wonder rumors circulated seriously that she might be a demon hybrid, given she taught at an institution built to fight demons.
Yet… there was supposedly a secret behind that strength? If one could uncover and master that secret, then… wouldn’t it become possible to defeat her instead?
The moment that conclusion formed, the already heated classroom atmosphere flared even hotter. The eyes of the martial arts majors in particular burned like furnaces.
“Professor! What do we need to do?!”
“We can do anything! Just say the word!”
“Is it an elixir? A secret technique? I’ll offer my entire fortune—please! I beg you! Just tell us the method!”
“There’s no need to offer anything, so calm down a little.”
Psyche let out a short sigh at the sight of the martial arts students, who looked ready to fill a lake with shovels if ordered. She walked over to a table in the corner of the classroom and lifted the cloth covering it.
Beneath it lay countless glass bottles. Each one was secured in an elaborate frame, likely to prevent breakage, and inside swirled a black liquid reminiscent of ink.
“The method is simple. Just drink the liquid prepared here. There are no spares, so don’t break any by accident.”
“And then what?”
“There is no ‘then.’ That’s all.”
The students wore bewildered expressions at how straightforward it was.
“Really? We just drink it and that’s it?”
“Yes. Down it in one go.”
“May I ask what the ingredients are?”
“No. I cannot tell you.”
Ordering them to try it without a proper explanation was very much in the academy’s style, but it felt especially unexpected coming from Professor Psyche, who usually showed a relatively sensible side.
“If you’re suspicious, you don’t have to participate. Doubting it is only natural. But that’s all I can explain. Knowing unnecessary details could have adverse effects.”
Those who wish to try may come forward and take one. Otherwise, leave. At Psyche’s firm declaration, the students each weighed their options.
‘Is she testing our resolve or something?’
‘Maybe the raw ingredients are disgusting, so she won’t say.’
‘She wouldn’t actually give us something that kills us, right?’
Though doubtful, their desire for power was far too intense to give up over mere suspicion. Besides, that shady merchant over there was casually downing the contents of a bottle without a care. If there were any problems, would that guy just meekly accept it? He’d have caused some kind of scene.
Contrary to its sticky appearance, the black liquid was surprisingly easy to drink and had no particular taste or smell. If someone drank it unknowingly, they might mistake it for plain water.
Thus, all the students consumed the mysterious liquid, and several minutes passed afterward.
“……?”
A male martial arts student felt puzzled. ‘What? Is that it?’
He tried stretching his limbs experimentally and circulating his mana, but nothing seemed different. The result felt disappointingly hollow compared to the grand explanation. He looked around at the others, but there was nothing unusual. They were simply staring ahead in silence—
—Wait, what?
That was right. There was no sound. Several minutes had passed since drinking the liquid, yet Professor Psyche said nothing. In fact, he couldn’t even hear the other students murmuring. Was this related to the medicine they’d just taken? A wave of anxiety hit him—had he fallen behind somehow?—and he instinctively whispered to the friend beside him.
“Hey, what is this? Why is everyone like this?”
“……”
No reply came. Growing impatient, the student lightly tapped his friend’s shoulder.
“Don’t keep it to yourselves, tell me too—”
Thud.
“—Huh?”
He hadn’t pushed hard, yet his friend toppled sideways.
“Hey! What’s wrong? Snap out of it!”
He shook him and even slapped his cheeks, but the friend didn’t open his eyes. Not only that—someone had collapsed, yet none of the surrounding students reacted at all. What the hell was going on?
At that moment, Professor Psyche’s voice reached the student’s ears.
“Calm down. There’s no need to worry.”
Hearing someone’s voice at last, the student—feeling a mix of relief, anger, and anxiety—shouted.
“Professor! What is this?! What did you make us drink? And why is he—…ing……”
At the front of the classroom, where Professor Psyche had been standing, there was nothing. Not that no one was there—there was literally nothing. Not just Professor Psyche, but the blackboard, the desks, even the floor itself. Only an endless darkness surrounded him, and from within it came the repeated voice of whatever he had mistaken for Professor Psyche.
“Calm down. There’s no need to worry.”
“Calm down. There’s no need to worry.”
“Calm down. There’s no need to worry.”
The male student had prided himself on having seen every kind of hardship while rolling around the academy, yet the sight before him was shocking enough to shatter that confidence. He instinctively stepped backward, and something grabbed his ankle.
“Trying to save only yourself? How cowardly.”
“Take me with you too.”
“You should fight back. Why are you running? You coward.”
Before he knew it, his friends had awakened and clung to him, spitting out words of resentment. No—correction. Something mimicking his friends was clinging to him. At least, the friends he knew didn’t have gaping holes where their faces should be.
“H-Hiik! S-Stop! Let go!”
No matter how hard he struggled, the hands gripping him didn’t budge. They simply dragged him toward the darkness with brute force. His endlessly trained body, techniques, and mana meant nothing in this moment.
The instant he came face-to-face with the massive maw of the monster emerging from the darkness, the male student lost consciousness.
“…S-Stop… let…… go……”
It was, in a way, a comical scene. A tall young man with broad shoulders—someone whose mere presence on the street would intimidate an ordinary person—thrashed about, drenched in cold sweat. Murmuring as if trapped in a nightmare, red mana continuously leaked from his body, flickering like an unstable candle flame.
Before long, the mana that had been flaring like fire abruptly cut off, and at the same time, the black butterfly perched on the young man’s head quietly took flight.
“Professor Psyche. Leonardo student’s mana reaction has ceased.”
“Take him to the infirmary. There may be memory confusion right after waking, so handle it carefully so he doesn’t become distressed.”
“Understood.”
After watching the student being carried away on a stretcher for a moment, Psyche turned her gaze forward again. Normally she would have transported the student herself without needing assistants, but right now she needed to focus on the scene before her as much as possible.
Dozens of students lay unconscious, eyes closed as if in deep sleep. A single black butterfly rested atop each of their heads, and mana continued to seep from their bodies.
“……Stop, please stop……”
“Save me…!”
“U-Uuugh……”
Most of them groaned or wore pained expressions, and the more intense their reaction, the more unstable the leaking mana became, like a candle on the verge of extinguishing. But if most were like that, it meant some were not.
“……”
Roughly one-third of the students made no sound, and the mana flowing from their bodies remained stable. A few had slightly distorted faces, perhaps not entirely free of side effects, but compared to those thrashing about, they were in far better condition.
Among them, two stood out so distinctly that Professor Psyche’s eyebrows twitched. A silver-haired girl with a bright, flower-like impression and a blond young man with a vaguely vicious aura. The Midas siblings’ mana was remarkably stable, and their expressions were incredibly peaceful.
『Black Light』 was influenced by one’s mental state, so people with similar upbringings tended to resemble each other to some degree—but even so, this was too—
—No, wait. Sensing something she had felt for only an instant, Psyche sharpened her perception. It hadn’t been her imagination. Some power emanating from an object in the blond youth’s possession was suppressing both the medicine’s effects and her own intervention.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she shook her head. Mental stability achieved through external power rather than one’s own strength could negatively affect the awakening of 『Black Light』, but recklessly forcing her way through that protection would bring its own severe side effects. Since awakening wasn’t mandatory and forcing it wouldn’t help, it was best to leave it alone.
Still… even if the older brother relied on a tool’s power, just what kind of mental structure did the younger sister have to remain in such excellent condition? That Ligret student was also quite stable, but this went beyond that level.
Truly a bizarre pair of siblings.