The Price of Power
Countless students gathered and dispersed.
The new semester had just begun at the Academy. Students with anxious eyes bustled about to attend their chosen lectures.
"Phew..."
I had obtained power. At the very least, I had secured a source of energy.
But when it came to actually utilizing that power, I had no choice but to learn it from the perspective of a student.
My knowledge of the game's world didn't cover the minutiae of how students learned every single spell.
I directed my steps toward where I needed to go.
"Did you hear that rumor from yesterday? Katarin..."
"I'm telling you, it was terrifying. This year's dark magic class is going to be insane."
Filtering out the chatter of the students in the hallway, I kept walking.
What I needed to do was clear. The time right before the semester started had been brief, but it was enough to organize my thoughts.
I had confirmed that the protagonist did not exist in this world. That meant I had to move to prevent the tragedies to come—to stop the resurrection of the Demon King.
I opened the door. The students scattered throughout the room looked at me with wary eyes.
"...Who is that?"
A student who had arrived earlier whispered softly to the person next to him.
"No idea. Probably just another nobody."
Ignoring their stares, I looked for an empty seat and sat down.
Looking around, I saw apprentice dark mages, seemingly in the same boat as me, scattered here and there.
"It's because of guys like that that dark mages never get proper respect."
A cadet who looked like he came from a decent family grumbled while looking at me.
It wasn't that I couldn't understand where he was coming from.
In this world, those who sought to wield dark magic and the power of darkness were, fundamentally, people who wanted to get strong the easy way.
Or perhaps they desired a power far greater and more immense than what could be obtained through ordinary means.
"No doubt they came here thinking, 'If I become a dark mage, maybe I can make something of myself.'"
But of course, dabbling in dark magic didn't guarantee that anyone would become strong.
It required a price. It demanded devotion to evil, terrible atrocities that would make anyone frown, and fear.
"Stepping into dark magic without a proper family backing or resolve is just—"
His words cut off. The door opened once again.
Anyone with even a shred of talent for dark magic had no choice but to turn their head toward it.
Demonic energy seeped in. It was an immense amount of demonic energy, so much so that it was hard to understand how a mere classroom door had managed to conceal it.
"Oh my, what a studious atmosphere. Truly, I've never seen freshmen like this before..."
A black-haired professor wearing thick glasses carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
"Even a genius dark mage like Miss Katarin will surely... achieve great things here!"
Standing behind the professor, Katarin looked at the students with a cold gaze.
"Perhaps."
Whether she failed to sense Katarin's frosty emotion or simply chose to ignore it, the professor let out an awkward chuckle.
"I'm sorry for keeping you so long, Miss Katarin!"
"...Yes."
Nodding slightly, Katarin bit her lip and walked toward the seat prepared for her.
Although there were no assigned seats, everyone knew. The dangerous-looking noble daughters of dark magic had left a seat empty in advance.
"...?"
And then, our eyes met.
It was only for a brief moment. A split second that others wouldn't have even noticed.
She looked at me. Her expression was a subtle mix of wariness and contempt.
...Ha.
I realized it then. It seemed Kellin wasn't a very good liar.
Drawing Katarin's attention was unwelcome, but I was already riding the tiger. There was no need to act submissive now.
I casually brushed off her gaze. Katarin walked over to her designated seat as if nothing had happened.
"Well, since everyone seems to be here... shall we get started?"
The professor lightly tapped a wooden board created by magic, then wrote her name in elegant handwriting.
"You can call me Leila. I am the dark magic professor who will be teaching you for the next year. Let's work hard together!"
The clueless students frowned, clearly displeased by her gentle demeanor.
"First... how many of you are here to learn dark magic for the first time today?"
About half of the students raised their hands. I was among them.
"That's quite a few. In that case, for today's basics, shall we start with a simple 'contract'?"
The students who had raised their hands widened their eyes.
Anyone would have fantasized about it. The moment they suddenly gained immense power, escaping their despised status and obtaining a position of strength.
However, those who had already completed their contracts looked at them with contempt.
"But you must choose your contract very carefully. I trust everyone here has steeled their resolve?"
It was a contract with a demon. As she said, it was not something to be decided lightly.
But if they were students who had chosen to take this class in the first place, they should have been prepared for at least that much.
"...How foolish."
The student sitting next to me grimaced in discomfort.
He was right. No matter how decent a demon or sacrifice the Academy prepared, a contract made now would be meaningless.
A dark mage who possessed neither a burning hatred capable of destroying the world nor a fateful encounter with a demon interested in humans or families could never wield proper magic.
Despite the grumbling, the students slowly began to line up and approach Leila.
"I-I'll go first!"
"Calm your mind. It might hurt a lot, and it might be a bit disgusting."
A large basin filled with blood was placed before them.
"Ugh..."
"It's chicken blood. You'll have to get used to it. After all, there is no easier or faster way than buying 'slaughter' with money."
"Y-Yes!"
"Just put your hand in the basin and speak with this 'nameless demon.'"
"I understa—"
"It's a weak one. No matter what it says, it won't be able to harm you as long as I'm here. If it says anything weird, just go in with the mindset of giving it a good smack on the butt."
The boy tightly bit his trembling lip and plunged his hand into the basin.
"Ugh, ah..."
A pained scream escaped his lips. Along with the sound, demonic energy leaked out like smoke.
It was a contract. He had made a deal with the darkness to gain power, and now he would pay the price.
"You might be in shock, so you can go sit in the back. If it hurts too much, visit the infirmary. Now, next person?"
Seeing the first person nearly faint made the cadets tremble with fear, but in the end, they all put their hands into the blood-filled basin.
"I-I'm scared! I can't do it!"
"A wise choice. You can apply to change majors right away, or if you haven't decided yet, you can just take the class slowly and think about dark magic."
A frail-looking noble daughter fled in tears. Leila gently comforted her.
The students who had already completed their contracts looked at her mockingly, but those who had finished their contracts before the class started didn't blame her.
"That's the right call. At least she made a smart choice."
"Rather than stepping into dark magic at this point, becoming an old noble's concubine is a much smarter idea."
Before long, the line vanished. All the students had finished their contracts. The blood that had filled the basin was now nearly gone.
"Is there only one person left now?"
The professor's eyes turned toward me.
"You said it's your first time learning dark magic, right? Let's see... Cadet Wade? Don't feel pressured, just come up and start the contract."
"...I'm fine."
"Is that so? You can take your time to think about it. If you've already made a deal with another demon, it's fine to cherish that connection."
Leila let it slide without a fuss, but the others looked at me with contemptuous eyes.
"Isn't he that coward... the one who was rude to Lady Katarin?"
"Actually, yesterday he just froze up and couldn't say a word..."
I hadn't intended for this to happen. However, I could use this situation to my advantage.
While appearing cruel and powerful was important for a dark mage, ironically, hiding one's strength was equally crucial.
If one was the child of a prestigious family, there was no need to hide it. Whether it was secret family knowledge or a technique passed down through generations, they could prove how they paid the 'price' for their dark magic.
But a dark mage who built their power through 'unusual methods' was different.
No matter how much dark magic was treated as a necessary evil, if there was someone who slaughtered countless lives and built altars by killing children to accumulate that power, society would never accept them.
Unless it was a critical moment, I had to hide my strength.
"Now that the contracts are finished... shall we conclude the remaining time with a brief lecture on dark magic?"
Grumbles arose from here and there, but the professor casually brushed off the complaints with a smile.
Once again, the class began.