A Misguided Request
"Oh, he's here! I'll step out for a bit!"
"Good work, Claire."
Surprisingly, despite my reputation, not many dark mages approached me directly.
It wasn't a bad thing. If anything, it was much more convenient for the other dark mages to fear me.
However, I couldn't push everyone away forever. Building my own faction and recruiting high-quality party members were crucial tasks.
And Claire was handling that part beautifully on her own.
"By the way, is he someone important?" Claire asked. "You've never really liked talking to people, Wade."
"It's not that I dislike it. It just wasn't necessary before."
Ever since entering the dark magic class, most of the students had fallen under Katarin's influence.
There was nothing to gain from getting close to them, so I had naturally kept my distance.
"Thank you, though."
Ironically, it was Claire who covered for that weakness of mine.
When she first became a Dark Priestess, many had been wary of her. But Claire possessed a naturally easygoing and harmless appearance.
There were plenty of people who feared me but still wanted to benefit from my strength. Instead of contacting me directly, they approached Claire.
"Oh, it's nothing!" she chirped.
Claire had already meticulously vetted and researched the people who approached her.
I didn't want to drag Claire into this, but...
She was incredibly competent, executing my demanding instructions without a single complaint.
She was skilled enough to immediately weed out suspicious individuals or anyone whose behavior had suddenly changed.
"This won't take long. I'll see you later."
"Okay!"
After sending Claire out, I sat alone in the room, waiting for the guest to enter.
"H-Hey... Hello? You... called for me, right?"
A boy opened the door and stepped inside, his voice hesitant and trembling.
Wait. This guy...
Claire's judgment was spot on. His eyes were unfocused to an unusual degree.
While his condition wasn't severe yet, it was definitely suspicious. If drugs were spreading among the dark mages, this guy was almost certainly involved.
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
Of course, I had no intention of interrogating him openly.
Although the Student Council held considerable power, they were ultimately just a student organization, not a law enforcement agency.
We had no authority to detain or interrogate other students without concrete evidence.
"I didn't call you here for anything grand," I said. "Just... there's something I wanted to say. As a fellow dark mage."
I had plenty of excuses prepared, but with this guy, I could use a slightly different approach.
"You're being bullied, aren't you? I want to help you resolve it."
"...What?"
The bruises on his face, his hesitant speech and behavior, his timid attitude.
He's the guy I saw yesterday...
I couldn't perfectly match his face from memory, but there was more than enough circumstantial evidence to prove he was the same person who was being beaten yesterday.
"H-How did you know that...?"
"I have my ways. I'm sorry if I offended you."
"N-No! Of course not! I'm just... really grateful."
He let out a weak chuckle and nodded.
He seemed like an ordinary person. He didn't look evil.
But he looked weak. And that was undoubtedly the very reason his tormentors targeted him.
To most people, criticizing and attacking a dark mage didn't feel like a sin.
"They are evil. Even if they smile kindly now, they will eventually destroy our community and society."
"Therefore, harming them is an act of justice."
Since the Academy was overflowing with people who held this mindset, it wasn't surprising that he was being targeted for no real reason.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"B-But... he's someone powerful. I appreciate the thought, but I don't want you to get hurt because of me—"
"If I were the type of person to care about social status, do you think I would have stood up to Katarin?"
"I... suppose not?"
The Margrave of Herst was technically just a count of the kingdom, but his power and status were rivaled by few royal families.
Of course, I wasn't some justice-obsessed hero who ignored family status. My hostility toward Katarin was a product of precise calculation.
However, there was decent value in appearing that way.
"Besides, it's not like you don't know who I associate with."
It was a bit shameless to use the Imperial Princess's name like this, but I had met this boy while carrying out her mission anyway.
She would surely forgive this minor insolence.
"Tell me. If it seems too dangerous, I'll back out on my own."
"..."
"But if you want my help, you have to tell me. I don't want to fight for you without even knowing who my opponent is."
Of course, my ultimate goal wasn't to help him, but I had to hide my true intentions for now.
After agonizing over it for a long moment, the boy spoke in a barely audible whisper.
"Conrad. Conrad Urwid. He's the heir to the Urwid family."
"Ah."
Among the players of this game, he was quite famous. Mostly for how satisfying he was to beat up.
Though he held high status, he wasn't an enemy the protagonist couldn't handle after building some connections with other high nobles.
Any player who chose a class that manipulated demonic energy was bound to clash with him eventually.
Moreover, he wasn't particularly strong. Despite his aggressive nature and love for conflict, the combat power of Conrad and his lackeys was mediocre at best.
Unless I outright killed him, I didn't need to worry about the consequences of beating him up, chasing him off, or humiliating him.
"Interesting."
"H-He's a dangerous person," the boy stammered. "His father is a high-ranking official in the Empire, and... he has a lot of followers..."
"That doesn't really matter."
Granted, his father was a highly competent man. He was a bureaucrat trusted by the Emperor, and his authority was formidable.
However, that didn't mean he would blindly take Conrad's side.
Conrad was practically a black sheep. As competent as his father was, he was also someone who could clearly distinguish between public and private matters, right and wrong.
Unless things went too far, he would likely turn a blind eye even if his son was treated somewhat roughly.
"H-Hieee..."
I could feel his terror.
It was understandable. To a boy who saw the noble's authority and the violence of his gang as the most terrifying things in the world, my casual dismissal of them must have made me look like a monster.
"Don't worry."
Besides, there was another reason I smiled upon hearing that name.
If I recall... he was also involved in drug distribution, wasn't he?
In the game, if you played a Knight or Priest route, you had options to make him repent and confess, or forgive him on the condition that he never commit such crimes again.
Conversely, on the Dark Mage route, you could use that information to blackmail others, or even take over his drug supply and distribution network to turn a profit.
I didn't expect to find the answer so easily.
Even though I knew this, I couldn't just lock him up without concrete evidence.
Drug crimes were an annual event at the Academy. Nameless, daring criminals; sons of prestigious Imperial nobles; dark mages looking to make quick cash.
A group of dark mages with decent pocket money was the perfect target market for drug dealers. Naturally, the crime was rampant.
And there was no guarantee that Conrad would commit a drug-related crime in this specific playthrough.
Depending on the route, he might commit sexual assault, physical violence, or even smuggling, theft, or robbery inside and outside the Academy.
But now that his name had slipped from the victim's mouth, all variables were gone.
Conrad was the culprit behind this drug incident. All I had to do was catch him in the act and lock him away.
Come to think of it, there was no reason for an ordinary dark mage like this boy to need gold coins, let alone borrow them from other students.
He must have accidentally become addicted to the drug, falling into a life of dependency under Conrad.
"Um... Wade? I'm really grateful for your help, but... the more I think about it, the more I want to resolve this myself."
"Oh?"
"I can't do anything about Conrad's family status, so I'll have to rely on your help for that, but..."
Hmm...
Maybe he had more backbone than I thought.
"If you help me, things will get better for now... but if I stay weak, I'll just have to keep begging for your help. I... don't want that."
"That's true."
It was a reasonable point.
For me, rather than directly confronting Conrad to lock him up, it was better to have the 'victim' defeat Conrad with my backing.
It gave off a mastermind vibe, prevented my authority from being questioned, and shielded me from risk even if things went sideways. It wasn't a bad idea at all.
But the method was the problem. The method I used on Claire was something only she could use.
"So... please. I'm not demanding it, but please..."
The boy spoke, trembling.
"Can you tell me where you buy the drugs you're using?"
He uttered words I had never anticipated.