Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Side Job Author
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Mid-June.
The royal decree issued from Graypond, the capital of the Griffin Kingdom, was causing massive waves not just across the kingdom but throughout the entire continent.
In the Griffin Kingdom, where the Black Mage Heralhazard had left deep scars.
The king had bestowed an official position on a royal Black Mage.
The man who would now serve as a royal Black Mage, to be known by the title of Necromancer.
Deus Verdi.
He was the younger brother of the Count of Northwedden, the northern bulwark known as the giant.
Neighboring nations, long hostile to Black Mages, were on edge at this sudden change in Griffin, seeing it as finally opening its doors to them.
But within the Griffin Kingdom itself, far more people viewed the shift as corruption rather than progress, sparking a storm of controversy.
The turmoil had even reached Lovern Academy, where Deus had originally been affiliated.
"......Haa."
Erika hurried toward the dean's office.
The students' whispers were growing louder by the day. Ever since Deus had turned himself in as a Black Mage, the academy had been in quite an uproar.
They had barely managed to persuade and encourage the students who had submitted resignation letters after the Setima angel incident, getting things back on track.
Just as midterms ended and the academy seemed to return to normal.
Deus's situation became the hot topic again, stirring up fresh chaos.
Erika knocked and entered the room. Inside, Health Professor Kerun and Gideon were already seated.
Gideon frowned at Erika, but she didn't spare him a glance as she spoke.
"Dismissing Professor Deus again makes no sense."
Cold and composed.
The dean's shoulders twitched as if shivering at the chilling voice reminiscent of the old Professor Erika.
"It's not finalized yet. Haa, in a situation like this, I have no idea what to do."
Deus wasn't officially teaching yet, but his name was already on the faculty list.
On paper, he was away on the quarterly expeditions he had requested in his contract.
That's when Gideon stepped in.
"Do you know how many calls we've been getting from parents? There are tons demanding we let their kids drop out because there's nothing to learn from a Black Mage!"
"Urgh."
That was the problem.
The Setima angel incident had only just been resolved, and now this blew up, leaving them with no way to hold onto the students.
But Erika pushed back.
"The royal family itself granted Professor Deus the new title of Necromancer. Firing him could be seen as defying the crown's will."
The dean wavered again at Erika's point that keeping Deus would ultimately benefit them in the long run.
He glanced at Health Professor Kerun, but she just shrugged, staying neutral.
Why did this man Deus have to keep throwing everything into chaos?
The dean wanted to march over and give him a piece of his mind.
Erika and Gideon traded sharp barbs, locked in heated argument.
Gideon's fiery temper clashed perfectly against Erika's icy tone, like natural opposites waging a battle of wills.
Bang!
The dean's office door flew open again as a girl entered.
The dean was about to snap at her for barging in when he froze, mouth agape.
Radiant golden hair symbolizing the royal authority and pride. Elenoa Luden Griffin, who had proudly claimed first place among the first-years in midterms.
With imperious strides, she crossed between Erika and Gideon and declared.
"I'm aware of the recent talk stirring up the academy."
Here, Elenoa was not a student.
She stood purely as a princess, wielding her dignity and authority.
"It's about Deus Verdi, whom my brother His Majesty has recognized."
"Ah......"
"You're not going to mishandle a Necromancer officially endorsed by the crown, are you? A Black Mage named Deus has become part of the royal family. That's more than enough reason to see how much His Majesty favors him."
Erika nodded calmly, bolstering the girl's statement.
Elenoa approached the dean slowly and fixed him with a chilling gaze as she declared.
"I've already overlooked the last incident by not making it public. But if you defy the crown's will again this time......"
She spun on her heel.
"You'll have to step down from that position within days."
A blatant threat.
But one with undeniable persuasive power—an order impossible to ignore.
The dean slumped back into his chair, exhaling deeply.
Better this way.
He had struggled to decide, but now the choice was narrowed to one.
"Professor Deus is a talent the academy needs. The dismissal is off the table."
Gideon's face twisted in fury, but even he was speechless.
After all, a princess had intervened, shedding her student guise.
Just before leaving upon hearing the dean's reply, Elenoa glanced at Erika.
"......?"
Wondering if something was wrong, but Elenoa bit her lip hard, gripped the door handle, and flung it open.
"I'll win this."
In an instant, she was back to being the innocent schoolgirl in love.
* * *
"Urgh!"
The woman stepping down from the carriage stretched, loosening her body.
Her hair, braided and draped over her shoulder, was a striking silvery white evoking noble purity.
She quickly hooded it to hide from the inevitable stares, then donned a pair of glasses neatly.
Finally, a slim romance novel in hand, not some thick scripture.
In a flash, she had become another person. Her name: Lucia Saint.
In the Griffin Kingdom, she was arguably the most famous woman after King Orpheus himself—the one chosen by the gods.
The Saintess.
'Graypond after all this time.'
The church leaders had offered a special carriage, but with her duties unfinished, she had no choice but to take the regular public coach after sending away the dedicated one.
Not that it bothered her.
She had enjoyed the leisurely scenery and some rare alone time.
Plus, plenty of time to think.
'A Black Mage, huh.'
The church heads had asked the Saintess for support regarding the abrupt appointment of a Black Mage as a royal mage titled Necromancer.
It was the bishops' shallow scheme: her mere appearance at the upcoming public debate would solidify their position.
Honestly, she had no desire to get dragged into this.
But she was curious.
Secret reports said he had resolved Princess Elenoa's nightmare—even she couldn't—and exorcised the evil ghost long dormant in the Griffin Kingdom.
'Necromancer—probably meaning one who comforts souls?'
He seemed different from the Black Mages she knew.
Still, Saintess Lucia couldn't help but be skeptical.
Most Black Mages she had encountered were selfish lunatics.
Even worse if they lacked malice and pursued only research or magical achievements.
That meant no guilt at all, didn't it?
'Haa.'
As she walked through the city streets, protest chants echoed everywhere.
Citizens had boldly taken to the streets with placards, their messages shockingly radical.
- The king is being manipulated by a Black Mage.
- Our land will not be tainted by evil.
- Withdraw. Do not yield to the vile demon.
- The goddess is watching.
And so on.
The slogans were so extreme they could warrant immediate arrest.
They seemed ready to become martyrs.
"Hmm?"
Yet the kingdom's soldiers reacted tepidly. She half-expected forceful suppression, but they just stood by watching blankly.
Puzzled, Lucia scanned the street atmosphere and slipped naturally into a shop.
Mersenne, a restaurant.
A bit late for lunch, but that made it better.
It was a must-visit whenever she came to Graypond—a true gem among eateries.
Especially savoring coffee by the window, watching the street scene: one of her small joys.
The owner, spotting his regular, greeted her with a knowing smile.
He knew her identity but played dumb—a kind soul.
"Ah......"
Heading to her usual spot with a grin, Lucia let out a regretful sigh upon seeing someone already seated there.
A man occupied her designated seat.
His hair was a bit long, tied back in a ponytail, giving him a strikingly handsome, tall figure.
A patch of gauze on his cheek suggested he'd been hit by someone.
Ordering a coffee, basking in the sunlight, calmly reading a book—it was enough to make passing women swoon.
To Lucia, though, he was just an intruder stealing her spot.
'What a shame.'
But no helping it.
It wasn't marked "Lucia's seat," and he had simply chosen one of many open tables.
As she turned to find another.
Rustle.
The man stood abruptly and headed to the counter.
Seeing him take his coffee cup and book, she figured the seat was free and quickly plopped down.
"Lucky me."
Was the goddess watching over her?
Smiling as she opened the menu for happy deliberation.
Thud.
Someone sat across from her.
The same man, having refilled his coffee, now sat staring at her.
"Ah......"
Realizing her mistake, Lucia tried to stand quickly.
But the man glanced at the book in her hand and said calmly.
"Rose Mary. Good book."
His voice was serene, matching his looks, yet laced with a subtle chill.
He didn't seem bothered by Lucia in his seat and gestured with his eyes as he slipped off the cover of his own book.
The latest volume of Rose Mary.
"Ah."
As Lucia's face lit up with surprise, the man lifted his book slightly.
"I like the author. Writes under the pen name Luce, never shown her face officially, but I'd love to meet her someday."
"Y-Yeah......"
Lucia's face burned red.
She was the Saintess secretly serializing romance novels—hardly pious.
Her pen name "Luce" was a lazy mashup of "Lucia" and "Saint."
This was her first time meeting a fan like this.
Blushing, she sat back down.