Traces of Dark Magic
Dark magic has been detected. Would you like to absorb it?
I wanted to believe I had seen it wrong, but the status window flickering before my eyes confirmed that this wallet was steeped in dark magic.
What the hell...
Why on earth had dark magic been detected? This could only mean... there was a dark mage inside the academy. Did that mean the academy itself had failed to root one out?
No. They probably just couldn't.
Dark magic could only be sensed by someone like me, who possessed the magic eye, or by another practitioner of the same forbidden art. That was likely why Erielle still had no idea I was a dark mage. Which meant they would need to develop a technique capable of precisely detecting dark magic alone. It appeared that breakthrough had yet to be realized.
"What am I supposed to do with this..."
I began turning the situation over in my mind. The reason Erielle and I had been able to locate and eliminate dark mages so easily until now was simple: none of them had bothered to hide what they were. They practically announced themselves with those suspicious black robes covered in ominous patterns and used their dark magic openly. Kidnapping and imprisoning people had been another obvious giveaway.
But the bully from earlier had been wearing a standard academy uniform. Clothing alone could no longer be trusted as proof. And if the culprit had any sense at all, they wouldn't be foolish enough to cause overt harm in a place filled with the empire's brightest talents and most precious heirs.
...Though calling dark mages sensible was probably generous.
Anyway.
Hmm... That bully doesn't seem to be the dark mage.
I hadn't sensed even a trace of dark magic from him. True dark mages carried that corrupted power instead of clean mana. If he had been one, I would have noticed the moment we crossed paths. Which meant someone connected to dark magic was definitely here in the academy...
"Um... is something the matter?"
"Ah, no. It's nothing like that."
"Thank you for today. Just like you said... I'll try my best."
"Yes. I sincerely hope you succeed."
The student brushed the dirt from his clothes, stood, and headed back toward the academy buildings.
"...Ah! By any chance, do you know the name of that student from earlier?"
"Huh? The one just now... That would be the Copson and Jade brothers. Both from the Zelk family in the west."
Copson and Jade Zelk. I committed the names to memory.
After thanking the student, I followed Erielle's instructions and made my way inside the academy to find her classroom.
I asked passing students and staff for directions and eventually waited in front of the 3-A classroom Erielle had mentioned. A few students whispered as they walked by, but it was nothing to worry about.
Ding— Ding— Ding—
I did my best to ignore the curious stares while waiting in the hallway. Then the long-awaited bell rang.
The back door slid open the moment the ringing stopped, and students began pouring out in a great wave. Even among the surging tide of uniforms, Erielle in her white student robe stood out like a single pure blossom.
"You've been waiting for me, Venice. Did you wait long?"
"No. I only just arrived myself. Haha."
"Really? That's a relief. It's almost lunchtime. Let's go eat."
Erielle had looked exhausted, but the mention of food brought a hint of color to her usually blank face. She took my arm and began leading me toward the dining hall.
"Oh... what's this? Erielle has a boyfriend?"
"No way...! This is huge news...!"
As we left through the back door, the girls who let out those astonished exclamations made Erielle sigh before we could even take three steps.
"What? What? If you had a boyfriend this handsome you should've at least given your friends a heads-up!"
"Exactly...! How could you hide someone like this from us?!"
"...I don't have any friends like that."
The girl with hair like gleaming golden sunlight and the one with a neat brown bob kept talking as if they hadn't heard Erielle at all. The more they spoke, the more the vein on Erielle's forehead throbbed.
"Hey, what's your name? Where did you meet Erielle? How far have you gone?"
"Pardon? Huh?? No, I—"
"This is such rare information...! Come on, come on, tell us everything!!"
"Ah... no, I just—"
"What? Are you getting shy? How cute. Trust this big sister and spill it all."
This was hopeless. These people had no intention of listening. I sent Erielle a desperate look begging for rescue, but she only let out an even deeper sigh. The usual Erielle would have ignored them completely and kept walking, yet for some reason she wasn't doing anything.
"Haah. Kayle, Fria. Stop it. He's just my butler. And I'm not friends with you two."
"Aww... what? You ruined the mood. You should've said that sooner. We got all excited for nothing."
"Huh? No, I—"
"...What! It was nothing after all?!"
"No..."
This is driving me insane. My words weren't getting through at all. The one-sided barrage left my head spinning.
"That's enough. Venice? Let's go eat. Just ignore them."
"Yes..."
Erielle tried to pull my staggering self away quickly, but she couldn't stop the girls from trailing after us.
After enduring their persistent trailing and the repeated Hoo... Hmm...? comments, Erielle finally spoke up. But the golden-haired girl simply replied with a confident grin.
"What's wrong with following a friend? Just go on your way~"
Erielle looked like she wanted to say something else, but eventually gave up and continued walking in silence.
"Huk... I behold the Sun of the Empire...!"
"Uh~ yeah, yeah. You really don't have to do that next time."
"...Lady Fria, hello...! Our family is a regular patron of the Gold Rush family where Lady Fria resides..."
"Ah, yes. I understand."
When we reached the dining hall, I witnessed an endless tide of students constantly trying to strike up conversations with them.
...One from the imperial family. The other the only daughter of the continent's greatest information broker?
I watched as they offered polite but exhausted smiles to the newcomers, both of them sighing wearily. The brilliant golden-haired girl was Kayle Sunrise, third daughter of the empire's ruling Sunrise family. The seemingly ordinary brown-bobbed girl was Fria, only daughter of the man who ran the most highly regarded information guild in the entire empire.
I had thought they were simply Erielle's slightly unusual friends. I couldn't have been more wrong. These were people I wouldn't even dare make eye contact with under normal circumstances. And with the northern archduchess Erielle herself added to the mix, I couldn't manage a proper meal at all.
They couldn't even lift their spoons because people kept approaching every three seconds to offer greetings. Of course, most of the looks sent my way were variations of Who the hell is that guy and why is he sitting with them?
In the end, the three of them left without finishing their food, acting as if this were simply another ordinary day. Swept along by the human wave, I finished what I needed to do and hurried after them.
They had moved so quickly it was as if they had vanished. I only managed to find them again by following the traces of their mana. The place was a small garden behind the academy. It was so tiny that anyone who hadn't thoroughly explored the grounds wouldn't even know it existed. Precisely because of that, it was quiet and empty. The three of them sat on a bench and let out long sighs.
"Venice. You found us."
"...Oh? You actually managed to follow us? Looks like you're pretty skilled."
"Hmm... I was certain no one had noticed me."
They spoke with playful smiles (though Erielle remained expressionless), but beneath those smiles I could see clear exhaustion.
"Um... should I observe proper etiquette with you?"
"No, no. Please don't. This big sister might actually get angry if you do that."
"Please don't do that to us either. We're already sick of it..."
"Understood. Lady Kayle, Lady Fria."
"...You're far better than all those people who only approach us because of our status. If you weren't Erielle's, I would've already—!"
".....What was that?"
"Ey, I'm just kidding. You know I don't steal other people's things, right, Erielle?"
When Erielle turned to her with a serious expression, Kayle waved her hands innocently and patted her shoulder. Even so, the fatigue never left her face.
"I agree with that. No matter how many times we tell them to stop... most people simply don't listen."
".....Hm."
Erielle let out a small breath in agreement. They all possessed the kind of status and power others could only dream of, yet that very status brought them nothing but trouble. They couldn't abandon their positions, and the students wouldn't listen to them. It was clear they had grown incredibly tired of it all.
"I'll... do my best not to treat you that way."
"Haha... so the thing you said earlier is becoming reality."
"Like I said before. That kind of behavior is..."
"I said it was a joke!"
"You've found yourself quite a decent person, Erielle."
"That's—!"
My words made them converse like ordinary close friends. Erielle had claimed they weren't friends, but she looked genuinely happy. To my eyes, the fact that girls of such high status could find joy in something as small as this everyday conversation felt a little heartbreaking.
"So, so. How exactly did you meet Erielle?"
"Ah, that. I happened to be passing by one day and—"
I answered their questions with a smile, talking as if I were chatting with close friends. Sometimes I laughed for no reason at all. We even joked around together.
"...Really? That dark mage bastard...?"
"Oh... you're even more impressive than I thought. And then? What happened next?"
They alternated between laughter and anger as they listened. But because they seemed to be enjoying the conversation, I found myself enjoying it too.
Ding— Ding— Ding—
"...Ah. Already? Time passed so quickly."
"We should head back to the classroom. Let's go."
"Haah... I don't want to."
Kayle and Fria looked reluctant, while Erielle appeared truly disgusted by the idea.
"Venice. From now on, feel free to do whatever you want. I have a schedule today, so I'll see you tomorrow."
"Your name was Venice, right? Today was fun, little brother! See you tomorrow~"
"Let's meet again tomorrow. Goodbye!"
...Ah. Right. The dark mage...
I had meant to tell Erielle about the wallet containing dark magic, but seeing her grumbling without actually cutting off the conversation made me hold my tongue. I simply bowed and said goodbye.
Come to think of it, if I told her... I would have to explain that I could sense dark magic. And if I did that, the sharp-witted Erielle would quickly deduce that I was a dark mage. Besides... I didn't really want to ruin the pleasant mood.
Hmm... she said this was my free time starting now.
From now on... I needed to find out exactly what was happening inside this academy.
"This... could turn out to be an extremely dangerous situation."
Dark mages never fought battles they might lose. They were the sort who would endure any process as long as the desired result was obtained. Having lost every last shred of their humanity, they didn't care what kind of damage they caused. I couldn't even begin to imagine what they might be plotting. Their actions completely defied common sense.
For now... I should start by looking into those students named Copson and Jade.